US20040079662A1

US20040079662A1 - Tool socket

Info

Publication number: US20040079662A1
Application number: US10/329,713
Authority: US
Inventors: Eupin Wang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-10-29
Filing date: 2002-12-27
Publication date: 2004-04-29
Also published as: TW571885U

Abstract

The present invention comprises a retaining base having a plurality of holes for inserting tools, and a track base having a track on it; a sliding member, for accommodating and sliding the track of the tracking base, and a plurality of latching members are disposed on the sliding member; such arrangement allows the holes for inserting the tool to be latched or released when the external force is exerted to displace the sliding member.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tool socket, and tools are placed in the toolbox and secured in fixed position to prevent the tools from falling off or being loosened when they are not in use, and to provide an easy way of accessing such tools.

2. Description of the Related Art

Sets or groups of tools are generally put into an easy-to-open, easy-to-store, and portable toolbox nowadays, and the openings with specific shape have a protrusion each on both sides of the opening, so that the tool can be fixed into a secure position by pressing the tool into the opening through the protrusions. However, those compact tools with external diameter of only 6 mm such as drills, screwdrivers, and hexagonal wrenches are not that easy to access. If the user needs a tool with different specifications, he has to change tools and to overcome the access through the protrusions of the opening, which is very inconvenient. Furthermore, the length and width of the opening have to be designed according to the shape of the tool, and it makes the mold for the opening more complicated. Specific openings have to accommodating specific tools, and thus it is also inconvenient to access a large number of small and compact tools one by one and to find the opening that fits the tool when the user puts the tool back into its position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the present invention is to provide an improved tool socket comprising a retaining base having a plurality of holes for inserting tools, and a track base having a track on it; a sliding member, for accommodating and sliding the track of the track base, and a plurality of latching members are disposed on the sliding member; such arrangement allows the holes for inserting the tool to be latched or released when the external force is exerted to displace the sliding member.

To make it easier for our examiner to understand the objective of the invention, its structure, innovative features, and performance, we use a preferred embodiment together with the attached drawings for the detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0007]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the disassembled parts of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. [0008]
FIG. 2 is a back-view diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. [0009]
FIG. 3 is an illustrative diagram of the sliding member under normal conditions according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. [0010]
FIG. 4 is an illustrative diagram of the sliding member when exerted by force for a displacement according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. [0011]
FIG. 5 is an illustrative diagram of the latch positioning in the toolbox according to the embodiment of the present invention. [0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, it should be noted that like elements are indicated by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure. [0013]
Please refer to FIG. 1 for the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the FIG. 1, a small and compact tool [0014] 1 generally complies with the insert hole of the pneumatic tool, which has been standardized for years, having a hexagonal cylinder connector 11 and a concave curved neck section 12 disposed at the connector 11. The concave neck is not a necessary requirement of the present invention. The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises:
a [0015] retaining base 2, substantially in the shape of a long bar, having a plurality of openings 21 for inserting tools, a hole base 22 disposed under the retaining base 2 at the position corresponding to the hole 21, a window 23 disposed on a lateral side of the retaining base 2 with respect to the position between the hole 21 and hole base 22, an pivotal post 241, 242 and a latch 25 disposed on both ends of the retaining base 2, and an end of the pivotal axis 241 being longer than the other end of the pivotal post 242;
a plurality of embedding [0016] holes 261 being disposed on the edge of a frame 26 at the end other than that corresponsive to a window 23 of the retaining base 2 as shown in FIG. 2; a plurality of embedding posts 271 on the track base 27 are embedded into the embedding hole 261; a track groove 272 disposed on the track base 27 having a switching opening 273;
a sliding [0017] member 3, substantially in the shape of a long bar, exactly accommodating and sliding in the track groove 272 of the track base 27, and a switching opening 273; a switching member 31 extends into the switching opening 273 of the track base 27, and a plurality of protruding members 32 disposed on the lateral side of the sliding member, each protruding member 32 has a curved latching member 321 transversally disposed at an end of the curved latching member 321; a hole base 33 disposed on the sliding member 3 proximate to the end of the sliding member 3, and the hole base 33 along the axis of the sliding member 3 has a pivotal hole 331 such that an elastic member 34 composed of a spring can be exactly put into the pivotal hole, and one end presses against the inner side of the relative frame 26 of the retaining base 2.
The overall assembly of the preferred embodiment of the present embodiment places the [0018] elastic member 34 into the pivotal hole 331 of the sliding member 3 in advance, and then the sliding member 3 is placed into the track groove 27 of the track base 27, so that the entire track base 27 can be embedded into the embedding hole 261 by the embedding axis 271 and fixed onto the margin of the frame 26 of the retaining base 2. Then an end of the elastic member 34 presses against the inner margin of the frame 26 of the corresponding end of the retaining base 2, and the switching member 31 can extend into the switching opening 273 on the track base 27; of course, the track base 27 can also be integrally coupled with the retaining base 2 by gluing or any other possible ways.
After the assembling of the entire tool socket is completed as shown in FIG. 3, the sliding [0019] member 3 drives the switching member 31 to move towards the left side of the switching opening 273 by the elasticity of the elastic member 34, and the protruding member 32 on the sliding member 3 always leans on a side of the hole 2 on the retaining base 2, and the latching member 321 shifts to a position not blocked by the hole 21. Therefore, if the tool 1 as shown in FIG. 1 is put into the hole 21, the tool 1 can move in and out of the hole 21 without any interference or blocking.
Please refer to FIG. 4, when the switching [0020] member 31 is moved towards the right side of the switching opening 273 by the external force, the sliding member 3 together with each protruding member 32 and latching member 321 are shifted towards the hole 21. Therefore, if the tool 1 as shown in FIG. 1 is placed into the hole 21, the protruding member 32 and the latching member 321 will exactly bind the curved indent on the connector 11 of the tool 1 and tighten the neck section 1, so that the tool 1 cannot move in or out of the hole 21.
Please refer to FIG. 5. The entire tool socket can be placed into the toolbox [0021] 4. In the indent space 41 of the toolbox 4, axle hole 42 is disposed on both side of the indent space 41 and a latching member 43 is disposed at an appropriate position; an aslant curved end 44 of a blocking member 45 is disposed at an appropriate position in the front side of the indent space 41, so that the two lateral pivotal axle 241, 242 of the retaining base 2 of the tool socket pass through the axle hole 42. When the entire tool socket is switched to the front, the latching button 25 is exactly blocked by the latching member 43 at its lower section, and the switching member 3 is acted by the aslant curved end 44 of the blocking member 45 causing the switching member 31 to shift until the tool is placed in the hole 21 as shown in FIG. 4. The tool 1 cannot move in or out of the hole 21. Even when the tool 1 is placed in the tool socket, the tool 1 is fixed in a secure position. If the user wants to take the tool 1 out, the user just needs to flip the blocking latch of the latching member 43. Since the switching member 31 is no longer acted by the end of the blocking member 25, the switching member 31 will return to the original position as shown in FIG. 3 due to the restoration by the elastic member 3, and the restriction condition of the tool 1 is released, and the tool 1 can be taken out easily.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements. [0022]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A tool socket, comprising:

a retaining base, further comprising a plurality of holes for inserting tools, and a track base with a track thereon;

a sliding member, accommodated in the track of the track base for sliding, and having a plurality of latches:

such arrangement allowing the holes for inserting the tool to be latched or released when the external force being exerted to displace the sliding member.

2. A tool socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining base under the corresponding holes having a plurality of hole bases.

3. A tool socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining base at one of its sides corresponsive to the hole having a window.

4. A tool socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining base at both of its ends each having a pivotal post.

5. A tool socket as claimed in claim 4, wherein one of said pivotal posts being longer than the other.

6. A tool socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining base at its side on an appropriate distance having an embedding hole, and a plurality of embedding posts disposed on the track base exactly embedding into the embedding holes.

7. A tool socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said track base having a switching opening, such that a sliding member having a switch extending to the switch opening.

8. A tool socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said latch on the sliding member being transversally disposed on a protrusion.

9. A tool socket as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an elastic member disposed in the axial hole of a hole base a the end of the sliding member.

10. A tool socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pivotal posts on both sides of the retaining base being pivotally coupled to and passing through the axial holes on both sides of the indented space of a toolbox.

11. A tool socket as claimed in claim 10, wherein said toolbox having a blocking member such that the blocking member blocking the tool from being switched forward in the tool socket.

12. A tool socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining base having a latching button on both sides of the retaining base.

13. A tool socket as claimed in claim 10, wherein said toolbox having a latching member such that the tool socket being fixed into a position when being switched forward.