Vacuum pick-up instrument

Claim 2

In a vacuum-actuated pick-up instrument to be held in the hand of an operator for handling small objects, which instrument has an elongated body with a pick-up nozzle extending forwardly from the forward end of the body and a valve on said body for controlling vacuum at said nozzle, the improvement comprising: at least the tip portion of said nozzle being continuously rotatable; a manually rotatable control member on said body adjacent said valve; and means drivIngly connecting said manually operable control member to said tip portion of the nozzle for rotation thereof by remote control from the instrument body.

Claim 3

An improvement as set forth in claim 1 in which said body has a forwardly extending tubular air passage in communication with the tip portion of the nozzle to evacuate the tip portion of the nozzle and in which said operatively connecting means includes a forwardly extending tubular shaft rotatably surrounding said air passage to transmit movement from said control member to said tip portion of the nozzle.

Claim 4

An improvement as set forth in claim 2 in which said control member is a manually operable control member oriented with its plane of rotation longitudinally of the instrument and in which said operatively connecting means includes gearing operatively connecting said wheel to the tubular shaft.

Claim 5

An improvement as set forth in claim 3 in which said gearing includes a drive gear on the rear end of the tubular shaft.

Claim 6

An improvement as set forth in claim 4 in which the gearing includes a circular series of teeth fixedly connected to the hand wheel to drive the driven gear.

Claim 7

An improvement as set forth in claim 5 which includes gear teeth on the periphery of the hand wheel for contact by the index finger of the operator, the gear teeth engaging said driven gear at the inner end of the tubular shaft.

Claim 8

An improvement as set forth in claim 5 which includes an idler gear in mesh with the driven gear and in engagement with said series of teeth.

Claim 9

An improvement as set forth in claim 5 in which the rim of the hand wheel is smooth.

Claim 10

An improvement as set forth in claim 5 in which said gear teeth are formed by recesses on one face of the hand wheel.

Claim 11

An improvement as set forth in claim 1, in which the means operatively connecting the control means to the tip portion includes a coil spring rotatably embracing said nozzle.

Claim 12

An improvement as set forth in claim 10 in which the nozzle has a downward bend and said coil spring embraces the bend of the nozzle.

Claim 13

An improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein said valve includes a slide on the upper side of the elongated body for manipulation by the index finger of the operator to control the creation of a vacuum in the pick-up nozzle.

Claim 14

An improvement as set forth in claim 12 in which said hand wheel is also on the upper side of the elongated body for manipulation by the index finger of the operator.

Claim 15

An improvement as set forth in claim 12 in which hand said wheel is below the top surface of the elongated body with the periphery of the wheel protruding from the two opposite sides of the body for manipulation by the third finger of either hand of the operator.

Claim 16

An improvement as set forth in claim 1 in which: the cross sectional configuration of the body of the instrument is generally triangular with one side of the triangle uppermost to provide a top longitudinal surface extending across the width of the instrument for contact by the index finger of the operator and to provide two downwardly convergent longitudinal surfaces for contact by the thumb and second finger respectively to resist rotation of the instrument about its longitudinal axis and to cause the pressure against any one of the three longitudinal surfaces to be opposed and balanced by pressure against the other two longitudinal surfaces to promote stability of the instrument; and in which the periphery of the hand wheel is exposed at both of the downwardly convergent longitudinal surfaces of said body.

Claim 17

In a pick-up instrument having a body to be held in the hand of an operator, wherein the body is provided with a pick-up nozzle to hold a small body by vacuum action, and wherein the body is provided with a movable vacuum control member to control the vacuum in the pick-up nozzle and the body is provided with a manually rotatable control member for rotary control of the pick-up nozzle, the improvement comprising: said body havIng an elongated core with said control members mounted thereon and said vacuum control member being slidable on the outer surface thereof; said body having a sleeve enclosing at least the portion of said core where said control members are located, said sleeve being connected to the core and being of substantially larger cross sectional area than the core to provide clearance space between the core and the sleeve, said sleeve being apertured to provide access to said control members; and said vacuum control member having portions movable in said clearance space and being retained against said body by said sleeve.

Claim 18

In a pick-up instrument having a body to be held in the hand of an operator, wherein the body is provided with a pick-up nozzle to hold a small body by vacuum action, and wherein the body is provided with a movable vacuum control member to control the vacuum in the pick-up nozzle and the body is provided with a manually rotatable control member for rotary control of the pick-up nozzle, the improvement comprising: said body havIng an elongated core with said control members mounted thereon and said vacuum control member being slidable on the outer surface thereof; said body having a sleeve enclosing at least the portion of said core where said control members are located, said sleeve being connected to the core and being of substantially larger cross sectional area than the core to provide clearance space between the core and the sleeve, said sleeve being apertured to provide access to said control members; and said vacuum control member having portions movable in said clearance space and being retained against said body by said sleeve.

Claim 19

An improvement as set forth in claim 16 in which the cross sectional configuration of said sleeve is generally triangular with one side of the triangle uppermost to provide a top longitudinal surface extending across the width of the instrument for contact by the index finger of the operator and to provide two downwardly convergent longitudinal surfaces for contact by the thumb and second finger respectively to resist rotation of the instrument about its longitudinal axis and to cause the pressure against any one of the three longitudinal surfaces to be opposed and balanced by pressure against the other two longitudinal surfaces to promote stability of the instrument.