Patent Publication Number: US-2006013648-A1

Title: Vise stationary jaw quick locking system

Description:
Reference is made to and priority is hereby claimed on U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/______, filed Jul. 16, 2004, the content of which is incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a pin locking system for precisely positioning, securely tightening and locking two parts at assembly, primarily a stationary fixed jaw of a double vise onto a vise body quickly, easily, and reliably. The pin locking system permits removing and replacing a stationary vise jaw so that there are precisely positioned and tightened into proper position and held securely.  
      Generally, stationary vise jaws have been held on a vise body with capscrews that extend through bores in the stationary vise jaw, and with the threads of the cap screw engaging threaded bores in two longitudinal rails or other portions of the vise body. In the prior art stationary vise jaws, a rib or key is provided on the jaw. The rib or key fits into a groove on the vise body to precisely position and carry the loads from clamping parts on both sides of the stationary jaw.  
      Also known are positioning systems with round or diamond shaped bores or holes which fit opposed locating elements on the vise body. The locating keys or bores of present stationary jaws require clearance with opposed elements to insure the fixed jaw can be assembled onto the vise. This means that the prior art stationary jaws of a double vises are assembled onto the vise body without a preload, and any clamping forces that are unequal at one end or the other of the stationary jaw will shift the stationary jaw out of perpendicularity relative to the direction of clamping force. This will dislocate the clamping parts of both stations (on opposite faces of the stationary jaw) of a double vise. The stationary jaw will not be positioned precisely across the vise.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a pin locking system to retain a stationary jaw of a vise, primarily on a double vise, across the vise and positioned perpendicular to the direction of clamping force on a vise body. Anchoring pins that will permit easy assembly and yet preload the stationary vise jaw, and clamp it tightly onto the support surface of the vise are provided.  
      Structurally, a pair of threaded pin housings are threaded into bores in longitudinal side rails or other mounting members of a vise body. The pin housings each include a outwardly flared cone surface that seats tightly on a mating upwardly facing cone seat around the bores in the longitudinal side rails of the vise body. The pin housings are positively centrally located by the mating cone surfaces and can be seated tightly to precisely position the pin housings on the vise body.  
      Each pin housing also has an outer pin lock portion that extends above the upper surfaces of the respective side rails, which are the support surfaces for the stationary vise jaw. The upper portion of the pin housing has a center bore, and the lower or distal end of the bore has an internal thread to receive a capscrew. The capscrew extends from the upper end of the pin housing and above the vise rail surface.  
      A slotted expanding sleeve with interior conical end surfaces at opposite ends is positioned on the capscrew. The first end cone surface of the expanding sleeve fits and seats on an inwardly tapered conical exterior surface on an upper end of the pin housing that is above the fixed jaw support surface. A separate collar with a cone wedge surface at one end is placed under the head of the capscrew. The cone wedge surface of the separate collar seats into the second end cone of the slotted expanding sleeve, so that as the capscrew is rotated and tightened, the surface under the capscrew head slides on an upper end surface of the collar that is under the head of the capscrew. The cone surface of the collar will be forced down against the second end interior cone surface of the expanding sleeve without rotating the cone surface of the collar on the mating internal cone surface of the slotted expanding sleeve. The cone surface of the first end of the slotted expanding sleeve (opposite from the collar) is also forced onto the cone outer surface of the upper end of the pin housing. The cone end of the collar and the cone end at the upper end of the pin housing act as wedges to expand the slotted expanding sleeve as the capscrew is tightened. The tightening of the capscrew simultaneously tightens or clamps the stationary vise jaw down onto the vise body.  
      The stationary vise jaw has bores that will fit over the slotted expanding sleeves of the two pin locks used when the slotted expanding sleeves are contracted. The capscrews are backed off so that the diameter of the slotted expanding sleeves contract and are not expanded. The stationary vise jaw bores will slide over the contracted split sleeves because they can be made with clearance for assembly. The stationary vise jaw rests on the upper surface of the side rails of the vise.  
      Once the slotted expanding sleeves, the capscrews, the collars, and the cones at the upper ends of the pin housing are inside the respective bore on the stationary jaw of the vise, and the stationary jaw is seated on the side rail upper surface, each capscrew is tightened to force the associated expanding, double internal cone slotted sleeve to expand outwardly. The action of the cone wedge of the collar being forced down by the head of the capscrew, and the cone surface on the upper end of the pin housing, that is securely slated on a cone counter bore of the respective threaded bore in the associated vise rail causes the slotted expanding sleeve to engage and preload against the inner surface of the bore in the stationary vise jaw. As the cap screws are tightened, the stationary vise jaw is forced against the jaw support surface of the vise.  
      The stationary jaw will be securely held and seated in its proper position. Two of the pin housings are used, one at each end of the stationary jaw, for proper positioning. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a double vise utilizing a stationary jaw quick change system made according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a schematic end elevational view of the vise of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the vise shown in  FIG. 2 ; and  
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged sectional view through one of the pin lock assemblies used to secure the stationary vise jaw according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a double station machine vise  10  that has a body  12 , with a base wall  13  supporting spaced apart longitudinally extending side rails  14 , each of which has a planar top surface  16  for supporting a work piece. A pair of movable jaws  18  and  20  mounted on the vise body and are supported on surface  16  of the rails  14 . The movable jaws  18  and  20  are moved toward and away from a stationary, centrally located jaw  22  with a threaded screw  24  or other actuating device. The construction of the vise body, the movable jaw and the vise screw is conventional. The stationary jaw  22  is used for reacting clamping forces applied by the movable jaws  18  and  20 . As can be seen, parts can be clamped against both surfaces of the stationary jaw  22 .  
      In the present invention, the stationary jaw  22  is mounted with pin locking system  30  ( FIGS. 2-4 ) and can be quickly removed and replaced with another stationary jaw or the jaw that is removed can be turned upside down and replaced. Another stationary jaw may have a different clamp surface configuration, or be a special jaw.  
      The stationary jaw  22  is squeezed down in place against the upper surface  16  of the respective rails  14  with two pin locking systems or assemblies  30 , shown in more detail in  FIGS. 2 and 4 .  
      Referring specifically to  FIG. 4 , each pin lock assembly  30  includes an outer pin housing  32  that is threaded into the respective bore  44  in the rails  14 . The pin housing  32  has a threaded portion  34  at a lower or inner end as shown in  FIG. 4 . A mid portion of the pin housing  32  has a downwardly facing, outwardly flared cone surface  36 . The surface  36  tapers from a maximum diameter portion  38  of the pin housing inwardly to the diameter of the threaded portion. The outer end of pin housing  32  has an outwardly and upwardly facing, inwardly tapered cone wedge surface  40  that is above the support surface  16  and extends from the maximum diameter portion  38  to a smaller diameter upper end  42  of the pin housing.  
      Each housing  32  is tightened down until the outwardly tapered conical surface  36  seats tightly on an inwardly tapered, upwardly facing mating cone seat surface  48  formed around the upper end of each bore  44 . The surface  48  is a conical counter bore. This inwardly tapered cone seat surface  48  is open to the top surface  16  of the respective rail  14  and forms a seat for centering the inwardly tapered cone surface  36  of the pin housing  32 . When the pin housing  32  is threaded tightly into its bore  44 , the mating cone surfaces  36  and  48  center and tightly hold the pin housing in place.  
      The stationary jaw  22  has two cylindrical bores  50  that are substantially the same diameter as the diameter at part  38  of the pin housing  32 . The bores  50  align with the pin housings in place in the bores  44  of the vise rails. The stationary jaw  22  is put into position on the surface  16  with the bores  50  over the respective pin clamp assembly  30 .  
      In order to clamp the stationary jaw  22  securely on the pin housings  32  of the pin clamp assemblies, a capscrew  66  is threaded into a threaded end portion  62  of a bore  60  in each pin housing  32 . The capscrew passes through a slotted expanding sleeve  52 . The slotted expanding sleeve  52  has an internal cone end surface  54  at one end that mates with outer cone surface  40  on pin housing  32 . The slotted expanding sleeve  52  also has an inner cone surface  58  at its opposite end. The slotted expanding sleeves are sized so that when the sleeves are not expanded, there is clearance with the bores  50  when the stationary vise jaw is placed onto the pin clamp assemblies  30 .  
      A separate cone end wedge collar  68  is placed over the capscrew  66  under the head  70  of the capscrew  66  of each pin assembly. The cone wedge collar has an outwardly facing cone lower end surface  69  that seats on the inwardly tapered cone surface  58  at the upper end of the slotted expanding sleeve  52 . The head  70  of the capscrew  66  slides on and bears against the surface of an upper end  72  of the cone wedge collar  68 , so that when the capscrew  66  is threaded into the internally threaded section  62  of the pin housing  32 , the cone surface  69  of the cone wedge collar  68  is forced against cone surface  58  without turning or rotating the collar  68 . The surfaces  69  and  58  do not slide relative to each other. The cone surface  54  is also forced onto cone surface  40  on the pin housing  32 . A wedging force is thus generated that expands the slotted expanding sleeve  52 . The expanding outer surface  76  of the slotted expanding sleeve  52  then tightly engages and grips the inner surface of the respective bore  50  in the stationary vise jaw. As the capscrew is threaded inwardly, the slotted expanding sleeve  52  is forced down toward the jaw supporting surface  16  of the vise side rail, after the sleeve  52  has expanded to tightly grip the surface of bore  50 . The stationary vise jaw  22  is therefore forced or clamped down onto the supporting surfaces  16  of the vise side rails  14 .  
      If there is some flexing of the side rails so the upper surfaces  16  of the side rails vary in spacing during assembly of the stationary jaw, the spacing of the bores  44  used for mounting the stationary jaw on the vise rails can vary. The pin locking system permits enough clearance with the bores to accommodate variation in spacing and when the stationary jaw is in place and the pin locking system is actuated, it will pre-load the vise jaw by expanding the slotted sleeve to grip on the interior of the bores  50 , and then clamp the stationary vise down.  
      The downward force obtained by tightening the capscrew  66 , is indicated by the arrow  78  in  FIG. 4 . The inwardly tapered upper cone surface  36  of the pin housing  32  seats tightly against the outwardly tapered counter bore cone surface  48  at the upper end of the bore  44  in the rail  14 , so the pin housing  32  is centered on the cone surface  48  and is seated rigidly in place.  
      The pin housing  32  has a hex shaped recess shown in cross section at  80  in  FIG. 4 , into which a hex drive wrench can be placed for tightly forcing the mating cone surfaces  48  and  36  to seat, and also to be held at the center of the bore  44 .  
      Once pin housing  32  is tightened in place in the respective bore  44 , the pin housing  32  will remain in place in the bore  44  on the vise rail or body with the cone surface  36  tightly seated on cone seat  48 . The locking or expanding sleeve actuator capscrew  66  can be loosened, so the slotted expanding sleeve  52  will contract to its unloaded size to no longer grip the surface of the bore  50  in the stationary jaw  22 . When both pin locks are released, the stationary jaw  22  can be removed. Both of the pin lock assemblies  30  will remain in its precisely located position on the vise rail or body.  
      To replace the stationary jaw  22 , the jaw is moved so the bores  50  slide over the slotted sleeves  52 . The capscrews  66  are tightened down to expand the slotted expanding sleeves  52  against the inner surfaces of the respective bores  50  and then to force the stationary vise jaw down against the support surface  16  to lock the stationary jaw precisely and securely in place. There can be sufficient clearance between the bores  50  and the sleeves  52  when the capscrews  66  are loosened to permit easy installation even if the vise rails flex or deflect relative to each other. Yet, by expanding the sleeve  52  so they lock on the bores  50 , and then forcing the stationary jaw against surfaces  16  by further tightening the capscrews  66 , the stationary vise jaw will be pre-loaded and held in place.  
      Again, the downwardly force from capscrews  66  will urge the stationary vise jaw against the support surfaces  16  after the cone surfaces act to expand the slotted expanding sleeves  52 .  
      Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.