Patent Publication Number: US-2015083621-A1

Title: Socket and Ratchet Holder

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a non-provisional patent application of pending U.S. provisional patent application with Ser. No. 61/877,896 titled “Socket and Ratchet Holder With Flexible Retention Strap” filed on Sep. 13, 2013; pending U.S. provisional patent application with Ser. No. 61/937,511 titled “Socket Holder With Flexible Retention Strap and Concave Top Surface” filed on Feb. 8, 2014; and pending U.S. provisional patent application with Ser. No. 61/977,309 titled “Socket and Ratchet Holding Device With Flexible Retention Member” filed on Apr. 9, 2014. This application claims priority of U.S. provisional patent applications with Ser. Nos. 61/877,896, 61/937,511, and 61/977,309. Further, the entire contents of U.S. provisional patent applications with Ser. Nos. 61/877,896, 61/937,511, and 61/977,309 are herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     None. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The field of the embodiments is generally hand tools and hand tool organization devices. 
     The embodiments of the SOCKET AND RATCHET HOLDER is designed to aid in the organization and transport of sockets and a ratchet and also provide storage for other accessories. Often a mechanic or other technician is required to use a ratchet and various sockets to assemble, disassemble or repair mechanical items constructed with nuts and or bolts. This often requires the use of various sockets and a ratchet, as well as other related accessories such as universal swivels or extensions. Often sockets and related accessories can become disorganized or lost during transport. The present invention allows the user to organize and store her sockets in a manner suitable for transport in bag or box along with other tools. Furthermore, the present invention will retain the sockets, ratchet and accessories, when in the closed position, no matter the orientation of the device. This allows for easy and secure storage to enable the user to quickly locate and use his ratchet and sockets. 
     SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The embodiments of the Socket and Ratchet Holder are comprised of a socket body and a strap assembly. The strap assembly is comprised of a longitudinal strap and a cross strap. In one embodiment, both the longitudinal strap and the cross strap are manufactured from hook and loop fastener material and are used to secure the socket set components into the socket body. The socket body is comprised of a plurality of socket apertures. The plurality of socket apertures are comprised of a range of sizes of apertures ranging from a small aperture to a large aperture to accommodate the range of sizes of sockets in a typical socket wrench set. The plurality of socket apertures are sized so that the sockets slide in and out of the socket apertures without resistance so that the sockets and be engaged to the socket wrench with one hand. In another embodiment, the socket body is comprised of a mid-point aperture so that the longitudinal strap is more firmly in contact with the socket body and the sockets contained therein. The socket body is comprised of narrow-end loop aperture and a wide-end loop aperture. The socket body is comprised of a wrench aperture so that when the socket wrench is to be stowed, the user secures the socket wrench from the bottom of the socket body into the wrench aperture. The socket body is also comprised of a universal aperture to stow the universal socket joint and the socket extension. The universal socket joint and socket extension are slid into the universal aperture by the user for stowing. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the Socket and Ratchet Holder in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiment is not limited in this application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiment or embodiments are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be used as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the embodiments. Additional benefits and advantages of the embodiments will become apparent in those skilled in the art to which the present embodiments relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. 
     Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the embodiments of the application which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the embodiments in any way. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the Socket and Ratchet Holder showing a portion of the hook and look strap assembly. 
         FIG. 2A  is a top view of the Socket and Ratchet Holder;  FIG. 2B  is a side view of the Socket and Ratchet Holder. 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the Socket and Ratchet Holder. 
         FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of the Socket and Ratchet Holder;  FIG. 4B  is an exploded view of an end of the Socket and Ratchet Holder. 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the Socket and Ratchet Holder. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In an embodiment of the Socket and Ratchet Holder  100 , the Socket and Ratchet holder is comprised of a socket body  107  and a strap assembly  110 . 
     The strap assembly  110  is comprised of a longitudinal strap  101  and a cross strap  106 . In one embodiment, both the longitudinal strap  101  and the cross strap  106  are manufactured from hook and loop fastener material and are used to secure the socket set components into the socket body  107 . In another embodiment the strap assembly  110  is comprised of any flexible material with an attachment means to secure the flexible material back onto itself to secure any sockets that are to be secured by the Socket and Ratchet Holder  100 . In an another embodiment the strap assembly is comprised of a rigid material with a fold so that the material folds back onto itself to secure any sockets that are to be secured by the Socket and Ratchet Holder  100 . In an embodiment, the strap assembly can be completely removed from the socket body  107 . In yet another embodiment the strap assembly is affixed to the socket body  107  via a hook and loop fastener. In yet another embodiment, the strap assembly  110  is comprised of a longitudinal strap  101 . In another embodiment. The socket body  107  is comprised of a point mid-point aperture to further secure the longitudinal strap  101  to the socket body  107 . The strap assembly  110  will be fabricated in different colors to designate British unit sockets (e.g., red strap assembly) or metric sockets (e.g., blue strap assembly). 
     The strap assembly  110  is comprised of any strong flexible material that can be fastened onto itself or via a fastener including hook and loop fabric, leather, cloth, rubber, rubberized material, or polymeric material. The term fastener means any fastening means including hook and loop fastening, a buckle, clasp, snap, friction or stretched fastener, magnetic fastener or other means to fasten the flexible material. 
     The socket body  107  is comprised of a plurality of socket apertures  108 . The plurality of socket apertures  108  are comprised of a range of sizes of apertures ranging from a small aperture  105  to a large aperture  104  to accommodate the range of sizes of sockets in a typical socket wrench set. The plurality of socket apertures  108  are sized so that the sockets slide in and out of the socket apertures  108  without resistance so that the sockets can be engaged to the socket wrench with one hand. In another embodiment, the socket body is comprised of a mid-point aperture so that the longitudinal strap  101  is more firmly in contact with the socket body  107  and the sockets contained therein. 
     The socket body  107  is comprised of narrow-end loop aperture  103  and a wide-end loop aperture  102 . The longitudinal strap  101  is secured via the hook and loop fastener by folding the longitudinal strap  101  back onto itself through wide-end loop aperture  102 . The other end of the longitudinal strap  101  is threaded through the narrow-end loop aperture  103  by the user when the sockets are to be stored and pulled from the narrow-end loop aperture  103  when the sockets are to be accessed. In yet another embodiment, the longitudinal strap can be inserted through either the wide-end loop aperture  102  or the narrow-end loop aperture  103  permitting the user to accommodate sockets with greater than average depth and permitting one-hand operation. 
     The socket body  107  is comprised of a wrench aperture  201  so that when the socket wrench is to be stowed, the user secures the socket wrench from the bottom of the socket body  107  into the wrench aperture. The socket body  107  is also comprised of a universal aperture  109  to stow the universal socket joint and the socket extension. The universal socket joint and socket extension are slid into the universal aperture  109  by the user for stowing. The socket body  107  is also comprised of a wrench channel  501 . The wrench channel  501  is formed on the bottom of the socket body  107  and serves to cradle the socket wrench and prevent the socket wrench from rotating while in storage. The socket body  107  is comprised of socket extension stops  111  that preclude the universal socket joint and the socket extension from sliding longitudinally. The socket body  107  is comprised of pegboard slot  202  that permits the Socket and Ratchet Holder to be hung on a pegboard hook. In another embodiment, the socket body  107  contains a plurality of socket apertures  108 , but no universal aperture  109 . 
     The socket body  107  is constructed so that the bottom portion of the socket body  107  that contains the sockets is slightly angled. This slight angle permits the socket body  107  to have sufficient depth to accommodate the diameter of the universal socket and extension socket in the universal aperture  109 . This slightly angled surface also allows for the underside ratchet handle channel  501  to be formed by the socket body  107 . This slightly angled surface also allows the smaller sockets at the narrow end of the device to rise out of the top of the aperture area to allow for grasping by the user. This angle feature allows the device to lie flat on the ground and keeps the side mounted universal aperture from having to rise above the top of the socket storage aperture area. 
     To secure the sockets of the socket set, the sockets are placed in the corresponding socket apertures  108 . The longitudinal strap  101 , which is permanently attached to the socket body  107  via the wide-end loop aperture  102 , is threaded through the narrow-end loop aperture  103  and folded back on itself to secure the hoop and loop fastener. The socket wrench and the universal socket joint are secured by wrapping the cross strap  106  around the socket body, the socket wrench and the universal joint and securing the hook and loop fasteners of the cross strap  106 . The cross strap  106  provides downward force at the midpoint of the longitudinal strap  101  so that when the device is inverted the weight of the sockets does not push the longitudinal strap  101  away from the device body and make the sockets susceptible to falling out or being knocked out by another tool in co-storage. In addition, the cross strap  106  secures the extension bar to the side of the case with the extension bar slightly extending into the universal storage aperture thus substantially covering the open end of that aperture so the universal cannot be lost during transport. The cross strap  106  it secures the ratchet to the underside of the device forcing the ratchet handle into the underside channel  501 .