Connector pin assembly

Abstract

The connector pin assembly releasably retains telescoped excavating support and wear members in their telescoped relationship. The connector pin assembly is removably received in aligned connector openings in the members. A body portion of the assembly blocks removal of the wear member from the support member, and a lock member portion of the assembly is rotatable relative to the body, toward and away from a locking orientation, to releasably lock the body within the connector openings. A resilient sleeve having non-circular interior and exterior surfaces with rounded corners is non-slippably disposed over a rotatable shaft of the lock member in order to slidingly and deformably engage a non-circular shaped interior cavity of the body that rotatably receives shaft and sleeve of the lock member. The sleeve yieldingly resists rotational movement of the lock member away from a locking orientation.

1 . A connector pin assembly, comprising:
 a body having a non-circular shaped cavity longitudinally extending through an interior portion of the body;   a lock member having a rotatable shaft, the lock member being received in the cavity and circumscribed by non-circular shaped walls determined by the cavity, the lock member being rotatable relative to the body between locking and unlocking positions; and   a resilient sleeve having a non-circular shaped exterior surface with rounded corners and a non-circular shaped interior surface having rounded corners, the resilient sleeve being non-slippably disposed over the rotatable shaft of the lock member for rotation therewith relative to the body and being circumscribed by the non-circular shaped cavity walls, the resilient sleeve being operative to releasably retain the lock member in either of the locking and unlocking positions and being slidingly engageable with and deformable by the non-circular shaped cavity walls during rotation of the lock member relative to the body in a manner yieldingly resisting rotation of the lock member relative to the body from the locking to the unlocking position.   
   
   
       2 . The connector pin assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the non-circular shaped walls determined by the cavity define a cam shape. 
   
   
       3 . The connector pin assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the non-circular shaped walls determined by the cavity define a polygonal shape. 
   
   
       4 . The connector pin assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the resilient sleeve has a plurality of wear grooves disposed along its length. 
   
   
       5 . The connector pin assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the lock member further comprises a retaining lobe disposed at the end of the rotatable shaft, the retaining lobe removably engaging a portion of the body to retain the lock pin in a fixed position relative to the body when the retaining lobe is engaged with the body and to allow removal of the lock pin from the body when the retaining lobe is disengaged from the body. 
   
   
       6 . The connector pin assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the body is an excavation tool wear member adapted for releasable engagement with an excavation tool support member, the wear member and support member being held into engagement with each other by rotation of the lock member into the locking position, the wear member and support member being releasable from each other by rotation of the lock member into the unlocking position. 
   
   
       7 . The connector pin assembly according to  claim 6 , wherein the excavation tool wear member is an excavation tooth. 
   
   
       8 . The connector pin assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the shape of the cavity walls matches the shape of the resilient sleeve, the circumference of the cavity walls being slightly greater than the circumference of the resilient sleeve to provide a frictional torque-producing fit between the cavity walls and the resilient sleeve. 
   
   
       9 . The connector pin assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the body has a hole disposed therein adjacent the cavity and the shaft of the lock member has a circumferential channel defined therein, the connector pin assembly further comprising a dowel insertable through the hole and into the circumferential channel in the lock member shaft, the dowel constraining longitudinal movement of the lock member. 
   
   
       10 . The connector pin assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the lock member further comprises a head formed to facilitate a torque tool. 
   
   
       11 . The connector pin assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the lock member has a spin torque profile determined by the number of sides or lobes disposed on the lock member.