Tools for handling split retaining rings

Claim 1

A PLIERS-TYPE TOOL FOR HANDLING SPLIT SPRING RETAINING RINGS REQUIRING RADIAL DEFORMATION IN THEIR ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, FIRST AND SECOND ELONGATED LEVER ARMS HAVING CORRESPONDING TIP ENDS TERMINATING IN WORKING POINTS AND BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER AT THEIR EXTREME OPPOSITE ENDS, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ARMS ADJACENT THEIR TIP ENDS FOR IMPARTING RELATIVE ANGULAR MOTION TO SAID ARMS AND THEREBY THEIR WOKING POINTS AGAINST THE SPRING TENSION OF A RING TO WHICH THE WORKINGS POINTS ARE COUPLED DEVELOPING BOTH DURING DEFORMATION OF AND WHILE RELEASING SAID RING, A THIRD LEVER ARM PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND LEVER ARM FOR ANGULAR MOTION WITH RESPECT THERETO, AND THEREBY TO SAID FIRST ARM ABOUT AN AXIS DISPOSED ADJACENT THE TIP END OF SAID SECOND ARM, MEANS BIASING SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD ARMS TO NORMAL ANGULAR POSITIONS WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER WHEREIN SAID WORKING POINTS ARE NORMALLY POSITIONED A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FROM ONE ANOTHER AND SAID THIRD ARM EXTENDS IN A SUBSTANTIAL PARALLELISM WITH SAID FIRST ARM, THE PIVOTED END OF SAID FIRST ARM AND THE CORRESPONDING FREE END OF SAID THIRD ARM BEING SHAPED AS HANDLES ADAPTED FOR OPENING AND CLOSING MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER, PAWL AND RATCHET MEANS OPERATIVELY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND ARM ADJACENT ITS TIP END FOR ACTUATING SAID MOTIONIMPARTING MEANS AND THEREBY SAID WORKING TIPS WITH A STEP-BY-STEP MOTION, MEANS INTERRELATING THE MOTION OF SAID THIRD ARM WITH THAT OF SAID PAWL AND RATCHET MEANS IN SUCH MANNER THAT A SUCCESSION OF CLOSING AND OPENING MOVEMENTS OF THE HANDLE ENDS OF THE FIRST AND THIRD ARMS EFFECTS ACTUATION OF SAID PAWL AND RATCHET MEANS AND THEREBY STEP-BY-STEP MOTION OF SAID WORKING POINTS AS AFORESAID IN ONE OR THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, AND MEANS CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID ARMS FOR SELECTIVELY DETERMINING THE DIRECTION OR RELATIVE STEP-BY-STEP ANGULAR MOTION IMPARTED TO SAID WORKING POINTS WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER AS AFORESAID.