Chain

Details Chain Chain

2000-09-27

2001-06-12

Jones, David (Department: 3725)

Chain, staple, and horseshoe making

Chains

Links

C059S005000, C474S220000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06244032

ABSTRACT:

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This Application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to British Patent Application No. 9922781.1 filed Sep. 28, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chain of the kind used for transmission and/or transportation.
B. Description of the Related Art
A conventional roller and bush chain used for transmission or transportation purposes has pairs of opposed inner link plates that are interconnected with opposed pairs of outer link plates by pins about which the inner link plates articulate. Each pin is fixed at each end to an outer link plate but is pivotal relative to the inner link plates within a bush that extends between opposed apertures in the inner link plates.
Our co-pending PCT patent application WO 98/26199 describes a chain in which the outer link plates are mounted pivotally on the pin and a bearing is defined between the pin and the outer link plate. In one particular embodiment of WO98/26199 (FIGS. 14 to 16) the ends of each pin carry a bush on which the outer link plate articulates. The bush has a radially projecting lobe and the aperture of outer link plate has a corresponding recessed portion. In order to assemble the chain, the recess and the lobe are aligned and the outer link plate is moved axially with respect to the pin so that the recess passes over the lobe. When the outer link plate has passed clear of the lobe it is rotated through 90 degrees into longitudinal alignment with the other link plates. The lobe serves to prevent transverse separation of the inner and outer link plates in use. This arrangement provides for rapid assembly and dismantling of the chain but may be unsuitable for certain applications since the recesses in the outer link plates may have the effect of reducing the overall strength of the chain.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a chain comprising a plurality of chain links interconnected by pins so as to permit articulation of the links relative to one another, the links comprising inner links and outer links, the pins having ends that project laterally from the inner links, the outer links having apertures which receive said pin ends, at least one of said pin ends having a retention portion that defines at least one orientation element and a bearing portion disposed between the retention portion and the inner link and defining a bearing surface for the outer link, at least one of said outer link apertures being defined partially by at least one orientation surface corresponding to said orientation element on the retention portion, the bearing surface having a first portion that provides a rotational sliding fit with the outer link and a second portion that is undercut with respect to the first portion, the inner and outer links being rotatable relative to one another between a first position in which the orientation surface and element are aligned and outer link is separable from or connectable to the inner link by relative lateral movement and a second position in which inner and outer links are approximately longitudinally aligned and the orientation surface is disposed over the undercut of the bearing surface, the retention portion adjacent the undercut serving to prevent lateral separation of the inner and outer links.
The present invention allows quick assembly or disassembly of the outer link on to the inner link. In order to assemble the links the outer link is simply presented to the pin end with the orientation surface and elements aligned so that the retention portion is received in the outer link aperture, the inner and outer links are moved laterally towards one another until the aperture is disposed over the bearing portion of the pin end and then the links are rotated relative to one another to said second position. In order to dismantle the chain the procedure is reversed. The orientation element features permit assembly or disassembly in only a limited number of ways. The provision of the undercut allows the aperture to be reduced in size by the orientation surface rather than increased thereby not compromising the strength of the outer link.
Preferably the aperture of the outer link is circular with the orientation surface partially closing the circle. The orientation surface may be a flat but may have other configurations.
The retention member may comprise an arcuate edge corresponding to the circulate aperture of the outer link and sized so as to permit the outer link to pass over the retention member during assembly or disassembly.
The pin end may be defined integrally on the end of the pin or may be provided by a separable bush mounted on the pin.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4043215 (1977-08-01), Long et al.
patent: 5186569 (1993-02-01), Wu
patent: 5291730 (1994-03-01), Wu
patent: 5299416 (1994-04-01), Wu
patent: 5305594 (1994-04-01), Wang
patent: 5362282 (1994-11-01), Lickton
patent: 5400585 (1995-03-01), Wang
patent: WO 98/26199 (1998-06-01), None

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