Joints and connections – Articulated members – Pivoted
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-16
2001-07-03
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Joints and connections
Articulated members
Pivoted
C059S085000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254300
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention.
The invention relates to hinge pins and retention sleeves used in chain link assemblies.
2. Prior Art.
The use of hinge pins to connect half-links of chains is widely known. In typical applications, the chain half-links are U-shaped with aligned passages near a top of the U-shaped half-links to receive a hinge pin. An adjoining half-link has a similar or identical geometry. When a hinge pin passes through the passages of adjacent half-links, the adjacent half-links are thereby connected together. Various methods have been used to secure the hinge pins with respect to the chain half-links, including the use of C-clamps and sleeves.
There have been many inventions for hinge pins for chain link assemblies. For example, Devonshire et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,972,223) discloses a joiner link assembly having a collar or sleeve to receive a joining pin
12
, having circumferentially spaced and longitudinally extending flutes
35
. The assembly permits the pin to be easily started into the collar bore. Manney et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,560) discloses a joiner link with a pin
26
having main diameter portions
46
and
48
and a reduced diameter portion
44
. A locking clip
40
surrounds the reduced diameter portion. In one embodiment, a pair of washers surrounds the locking clip
40
on the pin.
Fink (U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,560) discloses a coupling link having a pin
30
with an annular groove
36
. A spring clip
24
locks the pin
30
in an axial position.
Crook, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. RE 27,260) discloses a coupling link having identical like halves each provided with mating ears. A coupling pin
22
of constant outside diameter is received in a longitudinally split sleeve having a lesser nominal diameter than the pin.
Bergman (U.S. Pat. No. 3,134,221) discloses a coupling with a pin
4
having a spring
9
which resides in a reduced diameter groove
7
. Additional grooves
8
on each side of the groove
7
receive the spring
9
if the pin
4
is dislodged.
Mason (U.S. Pat. No. 3,241,309) discloses a joiner link assembly having a pin
22
with an enlarged knob-shaped central portion
30
. C-shaped locking sleeves surround the pin on each side of the knob-shaped central portion
30
.
Other patents deemed pertinent to the present invention are listed below.
PATENTEE
U.S. PAT. NO.
Fink
3,899,873
Albertini
4,179,878
Crook, Jr.
4,106,284
While there have been other chain link assemblies having hinge pins and retention sleeves, these assemblies have had many problems. For some existing hinge pins and sleeves, a C-shaped sleeve has been crimped onto the pin along the length of the pin, which results in eventual loosening of the sleeve.
For other hinge pins and sleeves of the existing art, for which a pin and sleeve have reduced cross-sections such as the device shown in
FIG. 1
, these reduced cross-sections are located near the high-force areas where the pin engages a half-link. Because the forces acting on the pin and sleeve are greater near the half-links, it is undesirable to have reduced cross-sections in these areas. The resultant stresses acting within the pin and sleeve are inversely proportional to the areas of the cross-section of the pin and sleeve. As a result, the pin and sleeve are more likely to fail.
Another problem with existing hinge pins and sleeves, they are composed of many parts which are difficult and cumbersome to assemble.
It is, therefor, a principal object and purpose of the present invention to provide a retainment device for a hinge pin to connect chain half-links together.
It is a further object and purpose of the present invention to provide a hinge pin with a retainment device to laterally position the hinge pin with respect to the chain half-links.
A still further object and purpose of the present invention is to provide a hinge pin and retainment device that are each unitary to facilitate installation of the hinge pin and sleeve in a coupling assembly.
Another object and purpose of the invention is to provide a hinge pin and retainment device in which reduced cross-sections are located near the center of the hinge pin and sleeve away from the high-stress areas near the chain half-links.
Another object and purpose of the invention is to provide a hinge pin and retainment device in which the hinge pin annular notch has a blended, transition radius to remove high stress concentrations.
Another object and purpose of the invention is to provide a retainment device that, after installation is completed, remains in an un-stressed state and therefore is not susceptible to failure modes that are associated with steel components that are subjected to continual stress.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a hinge pin and retention sleeve to be used as part of a coupling assembly. The coupling assembly includes two chain half-links, the hinge pin, and the retention sleeve. The hinge pin has an annular notch with a reduced cross-section. The retention sleeve has a corresponding valley with a reduced cross-section. The retention sleeve fits over the hinge pin and the valley of the retention sleeve fits into and engages the hinge pin annular notch, thereby preventing the hinge pin from moving laterally with respect to the sleeve. The ends of the sleeve nearly abut the chain half-links, with a slight gap between the ends and the chain half-links. The sleeve is also restricted from substantial lateral movement by inner faces of the chain half-links.
The hinge pin annular notch and the retention sleeve valley are located in the center portion of the hinge pin and retention sleeve, respectively, away from the high-stress areas near the chain half-links.
REFERENCES:
patent: Re. 27620 (1973-04-01), Crook, Jr.
patent: Re. 28746 (1976-03-01), Bruce
patent: 373983 (1887-11-01), Jeffrey
patent: 2155584 (1939-04-01), Bryant et al.
patent: 2972223 (1961-02-01), Devonshire et al.
patent: 3134221 (1964-05-01), Bergman
patent: 3241309 (1966-03-01), Mason
patent: 3373560 (1968-03-01), Manney et al.
patent: 3453822 (1969-07-01), Crook, Jr.
patent: 3828550 (1974-08-01), Fink
patent: 3899873 (1975-08-01), Fink
patent: 4106284 (1978-08-01), Crook, Jr.
patent: 4107917 (1978-08-01), Fink
patent: 4179878 (1979-12-01), Albertini
patent: 4391313 (1983-07-01), Weidler
patent: 731881 (1966-04-01), None
patent: 2353911 (1966-04-01), None
patent: 1234460 (1967-02-01), None
Bochna David E.
Browne Lynne H.
Head Johnson & Kachigian
The Crosby Group, Inc.
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