Handling assembly incorporating suction cups

This invention relates to a handling assembly incorporating deformable suction cups for handling objects presenting a smooth and non-porous surface for application of the suction cups, the assembly comprising a body and at least one deformable suction cup mounted on this body and a release mechanism mounted mobile on the body; a single-piece construction control assembly molded in plastic and formed by rods in the shape of a rhombus with a pair of control zones, each connected to a suction cup, located at one set of opposite apices and a pair of control locations, each connected to a control member, located at the other set of opposite apices so that as the control member is moved by the operator, the rhombus is deformed and the suction cups are correspondingly deformed and released from the object being handled.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to handling assembly incorporating deformable 
suction cups for handling objects, such as plate glass, presenting a 
smooth and non-porous surface for application of the suction cups, said 
assembly comprising a body and at least one deformable suction cup mounted 
on this body. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Such assemblies already exist, comprising a plurality of suction cups, 
generally two, of which the gripping effect is suppressed, when desired by 
the user, by means of a vacuum suppressing valve on the lower face of each 
suction cup. The heretofore existing assemblies therefore present the 
drawbacks of having to employ mechanical devices--valves--which are 
fragile and expensive, and control rod assemblies incorporating multiple 
connecting rods, which are likewise expensive. In addition, it is 
impossible to eliminate the vacuum in several suction cups in one single 
maneuver. 
Furthermore, assemblies exist, incorporating a single suction cup, in which 
the gripping effect is eliminated by raising a part of the edge of the 
suction cup, preferably provided to that end with a lifting member, such 
as a lifting finger However, no such assemblies are known which comprise 
several suction cups and which, in addition, present a simple, reliable 
and inexpensive rod assembly. 
It is an object of the present invention to overcome this absence of an 
assembly of several, but at least one, suction cups, and proposes the 
definition of a novel handling assembly having a one-piece, simple and 
resistant rod assembly 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention therefore relates to such a handling assembly, which also 
comprises a mechanism for suppressing the gripping effect of the suction 
cups by deformation of the edge of each suction cup, itself constituted by 
at least one maneuvering member, such as a pusher, mounted mobile on the 
body; a single-piece control assembly mounted mobile on the body and with 
respect thereto and presenting at least as many mobile control zones as 
there are suction cups; as many suction cup connections as there are 
suction cups, connecting, each suction cup connection, one suction- cup to 
one of said control zones; and as many maneuvering connections as there 
are maneuvering members, connecting, each maneuvering connection, one 
maneuvering member to said control assembly. 
The following advantageous arrangements are, in addition, preferably 
adopted: 
The control assembly is constituted by a polygon of variable geometry 
formed by small rods, the assembly forming a single piece molded in a 
plastics material. 
The handling assembly comprises two suction cups, while the assembly of the 
small rods, at rest, is shaped substantially as a one-piece rhombus and 
the mobile control zones are disposed substantially at two opposite apices 
of said rhombus. 
The maneuvering connections are two in number and are disposed 
substantially at the other two opposite apices of said rhombus. 
Each suction cup connection is constituted by at least one suction cup 
finger projecting from the suction cup associated therewith and engaged in 
a groove with which the control assembly is provided. 
Each suction cup is made by molding and each suction cup finger is rendered 
fast with the edge of the suction cup associated therewith by fixation in 
said suction cup at the moment of molding thereof. 
Each maneuvering connection is constituted by at least one maneuvering 
finger fast with a maneuvering member and engaged in a groove with which 
the control assembly is provided. 
Each maneuvering is made of a molded plastics material and each maneuvering 
finger is made in one piece with the maneuvering member associated 
therewith at the moment of molding thereof. 
Each maneuvering connection is fixed on a guide block mounted to slide on 
the body. 
The body presents in its upper part a handle of which the upper face is 
inclined from front to rear with respect to the plane of the face of 
application of the suction cups. 
The handling assembly comprises a plurality of suction cups which are all 
joined to a single one-piece control assembly, so as to allow in one 
maneuver the suppression of the gripping effects of the various suction 
cups. 
The advantages of the invention reside: in the elimination of valves, which 
risked jamming and leaking; and in that of a rod assembly with articulated 
rods, which likewise presented the risk of jamming in the separation by a 
single action; and in the economic production obtained.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
Referring now to the drawings, the handling assembly incorporating suction 
cups, shown in Figs 1 to 5, is constituted by: 
a body 1 symmetrical with respect to a vertical longitudinal plane 2, 
presenting a central recess 3 defined by a handle 4 for manipulation, the 
upper face 5 of the handle 4 having its rear part inclined by an angle A 
of about 15.degree. with respect to the direction of a horizontal straight 
line D parallel to the vertical plane 2; 
two suction cups 6, made of molded elastomer, provided in their upper part 
with a fixing and maneuvering unit 7, molded with each suction cup and 
comprising a central tapped bore 8 for fixing the suction cup on the body 
1 by means of a screw 9 and a suction cup finger 10 more particularly 
attached to the edge 11 of the suction cup, the two suction cups 6 each 
having a plane of symmetry constituted by the vertical plane 2 and their 
edges 11 being contained in the same horizontal plane 12, called the plane 
of application of the suction cups, which merges with the non-porous, 
smooth face of a pane of glass 13 on which the edges 11 of the suction 
cups 6 are capable of being applied; the elasticity of the elastomer and 
the profile of abutment of the suction cups allow plate glass and convex 
objects to be gripped; 
two pushers 14 which are disposed symmetrically on each side of the 
vertical plane 2, under the handle 4, which are mounted to slide 
horizontally and perpendicularly to the vertical plane 2 in slideways 15 
made in the body 1 and which thus also constitute guide blocks, each 
pusher being associated with a downwardly oriented maneuvering finger 16, 
each maneuvering finger 16 having been made at the moment of molding the 
corresponding pusher 14 in a plastics material; 
a one-piece assembly, made of a plastics material, such as polypropylene, 
of four small control rods 17, substantially forming a rhombus, with four 
grooves 18 disposed substantially at the four apices of the rhombus, the 
latter having as plane of symmetry the vertical plane 2. 
At rest, when the suction cups are not applied on any surface, or when 
(FIGS. 1, 2 and 3), the suction cups 6 are applied on a smooth and 
non-porous surface 12, or at the moment (FIGS. 4 and 5) when the suction 
cups 6 have a part of their edge 11 deformed in order to allow suppression 
of the gripping effect on the glass 13, in all the configurations, the 
suction cup fingers 10 are and remain introduced in two of the four 
grooves 18, which are located in the vicinity of two opposite apices of 
the rhombus, and the maneuvering fingers 16 are and remain introduced in 
the grooves 18, which are located in the vicinity of the other two 
opposite apices of the rhombus, the grooves 18 being sufficiently deep to 
hold the suction cup fingers 10 and maneuvering fingers 16 in said grooves 
18. 
The pushers 14 are placed so as to be accessible and to be able to be 
maneuvering by a user's hand which, on holding the handle 4, more 
particularly presses on the upper face 5 thereof. 
In order to suppress the gripping effect of the suction cups 6, the user 
presses on one of the pushers 14, the one disposed to the right or left of 
the vertical plane 2, depending on the finger of the hand used. 
The configuration of the suction cups 6 then becomes the one shown in FIGS. 
4 and 5. Towards the pusher 14 which is actuated, the maneuvering finger 
16 presses on the bottom of the corresponding groove 18, bringing it 
closer to the vertical plane 2. This thrust leads to a slight elastic 
deformation of the rod assembly 17 in the zone of the apices of the 
rhombus, and a thrust of the two suction cup fingers 10 by the 
corresponding grooves 18. Finally, each of the fingers 10 pulls or pushes 
on the edge 11 of the suction cup 6 and deforms it (elastically) until it 
lifts and an orifice 19 is formed for admission of air beneath the suction 
cup, consequently suppressing the gripping effect of the suction cup. 
The embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5 may have numerous variants within the scope 
of the invention, comprising in particular more than two suction cups, 
such as the variant of FIG. 6 comprising three suction cups 6. The same 
reference numbers designate the elements corresponding to those already 
defined with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The handling assembly of FIG. 6 
obviously operates in the same way as that of FIGS. 1 to 5. 
Operation has already been set forth , The advantages of the embodiments 
described are as follows: 
the number of component pieces is small since the suction cup fingers 10 
are not added to the suction cups 6, but are fixed at the moment of 
molding the suction cups, therefore forming a one-piece assembly with each 
suction cup; 
similarly, each maneuvering finger 16 is one-piece with the corresponding 
pusher 14; 
finally, the rod 17 and groove 18 assembly is also one-piece; 
the number of separate pieces is therefore reduced and, concerning the rods 
17, the risks of jamming or blockage between rods has been eliminated due 
to the absence of any articulation between rods and to the absence of any 
separate return spring, elastic return being obtained by the very 
elasticity of the assembly of the control rods 17 and by the elasticity of 
the suction cups themselves; 
the choice of obtaining suppression of the gripping effect of the suction 
cups by deformation of the edge 11 of the suction cups 6, instead of the 
adoption of vacuum-suppression valves, has, in addition, made it possible 
to eliminate said valves and the risks of poor functioning that they might 
run; 
the inclination of the face 5 of the handle 4 facilitates satisfactory grip 
of the assembly. 
The embodiments described are therefore inexpensive to manufacture and to 
mount, and are reliable 
The invention is not limited to the embodiments described hereinabove, but 
covers all the variants which might be made thereof without departing from 
its scope nor spirit.