Patent Publication Number: US-2004040277-A1

Title: Socket device with fastening unit used in rake or shovel

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention generally relates to a socket device, and more particularly, to a socket device with a fastening unit used in a rake or a shovel to fix interchangeably and readily a handle into the socket device.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] Use of garden tools is increasing along with the growing popularity of gardening. Particularly, a gardener uses a rake or a shovel to collect large quantities of weeds or leaves or to dig in the ground. However, a handle of the rake or shovel is immovably fixed in a socket of the rake comb or shovel blade.  
       [0003]FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a nail socket in a shovel according to the prior art. The shovel has a handle  100 , a socket  102 , a nail  104  and a blade  106 . The handle  100  is located within a hole  108  of the socket  102  and is immovably fixed in the socket  102  by the nail  104 . Also, the blade  106  is connected to one end portion of the socket  102  to dig in the ground in the garden.  
       [0004] During the assembly of the shovel, the handle  100  needs to be inserted into the hole  108  of the socket  102 . One portion  104   a  of the nail  104  is then pushed into the handle  100  to attach the handle  100  to the socket  102 . Another portion  104   b  of the nail is naturally exposed and manually deformed by a hammer. As a result, the deformed portion  104   b  of the nail  104  is distorted to buckle on the surface of the socket  102  and assembles immovably the socket  102  and the handle  100  of the shovel.  
       [0005] Additionally, due to the deformed portion  104   b  of the nail  104 , the nail  104  cannot be detached manually or is damaged severely by a hammer when gardener changes the handle  100  from one type to another. Specifically, a large portion  104   a  of the nail  104  pushed into the handle  100  for attachment between the handle and the socket results in a great damage to the handle  100 . Further, the position of the nail  104  cannot be rapidly and precisely assembled since the nail  104  cannot be guided smoothly by the socket  102  composed of a sheet of plate metal.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] One object of the present invention is to utilize a socket device to support interchangeably a handle of a rake or a shovel.  
       [0007] Another object of the present invention is to utilize a socket device with a fastening unit to secure rapidly the handle and the socket device to a rake or a shovel.  
       [0008] Still another object of the present invention is to utilize a socket device with a fastening unit to assemble conveniently the handle and the socket of a rake or a shovel.  
       [0009] According to the above objects, the present invention sets forth a socket device with a fastening unit. The socket device has a supporting unit, an assembly unit and a fastening to attach a handle. The supporting unit has a first opening and a second opening; a first end portion of the handle is inserted into the first opening to affix the handle to the socket device on the garden tool.  
       [0010] The assembly unit has a threaded hole and is mounted on the supporting unit to align the threaded hole with the second opening of the supporting unit to assemble the supporting unit and the handle. The fastening unit coupled to the handle along with the supporting unit has a threaded shaft and engages the threaded shaft and the threaded hole of the assembly unit to secure the handle and the socket device.  
       [0011] More importantly, the assembly unit serves as a guiding unit to direct the threaded shaft to guide smoothly the fastening unit. Further, after the attachment between the handle and the socket device is complete, the assembly unit can keep the attachment quite stable all the time. The assembly unit is preferably riveted, soldered or welded onto the socket device by a rivet, a solder or a weld, respectively.  
       [0012] Specifically, one end portion of the threaded shaft of the fastening unit includes a cone portion or a pointed end portion to penetrate the surface region of the handle and to contact tightly the handle and the supporting unit. The hardness of the cone portion is higher than that of the handle for a preferred penetration so as to compress the handle toward the sidewall of the first opening of the supporting unit.  
       [0013] The socket device is preferably suitable for a rake or a shovel. The rake has a handle, a socket device and a plurality of teeth. The teeth are connected to the supporting unit of the socket device and can collect a plurality of articles. Specifically, the teeth are equally spaced and affixed to one end portion opposite to the first opening of the supporting unit. In addition, the socket device preferably includes a plurality of supporting units, assembly units and fastening units to be positioned symmetrically or asymmetrically thereon for a tighter attachment.  
       [0014] The shovel has a handle, a socket device and a blade. The blade connected to the supporting unit of the socket device can dig in the ground. In other words, the blade extends from one end portion of the supporting unit and forms a large area with an edge thereon to dig earth when the handle of the shovel is affixed interchangeably to the socket device.  
       [0015] In summary, the present invention utilizes a socket device with a fastening unit to support interchangeably a handle of a garden tool and to secure rapidly and conveniently the handle and the socket device by an assembly unit mounted on a supporting unit of the socket device for the garden tool. Moreover, the assembly unit of the socket device serves as a guiding unit to direct the threaded shaft to guide smoothly the fastening unit. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0016] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
     [0017]FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a nail socket in a shovel according to the prior art;  
     [0018]FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a socket device with a fastening unit in accordance with one preferred embodiment the present invention;  
     [0019]FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a rake using a socket device in accordance with one preferred embodiment the present invention; and  
     [0020]FIG. 4 illustrates cross-sectional view of a shovel with a socket device in accordance with one preferred embodiment the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0021] The present invention is directed to a socket device with a fastening unit to support interchangeably a handle of a garden tool. The socket device with a fastening unit is used to secure rapidly and conveniently the handle and the socket device for the garden tool. The garden tool is preferably a rake, a shovel or a spade.  
     [0022]FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a socket device with a fastening unit in accordance with one preferred embodiment the present invention. The socket device  200  to attach a handle  201  has a supporting unit  202 , an assembly unit  204  and a fastening unit  206 . The supporting unit  202  has a first opening  208  and a second opening  210 ; a first end portion of the handle  201  is inserted into the first opening  208  to affix the handle  201  to socket device  200  of the garden tool.  
     [0023] The assembly unit  204  has a threaded hole  212  and is mounted on the supporting unit  202  to align the threaded hole  212  with the second opening  210  of the supporting unit  202  to assemble the supporting unit  202  and the handle  201 . The fastening unit  206  attached to the handle  201  along with the supporting unit  202  has a threaded shaft  214  and engages the threaded shaft  214  and the threaded hole  212  of the assembly unit  204  to secure the handle  201  and the socket device  200 .  
     [0024] More importantly, the assembly unit  204  serves as a guiding unit to direct the threaded shaft  214  to guide smoothly the fastening unit  206 . Further, after the attachment of the handle  201  to the socket device  200  is complete, the assembly unit  204  maintains a stable attachment at all times. The assembly unit  204  is preferably riveted, soldered or welded to the socket device  200  by a rivet, solder or a weld, respectively.  
     [0025] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the socket device  200  further includes a resilient ring  216  between the assembly unit  204  and the fastening unit  206  to keep the handle  201  and the socket device  200  in a tight contact. The resilient ring  216  also is positioned between the assembly unit  204  and the supporting unit  202  near the second opening  210 . Additionally, the resilient ring  216  allows attachment to the fastening unit  206  for a preferred tight attachment between the assembly unit  204  and the fastening unit  206 . Moreover, the resilient ring  216  preferably includes a closed or an open gap flexible ring, such as washer.  
     [0026] Specifically, one end portion  218  of the threaded shaft  214  of the fastening unit  206  includes a cone portion or a pointed end portion to penetrate the surface region of the handle  201  and to contact tightly the handle  201  and the supporting unit  202 . The hardness of the cone portion is higher than that of the handle  201  for a preferred penetration so as to compress the handle  201  toward the sidewall of the first opening  208  of the supporting unit  202 . Also, one end portion  218  of the threaded shaft  214  is preferably a tilted surface region to compress the handle  201 .  
     [0027] The other end portion  220  of the threaded shaft  214  further includes a pair of wings to impose readily a rotating moment to drive the fastening unit  206  into the handle  201 . In other words, the fastening unit  206  is horizontally rotated and vertically advances to the handle  201  to attach the socket device  200  and the handle  201 .  
     [0028]FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a rake using the socket device in accordance with one preferred embodiment the present invention. The rake has a handle  201 , a socket device  200  and a plurality of teeth  300 . The handle  201  has a first end portion. The socket device  200  attached to the handle  201  includes a supporting unit  202 , an assembly unit  204  and a fastening unit  206 .  
     [0029] The supporting unit  202  has a first opening  208  and a second opening  210  therein; the first end portion of the handle  201  is inserted into the first opening  208  to support the handle  201 . The assembly unit  204  has a threaded hole  212  therein and is mounted on the supporting unit  202  to assemble the supporting unit  202  and the handle  201 . The fastening unit  206  coupled to the handle  201  along with the supporting unit  202  and has a threaded shaft  214  to engage the threaded shaft  214  and the threaded hole  212  of the assembly unit  204  to secure the handle  201  and the socket device  200 .  
     [0030] The teeth  300  connected to the supporting unit  202  of the socket device  200  can collect a plurality of articles. Specifically, the teeth  300  are equally spaced and affixed to one end portion opposite the first opening  208  of the supporting unit  202 . In addition, the socket device preferably includes a plurality of supporting units  202 , assembly units  204  and fastening units  206  to be positioned symmetrically or asymmetrically thereon for a tighter attachment. Consequentially, the handle  201  of the rake is affixed interchangeably to the socket device  202 .  
     [0031]FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a shovel with the socket device in accordance with one preferred embodiment the present invention. The shovel has a handle  201 , a socket device  200  and a blade  400 . The handle  201  has a first end portion. The socket device  200  is connected to the handle  201  and has a supporting unit  202 , an assembly unit  204  and a fastening unit  206 .  
     [0032] The supporting unit  202  has a first opening  208  and a second opening  210 ; the first end portion of the handle  201  is placed into the first opening  208  to support the handle  201 . The assembly unit  204  has a threaded hole  212  therein and is mounted on the supporting unit  202  to assemble the supporting unit  202  and the handle  201 . The fastening unit  206  has a threaded shaft  214  and is coupled to the handle  201  along with the supporting unit  202  to engage the threaded shaft  214  and the threaded hole  212  of the assembly unit  204  to secure the handle  201  and the socket device  200 .  
     [0033] The blade  400  connected to the supporting unit  202  of the socket device  200  can dig in the ground. In other words, the blade extends from one end portion of the supporting unit  202  and forms a large area with an edge thereon to dig earth when the handle  201  of the shovel is affixed interchangeably to the socket device  202 .  
     [0034] According to the above, the present invention utilizes a socket device with a fastening unit to support interchangeably a handle of a garden tool. The socket device with a fastening unit allows the handle to be secured rapidly and conveniently and the socket device is mounted on a supporting unit for the garden tool. Moreover, the assembly unit of the socket device serves as a guiding unit to direct the threaded shaft for guiding smoothly the fastening unit.  
     [0035] As is understood by a person skilled in the art, the foregoing preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrative rather than limiting of the present invention. It is intended that they cover various modifications and similar arrangements be included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the scope of which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structure.