Universal snap-ring tool
US6678930B1 · kind B1 · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 31, 2002 |
| Grant date | Jan 20, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 31, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/5363
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The retainer or snap-ring tool of this invention includes a pair of jaws with only one of the jaws attached to a single handle. The jaws are disposed to be spread apart one from the other by a jaw positioning device. The lower end of each jaw is equipped with a tip to interface with the free ends of various types of snap-rings. The tips force the ring to extend or contract when placing the ring on a shaft or within a cylindrical bore of a body. The jaw positioning device comprises a threaded shaft having a positioning wheel formed integral with the shaft to rotate the shaft and move the pair of tips at the ends of the jaws with respect to one another. The tips remain a fixed distance from one another without gripping the handle. The universal tool of this invention works equally well for internally and externally applied snap-rings without any changing or modification of the tool.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.