US3323161A

US3323161A - Piston groove cleaner

Info

Publication number: US3323161A
Application number: US484863A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kyser Smith
Original assignee: AIRCRAFT SPECIALTIES Inc
Current assignee: AIRCRAFT SPECIALTIES Inc
Priority date: 1965-09-03
Filing date: 1965-09-03
Publication date: 1967-06-06
Anticipated expiration: 1984-06-06

Description

June 6, 1967 s. KYSER 3,323,161

PISTON GROOVE CLEANER Filed Sept. 3, 1965 Z; Sheets-Sheet 5 F/GI/ INVENTOR. SM/TH K7557? ATTORNEYS.

June 6,1967 s. KYSER 3,323,161

PISTON GROOVE CLEANER Filed Sept. 5, 1965 5 sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

PI STON GROOVE CLEANER Filed Sept. {5, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 /0 2/4 7 l6" 4 244 v a ma 7a INVENTOR.

SMITH KVSER ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,323,161 PISTON GROOVE CLEANER Smith Kyser, lonia County, Mich., assignor to Aircraft Specialties, Inc, Lapeer, Micln, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 484,863 12 Claims. (Cl. 15-40401) This invention relates to a piston groove cleaner, and more particularly, to a device for cleaning the grooves of pistons on internal combustion engines.

There are numerous devices now in use for cleaning the grooves of pistons. However, these devices possess a number of shortcomings. One of these shortcomings is that it is necessary to engage the piston groove with guide means while the groove is also engaged by the cleaning tool. These guide means have a tendency to cause flaring of the side walls in the groove.

Another shortcoming of present piston groove cleaners is that they are only adapted to cover a very narrow range of diameters of pistons. Thus, it is necessary to supply a series of piston groove cleaners in order to insure that a wide range of piston diameters can be cleaned. Additionally, the cutting or cleaning tools of the present piston groove cleaners are permanently secured in place. In many cases it is necessary to supply a separate piston groove cleaner for every width of piston groove.

The piston groove cleaner of this invention overcomes all of the aforementioned problems of the prior art piston groove cleaners.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel piston groove cleaner.

It is another object of this invention to provide a piston groove cleaner which requires only the engagement of the cleaning tool within the piston groove.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a piston groove cleaner which is adapted to be used on a large range of diameters of pistons.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a piston groove cleaner with removable tools which can be used for accommodating all known widths of piston grooves.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a piston groove cleaner with a lever which is adapted to quickly release the cleaning tool from a piston and quickly secure the tool in another piston or in another groove of the same piston.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a piston groove cleaner which includes a tension band which is finely adjustable for accommodating various diameters of pistons.

These and other objects of this invention are accomplished by providing a piston groove cleaner comprising a handle, a cleaning tool secured to said handle, a tension band associated with said handle and adapted to secure a piston against said cleaning tool, means for adjusting the tension on said band, and lever means for quickly releasing the tension on said band.

ther objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the piston groove cleaner of this invention, with a piston shown in phantom;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and showing the engagement of the cleaning tool within the piston groove;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

3,323,161 Patented June 6, 1967 FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the ratchet mechanism of the piston groove cleaner of this invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the releasing lever of the piston groove cleaner of this invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional View taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention showing the engagement of the cleaning tool with the piston shown in phantom;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the handle, the ratchet mechanism, and the releasing lever of the alternate embodiment of the invention with portions in horizontal section for clarity of detail;

FIG. 9 is anenlarged sectional view taken along the line 99 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 1tl10 of FIG. 8.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, a piston groove cleaner embodying the present invention is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. Device 10 basically comprises a handle 12, a releasing lever 14, a tension band 16, and a ratchet mechanism 18.

As best seen in FIG. 2, handle 12 is basically U-shaped and includes parallel legs 20 and an integral bridging section 22 lowermost. The open ends of legs 20 include integral divergent walls 24 which extend outwardly at approximately 45 angles to legs 20. A saddle 26 is secured to walls 24 by rivets 28. As seen in FIG. 2, saddle 26 is counterbored to have the heads of the rivets flush with the balance of the outer surface of the saddle. As seen in FIG. 3, saddle 26 includes a central opening 30 which extends downwardly from the top thereof. As will be explained hereinafter, opening 30 is provided to permit the insertion of a cleaning tool through the saddle. Referring again to FIG. 2 it is seen that saddle 26 is basically V- shaped with a rounded vertex and has rounded ends 32 which project toward handle 12.

Handle 12 further includes a tool holder 34 mounted therein. Tool holder 34 is also basically U-shaped and includes parallel legs 36 and a bridging section 38 lowermost. One of the legs 36 includes an inclined flange 46 at the end thereof. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 6, flange 40 includes a pair of spaced inwardly projecting fingers 42. Fingers 42 extend perpendicularly to flange 40, and in addition, are inclined at 45 angles and are in planes which are perpendicular to each other. A cutting or cleanin g tool 44 is secured to flange 46 by bolt 46 and associated thumb nut 48. Bolt 46 passes through a hole in flange 40 and is secured in place by a pressed fit. Thumb nut 48 includes a boss 50 (FIG. 2) which bears against lateral face 51 of cutting tool 44.

As seen in FIG. 6, cutting tool 44 includes a U-shaped yoke 52 having inclined, forward walls 54. When secured against flange 4t], walls 54 abut fingers 42. An elongated cutting element 56 is integral with yoke 52 and projects perpendicularly from the front thereof. Cutting element 56 is rectangular in cross section, as seen in FIG. 3.

Cutting tool 44 is secured in place by first loosening thumb nut 48 on bolt 46. Thereafter, the cutting tool is placed in the position shown in FIG. 6. Thumb nut 48 is tightened in order to maintain the secure'ment of the cutting tool. It is thus seen that cutting tool 44 is prevented from moving longitudinally by bolt 46 and fingers 42. It is prevented from moving laterally by the abutment of boss 50 of thumb nut 48 against its lateral face 51. Additionally, the tightening of the thumb out would insure against any longitudinal movement if the tolerances between the bolt 46, fingers 42 and yoke 52 are not exact.

As seen in FIG. 2, legs 36 are provided with a pair of aligned holes 58. A pin 60 having a threaded end 62 "ice passes through aligned holes 58. A sleeve 64 is telescoped over pin 60 and abuts the interior surfaces of legs 36. A pair of aligned slots 66 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is formed in legs 20. Pin 60 is longitudinally slidable in slots 66. The head 68 of pin 60 is of a sufiiciently large diameter to prevent its passing through slots 66. A thumb nut 70 having a boss 72 and an associated washer 74 is secured on the threaded end 62 of pin 60. Washer 74 is also of a sufficiently large diameter to prevent its passing through slots 66.

A bolt 76 is rotatably mounted in bridging section 22 of handle 12 and is threadedly secured in bridging section 38 of tool holder 34. The head 78 of bolt 76 comprises a thumb nut and includes an associated boss 80. Bolt 76 is rotatably mounted in bridging section 22 by providing a reduced diameter portion 81 which is unthreaded. In assembly, the threaded portion of :bolt 76 includes a central bore. The combination of nut 78, boss 80 and reduced portion 81 is first passed through a hole in bridging section 22 and secured in the hollow bore of threaded portion 76 by a pressed fit. The abutment of boss 80 and the lower edge of threaded section 76 against bridging section 22 maintains the bolt in place. The threads on bridging section 38 are complementary to threads 76.

Adjustment ratchet assembly 18 is best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. This assembly includes a U-shaped bracket 82 having a top face 84, a bottom face 86 and an integral bridging section forming a rear face 88 (FIGS. 3 and 4). Bridging section 88 is sandwiched between one wall 24 and saddle 26 and secured in place by rivets 28 (FIG. 2). A hollow tube 90 passes transversely through top and bottom faces 84 and 86 respectively and is rotatably mounted in said faces. As seen in FIG. 3, tube 90 projects through the bottom of face 86 and is secured in place by a collar 92 which is maintained in an annular groove on the exterior surface of tube 90. Collar 92 is made of spring steel and is split at one end in order that it can be forced over the tube and be engaged in the annular groove formed adjacent the end of the tube. This collar has an outer diameter which is larger than the opening through which tube 90 passes.

The tension band 16 is wound as a coil around tube 90 and is maintained between the

faces

84 and 86. Washers 94 space the tension band 16 from

faces

84 and 86. Tension band 16 is secured to the tube by rivet 96 (FIG. 2). A tension clip 98 (FIG. 2) passes around the round coil of tension band 16. Tension clip 98 is unitary and includes a U-shaped end 100 and arcuately disposed walls. The U-shaped end is telescoped over a pin 102 which passes through upper and lower faces 84 and 86. The lower end of pin 102 is secured in place by a collar similar to collar 92 which is maintained in an annular groove adjacent the end of pin 102. The upper end of the pin is maintained in place by enlarged head 104. Tension clip 98 has sufficient resiliency to expand or contract as the coil of tension band 16 increases and decreases when it is wound around tube 90. Without clip 98, the rotation of the ratchet assembly in a counterclockwise direction would cause only an unravelling of the coil. That is, instead of the band 16 being made larger, the diameter of the coil of the tension band within the ratchet would increase thereby taking up the extra length of band. The tension clip 98 prevents this occurrence by keeping the coil tightly wrapped.

A ratchet wheel 106 is secured on the top of tube 90 by -a pressed fit. As seen in FIG. 3, the ratchet wheel abuts the top of plate 84 and in combination with collar 92 restrains transverse movement of tube 90 with respect to faces 84 and 86, thereby maintaining tube 90 in place. Ratchet wheel 106 includes ratchet teeth 108 along the entire outer circumference thereof. For the purpose of clarity, only a portion of the ratchet teeth has been shown in FIG. 4.

A pawl 110 is pivotably mounted on the top face 84 by pin 102 and is held in place by enlarged head 104 of the pin. Pawl includes a lever arm 112. Pawl 110 is maintained in locking engagement with ratchet teeth 108 (FIG. 4) by means of spring 114. Spring 114 includes a central portion 116 which is telescoped over pin 102 and positioned against the underside of plate 84. Spring 114 further includes a first arm 118 having a loop 120 which is hooked over the edge of plate 84. Spring 114 further includes a second arm 122 which has a loop 124 which is hooked over pawl 110. The normal tendency of the spring is for arms 118 and 122 to diverge. Therefore, in the position shown in FIG. 4, the spring urges pawl 110 into ratchet teeth 108.

The top of tube 90' is provided with a transverse groove 126. The purpose of this groove is to receive a winding key 128 (FIG. 1). Key 128 includes a T-shaped end 130. It is thus seen in FIG. 1 that the leg of T 130 will pass into the center of tube 90 and the arms of the T will be received in slot 126. Rotation of the key in a clockwise direction will tighten the tension band 16. Rotation of the key in a counterclockwise direction is prevented by pawl 110 and ratchet 106 unless they are disengaged.

The releasable lever assembly 14 is best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. This assembly includes a U-shaped bracket 132 having a top plate 134, a bottom plate- 136 and an integral bridging section 138 (FIG. 2). As seen in FIG. 2, bridging section 138 is sandwiched between wall 24 of handle 12 and saddle 26, and is secured in place by rivets 28. A lever arm 140 is pivotally secured to bracket 132 by pin 142 having an enlarged head 144 (FIG. 1). The other end of pin 142 is secured in place by a spring collar 143 engaged in an annular groove of the pin adjacent its lowermost end. It is to be understood, however, that whenever -a pin is used with a collar at one end, a rivet having two flattened heads can also be used. Thus, the only necessity is that the pin be secured in place by some means known in the art.

Lever arm 140 includes a top leg 146, a bottom leg 148 and an integral bridging section perpendicular thereto (FIGS. 1 and 3). As seen in FIG. 3, top and

bottom legs

146 and 148 abut the inner faces of

plates

134 and 136, respectively. Bridging section 150 includes an outwardly flared a-rcuate lip 152 to aid in grasping the lever arm 140. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, lever arm 140 is pivot-able around pin 142.

A pawl 154 is pivotably mounted on the upper surface of top leg 146 about pin 156. Pin 156 passes through top leg 146 and bottom leg 148 and is secured against longitudinal movement by an enlarged head 158 at its upper end and at its other end by a spring collar engaged in an annular groove in the pin. The head 158 also restrains transverse movement of pawl 154 with respect to pin 156. The flat leading edge or shoulder 160 of pawl 154 is urged against the cam surface 162 of top plate 134 by spring 164. Spring 164 includes an integral L-shaped portion 166 at one end which passes through opening 168 in pawl 154. As seen in FIG. 5, the end leg of L-shaped portion 166 loops over the upper surf-ace of the pawl 154 to secure the spring to the pawl. At the other end of spring 164 is a U-shaped loop 170 which passes through opening 172 in top leg 146 to secure the spring 164 thereto. The spring is bowed at its intermediate portion 174 so that its normal tendency is to straighten out and it thereby imparts a clockwise force to pawl 154 about pin 156. A cylindrically shaped upwardly extending stop pin 175 secured to the top surface of upper leg 146 adjacent pin 156 limits the counterclockwise movement of pawl 154.

A split collar 176 having a cylindrically shaped web 178 and a pair of integral spaced rectangularly shaped legs 180 is telescoped over pin 156 with web 178 embracing pin 156. The end of tension band 16 is secured within the legs 180 of collar 176 by a rivet 182 as seen in FIG. 2.

Lever arm 140 is thereby operatively connected to tension band 16 to pull or withdraw it.

The cam surface 162 of top plate 134 includes a pair of

notches

186 and 188 which are provided to lock lever arm 140 in either of two predetermined positions. Notch 186 is preferably used for pistons with an outer diameter of from 2" to 4" and notch 188 is used for pistons having an outer diameter of from 4 to The device of this invention is used by first removing a dirty piston 190 from its cylinder and removing the piston rings. Thereafter the piston is mounted in a vice or other locking device to prevent movement or rotation thereof. The tension band is expanded to a diameter large enough to accommodate the piston by rotating pawl 110 in the direction of arrow 191 (FIG. 4) and pulling the tension band outwardly. The tension band is thus spaced from the saddle 26 and is thereafter telescoped over the piston. The cutting element 56 is placed in annular groove 192 (FIG. 2) of the piston 190 and the lever arm 140 is rotated in the direction of arrow 193 (FIG. 2) until the pawl 154 is engaged in the

proper notch

186 or 188 in accordance with the diameter of the piston, as will be explained hereinafter. The key 128 is rotated clockwise until suitable tension is provided by tension band 16 to secured piston'190 within the saddle with the inner surface 194 of the groove bearing against the cutting element 56. The spring mounted pawl is freely pivoted by ratchet teeth 108 during the tightening. Additionally, when the tightening is stopped, the pawl engages the teeth 108 to lock the tension band in its final position. The key 128 may now be removed because the cleaning device is properly set for the remaining grooves on the piston as well as the remaining pistons of the set or of similar size. The handle 12 is then rotated in the direction of arrow 195 thereby enabling cutting element 56 to clean out the piston groove as its cutting edge 196 bears against the inner wall 194 of the groove.

It should be noted that the height of the cutting element 56 used is dependent on the height of groove 192. The height of the element is just slightly smaller in order to frictionally fit in the groove. If the grooce' is of greater depth than the exposed portion of cutting element 56, the thumb nut 70 is loosened, thumb nut 78 is rotated, thereby advancing tool holder 34 and the cutting element secured therein, and thumb nut 70 is again tightened to secure tool holder 34 in place.

To remove the piston groove cleaner from the piston, pawl 154 is rotated in the direction of arrow 197 (FIGS. 1 and 5) to free the pawl from the

notch

186 or 188, as the case may be, and lever arm 140 is rotated in the di rection of arrow 198 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The tension band is now sufficiently large to remove the device from the cleaned piston.

If there are additional grooves on the piston which need cleaning, it is necessary only to insert cutting element 56 into the next groove and rotate lever 140 in the direction of arrow 193 until the pawl 154 is locked in the appropriate notch. As long as the size of the piston and the grooves does not change no further adjustments need be made with the key 128 or with the adjusting

nuts

70 and 78. Thus an entire set of piston grooves may be cleaned easily without repetitive manipulations which are time consuming.

The

notches

186 and 188 are provided to prevent the tension band 16 from bending and ultimately breaking when using the device with a piston of small diameter. Thus, if the device were used on a two to four inch diameter piston and the pawl 154 were engaged in notch 188, there would be a sharp bend in band 16 around end 32 of saddle 26. As seen in FIG. 2, there is no bend in the tension band when the pawl 154 is engaged in notch 186. When using pistons of a larger diameter, for instance, diameters of four inches to ten inches, the pawl 154 can be locked in notch 188 without any fear of contact between tension band 16 and end 32.

The use of a pair of

notches

186 and 188 is purely an optional feature. Thus, the device could work equally well if a single notch were used which would be in a position generally shown for the notch 186.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is generally shown at 200 in FIGS. 7 to 10. There are two modifications in the device 200, which is otherwise similar to the device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. Thus, the lever mechansim 202 and the tool holder 204 and the cutting element are modified from the corresponding elements in device 10. The lever mechanism 202 includes a modification in the U-shaped bracket and the end of the saddle. The top plate 206 of U-shaped bracket 208 includes a surface 210 with a single notch 212, as distinguished from the pair of notches in top plate 134 of device 10. To accommodate the single locking position of the lever mechanism, a roller assembly 214 is provided at the end of the saddle 216.

As seen in FIG. 10, the assembly 214 is comprised of a U-shaped bracket 218 having a pair of spaced parallel legs 220 and a rectangularly shaped integral bridging section 222, which is also integral with the saddle 216. Saddle 216 is otherwise similar to saddle 26 in the first embodiment. Legs 220 are each perpendicular to the bridging section 222 and each has a hole 224, which holes are aligned with respect to each other. A cylindrical roller 226 is mounted on pin 228 which extends transversely through each of holes 224 in legs 220. The cylindrical roller 226, which has a longitudinal bore, is telescoped over pin 228 and they are press fitted together. The roller is slightly shorter than the space between legs 228 thereby maintaining the pin and roller in bracket 218. The roller 226 freely rotates in bracket 218.

The roller assembly is provided to prevent the tension band 16 from bending and ultimately breaking when using the device with a piston of small diameter. That is, if roller assembly 214 were not provided and a small diameter piston were inserted in the instant device, the tension band 16 would be drawn over the end of saddle 216 adjacent the lever mechanism which would cause the band to be bent at a sharp angle. This would cause undue strain at the point of bending and might cause premature rupturing of the band at that spot. The roller mechanism 214 enables the device to accept small diameter pistons while obviating any possibility of rupture. Thus the roller assembly obviates the necessity of having the pair of

notches

186 and 188.

It is to be understood that the roller assembly may also be comprised of a pair of pins inserted in the ends of a cylindrical roller. The use of a single pin is by way of example only, and is not intended to be a limiting feature.

The keeper 204 for the cutting element is comprised of a split rectangularly shaped bracket 230 which is integral with tool holder 34 and is comprised of a pair of spaced parallel rectangularly

shaped side walls

232 and 234, a pair of rectangularly shaped spaced

parallel end walls

236 and 238, and a rectangular filange 240 which is integral with end wall 238. Longitudinal wall 232 is integral with the leg 36 of bracket 24 and is inclined inwardly therefrom towards the center of handle 12. End wall 236 which is adjacent the saddle 216 is integral with

longitudinal walls

232 and 234 and includes a square slot 242. Cutting element 244 passes through slot 242.

As seen in FIG. 9, longitudinal wall 234 includes a threaded hole which secures a bolt 246. The thread of bolt 246 is complementary to that of the threads in the hole in longitudinal section 234. The bolt 246 is press fitted in a central bore of thumb nut 248. End wall 238 is integral with longitudinal wall 234 and rectangular flange 240. The rectangular flange 240 is welded to the leg 36 as at 249 by spot welding. The bracket further includes a pin 250 which is located centrally on the longitudinal wall 232 on the inner surface thereof, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

The elongated, rectangular cross-sectional cutting element 244 is preferably made from square stock. The cutting element 244 is inserted Within slot 242. A recess 252 is provided on two of the longitudinal faces of the cutting element and is adapted to fit over pin 250. This combination of the pin and recess facilitates alignment of the cutting element during insertion. After the recess 252 is aligned and is fitted over the pin 250, the thumb nut 248 is rotated until the bolt 246 bears upon the surface of the rectangular cutting element 244 and fixes it within the keeper, as seen in FIG. 8.

In operation, the alternate embodiment 200 operates in the same manner as the device shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. The lever arm is rotated to its most clockwise position as shown in phantom at 140 in FIG. 7. The adjustment ratchet 18 is turned counterclockwise to further loosen the tension band 16 until the band is sufficiently loose to fit around the piston. The cutting element 244 is then inserted in the groove 192 of the piston 190 and the lever arm 140 is rotated to its most counterclockwise position as shown in full line in FIGS. 7 and 8. Key 128 is inserted in tube 90 and is rotated until the adjustment ratchet assembly has sufficiently tightened the tension band around the piston 90 causing the cutting edge of element 244 to bear against the inner surface of the grooves. Handle 12 is then rotated in the direction of arrow 254 (FIG. 7) thereby causing the cutting element which bears against the inner, upper and lower surfaces of the groove to clean out the accumulated material therein.

To remove the device from the piston it is necessary only to rotate pawl 154 counterclockwise and release it from the single notch in the top plate 206 thereby releasing lever 140 for clockwise rotation. The tension is thereby released on the tension band 16 and the piston is thus removed from the device.

The advantages of device are retained in the alternate embodiment and certain advantages arise from the modifications thereto. The single notch may be used for keeping both large and small pistons tight within the device. Also the keeper 204 enables simpler cutting tools to be used therein. Thus interchangeable square or rectangular cutting elements may be easily provided.

It should be noted that both cutting tool 44 and cutting tool 244 can be reversed. Thus, either of these cutting tools can be rotated 180 from the position shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 8, respectively, to provide a new cutting edge. With respect to cutting tool 244 it is seen that a pair of recesses 252 are formed in opposite faces of the cutting tool. Thus, either recess can be placed over pin 250.

In FIG. 8 it is seen that when using small diameter pistons, the tension band, which is shown in phantom at 16' will pass over roller 226. However, on larger diameter pistons the tension band 16 will be completely removed from roller 226, and the piston 190 will contact the roller, as seen in FIG. 7.

It is thus seen that the groove cleaner of this invention provides numerous advantages over the prior art piston groove cleaners. It is readily adapted to accommodating a large range of piston diameters. Once the penetration of the cutting tool and the tension band length have been set, they can be maintained without further adjustment for all of the pistons in a given engine. The placing and removing of the piston groove cleaner are accomplished solely by the release and movement of lever arm 140. Having the thumb nut control 78 for cutting tool depth and the ratchet and pawl mechanism for tension band length permits a fine degree of adjustment of the device of this invention.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A groove cleaner for a cylindrical member having annular grooves, said cleaner comprising a handle, a cut- (3 ting element, keeper means in said handle for securin said cutting element and exposing a portion thereof, a tension band adapted to embrace said cylindrical member and cause said cleaning element to bear against said grooves therein so that rotation of said handle enables cleaning of said grooves, means for securing a first end of said band to said handle and for adjusting the size of the portion of said band which embraces said members, and lever means connected to the other end of said band for releasing and locking said band in tension so that insertion and removal of said cylindrical member is facilitated.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said handle is substantially Y shaped and said cutting element is exposed between the arms of said handle.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said adjusting means is secured at an arm of said handle and is comprised of a roller, said band being wound upon said roller as a coil, means adapted to rotate said roller thereby adjusting the length of said band, a tension clip for embracing said coil, a ratchet connected to said roller, and a pawl adapted to engage said ratchet so that said roller can be locked at any desired adjustment.

4. The invention of claim 2 wherein said lever means is secured to an arm of said handle and includes a lever arm connected to said band, said lever arm being pivotally mounted by a bracket connected to said handle, and locking means comprised of a notched cam surface on said bracket and a pawl pivotally mounted on said lever arm and adapted to be engaged in said notched surface for locking said lever arm.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said notched surface includes a plurality of notches for accommodating a plurality of sizes of cylindrical members.

6. The invention of claim 4 and further including a roller assembly secured to said handle adjacent said lever arm, said roller adapted to bear against said tension band thereby preventing rupture thereof.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said notched surface includes a single notch.

8. The invention of claim 2 wherein said keeper means includes a rectangular bracket, said bracket having an uppermost wall, said wall having a rectangular slot to accommodate the insertion of said cleaning element, threaded means inserted in a lateral wall of said bracket adapted to bear against said cleaning element in said bracket, a thumb nut operatively connected to said threaded means for adjusting the depth of said insertion and fixedly securing said cleaning element so that various sizes of cleaning elements may be used in said cleaning device.

9. The invention of claim 8 and further including aligning means for said keeper comprising a recess in a lateral face of said cleaning element and a pin on the inner surface of the other of said lateral walls of said bracket and adapted for insertion in said recess.

10. The invention of claim 9 wherein said cleaning element is comprised of an elongated rectangular member.

11. The invention of claim 10 wherein said keeper means is slidably mounted in the legs of said handle, and said handle further includes a rotatable bolt adapted to move said keeper means so that the exposure of said cleaning element between said arms of said handle may be varied by rotation of said bolt.

12. The invention of claim 2 wherein said keeper means is comprised of a bracket slidably mounted in the leg of said handle, a flange connected to said bracket, a pair of spaced fingers substantially perpendicular to said flange, a bolt substantially perpendicular to said flange and a thumb nut threadedly engaged thereon, said cleaning element comprising an elongated rectangular cutting element having a yoke at one end thereof, said cleaning means being fixed in said keeper with the shoulder of said yoke bearing against said fingers and said thumb nut bearing 9 10 against a lateral face of said yoke so that said cutting 1,979,767 11/1934 Pawsat 15-104 element passes through said spaced fingers. 3 023 55 3 1 2 Mcnanid 15.404

References Cited CHARLES A WILLMUTH P A E UNITED STATES PATENTS mmme" 1 546 7 7 1925 Julian 15 104 5 E. L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner. 1,644,006 10/1927 Beck 15-104

Claims

1. A GROOVE CLEANER FOR A CYLINDRICAL MEMBER HAVING ANNULAR GROOVES, SAID CLEANER COMPRISING A HANDLE, A CUTTING ELEMENT, KEEPER MEANS IN SAID HANDLE FOR SECURING SAID CUTTING ELEMENT AND EXPOSING A PORTION THEREOF, A TENSION BAND ADAPTED TO EMBRACE SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND CAUSE SAID CLEANING ELEMENT TO BEAR AGAINST SAID GROOVES THEREIN SO THAT ROTATION OF SAID HANDLE ENABLES CLEANING OF SAID GROOVES, MEANS FOR SECURING A FIRST END OF SAID BAND TO SAID HANDLE AND FOR ADJUSTING THE SIZE OF THE PORTION OF SAID BAND WHICH EMBRACES SAID MEMBERS, AND LEVER MEANS CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID BAND FOR RELEASING AND LOCKING SAID BAND IN TENSION SO THAT INSERTION AND REMOVAL OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER IS FACILITATED.