GB2425980A

GB2425980A - Socket wrench with a positioning structure

Info

Publication number: GB2425980A
Application number: GB0608337A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chang-Chuan Lee
Original assignee: KING HAWK CO Ltd
Current assignee: KING HAWK CO Ltd
Priority date: 2005-05-11
Filing date: 2006-04-27
Publication date: 2006-11-15
Anticipated expiration: 2026-04-27
Also published as: TW200639021A; DE202006006867U1; GB2425980B; GB0608337D0

Abstract

The wrench includes a working head 20, a positioning rod 30, an elastic element 40, a handle 50 and a pivotal shaft 60. The positioning rod includes a tapered portion 31 to abut positioning teeth 61 in the surface of the pivotal shaft. The rod also includes a ring-shaped stop groove 32 and an arc groove 33. The elastic element, which may be a taper spring, is mounted on the positioning rod abutted against a retaining groove 21 and the stop groove 32. The handle includes a retaining groove 51, for retaining the working head, and a pivotal hole 52. The opposite wall surfaces of the retaining groove 21 include a guide hole 22 whilst the edge of the groove includes a perforation 23 outwardly formed with a tapering hole 24. A ball 25 is disposed in the tapering hole.

Description

SOCKET WRENCH HAVING A POSITIONING STRUCTURE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a socket wrench, and more particularly to a socket wrench having a positioning structure which can combine the socket with the wrench and detach the socket from the wrench easily and conveniently.

Description of the Prior Art

Referring to Fig. 1, a conventional socket wrench comprises a working head 11 that is pivotally connected to an end of a handle 12.

A compressible spring is mounted on the working head 11 for engaging the working head II with the socket and recovering the position of a ball 13, so as to position the socket. Furthermore, since the socket is mounted on the working head 11, the socket will abut against the ball 13 and compressed the spring, and the ball 13 will be pushed by the spring for recovering, thus positioning the socket. However, 1 5 when detaching the socket from the working head 11 so as to change with other socket or storing when being used, the socket must be pulled out from the working head 11, and the socket can be detached from the working head 11 successfully when the spring is compressed by the ball 13 being abutted against by the socket, therefore, the conventional socket wrench still has some disadvantages describes as follows: A positioning member 14 is mounted on the handle 12, which is abutted against the recess of the bottom of the working head 11 so as to position the working head 11 with the handle 12, however, when combining the socket with the wrench or detaching the socket from the wrench in a specific condition such as small spaces or angles, the conventional socket wrench only can be operated at different angles, and since there have no positioning member that is corresponded to different angles, the user cannot grip the socket wrench stably, thereby not facilitating the user operating the socket wrench.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the aforedescribed disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a socket wrench having a positioning structure, a tapering portion of a positioning rod is positioned to positioning teeth of a pivotal shaft, thereby the user can grip the socket wrench stably.

The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiments in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional socket wrench; Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a socket wrench having a positioning structure in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of showing the socket combined with the wrench or detached from the wrench; Fig. 4 is another perspective view of showing the wrench engaged with the socket; Fig. 5 is a further perspective view of showing a positioning rod positioned to a pivotal shaft; Fig. 6 is a reference view of recovering a compressing tube; Fig. 7 is another reference view of stretching out the compressing tube; and Fig. 8 is a further reference view of the socket wrench having a positioning structure in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, a socket wrench having a positioning structure in accordance with the present invention comprises a working head 20, a positioning rod 30, an elastic element 40, a handle 50 and a pivotal shaft 60, wherein: The working head 20, defined with a retaining groove 21 in one end thereof, the opposite wall surfaces of the retaining groove 21 are outwardly formed a guiding hole 22 respectively, in the edge of the retaining groove 21 is defined a perforation 23 outwardly formed with a tapering hole 24 in the surface of the perforation 23 thereof, an end of a bigger diameter of the tapering hole 24 is mounted in the surface of the perforation 23, and a ball 25 is disposed in the tapering hole 24.

The positioning rod 30 is column-shaped, defined with a tapering portion 31 in one end thereof, a ring-shaped stopping groove 32 is mounted in a bigger diameter of the tapering portion 31, and the other end is a free end, the positioning rod 30 is slide into the perforation 23 of the working head 20 by the free end, in the positioning rod 30 is mounted an arc groove 33 that is opposite to the tapering hole 24 of the working head 20 and provided for engaging and sliding the ball 25.

The elastic element 40 is a taper spring, mounted on the free end of the positioning rod 30, and the ends of the elastic element 40 are abutted against the edge of the retaining groove 21 of the working head 20 and the stopping groove 32 of the tapering portion 31 of the positioning rod 30 respectively.

The handle 50, one end of which is provided for grasping by the user, the other end is mounted with an open retaining groove 51 for retaining the working head 20, and in the groove surface of the retaining groove 51 is mounted a pivotal hole 52 that is opposite to the guiding hole 22 of the working head 20.

The pivotal shaft 60, vertically mounted on the handle 50, one end of the pivotal shaft 60 is a threaded end, in the surface of the pivotal shaft 60 is defined positioning teeth 61 for positioning the tapering portion 31 of the positioning rod 30.

Since the pivotal shaft 60 is passed through the pivotal hole 52 of the handle 50 and the guiding hole 22 of the working head 20, the working head 20 is pivotally rotated opposite to the handle 50, and the tapering portion 31 of the positioning rod 30 is abutted against the surface of the positioning teeth 61 of the pivotal shaft 60.

Referring to Fig. 3, the user grasped the working head 20 and the handle 50 by hands respectively, since the working head 20 is defined with the guiding hole 22 and being pushed towards the direction of the handle 50, the working head 20 can be moved opposite to the pivotal shaft 60 via the guiding hole 22, and the tapering portion 31 of the positioning rod 30 is abutted against the positioning teeth 61 of the pivotal shaft 60 during the moving of the working head 20, thereby the tapering portion 31 of the positioning rod 30 is abutted against the edge of the retaining groove 21 of the working head 20, thus compressing the elastic element 40, and the tapering portion 3 1 of the positioning rod 30 is still abutted against the positioning teeth 61 of the pivotal shaft 60 because of the effect of the elastic element 40. At that time, the arc groove 33 of the positioning rod 30 is moved opposite to the tapering hole 24 of the working head 20, so that the ball 25 can be slid to the deepest position of the arc groove 33 of the positioning rod 30 so as not to protrude from the tapering hole 24 of the working head 20. By such arrangement, a socket A is mounted on the working head 20 or detached from the wrench, similarly, when the user engaging the socket A by the ball 25 as shown in Fig. 4, and when the user releasing the working head 20, the elastic element 40 will recover to push against the working head 20, and the ball 25 will roll to the shallowest position of the arc groove 33 of the positioning rod 30 pushed by the tapering hole 24 of the working head 20, so as to make the ball protruded from the tapering hole 24 of the working head 20 and abutted against the inner surface of the socket A, thus engaging the socket wrench with the socket A. Referring to Figs 2-5, it is to be noted that the working head 20 of the present invention is rotated opposite to the handle 50 by the pivotal shaft 60, thereby facilitating the user operating the socket wrench by different angles. Since the tapering portion 31 of the positioning rod 30 is positioned in the positioning teeth 61 of the pivotal shaft 60, the user can grip more stably. When the user rotating the socket by turning the socket wrench, the tapering portion 31 of the positioning rod will offset slightly in reverse to the rotating direction and pivotally rotated by pushing against the edge of the positioning teeth 61 of the pivotal shaft 60, so that the tapering portion 3 1 of the positioning rod 30 will detach from the positioning teeth 61, the elastic element 40 will recover to push against the edge of the retaining groove 21 of the working head 20, and the tapering portion 31 of the positioning rod will push against the positioning teeth 61 of the pivotal shaft 60 again. By such arrangement, the positioning rod 30 will rotate to be positioned to the positioning teeth 61 of the pivotal shaft 60, thus enabling the user grip more stably and facilitating the user operating the socket wrench.

Referring to Figs. 6-8, it is further to be noted that a compressing tube B of the above-mentioned embodiment is mounted on the handle 50, the outer diameter of the compressing tube B will be changed by the elasticity of the expansion rings when the compressing tube B is stretched out, so that when the handle 50 is mounted in the compressing tube B, the receiving groove that disposed in the handle 50 for receiving the expansion rings will be deformed by the compressing of the wall surface of the compressing tube B, and the handle 50 can be slid in the compressing tube B successfully until the expansion rings being compressed to the outwardly inclined positioning groove of the compressing tube B and will not be compressed by the wall surface of the compressing tube B, thus recovering the original size by its elasticity and positioning in the positioning groove of the compressing tube B. When the compressing tube B is compressed, the user will push the handle 50 to the compressing tube B, the expansion rings that mounted in the receiving groove of the handle 50 will be compressed by the outwardly inclined positioning groove of the compressing tube B gradually until compressed by the wall surface of the compressing tube B totally, which result in deforming of the expansion rings, and the handle is slid in the compressing tube B successfully, thus finishing the operating of assembling the socket A and the compressed tube B. To sum up, since the tapering portion of the positioning rod is positioned in the positioning teeth of the pivotal shaft, the user can grip more stably. When the user rotating the socket by turning the socket wrench, the tapering portion of the positioning rod will offset slightly in reverse to the rotating direction and pivotally rotated by pushing against the edge of the positioning teeth of the pivotal shaft, so that the tapering portion of the positioning rod will detach from the positioning teeth, the elastic element will recover to push against the edge of the retaining groove of the working head, and the tapering portion of the positioning rod will push against the positioning teeth of the pivotal shaft again. By such arrangement, the positioning rod will rotate to be positioned to the positioning teeth of the pivotal shaft, thus enabling the user grip more stably and facilitating the user operating the socket wrench.

While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED iS: 1. A socket wrench having a positioning structure,

comprising: a working head, defined with a retaining groove in one end thereof, the opposite wall surfaces of the retaining groove formed a guiding hole respectively, in the edge of the retaining groove defined a perforation outwardly formed with a tapering hole in the surface of the perforation thereof, an end of a bigger diameter of the tapering hole mounted in the surface of the perforation, and a ball disposed in the tapering hole; a positioning rod, defined with a tapering portion in one end thereof with a ring- shaped stopping groove, and the other end is a free end that is vertically slid into the perforation of the working head, in the free end of the positioning rod mounted an arc groove that is opposite to the tapering hole of the working head and provided for engaging and sliding the ball; an elastic element, mounted on the free end of the positioning rod, and the ends of the elastic element abutted against the edge of the retaining groove of the working head and the stopping groove of the tapering portion of the positioning rod respectively, which is provided for producing elasticity to the positioning rod; a handle, mounted with a retaining groove in one end thereof for retaining the working head, and in the retaining groove mounted a pivotal hole that is opposite to the working head; a pivotal shaft, vertically mounted on the handle, in the surface of the pivotal shaft defined positioning teeth, the pivotal shaft passed through the pivotal hole of the handle and the guiding hole of the working head, and the tapering portion of the positioning rod abutted against the surface of the positioning teeth of the pivotal shaft, thus positioning the tapering portion of the positioning rod abutted against the surface of the positioning teeth of the pivotal shaft.
2. The socket wrench having a positioning structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastic element is a taper spring.
3. The socket wrench having a positioning structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivotal shaft is defined with positioning teeth that are opposite to the tapering portion of the positioning rod so as to engage the positioning rod.
4. A socket wrench substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 2 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.