Mechanism for driving reciprocating tool

Claim 2

In a hand tool, a cylinder block having a first chamber and a second chamber, a piston, reciprocally positioned in said cylinder block between said first and second chambers, having a plurality of peripheral grooves thereon and a movable work-performing tool attached thereto, means for delivering a fluid under pressure to a selected one of said peripheral grooves, means for transferring the fluid from said selected one of said peripheral grooves to one of said first and second chambers, means for exhausting the fluid from the other of said first and second chambers, and means positioned between said cylinder block and said tool for creating a fluid bearing therebetween by the fluid being exhausted.

Claim 3

The hand tool of claim 1 including means connecting said piston and said work-performing tool together such that movement of said piston in one direction causes movement of said work-performing tool in the opposite direction.

Claim 4

The hand tool of claim 1 wherein said fluid transferring means and said peripheral grooves are so arranged as to cause said piston to seek an equilibrium position between said first and second chambers.

Claim 5

The tool of claim 3 including means for dislodging said piston from the equilibrium position to start the reciprocating movement thereof.

Claim 6

The hand tool of claim 1 including linkage means interconnecting said work-performing tool and said piston and having means therein causing simultaneous opposed movement of said work-performing tool and said piston.

Claim 7

In a hand tool, a cylinder block having a first chamber, a second chamber, and a substantially planar surface having an aperture therein, a piston positioned in said cylinder block for reciprocation between said first and second chambers, tool means mounted on said cylinder block adjacent said substantially planar surface for reciprocation relative to said cylinder block, means in said cylinder block linking said piston and said tool means whereby the latter is actuated by the former but in the opposite direction, means for actuating said piston means by selective delivery of air to said first and second chambers, means for directing air being exhausted from said first and second chambers to said aperture, and means fixed to said tool means and operatively connected to said cylinder block and spaced therefrom parallel to said substantially planar surface for forming an air bearing therebetween.

Claim 8

In a hand tool, a cylinder block having a first chamber, a second chamber, and a substantially planar surface having an aperture therein, a piston positioned in said cylinder block for reciprocation between said first and second chambers, tool means mounted on said cylinder block adjacent said substantially planar surface for reciprocation relative to said cylinder block, means in said cylinder block linking said piston and said tool means whereby the latter is actuated by the former but in the opposite direction, means for actuating said piston means by selective delivery of air to said first and second chambers, means for directing air being exhausted from said first and second chambers to said aperture, and means fixed to said tool means and operatively connected to said cylinder block and spaced therefrom parallel to said substantially planar surface for forming an air bearing therebetween.

Claim 9

In a hand tool, a housing including a substantially planar surface having an aperture therein, an air motor mounted in said housing, means for directing compressed air delivered to said housing into said air motor, means for exhausting compressed air from said air motor to the interior of said housing for pressurization thereof, flat plate means mounted on said housing in parallel relationship with said substantially planar surface, means interconnecting said air motor and said flat plate for reciprocation of the latter, and means for holding said flat plate in a predetermined spatial relationship with said substantially planar surface whereby air being exhausted from said Housing through said aperture forms a bearing between said housing and said flat plate.

Claim 10

In a hand tool, a housing including a substantially planar surface having an aperture therein, an air motor mounted in said housing, means for directing compressed air delivered to said housing into said air motor, means for exhausting compressed air from said air motor to the interior of said housing for pressurization thereof, flat plate means mounted on said housing in parallel relationship with said substantially planar surface, means interconnecting said air motor and said flat plate for reciprocation of the latter, and means for holding said flat plate in a predetermined spatial relationship with said substantially planar surface whereby air being exhausted from said Housing through said aperture forms a bearing between said housing and said flat plate.

Claim 11

The hand tool of claim 7 including tool means fixed to said reciprocatable flat plate means for reciprocation of said tool means relative to a workpiece.

Claim 12

The hand tool of claim 7 wherein said air motor comprises a reciprocatable piston having a plurality of peripheral grooves thereon, means for delivering compressed air to one of said peripheral grooves, and means for transferring the compressed air from said one of said peripheral grooves to a location in which it acts against a face on said piston.

Claim 13

The hand tool of claim 7 wherein said air motor comprises a first chamber, a second chamber, and piston means mounted for reciprocation between said first and second chambers upon the direction of compressed air thereinto, and means for selectively delivering compressed air to one of said chambers and conducting air away from the other of said chambers including a valve body mounted within said housing and having a dividing means thereon, a valve spool movably mounted in said valve body to opposite sides of said divider and having air direction means therein for delivering said compressed air to one side of said divider and for receiving air from the other side of said divider for passage thereof to the interior of said housing, and means for moving said valve spool relative to said valve body.

Claim 14

The tool of claim 10 wherein said valve spool is oscillatable about an axis common to said valve body and comprises a blind bore in each end thereof and a pair of radial apertures, each connecting a blind bore with the periphery of said valve spool and located on substantially opposite sides of said valve spool.

Claim 15

In a hand tool, a cylinder having a first chamber and a second chamber a center-seeking reciprocatable piston movable in said first and second chambers, means for selectively delivering pressurized fluid to one of said chambers to drive said piston into the other of said chambers, means for selectively exhausting the other of said chambers, a work-performing tool, means interconnecting said piston and said work-performing tool for opposed reciprocation of said work-performing tool by said piston, and means for moving said piston away from its centered position between said first and second chambers when the tool is started by an operator.

Claim 16

In a hand tool, a cylinder having a first chamber and a second chamber a center-seeking reciprocatable piston movable in said first and second chambers, means for selectively delivering pressurized fluid to one of said chambers to drive said piston into the other of said chambers, means for selectively exhausting the other of said chambers, a work-performing tool, means interconnecting said piston and said work-performing tool for opposed reciprocation of said work-performing tool by said piston, and means for moving said piston away from its centered position between said first and second chambers when the tool is started by an operator.

Claim 17

The tool of claim 12 wherein said piston and work-performing tool are of substantially equal weight to balance forces generated by said hand tool.

Claim 18

The tool of claim 12 including means for mounting said work-performing tool relative to said cylinder as to form an air bearing therebetween by air being exhausted by said other of said chambers.

Claim 19

In a tool, a relatively stationary housing having a first and second cylinder chambers fixed therein, a reciprocatable piston movable in said first and second chambers, a work-performing tool attached to said piston extending exterior of said housing to act upon a workpiece means for selectively delivering pressurized fluid to one of said first and second cylinder chambers to drive said piston into the other of said first and second cylinder chambers, means for selectively exhausting the other of said first and second cylinder chambers as said piston is driven into it, linkage means interconnecting said work-performing tool and said piston and having means therein causing simultaneous opposed movement of said work-performing tool and said piston relative to said housing, and means for controlling the flow of fluid as it is being exhausted from the other of said first and second chambers to form a fluid bearing between said work-performing and said housing.

Claim 20

In a tool, a relatively stationary housing having a first and second cylinder chambers fixed therein, a reciprocatable piston movable in said first and second chambers, a work-performing tool attached to said piston extending exterior of said housing to act upon a workpiece means for selectively delivering pressurized fluid to one of said first and second cylinder chambers to drive said piston into the other of said first and second cylinder chambers, means for selectively exhausting the other of said first and second cylinder chambers as said piston is driven into it, linkage means interconnecting said work-performing tool and said piston and having means therein causing simultaneous opposed movement of said work-performing tool and said piston relative to said housing, and means for controlling the flow of fluid as it is being exhausted from the other of said first and second chambers to form a fluid bearing between said work-performing and said housing.

Claim 21

In a tool, a relatively stationary housing having first and second cylinder chambers fixed thereIn, a reciprocatable piston movable in said first and second chambers, a work-performing tool attached to said piston extending exterior of said housing to act upon a workpiece, means for selectively delivering pressurized fluid to one of said first and second cylinder chambers to drive said piston into the other of said first and second cylinder chambers, means for selectively exhausting the other of said first and second cylinder chambers as said piston is driven into it, said fluid delivery and exhaust means being so positioned as to cause said piston to seek an equilibrium position in said first and second cylinder chambers, linkage means interconnecting said work-performing tool and said piston and having means therein causing simultaneous opposed movement of said work-performing tool and said piston relative to said housing, means for moving said piston away from said equilibrium position when said tool is started by an operator comprising normally closed valve means for controlling the flow of the pressurized fluid, a preliminary distribution system for delivering pressurized fluid from said valve means to one of said first and second cylinder chambers, means for delivering pressurized fluid to said preliminary distribution system only during initial actuation of said valve means and then only to said selective delivering means during additional actuation of said valve means, and means for actuating said valve means.

Claim 22

In a tool, a relatively stationary housing having first and second cylinder chambers fixed thereIn, a reciprocatable piston movable in said first and second chambers, a work-performing tool attached to said piston extending exterior of said housing to act upon a workpiece, means for selectively delivering pressurized fluid to one of said first and second cylinder chambers to drive said piston into the other of said first and second cylinder chambers, means for selectively exhausting the other of said first and second cylinder chambers as said piston is driven into it, said fluid delivery and exhaust means being so positioned as to cause said piston to seek an equilibrium position in said first and second cylinder chambers, linkage means interconnecting said work-performing tool and said piston and having means therein causing simultaneous opposed movement of said work-performing tool and said piston relative to said housing, means for moving said piston away from said equilibrium position when said tool is started by an operator comprising normally closed valve means for controlling the flow of the pressurized fluid, a preliminary distribution system for delivering pressurized fluid from said valve means to one of said first and second cylinder chambers, means for delivering pressurized fluid to said preliminary distribution system only during initial actuation of said valve means and then only to said selective delivering means during additional actuation of said valve means, and means for actuating said valve means.

Claim 23

The tool of claim 16 including means for controlling the flow of fluid as it is being exhausted from the other of said first and second chambers to form a fluid bearing between said work-performing tool and said housing.

Claim 24

The tool of claim 16 wherein said delivering means comprises a valve-actuating means, fluid passage means in said valve-actuating means for alignment and communication thereof with said preliminary distribution means, and means for discontinuing communication between said fluid passage means and said preliminary distribution means.

Claim 25

The tool of claim 18 including means for controlling the flow of fluid as it is being exhausted from the other of said first and second chambers to form a fluid bearing between said work-performing tool and said housing.

Claim 26

The tool of claim 16 including means for delivering the fluid being exhausted from the other of said first and second cylinder chambers to the interior of said housing to prevent the entry of particles therein from a workpiece being acted upon by said tool.

Claim 27

The tool of claim 20 including means for controlling the flow of fluid as it is being exhausted from the other of said first and second chambers to form a fluid bearing between said work-performing tool and said housing.