IMPROVEMENTS IN PARALLEL VISES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Franklin Read of the city of Brooklyn in the
county of Kings and State of New York in the United States of America
Manufacturer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PARALLEL VISES FOR
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Franklin Read at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th December 1882.
HENRY FRANKLIN READ of the City of Brooklyn in the county of Kings and
State of New York in the United States of America, [Manufacturer] IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PARALLEL VISES FOR MACHINISTS USE
In this improved vise the movable jaw is adapted for parallel movement within
the body or box of the fixed jaw, with a screw working in a fixed half nut with
which it is automatically engaged and disengaged by the action of a movable half
nut a sliding locking device to maintain the engagement and a lever device operated
thereby, to release the engagement whereby to allow the movable jaw which carries
said screw and movable half nut to be freed from control of the screw so that it
may be moved in and out by hand or to be controlled by the screw to firmly grasp
the article between the jaws. In this combination the sliding device not only
locks the screw in action, by sliding over its end, but operates the lever device to
raise and free the screw from the fixed half nut by the same movement of the
sliding device which carries it free of the screw.
The fixed jaw body or part is mounted upon a ball and socket joint in which a
screw cap is combined with an intermediate clamping ring to form a convenient and
efficient device for setting and holding the jaws in any desired position The objects
of my improvements are, to provide for locking the screw with the fixed half-nut and
for freeing it therefrom when unlocked; and to provide effective means for clamping
the ball and socket universal joint. The accompanying drawings represent a vise
whereby these objects are attained, in which
Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of the vise as it appears
when the screw is locked by the sliding device, in position for controlling the
movable iaw.

page_text: Figure 2, a similar section, the screw being shown in unlocked position and
raised from the fixed balf-nut to allow the movable jaw to be slid in and out
by hand
Figure 3 a cross section taken on the line x x of Figure 1.
Figure 4 a similar section taken on the line o o of Figure 2
Figure 5 an end view of the locking and releasing device for the screw.
Figure 6, a top view of the same, showing the locking device in position over the
end of the screw as in Figure 1
Figure 7 a similar view showing the locking device driven back to uncover
the end of the screw and to operate the releasing lever device to raise the end of
the screw from its locked position with the fixed half nut, Figure 8 a bottom view
of the locking and releasing device and Figure 9 shows in elevation the locking
and releasing device in the position when the screw is locked, Figure 10 a
similar view showing the locking and releasing device in the position when the
screw is unlocked Figure 11 an elevation of the joint and Figure 12 a similar
view with the screw clamping cap removed.
The non-sliding jaw A is formed upon a guide box a open at both ends secured
upon the screw stem b, of a ball c seated in a socket of the base-casting B, which
is screwed to the bench, the movable jaw C is formed upon one end of a hollow
bar or slide D open at the bottom adapted to fit and slide within the open guide
box and carries the operating screw. A half nut E is secured within the guide
box upon its bottom and is of a length greater than the extent of the movement of
the sliding jaw. It does not join the inner vertical walls of the guide box a but
leaves a space on each side to receive the side plates of the hollow-bar or slide as
shown in Figures 3 and 4.
The fixed half nut E is turned down at its rear end and screwed to the guide
box, its front end being screwed to a horizontal front projection of said box. The
operating screw F has the usual sliding band lever f and is secured to the front end
of the hollow bar D by a key plate d fitted within a groove of the screw stem so
that the jaw bar and screw must move together A movable half-nut G is fitted
within the hollow bar, is always engaged with the screw and is moved by it, being
held in such engagement by a plate spring e pinned to the top of the half nut and
bearing upon the underside of the top of the hollow bar. This movable half-nut is
of slightly greater length than the screw the length of which itself is about one
quarter that of the fixed half-nut within which it engages and is locked to place
the movable jaw under the control of the screw to grip and hold the article placed
between the jaws.
The disengagement of the screw allows the movable jaw to be slid in and out by
hand so as to be quickly adjusted to the position to admit the article between the
jaws when the screw may be at once brought into working position to give the
required grip upon the article. The locking of the screw is effected by means of a
sliding locking device, using the screw itself to receive the locking action of said
device to hold the screw in firm engagement with the teeth of the fixed rack in
order to operate with the screw. This locking device is a slide g formed with a
concave end g¹ and a stem provided with a spiral spring / which exerts a constant
pressure upon the slide to maintain it in locked position The locking device is
fitted with a box H secured within the hollow bar open at one end and closed
at the other and within which the locking slide is free to be moved toward and
from the end of the screw, with its stem passing through a hole in the closed end of
the box.
h
The spring presses at one end against the closed end of the box and at the
other against a shoulder of the slide to force the concave end of the latter out of the
box in position over the end of the screw. For this purpose the screw terminates in an
unthreaded end i of a diameter to be received in the concave end of the locking
device so as to allow the screw to be revolved while being held in engagement
with the fixed half-nut. To release the screw from its locked relation with the
fixed half-nut, I provide a right angled lever pinned within the box H, so that one

page_text: end n stands vertical within a slot r, in the locking slide g and the other end n¹
lies horizontally in a slot in the bottom of the box, is concave on its upper side and
receives over it the unthreaded end of the screw, which has a diameter less than
that of the unthreaded end i. The slot r allows of a sufficient movement of the
slide to carry its concave end over the unthreaded end i of the screw a shoulder
in the box serving as a stop to limit such forward movement
By this construction the slide wheu extended locks the screw down and when
retracted to uncover the cylindrical part i of the screw forces back the upper end
of the lever and raises its lower end against the cylindrical part 1 of the screw,
raising it free of the fixed half-nut. This backing out of the slide is effected by
turning the screw to the left which causes the movable half-nut to be carried back
against the projecting end of the locking device so as to force it back as stated.
In turning the screw to the right the movable half-nut is moved away from
contact with the locking device, depressing the lifting end of the lever, and under
the pressure of the spring upon the movable half nut, the screw is again engaged
with the fixed half nut. About one revolution of the screw is sufficient to engage
it with and to effect its disengagement from the fixed half nut. The division of
the nut into a fixed and a movable part gives the advantage of using the fixed part
with the screw and the movable part as a separate device to force the screw in
engagement with the fixed half-nut; to unlock the screw and to indirectly operate
the lever whereby the screw can then be lifted by it to free it of the fixed rack.
It will be understood that the releasing device for the screw operates at the time
the locking device leaves the largest unthreaded part of the screw, and the end
upon which the lever releasing device acts must be small enough to allow it to be
lifted within the concave end of the locking device and thereby allow the free end
of the screw to have sufficient vertical movement to raise it clear of the fixed half
nut, the stem of the screw having sufficient play in its bearing for this purpose.
To prevent the dirt and filings from working into the joint of the screw at the
front end of the sliding jaw, a circular recess t is formed in the front end of the
hollow-bar, to receive a washer u and the large end F of the screw, which large end
enters said recess a sufficient distance to cover the joint between the washer and
the screw head. The screw-head just outside of the recess, has a groove z around
it joining the front edge of the recess to receive and facilitate the sliding off of the
filings which pass onto the screw-head from the curved front of the movable jaw
and thus prevent an accumulation of the filings at this point and thus prevent the
wear and clogging of the joints leaving the screw to be easily revolved.
The construction of the device by which the vise can be adjusted in any desired
position is as follows
The ball or sphere c has a screw stem 6 upon which the vise, or other mechanism
is mounted the screw forming a convenient means for such attachment, or any
other means of attachment may be provided to suit the mechanism.
The socket is formed in a raised part of a casting B which may be bolted to the
bench or otherwise secured according to the use of the joint. The socket forms a
close joint with only half the circumference of the ball so that the latter can be
seated therein from its open top.
The outer wall of the socket casting around the upper open part of the socket is
circular and has a screw thread B cut thereon to receive an open top screw
clamping rimmed cap I. A clamping ring J is seated upon the ball above the
socket and receives the clamping action of the screw cap I. The bearing surface of
this clamping ring J is a segment of a circle coincident with the circumference of
the ball and the ring is thick enough to give the required strength and bearing
surface upon the ball.
The circumference of the ring is slightly less than that of the threaded part of
the socket and of the interior of the clamping cap, and the area of the interior of
the ring J must be such as to cause it to rest upon the ball c free of the top of the
socket-casting B in order that it may have a clamping function upon the ball. The
clamping cap I has an interior screw thread which matches that of the socket

page_text: casting, is open at the top and has an interior top rim v which extends over and
forms a bearing upon the top surface of the clamping ring J. A slight turn of the
screw cap upon the socket-casting will be sufficient to clamp and to unclamp the
intermediate ring J with the ball and the holding power of the ring upon the ball
is made very effective by screwing the cap down hard upon the clamping ring. The
screw cap is formed with a series of circumferential radial holes w within which a
hand lever w¹ is inserted to screw and to unscrew the cap as may be required, to
set or adjust the mechanism carried by the ball. The intermediate clamping ring
should be prevented from turning with the cap and thereby prevent the turning of
the vise or other mechanism when once adjusted and for this purpose the clamping
ring is locked to the socket-casting by pins s fixed in one part entering notches 81
in the other part at the top of said socket-casting. This locked relation of the parts
also prevents all tendency of the cap to unscrew while operating with the vise as
the clamping ring being non-turning cannot communicate to the cap any force
tending to turn the ball when clamped. The open top clamping ring J and the
open top clamping cap I gives full range for adjusting the mechanism at any desired
angle. In the clamping function of the locking ring, it forms a section of the
socket above the diameter line of the ball and separated from the socket and when
forced down upon the ball binds it firmly in its socket by a vertical pressure
only.
I claim:
1 The combination in a vise of a screw F having unthreaded terminal parts
of unequal diameters the fixed half nut E, the movable half-nut G and a
depressing spring e therefor, with the sliding locking device 9 a projecting
spring and a lever device pivoted to a fixed part of the vise having one
end connected to the sliding locking device and the other in such relation to
the terminal unthreaded end of the screw of least diameter as to lift it by
the same movement of the locking device by which it is carried free of the screw.
2nd The combination in a vise of the screw F having unthreaded terminal parts
of unequal diameters and the fixed half-nut E with a sliding locking device
having the slot and a spring bearing, the movable half-nut G for driving the
locking device back and the right angled lever pivoted within the box of the
locking slide having one end n extending into the slot thereof and the other n'
extending beneath the smallest terminal end of the screw, all constructed and
adapted for operation substantially as described for the purpose specified. 3rd In
combination, the fixed and sliding jaws, the latter formed with the hollow
bar D, the screw F, the fixed half nut E, the movable half nut G the fixed box H,
the sliding locking device g provided with a slot 7, the springs e and and the
lever device pivoted to the fixed box, all constructed arranged and adapted for
operation substantially as herein set forth
4th The combination with the fixed and movable jaws of a vise, of a universal
swivelling joint consisting of the base formed with a vertical projection having a
concave socket and a circumferential screw, the ball, the open top screw cap and
a non-turning ring clamp interposed between the screw cap and the ball and
bearing upon the latter substantially as described for the purpose specified-
5th The combination substantially herein described in a ball and socket joint, of
the non clamping open top socket, with the ball a clamping ring scated thereon
above its diameter free of said socket and means substantially such as described
for adjustably connecting said clamping ring with the body of the socket to effect a
vertical clamping force only upon the ball.-6th The combination substantially
herein described of the ball provided with means for the attachment of mechanism
with a non clamping socket casting having a circumferential screw thread, a
clamping ring seated upon the ball above its diameter line free of said socket
casting and an open top screw-cap having an interior screw and an interior top rin
forming a bearing upon said clamping ring constituting a ball and socket joint.
7th In combination in a ball and socket joint, the ball a having the stem b the
socket casting d having a circumferential screw thread e a non revolving clamping

page_text: ring seated upon the ball above and free of said socket casting and an open top
screw cap g having an interior screw thread, an interior top-rim h and circum-
ferential radial holes i all constructed and arranged to operate as described.―
8th In combination in a ball and socket joint, the ball a the solid casting d,
having the hemispherical cavity and the external screw-thread the top-clamping
ring seated upon the ball, the screw clamping cap g and means substantially such
as described whereby the said clamping ring is locked with the socket casting to
render it non-revolving.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Franklin Read have hereunto set my
hand seal this ninth day of December in the year of our Lord, One
thousand Eight hundred and Eighty two
HENRY FRANKLIN READ (L.S.)