Positive lock pin
First Claim
1. A positive lock pin for locking a plurality of objects together, comprising:
- an upper housing;
a handle housing in communication with said upper housing;
a shaft member located within said handle housing and having a groove slot formed in an upper surface portion thereof to effectuate rotation of said shaft member by engagement of a tool in the slot, said shaft member having at least one recess formed therein;
at least one ball retention mechanism disposed within said handle housing adjacent an opening formed in said handle housing, said at least one ball retention mechanism being moveable between a locked position where an outermost point thereof extends outwardly from said opening and an unlocked position wherein said outermost point does not extend outwardly from said opening and a base portion of said at least one ball retention mechanism is received in said at least one recess;
said at least one ball retention mechanism being moveable between said locked position and said unlocked position by rotational or reciprocal movement of said shaft member; and
a pair of indicator slots formed in a top surface of said upper housing that are alignable with said groove slot to allow visual inspection of the position of the pin through an open top of said upper housing.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A positive lock pin for locking a plurality of objects together includes an upper housing in communication with a handle housing. The handle housing has a shaft member located therein. The shaft member is rotatable with respect to the handle housing and has a slot formed in an upper portion thereof. The shaft member also has a pair of recesses formed therein. The shaft member is in communication with a pair of retention mechanisms disposed within the handle housing. Each of the pair or retention mechanisms is in communication with a respective opening formed in the handle housing. The pair of retention mechanisms are moveable between a locked position where an outermost point thereof extends outwardly from a respective opening and an unlocked position wherein the outermost point does not extend outwardly from the respective opening and a respective retention mechanism rests in one of the recesses. The movement of the retention mechanisms occurs upon rotation of the slot and the shaft member.
48 Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A positive lock pin for locking a plurality of objects together, comprising:
-
an upper housing;
a handle housing in communication with said upper housing;
a shaft member located within said handle housing and having a groove slot formed in an upper surface portion thereof to effectuate rotation of said shaft member by engagement of a tool in the slot, said shaft member having at least one recess formed therein;
at least one ball retention mechanism disposed within said handle housing adjacent an opening formed in said handle housing, said at least one ball retention mechanism being moveable between a locked position where an outermost point thereof extends outwardly from said opening and an unlocked position wherein said outermost point does not extend outwardly from said opening and a base portion of said at least one ball retention mechanism is received in said at least one recess;
said at least one ball retention mechanism being moveable between said locked position and said unlocked position by rotational or reciprocal movement of said shaft member; and
a pair of indicator slots formed in a top surface of said upper housing that are alignable with said groove slot to allow visual inspection of the position of the pin through an open top of said upper housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. A positive lock pin for locking a plurality of objects together, comprising:
-
an upper housing having a retaining groove;
a handle housing secured to said upper housing and extending longitudinally therefrom;
a shaft member disposed within at least one of said handle housing or said upper housing and having a positioning pin secured thereto, said shaft member having a groove slot formed in an upper surface portion thereof;
a pair of indicator slots formed in a top surface of said upper housing that are alignable with said groove slot to allow visual inspection of the position of the positive lock pin through said top surface;
a pair of retention mechanisms disposed within said handle housing, each of said retention mechanisms in communication with a respective opening formed in said handle housing; and
whereby the positive lock pin is moveable between a locked position where said positioning pin is disposed in said retaining groove and said pair of retention mechanisms have a portion that extends outwardly of said respective opening and an unlocked position where said positioning pin is disengaged from said retaining groove and said pair of retention mechanisms do not have a portion that extends outwardly of said respective opening. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A method of moving a lock pin between a locked position and an unlocked position, comprising:
-
providing an upper housing portion with an open top;
securing a handle housing to said upper housing portion;
locating a shaft member within said handle housing such that a top surface thereof is accessible from said open top, said top surface having a groove slot;
providing a pair of ball retention mechanisms in communication with said shaft member;
providing a pair of visual indicators on said upper housing portion to allow visual inspection through said open top of said upper housing to determine whether the lock pin is in a locked or an unlocked position;
securing a positioning pin to said shaft member; and
receiving said positioning pin in a retaining groove when the lock pin is in the locked position. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
-
Specification