US2881577A - Tool for applying heat sealable cable bands - Google Patents

Description

April 14, 1959 TOOL FR APPLYING HEAT SEALABLE CABLE BANDS H. K. MCLAREN Filed April 16, 1954 0 J\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\L,'e

/NvENm/a Y H4225/ K MCL/wav United States Patent O TOOL FOR APPLYING HEAT SEALABLE CABLE 1 BANDS Harry K. McLaren, Playa Del Rey, Calif., assignor to Cal-Tronics Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Application April 16, 1954, Serial No. 423,610

5 Claims. (Cl. 53-198) The present invention relates to the formation of a bundle of a plurality of wires and, more particularly to a tool to be used in the formation of such a bundle.

The term bundle of wires as used herein designates a plurality of individual wires, such as, for example, small electrical conductors utilized in electronic work which are secured together in order that these wires may be easily and conveniently grouped and passed from one location to another. Such bundles of wires are frequently employed in aircraft, electronic and other industries in connecting controls with various operative mechanisms, such as, for example, servomotors. In all of these uses, it is frequently desired to detach one or more conductors at various locations where they lead to individual components.

Bundles of wire of the broad category described have been created in prior art in very diverse ways. Frequently, individual Wires have been tied in a group at periodic intervals by means of string. This procedure suters from a number of disadvantages, not the least of which is the labor involved and the tendency of string to give way under certain circumstances. It has also been proposed to pass individual wires forming a bundle through various types of conduits, such as, for example, fabric or extruded resin. Such procedures are inherently quite expensive and they also suffer from the disadvantage that it is diicult to select on the job a precise Wire to be removed from the bundle in any given location.

It is a broad object of the instant invention to produce wire bundles which mark a substantial improvement over the prior constructions broadly indicated in the preceding paragraph. A further and related object is to provide a tool for creating new bundle constructions of the instant invention which tool is comparatively simple, and which is inexpensive and yet very effective. Still further objects of the invention will be apparent from the balance of this specification, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a view of a wire bundle secured in accordance with this disclosure; and

Fig. 2 illustrates a device for use in creating wire bundles as described.

Brieiiy, it may be stated that the broad objects of the invention are achieved by providing a tool for holding a plurality of wires together in a bundle with the aid of spaced heat scalable bands, each band being sealed at its ends immediately adjacent to this bundle by the tool. Since, with this construction, the individual wires are tightly held and since, as broadly described herein, a plurality of spaced bands are used in order to keep the individual wires together, certain of these Wires may be selected and removed from the bundle for attachment to appropriate components as desired. Obviously the invention can be employed to secure a plurality of bundles of wire, each of which has been fastened by a number of spaced bands as indicated, into a larger, composite wire bundle.

The tool of this invention is capable of forming wire bundles by grouping a plurality of wires together into a bundle, holding these wires tightly in position for positioning a heat scalable, e.g., thermoplastic resin, strip around said wires, and sealing this strip closely adjacent to said Wires so as to form a permanently held wire bundle. More specifically, the present invention provides a device which comprises means for holding two adjacent ends of a strip of thermoplastic material, means for tightening said strip around the bundle of wires, and means for sealing the adjacent ends of said strip adja cent to said bundle of wires while said strip is being held tightly around said bundle so as to permanently form a bundle of wires.

Further objects of lthe invention are to achieve constructions as described in the foregoing brief summary of the invention.

Perhaps the broad details of the invention will be best apparent with reference to Fig. 1 in which there is shown a plurality of individual wires 10 held together so as to form a bundle by means of a thermoplastic resin strip 11 surrounding these wires, and holding them in fixed relation to one another by means of a sealed area 12. This sealed area 12 can frequently be used to an advantage in securing the wires 10 to a supporting surface such as a wall by nailing or otherwise fastening this area 12 to such a surface. A large number of thermoplastic resins may be employed for this purpose within the broad scope of the instant disclosure, but particularly suitable thermoplastic resins are those such as polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl butyrate, and polyethylene. These resins are fiexible, in strip form, and may be readily sealed at a comparatively low temperature so as to form a substantially permanent seal with a minimum of diiiiculty. Other thermoplastic resins besides those specifically named can, however, be employed with the invention.

The apparatus used in forming a thermoplastic resin band sealed about a plurality of wires so as to form a permanent wire bundle is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings as consisting of a central body member 15 of generally elongated shape, having along its major direction a slot 16 leading to a cavity 17 formed between projecting pivot supports 18 having opposed pivots 19 carrying jaws 20 consisting of arms 21, the ends of which removed from the body member 15 carry electrodes or sealing jaws 22 insulated from the balance of the construction by insulators 22 and cutting means 23, the ends of the arms 21 Within the cavity 17 being provided with opposed projections 24 normally biased towards one another by means of springs 25.

Disposed within the slot 16 is a sliding member 26 which is normally urged towards the cavity 17 by means of a spring 27 attached to a projection 28 of this member 26 and to the body member 15, as shown. This sliding member 26 terminates in a lower jaw 29 having an upstanding clamp 30 and a pivoted upper jaw 31 having a clamp 32 opposing the clamp 30. It is seen from a detailed examination of Fig. 2 of the drawings that both of these jaws 29 and 31 bear against the projections 24. The upper jaw 31 is pivoted upon the sliding member 26 by means of a pivot 33 positioned as shown, and possesses an arm 34 on the side of the pivot 33 removed from the cavity 17. The arm 34 is normally connected to the main body of the sliding member 26 by means of a spring 35 and is connected by a spring 40 to an arm 37 of a handle 38 which is pivotally mounted on the body member 15 by means of a pivot 39. On the handle 38 on the side of the pivot 39 removed from the arm 37, there is a link 41 which is mounted on the handle 38 by means of a pivot 42 and is connected to the sliding member 26 by means of another pivot 43.

Appropriate means (not shown) are provided to electrically connect the sealing jaws Z2 to a source of current. These jaws 22 may either consist of heating means or may simply be conductive bars which can be iconnected to a dielectric heating apparatus.

In utilizing the device shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, a group of individual wires such as the group shown in Fig. l of the drawings is loosely held together in the shape of a bundle and a strip of thermoplastic ,resinous material as indicated is placed around this bundle with its ends passing between the sealing jaws 22 and between the clamps k30 and 32. When this has been accomplished, the handle 38 is pressed towards the body member 15, closing the clamps 30 and 32 so as to grasp the ends of the thermoplastic resin strip. Simultaneously, the sliding member 26 is moved back from the cavity 17 forcing the projections 24 apart by virtue of the fact that these projections slide against sloping surfaces 45 of the jaws 29 and 31. This action causes the arms 21 to rotate about the pivots 19 until the sealing jaws 22 are forced against the strip of thermoplastic resinous material. During the motion of the handle 38 before this occurs, this strip is gradually being pulled between the sealing jaws 22, tightening the strip around .the bundle of individual wires. After these electrodes have been forced together, an appropriate current is passed to the Sealing jaws 22 in order to seal the adjacent portions of the thermoplastic resin strip. Simultaneously, the parts of this strip passing through the cutters 23 are severed, removing any tabs from the fastening strips.

Those skilled in the art will realize that the herein described invention is capable of wide modifications withA in the scope of the instant disclosure. Such modifications are to be considered as part of the inventive concept insofar as they are dened by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the class described, which comprises: spaced sealing jaws; jaw means for holding two adjacent ends of a strip of thermoplastic material positioned adjacent to lsaid sealing jaws; means for clamping said jaw means against one another; means for moving said jaw means away from `said sealing jaws so as to pull a ystrip of lthermoplastic material through said sealing jaws; and means for urging said sealing jaws against one another so as to Aseal a strip of thermoplastic material kwhen said jaw means are removed from their initial position `adjacent to said sealing jaws.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein cutter means are attached to said sealing jaws and wherein said cutter means are actuated when said sealing jaws are urged against one another.

3. In combination: two sealing jaws at least one of which is movable toward and away from the other; two clamping jaws at least one of which is movable toward and away from the other; means for moving said one clamping jaw toward the other; means for producing relative movement of said clamping jaws toward and away from said sealing jaws; and means responsive to relative movement of said clamping jaws `away from -said sealing jaws for moving said one sealing jaw toward the other.

4. In combination: two Sealing jaws at least one of which is movable toward and away from the other; two clamping jaws at least one of which is movable toward and ,away from the other; means for moving said `one clamping jaw toward the other; means for producing relative movement of said clamping jaw toward and away from said sealing jaws; and means interconnecting one of said `clamping jaws and said one sealing jaw and responsive to relative movement of said clamping jaws away ,from said sealing jaws for moving said kone sealing jaw .toward .the other.

5.1m combination: two sealing jaws at least one of which 'is movable toward and away from the other; two clamping jaws at least 4one of which is ,movable `toward and away from the other; means for moving said .one Kclamping jaw toward the other; means .for producing relative movement of said clamping jaws toward and away from said sealing jaws; and means responsive .to relative movement of said clamping jaws away from said sealing jaws for moving said one sealing jaw toward the other, including a cam on one of said clamping jaws and including a lever engageable with said cam and carrying said one sealing jaw.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,782,812 Dibner Nov. 25, 1930 1,955,468 Noyes Apr. 17, 1934 2,168,583 Ringler Aug. 8, 1939 '2,276,584 Malhiot Mar. 17, 1942 2,281,187 Waters Apr. 28, '1942 2,324,745 Weber Iuly 20, 1943 2,579,088 Piazze et al. Dec. 18, 1951 2,610,137 Williamson et al. Sept. 9, 1952

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