Cutlery – Perforating or indenting implements – With portion positioned in work aperture
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-29
2001-07-31
Payer, Hwei-Siu (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Perforating or indenting implements
With portion positioned in work aperture
C030S361000, C030S362000, C030S363000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06266886
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The subject of the present invention is a hydraulic punch of a type comprising a hydraulic pull ram, a hydraulic pump comprising a body and a reservoir of longitudinal axis secured to the ram and equipped with a manual operating lever.
A tool of this kind allows holes to be pierced in sheet metal or possibly in sheets of other materials, for example in the walls of electrical cabinets, in preparation for the subsequent mounting of various components on this sheet.
To this end, the ram piston has a tapped axial hole opening into a tip of the ram and into which a threaded rod can be screwed. A die is then mounted on the rod. The rod is then inserted through a hole of a corresponding diameter already made in the metal sheet using a drill. Once this operation has been performed, a punching tool is screwed onto that end of the threaded rod which protrudes from the metal sheet, until the punching tool comes into contact with the metal sheet. The pivoting of the operating lever actuates the ram, whose pulling force on the piston pulls the punching tool through the metal sheet, making therein an opening which corresponds to the outline of the punching tool.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There is known a first embodiment of a punch in which a ram extends along a pull axis which is practically coincident with a longitudinal axis of a pump reservoir, the punch as a whole being straight. In a second known embodiment, the ram is arranged with its pull axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pump reservoir. The operator chooses the more appropriate punch according to the accessibility of the hole that he has to make.
Thus, according to this known prior art, it is necessary to have two punches, each having a given orientation of the ram with respect to the longitudinal axis of the pump, which leads to high expenditures on the appropriate tools. Furthermore, when using the straight tool to make holes near an end of a cabinet or near another wall, the operator cannot get his hand between the pump and the end or the contiguous wall, and this hampers him in his use of the tool.
In another known embodiment, the pump body is connected to the ram by an elbowed connector, one end of which is articulated with respect to the pump body about an axis which is coincident with the longitudinal axis of the pump, and the other end of which is articulated with respect to the ram about an axis which is perpendicular to the previous axis. The ram can thus be orientated about two perpendicular axes.
This tool has a relatively complicated structure, particularly since the connector is outside of the ram and consists of a relatively high number of parts. Furthermore, at each of the hydraulic connections between the ends of the connector, and on the one hand, the pump body and, on the other hand, the ram, it is necessary to ensure the continuity of the hydraulic circuit. This arrangement therefore demands numerous fastening and sealing elements which increase the complexity of the assembly. Finally, the connector has an elbowed shape, to one of the ends of which the ram is rotatably articulated, and this makes the tool vulnerable to impact, for example if dropped, which is likely to corrupt the articulation of the ram to the connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a punch which can be used either with its ram in line with the pump or in a configuration in which it forms an elbow therewith, for example being perpendicular thereto.
As an additional feature, the invention also intends to arrange the tool in such a way as to allow the operator to operate it normally when the hole is to be made in a place which is difficult to access, particularly in close proximity to another wall.
According to the invention, the hydraulic punch is characterized in that the ram is articulated with respect to the pump body about an axis of rotation which is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the pump reservoir.
Thus, rotating the ram about its axis of articulation allows it to be orientated in the most appropriate configuration with respect to the longitudinal axis of the pump, either in line with or inclined to the longitudinal axis of the pump.
The inclination of the axis of rotation of the ram to the pump body can vary. As a preference, according to one feature of the invention, this inclination is approximately 45 degrees.
With a 45-degree inclination, rotating the ram 180 degrees allows it to be changed from a first position, in which it is approximately in line with the longitudinal axis of the pump reservoir, into a second position, in which its pull axis is approximately perpendicular to the axis of the said reservoir.
A punch of this kind therefore advantageously replaces the two separate tools which were needed in the prior art. According to another advantageous feature of the invention, the longitudinal pull axis of the ram is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the pump reservoir and offset parallel thereto.
This particular feature allows the operator, when the ram extends parallel to the axis of the pump reservoir and is resting against a wall parallel to this reservoir, to slip his fingers around the pump in the space which is thus available. The operator can thus use the punch conveniently when the hole needs to be made in a place to which access is difficult.
The invention will now be described with reference to the appended drawings which illustrate two embodiments thereof by way of non-limiting examples.
FIG. 1
is an elevation on a reduced scale of a first embodiment of the hydraulic punch according to the invention, in a position for piercing a hole in a metal sheet.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3564716 (1971-02-01), Burrows
patent: 3571874 (1971-03-01), Von Arx
patent: 4922615 (1990-05-01), Nishida
patent: 5515754 (1996-05-01), Elkins
patent: 4-305325 (1992-10-01), None
patent: 5-76956 (1993-03-01), None
patent: 7-80566 (1995-03-01), None
patent: 7-080564 (1995-03-01), None
patent: 95/05924 (1995-03-01), None
Facom
Payer Hwei-Siu
Wenderoth Lind & Ponack, LLP.
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