Patent Application
20210308838
Example embodiments generally relate to hand tools and, in particular, relate to solid joint pliers that are provided with an improved joint.
Hand tools are commonly used across all aspects of industry and in the homes of consumers. Hand tools are employed for multiple applications including, for example, tightening, component joining, and/or the like. For some component joining applications, a solid join pliers (e.g., a pliers that does not have a slip joint, tongue-and-groove, channel lock, or other adjustable joint) may be preferred.
Solid joint pliers typically have serrated jaws that are aligned with each other to grip an object placed therebetween when handles to which the jaws are attached are compressed toward each other. When held such that the jaws and handles are aligned with each other in a vertical plane, the bottom jaw is typically attached to the top handle and the top jaw is attached to the bottom handle. The transition between the handles and respective jaws (and between the respective top and bottom positions) occurs at a joint portion of the pliers, where opposing right and left halves of the joint portion interface with each other and overlap each other. The right and left halves also pivot relative to each other about a joining pin that forms an axis of rotation about which the handles (and jaws) pivot during compression and release of the handles.
In a typical solid joint pliers, the aforementioned vertical plane may extend through a longitudinal centerline of the handles and jaws, and may exactly pass through or define the interface between the surfaces of the right and left halves of the joint portion. Moreover, the left and right halves may be exactly equal in width to each other. The joining pin is then often formed using a rivet joint. This design is relatively simple and straightforward to implement. However, the rivet joint can wear out over time, or even be damaged.
Thus, it may be desirable to develop an improved joint design for a solid joint pliers.
In an example embodiment, a hand tool may be provided. The hand tool may include a head section including a top jaw and a bottom jaw, a handle section including a top handle and a bottom handle, and a joint assembly operably coupling the head section to the handle section. The top jaw is operably coupled to the bottom handle by a first transition portion of the joint assembly, and the bottom jaw is operably coupled to the top handle by a second transition portion of the joint assembly. The first and second transition portions may be pivotally coupled to each other by a pivot pin. The first transition portion may be disposed on a first side of a longitudinal centerline of the hand tool, and at least a majority of the second transition portion is disposed on a second side of the longitudinal centerline such that a width of the first transition portion in a direction of a pivot axis of the pivot pin is less than a width of the second transition portion.
In another example embodiment, a hand tool may be provided. The hand tool may include a head section including a top jaw and a bottom jaw, a handle section including a top handle and a bottom handle, and a joint assembly operably coupling the head section to the handle section. The top jaw may be operably coupled to the bottom handle by a first transition portion of the joint assembly, and the bottom jaw may be operably coupled to the top handle by a second transition portion of the joint assembly. The first and second transition portions may be pivotally coupled to each other by a pivot pin. The first transition portion may be disposed on a first side of a longitudinal centerline of the hand tool, and at least a majority of the second transition portion may be disposed on a second side of the longitudinal centerline. The pivot pin may include a welding pin that is welded to one of the first transition portion or the second transition portion.
Having thus described some example embodiments in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Some example embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all example embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described and pictured herein should not be construed as being limiting as to the scope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” is to be interpreted as a logical operator that results in true whenever one or more of its operands are true. As used herein, operable coupling should be understood to relate to direct or indirect connection that, in either case, enables functional interconnection of components that are operably coupled to each other.
As indicated above, some example embodiments may relate to the provision of solid joint pliers that employ an improved joint design.
Of note, the hand tool 100 of
Referring now to
As can be appreciated from
Of note, the left transition portion 120 of a conventional pliers may be referred to as a left half, and the right transition portion 130 of the conventional pliers may be referred to as a right half. In such a context, the widths of the right and left halves are normally equal, and thus the term “half” may accurately represent the proportion of the total width of the pliers at its joint assembly that each such transition portion actually represents. Meanwhile, as will be explained in greater detail below, some example embodiments may employ transition portions of unequal width, and therefore the more general term of “portion” will be employed instead of the term “half”. However, some example embodiments described herein could also be employed with right and left transition portions 130 and 120 that may have equal widths as well. As such, the term “transition portion” should be understood to encompass both embodiments that have equal widths and those with different widths when no specific width description is provided for such embodiments.
Separating the top handle 112 from the bottom handle 114 (i.e., by moving them in the direction shown by arrow 116) may cause the right transition portion 130 to pivot relative to the left transition portion 120 and correspondingly pivot the top jaw 106 away from the bottom jaw 108 as shown by arrow 118. Compressing the top handle 112 toward the bottom handle 114 (i.e., by moving them in the direction opposite the direction shown by arrow 116) may cause the right transition portion 130 to pivot relative to the left transition portion 120 and correspondingly pivot the top jaw 106 toward the bottom jaw 108 (i.e., in a direction opposite the direction shown by arrow 118). The right transition portion 130 and left transition portion 120 may pivot relative to each other about a pivot pin 140 that may form a pivot axis 142 (which extends through an axial centerline of the rivet 140). The pivot pin 140 may be passed through an axial orifice that is formed in each of the left and right transition portions 120 and 130. The axial orifices of the left and right transition portions 120 and 130 may be aligned (coaxial with the pivot axis 142) before the pivot pin 140 is passed therethrough.
As shown in
In an example embodiment, the top jaw 106 and the bottom jaw 108 may each have the same width (Wj), and the top handle 112 and bottom handle 114 may also have the same width (Wh). Moreover, in some cases, the widths of the handles and jaws may also be substantially equal (i.e., Wj=Wh). However, in the example shown, the width of the jaws (Wj) may be slightly larger than a wide of the handles (Wh). The joint assembly 110 may also have the same overall width (Wja) as the widths of the jaws (i.e., Wja=Wj). However, in accordance with some example embodiments, the width (Wja) of the joint assembly 110 may be defined by making the left transition portion 120 and right transition portion 130 such that they have unequal widths. In an example embodiment, a width (WL) of the left transition portion 120 may be greater than a width (WR) of the right transition portion 130. The difference in width that is defined between the width (WL) of the left transition portion 120 and the width (WR) of the right transition portion 130 may be significant for preserving the operational integrity and useful life of the hand tool 100. In particular, by employing different widths for the width (WL) of the left transition portion 120 and the width (WR) of the right transition portion 130, the stresses placed on the pivot pin 140 may be reduced, and both wear on and damage to the pivot pin 140 may be reduced.
In this regard, when the hand tool 100 is used to cut an object that is placed between the top cutter 132 and bottom cutter 122, various forces are placed on the pivot pin 140 to test the strength of the pivot pin 140. For example, the pivot pin 140 undergoes bending forces as well as forces that test the tensile strength and shear strength of the pivot pin 140. Because the top cutter 132 is disposed entirely on the same side of the vertical plane as the right transition portion 130 while the bottom cutter 122 is disposed on the opposite side of the vertical plane relative to the left transition portion 120, the tensile stress is unaffected by any modification to the width (WL) of the left transition portion 120 and the width (WR) of the right transition portion 130. However, for both the bending force on the pivot pin 140 and the shear force on the pivot pin 140, the width (WR) of the right transition portion 130 (i.e., the width of the transition portion on the same side as the cutters) defines the length of the lever arm used to calculate the magnitude of the corresponding forces. Accordingly, by reducing the width (WR) of the right transition portion 130 relative to the width (WL) of the left transition portion 120, the bending and shear forces experienced by the pivot pin 140 may be reduced. Thus, when the cutters are positioned on one side of the longitudinal centerline of the hand tool 100, the width of the transition portion on the same side as the cutters may be reduced relative to the width of the transition portion on the opposite side of the cutters (relative to the longitudinal centerline) in order to reduce bending and shear stresses and extend the life of the pivot pin 140 and therefore also the hand tool 100. In an example embodiment, it may be desirable to make the smaller width (e.g., the width (WR) of the right transition portion 130) about 30% to about 90% of the larger width (e.g., the width (WL) of the left transition portion 120). Moreover, in
In order to keep the width of the hand tool 100 substantially consistent along its length, it may be desirable to ensure that the pivot pin 140 does not extend either at all, or at least very much, beyond the outer surfaces of the left and right transition portions 120 and 130. The pivot pin 140 may therefore be countersunk into each of the left and right transition portions 120 and 130 so that ends of the pivot pin 140 are substantially flush with outer surfaces of the left and right transition portions 120 and 130. The pivot pin 140 can be embodied in various different ways. In order to achieve the consistent width mentioned above, it may be desirable to employ a rivet to form the pivot pin 140. However, it may also be possible to define the pivot pin 140 using a welded structure as described in greater detail below.
As shown in
As an alternative to the use of the rivet 200, some example embodiments may employ a welding pin 210 as shown in
Unlike the rivet 200, which permits movement of both transition portions, when the welding pin 210 is employed, the transition portion that is proximate to the fixed end 216 does not pivot relative to the welding pin 210, but the other transition portion does. Of note, although the welding pin 210 could be used in connection with the left transition portion 120 and right transition portion 130 described above where each respective transition portion has a different width, the transition portions could also have the same width in some cases. Moreover, regardless of the widths of the transition portions, the fixed end 216 could be disposed at either of the transition portions.
As can be appreciated from the example of
The hand tool and/or its components may include a number of modifications, augmentations, or optional additions, some of which are described herein. For example, a top cutter may be disposed proximate to the top jaw, and a bottom cutter may be disposed proximate to the bottom jaw. The top and bottom cutters may each be disposed on the first side of the longitudinal centerline of the hand tool. In an example embodiment, the width of the first transition portion is about 30% to about 90% of the width of the second transition portion. In some cases, the width of the first transition portion is about 50% of the width of the second transition portion. In an example embodiment, the pivot pin may include a rivet. A head of the rivet and a tail of the rivet may each be countersunk into respective outer surfaces of the first and second transition portions. When the pivot pin comprises a welding pin, a head of the welding pin is countersunk into an outer surface of one of the first transition portion or the second transition portion. Alternatively or additionally, the welding pin may include a shaft having a head at a first end and a fixed end at the second end of the shaft. In such a case, the fixed end may be welded to the one of the first transition portion or the second transition portion. In some cases, the head and the fixed end may each be flush with a corresponding outer surface of the first transition portion and the second transition portion. In an example embodiment, the hand tool may include a solid joint pliers.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain exemplary combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. In cases where advantages, benefits or solutions to problems are described herein, it should be appreciated that such advantages, benefits and/or solutions may be applicable to some example embodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, any advantages, benefits or solutions described herein should not be thought of as being critical, required or essential to all embodiments or to that which is claimed herein. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2018/106099 | 9/18/2018 | WO | 00 |
