Internal thread chase
AssigneeSnap-on Incorporated
InventorsKyle M. Neubauer, William T. Sharp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a thread chase or tap capable of being inserted past damaged threads of a female threaded coupling and then rotated back to repair the damaged threads. The thread chase can be selectively expanded to engage chase blocks having cutting teeth against threads. Thereafter, a user can rotate the thread chase in a direction sufficient to cause the thread chase to move axially out of the female threaded coupling. Upon doing so, the chase blocks can be pushed outwardly and engage undamaged threads, and rotated so as to move upward and repair damaged threads.
Claims7
A tool for repairing or recutting threads of a female threaded component comprising:
- a drive having a shaft and an input, the shaft having a drive cross-section;
- a cage having a body and an opening with a cross-section complementary to the cross-section of the drive, the body further including a slot extending radially from the opening so as to communicate the opening with an external periphery of the cage;
- a chase block having cutting teeth adapted to engage the threads of the female component, the chase block further configured to be moved outwardly through the slot when the drive is moved longitudinally into the opening.
A method of chasing threads of a female threaded coupling comprising:
- providing a thread chase having a drive with a shaft and an input, the shaft having a drive cross-section, a cage having a body and an opening with a cross-section complementary to the cross-section of the drive, and a slot extending radially from the opening so as to communicate the opening with an external periphery of the cage, and a chase block having cutting teeth adapted to engage the threads;
- inserting the cage into female threaded coupling;
- inserting the drive through the opening, thereby causing the chase block to move radially outward within the slot to cause the cutting teeth to engage the threads of the female threaded coupling;
- rotating the tool within the threads in a rotational direction that causes the thread chase to move axially outward from the female threaded coupling;
- and
- continuing to rotate the thread chase so as to chase the threads of the female threaded coupling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.