Title: Flexible jaw universal vise
Abstract: A vise used for holding and stabilizing a wide variety of work object shapes by means of conformable spring action jaw faces. The jaw faces are designed to be interchangeable to accommodate delicate or heavy-duty work. Dual ratchet mechanisms and a cam-driven piston provide both a quick and convenient method of closure that maintains precise and significant levels of clamping force. If desired, lockout features are included that defeat the spring action of the jaws and allows the vise to act more like a traditional vise. In addition, interchangeable smooth faced jaws allow the vise to function as a traditional vise.
Patent Number: 6,953,188 Issued on 10/11/2005 to Siegel
| Inventors:
|
Siegel; Robert P. (Penfield, NY)
|
| Assignee:
|
Rain Mountain LLC (Rochester, NY)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
637998 |
| Filed:
|
August 8, 2003 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
269/266; 269/254CS |
| Intern'l Class: |
B25B 001/20 |
| Field of Search: |
269/266,166,254.CS
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 626427 | Jun., 1899 | Jones.
| |
| 1499989 | Jul., 1924 | Lehmann.
| |
| 2754708 | Jul., 1956 | Peterson.
| |
| 3427016 | Feb., 1969 | Harris.
| |
| 4187751 | Feb., 1980 | Barnacle.
| |
| 4572564 | Feb., 1986 | Cipolla.
| |
| 4752063 | Jun., 1988 | Nagy.
| |
| 5052092 | Oct., 1991 | Vallauri et al.
| |
| 6032940 | Mar., 2000 | Wolfe.
| |
| 6170813 | Jan., 2001 | Bowers.
| |
| D439487 | Mar., 2001 | Renner.
| |
| 6427995 | Aug., 2002 | Steinwall.
| |
Primary Examiner: Wilson; Lee D.
Claims
1. A vise, comprising:
a base member;
a stationary jaw and a movable jaw projecting upwardly from and slidable on said
base;
a linear ratchet slide mechanism connecting said stationary jaw to said movable
jaw, said linear ratchet slide mechanism being adapted to allow quick movement
of said movable jaw towards said stationary jaw to a point where a work object
is engaged; and
a ratchet cam arrangement wherein said ratchet cam comprises a lever with a cam
which engages a piston within said linear ratchet slide mechanism thereby displacing
said movable jaw towards said fixed jaw.
2. The vise of claim 1, wherein said ratchet cam arrangement includes teeth that
are finer than teeth contained in said linear ratchet slide mechanism.
3. The vise of claim 2, including spring loaded dogs to release the load placed
on the work object by said linear ratchet slide mechanism and said ratchet cam arrangement.
4. The vise of claim 3, wherein each of said jaws contains a jaw face assembly
with an array of spring loaded pins that allow the jaws to grasp work objects of
a wide variety of sizes and shapes.
5. The vise of claim 4, wherein each of said stationary and movable jaws include
spaced upstanding portions.
6. The vise of claim 5, wherein said linear ratchet slide mechanism includes
a ratchet shaft with a slot to allow the movable jaw to incrementally slide relative
to said ratchet shaft.
7. The vise of claim 5, including a U-shaped cover member having a first portion
thereof adapted to be placed between each of said upstanding members of said stationary
and movable jaws to thereby defeat the spring action of said spring loaded pins
and a second portion thereof adapted to be placed over said spring loaded pins
in order to present a smooth traditional vise surface to a work object.
8. The vise of claim 7, wherein said cover member is made of sheet metal.
9. The vise of claim 1, wherein said ratchet cam arrangement includes a cam and
a cam lever, and wherein said cam is oriented in a vertical plane so that a user's
full weight can be applied to said cam lever.
10. The vise of claim 1, wherein said stationary and movable jaws have interchangeable
jaw face assemblies that accommodate multiple shapes of work objects and provide
a broad range of holding forces.
11. Multi-purpose vise, comprising:
a base member;
a stationary jaw and a movable jaw projecting upwardly from and slidable on said
base, said stationary and movable jaws including detachable jaw face assemblies;
a linear ratchet slide mechanism connecting said stationary jaw to said movable
jaw, said linear ratchet slide mechanism being adapted to allow quick movement
of said movable jaw towards said stationary jaw to a point where a work object
is engaged; and
a ratchet cam arrangement wherein said ratchet cam comprises a lever with a cam
which engages a piston within said linear ratchet slide mechanism thereby displacing
said movable jaw towards said fixed jaw.
12. The multi-purpose vise of claim 11, wherein each of said detachable jaw face
assemblies contain an array of spring loaded pins that allow the jaws to grasp
work objects of a wide variety of sizes and shapes.
13. The multi-purpose vise of claim 12, including a U-shaped cover member having
a portion thereof adapted to be placed over said spring loaded pins in order to
defeat the spring action of said spring loaded pins and present a smooth traditional
vise surface to a work object.
14. The multi-purpose vise of claim 11, wherein each of said jaws contain a detachable
smooth face.
15. The multi-purpose vise of claim 11, wherein said ratchet cam arrangement
includes teeth that are finer than teeth contained in said linear ratchet slide mechanism.
16. The multi-purpose vise of claim 11, wherein said ratchet cam arrangement
includes a cam and a cam lever, and wherein said cam is oriented in a vertical
plane so that a user's full weight can be applied to said cam lever.
17. A vise, comprising:
a base member;
a stationary jaw and a movable jaw projecting upwardly from and slidable on said
base, said stationary and movable jaws each of said containing a removable jaw
face assembly with an array of spring loaded pins that allow the jaws to grasp
work objects of a wide variety of sizes and shapes;
a linear ratchet slide mechanism connecting said stationary jaw to said movable
jaw, said linear ratchet slide mechanism being adapted to allow quick movement
of said movable jaw towards said stationary jaw to a point where a work object
is engaged; and
a ratchet cam arrangement wherein said ratchet cam comprises a lever with a cam
which engages a piston within said linear ratchet slide mechanism thereby displacing
said movable jaw towards said fixed jaw.
18. The vise of claim 17, including a U-shaped cover member having a portion
thereof adapted to be placed over said spring loaded pins in order to defeat the
spring action of said spring loaded pins and present a smooth traditional vise
surface to a work object.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates generally to vises and, in particular, to a device that
stabilizes and holds a wide variety of irregular shaped objects by means of conformable
spring action jaws.
2. Background
Woodworking vises and machinist vises are very common and useful tools.
Conventional vises rely on a slow and cumbersome method of closure, a non-ergonomic
cranking action in a plane parallel to the body of the user. Additionally, they
are limited to applications entailing work objects with two parallel sides. Certain
specialized jaws are available, such as, notched jaws for holding pipes, or rubber
jaws, but for the most part, specialized holding jigs must be built in order to
hold irregular objects, which can take considerable time and expense. This device
was invented to address both of those shortfalls, which is to say, providing a
generalized and flexible holding capability, suitable for a wide range of irregular
objects, while providing, a quick and ergonomic method of closure with equivalent
or better mechanical advantage.
A wide variety of specialized holding and clamping devices have been developed
in an attempt to accommodate irregularly shaped objects. Examples of such devices
are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,460,064, 5,806,385, 6,098,507, 6,092,443, and 6,138,534.
While these and other devices represent and improvement in the art of holding irregularly
shaped objects, they suffer from several drawbacks that have prevented widespread
application in the machining arts.
U.S. Pat. No. 626,427 to E. H. Jones, issued Jun. 6, 1899 is directed to a vise
in which an article is placed between two jaws provided with adjustable projections
(or between a single jaw and a plane jaw) and the jaws are moved together, so that
the article displaces the projections opposite to it and their ends bear on the
different portions of its form and hold it up approximately as a mold would do.
The projections are then clamped securely in the projections to which they have
adjusted themselves and the jaw is tightened upon the article by a vise screw.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,499,989 to F. Lehmann, issued Jul. 1, 1924 discloses a vise
for use with machine tools that includes a base plate adapted to be secured to
the sliding carriage of a planing machine, or the like, and having two housings
mounted oppositely on the base plate. The two housings are adapted such that at
least one will slide toward the other and a series of spring controlled clamping
jaws are so arranged in each of the housings that projecting parts of the workpiece
causes part of the jaws to be pressed back into the housings until all of the spring
controlled jaws are in contact with and firmly grip the workpiece on all sides.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,754,708 to C. R. Peterson, issued Jul. 17, 1956 shows a vise
for handling irregular shaped object that includes a base having a stationary jaw
projecting upwardly from one end and a movable jaw slidable on the base. Included
in each of the jaws is a hollow block having facing openings with a plurality of
movable work engaging members slidably carried in the block. A movable pressure
plate in each block adjacent one side wall thereof is clampable against the work
engaging members to lock each of them into work engaging position. Springs are
used to urge each work-engaging member into working position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,063 to Bela Nagy, issued Jun. 21, 1988 is directed to a
vise attachment for use on a vise assembly for holding objects having irregularly
shaped surfaces and includes a small compact housing having a plurality of blade
elements disposed adjacent to each other and slidably mounted within a rectangular
opening on one side of the housing and movable between and extended position and
a retracted position. Each element preferably comprises a plate member having smooth
planar surfaces and a concave curved back edge and stop means disposed on upper
and lower edges for setting a limit for extension of the blade from the housing.
A self-distributing non-resilient medium is positioned within the housing and has
a predetermined volume for filing the housing when the blades are in a retracted
position. A distribution and reset means causes the blades to reposition themselves
to extend fully through the rectangular opening when not holding an object.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,940 to Ingo E. Wolfe, issued Mar. 7, 2000 discloses a universal
vise that has a movable and a fixed jaw that can be indexed at 90° increments
to provide for four separate work clamping surfaces on each jaw. The vise includes
a vise screw driving a nut that drives the movable jaw in each of four indexed
positions of the movable jaw. The indexable jaws permit the vise to be adapted
to hold four different types of work pieces.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. D/439,879 to Reinhard Renner, issued Mar. 27, 2001 discloses
a gripping clamp that utilizes a linear slider bar, a moveable jaw and a fixed
jaw that can be tilted by means of a ratchet cam.
While the above-described vise devices are effective for their intended purpose,
there is nevertheless a continuing need, and a consumer desire, for an improved
vise that opens and closes quickly and easily with a high degree of mechanical
advantage is usable for clamping and holding a wide variety of work object shapes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a Flexi-vise is disclosed comprising a stationary and movable
jaw that can be easily opened and closed primarily with a linear ratchet shaft
and secondarily with a rotary ratchet cam. The jaws are designed, with each jaw
having upstanding portions to accommodate a variety of interchangeable jaw faces
including a jaw face containing an array of spring loaded pins. The spring-loaded
pins enable the vise to grasp objects of widely varying shapes. The vise is designed
to easily accommodate a variety of such jaw faces with differing force-displacement
characteristics, such as, but not limited to light, medium and heavy duty, with
respect to clamping force capability. Various spring-pin excursion lengths can
be used to accommodate more different shapes and different spring rate characteristics.
Additionally, a flat face can be installed to provide a more typical vise configuration.
The linear ratchet slide mechanism that is employed allows the jaws to be brought
quickly to a point where the load is engaged. Teeth on the linear ratchet ensure
that the initial load on a work object is maintained. This initial load can be
released by means of a spring-loaded dog attached to the movable jaw. A ratchet-loading
cam is provided to significantly amplify the final clamping load by incrementally
translating the movable jaw in the load direction. Teeth on this cam are finer
than those on the linear ratchet. This allows the user to precisely set the holding
force on a work object, one click at a time. A spring-loaded dog can be provided
to release the cam load at any time. A spring-action lockout plate can also be
used to defeat the spring action, which causes the vise to behave more like a rigid,
traditional vise. A jaw cover and spring action lockout member is also disclosed
as another means to allow the vise to function like a traditional vise.
These and other features and advantages are described in or apparent from the
following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other features of the exemplary embodiments will be apparent
and easily understood from a further reading of the specification, claims and by
reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to
like elements and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a Flexi-vise apparatus;
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the Flexi-vise of FIG. 1 showing the Flexi-vise
loaded with a work piece of a non-standard shape;
FIG. 3 is a schematic end view of the stationary jaw of the Flexi-vise shown
in FIG. 1 showing the linear ratchet release mechanism;
FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the linear ratchet bar assembly shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the linear ratchet bar assembly shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 6 is a side view detail of the ratchet cam and piston arrangement;
FIG. 7A is a front view of a typical spring-loaded pin array jaw face of the
Flexi-vise of FIG. 1 showing the loading pin ends and the quick-release mounting pins;
FIG. 7B is a side view of the spring-loaded pin array jaw face shown in FIG. 7A.
FIG. 8A is a front view of a flat jaw face of the Flexi-vise of FIG. 1 showing
the quick release mounting pins;
FIG. 8B is a side view of the flat jaw face of FIG. 8.
FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of the Flexi-vise of FIG. 1 showing a standard
vise conversion feature; and
FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the Flexi-vise of FIG. 1 with the flat jaw face
of FIG. 8 installed in each jaw.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
While preferred embodiments will be described hereinafter, it will be understood
that it is not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary,
it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may
be included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
For a general understanding of the features of the exemplary embodiments, reference
is made to the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals have been used
throughout to identify identical elements. FIGS. 1-10 schematically depict various
views illustrating an improved vise incorporating the features of the present invention
therein. It will become evident from the following discussion that the disclosed
vise may be employed in a wide variety of applications for holding irregular objects
and is not specifically limited in its application to the particular apparatus
and method specifically mentioned herein.
Referring now to FIGS. 1-10, various views are shown illustrating the Flexi-vise
10. In FIG. 1, a base
12 supports a pair of opposing, parallel jaws
14 and
16. One jaw
14, is fixed, while the other
16,
is moveable. The jaws are designed to accommodate a variety of quick-release jaw
faces that can be used for a variety applications. In the preferred embodiment,
a removable jaw face assembly
20 containing a dense array of spring loaded-pins
27 is installed. Each pin passes through a compression spring
29
within which it has a loose sliding fit. The pin-spring arrangement passes through
clearance holes in face plate
24 in movable jaw
16 and
26
of stationary jaw
14 and is held there by an end cap
28. Upstanding
extensions
21 and
22 are also provided on jaws
16 and
14
respectively, with clearance holes for the end caps
28. Flexi-vise
10
is opened and closed, by a combination of a linear ratchet mechanism
30
and a ratchet cam mechanism
40. As shown in FIG. 2, as the vise closes,
pins
27 conform around a work object
11, providing an increasingly
secure grasp as first, the movable jaw
16 is pushed toward stationary jaw
14 along the ratchet shaft
31, then, it is further secured by means
of the ratchet cam
41 which displaces the moveable jaw
16, as a cam
lever
42 is depressed. This dual action provides a secure grasp of the work
object
11 by the pins
27 between the jaws.
Each pin
27 is retractable independently from the others, allowing the
work object to imprint its shape into the bed of pins. This will occur on both
jaws. The amount of deflection will depend on the shape of the object, the stiffness
of the springs and the degree to which the jaws are closed.
A variety of jaw face assemblies can be made with various pin and spring combinations
that can extend the range of Flexi-vise
10 to not only multiple shapes,
but also to a broad range of holding force requirements. For example, very light
springs and pins can be used to securely hold delicate objects, for light tasks,
such as, painting, light assembly or adjustment. Heavier holding forces can be
provided using heavier springs and pins for tasks entailing higher loads such as
cutting, drilling, filing or heavy assembly. Medium duty jaw face assemblies can
be used for general assembly work for complex object shapes, such as, the assembly
of wire harnesses. In addition, the tips
25 of the holding pins
27
can be constructed differently for the different applications. Rubber tips might
be used for the light duty version. Hard plastic tips can be used for the medium
duty version and steel tips for the heavy-duty version.
It should be understood that a Flexi-vise
10 with a set of easily interchangeable
jaw face assemblies is contemplated, although a single-purpose Flexi-vise could
also be constructed with any one of the jaw face assemblies described above or
one of a similar nature.
The length of the retractable pins will determine the degree of non-uniformity
of the work object to be held, since as soon as any pin "bottoms out", the vise
can close no further.
The forces on the object will be non-uniform, to the degree that the object is
non-uniform. However, given the large number of pins, the distributed holding forces
on the work object will generally be quite substantial. To the extent that the
work object is non-uniform, pins
27 will provide lateral support only achieved
in an ordinary clamping vise by means of high, and potentially destructive clamping forces.
As shown in FIGS. 1-3, Flexi-vise
10 is also unique by the means provided
for opening and closing the vise. Instead of the traditional threaded shaft that
is generally used to drive a vise closed, a dual ratchet system is employed. The
major advantage of the threaded drive is its mechanical advantage. The disadvantage
is the amount of time it can take to open or close the jaws. The required motion,
which describes a circle parallel to the user's body, is also awkward. The arms
can generate far more power in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the body.
In the dual ratchet system, the main drive is achieved by a linear ratchet mechanism
30 that includes the ratchet shaft
31, which takes the place of the
conventional threaded drive shaft. As shown in FIGS. 1-2, shaft
31, which
has approximately the same diameter as the typical vise screw, has flats on the
sides to prevent rotation, and a series of parallel slots that intersperse a series
of raised surfaces
33 that act as teeth. Teeth
33 have a ratchet
profile, which is to say, a gentle slope in the direction that motion is being
permitted (closing the jaws) and a steep profile in the direction that motion is
being suppressed (opening the jaws). Movable jaw
16 is engaged on this linear
ratchet shaft and moves with the shaft
31 as the entire linear ratchet mechanism
30 is slid forward. A spring-loaded dog
32, shown in FIG. 3 mounted
on fixed jaw
14, is used to engage teeth
33, thus avoiding back slip
as the jaws begin to engage the load. This is necessary, since the spring-loaded
jaws will present a resisting force once the load is engaged. This drive action
is significantly faster than a traditional vise, though it lacks the mechanical
advantage of the traditional screw drive. The ratchet cam mechanism
40 of
the dual ratchet mechanisms includes a rotary ratchet cam
41 that more than
compensates for this. The ratchet cam
41 has a limited throw (typically
less than one inch depending on the specific cam profile). It is intended to be
deployed after the movable jaw
16, riding on the linear ratchet shaft
31
has engaged work piece
11 and it either closes to the final load point,
or, as far as the user is able to push it shut against the resisting force of the
springs
29. However far Flexi-vise
10 is closed at this point, it
will remain closed by virtue of linear ratchet
31, and spring-loaded dog
32 engaging the ratchet teeth
33. Once deployed, the ratchet cam
41, also remains loaded by virtue of the ratchet dog
52 interacting
with ratchet teeth on the inner surface of the ratchet cam mounting plates
51
as shown in FIG.
5.
FIGS. 4-6 show the details of the dual cam system. The movable jaw
16
is pinned to a piston
47 that rides inside ratchet shaft
31 by means
of the drive pin
45. The drive pin
45 passes through a slot
48
in the ratchet shaft rather than a hole. This allows the movable jaw to translate
with respect to the shaft, a distance that is comparable to the linear "throw"
of the ratchet cam
41, and independently of the linear ratchet shaft position,
This is important since it does not disturb that "locked" state achieved by the
linear ratchet mechanism. The ratchet cam
41 sits inside a cutout in linear
ratchet shaft
31. A compression spring
49 maintains a biasing force
against the piston
47.
The ratchet cam
41, can be deployed by manipulating cam lever
42
to increase the loading of the jaws by means of a cam action with a mechanical
advantage, exceeding that of a traditional screw drive. Ratchet cam
41,
which has a finer click-stop ratchet action than the linear ratchet slide
30,
provides for a very precise administration of clamping force.
The ratchet cam mechanism
40 utilizes a rotary ratchet mechanism, to capture
and hold any forward progress made by the user as a clamping force is exerted with
cam lever
42. The ratchet action is produced by the interaction of retractable
ratchet tooth
52 located on one or both of the side faces of ratchet cam
41, and a grooved inner surface of the cam mounting plates
51. The
ratchet cam mechanism
40 is oriented in a vertical plane so that the user
can put body weight into it as cam lever
42 is pressed down. Cam pivot shaft
44 is affixed to the linear ratchet shaft
31 by means of the two
cam mounting plates
51. The cam
41, when rotated, pushes against
the piston
47, which slides inside the ratchet shaft
31. The piston
47 drives the moveable jaw
16 forward by means of the drive pin
45,
which is free to move forward through the slot
48 in the ratchet shaft.
There is also a slot
53 in the piston
47 that retains it and aligns
it to the ratchet shaft
31 by means of the two piston engagement pins
46.
The slot
53 allows it to slide forward in response to the cam
41
action. The cam ratchet release button
43, located under the cam lever
42,
retracts the cam ratchet tooth
52, to allow the ratchet cam
41 to release.
As shown in FIG. 6, The slot
53 in the piston
47 is used to capture
and align it with respect to the ratchet shaft
31.
FIGS. 7A and 7B show the front and side views, respectively, of spring-loaded
jaw face
24. In these views, pins
17 that are used to mount the jaw
face onto moveable jaw
16 can be seen.
FIGS. 8A and 8B show front and side views, respectively, of an optional flat
jaw face
23, which essentially gives this vise the same capability as a
traditional vise.
A hole
13 can be seen in each of the mounting pins
17 of FIGS.
7B
and 8B. These holes accommodate jaw face engagement pins
19 as shown in
FIG. 1, that secure the quick-release jaws while in operation.
An accessory is shown in FIG. 9 for Flexi-vise
10 that can change the
behavior
of the vise, to more in keeping with that of a traditional vise. In FIG. 9, a "U"
shaped jaw face cover
60 made of a material, such as, sheet metal, is shown
inserted between upstanding members
20,
22 and
24,
26
of jaws
16 and
14, respectively, and in front of the pin heads
25.
The jaw cover is located in the slot formed by the back of the spring-pin array
of the jaw face assembly
20 in its unloaded position and the Jaw upstanding
members
21 and
22 that have an array of holes therein which align
with the spring-pin array and are large enough to accommodate the pin end caps
28. These holes allow the spring-pin end caps to pass through under conditions
of ordinary operation. However, the spacing between upstanding members
21,
22,
24 and
26 provides a slot into which the back end of jaw
cover
60 can be placed to provide a spring-action lock-out feature. With
jaw cover
60 in place, the spring pins
27 cannot move, thus providing
a rigid jaw, more like that of a standard vise, as well as, provide a pair of smooth,
parallel faces
61 when placed over upstanding members
24 and
26.
This essentially emulates a traditional vise, allowing this tool, in many cases,
to become a full replacement of a traditional vise.
In FIG. 10, a Flexi-vise configuration is shown utilizing the flat jaw face
23
of FIG.
8A. This is another way of providing behavior equivalent to a traditional
vise jaw. No additional upstanding members are required in this case.
In recapitulation, a Flexi-vise having a unique means of rapidly and conveniently
closing vise jaws to grasp and secure an object that utilizes a linear ratchet
shaft, a secondary securing step utilizing a ratchet cam to provide, a very powerful
clamping action, a flexible system of quick release jaw face assemblies including
one with spring loaded pins, capable of accommodating a variety of application-specific
requirements. The spring-loaded pins enable the vise to grasp objects of widely
varying shapes. The vise can accommodate a variety of jaws with differing force-displacement
characteristics, such as, but not limited to light, medium and heavy duty, with
respect to clamping force capability. Various spring-pin excursion lengths can
also be provided, to accommodate more different shapes and different spring rate
characteristics. Flat face jaws can also be used. A simple arrangement such as
a set of tight fitting pins with a cross-locking engagement pin can be used to
mount the jaws. A linear ratchet slide mechanism is employed that allows the jaws
to be brought quickly to a point where the load is engaged. The ratchet teeth ensure
that the initial load on the object is maintained. This initial load can be released
by means of a spring-loaded dog attached to the movable jaw. A ratchet-loading
cam is provided to significantly amplify the final clamping load. The teeth on
this cam are finer than those on the linear ratchet. This allows the user to precisely
set the holding force on a work object, one click at a time. A spring-loaded dog
is provided to release the cam load at any time. A selectable spring-action lockout
jaw cover feature is included which defeats the spring action, causing the vise
to behave exactly like a traditional vise.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments
outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations
will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments
of the invention as set forth above are intended to be illustrative and not limiting.
Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined herein.
*
