U.S. patent application number 14/568895 was filed with the patent office on 2016-06-16 for socket and wrench gauge.
The applicant listed for this patent is Ronald Howard. Invention is credited to Ronald Howard.
Application Number | 20160169654 14/568895 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56110853 |
Filed Date | 2016-06-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160169654 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Howard; Ronald |
June 16, 2016 |
SOCKET AND WRENCH GAUGE
Abstract
A socket and wrench gauge provides for the portable and precise
measurement of the dimension of a bolt or nut across the flats
thereof, in order to determine the precise size of the socket or
wrench required for use therewith. The socket and wrench gauge
consists of two parallel jaws with gripping points, with the first
jaw and gripping point extending laterally from an elongated slide
scale and the opposite jaw and gripping point extending laterally
from an elongated body receiver and raceway through which the slide
scale operates. The scale consists of two linear rows of
dimensional numbers thereon, with each of the numbers corresponding
to a distance between the two jaws and gripping points. The numbers
are placed longitudinally along the face of the scale for
simplicity and greater legibility. The body receiver and raceway
channel includes two coinciding reference marks placed laterally
thereacross, which in combination with the longitudinal array of
dimensional numbers, results in a singular dimensional number being
exactly aligned with a corresponding reference mark for any
measurement. The scale numbers correspond with the standardized
size of sockets and wrenches used in industry, and the socket and
wrench gauge may include inch, fractional inch and metric
measurements longitudinally on the face side. The socket and wrench
gauge may be formed of various rigid plastics or machined using
soft or hard metals as desired. The socket and wrench gauge may be
made sufficiently small so as to fit within a modern shirt or pant
pocket, in order to be readily available to the user at all
times.
Inventors: |
Howard; Ronald; (Richmond,
VA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Howard; Ronald |
Richmond |
VA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
56110853 |
Appl. No.: |
14/568895 |
Filed: |
December 12, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
33/783 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01B 3/20 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G01B 3/20 20060101
G01B003/20 |
Claims
1. A socket and wrench gauge configured, formed and or machined for
the optimal selection of the size of a machined fastener of a group
of machined fasteners having a predetermined number of different
standard and metric sizes and for determination of a
correspondingly sized socket and wrench for use therewith, said
socket and wrench gauge comprising: a. a narrow, thin, outward
facing, and elongated slide scale, said slide scale including a
first end having a first jaw and gripping point extending laterally
therefrom and a first face having a plurality of socket and wrench
size numbers with reference marks disposed substantially
longitudinally thereacross to form a linear row of socket and
wrench size numbers thereon, with each of said numbers
corresponding to a standard or metric socket and wrench size, and;
b. a narrow, thin, and flat body receiver including a raceway
channel extending therethrough machined to fit snuggly about said
slide scale, said raceway channel having a first end with a second
jaw and gripping point extending laterally therefrom and opposite
said first jaw and gripping point of said slide scale, and a first
face having a plurality of reference marks thereacross in a lateral
longitudinal array, with each of said reference marks being aligned
with a corresponding socket and wrench size of said linear row of
said socket and wrench size numbers when said slide is placed
within said channel of said body receiver raceway, whereby; c. said
first jaw and gripping point and said second jaw and gripping point
are closed about each side of a nut or bolt placed therebetween by
sliding said slide scale within said channel of said body raceway,
and the size of the wrench and socket is determined having an exact
alignment with a corresponding single one of said socket and wrench
size numbers and reference marks, thereby providing a precise
determination of the corresponding socket and wrench size
required.
2. The socket and wrench gauge of claim 1, wherein: each of said
socket and wrench size numbers disposed upon said slide scale
includes a lateral socket and wrench size number reference mark
arranged at least to each side thereof, and said body raceway
includes a plurality of reference marks laterally arranged across
thereof said raceway with the alignment of said reference mark line
with a singular one of said lateral socket and wrench size number
reference marks providing a precise determination of the size of a
socket and wrench used for said nut and bolt placed snuggly between
said first jaw and gripping point and said second jaw and gripping
point.
3. The socket and wrench gauge of claim 1, wherein: said slide
scale and said body raceway are each formed having a generally
elongated, rectangular geometry, with each said jaw and gripping
point, said slide scale, and said body receiver each having a
smooth surface and straight edges thereon.
4. The socket and wrench gauge of claim 1, wherein: said socket and
wrench size numbers arranged upon said slide scale are each
disposed longitudinally from said first jaw and gripping point a
dimensional distance correlating to each of said numbers, with said
numbers comprising standard fractional inch and inch
measurements.
5. The socket and wrench gauge of claim 1, wherein: said socket and
wrench size numbers arranged upon said slide scale are each spaced
longitudinally from said first jaw and gripping point a dimensional
distance correlating to each of said numbers, with said numbers
comprising metric measurements.
6. The socket and wrench gauge of claim 1, wherein: said slide
scale includes two said longitudinal rows of said socket and wrench
size numbers, and said body raceway contains a plurality of
reference marks disposed laterally thereacross, with each of said
reference marks being aligned with a corresponding number of said
longitudinal row of socket and wrench size numbers when said slide
scale is slidingly placed within said slide scale channel of said
body raceway.
7. The socket and wrench gauge of claim 1, wherein: said socket and
wrench gauge has a maximum width of one and three quarters of an
inch, a maximum thickness of one quarter of an inch, and a maximum
length of three and one quarter inches, and is formed and or
machined to easily rest within a clothing pocket or storage
container.
8. The socket and wrench gauge of claim 1, wherein: said socket and
wrench gauge is formed and or machined of rigid materials selected
from the group consisting of plastic, soft and hard metals.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM
LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] By the present invention, an improved socket and wrench
gauge is disclosed.
[0005] Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is
to provide an improved socket and wrench gauge which is adapted for
the determination of the sizes of sockets and wrenches belonging to
groups of predetermined standard and metric sizes, by the
measurement of a corresponding nut or bolt head therewith.
[0006] Another of the objects of the present invention is to
provide an improved socket and wrench gauge which includes opposed
jaws providing for the placement of a nut or bolt therebetween,
with one jaw extending laterally from an elongate scale and the
opposite jaw extending laterally from a body raceway slidably
interlocked to the scale portion.
[0007] Yet another of the objects of the present invention is to
provide an improved socket and wrench gauge which elongate scale
portion dimensional markings are longitudinally and incrementally
arranged across the face of the scale in order to spread the
reference marks for greater legibility, and which body raceway or
includes a plurality of reference marks disposed laterally
thereacross, so that only one of the reference marks is exactly
aligned with only one corresponding scale reference mark at any one
time.
[0008] Still another of the objects of the present invention is to
provide an improved socket and wrench gauge which may be 2
similarly configured on upper face side of the scale slide, thereby
providing for the determination of socket and wrench sizes of two
different systems, such as the inch and fractional inch standard
and the metric standard.
[0009] A further object of the present invention is to provide an
improved socket and wrench gauge which may be formed of rigid
plastic and or machined of soft or hard metals as desired.
[0010] An additional object of the present invention is to provide
an improved socket and wrench gauge which is sufficiently small in
size as to fit within a shirt pocket or tool box for ready
availability.
[0011] Still another of the object of the present invention is to
provide an improved socket and wrench gauge which may be manually
operated eliminating a need for an electronic harness or power
supply for precise dimensional readings.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved socket and wrench gauge which may be operated in various
environments without compromise to its intended function.
[0013] A final object of the present invention is to provide an
improved socket and wrench gauge for the purposes described which
is inexpensive, manually operated, dependable and fully effective
in accomplishing its intended purpose.
[0014] With these and other objects being provided, which will more
readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood,
the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of
parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed
with reference being made to the attached drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] To summarize the current socket and wrench gauge provides an
extremely convenient, reliable, precise, handy means of determining
the correct socket or wrench to use for a particular fastener by
measuring the opposite flats of a nut or bolt head. And so, the
current socket and wrench gauge is utilized to provide a simple an
accurate result eliminating wasted efforts, time and expense in
determining the correct dimension for a socket or wrench to secure
or remove the corresponding fastener in question.
[0016] It is to be understood that the present invention is not
limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any
and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1A Shows one thin, narrow, and flat body formed of
rigid plastic and or machined in hard or soft metal with beveled
edges along the longitudinal edges to allow for interlocking and a
calibrated scale along the surface of the elongated body.
[0018] FIG. 1B Shows the end view of the elongated body for FIG.
1A.
[0019] FIG. 2A Shows one thin, narrow, and flat body formed of
rigid plastic and or machined in hard or soft metal with an
elongated longitudinal raceway channel and two reference marks on
the surface of the elongated body.
[0020] FIG. 2B Shows the end view of the elongated body for FIG.
2A.
[0021] FIG. 3 Shows the interlocked bodies of FIG. 1A and FIG. 2A
and depicts its typical function.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] A preferred embodiment of the socket and wrench gauge is
illustrated in FIG. 1A top view, FIG. 1B end view, FIG. 2A top
view, FIG. 2B end view, FIG. 3 top view.
[0023] The preferred embodiment has a rigid base FIG. 1A 2 and FIG.
2A 25 of uniform cross section.
[0024] In the preferred embodiment, the base is a rigid plastic
however; the base can consist of any other material that can be
machined such as a soft and or hard metal.
[0025] A preferred embodiment of the slide scale body FIG. 1A 2
consists of a first or slide scale jaw and gripping point FIG. 1A
5-8 extending laterally from the thin, flat, narrow, and elongated
slide scale body FIG. 1A 2 at one end and terminating at the
opposite end FIG. 1A 3 with a straight edge. The slide scale body
FIG. 1A 2 is typically 3 mm to 5 mm in thickness and has an overall
dimension of roughly 90 mm.times.43 mm (rectangle shape). The
longitudinal edges FIG. 1A 4 and 12 are beveled FIG. 1B 14 and 16.
The slide scale body end view FIG. 1B has a relative dimension of
roughly 3 mm to 5 mm in thickness and 15 mm to 18 mm in width.
[0026] In a preferred embodiment FIG. 2A 17 through 25 consists of
one terminating end at a gripping point FIG. 2A 20 through 22 and
terminating at the opposite end FIG. 2A 19 with a straight
edge.
[0027] In the preferred embodiment FIG. 2A consists of a raceway
channel running longitudinally FIG. 2A 23 and 24. The base of FIG.
2A is typically 3 mm to 8 mm in thickness and has an overall
dimension of roughly 81 mm.times.43 mm (rectangle shape). FIG. 2B
(end view) consists of FIG. 2B 26 through 33 and has an overall
dimension of roughly 3 mm to 5 mm in thickness and 25 mm to 28 mm
in width.
[0028] In the preferred embodiment FIG. 2B consists of an interior
beveled edge FIG. 2B 31 and 33 and a flat bottom FIG. 2B 32.
[0029] In a preferred embodiment the invention FIG. 3 1 typically
consists of two narrow, thin, flat, and elongated interlocking
bodies of which a narrow, thin, flat, and elongated slide scale
FIG. 3 2, which scale FIG. 3 2 is slidably installed in a raceway
channel FIG. 3 3 which interlocks said slide scale FIG. 3 2 with a
narrow, thin, and flat body receiver FIG. 3 4. The slide scale FIG.
3 2 includes a first or slide scale jaw and gripping point FIG. 3 5
extending laterally from the first end FIG. 3 6 thereof, which jaw
and gripping point FIG. 3 5 is disposed opposite a second or body
receiver jaw and gripping point FIG. 3 7 extending laterally from
the first end FIG. 3 8 of the body receiver FIG. 3 4. The body
receiver FIG. 3 4 may include a slide raceway channel FIG. 3 3
having open end FIG. 3 9, through which a slide scale protrudes.
The slide raceway channel FIG. 3 3 provides a user of the present
socket and wrench gauge FIG. 3 1 to adjust the scale FIG. 3 2
relative to the body receiver FIG. 3 4, by manipulating the slide
scale FIG. 3 2 in the raceway channel FIG. 3 3 allowing contact to
the measured surface FIG. 3 10.
[0030] Focusing particularly on FIG. 1A of the drawings, the
present invention will be seen to relate to a socket and wrench
gauge FIG. 3 1, which provides for the checking of the dimension
across the opposite flats of a nut or bolt head consisting of a
finite number of nuts and bolts of standard sizes. In the United
States, two such standards are generally used: The fractional inch
and inch scale, and the metric scale. Each of the standardized
dimensional scales consists of a finite number of nut and bolt
dimensions which progress incrementally from a smallest to a
largest size. As only a limited number of precise sizes are
contained in each scale, a gauge or the like providing for the
determination of the exact size of any socket of wrench size, need
include only a relatively small number of finite reference marks,
rather than including the wide range of dimensions possible for the
measurement. An example of the above can be expressed by
understanding the limits within the group or series of fasteners.
When measuring a fractional inch and inch scale nuts and bolt
heads, an individual need only provide for forty different sizes,
encompassing a range from five thirty seconds of an inch to two and
three eighths inches, in order to express all of the standard
dimensions in that dimensional value set, inclusive.
[0031] As with most nuts and bolts, their individual dimensions are
not marked in any distinct way leaving the individual user to exact
a precise dimension of socket or wrench visually by estimating the
nut or bolts dimensions, by trial and error through the use of
several different sized sockets and wrenches for the securing or
removal the desired nut or bolt, or the user must measure the
dimension, in order to limit the range of possible dimensions in
selecting the precise sized tool for use thereon.
[0032] In conclusion, the present socket and wrench gauge FIG. 3 1
consists of a predetermined, finite range of numerical reference
marks of which each of said reference marks represents a singular
precise standard inch, fractional inch or metric sized socket and
wrench. The socket and wrench gauge FIG. 3 1 provides visualization
of inch, fractional inch, and metric dimensions simultaneously to
the user.
[0033] The current socket and wrench gauge FIG. 3 1 is used by
placing the head of a nut or bolt, shown designated as an (X) in
FIG. 3, between the two jaws and gripping points FIGS. 3 6 and 21,
and the jaws and gripping points are placed in direct contact the
opposite flats of the nut or bolt designated as an (X) in FIG. 3.
The precise dimension of socket or wrench needed to secure or
remove said nut or bolt will be visible by the exact alignment of a
singular numerical value centered over or under a reference mark
FIG. 2A 25 and 26 other numerical values provided on the scale will
not align precisely with the reference mark FIG. 2A 25 and 26 since
they have a predetermined representation for a singular dimension
provided with the scale.
[0034] The illustration of FIG. 3 also allows for a visual example
of the checking of a nut consisting of an opposite and across flat
head dimension of three quarters of an inch. In addition it should
be noted that with the two jaws and gripping points FIG. 3 6 and 21
securely contacting opposite sides of the nut head flats the
reference marks FIG. 3 25 and 26 the metric dimension "13" of the
slide scale FIG. 3 27 correctly centered over the lower reference
mark FIG. 3 25. It will be noted that the next smaller dimension,
i.e., "12" in the lower column FIG. 3 28 to the left of the "13"
dimension FIG. 3 27 on the sliding scale FIG. 3 2, is not centered
over a reference mark FIG. 3 25 indicating that it is not the
correct dimension for the nut or bolt FIG. 3 X being fitted. The
next closest dimensional number is to the right of the correct "13"
dimension FIG. 3 27 of the sliding scale FIG. 3 2 centered over the
lower reference mark FIG. 3 25. As this number is one millimeter
larger it is referenced to the right of the correct dimension "13"
shown in FIG. 3 27. Additional numerical dimension appear in the
upper longitudinal row FIG. 3 28 of the sliding scale FIG. 3 2 but
will not correctly center over the reference mark FIG. 3 26 with
only a singular dimension being able to precisely align with a
reference mark FIG. 3 25 26 at any one time.
[0035] The current socket and wrench gauge FIG. 3 1 is used by
placing the head of a nut or bolt, shown designated as an (X) in
FIG. 3, between the two jaws and gripping points FIG. 3 6 and 2,
and the jaws and gripping points are placed in direct contact the
opposite flats of the nut or bolt designated as an (X) in FIG. 3.
The precise dimension of socket or wrench needed to secure or
remove said nut or bolt will be visible by the exact alignment of a
singular numerical value centered over or under a reference mark
FIG. 2A 25 and 26 other numerical values provided on the scale will
not align precisely with the reference mark FIG. 2A 25 and 26 since
they have a predetermined representation for a singular dimension
provided with the scale.
[0036] The illustration of FIG. 3 also allows for a visual example
of the checking of a nut consisting of an opposite and across flat
head dimension of three quarters of an inch. In addition it should
be noted that with the two jaws and gripping points FIG. 3 6 and 21
securely contacting opposite sides of the nut head flats the
reference marks FIG. 3 25 and 26 the metric dimension "13" of the
slide scale FIG. 3 27 correctly centered over the lower reference
mark FIG. 3 25. It will be noted that the next smaller dimension,
i.e., "12" in the lower column FIG. 3 28 to the left of the "13"
dimension FIG. 3 27 on the sliding scale FIG. 3 2, is not centered
over a reference mark FIG. 3 25 indicating that it is not the
correct dimension for the nut or bolt FIG. 3 X being fitted. The
next closest dimensional number is to the right of the correct "13"
dimension FIG. 3 27 of the sliding scale FIG. 3 2 centered over the
lower reference mark FIG. 3 25. As this number is one millimeter
larger it is referenced to the right of the correct dimension "13"
shown in FIG. 3 27. Additional numerical dimension appear in the
upper longitudinal row FIG. 3 28 of the sliding scale FIG. 3 2 but
will not correctly center over the reference mark FIG. 3 26 with
only a singular dimension being able to precisely align with a
reference mark FIG. 3 25 26 at any one time.
* * * * *