Positive lock quick release pin
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsWalter Tsui, J. Steve Mills, James M. Snyder
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A positive lock quick release pin for locking a plurality of objects together includes a handle portion which is in communication with a handle housing. The handle housing has an interior cavity within which a shaft member is disclosed. The pin also includes a ball retention mechanism located in the handle portion that is moveable between a locked position where the mechanism extends outwardly of an opening formed in the handle housing and an unlocked position where the ball mechanism extends no further than the outer edge of the opening. The ball retention mechanism is moved between the locked position and the unlocked position by reciprocation and rotation of the shaft member within the handle housing.
Claims20
A positive lock pin for locking a plurality of objects together, comprising:
- a handle portion;
- a handle housing in communication with said handle portion;
- a shaft member located within said handle housing, said shaft member having at least one recess formed therein;
- and
- at least one ball retention mechanism disposed within said handle housing and in communication with said shaft member, said at least one ball retention mechanism being in communication with an opening formed in said handle housing and being moveable between a locked position where an outermost portion of said at least one ball retention mechanism extends outwardly from said opening and an unlocked position wherein said outermost portion of said at least one ball retention mechanism does not extend outwardly from said opening and a base portion of said at least one ball retention mechanism is received in said at least one recess;
- said at least one ball retention mechanism being moveable between said locked position and said unlocked position by reciprocal movement of said shaft member.
A quick release positive lock pin for locking a plurality of objects together, comprising:
- a handle portion in communication with a generally downwardly extending handle housing;
- a shaft member disposed within a cavity formed in said handle housing;
- a shaft member disposed within a cavity formed in said handle housing;
- and
- a pair of ball retention mechanisms disposed within said handle housing, each of said ball retention mechanisms in communication with a respective opening formed in said handle housing to move between a locked position and an unlocked position by rotational movement of said shaft member.
A method of moving a quick release positive lock pin between a locked position and an unlocked position, comprising:
- providing a handle portion with a handle housing extending generally perpendicular therefrom;
- locating a shaft member within at least said handle housing;
- placing a pair of ball retention mechanisms in said handle housing and in communication with said shaft member;
- and
- moving said shaft member linearly and circumferentially to move said pair of ball retention mechanisms into and out of engagement with an associated opening formed in the handle housing to move the pin between the locked position and the unlocked position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.