Patent Publication Number: US-7222679-B1

Title: Random orbital sander

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   The present disclosure relates to hand operated power tools, and, in particular, to adjustable hand grips for use with power tools. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an adjustable contoured hand grip for use with a random orbital sander. Random orbital sanders typically include a fixed handle molded to the sander housing that cannot be adjusted. 
   A random orbital sander, in accordance with the present disclosure, includes an adjustable contoured hand grip that is removably coupled to the sander housing. The hand grip is positionable with respect to the housing to provide various contour gripping surfaces engageable by an operator&#39;s hand. The adjustable hand grip, when used in combination with a random orbital sander, provides various contoured gripping surfaces that can be adjusted to fit the hands of various users. As shown in the illustrative embodiments, the perimeter of the hand grip includes a contoured irregular surface that can be rotated or repositioned with respect to the housing to provide various shaped gripping surfaces. 
   According to the present disclosure, the hand operated random orbital sander includes a housing with an internal cavity arranged to accept a motor within the housing. The motor includes an output shaft that can be coupled to a sanding pad or other structure. The upper end of the housing is adapted to accept an adjustable contoured hand grip that is adapted to be repositionable with respect to the housing to provide various contoured gripping surfaces engageable by an operator&#39;s hand. The hand grip includes a cavity that is adapted to be coupled to the housing. The cavity includes a plurality of retention members that are adapted to maintain the position of the hand grip with respect to the housing. 
   Also in accordance with the present disclosure, the hand operated random orbital sander also includes a color coded lock ring with indicia that is removably coupled to the housing to identify and provide information regarding the operating characteristics of the power tool. The color coded lock ring with indicia allows users to identify a specific random orbital sander and identify whether the sander includes proper motor orbit for particular sanding purpose. Also in accordance with present disclosure, the random orbital sander further includes a housing that includes alignment indicia to assist in properly aligning the motor with respect to the housing when the motor is installed within the housing. The random orbital sander, when used with a particular matter collection system, can include a rotatable nipple having an exterior surface with a first diameter and a second diameter. The first diameter of the nipple is greater than the second diameter to accept different diameter vacuum hoses. 
   Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention and the advantages thereof will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an orbital sander including an illustrative embodiment of the adjustable hand grip coupled to the housing of the sander and further illustrating a contoured actuation lever in accordance with the present disclosure; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the bottom side of the adjustable hand grip, including an illustrative embodiment of a plurality of retention members used to retain the position of the hand grip with respect to the housing of the sander; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the top side of the adjustable hand grip, including an illustrative embodiment of the contoured perimeter of the hand grip; 
       FIG. 4  is a top view of the sander illustrating the hand grip of the sander in a first position with respect to the housing of the sander, wherein the leading edge of the grip includes a first contoured surface; 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of the sander illustrating the hand grip of the sander in a second position with respect to the housing of the sander, wherein the leading edge of the grip includes a second contoured surface; 
       FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the orbital sander with the hand grip coupled to the housing and the actuation lever positioned above the housing; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the actuation lever of  FIGS. 1 and 6 , illustrating the contoured and curved palm engagement surface; 
       FIGS. 8–10  are perspective views of illustrative embodiments of lock rings with indicia to indicate sander operating characteristics including the diameter of the motor orbit; 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the bottom side of the sander housing illustrating a motor alignment marking in the form of a “V” on the perimeter of the housing to assist in properly installing the motor into the housing; 
       FIG. 12  is an exploded view of the orbital sander illustrating the hand grip coupled to the housing, followed by the motor, lock ring, dust skirt and sanding pad; and 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the orbital sander including a vacuum port coupled to the dust skirt that includes an illustrative embodiment of a barbed nipple having two outer diameters to accept various diameter vacuum hoses. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   While the present disclosure may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there are shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, embodiments with the understanding that the present description is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure and is not intended to limit the disclosure to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. 
   A random orbital sander  10 , in accordance with the present disclosure, includes an adjustable contoured hand grip  12 , coupled to a housing  14 , as shown, for example in  FIG. 1 , that can be repositioned with respect to the housing  14  to provide various contoured gripping surfaces engageable by an operators hand. The ability to reposition the hand grip  12  with respect to the housing  14  of the random orbital sander  10  provides a greater degree of comfort for the operator. Power tools, and in particular random orbital sanders are used by a variety of professionals to perform sanding functions for their craft. The adjustable hand grip  12 , of the present disclosure, provides for various contoured gripping services so that an operator can orient the grip to a position that is most comfortable for their hand. 
   In an illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the random orbital sander  10  includes the housing  14  having the adjustable hand grip  12  at a first end. While the housing  14  is shown as cylindrical, it can be formed in other configurations while still keeping within the scope of this disclosure. Connected to the second end of the housing is a lock ring  18  that is adapted to secure a motor  20  within the housing  14 , as shown, for example in the illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 12 . The random orbital sander  10  also includes a particulate matter collection skirt  22  that is coupled to the lock ring  18 . The particulate matter collection skirt  22  is adapted to contain particulate matter created by the sander and, when used with a vacuum attachment  24 , can be used to allow the dust the be collected by a vacuum unit, as shown, for example, in  FIG. 13 . Located adjacent the particulate matter collection skirt is a sanding pad  16  that is coupled to the motor  20 . The housing  14  also includes an valve assembly  26  that is adapted to be connected to a pressurized air supply. The valve assembly  26  is operated by depressing actuation lever  28 . While the housing  14  is preferably made from plastic it can also be manufactured metal, such as aluminum, or other materials. 
   The adjustable hand grip  12  of the random orbital sander  10  includes a perimeter  30  that is formed with a contoured irregular surface such that the radius of curvature of the perimeter varies at different points along the perimeter as shown, for example, in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . In addition, the perimeter  30  of the hand grip  12  includes a first curved surface  32  that transitions into a top surface  34 . The perimeter  30  also includes a second curved surface  36  that transitions into the bottom  38  of the hand grip  12 . The hand grip  12 , as shown in the illustrative embodiments, is preferably manufactured from pliable elastomeric materials to provide additional comfort for the operator but can also be manufactured from various types of polymers. 
   The bottom  38  of the hand grip  12  includes a cavity  40 . The cavity  40  includes an annular wall  42  and a top surface  44 . The wall  42  includes an annular ridge  46  that is adapted to engage a corresponding structure on the housing  14 . The top surface  44  of the cavity  40  includes a plurality of outwardly extending retention members  48  that are designed to engage corresponding detents (not shown) on the housing to maintain the position of the hand grip  12  with respect to the housing  14 . The retention members in the illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 2  are in the form of radially extending protrusions that engage the corresponding structure on the housing  14 . The retention members  48  are preferably made from a pliable material so that force exerted on the exterior of the hand grip  12  overcomes the retention force of the retention members  48  to permit rotation of the handgrip  12  with respect to the housing  14 . The ridge  46  within the cavity  40  prevents unintentional disconnection of the hand grip  12  from the housing  14 . Alternatively, the hand grip can be repositioned by uncoupling the hand grip  12  from the housing  14 , rotating the hand grip  12  to a desired position, and reinstalling the handgrip  12  onto the housing  14 . While radially extending protrusions are shown in the illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 2 , other retention means can be used to retain the position of the hand grip with respect to the housing  14 . 
   The actuation lever  28  of the random orbital sander  10  is secured to the valve  26  at pivot  50 . The actuation lever  28  includes bracket  52  having an aperture  54  to accept pin  56 . The actuation lever  28  includes a curved profile, as shown in the illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 6 , and includes a bottom surface  58  and a convex or curved top surface  60 . The top surface  60  of the actuation lever  28  is curved to conform to the palm of an operator&#39;s hand to reduce fatigue and discomfort when operating the random orbital sander  10 . The curved profile also conforms to the top surface  34  of the hand grip  12 . The bottom surface  58  of the actuation lever  28  is also designed to engage and depress valve pin  62  to permit pressurized air to flow through the valve assembly  26  into the housing  14  to rotate the motor  20 . The perimeter  72  of the actuation lever  28  can include a soft edge  74  that surrounds the perimeter of the actuation lever  28  to increase comfort for the operator as shown, for example, in  FIG. 7 . An air supply line can be secured to the valve assembly  26  by use of fitting  64 . Positioned adjacent the fitting  64  is exhaust port  102 . The valve assembly  26  also includes an internal regulator that is controllable by rotation of knob  66 . The knob  66  of the valve assembly  26  includes protrusions  68  and a thumb lever  70  to permit rotation by an operator&#39;s thumb. 
   The lock ring  18 , as best shown in the illustrative embodiments of  FIGS. 8 and 12 , is used to secure the motor  20  within the housing  14  of the random orbital sander  10 . The lock ring  18 , of the preferred embodiment, is colored and includes written indicia  76  in the form of letters and numbers to allow an operator to quickly identify the sander and determine operating characteristics, such as the orbit of the motor. As an example, the lock rings  18  of  FIGS. 8 through 10  each include different indicia that identifies a particular orbit for a sander. Also, the lock ring of  FIG. 8  may be colored blue while the lock rings  18  of  FIGS. 9 and 10  may be colored yellow and red to reduce the likelihood that the operator would use the wrong sander while working. While the lock ring  18  is the portion of the sander  10  that is color coated with indicia, it is contemplated that other components of the sander could be color coated with corresponding indicia to indicate operating characteristics or features of a random orbital sander  10 . The lock ring  18  includes a top portion  78  that includes a plurality of threads  80  that are adapted to engage corresponding threads  82  formed on wall  84  on the inside of the housing  14 . The lock ring  18  also includes a tapered wall portion  86  that includes the indicia  76 . The lock ring  18  further includes a lower portion  88  that includes a circumferential groove  90  and vertical recessions  92  to accept the particulate matter collection skirt  22 . 
   The housing  14  of the random orbital sander  10  includes alignment indicia  94  located on the bottom edge  96  of the housing  14 . The alignment indicia  94 , as shown in the illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 11 , is molded into the housing  14  to allow for proper positioning of the motor  20  within the housing  14 . While molding is preferred, the alignment indicia  94  can also be printed and is desirably contrasted from its surroundings. The motor  20 , as shown in the illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 12 , includes an alignment pin  98  that is adapted to be positioned within an aperture (not shown) on the bottom surface  100  of the housing  14 . When installing the motor  12  the pin  98  is aligned with the alignment indicia  94 . Once the pin  98  is aligned with the indicia  94  the motor is lowered vertically into the housing  14 . Alignment of the motor  20  with respect to the housing  14  is crucial so that air passageways within the housing are aligned with the air passageways of the motor  20 . Improper alignment of the motor  20  with respect to the housing causes improper operation or non-functionality of the motor. Also illustrated in the illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 11  is exhaust port  102  that permits the exhausting of compressed air from the motor  20  of random orbital sander  10 . The motor  20  of the random orbital sander  10  includes external wall  104  with seal  106 . The wall  104  and seal  106  are adapted to engage the wall  84  of the housing  14  to create an air tight seal to prevent air leakage from the housing  14 . The motor  20 , when positioned within the housing, is retained by threading lock ring  18  into the housing  14 . The sanding pad  16 , as shown for example in  FIG. 12 , includes a threaded post  108  that is adapted to engage fitting  110  on the motor  20 . 
   If it is desirable to remove particulate matter from the work area. A vacuum attachment  24  can be used in conjunction with the particulate matter collection skirt  22  to permit the attachment of a vacuum supply. The vacuum attachment  24 , as shown, for example, in  FIG. 13  includes a tapered housing  112  that connects to a passageway  114 . Coupled to the passageway  114  is a nipple  116 . The nipple  116  includes an exterior surface  118  having a first diameter  120  and a second diameter  122  wherein the first diameter is greater than the second diameter. The varying diameters of the nipple  116  permit attachment of the random orbital sander  10  to vacuum hoses of varying diameters. The exterior surface  118  of the nipple  116  also includes barbs  124  that assist in retaining the vacuum hose to the nipple  116  and in the preferred embodiment the nipple  116  is rotatably secured to the passageway  114  to permit rotation of the nipple  116  with respect to the passageway  114 . 
   In use, the operator selects the random orbital sander  10  with a proper motor orbit by looking at the indicia printed on the colored lock ring  18 . Once the proper sander  10  is selected, the operator can adjust the hand grip  12  by either removing the hand grip  12  from the housing  14  and reinstalling the hand grip  12  in the desired position or rotating the hand grip with a force great enough to overcome the retaining force of retention members  48  located within the cavity  40  of the hand grip  12 . Once the proper hand grip position has been selected the operator places their fingers around the perimeter of the hand grip  12  with their palm positioned over the top surface  60  of the actuation lever  28 . To use the sander  10  an air supply line must be connected to the fitting  64  of the valve assembly  26 . With the air supply line properly connected, the operator can operate the sander by depressing the actuation lever  28  against the top surface  34  of the hand grip  12 . Movement of the actuation lever  28  causes depression of valve pin  62  permitting compressed air to flow into the housing  14  to rotate the motor  20 . Compressed air to the motor  20  causes the motor  20  to rotate sanding pad  16 . With a vacuum hose connected to the nipple  116  particulate matter created by the sanding process passes through apertures (not shown) of the sanding pad  16  into the particulate matter collection skirt  22  and through the vacuum attachment  24 . Air entering the valve assembly  26  is regulated by rotation of knob  66 , to control the speed of the motor  20 . 
   While embodiments have been illustrated and described in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustrations and descriptions are considered to be exemplary and not restrictive in character it being understood that only illustrative embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected. The applicants have provided description and figures which are intended as illustrations of embodiments of the disclosure, and are not intended to be construed as containing or implying limitation of the disclosure to those embodiments. There are a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arising from various features set forth in the description. It will he noted that alternative embodiments of the disclosure may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of the disclosure and associated methods, without undue experimentation, that incorporate one or more of the features of the disclosure and fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims.