Metal deforming – With indication of condition or position of work – product,... – Tube or rod bending
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-27
2001-04-03
Jones, David (Department: 3725)
Metal deforming
With indication of condition or position of work, product,...
Tube or rod bending
C072S037000, C072S459000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209371
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to pipe benders, and, in particular, to an angle indicator for a pipe bender which can be mounted to the handle of a pipe bender.
Pipe benders have long been used by electricians to bend piping through which electrical wires pass. Such pipe benders, as is known, include a curved bending head or shoe which receives the pipe to be bent, and a handle which can be grasped by the electrician. To bend the pipe, the electrician simply places the pipe in the head, and pivots the head using the handle to bend the pipe. The pipe is bent around the curvature of the shoe until the desired angle of bend is reached.
When an electrician bends a pipe, he tries to achieve a particular angle, typically 45° or 90°. However, other size angles are often required. If a pipe is not bent to the desired angle (i.e., if the angle is overshot or undershot), then the pipe will not lay were desired, and the pipe may not lay flush against a surface, for example. This can impact wall construction in a building. It is thus desirable to enable electrician to determine as accurately as possible when a desired angle is reached.
Many different angle indicators have been developed. Many are incorporated into the head or shoe of the pipe bender. This obviously requires that a special mold be made for the pipe bender head, and thus increases the cost of the pipe bender. Further, when the angle indicator is built into the head, if the indicator should break, it cannot be replaced without replacing the entire head. For these reasons, pipe bender heads with angle indicators have not been well accepted by the industry.
Other angle indicators have been developed which clip to the handle of the pipe bender. These indicators are large, and thus difficult to use, or electric, and hence expensive.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, an angle indicator of the present invention is intended for use with a pipe bender and is adapted to be removably mounted to the handle of the pipe bender. The angle indicator includes a mount adapted to mount the angle indicator to a handle of the pipe bender. Preferable, the mount is in the form of a spring clip, so that the angle indicator can simply be pressed onto the handle of the pipe bender and pulled off after the pipe has been bent.
A plate extends from the mount and first and second wheels are rotatably mounted to the plate. The second plate is smaller than the first plate and is mounted concentrically with the first plate. The first plate includes a plurality angle indicating marks evenly spaced about a periphery of the first wheel. The second plate includes a mark at a periphery of the second wheel. The second wheel mark is selectively alignable with one of the angle indicating marks of the first wheel.
A bubble level is mounted on the second wheel. The bubble level can either be a straight or a curved level. If it is a straight level, it is preferably extends across the second wheel in a line perpendicular to the mark on the second wheel. If the bubble level is curved, it can be mounted to the periphery of the second wheel, or along the edge of the second wheel.
A lock is provided to hold the first and second wheels in desired rotational positions. The angle indicator includes a bolt having a threaded shaft and a head at an end of the shaft. The threaded shaft is received in the plate and defines an axle about which the first and second wheels rotate. In the disclosed embodiment, the shaft extends through the plate, and a nut is received on the shaft on a back side of the plate. The bolt defines the lock. By tightening the bolt down, unwanted movement of the wheels are prevented and when the bolt is loosened, the wheels can be moved relative to each other.
The angle indicator is preferably also provided with a second lock, independent of the first lock, to locks the first wheel in place relative to the plate. The second lock includes a threaded shaft with an enlarged head on the shaft. The shaft passes through the plate adjacent the first wheel such that the head overlaps the first wheel. A nut is received on the shaft on the back side of the plate. When the second lock is tightened down, the head frictionally engages the first wheel to prevent unwanted movement of the first wheel relative to the plate.
In a second embodiment, the angle indicator includes only one wheel, on which a curved bubble level is mounted. The wheel includes a plurality of angle indicators at the periphery of the wheel, and the bubble level can be mounted on either side of the markings.
In a third embodiment, the lock for the for one or both of the wheels of the first embodiment or for the one wheel in the second embodiment, can comprise a ball and detent. In this situation, the axle about which the wheels rotate would be provided with a spring biased ball which radiates from the axle, and the wheel would be provided with detents (or similar structure) with which the ball would interact to hold the wheel in a desired position.
The advantage of either embodiment, is that the angle indicator allows for zeroing of the indicator. Hence, the indicator can be used with almost every pipe bender, no matter the angle between the pipe bender handle and the ground prior to bending of the pipe.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2932225 (1960-04-01), Gardner
patent: 2953048 (1960-09-01), Brown
patent: 3063314 (1962-11-01), Benfield, et al.
patent: 3245201 (1966-04-01), Richardson
patent: 3396565 (1968-08-01), Miller
patent: 3464247 (1969-09-01), Beckwell
patent: 3590617 (1971-07-01), Mount
patent: 4389872 (1983-06-01), Kowal
patent: 4425784 (1984-01-01), D'Gerolamo
patent: 4622837 (1986-11-01), Bergman
patent: 5058407 (1991-10-01), Parker
patent: 5144823 (1992-09-01), Wood
patent: 5233760 (1993-08-01), Patterson
patent: 5669258 (1997-09-01), Luebke
patent: 5927141 (1999-07-01), Walsten
Jones David
Polster Lieder Woodruff & Lucchesi
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