US 4,495,690 AGranted

O-ring placement tool

OwnerLawrence N. McNealinventor

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Abstract

A tool is provided for seating "O" rings in flanged pipe. An "O" ring positioning plate is held between two parallel facing plates. A flexible "O" ring support band is mounted in the tool and holds the "O" ring tightly against an arcuate cut in the lower surface of the "O" ring positioning plate. A support member is included to support the tool on the pipe's flange.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A tool for positioning an "O" ring in the "O" ring seating groove cut into the face of a section of flanged pipe or the like comprising in combination:

(a) a thin, flat "O" ring positioning plate, the thickness of said plate being less than the cross-sectional diameter of the annulus of the "O" ring to be positioned by said tool, said plate having;
(i) an upper section of generally rectangular cross-section which has a plurality of holes therein,
(ii) a lower section which;
(a) is integral with said upper section,
(b) has complementary side walls which flare outwardly from the side walls of the upper plate to define a depending skirt,
(c) has a complementary pair of guide members attached to lower sections of the skirt of (a) (ii)
(b) above and which define channels between said guide members and the walls of said skirt, and
(d) has an arcuate lower face adapted to snuggly fit onto an "O" ring to be seated by said tool,
(b) a pair of flat parallel facing plates to grasp and hold therebetween the upper section of said "O" ring positioning plate, said facing plates being wider than the upper section of the "O" ring positioning plate, each of said facing plates having;
(i) a plurality of holes aligned with the holes provided in the upper section of the "O" positioning plate, and
(ii) an additional plurality of aligned holes positioned in the outer sections of said facing plates and beyond the area to be covered by the "O" ring support plate,
(c) a plurality of bolts or like fastening means passing through the holes in said facing plates and said "O" ring positioning plate to hold said plates in fixed parallel relationship,
(d) a length of a flexible "O" ring support band having fastening means on its ends so that the length of the band in the tool can be varied, said band being of a width less than the cross-sectional diameter of said "O" ring and adapted to;
(i) pass through the channels defined by the outer walls of the "O" ring positioning plate, the parallel facing plates and at least one of the bolts of (b) (ii) above,
(ii) pass through the channels defined by the guide members of (a) (ii) (c),
(iii) define a generally circular loop depending from the lower section of the "O" ring positioning plate, and
(e) a support member to hold said facing plates and said "O" ring positioning plate in a fixed plane and to support the tool on a flange.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A tool for positioning an "O" ring in the "O" ring seating groove cut into the face of a section of flanged pipe or the like comprising in combination:

(a) a thin, flat "O" ring positioning plate, the thickness of said plate being less than the cross-sectional diameter of the annulus of the "O" ring to be positioned by said tool, said plate having;
(i) an upper section of generally rectangular cross-section which has a plurality of holes therein,
(ii) a lower section which;
(a) is integral with said upper section,
(b) has complementary side walls which flare outwardly from the side walls of the upper plate to define a depending skirt,
(c) has a complementary pair of guide members attached to lower sections of the skirt of (a) (ii)
(b) above and which define channels between said guide members and the walls of said skirt, and
(d) has an arcuate lower face adapted to snuggly fit onto an "O" ring to be seated by said tool,
(b) a pair of flat parallel facing plates to grasp and hold therebetween the upper section of said "O" ring positioning plate, said facing plates being wider than the upper section of the "O" ring positioning plate, each of said facing plates having;
(i) a plurality of holes aligned with the holes provided in the upper section of the "O" positioning plate, and
(ii) an additional plurality of aligned holes positioned in the outer sections of said facing plates and beyond the area to be covered by the "O" ring support plate,
(c) a plurality of bolts or like fastening means passing through the holes in said facing plates and said "O" ring positioning plate to hold said plates in fixed parallel relationship,
(d) a length of a flexible "O" ring support band having fastening means on its ends so that the length of the band in the tool can be varied, said band being of a width less than the cross-sectional diameter of said "O" ring and adapted to;
(i) pass through the channels defined by the outer walls of the "O" ring positioning plate, the parallel facing plates and at least one of the bolts of (b) (ii) above,
(ii) pass through the channels defined by the guide members of (a) (ii) (c),
(iii) define a generally circular loop depending from the lower section of the "O" ring positioning plate, and
(e) a support member to hold said facing plates and said "O" ring positioning plate in a fixed plane and to support the tool on a flange.

14 more elements