GB2551109A

GB2551109A - A tool for tightening or loosening a domestic tap fitting

Info

Publication number: GB2551109A
Application number: GB1608107.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chalkly Darren
Original assignee: Nerrad Ltd
Current assignee: Nerrad Ltd
Priority date: 2016-05-09
Filing date: 2016-05-09
Publication date: 2017-12-13
Also published as: GB201608107D0

Abstract

Disclosed is a tool suitable for tightening nuts on a domestic tap fitting. The tool comprises first and second recess regions 16,18 suitable for receiving different sized nuts, and a further recess region located below the first and second recess regions in use. The first recess region extends inwardly from an upper end of the tool, and the first, second and further recess regions extend inwardly from a side surface of the tool, such that they define an opening that extends along one face of the tool. The first and second recess regions may have a hexagonal cross-section, and the boundary between the first and second recess regions may be defined by a step. The tool may further comprise an engagement formation to allow connection to a rotary drive tool, such as a socket wrench. Also disclosed is an adapter that cooperates with the engagement formation to facilitate connection to a rotary drive tool, and a kit of parts comprising the tool of the present invention in several sizes, the adapter of the present invention, and a rotary drive tool.

Description

A tool for tightening and loosening a domestic tap fitting [0001] The present invention relates to a tool for tightening and loosening a domestic tap fitting.

[0002] One such tool comprises a spring-loaded arcuate finger which is knurled on an inside thereof, the springloading urging the finger towards a further part of the tool, so that the finger and further part together can engage a nut such that rotation of the tool about an axis thereof can be used to tighten or loosen the nut.

[0003] A disadvantage of such a tool is that it may fail to grip the nut which it is intended to rotate, or if it does grip the nut, it may deform it without rotating it, especially if the nut is made of a plastics material.

[0004] The present invention seeks to provide a remedy.

[0005] Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention is directed to a tool for tightening and loosening a domestic tap fitting, the tool having first and second recess regions respectively for receiving a back nut and a supply nut of such a tap fitting, respective walls of the tool which define the said first and second recess regions engaging such a back nut and supply nut respectively when the tool is in use, the said first region extending inwardly from an intended upper main face of the tool, the tool also having a further recess region below the said first and second recess regions extending inwardly from a side of the tool to accommodate a supply pipe for the fitting, the said first and second recess regions and the said further recess region together constituting an opening which extends from and opens out onto the said side of the tool and also both the said intended upper main face of the tool and an intended lower main face thereof.

[0006] Such a construction enables the walls of the first and second recess regions to engage such a back nut and such a supply nut respectively in a firm manner.

[0007] The said first and second recess regions may both be hexagonal in cross-section.

[0008] This facilitates engagement of the tool with hexagonal nuts .

[0009] A step of the tool may define the boundary between the said first and second recess regions.

[0010] The said further recess region may be U-shaped in cross-section.

[0011] This reduces any likelihood of interference of operation of the tool by a supply pipe of the domestic tap fitting.

[0012] The tool may be provided with an engagement formation to enable it to be engaged with an adapter or a rotary drive tool.

[0013] The engagement formation may comprise a recess. The recess may be of hexagonal cross-section. The recess may be defined by walls which are provided themselves with a recess for engagement by a spring-loaded ball provided on such an adapter or such a rotary drive tool.

[0014] The present invention extends to a set of tools each one in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention but having at least one of the said first and second recess regions of different respective cross-sectional sizes.

[0015] The present invention also extends to a combination of such a set of tools and a rotary drive tool capable of engaging any selected one of the set.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adapter for engaging a tool according to the first aspect of the present invention, or any one of the aforementioned set of tools, the adapter comprising a protuberance of a first cross-sectional shape and recess of a second cross-sectional shape, the protuberance and the recess having respective axes which are parallel to one another but which are offset from one another.

[0017] The offsetting reduces the likelihood of interference of operation of the adapter by a supply pipe of the domestic tap fitting.

[0018] The protuberance may be hexagonal in cross-section .

[0019] The recess may be square in cross-section.

[0020] The protuberance may be provided with a spring-loaded ball for engagement with a tool according to the first aspect of the present invention. The recess of the adapter may be defined by walls which themselves are provided with a ball recess.

[0021] The present invention extends to the combination of an adapter according to the second aspect of the present invention and a tool according to the first aspect of the present invention. It also extends to a set comprising the aforementioned set of tools, and an adapter according to the second aspect of the present invention. It also extends to a set comprising the aforementioned set of tools, and adapter according to the second aspect of the present invention, and a rotary drive tool for engaging the adapter.

[0022] An example of a tool embodying the first aspect of the present invention, and an example of an adapter embodying the second aspect of the present invention, will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: [0023] Figure 1 shows a view from above of a tool embodying the present invention, with the position of nuts which may be engaged by the tool being indicated by broken lines; [0024] Figure 2 shows a axial section of the tool shown in Figure 1 in the plane indicated by the line II-II in that Figure; [0025] Figure 3 shows a side view of the tool shown in Figures 1 and 2; [0026] Figure 4 shows an enlargement of a region labelled IV in Figure 3; [0027] Figure 5 shows an underneath view of the tool shown in Figures 1 to 4; [0028] Figure 6 shows an isometric view of the tool shown in Figures 1 to 5; [0029] Figure 7 shows a view from above of an adapter embodying the second aspect of the present invention; [0030] Figure 8 shows an axial section of the tool shown in Figure 7 in the plane indicated by the line VIII-VIII in that Figure; [0031] Figure 9 shows a side view of the adapter shown in Figures 7 and 8; [0032] Figure 10 shows an enlargement of a region labelled X in Figure 9; [0033] Figure 11 shows an underneath view of the adapter shown in Figures 7 to 10; and [0034] Figure 12 shows an isometric view of the adapter shown in Figures 7 to 11.

[0035] The tool 10 shown in Figures 1 to 6 has a generally cylindrical form with a part circular cross-section 12. Extending downwardly from an intended upper main face 14 of the tool 10 is a first recess region 16 and, below the first recess region 16, a second recess region 18 of smaller cross-sectional size than the first recess region 16. Walls of the tool 10 which define the first and second recess regions 16 and 18 comprise a series of flats 20 for the region 16 and a series of flats 22 for the region 18, such that both the first and the second recess region 16 and 18 are part hexagonal in cross-section. A step 24 separates the flats 20 from the flats 22, and hence defines the boundary between the first recess region 16 and the second recess region 18.

[0036] A further recess region 26 extends inwardly from a side of the tool 10. Walls of the tool which define this region are you-shaped in cross-section. The further recess region 26 opens out onto a lower main face 28 of the tool 10. A further step 30 of the tool 10 defines a boundary between the said second recess region and the said further recess region. It will be appreciated that the said first and second recess regions together with the further recess region 26 together constituting opening which extends inwardly from the side of the tool 10 and opens out onto both the upper main face 14 of the tool 10 and the learning face 28 thereof. And undercut 32 is formed underneath the step 30, so that the further recess region 2 6 is wider than the said second recess region 18.

[0037] Where the walls 20 and 22 of each of the first and second recess regions 16 and 18 open out onto a side of the tool 10, in their respective cross-sections the walls 20 and 22 have short lengths on opposite sides of the opening, extending short distances towards one another, to improve the grasp of the tool 10 on the back nut or supply nut as the case may be.

[0038] A bore 34 extends upwardly from a lower main face 26 of the tool 10. The bore 34 is defined by walls 36 of the tool 10 which give the bore 34 an hexagonal cross-section. The walls 36 are provided with lateral recesses 38 to receive a spring-loaded ball of an adapter which will now be described with reference to Figures 7 to 12.

[0039] The adapter 40 shown in Figure 7 to 12 comprises a first cylindrical portion 42 having an outer surface 44 which is of generally circular cross-section, and an inner surfaces 46 defining a recess 48 extending inwardly from an intended lower main surface 5 0 of the cylindrical portion 42.

[0040] Extending upwardly from an intended upper main face 52 of the adapter 4 0 is a cylindrical protuberance 54 of hexagonal cross-section, the size of which is slightly smaller than the hexagonal cross-section of the bore 34 to enable the protuberance 54 to be inserted into the bore 34 with a sufficiently close fit to ensure that the outer walls of the protuberance 5 4 engage the inner walls of the bore 34 to enable the adapter 40 to be used to rotate the tool 10.

[0041] Whereas the axis of the recess 48 and the axis of the protuberance 54 are parallel to one another, they are offset from one another.

[0042] The protuberance 54 is provided with a spring-loaded ball shown diagrammatically at 56. This engages one of the lateral recesses 38 in the bore walls 36 when the protuberance 54 is inserted into the bore 34.

[0043] The walls 48 are formed with lateral recesses 58 to receive a spring-loaded ball (not shown) of a rotary drive tool (not shown) which has an end of square cross-section and which is inserted into the recess 46 when the adapter is in use.

[0044] Both the tool 10 and the adapter 40 are provided around their cylindrical outer surfaces with spaced apart annular grooves 60. The cylindrical surface region 62 between the grooves 60 is knurled to facilitate grasping of the tool 10 and/or the adapter 40 between the user's finger and thumb.

[0045] When in use, the protuberance 54 of the adapter 40 is inserted into the bore 34 of the tool 10 until the spring loaded ball 56 snaps into one of the recesses 38 in the walls 36 of the bore 34. The tool 10 is then raised with the adapter 40 until the second recess region 16 receives the supply nut (not shown) of a domestic tap fitting (the water supply to which has first been closed) . A rotary drive tool (not shown) is then brought into engagement with the adapter 4 0 and the latter with the tool 16 is rotated a little way. The tool 10 may then be disengaged from the supply nut and re-engaged at a different angle relative to the nut and the process may be repeated until the supply nut is sufficiently loosened to enable it to be rotated by the user grasping the nut between finger and thumb. It will be appreciated that during this process the further recess 26, as well is the offsetting between the respective axes of the protuberance 54 and the recess 58, accommodates the supply pipe of the domestic tap fitting, which supply pipe might be rigid or flexible.

[0046] With the supply nut (not shown) removed, the same tool 10 may now be used to loosen the back nut (not shown), which may be completely removed from the domestic tap fitting and replaced by a better back nut or an undamaged back nut (not shown).

[0047] Once a better or undamaged back not (not shown) has been manually screwed onto the domestic tap fitting, the whole of the foregoing procedure may be repeated in reverse to refix the domestic tap fitting.

[0048] Numerous variations and modifications to the illustrated tool and adapter may occur to the reader without taking the resulting construction outside the scope of the present invention. To give one example only of such a modification, the tool does not necessarily have to have an outer surface of circular cross-section. It may instead be square for example, or hexagonal.

Claims

Claims :

1. A tool for tightening and loosening a domestic tap fitting, the tool having first and second recess regions respectively for receiving a back nut and a supply nut of such a tap fitting, respective walls of the tool which define the said first and second recess regions engaging such a back nut and supply nut respectively when the tool is in use, the said first region extending inwardly from an intended upper main face of the tool, the tool also having a further recess region below the said first and second recess regions extending inwardly from a side of the tool to accommodate a supply pipe for the fitting, the said first and second recess regions and the said further recess region together constituting an opening which extends from and opens out onto the said side of the tool and also both the said intended upper main face of the tool and an intended lower main face thereof.

2. A tool according to claim 1, in which the said first and second recess regions are both hexagonal in cross-section.

3. A tool according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which a step of the tool defines the boundary between the said first and second recess regions.

4. A tool according to any preceding claim, in which the said further recess region is U-shaped in cross-section.

5. A tool according to any preceding claim, in which the tool is provided with an engagement formation to enable it to be engaged with an adapter or a rotary drive tool.

6. A tool according to claim 5, in which the engagement formation comprises a recess.

7. A tool according to claim 6, in which the recess is of hexagonal cross-section.

8. A tool according to claim 6 or claim 7, in which the recess is defined by walls which are provided themselves with a recess for engagement by a spring-loaded ball provided on such an adapter or such a rotary drive tool.

9. A set of tools each one of which is as claimed in any preceding claim, in which at least one of the said first and second recess regions of the respective tools are of different respective cross-sectional sizes.

10. A combination of a set of tools as claimed in claim 10 and a rotary drive tool capable of engaging any selected one of the set.

11. An adapter for engaging a tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, or a set of tools as claimed in claim 9, the adapter comprising a protuberance of a first cross-sectional shape and recess of a second cross-sectional shape, the protuberance and the recess having respective axes which are parallel to one another but which are offset from one another.

12. An adapter according to claim 11, in which the protuberance is hexagonal in cross-section.

13. An adapter according to claim 11 or claim 12, in which the recess is square in cross-section.

14. An adapter according to any one of claims 11 to 13, in which the protuberance is provided with a spring-loaded ball for engagement with a tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

15. An adapter according to any one of claims 11 to 14, in which the recess of the adapter is defined by walls which themselves are provided with a ball recess.

16. A combination of an adapter as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15 and a tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

17. A set comprising a set of tools as claimed in claim 9 and an adapter as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15.

18. A set comprising a set of tools as claimed in claim 9, an adapter as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15, and a rotary drive tool for engaging the adapter.