AU2007100008A4

AU2007100008A4 - Quick Release Ouput Adapter for Power Hand Tool

Info

Publication number: AU2007100008A4
Application number: AU2007100008A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Chien-Chun Wu
Original assignee: Mobiletron Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Mobiletron Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2007-01-09
Filing date: 2007-01-09
Publication date: 2007-02-08
Anticipated expiration: 2015-01-09

Description

Our Ref: 3784Inno P/00/009 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 00

O

0- INNOVATION SPECIFICATION FOR AN INVENTION ENTITLED Invention title: Name of Applicant: Address for Service Quick Release Output Adapter for Power Hand Tool Mobiletron Electronics Co., Ltd.

A.P.T. Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys PO Box 222 Mitcham, S.A. 5062 The invention is described in the following statement: QUICK RELEASE OUTPUT ADAPTER FOR POWER HAND TOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 00 Field of the Invention The present invention relates to power hand tools and more specifically, to a quick release output adapter for quick connection of a power hand tool to a garage jack.

Description of the Related Art A rotary power hand tool may be selectively attached with different tool bit adapters to form a power screwdriver, power drill, power wrench, etc. However, when a power hand tool is attached with a tool bit adapter, its applicability is limited. For example, a regular power wrench has a rectangular output connector for receiving, for example a socket, which has a rectangular coupling hole disposed at one end and coupled to the rectangular output connector of the power wrench and a hexagonal coupling hole disposed at the other end for holding a screw bolt or nut for enabling the power hand tool to grasp and rotate a screw bolt or nut. After connection of the socket to the rectangular output connector of the power hand tool, the power hand tool cannot be used for other purposes except for the purpose of grasping and rotating screw bolts and nuts.

Further, because the rectangular coupling hole of the aforesaid socket is simply designed for the insertion of the rectangular output connector of a power hand tool, the socket may displace axially relative to the rectangular output connector of the power hand tool during operation and may be disconnected from the rectangular output 3 O

O

connector accidentally, resulting in a potential injury to the user.

For the purposes of this specification the word "comprising" means "including but not 0 limited to", and the word "comprises" has a corresponding meaning. Also a reference within this specification to a document is not to be taken as an admission that the disclosure therein constitutes common general knowledge in Australia.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is one objective of the present invention to provide a quick release output adapter, which extends the applicability of power hand tools.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a quick release output adapter, which can be quickly connected to and disconnected from a power hand tool.

To achieve these objectives of the present invention, the quick release output adapter comprises an adapter body, a grip and a quick-lease. The adapter body has a first coupling portion with a coupling hole connectable with an output connector of a power hand tool, a second coupling portion with a hook connectable with a garage jack, and a shaft integrally connected between the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion. The grip is rotatably sleeved onto the shaft of the adapter body for holding by a user. The quick-release is mounted on the first coupling portion of the adapter body for locking the output connector of the power hand tool that is inserted into the coupling hole to the first coupling portion of the adapter body and for releasing the inserted output connector of the power hand tool from the coupling hole.

O BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS oo The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a quick release output adapter according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective assembly view of the quick release output adapter according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing showing the relationship between the quick-release of the quick release output adapter and a power wrench's rectangular output connector according to the present invention; FIG. 4 corresponds to FIG. 3, showing that the collar is moved to the first position and the rectangular output connector of the power wrench is inserted into the coupling hole of the adapter body, and FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4, but showing that the collar is moved to the second position and the rectangular output connector of the power wrench is locked to the first coupling portion of the adapter body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As shown in FIGS. 1-5, a quick release output adapter 100 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises an adapter body 10, a grip and a quick-release The adapter body 10 has a first coupling portion 11, a second coupling portion 12 and O a shaft 13 integrally connected between the first and second coupling portions 11 and 00 12. The first coupling portion 11 is a socket having an axially extending rectangular coupling hole 111. The coupling hole 111 has an opening 112 on the end face of the first coupling portion 11. An arched groove 113 is formed on each of the four sides of the periphery wall surrounding the rectangular coupling hole 111. The first coupling portion 11 further two through holes 114 arranged in communication with the rectangular coupling hole 111 and axially aligned in line, an annular flange 116 extending around the free end of the periphery thereof, and an annular groove 117 extending around the periphery remote from the annular flange 116. Each of the through holes 114 has an inner opening 115 with a diameter smaller than the diameter the other portions of the through holes 114. The second coupling portion 12 is provided with a hook.

The grip 20 is a hollow cylindrical member comprised of two semicircular half shells 21 that are fastened together with four screws 22. The grip 20 is sleeved onto the shaft 13 of the adapter body 10 such that the adapter body 10 can be rotated about the center axis of the shaft 13 relative to the grip The quick-release 30 comprises a retaining member 31, a spring member 32, four balls 33, and a collar 34. The retaining member 31 is comprised of a C-shaped retainer 311 and a gasket ring 312. The C-shaped retainer 311 is fastened to the annular groove 117 of the adapter body 10. The gasket ring 312 is sleeved onto the first coupling portion I1 of the adapter body 10 and supported on the C-shaped retainer 311 at one side thereof. The spring member 32 is a coil spring sleeved onto the first coupling portion O 11 and stopped with its one end against the other side of the gasket ring 312 opposite 00 to the C-shaped retainer 311. The balls 33 are steel balls arranged in two sets respectively inserted into the two through holes 114 of the adapter body 10. Each opening 115 has a diameter smaller that the diameter of the steel ball 33, so that the inner steel ball 33 in each through hole 114 has a part of the periphery thereof projecting into the rectangular coupling hole 111 through the opening 115. The collar 34 has an annular inner wall having a recess 341 and an annular flange 342 at one side thereof. The collar 34 is sleeved onto the first coupling portion 11 of the adapter body to have the annular flange 342 stopped at one side of the annular flange 116 and stopped against the steel balls 33 in the through holes 114 and to hold the gasket ring 312 and the spring member 32 inside the recess 341.

Referring to FIGS. 3-5, when a user wants to connect the quick release output adapter 100 to the rectangular output connector 90 of a power wrench (see FIG. 3) and a garage jack (not shown), the user can move the collar 34 of the quick-release toward the grip 20 to force the annular flange 342 to compress the spring member 32, keeping the grip 20 in a first position (see FIG. and then inset the rectangular output connector 90 of the power wrench into the rectangular coupling hole 111 of the adapter body 10. When inserting the rectangular output connector 90 of the power wrench into the rectangular coupling hole 111 of the adapter body 10, the periphery wall of the rectangular output connector 90 will push the steel balls 33 radially outwards from the rectangular coupling hole 111 into the respective through holes 114 (see FIG. and at U the same time the spring-supported protruded stop members 91 of the rectangular n, output connector 90 are forced backwards into the inside of the rectangular output O connector 90. After the rectangular output connector 90 has been inserted into the oo rectangular coupling hole 111 in position, the spring-supported stop members 91 are respectively forced outwards by the respective spring members (not shown) into engagement with the arched grooves 113 of the adapter body 10, and the respective steel balls 33 are respectively partially engaged into the annular groove 92 on the periphery wall of the rectangular output connector 90. At this time, the user can release the hand from the collar 34 for enabling the spring member 32 to move the collar 34 from the aforesaid first position to a second position (see FIG. 5) to have the annular flange 342 urge the steel balls 33 in the through holes 114, and therefore the rectangular output connector 90 is positively connected to the first coupling portion 11 of the quick release output adapter 100 due to the firm engagement of the steel ball 33 into the annular groove 92 of the rectangular output connector 90. Thereafter, the user can hook the second coupling portion 12 on an annular input portion of the garage jack (not shown) so as to complete the connection between the power wrench and the garage jack. At this time, the user can hold the power wrench with one hand and hold the grip 20 with the other hand to control the operation of the power wrench. By means of the connection of the quick release output adapter 100, the power wrench can drive the garage jack. When wanting to disconnect the rectangular output connector 90 from the rectangular coupling hole 111, the user can push the collar 34 to the first position again to have the annular flange 342 not urge the steel balls 33 for allowing removal of the rectangular output connector 90 from the rectangular coupling hole 111.

1 8 As indicated above, the rectangular output connector 90 of the power wrench can be c' positively connected to the rectangular coupling hole 111 by means of the o quick-release 30, preventing disconnection of the rectangular output connector 90 from 00 the rectangular coupling hole 111 accidentally.

Claims

2. The quick release output adapter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first coupling portion has two through holes arranged in communication with the coupling hole and axially aligned in line; wherein the quick-release comprises a retaining member fastened to a periphery of the first coupling portion, a spring member sleeved onto the first coupling portion and stopped at one side of the retaining member, a plurality of balls symmetrically and movably inserted into the two through holes of the first coupling portion, and a collar sleeved onto the first coupling portion and stopped against the spring member at one side opposite to the retaining member and axially movable along the first coupling portion between a first position where the collar 3 compresses the spring member and not to urge the balls for allowing insertion and O release of the output connector of the power hand tool into and from the coupling hole 00 of the first coupling portion, and a second position where the collar urges the balls in the two through holes of the first coupling portion such that the balls are engageable with the output connector of the power hand tool that is inserted into the coupling hole of the first coupling portion of the adapter body.
3. The quick release output adapter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first coupling portion has an annular groove extending around the periphery thereof; the retaining member comprises a C-shaped retainer fastened to the annular groove of the first coupling portion, and a gasket ring sleeved onto the first coupling portion and stopped between the C-shaped retainer and the spring member.
4. The quick release output adapter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the two through holes each have an inner opening with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the balls such that one of the balls in each of the two through holes partially projects into the coupling hole.
5. The quick release output adapter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the collar is provided at an inner wall thereof with a recess for accommodating the retaining member and the spring member, and an annular flange stopped at the spring member; wherein the annular flange at the inner wall of the collar urges the balls when the collar is in the second position. Dated this 9th day of January 2007 MOBILETRON ELECTRONICS CO LTD By their Patent Attorneys A.P.T. Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys