US3449782A - Grip handle chuck - Google Patents

Description

R. G. HUNT June 17, 1969 GRIP, HANDLE CHUCK Filed Sept. 15, 1967 INVENTOR. ROSE/2T G. HUNT '47 7 Foam/ Y5 US. Cl. l104.3

3,449,782 GRIP HANDLE CHUCK Robert G. Hunt, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Lawrence F. Irwin, Sally J. Irwin Trust, doing business as Marco Products Company, Los Angeles, Calif.

Filed Sept. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 667,946 Int. Cl. F28g 3/00; 1823b 5/34; F16d 45/00 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The application discloses a handle and lever-operated chuck means for a plumbers tool having a motor-driven storage housing for a flexible plumbers snake which passes through the chuck means.

The invention has to do generally with plumbers tools of the type employing a helically wound spring pipe cleaning member, known as a plumbers snake, and more particularly with improved means in such tools for gripping the snake so that it can be power-rotated and manipulated.

The invention is an improvement upon the tool disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,769,191, issued Nov. 6, 1956.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved means for gripping a snake in a device for housing and rotating a plumbers snake. A difiiculty heretofore experienced with portable devices of this type which have a handheld motor at one end of the storage casing and a chuck means at the other-end through which the snake passes, is that the manual operation of the chuck means tends to place an undue load on the motor. Therefore, unless the operator is extremely careful and exerts only the minimum pressure required to effectively cause the chuck to engage the snake, the motor is overloaded as a result of axial pressure placed upon the housing in the operation of the chuck operating means.

It is therefore another object of the invention to provide a novel and improved construction which overcomes the serious disadvantages of prior constructions and which obviates overloading or placing undue strain upon the mo tor during operation of the chuck to grip the snake. More particularly it is anj'pbject. to provide a chuck operating means which can be operated with one hand 'by a squeezing action on a part of the chuck housing and an actuating lever.

Another object is to provide a device of the type indicated which can be easily operated by applying only moderate squeezing pressure with the hand.

Still another object is to provide an adjustable lever means embodying a screw, readily turnable with the fingers, which serves to adjust the means to accommodate different-sized snakes and also to adjust the means so that the combined handle and lever means fits the operators hand.

A further object is to provide a screw which acts as part of a ball-and-socket means upon which the lever is pivoed as well as an adjustable fulcrum for the lever and which further serves to releasably secure the lever in place as part of the over-all assembly.

Still another object is to provide means for reducing wear on the bearings through the provision of a spindle cap and seal means which serves to protect the bearings against the dirt, grime, and moisture which normally are a problem with this type of tool.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawing and the following description. Referring to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a device embodying the invention;

3,449,782 Patented June 17, 1969 ice FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the forward end of the housing and the chuck means, but on a larger scale and showing the parts in a normal position;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view in the same plane as FIG. 2, but showing the parts with the chuck contracted about the snake; and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

More particularly describing the invention, numeral 11 generally designates a housing of the over-all tool in which a plumbers snake 12 is stored in coiled relation, the snake being shown as an elongated helically wound spring member. The housing 11 is mounted on an electric motor 14 in any suitable manner so that it can be rotated relatively to the motor casing when the motor is operated.

The snake extends from the casing through a tubular neck 15 which projects axially thereof from the side opposite the motor. While the snake might rotate with the housing 11 due to friction between the housing and the coils of the snake therein, since the snake meets considerable resistance as it is fed through a clogged waste pipeline or the like, I provide means to grip the snake so that it will be locked with the casing and rotate therewith without danger of slipping, and such means will now be described.

The tubular extension or neck 15 of the housing 11 is provided with a cylindrical spindle 16 which is secured thereto, as by means of pins 17. The spindle therefore is in efi'ect a further extension of the housing. The spindle is received within a chuck body housing 18 which comprises a cylindrical body section 20 having an internal flange 21 at its outer end, and inwardly of this a counter bore 22 which accommodates a main thrust bearing 23.

A spindle cap 25 is received in the body and has a large cylindrical section 26 which fits in a counterbore 27, and a section 28 of reduced diameter which projects through the bearing 23 and the bore opening 29 in the end of the body. A groove 30 in flange 21 accommodates an outer seal ring 32 and a second seal ring 33 is received in a groove 34 of the spindle cap and bears against the outer surface of the spindle.

Within the spindle cap is a chuck collet 36 which may be formed of a resilient body 37 provided with steel jaw inserts 38. The collet is frusto-conical in shape and is partially received within the beveled inner surface of the outer end of spindle 16. Normally the parts are as shown in FIG. 2 with the collet out of engagement with the snake, but it will be apparent that upon relative movement of the parts such that the spindle is moved toward the collet, the latter will be compressed into engagement with the snake, as shown in FIG. '4.

For the purpose of moving the parts, I provide a manually operable lever 40 and an associated rigid handle member 42 which may be squeezed to cause the collet to engage the snake. To accomplish this, I provide a radial thrust bearing 43 between the chuck body and the spindle and preferably form the race 44 for the balls 45 within the peripheral surface of the spindle. The handle 42 comprises a rigid or integral section of the chuck body housing which extends generally radially from the cylindrical section 20, and preferably is formed as a deep channel section with side walls 46 connected by a rear wall 47 so that the channel space 48 is open at the front. The lever is partially received within the handle and comprises an outer section 49 and an inner section 50. The latter is formed with a semicircular recess 51 so that it fits halfway around the spindle.

One of the features of the invention is the fact that the lever 40 is adjustably and releasably mounted by means of a single screw 52 formed with a ball-like inner end 52' that is received in a socket 53 formed in the lever.

A spring 54 about the shank of the screw serves to releasably hold it in adjusted position, the screw being re ceived in a threaded bore 55 in wall 47 of handle 42. Screw 52, in conjunction with lever 40, also serves to retain the chuck body housing 18, bearing 23, spindle cap 25, and chuck collet 36 on the spindle 16.

In using the device, the handle holds the pistol-grip portion of motor 14 in one hand and operates the trigger switch at will. When the motor operates the casing 11 including its tubular extension 15 and spindle 16 rotate. In order to positively grip the snake 12 and insure its rotation, the operator grips the handle 42 and lever 40, moving lever 40 into or toward handle 42, and thus causing the inner end 50 of the lever to cause relative movement between the spindle and the chuck collet 36, thereby causing the collet to engage the snake, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

I claim:

'1. In a plumbers snake tool or the like, a housing in which a'plumbers snake can be coiled, said housing having an opening at one side for the passage of the snake, a tubular spindle projecting from the housing axially of the opening, a tubular chuck body housing surrounding said spindle, a main thrust bearing mounted in the outer end of said chuck body beyond the end of said spindle, a collet chuck between said bearing and said spindle, said spindle and collet chuck having interengaging wedge faces whereby to contract said chuck upon movement of said bearing and spindle relatively toward each other, a radial thrust bearing on said spindle within said chuck body housing and spaced axially inward of said main thrust bearing, a manually operable lever pivotally carried by said chuck body housing and having its inner end engageable with the inner end of said radial thrust bearing, said lever when pivoted in one direction serving to urge said spindle axially toward said chuck and said main thrust bearing.

2. The device set forth in claim 1 in which said chuck housing body is provided with a rigid handle, and in which said lever has an outer end portion adjacent said handle whereby the same can be operated by squeezing said handle and lever in the hand.

3. The device set forth in claim 2 in which said handle receives and partially houses said lever.

4. The device set forth in claim 1 in which said chuck body housing has an opening through which the lever extends and in which said lever is supported on a balland-socket means in the region of said opening.

5. The device set forth in claim 4 in which said ball and-socket means comprises a screw mounted in said chuck body housing terminating in a ball end received in a socket in said lever.

6. In a plumbers snake tool or the like, a housing in which a plumbers snake can be coiled, said housing having an opening at one side for the passage of the snake, a tubular spindle projecting from the housing axially of the opening, a tubular chuck body housing surrounding said spindle, a main thrust bearing mounted in the outer end of said chuck body beyond the end of said spindle, a collet chuck between said bearing and said spindle, said spindle and collet chuck having interengaging wedge faces whereby to contract said chuck upon relative movement of said bearing and spindle toward each other, a radial thrust bearing on said spindle within said chuck body housing and spaced axially inward of said thrust bearing, said chuck body housing having an opening intermediate its ends in the region of said radial thrust bearing, a handle formed as a part of said chuck body housing and extending radially thereof in the region of said opening, said handle being channel-shaped in cross section and open on its edge facing the outer end of said chuck body housing and with the open interior of the handle open to the said opening, a manually operable lever extending through said opening with its inner end engageable with the inner end of said radial thrust bearing and its outer end extending out through said handle and projecting forwardly thereof, and means pivotally mounting said lever in the region of said opening.

7. The tool set forth in claim 6 in which means pivotally mounting said lever comprises a screw mounted in said chuck body housing terminating in a ball end received in a socket in said lever.

8. In a plumbers snake tool or the like, a housing in which a plumbers snake can be coiled, said housing having an opening at one side for the passage of the snake, a tubular spindle projecting from the housing axially of the opening, a tubular chuck body housing surrounding said spindle and having a lever-receiving opening intermediate its ends, chuck means in said chuck body housing through which the snake extends, a lever in said opening having its inner end Within said chuck body and its outer end exteriorly thereof, and an adjustable, removable pivotal means carried by said chuck body housing for said lever, said lever being operably associated with said chuck to contract the same upon operation of the lever.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,769,191 11/1956 Hunt et al. 15-104.3

EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 27974

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