Cable Feed Device

Abstract

A cable feed device for facilitating longitudinal movement of a cable into a bore whereby a gripping device is mounted on a pivotal lever for grasping a portion of the cable and easily pulling or pushing the cable in the desired direction. The gripping device comprises a split block member having one portion thereof movable for facilitating alternate gripping and releasing of the cable in order to permit a repetitious pivoting of the device for a substantially continuous pulling or pushing of the cable.

Description

This invention relates to improvements in cable-handling devices and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a cable feed device for facilitating longitudinal movement of the cable through a bore, or the like.

There are many instances wherein a cable is moved longitudinally through a conduit, or the like, and the handling of the cable is frequently difficult. For example, in the cleaning or clearing of clogged sewer lines, it is common practice to force a length of sewer cable longitudinally through the line for cleaning thereof. A cutting tool is normally carried by the outer end of the cable, and upon contact with the obstruction within the sewer line, the cable is normally twisted or rotated about the longitudinal axis thereof for rotating the cutting tool to clear away the obstacle. When the obstruction in the line is encountered it normally becomes difficult to move the cable in a longitudinal direction and manual force is frequently applied to the cable for forcing thereof further into the line. The twisting of the cable usually creates a considerable torque or force in the portion of the cable which is being fed into the line, and when the obstruction is cleared or dislodged, the force in the cable may create a backlash in the free portion of the cable. This backlash is hazardous and has often been known to throw the person handling the cable onto the ground, causing injury to the personnel.

The present invention contemplates a novel cable-feeding device particularly designed and constructed for overcoming the above disadvantages. A clamping or gripping apparatus is carried by a pivotal lever which may be disposed in the proximity of the open end of the line wherein the cable is to be used. The cable portion being fed into the line is inserted or threaded through the clamping apparatus and the end of the cable having the cutting tool thereon may then be directed into the line. The clamping apparatus is manually operated for gripping the outer periphery of the cable, and pivotal movement of the lever and clamping apparatus urges the gripped cable in a longitudinal direction into the sewer. Subsequent to a full arcuate movement of the lever, the clamping device may be released from the gripping engagement with the cable whereby the lever and clamping apparatus may be freely moved along the outer periphery of the cable to a new gripping position. The cable may then be reengaged or gripped by the clamping portion and the pivotal action repeated until the cable operation has been completed.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a novel feed device for facilitating forcing a cable longitudinally through a conduit, or the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel cable-feeding device having gripping means for forcing the cable longitudinally through a conduit in a manner substantially precluding hazards to personnel from torque in the cable.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel cable-feeding device wherein increased force may be applied to the cable for facilitating feeding of the cable through a line.

Other and further objects and advantageous features of the present invention will hereinafter more fully appear in connection with a detailed description of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable-feeding device embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, reference character 10 generally indicates a cable-feeding device comprising a support structure 12 having a clamping apparatus 14 carried thereby. The support structure 12 may be of any suitable type and as shown herein comprises an elongated bar member 16 having a pair of sleeves 18 and 20 rigidly secured to the opposite ends thereof. The sleeves 18 and 20 are preferably substantially parallel with respect to each other and are provided for receiving elongated rods or the like (not shown) therethrough whereby the support structure 12 may be disposed immediately above the opening (not shown) normally provided at the open end of the conduit, sewer line, or the like, wherein the device 10 is to be utilized. The rods disposed through the sleeves 18 and 20 are sufficiently long as to span the opening of the drain line to securely support the apparatus 10 thereabove.

An upstanding support arm 22 is rigidly secured to the sleeve 20 and a cylindrical member 24 having a suitable bearing or brushing sleeve 26 therein is secured to the upper end of the arm 22 for receiving the cable 28 (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1) therethrough for a purpose and in a manner as will be hereinafter set forth, In addition, a similar cylindrical member 30 is secured to the outer periphery of the sleeve 18 in a substantially vertical position for disposition in the proximity of the open area wherein the cable 30 is to be inserted into the drain line (not shown). A suitable bushing or bearing sleeve 32 is disposed within the cylindrical member 30 for receiving the cable 28 therethrough, as will be hereinafter set forth.

The clamping apparatus 14 comprises a lever arm 34 having an apertured flange member 36 provided at one end thereof. The flange 36 is interposed between a pair of upstanding spaced sideplates 38 and 40 provided on the bar 16. The flange 36 is pivotally secured between the plates 38 and 40 in any well known manner for pivoting about the pivot pin 42. Of course, the length of the lever arm 34 may be adjustable, if desired, but it is preferable that the length thereof be complementary to the length of the support arm 22 for purposes of convenience, as will be hereinafter set forth. A gripping device, generally indicated at 44, is provided on the outer or uppermost end of the lever arm 34 for grasping, biting or gripping the outer periphery of the cable 28 during operation of the device 10.

The gripping device 44 comprises a baseplate member 46 secured to the outer or uppermost end of the shaft or lever arm 34 in any suitable manner. A pair of oppositely disposed sideplate members 48 and 50 extend upwardly from the plate 46, as viewed in the drawings. The sideplate 48 is provided with similar apertures 56 and 58 disposed in substantial alignment with the apertures 52 and 54, respectively, for a purpose as will be hereinafter set forth. In addition, a pair of spaced inwardly directed guide flanges 60 and 62 are suitably secured to the left-hand edges of the sideplates 48 and 50, respectively, as viewed in FIG. 1, and a pair of similar guide flanges 64 and 65 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 3) are secured to the right-hand edges of the plates 48 and 50.

A first gripper-block member 66 is disposed on the plate 46 between the sideplates 48 and 50 and is provided with a centrally disposed simicircular recess 68 extending longitudinally throughout the exposed surface portion thereof. The inner periphery of the recess 68 is grooved or threaded as shown at 70 in a manner and for a purpose as will be hereinafter set forth. In addition, a pair of spaced bores 72 and 74 are provided in the block 66 in substantial alignment with a pair of threaded bores 76 and 78, respectively, provided in the plate 46. The bores 72 and 74 are enlarged at 80 and 82 to provide inwardly directed annular shoulders 84 and 86, respectively, for a purpose as will be hereinafter set forth.

A second gripper block 88, generally similar to the block 66, is slidably disposed between the sideplates 48 and 50 immediately above the block 66, as viewed in the drawings, and oppositely disposed with respect thereto. The block 88 is provided with a centrally disposed semicircular recess 90 corresponding to the recess 68 and extending longitudinally throughout the inwardly directed surface of the block 88 in substantial alignment with the recess 68. The inner periphery of the recess 90 is grooved or threaded as shown at 92 and similar to the grooves 70 of the recess 68. In addition, a pair of spaced bores 94 and 96 are provided in the block 88 in substantial alignment with the bores 72 and 74 of the block 66, and the bores 94 and 96 is enlarged at 98 and 100 to provide inwardly directed annular shoulders 102 and 104, respectively, therein.

A stud member 106 having one end thereof threaded at 108 and having a head member 110 at the opposite end thereof is disposed through the aligned bores 94 and 72 and into threaded engagement with the bore 76. The threaded end 108 extends beyond the plate 46 for receiving a suitable locknut 112 for securely retaining the stud 106 in position in the bores 94 and 72. A suitable helical spring 114 is disposed around the stud 106 and between the shoulders 84 and 102 for constantly urging the sliding block 88 upwardly or into normal engagement with the head 110 of the stud. A similar threaded stud 116 is disposed in the aligned bores 96 and 74 and extends beyond the plate 46 for receiving a suitable locknut 118 for retaining the stud 116 in position. A spring 120 is disposed around the stud 116 and between the shoulders 86 and 104 for constantly urging the sliding block 88 in an upward direction as viewed in the drawings, or into a normal position in engagement with the head 122 of the stud 116. It will thus be apparent that the sliding block 88 is yieldably supported in a normal position away from the stationary block 66.

A pin 124 is removably disposed in one pair of aligned bores of the plates 48 and 50, as for example the bores 54 and 58 as shown in FIG. 1. The pin 124 may be removably locked in position in the bores 54 and 58 in any suitable manner, and as shown herein, a spring-urged ball detent 126 is provided in the pin 124 in any well known manner (not shown) for locking the pin 124 in position. A sleeve 128 is disposed between the sideplates 48 and 50 and is journaled on the pin 124 for free rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof. A handle member 130 is rigidly secured to the outer periphery of the sleeve 128 and extends radially outwardly therefrom for facilitating manual rotation of the sleeve 128 about the pin 124. In addition, a pair of spaced radially outwardly extending flanges 132 and 134 are rigidly secured to the outer periphery of the sleeve 128 and extend outwardly therefrom at an angle with respect to the handle 130. A roller or bearing member 136 is interposed between the flanges 132 and 134 and is suitably journaled on a pivot pin 138 extending between the flanges 132 and 134. The roller or bearing 136 is preferably substantially centrally disposed between the sideplates 48 and 50 and is engageable with the exposed or outer surface of the sliding block 88 upon manipulation of the handle 130, as will be hereinafter set forth.

The cable 28 may be of any suitable type, and the cable normally utilized in sewer or drain-line-cleaning operations is constructed in the form of a tightly wound coil which permits bending or a certain amount of flexibility while maintaining a substantially rigid characteristic for use in the drain-cleaning operation. The outer periphery of the cable is thus of a substantially grooved configuration and the grooved or threaded periphery of each of the semicircular recesses 68 and 90 are complementary to the configuration of the cable 28.

When it is desired to clean out a sewer or drain line, the cable 28 is usually stored in a cleaning machine (not shown) and is driven axially or longitudinally outward from the machine for insertion into and movement through the drain line being serviced. The cable-feeding apparatus 10 may be disposed over the opening of the sewer conduit (not shown) with the sleeve 24 being disposed in the proximity of the cleaning machine and the sleeve 30 being disposed in the proximity of the open end of the sewer or drain line. The free end of the cable 28 is inserted through the sleeve 24, through the aligned recesses 68 and 90, through the sleeve 30 as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 for moving the clamping apparatus 44 into the proximity of the sleeve 24. Since the sliding block 88 is retained in a normal position out of engagement with the block 66, the recesses 68 and 90 are spaced apart whereby the clamping apparatus 44 may be quickly and easily moved along the outer periphery of the cable 28. In addition, the pin 124 may be inserted in either the aligned bores 52 and 56, or in the aligned bores 54 and 58, depending upon whether the cable 28 is being forced into the drain line or being pulled out of the drain line. The pin 124 is depicted as inserted through the aligned bores 54 and 58 herein for purposes of illustration, and this is considered to be the most convenient position for operation of the device 10 when pulling the cable 28 from the drain line. When the pin 124 is inserted through the aligned bores 52 and 56, the sleeve 128 is disposed thereon in a reverse position to that depicted in FIG. 1 whereby the roller 136 is oppositely disposed with respect to the sliding block 88. However, it will be apparent that only one pair of aligned bores may be provided in the sideplates 48 and 50, and the handle 130 may be utilized for either pushing or pulling of the cable 28.

With the clamping apparatus 44 disposed in the proximity of the sleeve 24, and assuming the pin 124 is inserted through the aligned bores 52 and 56, the handle 30 may be manually rotated about the pin 124 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1. The rotation of the handle 130 rotates the sleeve 138 for moving the flanges 132 and 134 and the roller 136 in a direction toward the stationary block 66. The roller 136 rides along the outer surface of the sliding block 88, thus forcing the block 88 in a direction toward the stationary block 66. The block 88 will move toward the block 66 until the recess 90 comes into engagement with the outer periphery of the cable 28. Continued rotation of the handle 130 will bring the recess 90 into engagement with the cable 28 with sufficient force to provide a biting engagement therewith, and of course, the complementary configuration of the recesses 68 and 90 with the configuration of the outer periphery of the cable 28 facilitates or enhances the gripping engagement of the blocks 66 and 88 with the cable 28.

The full engagement of the block 88 with the cable 28 substantially precludes any further rotation of the handle 130 about the pin 124, and continued manual force on the handle in the clamping direction will cause the shaft 34 to pivot in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 42. This provides a lever force for quickly and easily moving the gripping cable in a direction toward the sleeve 30, and thus longitudinally through the drain line or conduit. When the lever 34 has been moved through a sufficiently great arc to position in clamping apparatus 44 in the proximity of the sleeve 30, the handle 130 may be rotated in a counterclockwise or reverse direction for releasing the pressure on the block 88. The springs 114 and 120 then move the sliding block 88 in a direction away from the block 66 and cable 28, thus releasing the gripping or biting engagement on the cable 28. The lever 34 may then be easily rotated in a counterclockwise direction for again positioning the clamping apparatus in the proximity of the sleeve 24, whereupon the clamping apparatus 44 may be again clamped on the cable 28 for a second gripping or biting engagement thereof. The operation may be repeated until a sufficient length of the cable 28 has been forced into the line for the cleaning or servicing operation.

Of course, the cable 28 being driven from the cleaning machine is normally twisted about the longitudinal axis of the cable. It will be readily apparent that the cooperating configurations of the outer periphery of the cable 28 and inner periphery of the recesses 68 and 90 permit the cable 28 to move through the clamping apparatus 44 in gripping engagement therewith in a manner of a threaded connection, thus facilitating the entire cable insertion operation.

Subsequent to the completion of the cleaning operation, such as removal of the obstacle in the line, the apparatus 10 may be utilized for facilitating removal of the cable 28 from the line, if desired. The pin 124 may be positioned in the aligned bores 54 and 58, and the sleeve 128 disposed thereon in the manner shown in FIG. 1. The lever 34 may be pivoted about the pin 42 in a direction toward the sleeve 30. The handle 130 may then be pivoted in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in the drawings whereby the roller 136, bearing against the outer surface of the block 88, pushes the block 88 in a direction toward the block 66 for firmly gripping the cable 28 therebetween. Continued force on the handle 130 in the counterclockwise direction will cause the lever arm 34 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction toward the sleeve 24, thus pulling the cable 28 from the line or conduit. When the clamping apparatus 44 approaches the sleeve 24, the gripping engagement with the cable 28 may be released, as hereinbefore set forth, and the clamping apparatus 44 may be returned to a position in the proximity of the sleeve 30 for repeating the operation until the cable 28 has been removed from the conduit or drain line.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel cable-feeding apparatus wherein a cable may be quickly and easily fed into or pulled from a conduit. The novel feed device may be readily moved into a clamping or gripping engagement with the cable, and rotated for pulling or pushing the cable with comparative ease. The clamping apparatus efficiently permits a biting engagement of the outer periphery of the cable, and provides leverage for greatly facilitating the manual movement of the cable in a longitudinal direction. The novel cable-feeding device is simple and efficient in operation and economical and durable in construction.

Whereas the present invention has been described in particular relation to the drawings attached hereto, it should be understood that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A cable feed device comprising support means, cable-receiving and guiding sleeve means carried by the support means, clamping means substantially surrounding the outer periphery of the cable, said clamping means being releasable engageable with the cable and cooperating with the cable-receiving and guiding sleeve means for moving the cable longitudinally therethrough, and means cooperating between the support means and clamping means for facilitating movement of the cable through the cable-receiving and guiding sleeve means, said clamping means including block means for receiving the cable therethrough, and cam means cooperating with the block means for selective engagement of the block means with the outer periphery of the cable for clamping the cable in the block means, and said block means comprising a stationary block member and a movable block member yieldably supported from the stationary block member for movement toward and away from the stationary block, said block members being provided with substantially aligned semicircular recesses for receiving the cable therebetween.

2. A cable feed device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said semicircular recesses is provided with grooved peripheries complementary to the outer periphery of the cable

3. A cable feed device comprising support means, cable-receiving and guiding means carried by the support means, clamping means releasably engageable with the cable and cooperating with the cable-receiving and guiding means for moving the cable longitudinally therethrough, and means cooperating between the support means and clamping means for facilitating movement of the cable through the cable-receiving and guiding means, said clamping means comprising a base member carried by the cooperating means, sideplates extending outwardly from the base member, block means interposed between the sideplates, means carried by the sideplates and engageable with the block means for selective engagement of the block means with the cable for clamping the cable in the block means.

4. A cable feed device as set forth in claim 3 wherein the block means comprises a stationary block member disposed on the base member, a movable block member yieldably supported from the stationary block, said block members being provided with substantially aligned semicircular recesses for receiving the cable therebetween and engaging the outer periphery of the cable in the cable-engaging position of the block means.

5. A cable feed device as set forth in claim 4 wherein the means engageable with the block means comprises a sleeve journaled between the sideplates, handle means carried by the sleeve for rotation of the sleeves, roller means carried by the sleeve and engageable with the movable block member upon rotation of the sleeve in one direction for moving said movable block member in a direction toward said stationary block member for clamping the cable therebetween and for permitting releasing the movable block from engagement with the cable upon rotation of the sleeve in an opposite direction.

6. A cable feed device comprising support means, cable-receiving and guiding means carried by the support means, clamping means releasably engageable with the cable and cooperating with the cable-receiving and guiding means for moving the cable longitudinally therethrough, and means cooperating between the support means and clamping means for facilitating movement of the cable through the cable-receiving and guiding means, said clamping means comprising a baseplate carried by the cooperating means, spaced sideplates carried by the baseplate and extending outwardly therefrom, a stationary block member interposed between the sideplates and disposed on the baseplate, a movable block member interposed between the sideplates, yieldable means supporting the movable block member from the stationary block member to provide a normally disengaged position therebetween, substantially aligned longitudinally extending semicircular recesses provided in each block member for substantially surrounding the cable, a sleeve member journaled between the sideplates and spaced from the movable block member, handle means carried by the sleeve member for rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof, roller means carried by the sleeve and engageable with the movable block in one direction of rotation of the sleeve for moving the movable block in a direction toward the stationary block to clamp the cable therebetween the releasable from the movable block upon rotation of the sleeve in an opposite direction whereby the yieldable means may release the movable block from the clamping position.