WO1998056540A1

WO1998056540A1 - A tool set including a ratchet ring wrench, sockets and an adapter

Info

Publication number: WO1998056540A1
Application number: PCT/SE1998/001025
Authority: WO
Inventors: Magnus Bristam
Original assignee: Magnus Bristam
Priority date: 1997-06-13
Filing date: 1998-05-29
Publication date: 1998-12-17
Also published as: SE509484C2; SE9702267L; SE9702267D0; AU8045098A; EP1009594A1

Abstract

A tool set including a ratchet ring wrench, an adapter (58) and a series of sockets (5), where each socket has an axial through channel (6) in which a lengthwise part has a formation (63) for receiving a bolt head, nut head or the like. Each socket has a head (51) which can be received in an opening in a ratchet ring wrench and the head of the socket has a locking element (53) to loosely block axial movement in the opening. The circumerence of the socket head is in the form of a cog (52) for direct or indirect (3) rotation in a single direction by a ratchet mechanism (35) in the ratchet ring wrench. Every socket in the series has a channel part (61) with a mainly squared cross section and all the sockets in the series have a substantially similar distance between adjacent corners in said channel parts. The adapter (58) is at one end provided with the same cog formation as the sockets for engagement with the ratchet ring wrench and at its other end is provided with a square connecting pin for connecting to conventional squared pin receiving sockets (80).

Description

ool set including a ratchet ring wrench, sockets and an adapter

The present invention relates to a tool set of the kind that includes a series of tool sockets that can be used together with a ratchet wrench, and of the kind defined in the preamble of Claim 1.

A tool set of the kind indicated is known from FR-A-1 036 502.

A conventional socket-wrench set of the kind that includes a ratchet whose handle carries a square peg that will detachably engage a corresponding square sleeve-like opening in one end of each socket that receives the nut in the other end cannot be used to screw a nut a long distance along a threaded rod. This is because the end of the peg forms a socket bottom.

One advantage with conventional ratchet-wrench sets of this kind, with which each of the various sockets can be detachably connected to a square peg on a tool handle is that a handle extension can be readily connected between peg and socket.

Although a tool set of the kind disclosed in FR-A-1 036 502, which is included in the preamble of Claim 1, can be used to screw a nut far along a threaded rod, the patent specification fails to disclose means that will enable an extension rod of the type generally used together with socket-wrench sets to be connected between the handle or shaft of the ratchet wrench and its associated socket, particularly in view of the fact that the sockets have nut receiving passages of mutually different size, so that each socket would require its own associated extension rod. The sockets included in the known tool set corresponding to FR-A-1 036 502 do not include a square sleevelike opening that enables them to be used together with a tool handle that includes a square peg as the means for driving all sockets in the series.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a tool set which readily enables the use of sockets that can be turned by means of a ratchet wrench and through whose passages the stem of the screw concerned is able to pass when screwing a nut therealong, and in which the sockets belonging to said tool set enable the use of simple extension shafts between the wrench and the sockets, and in which the sockets are designed for direct use together with tool handles which include square pegs as socket driving means .

This object is achieved in accordance with the invention with a tool set that has the features set forth in Claim 1.

Further embodiments of the tool set are set forth in the dependent claims.

The socket set may basically be a conventional socket set where each socket has a through-passing passage that terminates at one end with a square cross-section of specific dimension for coaction with a square peg on a tool wrench. The outer size of the sockets at their respective other ends is the same for all sockets and the sockets carry external drive means, for instance axially extending splines or the like. Furthermore, it is ensured that the largest socket in the series (i.e. the socket that accommodates the largest nut) will enable a conventional threaded shaft coacting with such a nut to pass through the square passage-part forming the centre section of said passage . The tool set also includes a ratchet wrench or spanner that includes an opening which will accommodate each socket in the set, wherewith said wrench includes a latching device which functions to enable a socket to be held detachably in the wrench. The wrench will typically include a drive mechanism or dogging mechanism, preferably an adjustable mechanism, which coacts with the socket either directly or indirectly, to enable the socket to be rotated selectively in one or the other direction relative to the wrench handle.

According to the invention, the tool set will preferably include an adapter which is constructed at one end for detachable connection to the wrench in the same way as the inventive sockets, and which at the other end carries a square peg, so that the adapter-wrench combination will functionally form a conventional ratchet wrench for conventional ratchet sockets (without external rotary driving formations) . This enables the use of conventional extension shafts for socket wrenches that have a square peg at one end and a square-peg socket at the other end between the socket wrench of the inventive tool set, including the adapter and the inventive sockets.

Naturally, an inventive tool set may include a series of sockets that all have a large square opening which enables them to be connected to a square peg on a wrench or an extension shaft for a set of sockets. However, in order to cover a large range of sizes for nuts to be gripped by the sockets, it is convenient to provide two sets of inventive sockets, where the sockets that fall within a smaller range of gripping diameters have a smaller square opening than the socket series that fall within the range of larger nut sizes . The square openings may conform to those peg dimensions that are used conventionally in respect of socket spanners, for instance half inch and three quarter inch dimensions.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplifying embodiments thereof and also with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 illustrates schematically and from above a ratchet wrench forming part of the inventive tool set .

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line II-II in Figure

1.

Figure 3 illustrates in perspective a socket belonging to a socket set intended for coaction with the wrench shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of the bottom part of the wrench shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective and schematic illustration of an adapter that includes a driving peg. Figure 6 illustrates schematically one end-part of a conventional tool socket adapted to be driven rotationally by a square peg on a tool handle .

Shown in Figure 1 is a ratchet ring-wrench, or ring-spanner, which has at one end 1 of a handle 2 a ratchet ring 3 which is mounted for rotation in the end-part 1 about an axis 11. The — ring 3 has axially extending driving or dogging formations 31 disposed around its outer surface. The tool handle 2 includes a latching arrangement 35 which includes a latching arm 36, biasing springs 37 and a setting lever 38 by means of which the latching arm 36 can be brought to a position in which the ring 3 is caused to rotate about the axis 11 in the direction corresponding to the lever setting, with the aid of a mechanism not shown. Rotary driving formations 40 extend axially on the inner surface of the ring 3. The ring 3 also includes spring- biased catch devices 41, which in the illustrated case comprise a ball that can move radially outwards against the action of a spring and which in an inner position engage in a recess on a socket 5 (see Figure 3) so as to hold the socket axially in the ring 3.

As will be seen from Figure 3, the socket 5 has a generally circular-cylindrical head 51 that includes axially extending rotary driving formations 52 and a circumferential groove 53 in which the catch device 41 can engage so as to hold the socket 5 axially in the ring 3.

The formations 40, 52 mesh with one another for rotation of the socket. Extending axially through the socket 5 is a passage 6 which at one end-part of the socket has a cross-sectional area 61 which forms the narrowest part of the passage 6 and has a square shape for receiving a square peg forming a driving element on a wrench for use with a set of sockets. As will be evident from Figure 4, the passage 6 has a nut or ~ bolt-head driving end-part 63. The end-part 63 of the passage 6 may, for instance, be hexagonal in shape for rotation of an hexagonal nut of standard diameter.

Conventionally, the nuts have standard dimensions both with respect to external diameter and with respect to the diameter of the threaded rod or stem with which they are intended to coact . According to the invention, the section of smallest cross-dimension of the passage 6, i.e. the square passage section 61, has a side length which is greater than the outer diameter of the threaded stem that may be relevant with respect to coaction with the first nut that can be accommodated in the passage 63 belonging to the largest socket in the socket series .

As indicated in Figure 3, the square sleeve-like hole may be widened by coaxially drilling the hole, or in some other way, this widening having a diameter that is greater than the side length of the square sleeve-like opening but smaller than the diagonal of the square sleeve-like opening between two diametrically opposite corners. The corner regions of the square sleeve-like opening thereby remain intact and are able to operate interact with a square peg while, at the same time, allowing the passage of a threaded rod/bolt stem whose diameter is greater than the side length of the square sleeve-like opening .

This means that the threaded rod or stem is always able to pass freely through the passage in all sockets belonging to the tool set .

Figure 5 shows an adapter whose head 51 has the same design as the head 51 on the socket 5 shown in Figure 3, although the adapter head has, instead, an axial extension in the form of a coaxial square peg 7 which is accommodated in the square passage-part 61 in the socket 5 (square sleeve-like opening) or in a conventional square sleeve-like opening 61 in the end of a socket 80 belonging to a conventional socket set. The adapter 58 shown in Figure 5 thus enables the ratchet wrench shown in Figures 1 and 2 to be used also together with conventional socket series, provided that the square sleeve-like openings 61 of respective sockets correspond to the adapter peg 7. The person skilled in this art will realize the possibility of providing several adapters 58 with pegs 7 of mutually different sizes.

There has been described above a ratchet wrench having an end opening (end ring) in which there is mounted for rotation a ratchet ring that includes outer and inner splines, and catch means 41. It will be understood, however, that there can be used a ratchet wrench that lacks the ring 3 , in which case the latching arm 36 will coact directly with the outer, axially extending splines 52 on the socket, said socket being mounted for rotation directly in the end-opening of the wrench. A latching device for detachably retaining the socket in the spanner may have the same proportional design as the catch 41, although catch means known for this purpose may, of course, also be used.

Claims

C l a i m s

1. A tool set that includes a series of tool sockets (5) each of which has passing axially therethrough a passage (6) which, in a longitudinal section, has a formation (63) for accommodating a bolt head, nut or the like of corresponding size, wherein each socket (5) has a head (51) that can be received in an opening in a ratchet wrench, wherein the socket head has latch means (53) for detachably latching axially in the wrench opening, and wherein the socket head has disposed around its periphery drive formations or dogging formations (52) for rotating the socket, either directly or indirectly (3) , in the wrench through the medium of a drive mechanism (35) , characterized in that each socket in the set of sockets has a passage- part (61) of generally square cross-sectional shape; in that the distance between adjacent corners in said passage-part (61) is essentially the same for all sockets in said series; and in that the set includes a separate adapter (58) having at one end a square peg (7) which fits into a square sleeve-like opening (61) of generally square cross-sectional shape; in that the distance between adjacent corners in respective passage-parts (61) is essentially the same in all sockets in the series; and in that the set includes a separate adapter (58) which has at one end a square peg (7) which fits into a square sleeve-like opening (61) in conventional socket-wrench sockets whose square sleeve-like openings have a standard dimension, wherein the other end of the adapter carries a head (51) corresponding to the head (51) of the sockets (5) capable of coacting with the ratchet wrench (1,2) .

2. A tool set according to Claim 1, characterized in that the socket series (5) provided for coaction with the ratchet wrench is selected for rotation of bolt heads and nuts in a measurement range for which the bolt stems and the threaded shafts coacting with said nuts have an outer diameter lying within a selected diameter range; and in that the square passage-part (61) of the sockets has a width which exceeds the upper limit of said diameter range.

3. A tool set according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the head (51) has a circumferential groove (53) which receives a latching device (41) driven by the ratchet ring.

4. A tool set according to any one of Claims 1-3, characterized in that the ratchet wrench has a rotatably mounted ring (3) whose inner surface carries driving or dogging formations that coact with rotary driving or dogging formations (52) on the socket head and whose outer surface carries rotary driving or dogging formations (31) which coact with the driving mechanism (35) of the ratchet wrench.

5. A tool set according to any one of Claims 1-4, characterized in that the generally square cross-section of the passage-part (61) in at least the largest socket (5) in said set has been widened from a purely square shape by coaxially drilling or enlarging the passage to a shape whose diameter is greater than the side length of the square but smaller than the diagonal measurement of said square.