Tube insertion tool
AssigneePaul Harvey Woodworks, LLC
InventorPaul Campbell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Tube insertion devices are configured to allow a user to manually insert a hollow tube into a receiving bore, e.g., a pen tube into the bore of a blank. In some implementations, the devices include (a) a pair of elongated arms, each arm comprising a gripping portion and an insertion portions, each of the insertion portions terminating in a distal tip, and (b) a connecting portion joining the arms such that the arms pivot about the connecting portion in a plane defined by the arms when the gripping portions are pressed together by a user. Each of the insertion portions preferably includes a relatively wider proximal portion and a relatively narrower distal tube-carrying portion, the change in width between the proximal portion and the distal portion defining a stop surface.
Claims23
A device comprising:
- a pair of elongated arms, each arm having an inner surface, facing the other arm, and an opposite outer surface, and each arm comprising a gripping portion and an insertion portion, each of the insertion portions terminating in a distal tip and comprising a relatively wider proximal portion and a relatively narrower distal tube-carrying portion, the change in width between the proximal portion and the distal portion defining a stop surface disposed on the outer surface of the arm, and
- an arcuate connecting portion joining the arms such that the arms pivot about the connecting portion in a plane defined by the arms when the gripping portions are pressed together by a user,
- wherein the connecting portion is integral with the arms, and comprises a web of resilient material that joins the arms in a manner such that the arms, when in a rest position, are spaced from each other and angled outward such that the insertion portions are spaced further apart than the gripping portions.
A method comprising:
- applying pressure to gripping portions of a tube insertion device comprising:
- (a) a pair of elongated arms, each arm having an inner surface, facing the other arm, and an opposite outer surface, and each arm comprising a gripping portion and an insertion portion, each of the insertion portions terminating in a distal tip and comprising a relatively wider proximal portion and a relatively narrower distal tube-carrying portion, the change in width between the proximal portion and the distal portion defining a stop surface disposed on the outer surface of the arm, and
- (b) a connecting portion joining the arms such that the arms pivot about the connecting portion in a plane defined by the arms, wherein the connecting portion is integral with the arms, and comprises a web of resilient material that joins the arms in a manner such that the arms, when in a rest position, are spaced from each other and angled outward such that the insertion portions are spaced further apart than the gripping portions;
- inserting, into a hollow tube, the insertion portions of the tube insertion device;
- releasing pressure from the gripping portions to allow the insertion portions to move apart within the tube;
- applying adhesive to an outer surface of the tube;
- and
- using the tube insertion device to position the tube in a bore of a blank.
A device comprising:
- a pair of elongated arms, each arm comprising a gripping portion and an insertion portion, each of the insertion portions having an arcuate outer surface and a generally flat inner surface, such that the insertion portions are substantially D shaped in cross-section, and
- an arcuate connecting portion joining the arms such that the arms pivot about the connecting portion in a plane defined by the arms when the gripping portions are pressed together by a user,
- wherein each arm has an inner surface, facing the other arm, and an opposite outer surface, and each arm comprises a stop surface disposed on the outer surface of the arm,
- wherein the connecting portion is integral with the arms, and comprises a web of resilient material that joins the arms in a manner such that the arms, when in a rest position, are spaced from each other and angled outward such that the insertion portions are spaced further apart than the gripping portions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.