US2754708A - Vise for irregularly shaped objects - Google Patents

Description

July 17, 1956 c. R. PETERSON 2,754,708

VISE FOR IRREGULARLY SHAPED OBJECTS Filed Aug. 25, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig./

Fig.2

Charles R Peterson INVENTOR.

BY MM 19% y 17, 1956 c. R. PETERSON 2,754,708

VISE FOR IRREGULARLY SHAPED OBJECTS Filed Aug. 25, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

0 f 0 :ll4

Charles R. Peterson IN V EN TOR.

BY Mt 04 United States Patent VISE FOR IRREGULARLY SHAPED OBJECTS Charles R. Peterson, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Multiple Die Vise Co., incorporated, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application August 25, 1953 Serial No. 376,415

'2 Claims. ctsl-ss This invention relates to vises and more specifically provides a vise which will .hold irregularly shaped objects while some work is being performed on such objects.

An object of this invention is. toprovide a vise having opposed jaws for gripping ii-regmany'sha ed objects over a substantial area thereof.

A novel object of this invention is to provide a vise wherein the jaws automatically conform to the shape of the object to be held and may be easily secured in this position for repeat gripping operations.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a vise which may hold irregular shaped objects and which is inexpensive in manufacture, easy to adjust, and lends itself to a minimum of maintenance and repair.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the vise of this invention with a portion of one of the top plates broken away to show details of the opposing jaw members;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the structure of Figure 1 showing the jaw-operating means and the object-gripping plungers in closed position with no work therebetween;

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view showing the structure of a single work-engaging plunger;

Figure 4 is a transverse, vertical section taken along section line 4-4 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the movable jaw;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal, vertical section taken along the section line 55 of Figure l, but showing an irregular shaped object clamped between the jaws and showing the details of the object-engaging plungers and their actuating means; and

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view showing the movable plate which engages the plungers and locks them in adjusted position.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, it will be seen that the numeral 10 generally designates the vise of this invention having a base 12 with slotted attaching lugs 14 for securing the vise 10 to a suitable supporting surface.

As best seen in Figures 1, 2, 4, and 5, the base 10 is provided with an upstanding stationary jaw member 16 in the shape of a box-like member and a movable jaw 18 of a similar shape with the open edges of the box- like jaws 16 and 18 facing each other. The movable jaw 18 is slidably supported by a pair of horizontal guide rods 20 which are received in suitable bearing apertures 22 adjacent the lower end of the movable jaw 18. At the extreme end of the base 12 is an upstanding lug 24 having an internally threaded aperture 26 for receiving a screw threaded member 28 having an operating handle 30 on the exterior end and projecting beyond the base 12. The inner end of the screw member 28 is rotatably received in a socket 32 in the movable jaw 18. The socket 32 is provided with a Patented July 17, 1956 set screw 34 which is received in a peripheral groove 36 of the screw threaded member 28 and an abutment washer 38 is secured between the end of the screw threads and the shoulder surrounding the socket 32 for pushing and pulling the movable jaw 18 towards the stationary jaw 16. The guide rods 20 are rigidly secured to the upstanding lug 24 at one end and at their other end to the stationary jaw 16 and the movable jaw 18 is moved along the guide rods 2%) by turning the handle 30..

As seen in the drawings each of the jaws 16 and 18 are provided with cover plates 40 secured to the upper end of the jaws by suitable screws 42. As best seen in Figure l, the box- like jaws 16 and 18 are provided with an elongated notch 44 in each side thereof adjacent the rear wall of the box- like jaws 16 and 18 and vertically slidable in these notches 44 is a plunger holding plate 46 which ex tends from the bottom of the box-like structure to the topof the guide plates 46 is provided with a plurality of guideapertures 48 in spaced horizontal rows. Slidably received in each of the apertures 48 is a reduced portion 58 of a work-engaging plunger or pin 50 having a rounded end portion 52 for contacting the object to be clamped and a shoulder 54 spaced from the end portion 52 and acting as a stop member for a compression coil spring 56 which is interposed between the shoulder 54 and the guide plate 46 and surrounding the reduced portion 58 of the pin 50. The end of the pin 50 remote from the contact end 52 is provided with a peripheral notch 60 for receiving a split ring 62 thereon which limits the outward movement of the pin 56 in an obvious manner.

As clearly seen in Figure 3, the work-engaging pins 50 are polygonal in shape and as shown preferably hexagonal and as best shown in Figures 1 and 4 a movable plate 64 is provided on the interior side of the jaws 16 and 18 and abutting the work-engaging pins or plungers 50. Threaded through the sides of the jaws 16 and 18 is a bolt 66 for engaging the movable plate 64 and as the bolts 66 are screwed inwardly the plate 64 engages the pins 50 and by exerting side force thereon frictionally retains the pins in any adjusted position.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. The vise 11) is mounted upon any suitable supporting surface through the use of mounting lugs 14 and the jaws 16 and 18 are separated by manipulating the handle 30. An irregularly shaped object 68 is placed between the jaws 16 and 18 and by manipulating handle 30, the objectengaging pins or plungers 50 come in contact with the object 68 and as the movable jaw 18 proceeds toward stationary jaw 16 the pins are moved inwardly towards the inner surface of the jaw a substantial amount until the pins 58 engage the object 68 substantially about its entire surface. The bolts 66 are then turned inwardly to move the pressure plates 64 inwardly thereby clamping the pins 58 in the relationship which conforms to the contour of the work object 68. As may be seen the work object 68 is thus securely clamped between the opposing pins or plungers 50 and after the work has been completed an other object of similar contour may be held securely and the process repeated as often as desired and when it is desired to hold a workpiece having a difierent contour the bolts 66 may be loosened and the setting-up process repeated.

Obviously, by the removal of the cover plates 40, the entire assembly of work-engaging pins and guide plate may be removed from the box- like jaws 16 and 18 for easy cleaning or repair. This vise may be used wherever it is desired to hold irregularly shaped objects and finds its greatest utility wherein similar but irregularly shaped objects are to be successively clamped. The vise may be made of any suitable material and the work engaging pins may be constructed of any desirable strength and size depending upon the nature of the work to be held and other well-known equivalents.maybesubstituted .for a specific element shown in this embodiment.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device iwill be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and'changes will readily occur to those skilled inthe art,-'it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling Withinthe scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as newis as follows:

1. A vise comprising abase' member having a stationary jaw projecting upwardly from one end and a movable jaw slidable on said baseand means to move said movable jaw, each of said jaws comprising a hollow block having facing openings, a plurality 'of movable work-engaging members slidably carried in said block, a movable pressure plate in each block adjacent .one side wall thereof, and pressureapplying means-projecting through said side wall of each block and operable to clamp the adjacent pressure plate against said work-engaging members to lock each of them in work-engagingrposition, .each of saidtblocks being provided with an apertured plate spaced from a rear wall of each block for guiding each individual member, and spring means disposed between said guide plate and each member to urge each of the members into work-engaging position whenever said pressure plate is in a non-clamping position.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said members are each provided with'a shoulder and wherein said spring means comprises a coil spring surrounding a portionof each of said members,..said coil spring having one end abutting said shoulder and having an opposite end abutting said guide plate.

References xCited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain ;Dec.'17, 1947

Images