Patent Application
20090101532
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a tool holder having a plurality of receptacles, a cover for at least one of the receptacles and methods of using the same. The present invention also relates to covers that can be used in conjunction with tool holders for storing and/or transporting machine tools, such as Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) tools and the like and methods of using the covers.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of high performance CNC tools and other sophisticated machine tools has increased over the years, spurred by the inherent efficiencies realizable by using these devices. When manufacturing with such machine tools, it is often necessary to have many tools quickly available to fulfill a series of different operations and to perhaps move the tools from one machine to the next for different types of machining operations. The tools machine required for these operations are often quite large, expensive and have extremely sharp working portions. Therefore, there is a strong interest in both protecting the tools as well as protecting workers who work near these types of tools.
Known methods of storing and moving tools include placing or securing the tools on a portable cart with the working portion of the tool facing upwards. The carts generally have a plurality of receptacles to accommodate multiple tools.
The present invention provides improvements to the prior art devices for storing machine tools and methods used to accomplish the same.
The present invention provides a tool holder having at least one tray, the tray having a plurality of receptacles for storing machine tools. In preferred embodiments, the tool holder is a cart that is easily transportable. The tool holder further includes at least one cover for one of the receptacles. The cover of the present invention keeps staged tooling clean and workers safe, while increasing efficiency. The preferred cover includes a body having a first portion and a second portion, the second portion having a base. The body may be made of a single-piece construction or molding having one portion, but this is likely much more expensive as larger molds are required for larger single piece covers. Most preferably, the body is two pieces joined together, wherein the first portion includes a vent to reduce moisture buildup within the cover. Making two piece covers, the second portion, which has a base, and is, therefore a somewhat more complicated structure, requiring a more complicated mold.
Preferred embodiments, this portion will be made in one size and the first portion may be made in several sizes so that a series of two-piece covers, joining variously sized first portions, can be assembled to the one sized second portion, in order to make the series of differently sized fully assembled two-piece covers more economically than might be expected if a single piece construction was employed.
In order to prevent machine tools from falling off of the cart, known methods of securing such tools have been used, such as setting the tool in the receptacle provided to receive and retain the tool and anchoring the tool onto the cart with screws. This latter method is burdensome, since it requires the operator to detach the screws in order to remove the tool from the cart and neither method affords protection for exposed portions of the tools from colliding with moving objects in the work area or for workers from sharp edges or hot surfaces on the exposed portions of the tools.
Known tool holders also fail to reduce or limit the opportunity for industrial espionage. As known tool holders and methods do not mask the tools, anyone in the area where the tools are located and in view may see what types of tools are being used for each project. To address this problem, some machine operators have resorted to shrouding exposed portions of the tools with packaging materials while the tool is located in a receptacle on the cart. This informal method of hiding tools has many drawbacks. For example, the packaging material cannot be secured to the cart making its safety effectiveness questionable. Additionally, the packaging material is generally opaque, so the workers cannot see the exposed portion of the tool and, moisture can build up in the packaging material, which can damage the tool or require the worker to clean the tool prior to use.
The present inventor appreciates that a tool holder having a device for protecting the machine tools and the machine operators who work near the stored tools is advantageous for many reasons. The inventor also appreciates that a device that conceals the tools from visitors, yet provides for quick identification by workers during machine setups is also advantageous. The present inventor also appreciates that if such a device can be provided economically, to users, this will also be advantageous.
Once a tool is inserted in the receptacle such that a working portion of the tool is facing upwards, the cover may be placed over the tool to protect both the tool and anyone near the tool holder. In the preferred embodiments, the cover is then removably secured to the tray with fastening elements such as magnets, removable adhesive or key hole slots that secure to threaded bolts or the like fastened to the tray or other fastening elements.
The preferred cover will have a second portion that is opaque. An opaque second portion will tend to mask the tool inside and will be effective in reducing the success of industrial espionage, as one cannot determine which types of tools are being used for a project without knowledge of which tools are used. Preferably, the first portion is substantially transparent so that a portion of each tool within the cover may be quickly identified by a worker at a close distance. It is further contemplated that, in alternate embodiments, the first portion could have an identifier, such as a colored tint, to designate, for example, the type or condition of the tool. In other alternate embodiments, at least part of the cover is made of a material that may be marked with a dry erase marker or grease pencil such that erasable/modifiable identifiers can be written on the cover. The preferred material for the cover will be a relatively inexpensive, yet strong, plastic material such as ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) or the like.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tool holder having a plurality of receptacles and at least one cover for one of the receptacles; wherein the cover increases workplace safety and security.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool holder having a plurality of receptacles and a cover for at least one of the receptacles; wherein the cover protects the tool being covered.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a tool holder having a plurality of receptacles and a cover for at least one of the receptacles; wherein the cover is economical and improves workplace efficiency.
These and other objectives and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description, made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views. And, although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.
In the drawings, in which corresponding reference numerals and letters indicate corresponding parts of the various embodiments throughout the several views, and in which the various embodiments generally differ only in the manner described and/or shown, but otherwise include corresponding parts;
A tool holder 10 of the present invention is illustrated in
To protect the stored tools 70 and keep them clean, to protect machine operators from cutting themselves on the stored tools and also to minimize the likelihood of successful industrial espionage, a cover 12 may be placed over each tool 70 to protect the tool 70, keep it clean and hide it from clear view. In preferred embodiments, the cover 12 is removably secured over each receptacle 52 and any tool 70 so that the cover 12 is not likely to come off except the cover 12 is after deliberately removed.
It will be appreciated that there are many different CNC tools that will be held in any of the various receptacles 52. Each different tool will have a height and a width that will vary. For that reason, the various covers 12 will be required to have different height and/or widths, creating a need for multiple cover shapes. The larger the height “h” of the cover 12, the more expensive injection molding will be. Therefore, in many embodiments, a two-piece body 14 is preferred as is more economical. The preferred cover 12 includes a body 14 having a first portion 16 and a second portion 18 having a base 22, which serves as the contact point between the tray 42 and the cover 12. In this embodiment, the base 22 extends outwardly from the bottom of the second portion 18. It will be understood that a one-piece cover is within the scope of the invention, however, it is believed that a one piece construction is much more expensive, especially for tools where the height “h” is greater than about 6 inches. The tool holder 10 of the present invention is particularly useful for storing and transporting CNC tooling, which will generally require a cover of about 6 to about 16 inches in height. Therefore, as previously mentioned, a two-piece construction is more economical and therefore, preferred. The first portion 16 may be secured to the second portion 18 by sonic welding or the like. For example, as shown, the cover 12 may be sonically welded in three places 20 approximately 120 degrees from each other.
Now also referring to
In preferred embodiments, the cover 12 is removably secured to the tray 42. In preferred embodiments, the base 22 of the cover 12 includes a first fastening element 24 that cooperates with a second fastening element 46 located on the tray 42. Illustrations of such fastening elements, such as key hole slots 24 that secure to shoulder screw or shoulder bolts 46 are shown at least in part in
It is also preferred that the cover 12 include a moisture equilibrium vent 34. The vent 34 prevents the buildup of moisture inside the cover 12, which can damage the tool 70. It is to be understood that the vent may be a circular aperture as shown or otherwise a slot, group of openings or the like.
The preferred method of attaching the cover 12 to the tray 42 is further illustrated in
It will be appreciated that in another embodiment (not shown), the orientation of the slots could be changed so that the direction of this rotation to engage the cover and disengage the cover could be reversed.
Referring also now to
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Further modification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
