U.S. patent number 3,877,328 [Application Number 05/440,962] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-15 for end wrench and socket with reducing inserts.
Invention is credited to Thomas Milton Sullivan.
United States Patent |
3,877,328 |
Sullivan |
April 15, 1975 |
End wrench and socket with reducing inserts
Abstract
The wrench has a nut drive body with an insert and nut reception
cavity that permits the use of selected inserts to obtain a range
of nut drive sizes. The cavity has a conventional hexagonal pattern
over four sides, but the usual remaining two sides are replaced by
a partial cylindrical arc which terminates in insert retaining
ridges. In the socket configuration, an insert release opening is
provided as is a bolt reception bore offset from the central axis
of the socket.
Inventors: |
Sullivan; Thomas Milton (San
Diego, CA) |
Family
ID: |
23750929 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/440,962 |
Filed: |
February 11, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
81/185;
81/124.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B25B
13/56 (20130101); B25B 13/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B25B
13/04 (20060101); B25B 13/00 (20060101); B25B
13/56 (20060101); B25b 013/58 () |
Field of
Search: |
;81/121R,121B,18B,185,DIG.11 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
68,587 |
|
May 1893 |
|
DD |
|
541,885 |
|
Aug 1922 |
|
FR |
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217,289 |
|
Jul 1968 |
|
SU |
|
Primary Examiner: Smith; Al Lawrence
Assistant Examiner: Smith; James G.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Brown & Martin
Claims
Having described my invention, I now claim:
1. A wrench with provision for reducing inserts so that the wrench
may be utilized to turn a wide range of nut sizes wherein the
improvement comprises:
a nut drive body having an insert and nut reception cavity in at
least one side thereof,
said cavity comprising two adjacent nut engagement flats and a
diametrically opposed insert engagement channel,
said insert engagement channel comprising a partial cylinder insert
engagement surface,
said nut engagement flats intersect at an included angle of
120.degree.,
each of said nut engagement flats intersects with accommodation
flats at an included angle of 120.degree.,
said accommodation flats extend between said nut engagement flats
to said insert engagement channel,
an insert,
said insert having a partial cylinder surface corresponding to said
insert engagement surface.
2. The wrench according to claim 1, further including:
engagement means in said insert engagement channel for retaining
said partial cylinder surfaces on said nut drive body and said
insert in engagement.
3. The wrench according to claim 2, wherein:
said engagement means comprises a pair of insert retention ridges
at the terminus of said insert engagement surface.
4. The wrench according to claim 1, wherein:
said nut drive body comprises a substantially cylindrical socket
member,
said socket member having an insert insertion flange extending
transversely of said socket member.
5. The wrench according to claim 1, wherein:
said nut drive body is substantially circular and said insert and
nut reception cavity extends completely through said body.
6. The wrench according to claim 4, wherein:
said socket member includes an insert release opening into the
insert and nut reception cavity at the position of said flange.
7. The wrench according to claim 4, wherein:
said socket member further including a bolt reception bore
extending interiorly from said insert insertion flange,
said bolt reception bore having an axis that is parallel to but
offset toward said nut engagement flats from the axis of said
socket member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various wrench configurations have been proposed and built whereby
selected inserts may be utilized to provide a range of socket
sizes. The particular insert configuration selected is normally not
applicable to both end wrench and socket wrenches and therefore two
complete sets of wrench and inserts are required. Additionally the
inserts frequently require extensive machining or other forming
operations because of their configuration. A further deficiency of
prior art devices is that the inserts tend to be thin walled and
all the stresses are transferred through the thin-walled insert. A
still further deficiency of such devices is that the inserts are
difficult to position properly and to fully insert within the
wrench structure.
In view of the deficiences of prior art devices, substantially all
tooling in private use incorporates wrenches with removable drive
portions so that a new drive portion must be inserted for each nut
size utilized.
It is therefore desirable to have a wrench configuration into which
a plurality of inserts may be readily inserted, which wrench
configuration is adaptable to both end wrench and socket type nut
drive bodies and which wrench configuration facilitates the
insertion and removal of the inserts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An exemplary embodiment of the invention incorporates a uniquely
configured insert and nut reception cavity which may be utilized
either in a nut socket drive body or in an end wrench nut drive
body. The cavity configuration incorporates a pattern of flats
comprising a nut drive section. The flats are comparable to the
conventional hexagonal pattern over the portion of the
circumference covered by four such flats, however, over the
remaining portion of the cavity a partial cylindrical configuration
is utilized to form an insert engagement channel. The terminus of
the partial cylindridal configuration is joined with the remaining
drive structure by insert retention ridges. The inserts utilized
with the unique cavity configuration of the invention are
relatively easily manufactured due to the fact that they do not
have to fit within a complete enclosure, but rather are inserted
into the insert engagement channel and then protrude along the
flats of the drive section. As a result of the configuration,
tolerances do not accumulate, and relatively high manufacturing
tolerances will still produce acceptable inserts.
When used in the socket configuration an insert release opening is
provided so that a tool may be utilized to release an insert after
use. The socket member also includes an axial bolt reception bore
that is offset toward the drive section to provide access of a bolt
over the maximum range of nut sizes.
Inserts for drive members according to the invention are relatively
easy to manufacture because of the reduced number of angulated
flats. Additionally they have an inherent high strength with no
thin-walled sections and therefore require less expensive material
to have suitable resistance to damage.
As used herein the term nut is intended to include nuts, bolt heads
and similar inserts.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new and
improved end wrench and socket with reducing inserts.
It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved
end wrench and socket with inserts that are relatively easy to
manufacture.
It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved
end wrench and socket which has no close manufacturing tolerance
requirements.
It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved
end wrench and socket which utilizes relatively low cost
materials.
It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved
end wrench and socket in which the inserts are easily oriented and
inserted.
It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved
end wrench and socket with provision for removing the inserts from
the socket portion.
It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved
end wrench and socket with maximum internal accommodation for bolt
ends.
It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved
end wrench and socket that accomodates a large range of nut
sizes.
Other objects and many attendant advantages of the invention will
become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed
description, together with the drawings in which like reference
numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wrench.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the socket portion.
FIG. 3 is a similar plan view with an insert added to fit a small
nut.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a typical insert.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a socket drive attachment.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6--6 of FIG. 5.
Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a
ratchet type end wrench 10. The end wrench incorporates a nut drive
body 12 having an insert and nut reception cavity 14 configured
according to the invention. The wrench may be made according to the
conventional design wherein a nut is tightened by utilizing the
wrench with a first face up and then that same nut loosened by
inverting the wrench so that the ratcheting effect is in the
opposite direction of rotation. The insert and nut reception cavity
14 is comprised of an insert engagement channel which has an
arcuate surface 18 generally corresponding to a partial cylindrical
surface and terminating in a pair of ridges 20. Diametrically
opposed to the arcuate surface 18 are the nut drive flats 22 and
24. The nut drive flats are connected to the insert engagement
channel by accommodation flats 26 and 28.
The nut drive body may be utilized alone or in conjunction with a
plurality of different inserts. In the use of the nut drive body to
turn the maximum size nut no insert is necessary. This
configuration is illustrated in FIG. 2 wherein a maximum size nut
16 is inserted within the body and contacts both the drive flats 22
and 24 as well as both of the accommodation flats 26 and 28. The
nut 16 is held in engagement with these surfaces by the
correspondence of the partial cylindrical surface 18 with the apex
30 on the nut 16.
The use of an insert to drive the smallest nut practical with a
given drive member is illustrated in FIG. 3. In this figure, an
insert 40 with an arcuate portion 41 and a depending protrusion 42
is retained within the drive member and traps the nut 44 between
the drive flats 22 and 24 on the nut drive body and the flats 46
and 48 on the insert. The faces 22 and 24 have an included angle of
120.degree. in common with all hexagonal configurations as do the
surfaces 46 and 48, so that the nut 44 is held firmly between four
cooperating surfaces. The insert 40 has flanges 49 at opposite
sides of arcuate portion 18 to fit against ridges 20.
Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is illustrated the socket
type nut drive body 50. The body incorporates an extension 52 for
spacing the nut driving portion from the wrench. The extension
terminates in a wrench engagement head 54. The configuration of the
head 54 corresponds exactly to the configuration of the insert and
nut reception cavity 14 of the wrench 10. The configuration of the
insert and nut drive cavity 56 of the body 50 is illustrated in
FIG. 2 wherein a cavity configuration identical to the insert and
nut drive cavity 14 of the wrench 10 is illustrated. The cavity 56
terminates in an insert insertion flange 62 which limits the entry
of the nut into the interior of the device. A bolt reception bore
64 is provided. The bore 64 is offset from the axis of the socket
member 50 toward the nut engagement flats 22 and 24 in order to
maximize the range of bolts which will pass into the bore 64. The
body 50 incorporates an insert release opening 68 which is
positioned in the insert and nut reception cavity at the position
of the insert insertion flange 62. A tool may be inserted through
the insert release opening 68 to dislodge inserts after use.
OPERATION
In use, the operator first determines whether the particular nut
driving application requires an end wrench-type drive or an
extension socket-type drive. Assuming a socket type drive is
selected, then the head 54 of the socket drive body 50 is inserted
into the insert and nut drive cavity 14 on the wrench 10. Then an
appropriate insert 40 is selected to produce the desired nut drive
size, the length of protrusion 42 determines the size of nut which
can be gripped. The insert is pressed into the cavity 14 until it
contacts the flange 62. The insert retention ridges 20 hold the
insert in position and prevent it from moving toward the nut drive
flats 22 and 24.
The socket member is inserted over the bolt so that the nut drive
flats 22 and 24, together with the nut drive flats on the insert
contact the four driven faces of the nut. The wrench is rotated to
tighten the nut to the desired torque. Under the application of
torque the insert transmits the forces over relatively large
surfaces to the nut drive body and wrench, thereby avoiding damage
to the surfaces or jamming of the insert in the socket. If a bolt
protrudes through the nut it will be received within the bolt
reception, bore 64 so as to not interfere with the nut driving
action. After completion of the nut tightening, the socket end
wrench are removed from the nut and the insert removed from the
socket by the application of a tool or other suitably sized object
through the insert release opening 68. This makes the wrench ready
for use with other sized nuts as required.
* * * * *