Abstract:
A socket wrench assembly having a drive handle and interchangeable, varible-sized socket drive heads. The drive heads have a round, flat configuration. A conventional rotatable square drive extends from one side and is operatively connected to an internal ratcheting mechansim. The drive head has a square bore formed in the edge. The handle has a spring biased locking mechanism to releasably secure the handle in the bore. The drive head can function as a palm ratchet without the handle attached.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is designated as a continuation of the application of the same inventor, having Ser. No. 08/586,605, filed on Jan. 16, 1996, said applications being owned by a common inventor. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to hand tools and more specify to a socket wrench assembly having a drive handle with a side-attached, removable, interchangeable socket drive head that also functions as a palm ratchet. 
     Socket wrenches are known to the art. Generally, a socket wrench set has a number of interchangeable sockets that can be attached to a socket drive head which is integrally connected to a drive handle. The sockets are cylindrical in shape and have a square opening at one end for attachment to the socket drive head, and a round, internally faceted, work-piece engaging orifice at the other end. Typically, the work-piece is a nut or bolt. The sizes of the work-piece engaging orifices differ amount the various interchangeable sockets so that the user can change sockets depending upon the size of nut or bolt. For example, the socket can range from ¼ inch to one inch or more. 
     As stated above, the socket drive head generally is integrally connected to the handle. The socket drive head has a rotatable square drive extending from one side. Within the head is a conventional ratcheting mechanism. The ratcheting mechanism is adjustable by an external button or lever so that the ratcheting mechanism allows the square drive to rotate in opposite directions, for tightening or loosening a workpiece. Since the socket drive head is integral to the handle, usually as forged metal, the handle cannot accommodate different sizes of socket drive heads having different sizes of square drives. It will be appreciated that larger or heavier square drives are desirable when using a larger socket. Therefore, it would be useful to have a handle with interchangeable drive heads having various sized square drives. 
     Another style of socket drive head is the palm ratchet. The palm ratchet is a round drive head sans the handle. The palm ratchet has a conventional square drive and internal ratcheting mechanism and can be held in the palm of the hand or fingers and rotated. Palm ratchets are useful in certain applications. However, the palm ratchet would be more versatile if it could be connected to a handle, if desired. 
     It would be advantageous, therefore, to have a handle and interchangeable socket drive heads wherein the drive head is comprised of interchangeable, variable sized palm ratchets so that one handle can be used with different sized palm ratchets functioning as the drive head. Thus, the user could have two sets of wrenches in one. One set would be a handled set with interchangeable drive heads and the other set would be comprised of the various sized palm ratchets. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is among the principal objects of the present invention to provide a socket wrench drive handle having interchangeable socket drive heads. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide such a set of sockets wherein the interchangeable drive heads also function as palm ratchets without the handle. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide such a socket wrench drive handle and interchangeable socket drive heads wherein the palm ratchets are round and have a flat configuration with an opening in the edge for the releaseable attachment of the drive handle. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide such a socket wrench drive handle and interchangeable palm ratchet drive heads wherein the handle has a spring biased mechanism for engaging the opening in the edge of the socket drive head. 
     In accordance with the invention, generally stated, a socket wrench drive handle and interchangeable, variable-sized, removable socket drive heads assembly is provided. The drive heads have a round, flat configuration. A conventional rotatable square drive extends out of one flat side of the drive head. The square drive is operatively connected to a conventional ratcheting mechanism. The drive head has a substantially square bore formed in the edge. The drive handle has a locking mechanism on one end to releasably secure the handle in the square bore. The drive heads can function without the handle attached as palm ratchets. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the socket wrench drive handle and drive head assembly of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of an interchangeable drive head element of the socket wrench handle and drive assembly, showing the handle attachment opening formed therein; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, partially cut away, of the socket wrench handle and drive head assembly of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan of the locking mechanism shank; 
     FIG. 7 is a side view thereof; 
     FIG. 8 is an end plan thereof; 
     FIG. 9 is an end plan of the opposte end thereof; 
     FIG. 10 is a side plan of the coil spring; 
     FIG. 11 is an end plan thereof; 
     FIG. 12 is an end plan of another coil spring; 
     FIG. 13 is a side elevational view thereof; 
     FIG. 14 is another end plan thereof; 
     FIG. 15 is an end plan of the locking mechanism sleeve; 
     FIG. 16 is a side elevational view thereof; 
     FIG. 17 is another end plan thereof; 
     FIG. 18 is a top plan of the control bar; 
     FIG. 19 is a side elevational view thereof; 
     FIG. 20 is a side elevational view of the handle; 
     FIG. 21 is an end plan thereof; 
     FIG. 22 is another end plan thereof; 
     FIG. 23 discloses the drive head  5  having the drive handle  3  connecting with its drive; 
     FIG. 24 is a side view of a modified handle of the type for connection with the drive head drive; 
     FIG. 25 is a top end view thereof; 
     FIG. 26 is a bottom end view thereof; and 
     FIG. 27 is an exploded view of the socket wrench handle, showing greater detail of the various components as assembled into the drive handle shown in FIG.  5 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A socket wrench handle and drive head assembly of the present invention is indicated generally by reference numeral  1  in the drawings. Wrench assembly  1  contains a drive handle  3  and a removable drive head  5 . It will be appreciated that the handle and the drive  5  can be provided in various sizes to accommodate various sizes of sockets without departing from the scope of the invention. The elements of wrench assembly  1  will now be described in greater detail. 
     Drive head  5  has a circumferential side wall  7 , a top wall  9  and a bottom wall  11 . 
     There is a conventional square drive  13  extending out of bottom wall  11 . It will be understood that the square drive, which is conventional having a spring-biased detent ball, can be of any appropriate dimension so as to engage a socket of an appropriate size. For example, square drive  13  can be a ¼ inch drive or a ½ inch drive or so on. The drive  13  has a conventional spring-biased detent ball BA. The protruding square drive is connected to an internal ratcheting mechanism (not shown) within head  5 . The ratcheting mechanism is conventional and allows the square drive to be locked in place so that it rotates only in a first direction to allow convenient tightening of a work piece or locked to rotate in a second direction for loosening of a work piece. There is a knob  14  on the top wall. Knob  14  is operatively connected to the internal ratcheting mechanism and can be rotated to effect the appropriate locking of the ratcheting mechanism. 
     There is a substantially square bore  16  in side wall  7  for the insertion of handle  3  as will now be explained. Three such bores may he provided around the perimeter of the side wall of the drive head  5 . 
     As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, bore  16  has a plurality of faces  17  which engage the locking end mechanism of the handle. The locking mechanism of the handle, and as best seen in FIGS. 5-17, has a shank  19  which terminates at one end with shoulder  21 . There is a collar  22  adjacent the shoulder and a second collar  25 . Collars  22  and  25  have an internal bore  23 , for the insertion of the handle  3 , as will be explained below. A slot or channel  27  is formed in the surface of the shank and extends the length of the shank. Shank  19  has an external annular groove  30 . (A spring lock ring  31 )is seated in groove  30 . There is a slidable sleeve  33  around the shank. The outer surface of sleeve  33  can be covered with a friction increasing pattern such as knurling. Sleeve  33  has an concentric portion  34  which terminates in a beveled end  36 . (End  36  has a tip  37  that extends towards groove  30  and abuts spring  31 ). There is an internal bore  40  within the sleeve that extends into concentric portion  34 . Bore  40  is smaller at tip  37  creating a shoulder  41 . 
     A control bar  42  is carried in channel  27 . As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, control bar  42  has an upwardly ramped tip  43  and an upwardly ramped rear end  44 . A raised portion or spur  45  extends outward from the control bar extends into bore  40  and abuts shoulder  41 . There is a coil spring  46  around the shank and positioned between spur  42  and the shoulders  25  and  41 . As will be appreciated, sleeve  33  can move back and forth on shank  19 . The forward movement is stopped when the tip  37  engages the spring and cannot be moved any further forward. The rearward movement is stopped when the control bar abuts the rear of channel  27 . 
     There is a transverse bore  47  in channel  27  in which a retainer ball  48  is carried. The control bar  42  remains forward enough so that the tip of the bar is always over the bore. There is a coil spring  49  between the tip of the bar and ball  48 . Spring  46  urges the sleeve  33  forward moves urges the bar and sleeve  33  forward. Spring  49  urges ball  48  normally upwardly, but the control bar  42  urges the ball  48  against its spring to engage the inside of bore  16 , and into its located dimple, to hold the handle in place. See FIG.  5 . When the user slides sleeve  33  backward, it pulls the bar  42  back in the channel. The end of bar  42  raises due to the camming action of the rear end  44  under the upward pressure from spring  49  can move upward against ramp relieving some of the downward press on ball  48 . This allows the ball to recede out of the dimple. The handle then is easily withdrawn from bore  16 . 
     Handle  3  is attached to the locking mechanism. As best seen in FIGS. 20-22, handle  3  has a foward, concentric extension  50  sized to engage bore  23 . Extension  50  is generally square in cross section and has rounded corners  51 . There is a threaded transverse bore  52  in communication with bore  23 . A threaded set screw  54  is placed in the bore and holds the handle in place. There is a substantially square bore  52  formed in the opposite end of handle  3 . Bore  52  can accommodate the insertion of another handle  3  or other extension means to expand the handle into a longer handle. 
     FIG. 27 discloses greater detail, showing the component assembly, of the drive handle  3  of this invention. As disclosed, it can be seen that the drive handle, in this particular instance, is of a more shortened configuration, and has a socket, as at  53 , provided at its back end. Other tools may be inserted therein, such as a horizontally disposed drive bar, or the like, for use for providing leverage when utilizing the drive handle and drive head of this invention. A similar type of socket arrangement is shown at  53 A, in FIG.  5 . The retainer ball or stem  48 , along with its spring  49 , fits into its corresponding transverse bore  47 . The control bar  42  fits within its previously defined slot,  27 , and is held in position, and urged forwardly, by means of the interengagement between the sleeve  33 , and its spring  46 , assembled upon the drive handle as previously explained. The spring sleeve  31  holds these components into their assembled position, by means of the integral tab  54  of the sleeve  33  inserting into the groove  55  of the said bar  42 . Thus, as previously explained, when the bar  42  is urged forwardly, by means of the biasing spring  46 , it pushes its bar  48  laterally, with respect to the drive handle  3 , and forces its tip, against the urging of its associated spring  49 , transversely, extending out of the handle, and biasing against the surface of any bore  16 , into which the handle has been inserted. As previously explained, a pull back of the sleeve  33  releases the lateral bar  48 , and allows the handle to be disengaged from any tool, such as the drive head  5 , or other tool component. 
     FIG. 23 discloses how a drive handle  3 , of the type as either explained in FIGS. 5, or  27 , may secure by means of their sockets  53  or  53 A, to the drive  13  of a drive or ratchet head  5 , and used as a palm ratchet for driving other components, into either a tightened or loosening configuration. 
     FIGS. 24 through 26 disclose how a socket tool, formed as a handle, such as shown at  55   a , may be fabricated with a socket at its upper end, as at  56 , have the type as previously explained and defined in copending application having Ser. No. 08/398,691, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. The bottom end of the handle  55   a  may include a male socket, as at  57 , and which may be useful for engaging onto the tool or other component to be turned, after a palm ratchet, of the type as shown at  5 , may be engaged into the upper end socket  56 , in preparation for its being forcefully turned during usage and application. 
     It will be appreciated that the socket wrench assembly just described may be modified without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the foregoing description and accompanying drawings are intended to be illustrative and should not be construed in a limiting sense.