US1519246A - Electric soldering iron - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 1 19240 1,519,246

F. F. FORSHEE ET AL IEILEC'IRIC- SOLDERING IRON Filed Oct. 20, 1921 .ZZZ.

WITNESS St INVENTORS w lj Frank E Forshee and ggyms C. Woodsom Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

UNITE STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

FRANK F. IORSHEE, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, AND JAMES C. WOODSON, OF MANSFIELD,

OHIO, ASSIGNORS T0 WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC PRODUCTS COMPANY, A CORPORA- 'IION OF MICHIGAN ELECTRIC SOLDERING IRON.

Application filed. October 20, 1921. Serial No. 509,065.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK F. FORSHEE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Flint, in the county of Genesee and State of Michigan, and JAMES C. Woonsorr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Soldering Irons, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to electrically heated devicesand particularly to electrically heated soldering irons and it has for one of its objects to provide a quickly removable encased heating element for a soldering iron.

Another object is to provide a contact terminal for a soldering iron which will permithof using a standard contact plug therewit Another object is to provide a handle which may be quickly adjusted to any desired anghlar position relatively to the body of the iron.

In practising our invention, we provide a combined soldering tip and easing within which is located a removable encased heating element comprising a refractory resistor support, a resistor wound thereon, an enclosing metal tube and granular electric-insulating and heat-conducting material surrounding said resistor and its support.

An insulating bushing, on which two contact terminals are mounted, is located in longitudinal alinement with said resistor support and fits within a metal cover member. lhe cover member operatively engages the inner end of the casing and is secured to the inner end of the enclosing metal tube of the heating element. A terminal guard is secured to the cover member. A handle supporting member, substantially of U-form, is secured to theeover member and its ends are provided with a plurality of notches and are maintained in substantially parallel s aced relation by a pin extending theret rough, upon which is loosely mounted a pivot bushing.

A. hollow handle member is located on a rod having threaded ends, the inner end of the rod engaging the pivot bushing and t -e outer end engagin a screw cap. A pawl or clamp, substantial y of iii-shape, is located at the inner end of the handle, its ends being forced into engagement with the notches in the supporting member to hold the handle in any one of a number of predetermined angular positions relatively to the body of the iron and being moved out of said notches by a coil spring when the cap is unscrewed toperniit of moving the handle to another position.

In the single sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, 01": an electric soldering iron embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the electric iron illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical, longitudinal view through the bodyof the iron on the line IHIH of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View through the upper end of the body of the iron taken at right angles to the view illustrated in Fig. 3.

A combined soldering tip and casing 11 comprises a copper tubular portion 12 and a solid outer end suitably shaped to serve as a soldering tip.

A metallic tube 14., having its inner end closed by a disk 15 brazed or welded thereto is located in the casingll. The outer end of the tube 14 extends a short distance beyond the end of the casing 11 and has a metal collar member 16 brazed thereto. The longitudinal dimensions of the tube 14 are such that one side face of the collar 16 operatively engages the end of the casing 11 when the disk 15 is in engagement with, or is immediately adjacent to, thebottom wall of the recess in which it is located. A. hollow spool or mandrel 17, of any suitable refractory material, has a resistor 18 wound thereon, suitable provision being made for bringing the inner end of the resistor back through the hollow spool 17 ,topermit of connecting it to one of two terminal clamps 19 located on a bushing 21 made of any suitable insulating material, the outer end of the resistor being connected to the other terminal clamp. The two terminal clamps screws 22 and to permit of mounting thereon a plurality of suitable longitudinally extending contact terminals 23 which may be provided with integral shoulder ortions 24 and threaded inner ends adapte to extend through apertures 25 in the bushin 21 and engage threaded openings provide in the terminal clamps 19. The space between the outer surface of the spool 17 and the tube 14 is filled with a suitable granular insulating portions 28 which are engaged by outwardly turned flange portions 29 of a guard 31 of substantially the same length as the cou tact terminals 23 to protect the same. As illustrated, theguard member 31 is substantially tubular and oval in lateral cross sec tion to co-operate with and receive a standard terminal plug of substantially oval lateral cross section.

A handle-supporting member 32 comprises a metallicmember, substantially of U-shape, with an enlarged central portion encircling the cap member 27 and havin the outer arcuate ends of each of the two eg portions 33 and 34 provided with a plurality of spaced notches 35. The two portions 33 and 34 are maintained in. substantially parallel.

and spaced-apart relation by means of a pin 36 having upsetor headed ends to maintain it in its operative position in the two members 33 and34. A pivot bushing 37 is mounted on the pin 36 and has a turning movement thereon.

A handle member 38 of any suitable material has a central axial pole 39 extending therethrough within which is placed a metallic tube 41 having a metal washer 42 secured thereto at its outer end and having a metallic clamping member 43, substantiall of U-shape, secured thereto at its inner end? immediately adjacent a metal ferrule 44 located on the inner end of the handle member 38. A rod 45 is located in the tube 41 and has its inner end screw threaded to engage the pivot bushing 37. A spring 46 that surrounds the inner end of the rod presses outwardly against a washer 47 located inside the clamping member 43. The outer end of the rod 45 18 also screw threaded and operatively engages a metal insert 48 located in a handle ca or knob 49. A washer 51 may be locate on the rod 45 between the insert 48 and the washer 42.

If it is assumed that the unitary encased heating element and the handle part hereinbefore described have been assembled and that it is desired tocompletely assemble the soldering iron, the guard member 31 may be placed in its proper operative position in the cap 27, after which the unitary enclosed heating element, hereinbefore described as comprising the tube 14, the collar 16 and the bottom disk 15, the spool 17, the resistor 18, the bushing 21, the terminal clamps 19, the contact terminals 23 and casing 11, may be placed in proper operative position within the cap 27, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The parts are maintained in their proper. positions by a plurality of flat-head screws 52 which project through the cap 27 into the collar member 16. These members may then be placed within the handle support 32 and a plurality of screws 53, projecting through the handle support 32 and through the cap 27 and into the casing 11, at its upper part, serve to maintain these members in proper operative position.

If it is assumed that the handle is in substantially the osition illustrated in the cross sectional vlew thereof in Fig. 1, and it is desired to move it to either of the positions illustrated by the broken lines in Fig. 1, it is only necessary to unscrew the knotor cap 49 on the rod 45, which permits of the spring 46 forcing the handle 38 and the clamping member 43 out of engagement with the notches 35 in the portions 33 and 34, after whichthe handle may be moved to such position, within the limits prescribed by the construction illustrated and described, as may be demanded by the work to be done or b the desire of the operator. It is also possi le to move the handle into a position substantially parallel to the body of the iron and extending away 'from the handle support in substantially the same direction as the body of the iron to permit of shipping the assembled iron in a minimum space.

In case of accidental injury to the heating element or of a burn-out of the resistor, the iron may be quickly and easily dis-assembled to permit of quickly removing the armored or encased heating element and of substituting therefor a new heatin element and again assembling the iron wit a minimum amount of interruption to the work.

The device embodying our invention pro vides an electrically heated soldering iron having a handle which may be placed in any one of a number of predetermined angular positions relatively to the bod of the iron to adapt it to the work being one and also provides an armored or encased heating eleing departing from the spirit and scope there-r of, and I desire that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or are specificallyv set forth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention v 1. lIn-an electrically'heated soldering iron, the combination with a combined casing and soldering tip, of a removable unitary structure comprising resistance wire heating element, a plurality of contact terminals, an insulating bushing for maintaining said terminals in operative spaced relation relatively to each other, a tubular casing for said heating element and a cover for said insulatbushing operatively engaging said casin 2 n an electrically heated soldering iron, the combination with a combined soldering tip and casing, of a removable armored resistance wire heating element comprising a metal tube locatedin said casing, an insulating spool, a resistor wound on said spool and granular electric insulating and heatconducting material inside of said metal tube.

3. In an electrically heated soldering iron, the combination with a combined soldering tip and casing, and a quickly removable armored heating element located in said casing, of an insulating bushing, contact terminals mounted on said bushing, a cover member for said bushing secured to said casing and a contact terminal guard member mounted on said cover.

4. ln an electrically heated soldering iron, the combination with a combined casing and soldering tip, of a removable armored heating element comprising a resistor wire, a terminal member operatively vassociated therewith, a tubular member, closed at one end, located in said combined casing and soldering tip and around said heating element and granular electrical-insulating and heat-conducting -material located between said heating element wand said tubular member.

5. in an electrically heated soldering iron, the combination with a combined soldering the combination with a combined soldering tip and casing, of a removable encased heat ing element located in said casing, terminal clamps associated with said heating element, a cover for said terminal clamps operative'ly secured to said encased heating element, a handle-supporting member surrounding said terminal-clamp cover, and a handle pivot ally mounted on said handle-supporting member.

7; In an electrically heated soldering iron, the combination with a combined soldering tip and casing, of a removable encased heating element located in said casing, terminal clamps associated with said heating element, a cover member for said terminal clamps operatively engaging said encased heating element and said casing, a handle-supporting member encircling said cover member and having a portion forming a ratchet, a handle pivotally mounted on said handlesupporting member and means associated with said handle for co-operating with said ratchet to hold said handle in any. one of a plurality of predetermined positions relatively to said casing.

8. In an electrically heated soldering iron, the combination with a combined soldering tip and casing, a removable armored heating element located in said casing, a terminal member and cover therefor operatively associated with said heating element and easing, of a handle member pivotally mounted on said casing and means associated with said handle for selectively. determining the angular position of said handle relatively to said casing.

in testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 13th day of -Uct.,

FRANK 1F. FOBSHEE. J. C. WOODSON.

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