A hotstick component has a fastening subassembly for securing the component to another component or a hotstick and allowing reorientation of the component with respect to the hotstick while it is still attached. The component has a fastening end with a through hole. A fastening subassembly includes a screw member and a spring member. The screw member is received through the through hole and secures the other component to the hot stick component. The spring member is received along the screw member and maintains the component in an engaged position. The component is reoriented by moving it against the spring member into a disengaged position, readjusting the component's position, then allowing the spring member to push the component into an engaged position.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to hotstick components and a fastening subassembly 
for allowing adjustment of the components without using tools and without 
separating the parts. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Typically, a component, such as an adapter or tool holder, is secured to 
the end of a hotstick by a regular screw or bolt head. One end of the 
adapter or tool holder is a C-shaped member having teeth along one face. 
The teeth are secured against teeth on the hotstick, a screw is received 
in the center of the C-shaped member and the two are secured together by 
the screw or bolt head. 
Adjustments of the adapters and tool holders require screwdrivers, wrenches 
and pliers. While making adjustments, the components can separate. In the 
field, several extra tools are necessary and there is always the danger of 
dropping components while the hotstick is being used on top of a utility 
pole. 
It would be desirable to have a means to quickly and easily adjust the 
components without having them fall apart and without the use of tools. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to hotstick components which can be secured to 
another component or a hotstick. The component includes a fastening end. A 
fastening subassembly secures the fastening end of the component to 
another component or a hotstick while springably maintaining the component 
in an engaged position in which the orientation with respect to the other 
component is fixed. The component is moved into a disengaged position 
wherein the component is free to rotate and thereby change the orientation 
of the components with respect to each other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
On one end of a typical hotstick 10, there is a tool receiving area 12 
having a threaded hole 14 and teeth 16 around the periphery of the tool 
receiving end 12, see FIG. 2. The threaded hole 14 extends all the way 
through the tool receiving area 12 to the back 18 of the tool receiving 
area. 
The hotstick 10 can receive components such as a tool holder 20 like the 
AMT tool holder shown or an adapter 40. There are several other types 
of tools which are available to be mounted onto a hotstick other than the 
tool shown. The tool holder 20 has a working end 22 for performing some 
function, holding a tool in this example. The tool holder 20 also has a 
fastening end 24. While there are several types of tools, they all have a 
similar fastening end. The fastening end 24 has a C-shaped member 26, see 
FIG. 2. One side has teeth 32 disposed about the periphery of C-shaped 
member 26 and having recesses 33 disposed between the teeth 32. The 
C-shaped member 26 has inner walls 34 and a mouth 36, see FIG. 10. 
The 90.degree. adapter 40 has a tool receiving end 42 and a fastening end 
44, see FIG. 3. The tool receiving end 42 is similar to the tool receiving 
end 12 on the hotstick 10. The tool receiving end 42 has a threaded hole 
46, teeth 48 disposed circularly about the hole 46, and recesses 45 
disposed between the teeth 48. The threaded hole 46 extends all the way 
through to the back 47 of the tool receiving end 42. The fastening end 44 
is similar to the fastening end 24 of the tool 20. The fastening end 44 is 
disposed 90.degree. from the tool receiving end 42, see FIG. 5, and has a 
C-shaped member 50 with teeth 52 disposed therearound having recesses 53 
disposed between the teeth 52. The C-shaped member 50 has inner walls 55 
with a mouth 56. 
The components can be secured to the hotstick in a variety of different 
sequences. A tool can be secured directly to a hotstick. Alternatively, 
one 90.degree. adapter can be used between the hotstick and the tool, see 
FIG. 1. Further, the use of two 90.degree. adapters between the tool and 
the hotstick provides even greater flexibility in the orientation of the 
tool with respect to the hotstick, see FIG. 10. The components are secured 
together when the tool receiving end of one component is aligned with the 
fastening end of another component and when the teeth on one component are 
aligned with the recesses between the teeth on the other component so that 
they can be interlocked with each other. 
For simplicity, the connection between two 90.degree. adapters will be 
described, however the same concept is used to secure the other components 
together. Two holes 54 are drilled through the C-shaped member 50 of the 
adapter 40 from the outer walls, through to the inner walls 55 and are in 
alignment with each other. A roll pin 60 is placed through the holes 54 
and extends across the mouth 56 of the C-shaped member thereby forming an 
enclosed through hole 58 in the center of the C-shaped member 50. The roll 
pin 60 is secured within the hole 54 by an interference fit. 
A first adapter 40 (on the left in FIG. 7) is secured to second adapter 40 
(on the right in FIG. 7) by means of a fastening subassembly. The 
fastening subassembly includes a thumb screw 70 having a head 72 and a 
threaded portion 74. A washer 76 is received on the screw 70 proximate to 
the head 72. A spring 78 is received on the screw 70 next to the washer. A 
metal tube 80 is disposed over top of the spring 78, as is shown in FIG. 
8. A second washer 82 is received on the screw 70 next to the spring. 
Alternatively, a thumb screw 70' can be used as is illustrated in FIG. 9, 
wherein the first washer is an integral part of the thumb screw 70'. The 
first washer 76' is disposed at the junction of the head 72' and the 
threaded portion 74'. This reduces the number of parts that are needed to 
form the fastening subassembly. 
The screw 70 is then received into the through hole 58 between the roll pin 
60 and the inner walls 55 of the C-shaped member 50 of the first adapter 
40. The second washer 82 is received adjacent the C-shaped member 50. The 
spring is disposed between the washers 76,82 and the tube 80 covers the 
spring. The teeth of the fastening end 44 of the first adapter are aligned 
with the recesses between the teeth on the tool receiving end 42 of the 
second adapter so that they can be interlocked. The thumb screw 70 is then 
screwed into the threaded hole 46 of the second adapter. The threaded 
portion of the thumb screw extends through the back 47 of the tool 
receiving end. A lock nut 84 is secured on the threaded end to keep the 
thumb screw 70 from being removed from the threaded hole 46. The use of 
the lock nut 84 thereby secures the components together. The lock nut 84 
is placed on the thumb screw 70 with the angled portions 86 facing the 
adapter. This allows the lock nut 84 to be received closer to the adapter 
than the flat portion 88 of the lock nut could be received. 
When the screw 70 is screwed completely in the threaded hole 46, the 
adapters 40 are in an engaged position with respect to each other. The 
adapters 40 are maintained in the specific orientation with respect to 
each other by the pressure of the head 72 against the washer 76, the 
tubing 80, and the second washer 82 being tight against the C-member 50. 
The teeth on the first adapter are received within the recesses of the 
second adapter and the teeth of the second adapter are received within the 
recesses of the first adapter, thereby maintaining the orientation. 
When the thumb screw 70 is partially unscrewed, the spring 78 holds the 
first adapter against the second adapter 40 in the engaged position. The 
lock nut 84 is positioned such that the thumb screw 70 can be unscrewed 
enough to allow the parts to be adjusted with respect to each other, but 
the components will still be secured to each other. The first adapter 40 
can then be moved away from the second adapter 40 into a disengaged 
position by pushing the first adapter against the washer 82 and the spring 
78. The disengaged position occurs when the teeth are pulled free of each 
other. The tubing 80 prevents the adapter 40 from being moved too much 
against the spring 78 and thereby damaging the spring 78. The first 
adapter 40 can then be rotated about the screw member 70 and reoriented 
with respect to the second adapter 40 by moving the teeth 48,52 past each 
other. When the desired orientation is achieved, the teeth 48,52 are 
pushed back together into an engaged position by the spring forces of the 
spring 78. The screw 70 is then tightened to maintain the adapters 40 in 
the engaged position. The orientation of the adapters 40 can thereby be 
changed with respect to each other, without tools and without separating 
the components. FIG. 1 shows an example of an adapter 40 and a tool 20 
being adjusted with respect to each other, in a similar manner the 
adapters can be adjusted with respect to each other. The tool holder has 
been pulled away from the adapter so that the teeth are free from each 
other. The tool 20 is now free to rotate about the thumb screw 70 to a new 
orientation. 
The tool 20 also has two holes 38 in the fastening end 24 which goes 
through the C-shaped member 26 in a similar manner as was shown on the 
adapter 40. There is a similar roll pin 39 secured in the holes 38 across 
the mouth 36 to form a through hole 37. The thumb screw 70 of the 
fastening subassembly is received through the through hole 37. The tool 20 
can be connected to the hotstick 10 or to an adapter 40 and adjusted as 
was described earlier for the two adapters 40. 
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the adapter 40', or a tool 
(not shown), has an O-shaped member 50' replacing their respective 
C-shaped members on the fastening end 44', see FIG. 6. The teeth 52' are 
disposed around the O-shaped member and there is a through hole 58' 
disposed in the center of the O-shaped member 50'. The teeth 52' are shown 
distributed all around the O-shaped member 50', but the teeth 52' can be 
disposed only partially around the O-shaped member and still be able to 
maintain the set orientation. The same fastening subassembly is used as 
was described in the previous embodiment. The thumb screw 70 is received 
through the center hole of the O-shaped member and the components are 
secured together and reoriented in the same manner as was described 
earlier. 
The present invention provides a means of securing a tool to a hotstick, or 
to secure a tool to an adapter to a hotstick, or alternatively to secure a 
tool and a hotstick together with two adapters disposed therebetween. The 
tool and the adapter can be adjusted with respect to the hotstick and to 
each other. They can be readjusted without separating the components and 
they are held together during the course of the readjustment. 
The hotstick components and tool less adjusting system of the present 
invention and many of the attendant advantages will be understood from the 
foregoing description. It is apparent that various changes may be made in 
the form, construction, and arrangement of parts thereof without departing 
from the spirit or scope of the invention, or sacrificing all of its 
material advantages.