US2818739A - Squeeze driven rotating device - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 7, 195s V. O. DOWDLE SQUEEZE DRIVEN ROTATING DEVICE Filed May 24, 1955 JZ/J f ATTO NEK SQUEEZE DRIVEN ROTATING DEVICE Vestel O. Dowdle, Kansas City, M0.

Application May 24, 1955, Serial No. 510,817 1 Claim. (Cl. 74-127) This invention relates to hand tools employing mechanisms for translating reciprocatory straight line motion into unidirectional rotary motion of a shaft and refers more particularly to a squeeze-driven rotary device wherein a shaft is rotated on the squeeze phase of the operating stroke but is stationary on the return phase of the stroke, thereby providing a squeeze-driven one directional rotation producing mechanism readily adapted to hand tools such as screw drivers and drills.

Conventional ratchet `or spiral-drive screw drivers are well known wherein the handle is reciprocated axially relative the blade shank in order to turn and drive the screw. Forward thrust of the handle of such a screw driver is converted into rotary motion of the blade by means of telescoping elements within the shank, one of said elements having a pair of reversed spiral grooves, either of which grooves being selectable to control the direction of rotation. A ratchet of some sort allows the blade t-o remain stationary during the return movement of the handle and the return stroke may be aided by a spring built into the unit.

Notwithstanding the use of the spring return, it is difficult to keep the screw driver blade in the slotted head of the screw during the return movement, due to the release of pressure thereon, unless two hands are used, one hand being employed to maintain the screw driver blade seated while the other lightly holds or guides the screw driver handle as it moves away from the blade. Cramped quarters often make it desirable to operate a screw driver of this general character with but one hand. Additionally, the excessive pressure required to operate conventional screw drivers of this character often tends to injure the slotted head of the screw, thus automatically excluding this type of screw driver from delicate yor precise work. The danger of the screw driver blade -slipping out of the slotted head of the screw creates a constant hazard to the operator and the area `of work surrounding the screw being driven. Additionally, in such a conventional -screw driver, both the rotating and driving forces in the screw driving operation are produced simultaneously and may not be varied independently of one another.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a squeeze driven rotating devicewherein unidirectional rotary motion of a shaft in a sleeve may be produced without the exertion of force along the axis of rotation of the sleeve as in a conventional spiral drive screw driver.

Another object of the present invention is to provide 'a squeeze driven rotating device wherein unidirectional rotary motion of a shaft in a sleeve may be produced by reciprocatory longitudinal motion fof a slide between the sleeve `and the rotating shaft without the exertion of force along the -axis of rotation of the sleeve as in a conventional spiral drive screw driver.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a squeeze driven rotating device of the above character wherein the direction of rotary motion may be easily and States Patent conveniently reversed without displacement of the main body of the rotating device.

A `further object of the present invention is to provide a squeeze `driven rotary device wherein Ithe axial force applied to a screw or drill bit, etc., may be precisely conltr-olled during the driving of a screw thus permitting the use of the device in precise and delicate work.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a squeeze driven rotary device which is operable entirely with one hand without need for guiding or positioning with the other hand.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a squeeze driven rotary device which, since the rotatory and driving forces are produced independently of one another, may be constructed in :any desired size convenient to hand operation.

Other and further objects and features wil appear in the course of the following description of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith, embodiments of the invention :are shown and like numerals are employed to designate like parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation with parts in section of a squeeze-driven rotatory device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation with parts in section of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the lines 3 3 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is Ia sectional view taken along the lines 4 4 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken along the lines 5--5 of Fig. 3 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, palm bar 10 is shaped to comfortably iit the palm of `the hand and has threaded recess 11 in the flat underside thereof. Recess 11 receives the counter-threaded end 12 of hollow sleeve 13 which, as seen in Fig. 1, is mounted on and at right angles to palm bar 10.

Sleeve 13 is of convenient length relative the length of human fingers and has bearings 13a and 13b xedly attached at its upper and lower ends. Opposed longitudinal slots 14 in sleeve 13 run from the upper surface of bearing portion 13b to the vicinity of the underside of palm bar 10.

Rotatable member or shank 15, having extension shank 15a, is mounted within sleeve 13 and is relatively loosely received between bearing surfaces 13a and 13b to permit rotation. Extension shank 15a is adapted to receive conventional female socket attachments of screw driver blades, drills, etc. Conventional washers, such as are shown at 16, may be positioned between the ends of member 15 and the bearing surfaces or fball bearing units, if desired. Thus, a portion of rotatable member 15 is enclosed by bar 10, sleeve 13 and bearing 13b, exclusive Iof slots 14. A friction reducing ball bear-ing 13e may be positioned between the upper end of rotatable member 15 and the inside face of recess 11 in bar 10. A plurality -of right or left-hand parallel spiral grooves 17 are cut in the surface of the enclosed portion of member 15. Opposing, intersecting and self-parallel right or left-'hand spiral grooves 18 may .also be cut in the surface of member 15, preferably having common origins and equal angular deflections with grooves 17, thus providing a pair of reversed sets of parallel grooves. Grooves 18 lare thus simply the reverse of grooves 17. Preferably,

each set of grooves has the upper walls adjacent the palm bar undercut (17a and 18a) and the lower walls sloped (17b and 18b). As the sets `of grooves Iare reversed, this construction makes the member 15 roughly equivalent in cross section at any point to a two-way ratchet wheel aS may clearly be seen in Figs. 3 and 4.

A nger bar assembly `provides reciprocatory longitudinal motion relative rotatable member 15. Circular band 19 is concentrically positioned between the outer surface of rotatable member 15 and the inner surface of sleeve 13 so as to slidingly move therebetween. Band 19 has perforation 20 in one side thereof. Transverse opposed arms or linger Abars .21 and '22 are attached to `band 19 or -may be made lintegral therewith. The -nger bars extend through sleeve slots 14 and are roughly of equal diameter to the slots so as to smoothly ride therein in reciprocatory motion. 'Concentrically fitted outer `guards 23 are mounted on the linger bars to aid in positioning and Vto protect the operators fingers from the edges of slots 14. Arm or linger bar 21 has 'a hollow bore 24 registering with the band perforation 20 so as to form a continuation thereof. Dog 25, having the faces .of its tooth 25a contoured to t the groove sets 17 and 18 '(see Fig. 3), rides in cavity 24. Thus, 'tooth 25a has one face undercut and 'one face sloped. Dog Z'S'is `loaded with spring 26, which is basedon a pair of opposed studs 27 (Fig. 3) kprojecting into the bore 24. 'Shaft 28 'has .enlarged centering portion 29 Iand connects dog 25 with 'dog adjustment knob 30. Slots 31a and 3111 ('Fig. 5) are formed in Walls 24 and are open at the outer end of 'arm 21. AStud 32 (Fig. 5) on enlarged portion l29 rides in one slot and can be displacedto'the other to reposition tooth 25a relative the groove sets. Slots 31a Aand 31b are precisely angularly Vdisposed so displacement of stud '32`from one to the other repositions dog 25a to engage the opposing set of grooves l1'7 or 1S. The angular dis- .tance between slots 31a and 3117 is equal to the angle of reversal between the groove sets. Arm 22 is solid, although it is contemplated that it may be constructed sym- Ymetrical with arm 21 and the grooves spaced so as to .permit symmetrical application of force to member 15 through two teeth 25a.

Spring 33 is positioned concentrically'between member 15 and sleeve 13 and abuts band 19 and bearing surface 13a.

To operate the squeeze driven rotary device, the apparatus is grasped with the palm bar abutting the vicinity of the base of the thumb while the ngers seize the finger bars .21 and 22 and are divided by the extension shank a. The desired direction of rotation of the member 15 is ascertained and dog 25a ,is set correctly by positioning the stud 32 in the proper slot 31a or 31h of arm 21. Squeezing the finger bars toward the palm bar will cause the undercut edge of the dog 25a to engage the undercut upper wall 17a or 18a of one of the proper sets of grooves '17 or 18 similarly to a ratchet pawl engaging a ratchet. Further contraction of the Vfingers now will force the revolution of rotating member 15. Spring 33 is compressed in this action.

The linger bar assembly will be stopped short of palm Ibai-'10 by the ycompactionof spring 33 and extension of the operators lingers will permit the return of the finger bar assembly to its original position. When the nger bar assembly begins a return to theA extended position, the sloped face of the tooth 25a rides up over the sloped side v1717 or 18h of the groove 17 or 18, thereby avoiding reverse rotation of rotatable member 15. Other grooves of either set are similarly passed over by the sloped face of tooth 25a in the return of the nger bar assembly to `the extended position. When the nger bar assembly retraction again begins, the tooth 25a rides up the surface o'f rotatable member 15 until the undercut edge again catches the undercut wall 17a or 18a of a groove of the ,proper set to again produce rotation of member 15 in the selected direction. This cycle of action may be continued as desired or the direction of rotation of member .15 .reversed by repositioning stud 32 in the opposing groove 31a or 31h. Such repositioning may be accomplished without moving the body of the device.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claim.

As many possible embodiments may be vmade of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set `forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense,

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A squeeze driven rotating device comprising a palm bar, a cylindrical sleeve having substantially opposed longitudinal slots therein xed to said palm bar at right angles thereto, a cylindrical rotatable member partially enclose-d by and held relative the palm bar by said sleeve, apair of reversed sets of parallel spiral grooves formed in the surface of lsaid rotatable member, said sets ot grooves running from the vicinity of one end of the enclosed portion of the rotatable member to the vicinity of the other end of said enclosed portion whereby said rotatable member at any point in transverse cross section is equivalent to a ratchet wheel, a linger bar assembly comprising `a perforated band encircling part of said enclosed portion of said rotatable lmember and also encircled by said vvsleeve and a pair of finger bars attached to said band and extending outwardly therefrom through said slots in said sleeve, said finger bar assembly movable from an extended position near the free end of said sleeve `to a contracted position near said palm bar, resilient means positioned between said sleeve and said rotatable member operative to tend to maintain `the latter in said lextended position, a hollow portion formed in the inner vcontinuous cavity, said spring driving said dog centrally 'against the face `of said rotatable member, and a protrusion on said ydog 'face contacting said transverse member and engageable in one groove of said sets of grooves to serve as a'ratchet pawl, and means for kalternately tixedly setting said dog so said protrusion `will engage selectively only grooves of one of said. two reversed sets of grooves whereby motion of said finger bar assembly from its extended to its contracted position will cause said ,protrusion to engage one groove of said selected set of grooves thereby translating longitudinal motion of said finger bar assembly to rotary movement in a predetermined direction ofthe rotatable member the upper walls adjacent the palm .bar of each set of the reversed set of grooves undercut and the lower walls of each set of grooves sloped, the face of the dog protrusion which is to engage alternatively said `upper walls undercut and yits opposite face sloped whereby said protrusion readily engages one of the grooves in a selected set inthe contracting motion of the finger bar assembly and readily disengages from said groove in the extending motion of said finger bar assembly.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 759,823 Murch May 10, 1904 1,436,850 Aylesworth Nov. 28, 1922 2,474,377 Shurtlei June 28, 1949

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