Actuator-type combined angle square

Abstract

An adjustable combination angle square includes a head defining a channel and a longitudinally extending blade positioned for movement within the channel. The vane defines a slot along at least a portion of its length. An actuator arrangement is carried by the head and is configured to releasably secure the blades in place relative to the head. The actuator is movably mounted to the head for movement between an operative position and a release position in response to application of a force in a direction transverse to the blades, which force may be a clamping-type force applied on a pair of actuator members incorporated in the actuator arrangement. The actuator arrangement may include a blade engagement member movably mounted to the head, and an actuator member acts on the blade engagement member to selectively clamp the blade in position relative to the head.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 565,114, filed on March 14, 2024, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0003] Background and Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application relates to construction and layout tools, and more particularly to adjustable squares, typically referred to as combination squares.

[0005] In a typical prior art construction, a combination square includes a head having a channel within which a blade can be longitudinally moved. The blade includes a slot within which the end of a clamping screw is received. The threads of the clamping screw engage with a rotatable knob. Rotation of the knob selectively moves the clamping screw between a clamped position, in which the end of the clamping screw interacts with the slot in the blade to pull the blade against the head within the channel, thereby locking the blade in place, and a released position, in which the clamping force applied by the clamping screw is released to enable the blade to be moved relative to the head within the channel. While this construction provides adequate functionality, rotation of the knob can be cumbersome. Furthermore, the need to rotate the knob can make it difficult for the user to maintain the desired position of the blade relative to the head during the blade clamping operation.

[0006] The present invention provides an alternative, user-friendly method for securing a blade of a combination square in position relative to a head. According to one aspect of the invention, an adjustable combination square includes a head defining a channel; a longitudinally extending blade positioned for longitudinal movement within the channel, wherein the blade defines a slot along at least a portion of its length; and an actuator arrangement carried by the head, the actuator arrangement being configured to releasably secure the longitudinally extending blade in position relative to the head. The actuator arrangement includes an actuator member movably mounted to the head for positioning the actuator arrangement in an operative position or a released position in response to application of a force in a direction transverse to the blade. In the operative position, the actuator arrangement maintains the position of the blade relative to the head, and in the released position, the actuator arrangement enables the blade to move within the channel relative to the head.

[0007] In one embodiment, the actuator arrangement includes a blade engaging member movably mounted to the head, and one or more manually engageable actuator members acting on the blade engaging member and movably mounted to the head for moving the actuator arrangement between an operative position and a release position in response to application of a force in a direction transverse to the blades. The one or more manually engageable actuator members may be in the form of a pair of actuator tabs, a first of the pair of actuator tabs being accessible from a first side of the head, and a second of the pair of actuator tabs being accessible from a second side of the head. The actuator tabs are movable toward each other in a direction transverse to the blades to place the actuator in the release position, and are movable away from each other in a direction transverse to the blades to place the actuator in the operative position. The first actuator tab and the second actuator tab may be movable relative to the head in any suitable manner, such as by sliding or pivoting toward and away from each other. A spring may be interposed between the first actuator tab and the second actuator tab and act on the first actuator tab and the second actuator tab to bias the actuator tabs away from each other.

[0008] The blade may define a longitudinal blade channel, and the blade engaging member may include a blade engaging portion positioned within the blade channel. The blade engaging member may be movable in an up-and-down direction relative to the blade in response to movement of the actuator tab between an operative position and a released position. The blade engaging member and the actuator tab may include cooperating actuator structure that causes the blade engaging member to move up-and-down in response to movement of the actuator tab between the operative position and the released position. The cooperating actuator structure may be in the form of adjacent inclined surfaces on the blade engaging member and on the first and second actuator tabs, wherein the inclined surfaces are configured to provide for up-and-down movement of the blade engaging member in response to movement of the actuator tab between the operative position and the released position.

[0009] The present invention also contemplates a method of operating an adjustable combination square including a head defining a channel and a longitudinally extending blade positioned for longitudinal movement within the channel, the method being substantially as summarized above.

[0010] Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that while indicating certain embodiments of the present invention, the detailed description and specific examples are given by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the invention includes all such modifications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] A clearer concept of the advantages and features of the present invention, as well as of the construction and operation of the typical mechanisms provided by the present invention, will become more apparent by reference to the exemplary and therefore non-limiting embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings and forming a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the several views, and wherein:

[0012] Figure 1 A perspective view of a combination square according to the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A front view of the combination square;

[0014] Figure 3 To show the incorporation Figure 1 and Figure 2 An exploded perspective view of the components of a combination square;

[0015] Figure 4 To show the incorporation Figure 1-Figure 3 An exploded perspective view of components of an actuator subassembly in a modular square;

[0016] Figure 5 To show the incorporation Figure 1-Figure 4 An enlarged exploded perspective view of components of an actuator subassembly in a modular square;

[0017] Figure 6 To show the incorporation Figure 4 A perspective view of the interior of the cover member in the actuator subassembly;

[0018] Figure 7 for Figure 1 and Figure 2 An end view of a combination square;

[0019] Figure 8 For the Figure 2 A cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 shows Figure 4-Figure 6 The actuator subassembly is in a released or inoperative position;

[0020] Figure 9 For the Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 shows Figure 4-Figure 6 The actuator subassembly is in a released or inoperative position;

[0021] Figure 10 For similar Figure 8 A cross-sectional view showing Figure 4-Figure 6 The actuator subassembly is in an engaged or operating position; and

[0022] Figure 11 For similar Figure 9 A cross-sectional view showing Figure 4-Figure 6 The actuator subassembly is in the engaged or operating position.

[0023] In describing the representative embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, specific terminology will be employed for the sake of clarity. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific terminology so selected, and it should be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to achieve a similar purpose. For example, the words "connected," "attached," or similar terms are often used. These are not limited to direct connections, but include connections through other elements, where such connections would be considered equivalent by those skilled in the art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The invention and its various features and advantageous details are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting examples described in detail in the following description.

[0025] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a representative combination square 10 according to the present invention includes a longitudinally extending blade 12 coupled to a head 14 via an actuator arrangement 16, which includes a first actuator tab 18 and a second actuator tab 20. The blade 12 includes a recessed blade channel 22 extending longitudinally along at least a portion of its length. In a typical embodiment, the blade channel 22 extends throughout the entire length of the blade 12. The head 14 includes a body frame 24, and the actuator arrangement 16 includes a first cover member 26 and a second cover member 28 secured to opposite sides of the body frame 24. The cover members 26, 28 have respective openings 30, 32 formed therein, within which the actuator tabs 18, 20 are positioned. In the illustrated embodiment, the cover members 26, 28 are secured to the body frame 24 via mounting screws 33, but it should be understood that any other satisfactory mounting arrangement may be employed.

[0026] The head 14, and more specifically the body frame 24 as shown, defines a first planar edge 34 and a second planar edge 36. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, when the blade 12 is engaged with the head 14, the first edge 34 is oriented at a right angle, i.e., 90°, relative to the longitudinal axis of the blade 12, while the second edge 36 is oriented at a 45° angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the blade 12. In a manner to be explained, the actuator tabs 18, 20 of the actuator arrangement 16 are configured to operate using a clamping or squeezing type motion for selectively locking the blade 12 in a desired position relative to the head 14.

[0027] like Figure 3-Figure 5As shown, the actuator tabs 18, 20 have similar mirrored configurations and include outer surfaces 38, 40, such as the textured outer surfaces shown. When the actuator assembly 16 is assembled, the actuator tabs 18, 20 can be pressed inwardly toward each other, as will be described further below. Furthermore, the actuator tabs 18, 20 have respective inner surfaces 42, 44 provided with respective inclined upper cam surfaces 43, 45, and respective receivers 46, 48 configured to receive the ends of a pair of transverse springs 50 extending between the actuator tabs 18, 20. The springs 50 automatically bias the actuator tabs 18, 20 away from each other until a user presses the actuator tabs 18, 20 together.

[0028] As previously described, the actuator tabs 18, 20 have respective inner surfaces 42, 44. The inner surfaces 42, 44 of the actuator tabs 18, 20 are configured to define stop surfaces for the actuator tabs 18, 20 when the actuator tabs 18, 20 are positioned within the openings 30, 32 of the cover members 26, 28. That is, the main portion of each actuator tab 18, 20 that is positioned within the opening 30, 32 has a shape that closely corresponds to the shape of the opening 30, 32, while the inner surfaces 42, 44 are configured to extend beyond the edges of the openings 30, 32 and abut the inner surface of the cover members 26, 28 adjacent the openings 30, 32 when the actuator tabs 18, 20 are moved outwardly and apart from each other under the influence of the spring 50. Figure 6 This relationship of the inner surfaces 42, 44 relative to the openings 30, 32 is illustrated in FIG.

[0029] refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The actuator arrangement 16 of the combination square 10 includes a blade engagement subassembly 59 comprising a cam member 60 having an inclined side surface 61 and a post 62. In the illustrated embodiment, the post 62 is provided with external threads at its lower end, and the cam member 60 is provided with internal threads adapted to engage the external threads at the lower end of the post 62. However, it should be understood that any satisfactory connection between the cam member 60 and the post 62 may be employed, or alternatively, the cam member 60 and the post 62 may be integrally formed with one another. The post 62 extends through a passage defined by a spring 65, and the lower end of the spring 65 abuts against the upper surface of the cam member 60.

[0030] The post 62 includes an upper extension 63 having a blade engaging tab 64 extending laterally therefrom. In assembly, the blade engaging tab 64 is configured to engage the blade passage 22 when the blade 12 is positioned within a passage 66 defined by the body frame 24. In a known manner, the passage 66 is configured such that the lower portion of the blade 12 and the blade passage 22 are contained within the passage 66 defined by the body frame 24.

[0031] As will be further described, the actuator tabs 18 , 20 and spring 50 enable the actuator arrangement 16 to move between an engaged position, in which the blade 12 is locked in position relative to the head 14 , and a disengaged position, in which the blade 12 is movable relative to the head 14 .

[0032] Will refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 The following describes movement of the combination square 10 toward a disengaged position, in which the blade 12 is movable relative to the head 14. When a user wishes to adjust the position of the blade 12, the user presses the actuator tabs 18, 20 inward toward each other. This movement of the actuator tabs 18, 20 opposes the resilient force of the spring 50, causing the spring 50 to compress. As the actuator tabs 18, 20 move toward each other in this manner, the upper cam surfaces 43, 45 of the actuator tabs 18, 20 engage the inclined side surface 61 of the cam member 60. This inward movement of the actuator tabs 18, 20 thus drives the cam member 60 in an upward direction, causing the post 62 to move upward within the passage defined by the body frame 24. This upward movement of the post 62 causes compression of the spring 65, which is supported between the upper surface of the cam member 60 and the facing support surface defined by the body frame 24. The blade engagement tab 64 is also moved upwardly so that the blade engagement tab 64 disengages the blade 12 from the clamping surface 67 defined by the blade channel 22. Once this occurs, the blade 12 can freely move within the channel 66 relative to the head 14. The body frame 24 is configured to allow a user to receive the head 14 within the user's hand so that the user's thumb engages one of the actuator tabs 18, 20 and one of the opposing fingers can engage the other of the first actuator tab 18 and the second actuator tab 20 in a pinching motion to enable adjustment of the blade 12 relative to the head 14.

[0033] Will refer to Figure 10 and Figure 11The following describes movement of the combination square 10 to the engaged position, in which the blade 12 is locked in place relative to the head 14. When the user wishes to lock the position of the blade 12, the user releases engagement with the actuator tabs 18, 20. When the actuator tabs 18, 20 are released, the spring 50 biases the actuator tabs 18, 20 apart from each other. As a result, the inclined upper cam surfaces 43, 45 of the actuator tabs 18, 20 disengage from the inclined surface 61 of the cam member 60. This allows the post 64 to move fully downward within the passage defined by the body frame 24 under the influence of the spring 65. With the blade engagement tab 64 engaged with the edge of the blade passage 22, the blade 12 is urged downward, causing the lower edge of the blade 12 to rest against the clamping surface 67 defined by the body frame 24. The frictional engagement between the lower edge of the blade 12 and the clamping surface 67 prevents the blade 12 from moving relative to the head 14.

[0034] Although not relevant to the present invention, the main frame 24 of the combination square 10 may optionally include a level 68 within an opening 70 located near the end opposite the blade 12 .

[0035] The blade 12 may be constructed from a single piece of extruded metal, such as aluminum or steel, with a measurement scale (not shown) stamped or printed along the surface of the blade 12. The main frame 24 of the head 14 may be constructed from a single piece of cast and / or milled metal, such as aluminum, steel, or zinc, and the cover members 26, 28 may be constructed from a plastic, such as an injection-molded plastic. Alternatively, the main frame 24 and cover members 26, 28 may be formed together from a single piece of metal or plastic. The actuator tabs 18, 20 may similarly be constructed from a plastic, such as an injection-molded plastic. However, it should be understood that the described components may employ other materials and forming methods.

[0036] Although the best mode contemplated by the inventors of implementing the present invention is disclosed above, the practice of the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be apparent that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the basic inventive concept, various additions, modifications, and rearrangements may be made to the aspects and features of the present invention in addition to the aspects and features described above. The scope of some of these changes is discussed above. The scope of other changes to the described embodiments that fall within the present invention but are not specifically discussed above will become apparent from the appended claims and other appendices. It should also be understood that the present invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or apparent from the text and / or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adjustable combination square, comprising: a head defining a passage; a longitudinally extending blade positioned for longitudinal movement within the channel, wherein the blade defines a slot along at least a portion of its length; as well as an actuator carried by the head, the actuator being configured to releasably secure the longitudinally extending blade in position relative to the head, wherein the actuator is movably mounted to the head for movement between an operative position and a released position in response to application of a force in a direction transverse to the blade, wherein in the operative position the actuator maintains the position of the blade relative to the head, and in the released position the actuator enables movement of the blade within the channel relative to the head.

2. An adjustable combination square according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a blade engaging member movably mounted to the head, and one or more manually engageable actuator members acting on the blade engaging member and movably mounted to the head between the operated position and the released position in response to application of the force in a direction transverse to the blade.

3. The adjustable combination square of claim 2 , wherein the one or more manually engageable actuator members include a pair of actuator tabs, a first of the pair of actuator tabs being accessible from a first side of the head and a second of the pair of actuator tabs being accessible from a second side of the head, wherein the actuator tabs are movable toward each other in a direction transverse to the blade to place the actuator in the released position and movable away from each other in a direction transverse to the blade to place the actuator in the operated position.

4. The adjustable combination square of claim 3, wherein the first actuator tab and the second actuator tab are pivotally mounted to the head.

5. The adjustable combination square according to claim 3, further comprising a spring interposed between the first actuator tab and the second actuator tab and acting on the first actuator tab and the second actuator tab to bias the actuator tabs away from each other.

6. The adjustable combination square of claim 2 , wherein the blade defines a longitudinal blade channel, and wherein the blade engaging member includes a blade engaging portion positioned within the blade channel, wherein the blade engaging member is movable in an up-and-down direction relative to the blade in response to movement of the one or more manually engageable actuator members between the operated position and the released position.

7. The adjustable combination square of claim 6 , wherein the one or more manually engageable actuator members include a pair of actuator tabs, a first of the pair of actuator tabs being accessible from a first side of the head and a second of the pair of actuator tabs being accessible from a second side of the head, wherein the actuator tabs are movable toward each other in a direction transverse to the blade to place the actuator in the released position and movable away from each other in a direction transverse to the blade to place the actuator in the operative position, and wherein the blade engaging member and the first and second actuator tabs include cooperating actuator structures that cause upward and downward movement of the blade engaging member in response to movement of the actuator tabs between the operative and released positions.

8. The adjustable combination square of claim 7 , wherein the first and second actuator tabs are pivotally mounted to the head, and wherein the cooperating actuator structure includes adjacent inclined surfaces on the blade engaging member and on the first and second actuator tabs, wherein the inclined surfaces are operable to provide upward and downward movement of the blade engaging member in response to movement of the actuator tabs between the operated position and the released position.

9. An adjustable combination square, comprising: a head defining a passage; a longitudinally extending blade positioned for longitudinal movement within the channel, wherein the blade defines a slot along at least a portion of its length; as well as an actuator carried by the head, the actuator being configured to releasably secure the longitudinally extending blade in position relative to the head, wherein the actuator includes a blade retainer arrangement and a pair of actuator tabs movably mounted to the head, wherein the actuator tabs are manually movable toward each other to a release position in which the blade retainer arrangement enables the blade to move within the channel relative to the head, and movable away from each other to an operative position in which the blade retainer arrangement maintains the blade in the position relative to the head.

10. The adjustable combination square of claim 9, wherein said first of said actuator tabs is accessible from a first side of said head and a second of said actuator tabs is accessible from a second side of said head.

11. The adjustable combination square of claim 10, wherein the first actuator tab and the second actuator tab are pivotally mounted to the head.

12. The adjustable combination square of claim 10 , further comprising a spring interposed between and acting on the first actuator tab and the second actuator tab, wherein the spring is operable to bias the actuator tabs away from each other to the operative position.

13. The adjustable combination square of claim 10 , wherein the blade defines a longitudinal blade channel, and wherein the blade retainer arrangement includes a blade engaging portion positioned within the channel defined by the blade, wherein the blade retainer arrangement is movable in an up-and-down direction relative to the blade in response to movement of the actuator tab between the operated position and the released position.

14. The adjustable combination square of claim 13, wherein the blade holder arrangement and the first and second actuator tabs include cooperating actuator structures that cause upward and downward movement of the blade holder arrangement in response to movement of the actuator tabs between the operated position and the released position.

15. The adjustable combination square of claim 14 , wherein the first and second actuator tabs are pivotally mounted to the head, and wherein the cooperating actuator structure includes adjacent inclined surfaces on the blade holder arrangement and on the first and second actuator tabs, wherein the inclined surfaces are operable to provide for upward and downward movement of the blade holder arrangement in response to movement of the actuator tabs between the operated and released positions.

16. A method of operating an adjustable combination square, wherein the combination square includes a head defining a channel and a longitudinally extending blade positioned for longitudinal movement within the channel, the method comprising selectively locking the blade in position relative to the head by operation of an actuator carried by the head, wherein the actuator is movably mounted to the head for movement between an operative position and a released position in response to application of a force in a direction transverse to the blade, wherein in the operative position the actuator maintains the position of the blade relative to the head, and in the released position the actuator enables movement of the blade within the channel relative to the head.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the actuator includes a blade engaging member movably mounted to the head, and one or more manually engageable actuator members, which act on the blade engaging member and are movably mounted to the head between the operating position and the release position in response to applying the force in a direction transverse to the blade.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the one or more manually engageable actuator members include a pair of actuator tabs, a first of the pair of actuator tabs being accessible from a first side of the head and a second of the pair of actuator tabs being accessible from a second side of the head, wherein selectively locking the blade in position relative to the head is performed by moving the actuator tabs toward each other in a direction transverse to the blade to place the actuator in the released position, and moving the actuator tabs away from each other in a direction transverse to the blade to place the actuator in the operated position.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the action of moving the actuator tabs away from each other is performed via a spring interposed between and acting on the first actuator tab and the second actuator tab to bias the actuator tabs away from each other.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the engagement member includes a blade engagement portion positioned within a channel defined by the blade, wherein the blade engagement member is movable in an up-and-down direction relative to the blade in response to movement of the one or more manually engageable actuator members between the operative position and the release position.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the one or more manually engageable actuator members include a pair of actuator tabs, a first of the pair of actuator tabs being accessible from a first side of the head and a second of the pair of actuator tabs being accessible from a second side of the head, wherein the actuator tabs are movable toward each other in a direction transverse to the blade to place the actuator in the release position and movable away from each other in a direction transverse to the blade to place the actuator in the operative position, and wherein the blade engaging member and the first and second actuator tabs include cooperating actuator structures that cause up and down movement of the blade engaging member in response to movement of the actuator tabs between the operative position and the release position, wherein the cooperating actuator structures include adjacent inclined surfaces on the blade engaging member and on the first and second actuator tabs, wherein the inclined surfaces are operable to provide up and down movement of the blade engaging member in response to movement of the actuator tabs between the operative position and the release position.

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