Patent Publication Number: US-2012034049-A1

Title: Ratchet fit fastener

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/543,209 filed Oct. 5, 2006, which is presently pending. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the field of threaded fasteners and in particular to a ratchet fit fastener which provides a female threaded fastener for replacing the function of a threaded nut wherein the fastener has a female socket oppositely disposed from, and axially aligned with the threaded female fastener cavity. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the prior art applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 2,148,959 which issued to Pavlecka on Feb. 28, 1939, for an Internal Hexagonal Stop Nut and Method of Making Same. Pavlecka teaches a self locking nut and in particular an elastic stop nut having a polygonal socket so that the stop nut may be screwed onto and off of the screw member with which it cooperates. It is taught that the cross sectional sides of the polygonal socket allows a corresponding polygonal portion of a mandrel to be slidable into the socket. It is taught that the shoulders of the polygonal socket are engageable by a socket wrench. 
     What is neither taught nor suggested by Pavlecka, and which it is an object of the present invention to provide, is the adaptation of the socket end so as to be mountable directly to the square-headed stub drive shaft of a socket wrench or an extension member which is mountable so the socket wrench, the extension member having on its distal end a head for mating with a socket for driving a nut ordinarily but in the present invention for mating with an un-threaded end of a ratchet fit threaded fastener. Thus what is neither taught nor suggested, and which it is an object of the present invention to provide, is the direct mounting of the square-head of a stub drive shaft or extension member extending from the socket wrench directly into the socket end of a ratchet-fit threaded fastener, and in particular to include a female threaded fastener so as to replace the use of a nut. The square-headed drive shaft, whether the stub shaft or extension, is releasably positively locked into the socket end of the fastener itself to thereby provide for mounting of the fastener into threaded cooperation with a corresponding cooperating male fastener such as a male threaded fastener including a bolt, stud or the like. Because the female fastener according to the present invention is locked onto the drive axle of the socket wrench, the female fastener may be guided in its entry to the male fastener from awkward angles and through very tight clearances where a user otherwise could not reach so as to accurately position and place the fastener for threaded cooperation between the male and female fasteners without the likelihood, as in the existing prior art, that the female fastener for example would be dropped and thus have to be retrieved. 
     For example, in the prior art, it is quite common when working on automotive engines and in particular automotive engines used for racing, where space is at a premium in the engine compartment, that access must be had to for example the studs used for securing valve covers. This is just one example of where access is difficult so that even the most experienced mechanic will waste valuable time in trying to remotely place a female fastener such as a nut onto the free end of the stud and then rotating the nut so as to engage the stud without dropping the nut. If the nut is dropped it typically must be retrieved, and especially in racing and other engine environments such as jet engines, where foreign object damage to the engine is a constant threat and thus dropped and lost nuts must be rigorously guarded against. 
     In these sorts of applications, especially where foreign object damage may not be tolerated or where access tolerances are very tight so as to prevent manual access by a mechanic needing to install a fastener, it is imperative that the fastener be securely held on the free or distal end of a tool which securely holds the fastener in a known orientation for remote manipulation by the mechanic. Such a tool, such as in the present invention, allows the mechanic to, firstly, place the fastener threads in the proper orientation for engaging the corresponding threads on the corresponding opposed facing fastener, for example the free end of a stud, and, secondly, for then rotating the fastener on the tool so as to threadably engage the pair of corresponding fasteners one with the other. Thus, the mere sliding fit such as taught in the prior art including that Pavlecka, is insufficient without more so as to guarantee a positive lock of the fastener on the end of the fastener application tool such as the end of a socket wrench, thereby risking dropping the fastener. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Thus in the present invention, applicant came to the realization that a positive locking, secure yet releasable drive mount existed already in common collections of tools; namely, a conventional socket wrench handle having a square-headed stub drive shaft protruding from the socket wrench head. Typically the square-headed stub drive shaft protruding from the head of the socket wrench has a spring-loaded ball mounted in at least one of the sides of the shaft. Each spring-loaded ball engages a corresponding detent in the female socket receiving cavity of a typical socket wrench attachment such as one of a series of different sizes of demountable sockets. Such conventional sockets have on one end a square socket receiving opening for receiving the socket wrench drive shaft whether the stub shaft or the end of an extension, and in their other end, a polygonal socket for receiving therein a nut so that rotation of the drive shaft by the socket wrench turns the nut on to the threaded end of the bolt or like male fastener. With regards to the use of extensions, it is well understood that one end of the extension mounts onto the stub drive shaft, and the other end of the extension is shaped as a replica of the square-headed stub drive shaft for mounting into the square shaft receiving receptacle in the socket. 
     The conventional use of a socket wrench and corresponding socket attachments, whether or not using an extension therebetween, results in a conventional nut being loosely held in sliding engagement within the polygonal socket receiving end of the socket attachment, which is not particularly useful in the applications to which the present invention is directed. For example, where through very tight clearances a nut has to be threaded onto a vertically aligned exposed threaded stud, the use of a conventional socket, whether or not on the end of an extension, means that at some point the socket is turned to the vertical thereby allowing the nut to slide and drop out of the polygonal opening in the lowest end of the socket attachment. This is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . This then results in the mechanic having to retrieve the nut which may require disassembly of components of, for example the motor. 
     In summary, the present invention may be characterized in one aspect as a ratchet mounting close-fit fastener including a rigid fastener body having opposite first and second ends and a substantially smoothly curved outer surface extending from the first end to the second end. The first end has a socket drive receiving cavity formed therein for receiving a male socket drive shaft into snug mating engagement along a longitudinal axis of the body. Releasable locking means in the cavity cooperate between the cavity and the drive shaft so as to releasably lock the fastener body onto the drive shaft. The second end is formed to include a threaded portion. The threaded portion is symmetric about the longitudinal axis for threaded mating engagement of the threaded portion with a corresponding matingly-threaded second fastener. The cavity and the threaded portion are oppositely disposed for mounting of the drive shaft to the cavity and mounting of the second fastener to the threaded portion from opposed facing opposite directions. 
     Advantageously, the outer surface does not include shoulders formed along the outer surface so as to be parallel with the longitudinal axis of the fastener body. 
     In one embodiment the threaded portion is a female threaded bore the cavity and the bore may be separated by a sealed barrier such as a rigid membrane between the cavity and the bore. A de-mountable cap may be provided for releasable mounting onto the first end of the fastener so as to seal an opening into the cavity. Alternatively, the threaded portion is a threaded male end having a threaded surface around its exterior surface. The outer surface may be substantially cylindrical. 
     The bore and the fastener body may be cylindrical. The bore has a diameter measured orthogonal to the axis and a length along the longitudinal axis. The length may be at least equal to the diameter. In a preferred embodiment the second end terminates in a planar surface substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis. In particular, the planar surface may be an annular surface extending circumferentially around an opening into the bore so as to provide a bearing surface around the opening. 
     A ratchet mounting close-fit fastener system according to the present invention may include first and second fastener elements, where each of the two elements has a rigid body having opposite first and second ends, and a substantially smoothly curved outer surface extending from the first end to the second end. Each of the elements has a first end having a socket drive receiving cavity formed therein for receiving a male socket drive shaft into snug mating engagement along a longitudinal axis of the body, and a releasable locking means cooperating between the cavity and the drive shaft so as to releasably lock the fastener onto the corresponding drive shaft. Each of the elements also has a second end, opposite its first end, formed to include a threaded portion. The threaded portion of each element is symmetric about the longitudinal axis for threaded mating engagement of the threaded portion of each the elements with each other. Again, the cavity and the threaded portion are oppositely disposed on each element for mounting of a drive shaft to the cavity and mounting of the elements to each other from opposed facing opposite directions. 
     The threaded portion of the first fastener element may be a female bore threaded end and the threaded portion of the second fastener element is a male threaded end sized to threadably mate into the female bore threaded end. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is, in partially exploded perspective view, a prior art socket wrench, socket attachment, and nut for mounting onto an exposed vertical threaded stud. 
         FIG. 2  is, in partially exploded perspective view, a conventional socket wrench being mounted onto a female ratchet fit fastener according to the present invention for threaded mounting of the fastener onto an exposed threaded stud. 
         FIG. 3  is, in partially exploded view, the ratchet fit fastener of  FIG. 2  being threadably mounted onto an exposed threaded stud by the use of a conventional socket wrench and extension. 
         FIG. 4  is, in side elevation view, the ratchet fit fastener of  FIG. 2  with the drive shaft receiving cavity and threaded bore shown in dotted outline. 
         FIG. 5  is the fastener of  FIG. 4  in perspective view. 
         FIG. 6  is, in plan view, the fastener of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  is, in bottom view, a fastener according to the present invention and sized to accept a smaller socket wrench stub drive shaft. 
         FIG. 8  is, in bottom view, the fastener of  FIG. 7  having a rigid membrane separating the threaded bore from the drive shaft receiving cavity. 
         FIG. 9  is, in perspective view, a cap for mounting into the drive shaft receiving cavity. 
         FIG. 10   a  is, in perspective view, a male threaded fastener according to one aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10   b  is, in side elevation view, the fastener of  FIG. 10   a.    
         FIG. 10   c  is in plan view, the fastener of  FIG. 10   b.    
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     As may be seen in  FIG. 1 , a conventional socket wrench  10  includes a ratcheting head  12  driving a square-headed stub drive shaft  14  so as to rotate drive shaft  14  in direction A. Stub drive shaft  14  mounts into a correspondingly sized and correspondingly shaped shaft receiving socket  16  (shown in dotted outline in  FIG. 1 ) in a conventional socket attachment  18 . Socket attachment  18  has at its opposite end a nut receiving socket  20  for receiving in relatively loose, sliding engagement therein a nut  22 . The nut may be slid in direction B in to and out of nut receiving socket  20 . Nut  22  engages against correspondingly shaped shoulders  20   a  lining socket  20 . With nut  22  initially threaded onto the distal end  24   a  of bolt or stud  24 , for example by hand tightening nut  22  onto stud  24 , nut receiving socket  20  may then be slid over nut  22  and socket  10  rotated so as to rotate shaft  14  in direction A thereby correspondingly turning nut  22  in threaded engagement along stud  24 . Again it is important to note that typically, if nut  22  has: not been mounted onto stud  24  before socket attachment  18  is fitted onto the nut, for example if nut  22  is merely slid into nut receiving socket  20 , when socket attachment  18  is turned to the vertical so as to orient nut receiving socket downwardly, typically in applicant&#39;s experience, nut  22  will merely fall out of the socket attachment. It is thus difficult if not impossible to remotely manipulate the socket wrench and socket attachment so as to mount the nut onto the stud without the manual threading of the nut onto the stud first. 
     Thus in the present invention, the conventional socket attachment  18  whether or not used in conjunction with a conventional socket extension  26 , is entirely replaced with a threaded fastener  28  according to the present invention such as a female threaded fastener  28 . Female fastener  28  releasably lockably mounts, at its end  28   a,  onto stub drive shaft  14  or onto the corresponding square head of the driving end of an extension  26 . Threaded fastener  28  may be pinched or otherwise stove in the sense of a stove nut to create a locking thread. The opposite end  28   b  of fastener  28  threadably mounts onto bolt or stud  24 . Thus female threaded fastener  28  has a square-headed shaft receiving socket  16  for receiving therein stub drive shaft  14  or head  26   a.  Drive shaft  14  or head  26   a  is inserted into socket  16  so as to engage a spring-loaded ball  14   a  on shaft  14 , or a corresponding ball on head  26   a,  with a corresponding detent  16   a  formed in one or more sidewalls (for example, all of the sidewalls) of shaft receiving socket  16 . It is understood that detent  16   a  need not necessarily be round or spherical such as illustrated in dotted outline in  FIG. 4 , but may also be formed as an elongate groove or channel formed in the sidewall so long as, with shaft  14  or head  26   a  completely mounted into socket  16 , spring-loaded ball  14   a  lodges resiliently into resiliently biased engagement with the detent, in whatever form, so as to resist drive shaft  14  or head  26   a  being removed from socket  16 . Thus it is understood that if a socket extension  26  is employed so as to extend the reach between socket wrench  10  and fastener  28 , then instead of drive shaft  14  engaging into shaft receiving socket  16  in fastener  28 , that drive head  26   a  of extension  26 , which it is understood to be formed as a replica of stub drive shaft  14  including a spring-loaded ball (not shown), will also fully mate into shaft receiving socket  16  to thereby lockably and releasably mate with fastener  28 . Fastener  28  is thus held securely and typically will not be removed from shaft  14  or head  26   a  until threads  30   a  within threaded bore  30  are threadably mounted onto the corresponding threads of bolt or stud  24  by rotation of fastener  28  in direction A about its longitudinal axis C. 
     Socket wrench  10 , including extension  26  if used, may then be removed by sharply pulling the socket wrench and extension in a direction away, and coaxial with, bolt or stud  24  for example in direction D. Thus with fastener  28  threadably mounted onto bolt or stud  24  for example so as to torque fastener  28  snugly down onto stud  24  so that the length of stud  24  extends a significant proportion of the length threaded bore  30  (by conventional rule of thumb, this distance being substantially equal to the diameter of the fastener), pulling sharply both the socket wrench, and extension if used, in direction D disengages the corresponding spring-loaded ball from detent  16   a  thereby allowing the removal of stub drive shaft  14 , or the corresponding drive head  26   a  if an extension is used, from within socket  16  thereby leaving fastener  28  engaged onto bolt or stud  24 . 
     It is understood that a conventional socket wrench  10  may be replaced by a modified socket wrench such as that which is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,463 which issued to Wannop on Oct. 22, 1991 for a Ratchet Wrench With Dual-Rotating Constant Drive Handle. The use of the modified socket wrench of Wannop would also provide for the use of fasteners  28  in very hard to reach places with very tight or close tolerances where for example a straight-in mounting of the fastener in coaxial alignment with the stud is not possible because of obstructions, therefore requiring the entry of the socket wrench carrying fastener  28  from a different angle so as to mount fastener  28  onto stud  24  from an entry passageway which is orthogonal to the stud. 
     For use in extremely tight access spaces where the tolerances are such that a nut of a desired bearing surface area will not fit due to the protrusion of the upstanding shoulders  22   a  from the sides of the nut, the female fastener  28  according to the present invention will provide substantially the same bearing surface but will fit through the close tolerances due to the lack of the external shoulders  22   a  such as found on the exterior of a conventional nut. Were a conventional socket attachment  18  employed, then in order to fit the socket attachment  18  through the close tolerance, an even smaller nut, having what may be an insufficient bearing surface, will be used because the nut has to fit into the corresponding cavity in the socket attachment and both the nut and the socket attachment have to fit through the very tight access to the bolt or stud. 
     As will be apparent, depending on the exposed length of bolt or stud  24 , the length or depth of threaded bore  30  will have to be at least long enough to accommodate the exposed length of bolt or stud  24  so as to allow end  28   b  to be snugged and torqued down onto the surface  32 , for example a valve cover, being secured onto the exposed bolt or stud. Assuming that socket wrench  10  is conventional in the sense that stub drive shaft  14  is a conventional quarter inch, three eighths inch, half inch, three-quarter inch, or one inch diameter drive, then shaft receiving socket  16  may be sized accordingly to snugly accommodate the corresponding stub drive shaft diameter. As is usual, with small diameter fasteners  28 , it may be that socket  16  may only be sized to accommodate a quarter inch drive shaft. Of course, the larger the diameter of fastener  28 , the larger the diameter of drive shaft  14  or head  26   a  which may be accommodated in socket  16 . The use of an increasingly sized array of fasteners  28  will provide a corresponding array of increasingly sized threaded bores  30  so that a set of fasteners  28  may provide for a full range of expected sizes of threaded fasteners. Of course, threads  30   a  may be of various pitch or size to accommodate the various threads found on the male fasteners, depending on the application. 
     In order to keep dirt, dust or for example liquids from intruding into threaded bore  30  via socket  16 , a cap  34  may be provided which snugly and removably mounts into socket  16  by means of square-headed male mounting member  34   a.  Alternatively, incursion of dirt or liquid or the like into threaded bore  30  may be prevented by the forming of fastener  28  so as to include a rigid membrane  36  which extends completely over, and forms the base of, shaft receiving socket  16  to thereby separate socket  16  and bore as completely separated cavities. Cap  34  may be decorative and may include logos or trademarks having a commercial appeal or may provide for a capped chrome finish on a fastener  28 , which may also have a chromed finish, so as to provide a decorative finished appearance especially where the use of conventional nuts would be unsightly because of the protrusion of the stud therethrough for example in engine compartments of vehicles used for showing. 
     Depicted in  FIGS. 10   a - 10   c  is a corresponding male fastener which may be used in applications where a bolt is required to be mounted into a threaded receptacle which itself is located in a very difficult to reach spot so that, again, the fastener may be positively locked onto the distal end of for example an extension  26  and remotely manipulated using a conventional socket wrench  10  to thereby drive the male fastener into threaded engagement in the threaded female cavity. 
     As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.