AN IMPROVED VICE
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON of the Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors
G Lord Street Liverpool in the county of Lancaster Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said invention for "AN IMPROVED VICE" to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to the class of vices which effect a quick opening
and closing of the jaws after the screw is turned loose.
As in the usual class of vices so is this improved vice provided with a fixed and
a movable jaw, but the latter jaw has at its lower end a prolongation against which
a spring fixed to the fast jaw presses, by this means the article or piece to be held
in the vice even when the screw is not fully screwed up is yet held somewhat fast.
A peculiarly shaped picce hereafter called the stirrup is employed in order to
clamp the two jaws together. This stirrup encloses both the fixed and the
movable jaw and at its front end is somewhat strengthened and forms the matrix
for a small screw; the small screw can be turned in its matrix by incans of a
suitable handle. The rear end of the stirrup has on its under side a row of teeth
and a pawl turning round a centre engages with these teeth, thus keeping the
stirrup in position while it is held or supported from above by two pieces which
turn round in bearings projecting from the side of the fixed jaw. A small stirrup,
fastened to the principal one, is employed in order to prevent the principal one from
falling when the screw is loosened; this small stirrup is by means of a hinge in
connection with and supported by a spring, and by means of this spring the
principal stirrup is held against the above mentioned supporting pieces.
A bell crank lever is employed to open the vice, the upper arm of this lever is
provided at its end with a handle and at the end of the lower arm there is a small
roller. If now this lever is drawn forward by means of its handle the above
mentioned pawl falls a little on account of its weight and because the pressure of
the lever ceases on a spring fastened to the pawl, the pawl falling disengages with

page_text: the teeth on the principal stirrup, at the same time the small roller at the end of the
bell crank lever presses against the prolonged end of the movable jaw and moves
the jaw forward while the principal stirrup being free at its rear end is also moved
forward with the jaw.
In order to close the vice the bell crank lever is again turned back indirectly
causing the spring fastened to the fixed jaw to come into action and at the same
time it pushes back the movable jaw and with it the principal stirrup till the pieco
to be clamped by the jaws is reached; the pawl then comes again into contact
with the teeth on the stirrup and the small screw in the matrix needs only to be
turned in order to clamp the piece fast.

page_text: "
I WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors,
6 Lord Street Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said invention for "AN IMPROVED VICE and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention has reference to vices so constructed as to allow of a quick
opening and closing of the jaws, after the screw is released.
The invention is represented on the accompanying drawing, in which the same
parts are designated with similar letters and
and
Fig 1 is a side elevation with a part of the clamping arrangement cut away,
Fig 2 is an elevation from the work bench side, in which this latter is left out.
d is the fixed and c the movable jaw of the vice, e hinged or pivoted at e³ in any
known manner and has a prolongation c¹ against which the spring h presses, so that
the article or piece to be held in the vice even when the screw is not fully screwed
up or has just been turned loose, is yet held somewhat.
The stirrup b serves for clamping together the jaws which stirrup is somewhat
strengthened in front and forms the matrix for the small clamping screw f, which
by means of key f³, can be turned in the usual manner. The stirrup b encircles
the two divisions of the vice, and is held fast at back by means of the pawl a
pivotted at a', which pawl engages in a rack on tho stirrup, whilst the stirrup is
held or supported from above by means of the two pieces c which revolve round
the pins or pieces d³ projecting out from the part d. In order to prevent the
stirrup falling down when the scrow fis loosened, a small stirrup b¹ fastened upon
the same is employed, which is connected with the spring e³ after the manner of a
hinge, and is supported by the same. The stirrup is also maintained against the
pieces c by means of the said spring. To prevent the stirrup from falling down
when the screw fis released, the small stirrup b' is attached to it which is looped
upon the springe and thereby supported. The same spring also serves to hold tho
stirrup against the pieces c.
The two armed lever g, working on g¹ serves to open the vice, which lever is
provided with a handle g' at its upper part and bears at its under end the small
roller g³. Consequently if this lever is drawn forwards by means of the handle g*,
the tooth a first falls down a little by reason of its weight, and because the pressure
of the lever g on the spring a³ ceases, and is out of gear with the rack of the
stirrup; but at the same time the roller gå presses against the end c¹ and moves
forward the part e, whilst the stirrup is now free at the rear end and so can be
moved forward by e.
h
In order to shut the vice, the lever g is turned back again into the position
shown, by which means the spring / comes into action and presses back the part e
with the stirrup until the piece to be clamped is reached by the jaw c; tooth a
comes again into contact and the screw only requires to be turned in order to fix
the piece tight.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, as communicated to me, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
I declare that what I claim is:—
1st. In vices constructed for rapid opening and closing the employment of a
stirrup b with short pressure screw and a rear rack with pawl a, which stirrup is

page_text: guided and supported from behind by the movable blocks c, in front by the
spring c³, acting on the stirrup b', as described above.
2nd. In vices of the above mentioned construction, the employment of the
lever g with the roller g³ which works upon its end e¹ for opening and closing the
vice, all substantially as described and shown..