초록 ▼

A suction cup device having a compact axial suction cup installation and release mechanism including a suction cup within a concave housing, and a rotational drive member structured to operate on an external surface of the housing. A drive shaft is coupled to the suction cup and extends through an a

A suction cup device having a compact axial suction cup installation and release mechanism including a suction cup within a concave housing, and a rotational drive member structured to operate on an external surface of the housing. A drive shaft is coupled to the suction cup and extends through an aperture in the housing, projecting above a drive surface axially aligned with the concave surface formed in the housing. The drive shaft extends through an aperture in the rotational drive member and includes an inclined drive surface that interacts with a fixed drive surface to pull a flexible portion of the suction cup into the housing when the rotational drive member is rotated relative to the housing.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A compact axially-driven suction cup device, comprising: a housing comprising a recess formed in a first surface, a drive surface external to and aligned with the recess, an aperture communicating between the housing drive surface and the recess; a suction cup; an axial drive

What is claimed is: 1. A compact axially-driven suction cup device, comprising: a housing comprising a recess formed in a first surface, a drive surface external to and aligned with the recess, an aperture communicating between the housing drive surface and the recess; a suction cup; an axial drive member comprising a drive shaft coupled to a central portion of the suction cup and being sized to pass through the aperture in the housing, and a spiral installation drive surface, wherein the spiral installation drive surface of the axial drive member further comprises a pair of substantially diametrically opposed spiral installation drive surfaces each being extended at least partially about the drive shaft; and a rotational drive member comprising a cooperating rotational drive surface structured to cooperate with the housing drive surface, an aperture communicating with the cooperating rotational drive surface and being sized to slidingly engage the drive shaft, and a plurality of fixed installation drive surfaces each being fixed crosswise to the drive shaft and being structured to interact with at least one of the spiral installation drive surfaces of the axial drive member. 2. The suction cup device of claim 1 wherein the axial drive member further comprises a spiral release drive surface formed opposite and spaced away from the spiral installation drive surface and inclined substantially similarly thereto; and the rotational drive member further comprises a fixed release drive surface fixed crosswise to the drive shaft and being structured to interact with the spiral release drive surface of the axial drive member, the fixed release drive surface being spaced away from the fixed installation drive surface by at least the spiral installation and release drive surfaces of the axial drive member. 3. The suction cup device of claim 1 wherein the spiral installation drive surface of the rotational drive member further comprises a retention surface structured to interact with the fixed installation drive surface for maintaining a spaced away position of the axial drive member relative to the drive surface of the housing. 4. The suction cup device of claim 1 wherein the fixed installation drive surface further comprises a spiral drive surface fixed crosswise to the drive shaft and being inclined similarly to an inclination of the spiral installation drive surface of the axial drive member. 5. A compact axially-driven suction cup device, comprising: a housing comprising a substantially planar external drive surface formed with an aperture therethrough; and a substantially rigid rotational drive member comprising a tubular frame forming a substantially planar drive surface at one end thereof structured to cooperate with the housing drive surface, a pair of fixed installation drive members spaced around an internal wall surface of the tubular frame and projecting substantially axially inwardly therefrom, an aperture into the tubular frame and axially aligned with the internal wall surface and fixed installation drive members thereof, and means for manually rotating the tubular frame; an axial drive member comprising a columnar drive shaft structured to travel through the apertures of the rotational drive mechanism and housing, a first end of the columnar drive shaft including means for connecting to a suction cup, and including a pair of substantially diametrically opposed spiral installation drive members each being extended at least partially about the drive shaft and spaced there along away from the first end thereof and being structured for interacting with one or both of the fixed installation drive members of the rotational drive member for moving the columnar drive shaft through the longitudinal aperture of the rotational drive member in an outwardly direction relative to the planar drive surface thereof. 6. The suction cup installation mechanism of claim 5 wherein the rotational drive mechanism further comprises an annular ring positioned within the internal wall surface of the tubular frame adjacent to the planar drive surface at one end thereof with the pair of fixed installation drive members spaced inwardly of the tubular frame therefrom, and having at the approximate center thereof the aperture into the tubular frame. 7. The suction cup installation mechanism of claim 5 wherein the means for connecting to a suction cup further comprises a structure adapted for being molded into the suction cup. 8. The suction cup installation mechanism of claim 5, further comprising a suction cup having a central attachment portion, the central attachment portion coupled to the suction cup connecting means of the columnar drive shaft. 9. The suction cup installation mechanism of claim 5 wherein the housing further comprises a concavity positioned on a surface of the housing opposite from the external drive surface thereof and structured to admit a central flexible portion of a suction cup, the aperture communicating between the external drive surface and the concavity. 10. The suction cup installation mechanism of claim 5 wherein each of the pair of spiral installation drive members of the axial drive member further comprises an installation drive surface facing toward the first end of the columnar drive shaft having the means for connecting to a suction cup, and one or both of the pair of spiral installation drive members further comprises a release drive surface facing opposite from the installation drive surface; and the rotational drive mechanism further comprises one or more fixed release drive members projecting inwardly from the internal wall surface of the tubular frame and being structured for interacting with a corresponding release drive surface of the axial drive member for moving the columnar drive shaft through the longitudinal aperture of the rotational drive mechanism in a second direction relative to the planar drive surface thereof opposite from the first direction. 11. The suction cup installation mechanism of claim 10 wherein the one or more fixed release drive members further comprises a pair of fixed release drive members spaced around the internal wall surface of the tubular frame and projecting inwardly therefrom and being spaced inwardly of the tubular frame from the planar drive surface and the pair of fixed installation drive members. 12. The suction cup installation mechanism of claim 5 wherein the housing further comprises a utilization mounting surface structured as a pattern of mounting holes spaced away from the housing planar drive surface a distance sufficient to admit the rotational drive mechanism therebetween. 13. A suction cup holding device having a compact axial installation mechanism, the device comprising: a housing comprising a relatively wide and shallow concavity formed therein and forming a first opening on the surface thereof, an external reaction drive surface axially aligned with the concavity, and a second opening communicating between the concavity and the external reaction drive surface; a plunger comprising a drive shaft coupled at one end to a suction cup having a resiliently deformable portion sized to cooperate with the housing concavity and an integral peripheral lip portion sized larger than the first opening, the resiliently deformable portion of the suction cup being installed substantially within the housing concavity with the peripheral lip portion projecting beyond the first opening thereof, and the plunger drive shaft being engaged with the second opening between the concavity and the reaction drive surface with a distal portion of the plunger drive shaft projecting external to the concavity and beyond the reaction drive surface, and a pair of substantially diametrically opposed spiral installation drive surfaces each being extended at least partially about the plunger drive shaft; and a rotational drive member comprising a rotational drive surface structured to cooperate with the housing reaction drive surface and forming a substantially round central passage therethrough sized to slidingly admit the plunger drive shaft and rotate relative thereto, and two or more fixed installation drive surfaces each being fixed crosswise to the plunger drive shaft and spaced substantially uniformly about an interior of the rotational drive member and spaced away from the rotational drive surface, each of the fixed installation drive surfaces being structured to interact with at least one of the pair of spiral installation drive surfaces of the plunger drive shaft. 14. The suction cup of claim 13 wherein the first opening in the housing formed by the concavity further includes means for engaging the peripheral portion of the suction cup and position only fixing it during operation of the rotational drive member. 15. The suction cup of claim 13, further comprising means for retaining the plunger drive shaft in fixed rotational orientation relative to the housing during operation of the rotational drive member. 16. The suction cup of claim 13 wherein the rotational drive member further comprises means for securing the plunger drive shaft in fixed rotational orientation to the annular installation drive surface. 17. The suction cup of claim 13 wherein the two or more fixed installation drive surfaces of the rotational drive member further comprise part annular fixed installation drive surfaces inclined relative to the rotational drive surface similarly to the part annular installation drive surfaces projected from the plunger drive shaft.