Patent Document

This application is a continuation in part of international application number PCT CA00 00837, filed Jul. 17, 2000. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to tools for cleaning pipes for soldering. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Relevant prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,133,070; 5,566,416; 5,146,717; Canadian Patent 1072709; U.S. Pat. No. 2,383,464A; Soviet Union Patent 1077-668A; U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,104A, and Great Britain Patent 2241450A. 
     STATEMENT OF INVENTION 
     There is provided a hand tool for cleaning the end of a pipe comprising: (a) a longitudinal member having first and second opposed end portions and first and second opposed longitudinal sides; (b) first and second grippable members both rotatably connected to said first end portion on said first and said second longitudinal sides respectively; (c) a first cleaning means connected to said second end portion on said first longitudinal side, and a second cleaning means connected to said second end portion on said second longitudinal side, for receiving the pipe end in a direction transverse to said longitudinal member and for cleaning inside and outside surface of the pipe end respectively. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     Advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the tool; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tool of FIG. 1 rotated upside down; 
     FIG. 3 is the top plan view of the tool of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is the bottom plan view of the tool of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of the tool of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is a side view of another embodiment of the tool of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of another embodiment of the tool; 
     FIG.  8 ( a ) is a partial sectional view of another embodiment of the female brush of the tool; 
     FIG.  8 ( b ) is a partial sectional view of another embodiment of the male brush of the tool; 
     FIG.  8 ( c ) is a top plan view of another embodiment of the male brush of the tool; 
     FIG. 9 is a partial side view of another embodiment of the tool; 
     FIG. 10 is a partial bottom plan view of another embodiment of the tool; 
     FIG.  11 ( a ) is a partial sectional view of another embodiment of the female brush of the tool; 
     FIG.  11 ( b ) is a partial sectional view of another embodiment of the male brush of the tool; 
     FIG. 12 is a partial side view of another embodiment 
     FIG. 13 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the male brush of the tool. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Herein, the term “pipe end” includes not only the end of a metallic pipe but also the end of a pipe connector (which is typically much shorter than the pipes it connects to). 
     Hand tool  5  has rigid member  10  which has two opposed sides  10   a  and  10   b , and opposed end portions  10   c  and  10   d . Side  10   a  at end portion  10   c  has rotatably attached member  15  to be gripped by the fingers of one hand. On the opposed side  10   b , at end portion  10   d,  male hard brush  30  is rigidly and undetachably disposed for receiving pipe end  1 . One hand holds tool  5 . Pipe end  1  is inserted over male brush  30  so that it abuts pedestal  31  (explained in detail below in conjunction with FIG. 5) and is disposed in a snug friction fit therewith and is held by the other hand. The inner surface of pipe end  1  is cleaned by a pedalling motion. One pedalling motion is achieved by gripping rotatable member  15  and holding end portion  10   c  stationary with one hand while rotating, with the other hand, pipe end  1  fitted over male brush  30 , about end portion  10   c.  Another pedalling motion is achieved by gripping rotatable member  15  and moving end portion  10   c  with one hand, and gripping pipe end  1  fitted over male brush  30 , with the other hand, and moving end portion  10   c  and pipe end  1  about each other. Either way, the effect of the pedalling motion is that male brush  30  will rotationally scrape and clean the inner surface of pipe end  1 . 
     Similarly, on side  10   b  and at end portion  10   c , rotatable member  16  is gripped by the fingers of one hand; and on the opposed side  10   b  and end portion  10   d , there is rigidly and undetachably disposed female brush  20 . 
     Brushes  20  and  30  are rigidly and undetachably attached to member  10  by conventional means such as bolts, soldering and the like (not shown). Alternatively, brushes  20  and  30  may be detachably attached to member  10  by conventional threaded mounting (brush  20  would be threaded to engage a corresponding threaded socket in member  10 , not shown). 
     Female brush  20  is shown in more detail in FIG.  5 . There is a circular wall  21  containing a cylindrical set of hard brush wires  22 . There is an upper annular lip  24  to guide pipe end  1  into female brush  20 . Brush wires  22  are directed in the same radial direction and collectively define an internal diameter that is slightly less than the outer diameter of pipe end  1 . Lip  24  has an internal diameter which is slightly more than the outer diameter of pipe end  1 . Accordingly, a firm friction fit is created when pipe end  1  is placed within female brush  20 , within female brush  20  is a central, frusto-conical guide projection  23 , to facilitate the entrance and placement of pipe end  1  within female brush  20 . On the outside of the frusto-conical guide there is a cleaning or deburing surface for cleaning or deburing the inside of pipe end  1 . 
     Male brush  30  and female brush  20  are disposed on the opposed sides of member  10 . The outer diameter of male brush  30  is slightly larger than then inner diameter of pipe end  1 . Male brush  30  has a pedestal  31  on which hard brush wires  32  are disposed. Abutting pedestal  31 , the terminal of pipe end  1  is disposed a small distance from member  10 . Pedestal  31  has a circular lip  33  to guide the manual placement of pipe end  1  onto pedestal  31 . Brush wires  32  collectively have an outer diameter which is slightly larger than the internal diameter of pipe end  1 . 
     In the above illustrated explanation, female brush  20  and male brush  30  are offset from each other in a direction transverse to member  10 . One advantage of this configuration is that the thumb or other part of one hand can be placed on surface  10   a  proximate female brush  20  and opposite of brush  30  to provide stability as pipe end  1  is loaded onto brush  30 . In another embodiment of tool  5  (shown in plan view in FIG.  6 ), female brush  20  and male brush  30  are aligned in a direction transverse to member  10 . 
     It will be appreciated that different combinations of brushes  20  and/or  30  are possible. For example, instead of the illustrated female brush  20  and opposed male brush  30 , end portion  10   d  may have two opposed female brushes  20  (not shown) or two opposed male brushes  30  (not shown). This permits two differently sized male brushes or two differently sized female brushes to be usefully available in certain applications. 
     Another embodiment of tool  5  is shown in FIG. 7, wherein end portion  10   c  is angularly movable with respect to end portion  10   d  by operation of intermediate hinge  50 . This allows for a wider application of tool  5 . For example, tool  5  of FIG. 7 permits the cleaning of pipe end  1  which is fixed in a crowded environment; e.g. an environment that does not permit complete rotation of end portion  10   c  about end portion  10   d  (whose male brush  30  is placed in pipe end  1 ) as contemplated by the versions shown in FIGS. 1-6. 
     Another embodiment of tool  5  is shown in FIGS. 8-11, wherein brushes  20  and  30  are detachable from member  10 . In FIGS. 8-11, reference numerals which are identical to those of FIGS. 1-6 represent similar or identical elements, except where the context otherwise indicates. The main difference between brushes  20  and  30  of FIGS. 1-6 and brushes  20  and  30  of FIGS. 8-11 is their attachment to member  10 . In FIGS. 8-11, brushes  20  and  30  are detachably connectable to each other and to member  10  with a snap lock mechanism. Female brush  20  has stem  60  with annular lip  61 . Male brush  30  has annular stem  70 , which has annular lip  71  having a profile that is complementary to lip  61  to create a conventional snap lock and unlock mechanism. As shown in FIG. 9, member  10  has a through hole  80  profiled to receive snugly stems  60  and  70  when attached as described above. When attached, the result (in side view) appears as shown in FIG.  6 . Differently sized brushes of this detachable embodiment, may be employed to fit differently sized pipe ends  1 . Optionally (as seen in FIGS.  8 ( b ) and  8 ( c ) and in conjunction with FIG. 10, explained below), male brush  30  may have gear  110 . 
     Another embodiment of tool  5  is shown in FIG. 10 to facilitate rotational movement of tool  5  about pipe end  1  which is fixed in a crowded environment (e.g. as contemplated by the embodiment shown in FIG.  7 ). As seen in FIG.  8 ( c ), gear  110  is disposed on the outer surface of stem  70  and when brushes  20  and  30  are attached, as explained above, the teeth of gear  110  of male brush  30  are exposed above surface  10   b . Steel clip  100  is disposed on surface  10   b  to engage gear  110  in a conventional ratchet-type mechanism. A variation is where female brush  20  has gear  110  (not shown). 
     In another embodiment of tool  5 , female brush  20  has stem  65  with annular channel  66 , and gear  67  (as shown in FIG.  11 ( a )) and male brush  30  has stem  75  with annular channel  76 , and gear  77 . As shown in FIG. 12, member  10  has blind hole  120  profiled to snugly receive stem  65  in a friction fit. Proximate to hole  120 , there is embedded within surface  10   a , an associated clip  100  to create a ratchet type mechanism (as explained for FIG.  11 ). Also shown in FIG. 12, member  10  has blind hole  121  profiled to snugly receive in a friction fit stem  75 . Proximate to blind hole  121 , there is embedded within surface  10   b , an associated clip  100  to create a ratchet type mechanism. To lock stems  65  or  75  in place, member  10  has on its side, two blind holes profiled to receive U-shaped key  80  in a friction fit, to engage annular channel  66  or  76 , as the case may be, and to prevent the escape of stems  65  or  75  from their respective blind holes  120  or  121 , as shown in FIG.  13 . 
     Tool  5  is made of rigid material (typically metal or plastic). Brushes  20  and  30  are conventionally made and attached to tool  5  as described above. Hinge  50  is conventional. 
     For a ½″ pipe end, the following may be acceptable dimensions for tool  5 . Female brush is about 2.5 cm (1″) high, and the diametrical separation from opposed brush wires (i.e. internal diameter defined) is about 1.25 cm (½″), and the internal diameter of lip  24  is slighter larger than that. Female brush is about 2.5 cm (1″) high. Male brush  30  is about 1.875 cm (¾″) high and has diameter of about 1.56 cm. Lip  33  is about 0.3 cm (⅛″) thick. 
     It will be appreciated that the dimensions given are merely for purposes of illustration and are not limiting in any way. The specific dimensions given may be varied in practising this invention, depending on the specific application. 
     While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in the illustrated embodiments, there will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art, many modifications of structure, arrangements, proportions, the elements, materials and components used in the practice of the invention, and otherwise, which are particularly adapted for specific environments and operational requirements without departing from those principles. The claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace such modifications within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Category: b