Abstract:
A tool for tensioning and cutting a band clamp is provided with a body, a stationary handle, and a movable lever that are selectively positionable with respect to the body to provide a plurality of gripping options.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/385,368, filed Sep. 22, 2010, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]    Embodiments of the present invention are generally related to a handheld tool for tensioning and cutting a band clamp. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]    Band clamps are used to bundle a plurality of objects or to attach one object to another and comprise a band with an interconnected buckle. After the band is wrapped around the object or objects, a free end of the band is inserted into the buckle, tensioned, and interconnected to the buckle. A hand-held tool is generally used to maintain the position of the buckle and tension the band. The tool is also used to lock the band to the buckle after a predetermined tension is achieved. The tool also removes band excess after the band clamp is locked. Such tools are light weight and easy to operate but are often difficult to use in tight or confined spaces. That is, the tools commonly employ a ratcheting mechanism to tension the band that is driven by a movable lever that is cycled between a first and second position relative to a fixed handle. As the fixed handle is fixed relative to a body that receives the band, the use of the tool is difficult or impossible in some environments. Further, a tool that may work well in one environment may not work in another installation environment, which frustrates the installer. 
         [0004]    For example,  FIG. 1  shows a common prior art cable bundling tool  2  that is comprised of a lever  6  rotatably interconnected to a body  10 . The lever  6  is associated with a ratcheting mechanism  14  disposed within the body  10  that is comprised of a ratcheting wheel (not shown) having a plurality of teeth (not shown). The ratcheting wheel is also associated with a winding mandrel  18  that receives the free end of the band after it is inserted through a slot  22  in a head  26  of the tool  2 . The head  26  also includes a cutting member  30 . 
         [0005]    In operation, a band is looped about one or more objects and the free end of the band is threaded through a buckle at the opposite end of the band. The free end of the band is then 1) placed through the slot  22  in the head  26 ; 2) fed adjacent to the cutting member  30 ; and 3) fed into a slot  34  of the mandrel  18 . Repeated movement, i.e. cycling, of the lever  6  relative to a fixed handle  38 , which is also associated with the body  10 , winds the band around the mandrel  18 . Once a predetermined tension is achieved, the excess portion of the band extending beyond the buckle cut by actuation of a cutter arm  42  that is interconnected to the cutting member  30 . The cutter arm  42  causes the cutting mechanism to rotate in such a way to engage a blade onto the band to sever the band. 
         [0006]    As briefly mentioned above, one drawback of handheld tools of the prior art is that they are limited in their ability to use in close or confined spaces. More specifically, the tool described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,340 to Shaw, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, attempts to address this issue with a handle  38  that is rotatable with respect to the body  10 . Thus the tool may be used as shown in  FIG. 1 , i.e., in a pistol grip configuration, or the handle  38  may be rotated away from the lever  6 , such as is shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6 , for example, wherein the operator must use two hands to apply tension to the band. Still further, Shaw&#39;s handle  38  can be further repositioned such that it is generally oriented 180° from the lever  6  to provide additional functionality. However, rotating the handle  38  away from the lever  6  requires two-hand operation. Thus using the tool in this fashion remains difficult in tight spaces. 
         [0007]    Prior art banding tools also often have hard to access and operate cutting mechanisms. More specifically, cutting mechanisms are generally comprised of a rotatable blade positioned within the head portion of the tool. Rotation of the cutting mechanism will cause the blade to engage the band and sever the band. Rotation of the cutting mechanism is achieved by moving a cutter arm in an arcuate path. The cutter arm of the cutting mechanism often extends away from the tool body, thereby making it difficult to manipulate when the tool is used in confined places. In such situations, bands of the prior art may not be completely locked and the excess free end is not properly severed. For example, in some instances the operator must back the tool away from the work area to provide sufficient clearance to permit complete actuation of the cutter arm. By doing so, however, tension and retained force of the band clamp is reduced. In addition, backing the tool away from the buckle before cutting the free end of the band will result in excess band extending from the buckle following the cutting operation. Further, when the tool of the prior art is used in a two handed fashion, it is difficult to activate the cutter arm as both hands are occupied with the tool handles. 
         [0008]    Thus, there is a long felt need to provide a robust band tensioning and cutting tool that is selectively physically adjustable to allow use in a variety of situations including in confined spaces. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]    It is one aspect of the invention to provide an easy to use and robust hand-held tool for tensioning and cutting a band clamp. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention includes a body having a head that receives a free end of a band clamp that has been wound about an object. A lever, which is associated with a ratcheting mechanism, is rotatably interconnected to a body. A handle is also connected to the body and secured thereto by a locking pin. The ratcheting mechanism is interconnected to a winding mandrel that receives the free end of the band. In operation, as the head secures or maintains the position of the buckle as the band is transitioned relative to the buckle by moving the lever repeatedly towards and away from the stationary handle. Once a desired tension is achieved, a cutter arm, which is also interconnected to the body, is used to rotate a cutting member to sever an excess portion from the band. 
         [0010]    It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a hand-held tool that can be selectively physically altered or reconfigured so that it can be primarily operated by one hand in various ways and in various locations. Embodiments of the present invention employ a handle and lever combination that rotate together from a scissors-like grip, wherein the handle and lever are generally in line with the body (i.e., generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the body), to a pistol grip, wherein the handle and lever are positioned generally 90 degrees relative to the body (i.e., extending generally laterally from the body), and to any position therebetween. The advantage of this solution is that the vertical envelope of the tool can be effectively decreased, which allows the tool to be used in confined spaces not accessible with prior art tools. 
         [0011]    Thus, it is another aspect of the present invention to provide a tool that is easy to switch from a pistol grip to a scissor grip. More specifically, as in the prior art, the pistol grip of some tools is suitable for many operations. However, in some instances, the confines of the work area call for a scissor grip. In one embodiment of the present invention the handle is able to rotate relative to the body using a removable locking pin that extends through apertures in the body and an aperture in the handle. To move the handle and lever, the locking pin is removed and the handle and lever are moved into a preferred location. The locking pin is then replaced to fix the orientation of the lever and the handle. One of skill in the art will appreciate that the locking pin may be replaced by a non-removable locking mechanism such as a button or other mechanism commonly found on locking knives, for example, to selectively fix the position of the handle and lever without departing from the scope of the invention. 
         [0012]    It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a tool that employs easy-to-replace return springs. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention relies on a ratcheting mechanism to provide the tension and holding force needed to tension the band about a bundle of objects. The tool also employs a spring that returns the lever to its normal position when released. In addition, a spring is used to maintain the position of a tensioning pawl relative to a ratcheting wheel. Likewise, springs are used to bias a holding pawl that prevents band slacking when the lever is released. Over time these springs may wear, which will render the ratcheting mechanism ineffective. Thus, it is advantageous to make the springs easy to replace. In one embodiment the springs are exposed and easily removable in a pull-out and push-in fashion. The prior art tools have to be disassembled to replace the springs. 
         [0013]    It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a tool head that may be placed close to the cutting location. The contemplated head allows for a flush cut-off of the band and leaves less excess band material, which decreases the chances of injury if one accidentally encounters the often sharp end of the cut band. Similarly, the cutter arm may be positioned such that the actuation of the cutter arm is not inhibited by objects in the surrounding work area. The cutter arm of one embodiment may be positioned such that a small rotational motion thereof will actuate a cutting mechanism to sever the band. 
         [0014]    It is another aspect of the present invention to provide an easy to use cutting mechanism. More specifically, the cutting mechanism is generally a rotatable blade positioned within the tool head. In operation, rotation of the blade engages a sharp edge against the band to sever the same. Rotation of the cutting mechanism is achieved by moving a cutter arm in an arcuate path. The cutter arm of the contemplated tool is interconnected to the cutting mechanism in such a way that the cutter arm does not rotate beyond the end of the head. This is improvement over the prior art tools wherein the cutting arm is rotated past the plane defined by the end of the head to completely sever the band. By limiting the amount of travel to complete a cutting operation, the tool may be used in more confined or low clearance locations. 
         [0015]    It is thus another aspect of the present invention to provide a tool wherein no parts protrude past the tip of the head. To ensure that the band is properly interconnected to the buckle without an excess amount of band extending from the buckle, embodiments of the present invention ensure that the band is severed close to the buckle. The head of some embodiments allow the head to be brought as close as possible to the buckle to ensure the amount of band extending from the buckle is minimized. 
         [0016]    It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a tool having an easy-to-interface mandrel. More specifically, the winding mandrel of the prior art includes one slot which received the free end of the band. The slot “grasps” the band and allows it to be wrapped around the mandrel. Sometimes, however, users have difficulty placing the free end of the band into the mandrel. Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention provides a mandrel with at least two slots so that the orientation of the mandrel is more accommodating and flexible. 
         [0017]    It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a hand tool that is light. The prior art tool described herein has an approximate weight of 2.25 lbs. Embodiments of the present invention, however, weigh about 1.7 lbs. Those of skill in the art will appreciate this weight reduction, although slight, will be welcomed as tightening of many band clamps can be physically taxing over time. 
         [0018]    It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a tool that can be easily translated from a left hand operation to a right hand operation. More specifically, the cutter arm of some embodiments is removable from the cutting mechanism and a positionable on either the left hand or the right hand side of the tool to accommodate right or left hand users, respectively. This functionality is not provided by the prior art tools and thus left handed users were at a disadvantage as they had to reach over the cutting tool to access the cutter arm and to provide the necessary rotation to sever the band from the band clamp. 
         [0019]    In operation, a band is wrapped about a plurality of objects and the free end of the band is placed in the buckle. The free end of the band is then inserted into a slot in the head and interconnected to the slot in the mandrel. Repeated movements of the lever relative to the handle cause the mandrel to turn which wraps the band around the mandrel. Release of the lever returns it to its normal location and causes a holding pawl to engage the ratcheting wheel of the ratcheting mechanism which prevents band slackening. As the lever is moved towards the handle, a tensioning pawl associated with the lever engages the ratcheting mechanism and rotates the ratcheting wheel and by extension rotates the mandrel. Once the desired tension is achieved, the tool is rotated upwardly to bend or curl a portion of the band about the buckle and the cutting arm is rotated, which causes the cutter to sever the band. 
         [0020]    For use in tight spaces, a pin is removed from the body which allows the handle and lever to rotate relative to the body. The handle and lever are then rotated to generally align them with the body. Finally, the pin is replaced into a separate set of holes integrated into the body, which are associated with a new gripping configuration, to fix the position of the handle and the lever. The operation of the tensioning and cutting mechanisms is generally the same regardless of the relative orientation of the lever and handle relative to the tool body. 
         [0021]    It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a tool that allows for minute tension adjustments. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention uses a non-ratcheting tensioning mechanism comprised of a tension clutch bearing instead of a tension pawl to selectively grip a winding mandrel to tension the band. Additionally, a holding clutch bearing is positioned in an opposing relationship to the tension clutch and functions similar to a holding pawl of a ratchet mechanism. Movement of the lever adjacent to the handle will engage the tension clutch to the holding clutch which causes the mandrel to rotate. When released, the holding clutch will prevent rotation of the mandrel. Thus, instead of discreet tension steps, minute tensioning is achieved. 
         [0022]    It is another aspect of embodiments of the present invention to provide a tool for tensioning and cutting a band clamp, comprising: a body; a handle interconnected to the body that is selectively rotatable thereto; a lever rotatably interconnected to the body, the lever associated with a ratcheting wheel positioned in the body, the lever being capable of movement towards the handle to rotate the ratcheting wheel; a mandrel extending from the body and associated with the ratcheting wheel that also rotates in response to movement of the lever towards the handle; and wherein the lever and handle are capable of moving together from a first position of use extending laterally from the body to a second position of use extending longitudinally from the body. 
         [0023]    The Summary of the Invention is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. Moreover, references made herein to “the present invention” or aspects thereof should be understood to mean certain embodiments of the present invention and should not necessarily be construed as limiting all embodiments to a particular description. The present invention is set forth in various levels of detail in the Summary of the Invention as well as in the attached drawings and the Detailed Description of the Invention and no limitation as to the scope of the present invention is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this Summary of the Invention. Additional aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the Detail Description, particularly when taken together with the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0024]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of these inventions. 
           [0025]      FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of a prior art cable bundling tool; 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the tool of one embodiment of the present invention shown in a pistol grip configuration; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of the tool shown in  FIG. 2  shown in a mid grip configuration; 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the tool in mid grip configuration shown binding a plurality of cables with a band clamp; 
           [0029]      FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of the tool in mid grip configuration shown binding a plurality of cables; 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of the tool in scissor grip configuration; 
           [0031]      FIG. 7  is a rear perspective view of the tool in scissor grip configuration; 
           [0032]      FIG. 8  is a top plan view of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 9  is a bottom plan view of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 10  is a left elevation view of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0035]      FIG. 11  is a left elevation view of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0036]      FIG. 12  is cross-sectional view of  FIG. 8  wherein a portion of the tool head has been removed for clarity; 
           [0037]      FIG. 13  is a partial front perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0038]      FIG. 14  is a rear perspective view of a cable bundling tool with a counting device. 
       
    
    
       [0039]    It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0040]      FIGS. 2-12  show a band clamp tensioning tool  102  of one embodiment of the present invention. The tool  102  is comprised of a body  110 , a handle  138  fixedly associated with a body  110 , and a lever  106  rotatably associated with a body. The lever  106  is also associated with a ratcheting mechanism  114  that employs a ratcheting wheel  116  and other mechanisms for tensioning the band which will be described in further detail below. The body  110  also includes a head  126  that accommodates a cutting member  130 . The free end of the band is placed through the slot  122 , adjacent to the cutting mechanism  130 , and engaged onto a winding mandrel  118 . Rotation of the winding mandrel  118  is achieved by repeatedly moving the lever  106  relative to the fixed handle  138 . As the mandrel  118  rotates, the band  300  is wound about the same. Once a desired amount of tension is achieved, a cutter arm  142  is rotated, which rotates the cutting mechanism  130  to sever the band  300 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 2  shows the tool  102  in a first position of use wherein the orientation of the lever  106  and handle  138  relative to the body  110  are analogous to a pistol grip. That is, the lever  106  and handle  138  are positioned generally orthogonal to a line extending between the slot  122  and mandrel  118 . The pistol grip configuration has been employed by prior art tools to tension a band  300 . 
         [0042]    Referring also now to  FIGS. 8 and 12 , the head  126  includes a cutting mechanism  130 , which is generally a cylindrical member having a sharpened edge that severs the band  300 . The body  110  also accommodates the ratcheting wheel  116  that is interconnected to the mandrel  118 , wherein rotation of the ratcheting wheel  116  rotates the mandrel  118 . The lever  106  is operatively interconnected to the ratcheting wheel  116  via a tension pawl  150  that grasps teeth of the ratcheting wheel  116  when the lever  106  is moved from a first position separated from the handle  138  to a second position adjacent to the handle  138 . When the handle  138  is released, a holding pawl  154  engages the teeth of the ratcheting wheel  116  to maintain the tension of the band by preventing the ratcheting wheel  116  from rotating in the reverse direction. 
         [0043]      FIGS. 3-5  show the tool  102  in a second position of use wherein the handle  138  and the lever  106  are positioned between a pistol grip and a scissor grip configuration. This feature of the invention allows the tool  102  to extend into tight spaces. The operation of the tool is similar to that as described above. In order to reposition the handle  138  and the lever  106  a pin  162  is removed which allows the handle  138  and lever  106  to be rotated into the positions shown in  FIGS. 3-5 . After the handle  138  and lever  106  are moved, the pin  162  is placed through apertures  164  integrated into the handle and through a set of apertures integrated into the body (not shown). 
         [0044]      FIGS. 6-12  show another configuration of the tool wherein the handle  106  and the lever  138  are generally aligned with the body  110  to provide a scissor grip. Transitioning the handle and lever to this configuration is performed as described above. In addition, operation of the tool is the same as described above. 
         [0045]    Referring now to  FIG. 13 , a tool  202  of another embodiment of the present invention is shown that uses a tension clutch bearing  205  and a holding clutch bearing  207  to provide the rotation to the mandrel  218 . The mandrel  218 , head  226 , and cutting members of this embodiment of the present invention are similar, if not identical, to those described above. Here, however, when the lever is transitioned adjacent to the handle, the tension clutch bearing  205  contacts the mandrel  218  and causes it to rotate. When the lever  206  is released, the holding clutch bearing  207  holds the mandrel  218  in place and prevents it from recoiling. This embodiment of the present invention allows for the tool  202  to provide minute tension adjustments as opposed to discreet adjustments provided by a traditionally used ratcheting mechanism. 
         [0046]      FIG. 14  shows a tensioning tool  248  somewhat similar to that of embodiments of the present invention that employs a counter  250 . The counter  250  stores and displays ratchet mechanism cycles, number of bands tensioned, etc., which will help users identify the need for tool servicing and calibration. Other embodiments of the present invention employ a load cell and associated display that allows individuals to ascertain the amount of applied band tension. Any of the embodiments described herein may employ counters, load cells, and associated display devices. 
         [0047]    While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims. Further, the invention(s) described herein is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.