Improvements in Tools for Lifting and Releasing Small Articles such as the Balls of Ball Bearings and other purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 14th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 9th Apr.,
1898
Improvements in Tools for Lifting and Releasing Small Articles such
as the Balls of Ball Bearings and other purposes.
We, JOSEPH HENRY IREDALE, of 126, Paddington, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Manufacturer, and PAUL FRED OTTO, of 24, Oxton Street, Walton,
Liverpool, aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
This invention has reference to improvements in tools specially applicable for
picking up and releasing small articles, such, for example as the balls usually,
employed in the bearings of cycles, and other purposes. The balls employed for
cycle bearings are small and difficult to pick up and place in position with the
fingers, and for the purpose of obviating this difficulty we provide a tool, which
according to one form is fitted with a magnet for attracting and holding the article
to be manipulated and in another arrangement is provided with means whereby
the article is caused to adhere to it by the action of a partial vacuum created within
a cavity in the tool. In one arrangement, a permanent steel wire magnet is
enclosed within a casing and is capable of being caused to move endwise therein
so that its end will protrude through the open end of the casing and will attract
and hold any small steel article it may be brought in contact with.
One end of the magnet may be arranged to normally project through the rear
end casing or holder, a spiral spring, tending to keep it in this position; on
pressing the projecting end of the magnet it will be moved against the action of
the spring so that its other end will protrude through the opposite end of the
casing, which may be provided with nipple pieces of various sizes to suit the
diameter of the articles to be manipulated, or the end may be slit or otherwise
shaped to be expanded whilst the magnet is protruding and to collapse as it is
withdrawn, so as to enable the articles to be readily released when required. The
end of the magnet may be widened out and if requisite may be provided with a
number of projecting points or ends so that two or more balls or the like may be
simultaneously manipulated; or it may be of semicircular form, the releasing end
or nipple being of corresponding shape so that a number of balls may be easily
removed from or placed in a circular race.
In another arrangement the tool comprises a casing or holder which, or some
portion of it, is hollow and whose walls are of naturally flexible material, for
instance, india rubber, and a suitably contracted outlet or mouth piece the arrange-
ment being such that the contained air can be expelled through the outlet by
squeezing or collapsing the hollow part of the holder and so that if the outlet
be then placed against the article to be manipulated it will be caused to adhere
thereto by the partial vacuum behind it; to release the article the holder is again
squeezed or collapsed. The holder may be in the form of a tube with suitably
shaped mouthpiece at one end and a rubber ball or other similar device fitted to
the other end, or it may be in the form of a collapsible rubber chamber of approxi-
mately pear shape with a suitably formed mouthpiece at its smaller end.

page_text: Apparatus according to this invention, may be modified to suit different purposes,
for lifting and releasing other articles than steel balls whether they be subject to
magnetic influence or otherwise without departure from the essential features of
our invention.
Improvements in Tools for Lifting and Releasing Small Articles such
as the Balls of Ball Bearings and other purposes.
We, JOSEPH HENRY IREDALE, formerly of 126, Paddington, but now of 7, Daulby
Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, and PAUL FRED OTTO,
of 24, Oxton Street, Walton, Liverpool, aforesaid, Engineer, 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:-
This invention has reference to improvements in tools for picking up and
releasing small articles, such, for example as the balls usually employed in the
bearings of cycles, and other purposes. The balls employed for cycle-bearings
are small and difficult to pick up and place in position with the fingers, and for
the purpose of obviating this difficulty we provide a tool which is either fitted with
a magnet for attracting and holding the article to be manipulated or provided with
means whereby the article can be caused to adhere to it by the suction or of a
partial vacuum created within a cavity in the tool.
Figs. 1 & 2 of the accompanying drawings are respectively longitudinal section
and an elevation of a tool according to this invention in which a permanent steel
wire magnet A is enclosed within a casing B and is capable of being moved endwise
therein by pressing its rear end, so that its opposite end, which is to attract and
lift the ball C or other magnetic article will protrude slightly through the
corresponding open end D of the casing as shewn in Fig. 2. The rear end of the
magnet A nominally projects through the casing B as shewn in Fig. 1 a spiral
spring E tending to keep it in that position; this spring is preferably made of
hard brass wire and rests with one end against a nozzle forming the front and D of
the casing whilst the other end of the spring presses against a small collar A fixed
on the magnet A.
Nipple pieces of various sizes may be provided to take the place of the nozzle
shewn at D to suit the diameters or sizes of the articles to be manipulated, but
when the sizes vary only slightly the nozzle may be slit as shewn at D Fig. 2 and
made of such a size at the outer end that it will be expanded by the protrusion of
the magnet and will collapse as the magnet is withdrawn so that the article held
on the outer end of the magnet can be easily and quickly released when required
even though it be slightly smaller in diameter than the magnet. The outer end
of the magnet may be widened out and if requisite may be provided with a number
of projecting points or pins so that two or more balls or the like may be simul-
taneously manipulated; or it may be of suitable curved form, the releasing end or
nipple being of corresponding shape so that a number of balls may be easily
removed from or placed in a circular path.
Figs. 3 & 4 are respectively a longitudinal section and an elevation of a tool

page_text: according to this invention whose magnet has a widened out end provided with a
number of projecting soft iron pins A and made curved as shewn in end view in
Fig. 5 as is the releasing end or nipple 'D' of the casing, which nipple is made in
two parts each formed with teeth D as shown in Figs,, 3 & 4, leaving openings
for the pins A³ and adapted to be opened somewhat by the said pins as they are
protruded and automatically to close "partially again on the withdrawal of the
magnet for the purpose herein before stated, Fig. 6 is a partial section and Fig. 7
and end view of a tool provided with a magnet having a widened out end similar to
that shown in Fig. 3 but wedge shaped in cross section instead of having projecting
pins, the nipple D having a slot D' (as shown in Fig. 7) through which the
narrowest part of the end of the magnet can protrude as indicated in Fig. 8 which
has a ball attached.
Fig. 9 illustrates in longitudinal section of an arrangement comprising a tubular
holder B of india-rubber, to one end of which is connected a rubber ball F and the
other end of which is formed as mouthpiece of approximately trumpet shape.
Fig. 10 is a similar view to Fig. 9 of a slightly modified construction in which
the tubular holder B is of metal and is fitted with a rubber mouthpiece B*.
Fig. 11 illustrates a further modification in which the holder B is connected to
the pear shaped collapsible rubber chamber F by a screw threaded tubular union
or junction piece F, the arrangement being such that an additional length or
lengths of tube can be screwed onto the union, the holder B with mouthpiece B*
being screwed on to the outermost of said lengths. The three last mentioned
arrangements are such that the air contained in the collapsible chamber E can be
expelled through the outlet by squeezing; if the outlet be then placed against
the article to be,manipulated it will be caused to adhere thereto by the partial
vacuum behind it; to release the article the chamber E is again squeezed or
collapsible. The holder may be in the form of a collapsible rubber chamber of
approximately pear or other convenient shape with a suitably formed mouthpiece
at its smaller end. Apparatus according to this invention, may be modified to suit
different purposes, for lifting and releasing other articles than steel balls whether
they be subject to magnetic influence or otherwise without departure from the
essential features of our invention. For instance the holder shown in Fig. 11 is
intended to pick up and lift larger articles such as valves in inaccessible places
such as in the bottom of pumps, or other articles that the nozzle can take a fair air-
tight bearing on. The chamber F may be of suitable size and strength and, if
necesary be ribbed inside or outside to give it additional expanding power so that
more powerful suction may be obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
1. A tool for lifting and releasing small articles subject to magnetic influence
comprising a permanent steel magnet enclosed within a casing or holder and
nominally held by a spring in such a position that its forward end is within the
casing or holder but which can be caused to protrude through a releasing end or
nipple of the casing or holder for the purpose of attracting the article to.
2. In a tool for lifting and releasing small articles such as balls for ball bearing,
a sliding magnet having its forward end widened out so that two or more balls
may be simultaneously manipulated in combination with a releasing end or nipple
substantially as described with reference to and illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5:
and in Figs. 6, 7 and 8.
3. A tool for lifting and releasing small articles consisting of a collapsible
flexible chamber having a tubular branch, having a flexible rubber mouthpiece,
through which air can be expelled by squeezing and releasing the chamber and a
sufficient vacuum thus formed for the purpose specified substantially as described

page_text: with reference to and illustrated in Fig. 9 in Fig. 10 and in Fig. 11 of the
drawings.
Dated this 14th day of February 1898.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent