Improvements in Clamp Handles for Adjusting screws, Fay Applicable to the Sights of Fire Arms.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Jan., 1889
Specification Accepted, 9th Mar., 1889
Improvements in Clamp Handles for Adjusting screws, Fay
Applicable to the Sights of Fire Arms.
I, WILLIAM LYMAN of Middlefield, Connecticut, United States of America, Manu-
facturer, 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 following statement :-
My invention relates to a combined operating handle and holding clamp for an
adjusting screw; and is particularly adapted for use upon screws or threaded arbors
which are journalled in fixed bearings and engaged with movable nuts or worm
wheels for the purpose of adjusting parts of mechanism in different positions and
securely fastening them in place. The device may be used on any adjusting screw
or arbor which requires to be firmly held where set, such as the thumb screws of
mathematical instruments, the adjusting screws of machines, or arbors of dials, and
may be employed as a nut lock for screws which do not adjust mechanism but require
to be occasionally turned or removed. In this specification my invention is shown
and described as applied to wind gauge sights for firearms, for the purpose of adjusting
the sight laterally to compensate for the effect of the wind upon the projectile, but I
contemplate using it for many other purposes.
The sight here referred to forms the subject of British Letters Patent No. 11707
A.D. 1887, and the object of the invention in this particular case is to provide an
operating handle for the lateral adjusting screw adapted to be folded down against
the base of the sight so as not to project and thereby incur the liability of being
accidentally disarranged and also adapted when thus folded down to form a spring
locking or holding clamp which will securely hold the screw stationary in any
position.
The invention consists in a novel folding spring having its ends inserted in the
screw head or flange in such manner as to exert their pressure longitudinally on
the screw and thrust a friction collar thereon against a fixed part of the mechanism
when the spring is folded down, and adapted when not folded down to serve as an
all as
operating head or handle, without exerting any frictional effect on the screw,
herein after more particularly described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.-
Figure 1 shows a wind gauge sight in side elevation, having my improved clamping
operating handle on the lateral adjusting screw.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same with the base cut in vertical section on
the line Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line u Figure 1.

page_text: Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the adjusting screw shown in a section on the
y. y. of the base, and with the folding clamping handle in position for turning
the screw.
line
Figure 5 is a similar view showing the clamping handle folded down in position to
clamp the screw in place.
Figure 6 is a similar view to Figure 5 but having the friction, nut or collar
removed to show the spring in uncompressed position.
Figure 7 is a side elevation of a portion of the base viewed from the side opposite
to that shown in Figure 1, showing the journals of the adjusting screw.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the operating handle detached from the screw.
. Figure 9 is an end view of the operating handle and screw viewed from the end
opposite the screw head, and with the handle in the unclamped position.
Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9, but with the operating handle in clamping
position.
Figure 11 is similar to the preceeding figure but viewed from the opposite
direction and having the handle turned down on the opposite side.
Figure 12 is a side view of the head of the adjusting screw, with the handle
removed.
.
Figure 13 is an end view of Figure 12.
Figures 14 and 15 are similar to the two preceeding figures but show a screw
having the spring recess slightly modified in construction.
Figure 16 shows a spring handle of modified construction.
Figure 17 is an end view of a bolt with the operating handle of the preceeding
figure.
Figure 18 shows my improvement adapted as a nut lock, and applied to the nut
instead of the screw lead.
A full description of the sight shown in the drawings may be found in the
Letters Patent above referred to, but it may be here briefly described as follows.
A conical eccentric A is journalled in the base B of the sight and a circular rack c
is cut on the forward side of the eccentric and is intermeshed with an adjusting
screw or worm d which is also journalled in the base and suitably secured from
longitudinal movement so that as it is revolved it turns the conical eccentric in the
base. The sight post e and its elevating mechanism is mounted in the eccentric
at an angle to its axis, and it is therefore moved lateral to a vertical plane through
the axis of the gun barrel as it is revolved, because it describes a conical path, and
this movement of the sight aperture ³ provides adjustment to compensate for the
influence of the wind against the projectile. It is particularly essential that the head
of the operating screw d shall not project sufficiently to engage twigs or other
objects which are liable to come in contact with a gun in ordinary usage, and also
that the screw shall in no wise be liable to be accidentally turned and thus disturb
the wind gauge
after it has once been set correctly, all of which features are
admirably secured by the improvement herein set forth.
در
Referring to the drawings d denotes the adjusting screw, which is inserted
transversely through the base B, forward of the conical eccentric A and has a
journal between the head and the thread g, fitting freely in a corresponding
hole in the side of the base. The screw extends through the base and a nut or
collar is screwed tightly upon its end, and fits into a seat 2 with its face bearing
against the annular shoulder at the bottom of the seat h². This nut turns with the
screw, and forms a frictional thrust collar, and may be fastened to the screw by any
ordinary means other than by means of a screw thread, the requirement being that
the nut when in place shall act the same as if formed integral with the screw.
order to provide ample journal bearings for the screw, the circumference of the thread
of the screw may bear against the walls of the cavity which receives the screw if
desired.
In
The inner face of the nut bearing against the shoulder and the face k under
the head of the screw bearing against the side ³ of the base hold the screw in position
endwise

page_text: The thread g of the screw is of ordinary construction and it intermeshes with the
teeth of the rack C in the conical eccentric in the usual manner as shown in Figure 3.
In some classes of mechanism the screw will be engaged with a movable nut instead
of a worm wheel, and in any case the form of the screw may be modified to adapt it
to different machinery, the only requirements being that it shall be suitably journalled
and held in position endwise, and provided with a frictional thrust collar to cooperate
with the clamping operating handle.
On the underside of the head or flange f of the screw are two opposite radial slots
or recesses which extend from the periphery of the head inward toward the body of
screw. They are preferably made slightly dovetailed or otherwise shaped so that the
slots are a little wider at the bottom than at the face of the head of the screw, the
better to retain the clamping handle in place. Figures 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13
show the dovetailed form referred to, and Figures 14 and 15 show a circular recess ³
which is made by drilling entirely through the bolt and then milling away the face of
the screw head until it intersects with the recess, and the recess thus formed will be
analogous to a dovetailed, slot.
The slots may be of simple rectangular form but the dovetailed form is
preferable.
J represents the folding and clamping operating handle, which consists substantially
of a loop or U shaped spring of flat strip metal, having each leg or part m of the
loop cut away, forked or bifurcated to pass over the head of the screw, and formed
with an inwardly extending prong or toe n at each end of each fork adapted to be
received in the recesses in the head of the screw. This construction forms practically
two loop or U shaped springs or elastic forks arranged parallel and coincident, one
upon each side of the screw head, joined by a connecting web, and each having its
ends extended inward parallel with each other and toward the opposite spring, these
ends being received in the recesses in the screw head, and constituting the bearings
on which the handle swings.
If the prongs n on one loop are made sufficiently long the other loop may be
dispensed with and in such case the loop could be readily made of wire as shown in
Figure 16, J, and having one of its prongs n¹ passed clear through the bolt head and
slightly turned over on the end the better to hold the spring in place. But the double
loop made of flat spring material bent into U shape and cut away to pass over the
screw head is preferable.
The ends of the spring J, that is the inwardly projecting prongs n may readily be
inserted in the recesses in the screw head by laying the spring in its folded down
position, as shown in Figure 6 and pushing the screw into its journals in the base,
when by turning on the nut i on the end of the screw the spring will be compressed
into place. The spring will then be in operation, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 5 and
exert its force between the head of the screw and the face 3 of the base B thereby
pressing the face of the friction collar or nut against its seat in the base and
imposing sufficient friction thereon to hold the screw against any derangement that it
would ordinarily be subject to.
It will be readily understood, that when the operating handle J is swung up away
from the base, the prongs n turn in the recesses in the screw the same as if they were
journals, and when the handle is brought up into the plane of the screw, as shown in
Figure 4, that is vertical to the plane of the screw head, the prongs will simply press
against the sides of the recess and not exert any pressure tending to clamp the screw.
The screw will then be perfectly free to turn in its journals, and the folding
spring when in that position forms an admirable handle by which the screw may be
rotated.
The object of forming the recesses of dovetailed shape is to prevent any liability
of the prongs n from dropping out of the recess if there should chance to be enough
play between the screw head and base permit this. With the recesses made most
narrow at the face of the head f the spring handle will not become detached when in
any position, and when folded up vertical over the screw head will remain in place if
the screw is removed from its bearings.

page_text: The folding spring will impose an endwise thrust on the screw, whichever side
of the head it may be folded down upon, for it will be seen that so long as the
spring lies down parallel with the face of the base, one pair of prongs n will press
against the face of the base and the other pair will press in the opposite direction
against the screw head, thus forcing the screw end wise and tightly clamping the nut i
against its seat to hold the screw from rotating. In order to prevent the prongs n.
from wearing the face of the base, the face of the base may be case hardened around
the journal of the screw, or a thin hardened washer may be interposed between the
hase and the prongs of the spring encircling the screw; it is desirable to have the
handle fold both ways in a wind gauge sight, for then it will be always possible to
fold the handle against the base and not leave it projecting over the edge
thereof, for the lateral adjusting screw is placed very near the front side of the sight.
The general form of the handle may be variously modified without departing from
the nature of my invention, and the arrangement of the screw and its journals and
friction collar may also be materially changed. In machines the screw or arbor
would probably often be arranged, in half boxes or split bearings of the usual type,
and then the friction shoulder or collar i might be welded to the arbor, or a thrust
collar might be formed by turning an encircling groove into the arbor, one side of which
would answer for a friction surface by engagement with a corresponding male shoulder
formed in the bearings in which the arbor turned. The friction collar and the head
having the recesses are the novel features in the screw, and when arranged with the
spring, handle and suitable journals and fixed friction surface, will operate essentially
the same however the details of the constructions of the same may be modified. The
invention is adapted to hold a simple arbor instead of a screw, as for instance the
arbor of a registering dial or wheel which requires to be held in various positions.
The spring handle may also be applied as a nut lock as shown in Figure 18, where
the recesses to receive the prongs n are formed in the nut t, and the head 5 of the
bolt forms the friction collar. In this case the spring holds the flanges ss together,
acting as a jamb nut, and the nut t may be easily removed without the aid of a
wrench.
Having now particularly. described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
First. In mechanisin operated or adjusted by a rotatable arbor or part, the
combination of the arbor provided with a frictional thrust collar or flange and a head
having a recess or recesses in its face extending from the periphery inward; fixed
bearings for receiving the arbor, and. fixed faces or shoulders in juxtaposition with
and corresponding to the working faces of the arbor head and frictional thrust collar
and an operating clamp handle consisting essentially of a forked, looped or U shaped
spring having its ends received or journalled and held in the recess or recesses of the
arbor head and adapted as the spring is swung around the recess as a pivotal point
to press against the.arbor head and corresponding fixed bearing to clamp the friction
thrust collar to its seat, or to bear against the sides of the recesses to release the arbor
for the purpose specified.
Second. In mechanism operated or adjusted by an adjusting screw the combination
of the adjusting screw provided with journals, a frictional thrust collar and a collar or
flange having recesses or slots in its face extending from the periphery inward toward
the body of the screw; the fixed 'bearings for receiving the journal or journals of the
screw and faces or radial bearings corresponding to and in juxtaposition with the
faces of the screw head and thrust collar and a looped or U shaped spring 'having
each leg or part of its loop forked or bifurcated to swing over the screw head and
formed with an inwardly projecting prong at each end of each fork adapted to be
received in the recesses in the screw head and bear against the sides thereof when the
spring is vertically over the screw head, and to press between the screw head and its
fixed seat when the spring is folded down in the plane of the screw head, thereby
clamping the friction collar to its seat to hold the screw stationary.

page_text: Third. In mechanism operated or adjusted by an adjusting screw, the combination
of the adjusting screw provided with journals, a frictional thrust collar and a head or
flange having opposite recesses or slots extending from the periphery inward toward
the body of the screw; the fixed bearings for receiving the journal or journals of the
screw and faces or radial bearings corresponding to and in juxtaposition with the
working faces of the screw collars, and the looped or U shaped springs arranged one
on each side of the screw head and joined by a connecting web or tie part forming a
handle and having at each end of each loop an inwardly projecting prong or point
which prongs are adapted when the springs are compressed to be received in the
recesses under the head of the screw and clamp the screw upon its frictional seat, or
release it therefrom as the handle is folded down in the plane of the screw head with
the oppositely acting prongs bearing respectively upon the screw head and face of the
screw bearing or is swung up vertically over the screw head with the prongs resting
against the sides of the recesses for the purpose specified.
Fourth. In mechanism operated by a rotatable arbor or screw, the combination of
the arbor provided with a friction shoulder and a head having opposite recesses or
slots in its face extending from the periphery inward and being enlarged back from
the face of the head; fixed journal bearings for receiving the arbor and fixed shoulders
corresponding to the face of the arbor head and the friction shoulder, and an operating
clamp handle consisting essentially of a double looped spring having a looped fork or
bight on each side of the arbor head joined by a connecting web, and the points
of each loop being bent inward and received in the corresponding recesses of the head,
substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. In mechanism operated by an adjusting screw, the combination of an
adjusting screw provided with journals and a friction thrust collar, and a head or
flange having opposite recesses or slots on the underside thereof, fixed bearings h h
for receiving the journals of the screw and faces or radial bearings h¹ h³ corresponding
with and contiguous to the bearing shoulders of the screw, and a looped or shaped
spring J having each leg or part of the loop forked or bifurcated to swing over the
screw head and formed with an inwardly projecting prong or projection n on each
end of each fork adapted to be received in the recesses of the screw head, and whereby
the tension of the spring is adapted to be exerted between the screw head and a fixed
bearing or upon the respective sides of the recesses, as the handle is folded down in
the plane of the screw liead or swung into a position vertical thereto, substantially in
the manner and for the purpose specified.
Sixth. In a wind gauge sight for firearms the combination of the sight base B, the
conical eccentric A having a circular rack on its periphery and seated in the base
carrying the sight post, the adjusting screw d journalled in the base of the sight with
its thread intermeshing with the rack of the conical eccentric and provided with the
friction collar or nut i and the head of having the recesses on its inner side, and the
combined folding and clamping operating handle consisting essentially of a flat looped
spring J having each part of its loop forked or spread to admit the body of the screw
head and formed with an inwardly extending prong or projection n on each end of
each part of the loop, which projections are received in the recesses in the screw head,
whereby the operating handle may be turned on the prongs as a journal and swung
from a position at right angles to the screw head, down into the plane thereof, to
release or clamp the screw in position, substantially in the manner and for the purpose
specified.