Abstract:
A tool for coiling spring and holding the coiled spring for replacing strip type spring used in equipment such as chain saws, weed cutting implements, etc. The spring is coiled within a cap that has an ejector plate provided therein as well as a spring holder. Once the spring is wound within the cap, the spring holder is moved relative to the cap to release the inner end of the spring and the ejector plate is used for pushing the plate out of the cap into a pull cord starting housing of an internal combustion engine.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a device for rewinding and replacing strip type springs of concentric coils in equipment such as chain saws, weed cutting implements, etc. and in particular relates to a device for rewinding starter springs used in pull-cord starting mechanisms of internal combustion engines. 
     Heretofore, when it was necessary to replace a strip type spring used in conjunction with pull-cord starting mechanisms of internal combustion engines, it was generally done by hand requiring a person to wind the spring in a tight coil and then place the spring within the housing of the equipment. This was a tedious, difficult and time consuming operation. Attempts have been made to produce tools for accomplishing this purpose and several patents have been granted showing and describing such tools. Some of the previous tools require the operator to wind the spring, remove the wound spring by hand and place the spring in the housing using one&#39;s hands or plyers. The handling of the spring often resulted in the spring becoming unwound, thus having to repeat the procedure again from the beginning. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a tool for readily winding a strip type spring and placing the spring in the housing of a gas operated engine. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide an improved spring coiling device which is easy to operate and is of a simple construction. 
     Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a spring coiling device that enables unskilled people to readily rewind a spring and place it in equipment such as chain saws, weed cutting implements, etc. 
     Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a starter spring rewinder which can be safely used for rewinding a starter spring and inserting the starter spring in the housing of equipment in a safe and easy manner. 
     The tool constructed in accordance with the present invention for coiling a spring and holding the coiled spring for insertion in a housing of an implement includes a cylindrical spring cap having a downwardly extending flange. A window is provided in the downwardly extending flange through which an end of a flat spring to be coiled is inserted. An inner housing extends into the cylindrical spring cap and has an ejector plate supported on a remote end thereof. A vertically extending bore is provided in a lower end of the inner housing for permitting a spring holder to extend vertically therein. 
     A hole is provided in the ejector plate through which the spring holder extends into the spring cap. The spring holder is carried on a lower end of the spring loaded plunger for holding an end of a spring to be coiled when in a first extended position and for releasing the end of the spring to be coiled when retracted to a second position. 
     A handle is carried by an upper end of the spring loaded plunger for rotating the plunger and the spring holder for drawing the spring to be coiled through the window in the cap and coiling the spring within the cap. The handle is also used for raising the plunger to release the coiled spring from the spring holder. 
     The spring coiling cap is supported on a lower end of a movable housing so that upon raising the movable housing, the ejector plate can be moved from an upper position within the coiling cap to a position outside of the coiling cap. A finger grip is carried on the surface of the movable housing for raising the movable housing and cap relative to the ejector plate for ejecting the coiled spring from the cap when placing the spring in the housing of the implement. 
     The spring holder member is a tubular member having a slotted opening provided in a side wall thereof. When a spring is to be coiled, an enlarged portion adjacent the end of the spring is inserted within the tubular member and extends through the slotted opening provided in the side wall for preventing the enlarged end of the spring from being pulled through the holder during the coiling operation of the spring. 
     The tool also has a control cap carried on top of the plunger which has a first slot provided in the upper surface thereof of a first depth. A second slot is transversely disposed in the upper surface of the control cap from the first slot and is of a different depth. The depth of the first and second slots provided in the upper surface of the control cap are dimensioned to receive the handle carried by the spring loaded plunger so that when the handle is positioned in one slot it holds the spring holder member in the spring cap and when the handle is in the second slot the spring holder member is pulled upward into the base of the inner housing to release the spring being coiled. 
     The spring cap is threadably secured to a lower end of the movable housing so that the spring cap can be removed from the movable housing and another spring cap of a different size can be placed on the movable housing for coiling springs of a different size. The ejector plate is also threadably secured on the end of the inner housing so that it can be changed and an ejector plate of a different size can be placed on the end of the inner housing. 
     The invention will be further understood by reference to the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tool constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the tool shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the tool; 
     FIG. 4 a  is a perspective view of the tool taken from the bottom illustrating the position of the spring prior to being wound; 
     FIG. 4 b  is a perspective view of the tool taken from the bottom showing a spring in a coiled position; 
     FIG. 5 a  is a perspective view of the tool showing it being inserted in a housing of the implement for placing a coiled spring therein; 
     FIG. 5 b  is a perspective view of the tool inserting the coiled spring in the housing of the implement; and 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view taken from the bottom illustrating the housing of the implement with the coiled spring within the housing. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown a tool that can be used for replacing a strip type spring that is attached to a pulley that carries a pull cord for starting small gasoline engines. These springs often break, requiring the broken spring to be removed from a housing that normally carries the spring. Once the broken spring has been removed from the housing, it is necessary to insert another coiled spring therein. When inserting the spring into the engine housing, it is necessary that the spring be coiled and properly positioned within the housing with one end thereof secured to a fixed post within the housing and the other end attached to a post carried by a pulley wheel. Upon pulling the rope to start the engine, the pulley wheel is rotated causing the spring to be coiled into a tighter coil. Upon releasing the rope, the pulley wheel is rotated in the opposite direction by the coiled spring to rewind the rope on the pulley wheel. 
     In FIGS. 1,  2  and  3  there is disclosed a tool for coiling the replaceable strip type spring. The tool includes a cap  10  into which the spring is coiled for subsequent placement in the housing of the gas engine. The cap  10  has a slot  12  provided in a downwardly extending side wall  14  through which the spring is inserted. One end of the spring is secured to a spring holder  16  that can be rotated for drawing the spring into the spring cap  10 . The spring holder  16  is a tubular housing having a side wall  18  with an open bottom and closed top  20 . It is cylindrical in shape. A slot  22  is provided in the side wall  18  of the spring holder. When loading the spring within the spring cap  10  a bent back end having a looped portion  26  is positioned within the wall  18  of the holder  16  and the remainder of the spring  24  extends through the slot  22  in the spring holder  16  and out of the slot  12  provided in the spring cap. As a result, by rotating the spring holder  16  a strip type spring  24  can be wound within the spring cap as illustrated in FIGS.  4   a  and  4   b.  The looped portion  26  of the spring  24  is provided to fit on a post carried on the rope pulley (not shown). 
     The spring holder  16  is carried on a lower end of a plunger  32  and is fixed thereto. Positioned on the upper end of the plunger  32  is a cross handle  34 . 
     The plunger extends through an inner housing  36  which has an elongated vertically extending passage therethrough. The lower end of the housing has a cylindrical bore  37  provided therein into which the spring holder  16  extends. A spring  40  is interposed between a top portion  42  of the bore  37  and the top  20  of the spring holder  16 . As a result, the plunger spring  40  tends to force the spring holder  16  to a down first position such as shown in FIG.  3 . 
     Positioned on the lower end of the inner housing  36  is a cylindrical ejector disc  44 . The disc  44  has a diameter slightly less that the inner diameter of the spring cap  10 . The disc  44  has an opening provided in the center thereof which has threads  46  positioned thereon so that it can be screwed onto threads  48  carried on a lower end of the inner housing  36 . The ejector disc  44  is provided to move with the inner housing from a first position such as shown in FIG. 3 when the strip type spring  24  is being wound within the spring cap  10  to a lower spring ejector position. In order to push the coiled spring  24  out of the spring cap  10 , when the cap  10  is raised the inner housing  36  assumes a second position relative to cap  10  wherein the disc  44  extends out below the bottom surface of the spring cap as shown in FIG. 5 b  to insert the coiled spring  24  in the housing  30  of the gas engine with the bent portion  29  being secured to the post  27 . 
     The inner housing  36  is cylindrical in shape and has a reduced diameter portion  48  adjacent the top thereof. A control knob  50  is placed on top of the reduced diameter portion of the inner housing. The control knob  50  has a cylindrical bore  52  provided adjacent the lower end thereof which slides over the reduced diameter portion  48  of the inner housing  36 . The upper portion of the control knob  50  is closed by a top  54 . Two diametrically opposed slots  56  and  58  are provided in the top  54 . The purpose of the slots is to provide an up detent position when the handle  34  is located in slot  58  such as shown in FIG.  1  and to provide a down detent position such as shown by the full lines of the handle  34  wherein the handle extends through the slot  56 . The depth of the slot  58  is less than the depth of the slot  56 . As a result, when the handle  34  extends through the slot  58 , the spring holder is raised. When the handle  34  is rotated so that is rests within the lower detent position provided by the slot  56  the spring holder  16  is lowered to the first position such as shown in FIG.  3 . 
     The spring cap  10  has a cylindrical threaded bore provided in the center thereof into which a lower end  60  of a movable housing  62  is threaded. Threads are provided between the lower end of the housing  60  and the cylindrical opening provided in the spring cap  10 . The movable housing  62  is tubular in shape and has an inner diameter slightly larger than the exterior diameter of the inner housing  36  so that the movable housing  62  can slide up and down on the inner housing  36 . A push spring  64  is inserted around the inner housing  36  and has a lower end resting on a top surface of the tubular movable housing  62  and an upper end thereof encircling a reduced diameter flange  66  carried on the lower end of the control knob  50 . As a result, the movable housing when at rest is pushed downwardly flush against the upper surface of the ejector plate  44  as shown in FIG.  3 . 
     Finger grips  68  extend radially outward from the movable housing  62  so that by gripping the tool in one hand and pulling upwardly against the finger grips the movable housing slides upwardly over the outer surface of the inner housing  36  to cause the spring cap to move upwardly relative to the ejector plate to a position such as shown in FIG. 5 b  wherein the ejector plate pushes a coiled spring  24  from the lower end of the spring cap. 
     The purpose of threadably securing the ejector plate on the lower end of the inner housing and threadably securing the spring cap on the lower end of the movable housing  62  is to permit the spring cap  10  and ejector plate  44  to be changed for a different size spring cap  10  and ejector plate  44  so as to replace springs  24  used with different types and sizes of internal combustion engines. 
     The housing  30  into which the spring is to be inserted is illustrated in FIGS. 5 a,    5   b,  and  6  and includes a base  70  having a cylindrical groove  72  provided therein. A raised cylindrical bearing surface  74  is provided in the center thereof and has a tubular post  76  extending upwardly therefrom. The anchoring post  27  extends upwardly from the upper portion of the base  70  of the housing  30 . Spokes  77  extend from the side walls of the cylindrical supporting surface  74  to the inner wall  78  for supporting the spring  24  within the housing  30 . 
     When the spring  24  is inserted in the housing  30 , the outer end of the spring which has a hook-shaped portion  29  thereon extends around the post  27 . The spring  24  extends over the top of the spokes  77  with the inner end of the spring  26  being free. As previously discussed, the inner end of the strip type spring  24  has a loop portion  26  provided thereon. The purpose of this loop portion  26  is to receive a post carried on the upper surface of the pulley wheel around which the pull cord is wound. As a result, when the pull cord is pulled out of the housing  30  through the passage  80 , the spring  24  is wound into a tighter coil. Upon releasing the pull cord, the spring rotates the pulley wheel and winds the cord back into the housing  30 . The hook portion  29  of the outer end of the coiled spring extends around the post  27  so as to restrict the movement of the outer end of the spring during the coiling operation as the pull cord is pulled from the housing. 
     In order to wind the strip type spring  24  in the spring cap  10  the inner end  26  of the strip type spring  24  is positioned inside the spring holder  16  allowing the spring to extend through the slot  22  provided therein. At this time, the ejector plate  44  is in a raised position such as shown in FIG.  3  and the spring holder  16  is in a lower first position such as also shown in FIG.  3 . The handle  34  extends through the down position slots  56  provided in the control knob  50 . The operator rotates the handle causing the control knob  50  and the spring holder to rotate. He continues rotating the handle until the spring is completely within the spring cap  10  with the exception of the end portion  29 . 
     After the spring has been wound within the spring cap  10 , the operator pulls up on the handle  34  while holding the tool flat on a surface and rotates the handle 90 degrees on the control cap  50  to the up position wherein the handle extends through the slot  58 . This will release the looped portion  26  from the spring holder  16 . At this time, the operator positions the tool over the housing  30  of the gasoline engine and inserts the center of the spring holder  16  over the post  26 . He also positions the loop portion  29  of the outer end of the spring directly over the upstanding post  27  provided in the housing  30 . He then pulls up on the finger grips  68  causing the movable housing  62  to be raised relative to the inner housing  36 . This in turn causes the ejector plate  42  to push the coiled spring out of the lower end of the housing. 
     While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that any and all equivalent realizations of the present invention are included within the scope and spirit thereof. Thus, the embodiments depicted are presented by way of example only and are not intended as limitations upon the present invention. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in this art that the present invention is not limited thereto since many modifications can be made. Therefore, it is contemplated that any and all such embodiments are included in the present invention as may fall within the literal or equivalent scope of the appended claims.