US3907312A — System for enhancing tool-exchange capabilities o…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 224 words

In an improved system for enhancing tool-exchange capabilities of a wrench, the improvement comprising: a sleeve mounted in circumscribing relation with a wrench motor adapted to impart motion to a tool mated therewith; pressure-responsive means for coupling a tool to said sleeve comprising a plurality of fingers pivotally coupled to said sleeve, each of said fingers being characterized by means defining at one end thereof a stop extended radially with respect to the sleeve, means defining at the opposite end of the finger a lever arm, and means defining a fulcrum interposed between the ends of the finger, whereby each of the fingers is supported for pivotal oscillation about a fulcrum for displacing a stop in radial directions; an actuator including an annular member concentrically related with said sleeve and supported for rectilinear reciprocation therealong having an internal camming surface for simultaneously engaging the adjacent surfaces of the said fingers near each of the opposite ends thereof for imparting pivotal motion thereto; means for imparting rectilinear motion to said annular member; means for restraining the annular member against linear motion for thereby restraining the fingers against oscillatory motion; said means for restraining the annular member against linear motion including a cam coupled with said annular member, a pivotally supported pawl for selectively engaging said cam, and means for controlling pivotal motion of said pawl.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 224 words

In an improved system for enhancing tool-exchange capabilities of a wrench, the improvement comprising: a sleeve mounted in circumscribing relation with a wrench motor adapted to impart motion to a tool mated therewith; pressure-responsive means for coupling a tool to said sleeve comprising a plurality of fingers pivotally coupled to said sleeve, each of said fingers being characterized by means defining at one end thereof a stop extended radially with respect to the sleeve, means defining at the opposite end of the finger a lever arm, and means defining a fulcrum interposed between the ends of the finger, whereby each of the fingers is supported for pivotal oscillation about a fulcrum for displacing a stop in radial directions; an actuator including an annular member concentrically related with said sleeve and supported for rectilinear reciprocation therealong having an internal camming surface for simultaneously engaging the adjacent surfaces of the said fingers near each of the opposite ends thereof for imparting pivotal motion thereto; means for imparting rectilinear motion to said annular member; means for restraining the annular member against linear motion for thereby restraining the fingers against oscillatory motion; said means for restraining the annular member against linear motion including a cam coupled with said annular member, a pivotally supported pawl for selectively engaging said cam, and means for controlling pivotal motion of said pawl.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 39 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said means for controlling pivotal motion of said pawl includes a segmented cam fixed to said sleeve, and a cam follower fixed to said pawl and supported for engagement with said segmented cam.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 207 words

An improved system for enhancing the tool-exchange capabilities of powered wrenches comprising: a. a tool receptacle including a well for supporting a tool therein; b. a sleeve having a base mounted in concentric relation with a wrench motor and adapted to forcibly be inserted axially into said receptacle; c. pressure-responsive means supported by said sleeve for alternately grasping and releasing tools seated in said receptacle in response to release of pressures applied to the wrench as the sleeve is forcibly inserted into the receptacle; d. said pressure - responsive means including an annular array of radially displaceable stops coaxially aligned with the distal end of said sleeve; e. means for imparting radial motion to said stops; f. said stops comprising angularly related distal end portions of fingers extended in parallelism with the longitudinal axis of said sleeve and supported for pivotal motion in planes radially related to said sleeve; g. said means for imparting radial motion to said stops including a locking collar concentrically related to said sleeve and supported for rectilinear motion therealong for alternately engaging the opposite end portions of said fingers for pivotally displacIng the fingers in opposite directions through a throw proportional to the strokes of linear motion imparted to said locking collar.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 207 words

An improved system for enhancing the tool-exchange capabilities of powered wrenches comprising: a. a tool receptacle including a well for supporting a tool therein; b. a sleeve having a base mounted in concentric relation with a wrench motor and adapted to forcibly be inserted axially into said receptacle; c. pressure-responsive means supported by said sleeve for alternately grasping and releasing tools seated in said receptacle in response to release of pressures applied to the wrench as the sleeve is forcibly inserted into the receptacle; d. said pressure - responsive means including an annular array of radially displaceable stops coaxially aligned with the distal end of said sleeve; e. means for imparting radial motion to said stops; f. said stops comprising angularly related distal end portions of fingers extended in parallelism with the longitudinal axis of said sleeve and supported for pivotal motion in planes radially related to said sleeve; g. said means for imparting radial motion to said stops including a locking collar concentrically related to said sleeve and supported for rectilinear motion therealong for alternately engaging the opposite end portions of said fingers for pivotally displacIng the fingers in opposite directions through a throw proportional to the strokes of linear motion imparted to said locking collar.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 34 words

The system of claim 3 further comprising means for serially varying the strokes of linear motion imparted to said locking collar for thereby serially varying the throw of pivotal displacement imparted to said fingers.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 120 words

The system of claim 4 wherein said means for varying the stroke of linear motion imparted to said locking collar includes: A. a slide engageable with said receptacle and supported for rectilinear displacement from a rest position to an arrested position, and thence to said rest position; B. a cam and pawl assembly, the cam of said assembly being integral with said locking collar, the pawl of said assembly being pivotally coupled with said slide; and C. guide means for sequentially positioning said pawl in a cam-lifting configuration, a cam-restraining configuration and a cam-release configuration relative to said cam in response to displacement of the slide from said rest position to said arrested position and subsequently to said rest position.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 25 words

The system of claim 5 further comprising first biasing means continuously urging said locking collar in displacement into circumscribing relation with said array of stops.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 21 words

The system of claim 6 wherein said receptacle includes an annular shoulder coaxially related with said well for engaging said slide.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1978-09-22	1979-03-24	1979-09-23	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1982-09-22	1983-03-24	1983-09-23	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1986-09-22	1987-03-24	1987-09-23	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

System for enhancing tool-exchange capabilities of a portable wrench

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