Patents Examined by Monica Smith
  • Patent number: 5911578
    Abstract: A head assembly for a medical handpiece includes a head housing and a rotor spindle contained in the housing. The spindle defines a longitudinal through-bore with an internal screw thread. An adjustable chuck is received within the through-bore of the spindle and has a complementary external screw thread adapted for mating with the internal thread of the spindle. The chuck has a top opening forming a keyway and a bottom opening adapted for receiving and holding a bur. A chuck key is attached to the housing, and includes a hand grip at its top end for being manipulated by a user and a chuck engaging bottom end. The chuck key is axially moveable between an operative position and an inoperative position. Upon rotation of the chuck key in the operative position, the chuck threadably moves relative to the spindle to an open position for receiving and removing the bur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1999
    Inventor: Joseph Garyson Gross
  • Patent number: 5908272
    Abstract: A guard apparatus for a rotational tool prevents direct contact of the cutting regions by an operator of the tool. The rotational cutting tool to which this invention is particularly applicable is the type having at least a shank portion and a toothed region, with the shank portion attachable to a holding attachment device to hold the tool, particularly during operation. The guard apparatus comprises a compressible guard housing for defining a guard circumferential area following a circular path parallel to but greater than a cutting circumferential area defined by the toothed region of the rotational cutting tool; and a first securement device having a first periphery at a first end for abutting the holding attachment device and a flared and tapered periphery at a second end for associating with the compressible guard housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Assignee: Honda of America, Mfg., Inc.
    Inventors: Donald C. Hoag, Kevin R. Chapman, Angela A. Harmon
  • Patent number: 5906458
    Abstract: An adjustable reamer includes a securing portion, a shank, a guide members, at least one cutting insert, an adjustment device for adjusting the insert, and a clamp for clamping the insert. The clamp is releasable from the shank. A first place of contact is created between the clamp and the shank, and a second place of contact is created between the clamp and the cutting insert. An angle between the first and second places of contact in relation to the rotational axis of the reamer is at least 100.degree., preferably larger than 135.degree..
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: Seco Tools AB
    Inventor: Simon Planche
  • Patent number: 5904358
    Abstract: A chuck device has a pair of grippers pivotally supported in a recess defined in an end of a body for angular movement about a predetermined angle, a joint member connected to a piston reciprocally movably disposed in a cylinder chamber defined in the body, and a pair of rollers engaging respectively in grooves in the grippers and angularly movably mounted on the joint member. Linear movement of the piston can be transmitted as angular movement to the grippers through the rollers while the rollers are angularly moving with respect to the joint member. A cover is mounted on the end of the body in closing relation to the recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: SMC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayuki Hosono, Jiro Mandokoro
  • Patent number: 5901967
    Abstract: In a changeable chuck system which can grip and release a workpiece by means of a chuck C by itself, fluid shut-off valves 20a and 20b are provided on a fluid supply portion provided on the tip of a main spindle 2 of a machine tool. When the chuck C is mounted on the main spindle 2, the fluid shut-off valves 20a and 20b are automatically connected to fluid couplers 111a and 111b provided behind the chuck C, and a jaw operating cylinder 90 provided in the chuck C is actuated by a fluid supplied from a rear portion of the main spindle 2 to open and close gripping jaws 93. Thus, the gripping jaws 93 can be operated by means of the jaw operating cylinder 90 provided in the chuck C when the chuck C is mounted on the tip of the main spindle 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1999
    Assignee: Howa Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventor: Eiichi Morisaki
  • Patent number: 5897121
    Abstract: A drill attachment for transferring torque from a rotary power tool to a jack of a trailer. The drill attachment includes a sleeve portion that fits over and is connectable to the rotatable drive shaft of the trailer jack. The drill attachment includes a chuckable end for attachment to the rotary power tool. It is an advantage that the drill attachment provides an automatic and economic way to raise and lower trailer jacks. The drill attachment also provides for a power tool which is interchangeable among several different trailer jacks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Inventor: Gregory Case
  • Patent number: 5897273
    Abstract: A deburring machine essentially comprising a cutting tool (13) which pivots on an axis (16) that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation (X) and which may be retracted inside the cover (11) by a wedge (10) so that the cover (11) may be inserted through a hole; the cutting tool (13) may then be extended and opened out to deburr the edge of the hole situated on the hidden face of the part. The cutting tool pivots freely in order to adopt the correct angle for the edge to be deburred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: Societe Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation "Snecma"
    Inventor: Adelio Joaquim Barbosa Leite
  • Patent number: 5895059
    Abstract: A lathe chuck assembly is configured for high-speed turning operations. The assembly includes a riser adapter and a yolk plate movably connected with respect to the riser adapter. First, second and third cam arms are connected to the yolk plate for grasping a workpiece for turning operations. Each cam arm includes a cam slot formed therein. A face plate is mounted to the riser adapter. The face plate includes first, second and third cam arm openings formed therein for receiving cam pins for cooperation within the respective cam slots. The face plate includes a locally thickened cross-sectional area surrounding each cam arm opening for added structural integrity and a plurality of locally thinned cross-sectional areas spaced across the face plate for weight reduction. A web structure of substantially uninterrupted cross-sectional thickness is provided for structural integrity at high rotational speeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Inventor: Alan C. Patterson
  • Patent number: 5893687
    Abstract: When a spindle unit 1 rises to a tool change position P1 of a printed-circuit board drilling apparatus, a pair of cam followers 27, which have been spaced downward from a pair of operating pins 38, are brought into engagement with conical portions 39 of the operating pins 38 and caused to move toward each other. As a result, a pair of opening/closing arms 24 that are provided under a pressure foot 20 and that serve as suppressing members for preventing floating of the printed-circuit board are moved away from their suppressing positions A in which the opening/closing arms 24 are kept closed by the force of a spring 28, to their retracted positions B. Consequently, forward end portions of the opening/closing arms 24 are positioned outside a tool passage zone S through which a tool post passes when a tool is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1999
    Assignee: Howa Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Oketani, Tadashi Uemura
  • Patent number: 5890849
    Abstract: The invention therefore provides a tool holder for tools supplied with coolant or lubricant, especially rotating tools such as boring or milling tools, with an internal duct system for passing coolant or lubricant to the shank of the tool. To enable particularly flexible use of machine tools, the tool holder is equipped according to the invention with a lubricant reservoir which is integrated into the tool holder and which is preferably fillable and pressurizable, which during operation of the tool can be decoupled from a coolant or lubricant source and supplies the tool controllably with coolant and lubricant via a metering unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1999
    Assignee: Gottlieb Guehring KG
    Inventor: Tibor Cselle
  • Patent number: 5888035
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for installing a length of cable through a wall. Thus, the system of the present invention can be used to route a television, telephone or computer cable through an existing wall. The system employs an electric drill and associated drill bit. Over the drill bit a routing tool is adapted to be fitted into and secured to the drill chuck of the drill. In use, both the drill bit and tool are secured to the drill. In the preferred embodiment, the drill bit is long enough to extend beyond the end of the tool. Next, the drill is used to cut a hole into a wall. Once through the wall the drill bit can be removed from the tool and the tool can be left within the wall. Any type of cable can now be positioned through the tool within the wall. Lastly, the routing tool can be removed from the other side of the wall and used again elsewhere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Inventor: Terry B. Cutler
  • Patent number: 5873579
    Abstract: A percussion tool includes a housing part having a frontal end provided with an opening; a tool bit guide supported in alignment with the opening; and a tool bit slidably supported in the tool bit guide and projecting from the housing part through the opening. The tool bit is arranged for a reciprocating motion parallel to the longitudinal tool bit axis and transverse excursions substantially perpendicular to the tool bit axis. A transverse guide is attached to the housing part and displaceably receives an outer seal composed of a transverse slide. The transverse slide has an aperture through which the tool bit passes. The transverse slide and the tool bit are arranged such that the transverse slide and the tool bit move as a unit during the transverse excursions of the tool bit. There is further provided an inner seal disposed in the housing part between the transverse slide and the tool bit guide externally thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignee: Krupp Bautechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Heinz-Jurgen Prokop, Karlheinz Fritz, Thomas Deimel, Martin Schareina, Thorsten Ahr
  • Patent number: 5863159
    Abstract: An angle attachment is attached to a drill without removing the drill chuck by securing the shaft of a coupler in the drill chuck and seating the coupler on the nut of either shaft of the angle attachment, securing the angle attachment to the drill with a sleeve, and threading an attachment chuck onto the shaft of the angle attachment which is not coupled to the drill chuck
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Inventor: Leonard J. Lasko