Metal deforming – With means to drive tool – Including screw-actuated tool support
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-20
2001-03-06
Jones, David (Department: 3725)
Metal deforming
With means to drive tool
Including screw-actuated tool support
C072S453160, C072S416000, C072S409190, C029S751000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196045
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a powered crimping tool. In the parent application, referenced above, the tool, having a plurality of crimping jaws, is used to secure a cap onto a bottle or vial. In this application, the tool, having a pair of opposed crimping heads, is used to crimp a solderless terminal, splice, butt connector, or the like, having a wire inserted into a shaft and to be retained therein. The powered tool has a housing portion which the user holds and includes switches for the user to control the plunger and the crimping action. Selected mating crimper heads in the plunger and the crimper housing effectuate the crimping of the selected terminal to retain the wire therein. These mating crimper heads can be changed to accommodate a variety of different size and shape terminals, splices, butt connectors, wires, and the like. Terminals may be insulated or not. Wires may be stranded or solid.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
In the parent application, various crimping tools are taught related to crimping a cap onto a bottle or vial. U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,626, to Applicant Thomas, which teaches a manually operated crimping tool for securing a cap onto a bottle or vial. U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,722, to Koebbeman, teaches a hand-held bottle cap crimper having a pair of horizontal crimping handles, one upper fixed handle and one lower lever handle which moves about a single pivot point to move a crimper, the pivot point being between jaws and the handles so that the tool functions in a see saw fashion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,729 to Bethge et al., teaches a container closing apparatus used to put on a screw cap. U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,032, to Koebbeman, teaches a hand-held bottle cap crimper having a pair of horizontal crimping handles, one lower fixed handle and one upper lever handle which moves about a single pivot point to move a crimper, the jaws being between the pivot-point and the handles. U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,211, to Koll et al., teaches a cap applying apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,519, to Demler, teaches a coaxial crimping tool. U.S. Pat. No. 2,415,896, to Marsh et al., a cap applying implement. U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,697, to Kent, teaches a chuck for a bottle capper. U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,284, to Boeckmann et al., teaches a capping apparatus. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,441, to Amtsberg et al., teaches a pneumatic tool having combined nut running and crimping mechanism.
Solderless terminals have a shaft where a wire is to be received. The terminals may have any type head thereon, for example, loops or rings, hooks, prongs, or spades. The terminals may be insulated or not. The terminal heads have differing sizes, for example, to fit a variety of screw sizes. The shaft normally has a wire receiving opening which is surrounded by the shaft. The shatf typically has a lengthwise split therein which permits the shaft to be crimped down onto the wire inserted therein. Butt connectors, splices, and quick disconnect terminals are similarly configured. Historically, a manually operated ratchet crimping tool is used to crimp the terminal shaft to secure the wire therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a powered crimping tool. In the parent application, the tool is used to secure a cap onto a bottle or vial. In the instant application, the tool is used to crimp the shaft of a terminal, splice, disconnect, or the like to retain a wire therein. The types of terminals, splices, and the like to be crimped were described above. In crimping wires within these items, this wire crimping tool has several advantages. First, hand fatigue is reduced with the powered crimper. Second, the powered tool can hold the terminal securely prior to crimping without compressing the terminal and making the wire more difficult to insert into the item shaft, a problem frequently encountered when operating a manual crimper. Third, the actual crimp can be the same every time, in contrast to manual crimping tools where the operator's hand pressure determines the crimp. With manual tools, an undercrimp resulting in a loose wire and bad electrical connection or an overcrimp resulting in terminal or wire damage can occur. This precise crimp permits use with exotic terminals, such as insulation piercing terminals, which are applied without stripping the insulation or covering from the wire, and require precise crimping to work properly.
The powered wire crimping tool has a vertical housing portion which the user holds while activating the crimping action. The crimping action results from a motor causing a plunger having a crimper head contained therein to move downward toward an opposed crimper head. When the crimper heads engage the shaft of the terminal, splice, disconnect, or the like, which is to have a wire crimped therein, the wire can be inserted into the shaft. Then the crimper can be further engaged to crimp the shaft onto the wire. While the crimper can simply be operated by turning on and off the motor, preferably means can be provided to adjust the finishing point of the crimping cycle or the plunger lower limit, as well as a pause point where the crimper heads engage the shaft prior to crimping, to permit insertion of the wire into the shaft. While means can also be provided to vary the starting point of the crimping cycle or the plunger upper limit, it is envisioned that by carefully sizing the geometry of the first and second crimper heads, a uniform starting point will suffice. If desired, as the terminal, splice, disconnect, or the like, are of various sizes, a variety of upper limits, pause points, and/or lower limits can be programmed with the user being able to select those desired for the terminal, splice, disconnect, or the like, the wire, and the crimping heads selected.
More particularly, the present invention comprises a housing containing a battery-operated motor. A speed reduction system having a ratio of about 64 to 1 causes a plunger lead screw to rotate at a speed of about {fraction (1/64)}th the motor speed. The plunger lead screw has a threaded drive shaft which is threadably received within the plunger threaded drive channel. Rotation of the plunger lead screw threaded drive shaft results in vertical movement of the plunger, as limited by the hex shaped plunger's vertical travel within the hex shaped plunger receiving opening in the crimper housing. Other forms of keying can be used. For example, in cross-section, a triangular, square, or other shaped plunger/plunger receiving opening could be used, so long as the plunger can not rotate within the plunger receiving opening. In fact, the plunger and opening do not have to have the same cross-section shape. For example, a plunger with triangular cross-section would fit inside a plunger receiving opening with hex cross-section.
The total movement of plunger from the upper to lower limit and back to the upper limit is controlled. Further, if desired, the crimping tool can include a control so that once the plunger has moved through a pre-set vertical distance, the plunger will complete one crimping cycle without the user having to continue to engage a control. This frees the user to concentrate on the crimping operation. For example, the control can require the activating button to be held down until the pause position has been reached. Then, simply pressing the activating button again will cause the plunger to complete the crimping cycle to the lower limit and return to the upper limit. For this period, the activating button does not have to be further engaged by the user.
Finally, the present invention comprises a powered crimping tool, having a housing containing a motor therein, the housing receiving a crimper housing having an opening therein, the crimper housing having a lower crimper head receiving member having a lower crimper head opening therein; a plunger received by the crimper housing opening, the plunger having an upper crimper head opening therein; an upper crimper head received by the upper crimper head opening and a lower crimper he
Alcorn Edward B.
Hallock Joseph L.
Scherer Paul T.
Thomas Glenn E.
Chromatography Research Supplies, Inc.
Eaves, Jr. James C.
Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC
Jones David
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