Abstract:
A quick connector includes a connector body comprising longitudinal and lateral bores communicating each other; a male member adapted to secure to a coupling end of a portable power tool, and a stepped-diameter section rotatably secured to the connector body; and an L-shaped fitting having one end adapted to connect to a line for conveying pressurized fluid and the other end adapted to connect to the lateral bore. An outer surface of the other end of the L-shaped fitting comprises a retaining mechanism for securing the connection of the L-shaped fitting to the connector body and allowing a free turning of the L-shaped fitting about the connector body. The quick connector is adaptable.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0002]    The invention relates to mechanical connectors and more particularly to an adaptable, universal joint type quick connector for a pneumatic system, a hydraulic system, or a portable power tool (e.g., pneumatic nail gun) with improved characteristics. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Conventionally, a portable (or handheld) power tool (e.g., pneumatic nail gun) is driven by compressed air fed from an air compressor via a line. It is often that a worker may connect the pneumatic nail gun to the line and disconnect the pneumatic nail gun from the line many times in a work day (i.e., frequent coupling and disengagement). Hence, a type of quick connector for achieving this purpose is commercially available. The quick connector is advantageous because it can establish a sealed and secured fluid line with a minimum amount of time and expense. The quick connector typically has a threaded male member adapted to secure to a coupling end of the pneumatic nail gun and a female member with internal threads adapted to secure to one end of the line leading to the air compressor. 
         [0005]    However, the well known quick connector suffers from a couple of disadvantages. For example, the line may be bent greatly to block the normal fluid flow because a worker often needs to adjust or change positions during work. Moreover, the quick connector is applicable to a specific type of portable power tool because the male member of the quick connector is an integral part thereof and is thus not adapted to connect to the coupling end of a pneumatic nail gun of different specifications (i.e., having a different coupling end). This greatly limits the applications of the well known quick connector. Thus, the need for improvement still exists. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    It is therefore one object of the invention to provide an adaptable, universal joint type quick connector for a pneumatic system, a hydraulic system, or a portable power tool. 
         [0007]    To achieve the above and other objects, the invention provides a quick connector comprising a connector body having a longitudinal bore and a lateral bore in communication therewith; a male member comprising means for fastening a coupling end of a portable power tool, and a stepped-diameter section above the fastening means, the stepped-diameter section comprising a first step having an outer diameter larger than an inner diameter of the longitudinal bore, a second step fitted in the longitudinal bore, a first annular groove between the first step and the second step and aligned with the lateral bore, an opening having end terminated at a bore of the male member and the other end terminated at the first annular groove, a third step passing the longitudinal bore and having an internally threaded member, a holed cap larger than an upper opening of the longitudinal bore so as to seat thereon, and a first threaded fastener adapted to drive through the cap to secure to the internally threaded member so as to assemble the cap and the male member together and allow a free turning of the connector body about both the first threaded fastener and the male member; and an L-shaped fitting having one end adapted to connect to a line for conveying pressurized fluid and the other end adapted to connect to the lateral bore of the connector body so as to communicate a bore of the L-shaped fitting with the bore of the male member wherein an outer surface of the other end of the L-shaped fitting comprises retaining means for securing the connection of the L-shaped fitting to the lateral bore of the connector body and allowing a free turning of the L-shaped fitting about the connector body. 
         [0008]    The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a first preferred embodiment of quick connector for portable power tools according to the invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the assembled quick connector; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a longitudinal sectional view of the quick connector of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a longitudinal sectional view of a second preferred embodiment of quick connector for portable power tools according to the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a 360-degree turning of the L-shaped fitting about the connector body on a virtual vertical plane; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing a 360-degree turning of both the L-shaped fitting and the connector body about the male member on a virtual horizontal plane; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a side elevation in part section showing the quick connector of either embodiment interconnecting a pneumatic nail gun and a line leading to an air compressor in use. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a quick connector  1  for portable power tools in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention comprises the following components as discussed in detail below. 
         [0017]    A cylindrical male member  10  comprises a threaded outer surface  11  adapted to secure to a coupling end of a pneumatic nail gun. 
         [0018]    A connector body  20  comprises a longitudinal bore  21  and a lateral bore  22  in communication with the longitudinal bore  21  to form an inverted L-shaped passageway. Portion of the male member  10  above the threaded outer surface  11  is a stepped-diameter portion and comprises, from the top edge of the threaded outer surface  11 , a first step  12  having an outer diameter larger than an inner diameter of the longitudinal bore  21 , a second step  13  fitted in the longitudinal bore  21 , and a third step  14  passing the longitudinal bore  21 . An annular groove  15  is formed between the first step  12  and the second step  13  and is aligned with the lateral bore  22 . An opening  17  has one end terminated at a bore  16  of the male member  10  and the other end terminated at the groove  15 . An annular first trough  181  is formed immediately below the groove  15  and an annular second trough  182  is formed immediately above the groove  15  respectively. Two O-rings  40  are put on the first and second troughs  181 ,  182  respectively to establish a sealed coupling between the male member  10  and the connector body  20 . The third step  14  has an internally threaded section  141 . A hexagonal cap  50  has an axial hole  51  and a nut  52  adapted to drive through the hole  51  to threadedly secure to the internally threaded section  141  so as to assemble the cap  50  and the male member  10  together but allow a free turning of the connector body  20  about the nut  52 . The size of the cap  50  is larger than the upper opening of the longitudinal bore  21  so as to seat thereon. The connector body  20  and the male member  10  are assembled in a liquid tight sealing relation. Further, the connector body  20  is adapted to turn about the male member  10  freely without the risk of disengagement. 
         [0019]    An L-shaped fitting  30  has one end  31  adapted to connect to a line of a fluid system (e.g., an air compressor) and the other end  32  adapted to connect to the lateral bore  22  so that a bore  33  of the L-shaped fitting  30  may communicate with the bore  16  of the male member  10 . The L-shaped fitting  30  at the outer surface of the other end  32  comprises a first annular portion  34  and a second annular portion  35  separated from the first annular portion  34  by an annular flange (not numbered). An O-ring  41  is put on the first annular portion  34  to establish a sealed coupling between the other end  32  of the L-shaped fitting  30  and the lateral bore  22  of the connector body  20 . A plurality of steel balls  42  are positioned on the second annular portion  35  by the lateral bore  22  of the connector body  20  and a holed abutment plate  43  put on the other end  32  of the L-shaped fitting  30  and threadedly secured to the connector body  20 . Hence, the L-shaped fitting  30  is retained by the holed abutment plate  43 , the second annular portion  35 , and the steel balls  42 . Finally, a quick connector  1  according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention is assembled. 
         [0020]    Referring to  FIG. 4  in conjunction with  FIG. 3 , a second preferred embodiment of quick connector for portable power tools according to the invention is shown. The characteristics of the second preferred embodiment are detailed below. The second annular portion  35  and its adjacent annular flange of the first preferred embodiment are replaced by a first annular groove  36 . A second annular groove  23 , mated with the first annular groove  36 , is formed on an inner surface of the lateral bore  22  of the connector body  20 . A threaded hole  24  is formed on the connector body  20  to communicate the second annular groove  23  with the external. After attaching the L-shaped fitting  30  to the connector body  20 , a plurality of steel balls  42  are inserted into an annular space defined by the mated first and second annular groove  36 ,  23  through the threaded hole  24 . Finally, a nut  25  is driven into the threaded hole  24  to retain the steel balls  42 . The L-shaped fitting  30  is thus adapted to turn about the connector body  20  freely without the risk of disengagement due to the provision of the steel balls  42 . 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  4  again, a filter  26  is provided in the lateral bore  22  of the connector body  20  and is fastened between the mouth of the other end  32  of the L-shaped fitting  30  and an internal shoulder of the lateral bore  22  of the connector body  20 . The filter  26  is adapted to strain coarse particles from compressed air supplied from an air compressor. The provision of the filter  26  can prolong the useful life of both the quick connector  1  and a pneumatic nail gun attached thereto in use. 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIG. 5  in conjunction with  FIG. 1 , a 360-degree turning of the L-shaped fitting  30  about the connector body  20  on a virtual vertical plane is shown. This turning is made possible because, as stated above, the steel balls  42  are retained between the other end  32  of the L-shaped fitting  30  and the lateral bore  22  of the connector body  20 . 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 6  in conjunction with  FIG. 1 , a 360-degree turning of both the L-shaped fitting  30  and the connector body  20  about the male member  10  on a virtual horizontal plane is shown in which the male member  10  is attached to a coupling end of a pneumatic nail gun. This turning is made possible because, as stated above, the connector body  20  is adapted to turn about the nut  52 . 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , the quick connector  1  of either embodiment in a use position is shown. The male member  10  is connected to a coupling end of a pneumatic nail gun  60  and one end  31  of the L-shaped fitting  30  is connected to a line  61  leading to an air compressor (not shown). Compressed air from the air compressor passes the bore  33  of the L-shaped fitting  30  to feed into the pneumatic nail gun  60  via the lateral bore  22 , the annular groove  15 , the opening  17 , and the bore  16  of the male member  10  for driving the pneumatic nail gun  60 . 
         [0025]    While the quick connector is described with respect to a pneumatic power tool as preferred embodiments of the invention, it is understood that the quick connector may equally operate with respect to a hydraulic power tool without departing from the scope of the invention. 
         [0026]    It is contemplated by the invention that the quick connector may operate in a manner similar to a universal joint without worrying the line  61  being bent to block fluid flow in use. That is, a user may use the quick connector to interconnect a pneumatic nail gun and a line leading to an air compressor. Next, the user may activate the air compressor to supply compressed air to the pneumatic nail gun via the quick connector. The user may easily change or adjust his or her working position by freely turning the quick connector in a manner described above without worrying an undesired disengagement of the quick connector from the pneumatic nail gun or a fluid blocking in the line. Moreover, a user may change the male member and the cap and its accessories to ones of different specifications in order to connect the quick connector to a coupling end of a pneumatic nail gun different from one used before. That is, the quick connector is highly adaptable. 
         [0027]    While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.