US2368969A - Band tensioning tool - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 6, 1945.

H. w. CLEVELAND BAND TENSIONING TOOL Filed May 24, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Feb. 6, 1945. H. w. CLEVELAND BAND TENSIONING TOOL Filed May 24, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 6, 1945 BAND TENSIONING TOOL Harry W. Cleveland, Kendallville, Ind., assignor to Inland Wire Products Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 24, 1943, Serial No. 488,193

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a band tensioning tool of the general type employed for securing straps or wires around boxes, packages, crates, bundles and the like, and. the tool which is illustrated as a preferred embodiment of this invention is designed for performing the tensioning function independently of the final securement, the latter being efiected by means of a separate tool.

One object of the invention is to. provide a band tensioning tool which may be readily and convenientl engaged with the band and effectively operated for tightening it around an obiect.

Another object of the invention'is to provide a band tensioning tool having a movable gripper with connections therefrom to an operating lever whereby the gripper is automatically shifted to gripping position when the lever is moved in one direction and is automatically released from the band when the latter is operated in the opposite direction.

A further object of the invention is to provide ditional and overlapping ply of the band, and

having a severing tool reciprocably mounted on the gripper and operable for severing the upper ply when the tensioning and securement of the lower ply is completed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing a package with a band encompassing the same, and with a tensioning tool applied to the band preparatory to tightening it around the package.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 1, on a larger scale, with portions of the package broken away to condense the view, and with a portion of the handle of the tool broken off.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the fixed gripping means on the base of the tool disposed in release position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the pivoted gripping jaw member of the fixed gripper. Fig. 5 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 2 but showing the parts at the completion of the tensioning operation, and with the fastening seal applied in securing position to the overlapped ends.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 5, being fragmentary with respect to the package and having a portion of the cutter lever broken out to condense the view.

Fig. 'I is an end elevation showing the cutter at its inactive position and indicating in dotted outline the position of its operating lever when actuating the cutter blade.

Fig. 8 is a detail plan section taken as indicated at line '8-8 on Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the cutter blade.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and re-arrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and that the same is not limited to the particular form herein shown and described, except in so far as indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings, a package A is shown with a length of banding material B wrapped around it so that the free end I of the band is lapped under the portion 2 thereof and the banding tool which is the subject of this invention rests upon the top of the package at a position adjacent said overlapping portions and 2. A supply roll of the banding material is shown at B with a portion 3 of said material leading from the roll through the tensioning tool. It may be understood that when the band is sufliciently tightened around the package A, a suitableseal or clip will be clamped over the overlapping portions I and 2 to secure them in place, and the tensioning tool itself will then be removed.

The tool includes a base casting l with a base plate 5, which is relatively thin and can be slipped between the banding material B and the face of the package A. Just above the base plate 5 there is shown a fixed gripper jaw B, and cooperating therewith is a jaw member I pivoted to the base 4 at 8 and carrying a gripper jaw 9 for engaging the upper surface of the lower ply of the overlapped portions of the band B. As the tension is applied to the upper ply it tends to shift to the right, as seen in Fig. 2, causing the gripper jaw 9 to be swung slightly about the pivot 8 for more firmly gripping the band: but for initially engaging the tool with the band, the jaw member I may be tilted about its pivot into more nearly upright position, as shown in Fig 3, thus permitting the end portion l of the band to be slipped between the jaws'i and 9.

In fact, the band may be introduced between the jaws laterally, and,v at the same time, the

overlapping p y will be fitted into the guide slot H) which is formed in the jaw member 1, just above the gripper jaw 9, and an adjacent portion of the band between the parts 2 and 3 thereor may be fitted between the lower jaw ll and-the upper jaw I2 of the tensioning means. Said Jaws I l and I2 are carried on a slide I3 mounted on uide rods l4 and I5 which extend horizontally from one end of the base 4, and said slide is actuated by means of a hand lever l6, which is ful- I crumed on-a pivot IB and connected to the slide by a link ",as shown. However, said link is not connected directly to the slide member itself, but is pivotally attached to a short arm l8 of the gripper l2, the latter being mounted on a pivot stud l9 projecting from the side of the slide member l3. With this arrangement, when the lever I6 is swung from its initial oblique and upwardly trending position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, toward its final, approximately horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 5, the link I! acts in compression as a strut, and operates to rock the jaw member l2 slightly about its pivot l9 into position for firmly gripping the material of the band. But the return movement of the lever l6 exerts a tension in the link 11, operating to swing the pivoted jaw l2 into release position so that it slides easily over the band as the slide l3 travels in response to the movement of the lever l6 for taking hold of the band at a new position preparatory to a further tensioning movement.

To supplement this application of gripping pressure, a spring-pressed plunger 20, pocketed in the slide member l3, engages a laterally extending tail-piece 2| on the pivoted jaw I2 so as to yieldingly bias the jaw toward its gripping position, but, for initially inserting the band between the jaws II and I2, the tail member 2! may be operated as a finger-piece to swing the jaw l2 to released position, so that the band may be inserted between the jaws of the slide l3 with the slide and its operating lever H5 at any position in their range of movement.

cut into the lower ply of the band which is held between the jaws 6 and 9. When the band is thus severed, its portion 3 may be released from the grippers II and I 2' by actuating the fingerpiece 2|, as already described, and'the lower ply of the band, which is a portion of the completed loop, will be readily released by swinging the jaw member assembly I about its pivot 8, toward upright position,'as shown in Fig. 3. This movement is yieldingly resisted by a spring-pressed plunger 32 pocketed in one end of the base 4 and impinging against the member I, as more clearly seen in Fig. 8. The purpose of this yielding plunger 32 is to bias the gripping jaw 9 yieldingly to gripping position, so that it will automatically take hold ofthe banding material when the latter is inserted in preparation for the strapping operation.

It may be understood that, although the drawings show a fiat band B in connection with the tensioning tool which is the subject of this invention, said tool may be employed for tensioning a round wire or band of other cross-section,

' with only obvious modifications in'. its gripping As illustrated, the banding material B is a flat strap, which may be of metal or vulcanized fiber, but which, at the present time, is preferably made of a laminated paper stock; and when the final tension has been applied, as by swinging the lever l6 toward its horizontal position, illustrated in Fig. 5, a metallic clip or sleeve, such as that shown at 22, is applied to the overlapped portions l and 2 of the band B by means of any suitable clamping and deforming tool, so that said ends are firmly secured against slippage in a position to maintain the tension which has been applied. It then remains to sever the closed loop from the portion 3 which extends from the supply roll B For this purpose the jaw member 1 is formed with a guideway 23, as seen in Fig. 4, and a outter blade 24 (see Fig. 9) is slidably mounted in the guideway 23 for vertical reciprocation therein. An actuating lever 25 is pivoted between upstanding arms 26, 26, which are secured to the member I, and said lever is formed with a cam portion 21 arranged to engage a head 28 on the upper end of the blade 24. A coil spring 29 normally holds the blade at the upper limit of its movementbut yields to permit the cam 21 to force it downwardly when the lever 25 is swung to the position shown' in dotted outline in Fig. 7. The cutting edge of the blade 24 cooperates with the upper edge 3| of the gripper jaw 9 in the manner of a shear, so that when the blade 24 is depressed, it cuts through the upper ply of the band, lying in the slot Ill just above the jaw 9, and the formation of the cam 21 is such as to limit the stroke of the cutter blade 24so that it shall not jaws, such as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Iri applying a band around a package and drawing it through the slot l0 and between the gripping jaws II and I2, some initial tension will ordinarily be secured by direct manual pull, and to facilitate such application of the band, the guide rod I5 is shown provided with a broad head I5, which may be employed as a fulcrum point by pressing against this head IS the thumb of the hand which grips the portion 3 of the band during its initial application.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a band tensioning tool, a base, a lever fulcrumed thereon, gripping means on the base for one end of the band, a slide guided for movement on the base and having a fixed gripping jaw with a cooperating jaw for the other end of the band pivoted on the slide, and a link connecting the lever to the pivoted jaw at a distance from its pivot for moving the slide in response to swing of the lever, the stress of the link in one direction acting to swing said pivoted jaw into gripping relation to the fixed jaw and stress in the opposite direction serving to swing said pivoted jaw to release position.

2. In a band tensiom'ng tool, a base, a lever fulcrumed thereon, gripping means on the base for one end of the band, a slide guided for movement on the base and having a fixed gripping jaw with a cooperating jaw for the other end of the band pivoted on the slide, spring means biasing said pivoted jaw toward gripping position, and a link connecting the lever to the pivoted jaw at a distance from its pivot for moving the slide in response to swing of the lever, the stress of the link in one direction acting to swing said pivoted jaw into gripping relation to the fixed jaw and stress in the opposite direction serving to swing said pivoted jaw to release position.

3. In a band tensioning tool, a base, a lever culcr'umed thereon and initially inclined, swingable toward the base for tensioning a band, gripping means on the base for one end of the band, a slide guided for movement on the base and having a fixed gripping jaw with a, cooperating jaw for the other end of the band pivoted on the slide, and a. link connecting the lever to the pivoted jaw at a distance from its pivot for moving the slide in response to swing of the lever,.

the stress or the link in one direction acting to swing said pivoted jaw into gripping relation to the fixed jaw and stress in the opposite direction serving to swing said pivoted jaw to release position. 4. In a band tensioning tool, a base, a lever 'fulcruined thereon, gripping means on the base for one end of the band, a slide guided for movement on the base and having a fixed gripping jaw with a cooperating jaw for the other end of the band ivoted on the slide, said pivoted jaw having an arm with spring means acting against said arm biasing the jaw toward gripping position, said arm being accessible to serve as a finger piece for manual release of the jaw at will, and a link connecting the lever to the pivoted jaw at a distance from its pivot for moving the slide in response to swing of the lever, the stress of the link-in one direction acting to swing said pivoted jaw into gripping relation to the fixed jaw and stress in the opposite direction serving to swing said pivoted jaw to release position.

5. In a band tensioning tool, a base, a lever fulcrumed thereon, gripping means on the base for one end of the band, a slide guided for movement on the base and having a fixed gripping jaw with a cooperating jaw for the other end of the band pivoted on the slide, and a link connecting the lever to the pivoted jaw at a distance from its pivot for moving the slide in response to swing of the lever, said link acting in compression during the tensioning stroke of the lever and operating to swing the pivoted jaw into gripping position and acting in tension dur- 6. In a band tensioning tool, a base, gripping means for one end of the band comprising a jaw fixed on the base and a. cooperating jaw member pivoted on the base with a gripping portion opposing said flxed jaw, said pivoted jaw member having a guide slot which accommodates a-portion of the band overlapping that which is held by said gripping means, and tensioning means engageable with said overlapping portion of the band and operable to exert a pull thereon in the same direction in which said pivoted jaw member swings toward its gripping position.

7. In a band tensioning tool, a base, gripping means for one end of the band comprising a jaw fixed on the base and a cooperating jaw member pivoted 0n the ba'se with a gripping portion opposing said fixed jaw, said pivotedjaw member having a guide slot which accommodates a portion of the band overlapping that which is held by its gripping means, tensioning means engageable with said overlapping portion, said pivoted member having a guideway, and shearing means including a knife mounted upon said pivoted jaw member and reciproca-ble in said guideway in shearing relation to the lower edge of the guide slot, and a lever fulcrumed on the pivoted member engaging the knife for reciproeating it at will to sever the band adjacent said slot.

HARRY W. CLEVELAND.

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