Claims
- 1. A self-adjusting pliers operable to grasp a workpiece between an upper jaw and a lower jaw, comprising:
an upper arm having a first end and a second end, wherein the upper jaw is at the first end of the upper arm; a jaw arm having a first end and a second end,
wherein the second end of the jaw arm is pivotably connected to the upper arm at a main pivot adjacent to the second end of the upper arm, so that the first end of the jaw arm is movable in a circular arc relative to the main pivot, and wherein the lower jaw is at the first end of the jaw arm in movable facing relation to the upper jaw so that the workpiece may be grasped between the upper jaw and the lower jaw; and an engagement mechanism that releasably engages the jaw arm to the upper arm at an engagement position responsive to a movement of the jaw arm relative to the upper arm and responsive to a size of the workpiece grasped between the upper jaw and the lower jaw.
- 2. The pliers of claim 1, wherein the upper jaw and the lower jaw are each of a multilayer metallic construction.
- 3. The pliers of claim 1, wherein the pliers further includes
a support integral with and extending from the upper arm toward and past the jaw arm, the support including
a support engagement curved in a circular arc centered about the main pivot, a lower arm, wherein the lower arm is linked to the jaw arm at a location adjacent to the lower jaw, but is not integral with the jaw arm, a control arm having a first end and a second end,
wherein the first end of the control arm is pivotably connected to the jaw arm at an upper control-arm pivot pin adjacent to the second end of the jaw arm, and wherein the second end of the control arm is pivotably connected to the lower arm at a lower control-arm pivot point at a location along the length of the lower arm, and a lower-arm spring biasing the lower arm so as to resist rotation of the lower arm about the upper control-arm pivot pin.
- 4. The pliers of claim 3, wherein the upper control-arm pivot pin is selectively movable generally parallel to a line extending between the first end and the second end of the upper arm.
- 5. The pliers of claim 3, further including
a force adjuster that selectively moves the upper control-arm pivot pin generally parallel to a line extending between the first end and the second end of the upper arm.
- 6. The pliers of claim 3, wherein the jaw arm, the control arm, the lower arm, and the engagement mechanism constitute an interconnected unit, and wherein the pliers further includes
a main spring reacting between the interconnected unit and the upper arm.
- 7. The pliers of claim 1, wherein the engagement mechanism includes
a pivotably supported pawl, and a shifter upon which the pawl is pivotably supported and which is operable to engage the pawl to the upper arm responsive to the movement of the jaw arm relative to the upper arm and responsive to the size of the workpiece grasped between the upper jaw and the lower jaw.
- 8. The pliers of claim 1, further including
a locking mechanism which releasably locks the jaw arm to the upper arm at the engagement position.
- 9. The pliers of claim 1, wherein the pliers has no locking mechanism which releasably locks the jaw arm to the upper arm at the engagement position.
- 10. The pliers of claim 8, further including
a locking engagement control operable to alter the pliers between a releasable engagement and a releasable engagement-and-lock.
- 11. A self-adjusting pliers operable to grasp a workpiece between an upper jaw and a lower jaw, comprising:
an upper arm having a first end and a second end, wherein the upper jaw is at the first end of the upper arm; a jaw arm having a first end and a second end,
wherein the second end of the jaw arm is pivotably connected to the upper arm at a main pivot adjacent to the second end of the upper arm, so that the first end of the jaw arm is movable in a circular arc relative to the main pivot; and wherein the lower jaw is at the first end of the jaw arm in movable facing relation to the upper jaw so that the workpiece may be grasped between the upper jaw and the lower jaw; a support integral with and extending from the upper arm toward and past the jaw arm, the support including
a support engagement slot curved in a circular arc centered about the main pivot; a lower arm, wherein the lower arm is linked to the jaw arm at a location adjacent to the lower jaw, but is not integral with the jaw arm; a control arm having a first end and a second end,
wherein the first end of the control arm is pivotably connected to the jaw arm at an upper control-arm pivot pin, and wherein the second end of the control arm is pivotably connected to the lower arm at a lower control-arm pivot point at a location along the length of the lower arm; a lower-arm spring biasing the lower arm so as to resist rotation of the lower arm about the main pivot; and an engagement mechanism that releasably engages the jaw arm to the upper arm at an engagement position responsive to a movement of the jaw arm relative to the upper arm and responsive to a size of the workpiece grasped between the upper jaw and the lower jaw.
- 12. The pliers of claim 11, wherein the upper jaw and the lower jaw are each of a multilayer metallic construction.
- 13. The pliers of claim 11, wherein the upper jaw and the lower jaw are each of a solid, non-multilayer metallic construction.
- 14. The pliers of claim 11, wherein the upper control-arm pivot pin is selectively movable generally parallel to a line extending between the first end and the second end of the upper arm.
- 15. The pliers of claim 11, wherein the engagement mechanism includes
a pivotably supported pawl, and a shifter which is operable to transmit a locking and engaging force applied through the lower arm to the lower jaw and to engage the pawl to the support responsive to the movement of the jaw arm relative to the upper arm and responsive to the size of the workpiece grasped between the upper jaw and the lower jaw, wherein the shifter is pivotable relative to the jaw arm and is rotatable relative to the lower arm, and wherein the pawl is pivotably affixed to the shifter.
- 16. The pliers of claim 11, further including
a locking mechanism that releasably engages and locks the jaw arm to the upper arm.
- 17. The pliers of claim 11, further including
an overcenter locking engagement control movable between
a first position whereat the overcenter lock switch mechanism does not prevent pivoting movement of the second arm relative to the control arm prior to reaching an overcenter lock, and a second position whereat the overcenter lock switch mechanism does prevent pivoting movement of the second arm relative to the control arm prior to reaching the overcenter lock.
- 18. The pliers of claim 11, further including
a downwardly extending lobe on the control arm, and a release arm pivotably connected to the lower arm and having a release pad disposed to contact the lobe of the control arm when the release arm is pivoted.
- 19. The pliers of claim 11, further including
an overcenter lock switch mechanism in the lower handle movable between
a first position whereat the overcenter lock switch mechanism does not prevent pivoting movement of the lower arm relative to the control arm prior to reaching an overcenter lock, and a second position whereat the overcenter lock switch mechanism does prevent pivoting movement of the lower arm relative to the control arm prior to reaching the overcenter lock.
- 20. A pliers operable to grasp a workpiece between an upper jaw and a lower jaw, comprising:
a first arm having a first end and a second end, wherein the upper jaw is at the first end of the upper arm; a second arm having a first end and a second end,
wherein the jaw arm is movable relative to the upper arm, and wherein the lower jaw is linked to the first end of the jaw arm in movable facing relation to the upper jaw so that the workpiece may be grasped between the upper jaw and the lower jaw; a control arm having a first end and a second end,
wherein the first end of the control arm is pivotable relative to the first arm, and wherein the second end of the control arm is pivotably connected to the second arm; and an overcenter locking engagement control movable between
a first position whereat the overcenter lock switch mechanism does not prevent pivoting movement of the second arm relative to the control arm prior to reaching an overcenter lock, and a second position whereat the overcenter lock switch mechanism does prevent pivoting movement of the second arm relative to the control arm prior to reaching the overcenter lock.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/942,095, filed Aug. 28, 2001, for which priority is claimed and whose disclosure is incorporated by reference; which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/594,191, filed Jun. 14, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,431, for which priority is claimed and whose disclosure is incorporated by reference; which in turn is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/334,055, filed Jun. 15, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,978, for which priority is claimed and whose disclosure is incorporated by reference. This application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/390,007, filed Jun. 18, 2002, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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60390007 |
Jun 2002 |
US |
Continuations (2)
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09942095 |
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10463843 |
Jun 2003 |
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09594191 |
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09942095 |
Aug 2001 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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09334055 |
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09594191 |
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