Socket for driving asymmetric fastener heads

A socket having an offset drive keyway for transmitting torque to asymmetric fastener heads to facilitate their rotation by applying torque across the fastener end to minimize stress on the fastener end-fastener shaft joint.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to tools for driving fasteners, more particularly a socket for use with a socket wrench for driving gate hinge pins.

BACKGROUND

The present invention in general relates to a socket. More particularly, it relates to a socket used in conjunction with a socket wrench for receiving asymmetric fastener heads and used for tightening, loosening, and removing driven screws and bolts.

Sockets are one of the most commonly used mechanical tools for driving fasteners, e.g. screws and bolts. The ratchet wrench with interchangeable socket is first described in U.S. Pat. No. 38,914 to J. J. Richardson, entitled Wrench. The Richardson patent first disclosed a ratcheting wrench, i.e. a socket wrench, with a cuboidal drive, i.e. square drive, for receiving removable sockets. A socket wrench is most commonly a handle with a 90° ratchet, along with a set of cylinder shaped sockets of various diameters and depths. Socket wrenches can utilize geared or gearless ratchets and are typically reversible.

Existing sockets were designed to drive fasteners having a substantially symmetrical head configured to expand around the fastener's longitudinal axis. However, not all fasteners possess symmetrical heads. One example is the common gate hinge which possesses a lag screw body having a head possessing an elongated arm running from the driven end of the fastener at a 90° angle to the fastener's longitudinal axis. A traditional socket possesses 6 or 12 equal sides to grip traditional fastener heads and would be unable to drive a gate hinge pin. Gate hinge pins are currently driven using pliers, which is very labor intensive and a time-consuming process. A socket wrench adapted to drive an asymmetric fastener head would permit the user to turn a fastener without repositioning the tool on the fastener. Thus, there is a longstanding need to design insert adapters which can be driven by a single socket driver efficiently to operate on a large range of fastener heads of different sizes and shapes.

SUMMARY

The present invention is a socket for transmitting torque to a fastener having an offset head for the purpose of driving a fastener, e.g. a gate hinge pin, by transmitting torque to the fastener shaft through a fastener head. An asymmetric, or irregular, fastener head may be driven by the disclosed socket. The socket preferably incorporates an elongated socket body. The socket body has a fastener head receiving end, i.e. a fastener driving end, having a plurality of internal fastener head engaging surfaces defining an axially facing internal drive, i.e. fastener socket, configured to receive a fastener head. The internal fastener engaging surfaces of the fastener socket are configured to transmit torque to the fastener by engaging the corresponding drive surfaces on the fastener head when it is received into the fastener receiving opening. The socket body also has a socket drive end axially opposite the fastener driving end. The socket drive end possesses an axially facing internal drive opening, i.e. the drive socket keyway, on the socket drive end configured to receive a driving element, typically a drive square on a ratcheting wrench.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-7illustrate a socket10constructed according to an embodiment of the present application. The socket10includes an elongated socket body11having a fastener engaging end14and a drive end12axially opposite the fastener engaging end14, i.e. distal end. The socket body is preferably, but not necessarily, cylindrical. The drive end12is ideally constructed and arranged to be removably coupled to a wrench, e.g. a socket wrench, and the fastener engaging end14, i.e. proximal end, is constructed and arranged to be removably coupled to a fastener of a predetermined size and configuration. As a result, the force applied to the wrench by a user is transmitted as torque to the socket10to the fastener head to cause rotation of the fastener.

The socket10of the present application has a center of rotation that is offset from the center of the socket along the axis extending from the distal end12to the proximal end14and aligned with the longitudinal axis of the fastener to be driven. At its distal end, the drive socket keyway20is configured to mate with a socket wrench drive. In one embodiment, the drive socket keyway20is a square shaped keyway in the socket base to receive a drive key, e.g. drive square, from a socket wrench. Different drive keys may be utilized based on the geometric configuration of the drive socket keyway22that receives the drive key. The keyway22is preferably sized to fit commercially available socket wrench drives, e.g. ¼ inch, ⅜ inch, and ½ inch. The keyway22preferably possesses recesses intended to mate with a spring-loaded detent ball that functions as a positive lock or stop that is commonly used to secure a socket to the drive key of a socket wrench.

In an embodiment, at least one detent ball receiving groove27runs from the drive face24of the distal end12through the keyway22to facilitate the receipt and progression of detent balls into and through the keyway22. The keyway22terminates within the interior of the socket body11. The proximal end25of the grooves27of the keyway22possesses a detent ball stop29to secure the socket10onto the drive key of the socket wrench so to inhibit the socket10from disengaging from the drive key without some action by the user.

The socket body11is typically, but not necessarily, a semi-hollow frustum of a geometric shape, e.g. a cylinder. The proximal end possesses a fastener receiving opening30or fastener keyway30to receive the end of fastener to which torque will be applied. Within the socket body11and extending distally from the fastener receiving opening30at the proximal end14, a fastener receiving opening30is defined by a plurality of fastener engaging surfaces34to receive and engage the end of the fastener which will receive the applied torque. In an embodiment, the socket body outer wall16is slotted wherein part of the fastener end which will receive the applied torque may extend beyond the socket body outer wall16, which will act as a fastener engaging surface34, and which permits the fastener end to progress distally from the proximal face toward the distal face to engage the internal fastener engaging surfaces34. Ideally, the slots are shaped and sized to receive specific fastener ends and to secure the fastener end within the socket so as to efficiently apply torque across the elements of the fastener end, e.g. the pin armature62of a gate pin fastener60.

In the exemplary embodiment of a socket10configured to receive a gate pin40fastener, the pin armature62of the gate pin fastener60is received within a pin armature opening40in the proximal face14and passes distally into the pin armature slot42which extends through the socket body outer wall16to communicate with the fastener engaging surfaces34. The pin armature stop64of the gate pin fastener60is received within the socket body11by passing through a pin armature stop slot opening45and distally into a pin armature stop slot47where the pin armature stop64communicates with the fastener engaging surfaces34. The slots42,47are sized to receive the width and length of the pin armature62and the pin armature stop64of the gate pin fastener60, and configured to permit the gate pin fastener60to engage the fastener engaging surfaces34within the socket body11and the socket body outer wall16.

The slots42,47extend distally into the socket body11from the proximal face14, running parallel to the axis about which the socket body11rotates when turned by the rotational movement of the drive key. When properly inserted, the longitudinal axis of the gate pin fastener60is parallel to and substantially aligned with the center of rotation of the socket10so that both the fastener60and the socket body11revolve around the same axis.

The socket10permits the application of torque from the wrench to the fastener through the application of force to the driven fastener end as communicated through the fastener engaging surfaces34of the socket body11. This permits the socket10to reduce the amount of force required to drive a fastener into a substrate despite the existence of asymmetrical elements on the driven end of a fastener, i.e. the asymmetric fastener head, that prevent it from being received into a typical socket10. In the example of a gate pin fastener60the user is required to use pliers to turn the gate pin fastener60by applying torque to the pin armature62and/or pin armature stop64, risking the alignment and/or surface integrity of the pin armature62. However, this conveys the rotational stress to the fastener shaft/pin armature stop joint66of the gate fastener pin60or any similar fastener having an asymmetric fastener end68. The application of torque to the drive surfaces of the asymmetric fastener head68distributes torque across the asymmetric fastener head rather than a fastener shaft/fastener end joint66between the fastener shaft69and the fastener end68. The secure engagement of an asymmetric fastener end68inhibits excessive wear to a fastener head and provides improved control of an asymmetric fastener when it is being driven.

Further embodiments of the socket are intended to encompass other asymmetrical fastener heads. The key principle being the use of a socket having an offset key way that aligns with the longitudinal axis of the fastener and the remaining body of the socket having a geometry configured to receive and secure an asymmetrical head, preferably to permit the distribution of torque outside of a single plane of rotation and to take advantage of unique fastener end geometries that would typically not be amenable to use with a socket wrench.

The socket is preferably manufactured of a material that is harder than the fastener and most preferably from steel or a steel alloy. The socket is preferably deep enough to allow the entire fastener end to be inserted within the socket body11to permit the application of torque across the entire fastener end so that the fastener shaft/fastener end joint lies within the socket body11. Preferably, the socket is deep enough to seat the fastener head adjacent to the drive socket20to enhance stability.

The provided example of a gate hinge pin as the driven fastener is intended only for exemplary purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the device to gate hinge pins. Alternative embodiments are understood to become obvious to one skilled and the art upon reading this disclosure.