U.S. patent number 3,802,538 [Application Number 05/282,001] was granted by the patent office on 1974-04-09 for air flow regulators and noise reduction devices.
Invention is credited to Lowell N. Brown.
United States Patent |
3,802,538 |
Brown |
April 9, 1974 |
AIR FLOW REGULATORS AND NOISE REDUCTION DEVICES
Abstract
The invention comprises an air flow regulating attachment which
may be removably secured to an air tool having conventional air
exhaust means at the end of the barrel thereof, which attachment
defines an exhaust chamber at the end of the barrel and includes a
rotationally adjustable ring which may be selectively set to open
and close any desired number of exhaust parts from the exhaust
chamber.
Inventors: |
Brown; Lowell N. (St. Louis,
MO) |
Family
ID: |
23079664 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/282,001 |
Filed: |
August 18, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
181/230;
173/DIG.2; 415/148 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B25D
17/11 (20130101); F01N 1/165 (20130101); Y10S
173/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B25D
17/00 (20060101); B25D 17/11 (20060101); E21B
3/00 (20060101); F01N 1/16 (20060101); E21B
3/02 (20060101); F01n 003/06 (); E21b 003/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;181/36A,36R,36D,64A,64B,38,46,45 ;137/455,505 ;55/417,418 ;73/230
;123/188,84 ;415/3 ;173/162-163 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Tomsky; Stephen J.
Assistant Examiner: Miska; Vit W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fenlon; Joseph A.
Claims
Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is as follows:
1. An air flow regulating device for use with an air tool having a
barrel and air exhaust means integrally provided in said barrel,
said device comprising
a shell removably secured to said barrel and including an outwardly
presented annular face provided with a plurality of spaced bores,
said shell also including means for defining an inner chamber
between said annular face and the air tool in which the air
exhausted from said tool is collected, said bores providing
external communication from said chamber to said annular face,
a regulator ring removably attached to said shell and including an
annular inwardly extending element which includes an elongated
arcuate slot,
and retaining means integrally provided in said shell and ring for
holding the slot and any preselected number of bores in overlapping
engagement with each other whereby to provide a preselected
effective exhaust aperture from the tool through the device.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the means for defining an inner
chamber includes a sleeve-like element along the inner margin of
said annular face which extends from the face to the tool when the
shell is attached to the tool.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the shell includes an O-ring seat
immediately adjacent to and surrounding the annular face, and the
inwardly extending member of the regulator ring includes a flat
portion which cooperates with the O-ring to hold the shell and
regulator ring in the preselected position with respect to each
other.
4. The device of claim 3 wherein the regulator ring is threadedly
attached to the shell, and there is mounted in the shell a
removable pin which projects through the slot in the regulator ring
and limits the amount of relative rotational movement between the
shell and the regulator ring.
5. An air flow regulating device for use on air tools having a
barrel adapted for receiving an elongated driven shaft and air
exhaust means integrally included in the barrel, said device
comprising a shell removably secured to said barrel and being
integrally provided with means for accepting the shaft from the
barrel in free-moving relationship with respect thereto, collection
means for collecting air exhausted from said barrel between the
barrel and the shell, and port means adjustably secured to the
shell for providing selectively variable exhaust openings from the
collection means externally of the tool, said collection means
including a chamber defined by the barrel of the tool and a
complimentary recess internally of the shell which is in
registration with the barrel of the tool when the shell is secured
to the barrel, said shell being annular and said port means
including a ring rotatably mounted on the shell, said shell also
being provided with a number of spaced apertures providing
communication between the chamber and the ring, and the ring being
slotted to permit preselected overlapping of the slot and any
desired number of apertures as the ring is rotated on the
shell.
6. The device of claim 5 wherein the device also includes stop
means for limiting rotational movement of the ring with respect to
the shell, between predetermined limits.
Description
It is the object of this invention to provide a simple air flow
regulating and noise control device for use with pneumatic
tools.
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an air tool with an attachment
embodying the nature and principles of my invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along lines
2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are views taken along lines 3--3 and 4--4
respectively of FIG. 2;
FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary plan views showing various exhaust
positioning relationships between the attachment shell and the
exhaust control ring.
Referring now in more detail and by reference character to the
drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention,
A designates an Air Flow Regulator and Noise Reducer attached to
the end of a conventional air driven rotary tool B having an
externally threaded outer end 10, a plurality of longitudinally
extending air exhaust ports 12, and a tool retaining center bore 14
adapted for receiving a rotary driven shaft, not shown, or the
like. The device A includes a shell 16 adapted for threaded
engagement with end 10 of the tool B and a regulator ring 18 which
is threadedly attached to the shell 16.
The shell 16 includes a main body portion 20 sized for overlapping
engagement with the end 10 of the tool B, and an outwardly
presented annular face 22 which is provided with a plurality of
spaced bores 24 and a threaded hole 26 adapted for receipt of a
removable pin 28 for purposes presently more fully to appear.
Immediately adjacent the annular face 22 is an axially extending
recess 30 and a second annular shoulder 32 adapted for receipt of
an O-ring 34. Axially rearwardly of the second shoulder 32 is an
externally threaded section 36 adapted for receiving the threads on
the regulator ring 18. Along the inner margins of the face 22 and
extending axially inwardly therefrom is an annular wall 38.
The regulator ring 18 includes a cylindrical sleeve 42 which is
centrally provided with a radially inwardly extending annular
member 44. Centrally located in the annular member 44 is an
elongated arcuate slot 46 and a tool clearance bore 48.
ASSEMBLY AND OPERATION
With the O-ring 34 seated in the recess 30 and in abutment with the
shoulder 32, the regulator ring 18 is threadedly attached to the
shell 16 by turning the ring 18 as far on to the shell 16 as the
threads will permit and then backing off until the slot 46 is in
overlapping disposition with respect to the threaded hole 26. At
this point, the pin 28 is fastened to the shell 16 thereby securing
the ring 18 with respect to the shell 16 in such manner that the
ring 18 may be rotated only the length of the slot 46 with respect
to the shell 16. It can be seen, from examination of FIGS. 5
through 7 inclusive, that this adjustment permits any desired
number of air exhaust outlets from all the bores 24 to none of the
bores 24. The O-ring 34 which is compressed against the inside face
of the member 44 prevents rotational slippage of the ring 18 with
respect to the shell 16.
The assembly A is then attached to the tool B by screwing the shell
16 snugly onto the end 10 of the tool B. In this position, the
outwardly presented face of the end 10 coacts with the inner margin
of the face 22 and the annular wall 38 to define an air exhaust
chamber 40 in which air exhausted from the tool B is collected
under pressure for exhaust through the bores 24 which are not
blocked by the ring 18. It has been found that under all
conditions, the position of the ring 18 may be adjusted with
respect to the shell 16 to regulate both speed and power as well as
noise obtained from the tool B.
It should be understood that changes in the form, construction,
arrangement and combination of the various parts may be made and
substituted for those herein shown without departing from the
nature and principle of my invention.
* * * * *