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US 5,845,357 AGranted
Nozzle cleaning device
AssigneeMotoman, Inc.
InventorChristopher T. Anderson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A nozzle cleaning device is provided comprising a support structure capable of releasably receiving a hollow nozzle body having an inner surface and an open end or terminal edge portion, and a scraper apparatus coupled to the support structure and including at least one scraper finger adapted to move into and out of the nozzle body. The scraper finger has a distal end and a camming surface extending from the distal end to a scraping edge. The camming surface engages the nozzle body terminal edge portion as the scraper finger moves into the nozzle body, and the scraping edge engages the nozzle body inner surface as it moves within the nozzle body so as to remove unwanted material from the nozzle inner surface.
Claims19
A nozzle cleaning device comprising:
- a support structure capable of releasably receiving a hollow nozzle body defining a longitudinal nozzle body axis, said hollow nozzle body having an inner surface and an open end defined by a terminal edge portion of said nozzle body;
- and
- a scraper apparatus coupled to said support structure and including at least one scraper finger adapted to move into and out of said nozzle body along said longitudinal nozzle body axis and flex in the direction of said nozzle body axis, said at least one scraper finger having a distal end, a camming surface, and a scraping edge, wherein
- said camming surface extends from said distal end to said scraping edge,
- said camming surface is arranged to engage said nozzle body terminal edge portion along an engagement path on said camming surface as said at least one scraper finger moves into said nozzle body along said longitudinal nozzle body axis,
- said engagement path terminates at said scraping edge, and wherein
- said scraping edge is positioned to engage said nozzle body inner surface as said scraper apparatus moves within said nozzle body along said longitudinal nozzle body axis so as to remove unwanted material from said nozzle body inner surface.
4 more elements
A nozzle cleaning device comprising:
- a support structure capable of releasably receiving a hollow nozzle body, said hollow nozzle body having an inner surface and an open end defined by a terminal edge portion of said nozzle body;
- and
- a scraper apparatus coupled to said support structure and including at least one scraper finger adapted to move into and out of said nozzle body, said scraper finger having a distal end and a camming surface extending from said distal end to a scraping edge, said camming surface engaging said nozzle body terminal edge portion as said scraper finger moves into said nozzle body, and said scraping edge engaging said nozzle body inner surface as it moves within said nozzle body so as to remove unwanted material from said nozzle inner surface, wherein said nozzle body is positioned along a nozzle cleaning axis and said support structure comprises a nozzle securing mechanism including a nozzle receiver and a nozzle engaging member positioned on opposite sides of said nozzle cleaning axis.
A scraper apparatus adapted to be supported on a support structure comprising:
- a scraper body advancing mechanism adapted to be supported on a support structure;
- a scraper body mounted to said scraper body advancing mechanism, said scraper body having
- a scraper base portion and
- a plurality of scraper fingers extending from said scraper base portion and arranged about a common longitudinal scraper body axis, wherein
- each of said plurality of scraper fingers includes a distal end, a camming surface, and a scraping edge,
- each of said distal ends is positioned along a path offset from said longitudinal scraper body axis by a distal end radius,
- each of said scraping edges is positioned along a path offset from said longitudinal scraper body axis by a scraping edge radius greater than said distal end radius,
- said camming surface extends from said distal end to said scraping edge along an engagement path inclined with respect to said longitudinal scraper body axis and defines a radial camming dimension extending from said distal end radius to said scraping edge radius,
- said nozzle scraper body is arranged to permit said plurality of scraper fingers to flex in the direction of said longitudinal scraper body axis at least as far as said radial camming dimension,
- said plurality of scraper fingers are flexible in the direction of said longitudinal nozzle body axis so as to be forcibly biased away from said longitudinal scraper body axis, and wherein
- said biasing force is great enough to enable said scraping edges to remove weld splatter from a nozzle body surface.
8 more elements
A nozzle scraper body comprising:
- a scraper base portion;
- and
- a plurality of scraper fingers extending from said scraper base portion and arranged about a common longitudinal scraper body axis, wherein
- each of said plurality of scraper fingers include a distal end, a camming surface, and a scraping edge,
- said distal end is positioned along a path offset from said longitudinal scraper body axis by a distal end radius,
- said scraping edge is positioned along a path offset from said longitudinal scraper body axis by a scraping edge radius greater than said distal end radius,
- said camming surface extends from said distal end to said scraping edge along an engagement path inclined with respect to said longitudinal scraper body axis and defines a radial camming dimension extending from said distal end radius to said scraping edge radius,
- said nozzle scraper body is arranged to permit said plurality of scraper fingers to flex in the direction of said longitudinal scraper body axis at least as far as said radial camming dimension,
- said plurality of scraper fingers are flexible in the direction of said longitudinal nozzle body axis so as to be forcibly biased away from said longitudinal scraper body axis, and wherein
- said biasing force is great enough to enable said scraping edges to remove weld splatter from a nozzle body surface.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.