Rotary puller live center arrangement

A screw puller is operative in communication with a live center member, having a cylindrical housing, including a bottom wall with a spaced top wall annular flange, with a rotary hub mounted within the housing, with the rotary hub arranged to minimize frictional inter-relationship of the screw puller threaded shaft, with a workpiece to be drawn by the puller structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The field of invention relates to screw puller apparatus, and more 
particularly pertains to a new and improved rotary puller live center 
arrangement wherein the same is directed to minimizing frictional 
engagement with a puller screw relative to a workpiece. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The use of pulling apparatus, such as the type exemplified in the U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,011,648, frictional load is imposed upon the workpiece by the nose 
of the puller screw. To minimize such loads, the instant invention directs 
a positioning member having a rotatably mounted internal hub arranged to 
accommodate rotation of the screw and thereby minimize rotational drag 
upon an associated workpiece and in this respect, the present invention 
substantially fulfills this need. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of 
puller apparatus now present in the prior art, the present invention 
provides a rotary puller live center arrangement wherein the same is 
arranged to introduce a roller bearing structure between the puller and 
workpiece to minimize frictional resistance during rotation of the screw 
relative to the puller structure. As such, the general purpose of the 
present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, 
is to provide a new and improved rotary puller live center arrangement 
which has all the advantages of the prior art puller apparatus and none of 
the disadvantages. 
To attain this, the present invention provides a screw puller operative in 
communication with a live center member having a cylindrical housing, 
including a bottom wall with a spaced top wall annular flange, with a 
rotary hub mounted within the housing, with the rotary hub arranged to 
minimize frictional inter-relationship of the screw puller threaded shaft, 
with a workpiece to be drawn by the puller structure. 
My invention resides not in any one of these features per se, but rather in 
the particular combination of all of them herein disclosed and claimed and 
it is distinguished from the prior art in this particular combination of 
all of its structures for the functions specified. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present 
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, 
additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter 
and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which 
this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the 
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the 
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, 
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions 
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present 
invention. 
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent 
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the 
scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar 
with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a 
cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of 
the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention 
of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to 
be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved rotary puller live center arrangement which has all the 
advantages of the prior art puller apparatus and none of the 
disadvantages. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved 
rotary puller live center arrangement which may be easily and efficiently 
manufactured and marketed. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved rotary puller live center arrangement which is of a durable and 
reliable construction. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved rotary puller live center arrangement which is susceptible of a 
low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which 
accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming 
public, thereby making such rotary puller live center arrangements 
economically available to the buying public. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved rotary puller live center arrangement which provides in the 
apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, 
while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally 
associated therewith. 
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various 
features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with 
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this 
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating 
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should 
be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there 
is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 to 10 
thereof, a new and improved rotary puller live center arrangement 
embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and 
generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described. 
More specifically, the rotary puller live center arrangement 10 of the 
instant invention essentially comprises cooperation with a screw puller 
11, of a type as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,648 incorporated herein 
by reference. The screw puller 11 includes pivotal screw puller arms 12 
mounted to a support plate, with the threaded shaft 13 directed through 
the support plate, having a nose positioned within a positioning member 
14. The positioning member 14 is mounted to the workpiece to be engaged by 
the arrangement 10. 
The positioning member 14 includes a cylindrical housing 15, having a 
cylindrical side wall to include a housing bottom wall 16 spaced from a 
housing top wall central opening 17 directed coaxially along the axis 14a 
of the housing orthogonally intersecting the bottom wall, with the top 
wall central opening 17 having an annular flange 18 in surrounding 
engagement thereto. The cylindrical side wall includes a cylindrical side 
wall interior surface 19 having an annular locking groove 20 in adjacency 
to the annular flange 18 within the interior surface 19. A locking clip 21 
is arranged for reception within the locking groove 20, wherein an annular 
lock ring washer 22 is arranged for imposing upon a plate bearing 23 of a 
Torrington (.RTM.) bearing 23. The plate bearing 23 interposed between the 
ring washer 22 and a rotary hub 24 permits ease of rotation of the rotary 
hub 24. The rotary hub 24 includes a top wall 25 engaging the plate 
bearing 23, wherein the top wall further includes a conical recess 26 to 
receive the nose of the threaded shaft 13. The conical recess 26 is 
aligned along the axis 14a. The rotary hub 24 includes a hub central boss 
27, wherein the hub central boss 27 is received within a rotary conical 
hub 28 positioned in surrounding relationship relative to the hub central 
boss 27, with (see FIG. 6) a further plate bearing 23 interposed between a 
bottom surface of the rotary hub top wall 25 and the conical hub 28. The 
conical hub 28 includes a conical hub outer wall 28a oriented at 
substantially forty-five degrees relative to the axis 14a. An outer wall 
flange 29 orthogonally oriented relative to the outer wall retains a 
plurality of roller bearings 23 positioned in engagement with the conical 
outer wall 28a, with the outer wall flange 29 positioned to a first end of 
each bearing. A housing floor 30 of the housing 15 includes a housing 
floor conical wall 31 arranged parallel relative to the conical hub outer 
wall 28a, having a bearing wall flange 31a orthogonally oriented relative 
to the conical bearing wall 31 oriented at a second end of each the 
bearings 33 to capture the bearings 33 between the conical wall flange 29 
and the conical bearing wall flange 31a. As noted above, the use of a 
further plate bearing 23 interposed between the conical hub top wall 35 
and the rotary hub top wall 25 permits ease of rotation of the rotary hub 
24 relative to the screw puller shaft 13. 
The FIG. 7 indicates the bottom wall 16 having a bottom wall threaded 
socket bore 36 to include a plurality of inserts to include a first insert 
37, a second insert 39, and a third insert 41. The first insert 37 having 
a first insert conical projection 38 for reception within a workpiece or 
for proper alignment of the bottom wall 16, the second insert having an 
insert threaded shaft 40 is alternatively provided for reception within 
the socket bore 36. The third insert 41 includes a third insert hexagonal 
projection 42 for reception within a workpiece. As indicated in FIG. 7, 
the top wall 25 may be formed of a top wall threaded socket, as indicated, 
in lieu of the conical recess 26 to receive the various insert structure 
for utilization with the nose of a screw puller shaft 13 having a 
complementary configured surface. 
As to the manner of usage and operation of the instant invention, the same 
should be apparent from the above disclosure, and accordingly no further 
discussion relative to the manner of usage and operation of the instant 
invention shall be provided. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.