Improvements in Parallel Jaw Pliers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 10th Aug., 1897--Accepted, 11th Sept., 1897
I, ADOLPH SCHATZ, Machinist, residing at 71 Hamilton Street in New Haven,
County of New Haven and State of Connecticut, United States of America, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to parallel jaw pliers such as are employed in working wire
and sheet metal, the object of my invention being to effect, the guiding of the jaws
in their parallel movement by blocks or rollers formed or set in the handles without
having to cut or slot the inner ends of the jaws themselves.
For this purpose I pivot together the two handles each of which has its front
inner part hollowed and extending forward in form of a fork. One of the jaws is
pivotted in the fork of the one handle, the other jaw is likewise pivotted in the
fork of the other handle, and each jaw has a tail which extends back into the
hollow part of the handle opposite to that to which it is itself pivotted, the inner
edge of the tail being straight and parallel to the face of the jaw. This straight
inner edge bears against a rounded stud projecting inwards from each side of the
hollow of the handle, this stud being either fixed on the side or formed by indenting
the side of the hollow, or it may be a pin crossing the hollow and preferably
having an antifriction roller free to revolve on it as an axis.
The tail of each jaw has also a rounded outer face which bears against a rounded
shoulder terminating in front of the outer side of the hollow part of the
handle.
As the handles are moved, the jaws which are pivotted on their front forks,
having their tails guided between the studs, projections or rollers on the one edge
and the terminating shoulders of the handles or their other edges are moved more
or less apart retaining parallelism of their gripping faces.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Parallel Jaw Pliers.
I, ADOLPH SCHATZ, Machinist of 71 Hamilton Street, New Haven, County of
New Haven and State of Connecticu, United States of America, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the followng statement :-.
My invention relates to parallel jaw pliers such as are employed in working wire

page_text: and sheet metal, the object of my invention being to effect the guiding of the jaws
in their parallel movement by blocks or rollers formed or set in the handles without
having to cut or slot the inner ends of the jaws themselves.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is an elevation of parallel jaw pliers
according to my invention; Figure 2 is a horizontal section thereof, the jaws being
closed; Figure 3 is the same view with the jaws open; Figure 4 is a section,
showing a modified form of the guiding devices; Figure 5 is a similar view, showing
another method of producing the guides for the jaws. Figure 6 is a transverse
section on line 6-6 in Figure 3; Figure 7 is a side view of one handle, showing the
depressions therein for guiding the jaws.
The handles a and b are preferably made of sheet iron, or of steel, they may,
however, also be cast of malleable irou, or they may be composed of several parts
and of different materials, the forks holding the jaws being then preferably made
of steel, and suitably shaped pieces of wood, celluloid, hard rubber and the like,
secured to them. This last mentioned method of construction is especially suitable
for tools used in electrical wiring.
To the forked ends of handles a and b are pivoted by bolts h, the jaws g and f
respectively, their rear ends being slid into the grip ends of the opposite handles
and held there between the rim of the arcs connecting the tines c and d, and
between guides provided in the handles.
These guides may be blocks k and l, rivetted to the inner sides of the handles a, b
and having their bearing surfaces curved to reduce the point of contact between
them and consequently also the friction. Instead of rivetting the separate guide
pieces and to the sides of the handles a, b, the handles may be depressed as
shown in Figures 5 and 7. The dent n thus produced will however tend to reduce
the strength of the tool to some extent and therefore this method will be available
only for light tools.
In Figure 4 is shown a modified construction of the guide wherein rollers are
employed in place of the guiding blocks and l. These rollers turn on pins o set
in the handles. The edges j of the jaws glide on these rollers in the same manner
as on the guides described above.
The jaws and g fit in between the forks d and c and niay be solid or hollow,"
the latter being produced in similar manner as described in the Specification to my
Patent No. 14926 of 1896. The jaws, provided as usual with roughed gripping
surfaces m at their forward ends, are formed with straight edges j on their rear
ends, engaging the guides kl. The backs of the rear ends slide under the arcs
between the tines c and d, and are correspondingly curved, so that they always fill
the space between the guiding blocks and the rim of the handle at all positions.
The jaws do not jolt any, being not allowed any loose motion.
The parts are put together as follows:-
Handle b is slid crosswise between the lines of handle a, and both are pivoted
together by bolt e, set in their crossing point. In constructing open throat pliers
the central pivot bolt e is replaced by the two rivets p as shown in Figure 6,
whereby the adjacent sides of the handles are joined and pivoted separately and
the throat is then free from obstruction. Then the jaws are slid between the tines
of the forked handles, their rear ends being first pushed in the opening between
the guides and the arcs connecting the tines, and then pivoted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. Parallel jaw pliers, having jaws, pivoted to the forked ends of crossed handles,
and whose inner ends, having rounded and appropriately curved backs, are adapted
to glide between guides, provided in the handles, and the edge of the arc connecting
the tines of the forked handles, substantially as described.
2. In parallel jaw pliers, the combination with handles, and with jaws pivoted to

page_text: the forked ends of the handles, of guiding blocks secured in the handles in position
to engage the inner ends of the jaws, thereby guiding the jaws in parallel motion,
substantially as described.
3. In parallel jaw pliers, the combination with the jaws having the backs of their
inner ends suitably curved, of hollow handles having suitable dents produced by
depression of the edges of the handles, the edges of the dents engaging the inner
ends of the jaws and thereby guiding the jaws in parallel motion substantially as
described.
4. In parallel jaw pliers, the combination with handles and with jaws, pivoted to
the forked ends of the handles, of guiding pins rivetted in the handles in position
to engage the inner ends of the jaws, thereby guiding the jaws in parallel motion,
substantially as described.