Patent Publication Number: US-9884411-B2

Title: Tool structure

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a tool structure and, more particularly, to a tool structure available for tool heads of different sizes. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A conventional screwdriver tool comprises a shank having a first end provided with a tip, and a handle mounted on a second end of the shank. The tip has a flat shape, a cross shape or hexagonal shape. Thus, the user has to prepare multiple screwdriver tools with tips of different shapes, thereby increasing the cost of purchase, and thereby causing inconvenience in carrying and usage of the screwdriver tools. In addition, the angle between the shank and the handle cannot be adjusted to satisfy a special working place, so that the working place of the conventional screwdriver tool is limited. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a tool structure comprising a base, a first retaining member mounted on the base, a connecting rod mounted on the base, a second retaining member mounted on the connecting rod, and a threaded rod extending through the first retaining member, the second retaining member, the connecting rod and the base. The base has an end provided with a driving portion. The base has a shank formed with a slot. The shank of the base has a first side formed with a screw bore and a second side formed with a first retaining hole and a through hole. The slot of the base is located between the screw bore and the through hole. The through hole of the base is located between the slot and the first retaining hole. The first retaining hole of the base has a polygonal shape. The first retaining member is received in the first retaining hole of the base and has a first fitting portion having a polygonal shape. The first fitting portion of the first retaining member has a side transversely formed with a first toothed section. The first toothed section of the first retaining member has a side formed with a first toothed face having multiple teeth. The first retaining member is formed with a first axle hole extending through the first fitting portion and the first toothed section. The connecting rod has a rod body which is pivotally mounted in the slot of the base. The rod body has a mediate portion transversely provided with a second retaining hole and an aperture connected to the second retaining hole. The second retaining hole has a polygonal shape. An elastic member is received in the second retaining hole of the connecting rod. The second retaining member is received in the second retaining hole of the connecting rod and is pushed by an end of the elastic member. The second retaining member has a second fitting portion having a polygonal shape. The second fitting portion of the second retaining member has a side transversely formed with a second toothed section. The second toothed section of the second retaining member has a side formed with a second toothed face having multiple teeth. The second retaining member is formed with a second axle hole extending through the second fitting portion and the second toothed section. The threaded rod extends through the first axle hole of the first retaining member, the second axle hole of the second retaining member and the aperture of the connecting rod, and is screwed into the screw bore of the base. 
     According to the primary advantage of the present invention, the connecting rod is rotated relative to the base to adjust the angle between the connecting rod and the base. 
     According to another advantage of the present invention, the first toothed face has multiple teeth, and the second toothed face has multiple teeth, so that the connecting rod is rotated to adjust different angles between the connecting rod and the base to facilitate the user operating the tool structure at different working places. 
     According to a further advantage of the present invention, the connecting rod has a first mounting hole and a second mounting hole so that the connecting rod is available for two kinds of screwdriver tips with different sizes. 
     According to a further advantage of the present invention, when the connecting rod is perpendicular to the base, the connecting rod is used as a T-shaped bar. 
     Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a tool structure in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a first retaining member of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a connecting rod of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is another perspective view of the connecting rod of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a base of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the base of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic operational view of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 1  in use. 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic operational view of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is another schematic operational view of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 13  is another schematic operational view of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 14  is another schematic operational view of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 15  is another schematic operational view of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 1  in use. 
         FIG. 16  is a side view of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 17  is another schematic operational view of the tool structure as shown in  FIG. 1  in use. 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of a tool structure in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings and initially to  FIGS. 1-8 , a tool structure in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a base  1 , a first retaining member  2  mounted on the base  1 , a connecting rod  3  mounted on the base  1 , a second retaining member  4  mounted on the connecting rod  3 , and a threaded rod  5  extending through the first retaining member  2 , the second retaining member  4 , the connecting rod  3  and the base  1 . 
     The base  1  has an end provided with a driving portion  13 . The base  1  has a shank  11  formed with a slot  12 . The shank  11  of the base  1  has a substantially U-shaped profile and has a first side formed with a screw bore  14  and a second side formed with a first retaining hole  15  and a through hole  16 . The slot  12  of the base  1  is located between the screw bore  14  and the through hole  16 . The through hole  16  of the base  1  is located between the slot  12  and the first retaining hole  15 . The first retaining hole  15  of the base  1  has a polygonal shape. 
     The first retaining member  2  is received in the first retaining hole  15  of the base  1  and has a first fitting portion  21  having a polygonal shape. The first fitting portion  21  of the first retaining member  2  has a side transversely formed with a first toothed section  22  which is received in the through hole  16  of the base  1 . The first toothed section  22  of the first retaining member  2  has a side formed with a first toothed face  24  having multiple teeth. The first retaining member  2  is formed with a first axle hole  25  extending through the first fitting portion  21  and the first toothed section  22 . 
     The connecting rod  3  has a rod body  31  which is pivotally mounted in the slot  12  of the base  1 . The rod body  31  of the connecting rod  3  has a first end provided with a first mounting hole  32  and a second end provided with a second mounting hole  33 . The rod body  31  has a mediate portion transversely provided with a second retaining hole  34  and an aperture  35  connected to the second retaining hole  34 . The second retaining hole  34  has a polygonal shape. An elastic member  36  is received in the second retaining hole  34  of the connecting rod  3 . The elastic member  36  has a diameter greater than that of the aperture  35  of the connecting rod  3 . 
     The second retaining member  4  is received in the second retaining hole  34  of the connecting rod  3  and is pushed by an end of the elastic member  36 . The second retaining member  4  has a second fitting portion  41  having a polygonal shape. The second fitting portion  41  of the second retaining member  4  has a side transversely formed with a second toothed section  42 . The second toothed section  42  of the second retaining member  4  has a side formed with a second toothed face  43  having multiple teeth. The second retaining member  4  is formed with a second axle hole  44  extending through the second fitting portion  41  and the second toothed section  42 . 
     The threaded rod  5  extends through the first axle hole  25  of the first retaining member  2 , the second axle hole  44  of the second retaining member  4  and the aperture  35  of the connecting rod  3 , and is screwed into the screw bore  14  of the base  1 . 
     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the through hole  16  of the base  1  has a dimension smaller than that of the first retaining hole  15 , and the shank  11  of the base  1  is formed with a stop edge  17  located between the first retaining hole  15  and the through hole  16 . The first fitting portion  21  of the first retaining member  2  is arranged in the first retaining hole  15  of the base  1  so that the first retaining member  2  is limited in the first retaining hole  15  of the base  1  and is non-rotatable relative to the base  1 . The first toothed section  22  of the first retaining member  2  has a dimension smaller than that of the first fitting portion  21 , and the first retaining member  2  is formed with a stepped face  23  located between the first fitting portion  21  and the first toothed section  22 . The stepped face  23  of the first retaining member  2  abuts the stop edge  17  of the base. The rod body  31  of the connecting rod  3  has a circular or square shape. The first mounting hole  32  of the rod body  31  has a diameter different from that of the second mounting hole  33 . The aperture  35  of the connecting rod  3  has a dimension smaller than that of the second retaining hole  34 . The second fitting portion  41  of the second retaining member  4  is arranged in the second retaining hole  34  of the connecting rod  3  so that the second retaining member  4  is limited in the second retaining hole  34  of the connecting rod  3  and is non-rotatable relative to the connecting rod  3 . The driving portion  13  of the base  1  has a hexagonal shape. 
     In assembly, the elastic member  36  is received in the second retaining hole  34  of the connecting rod  3 . Then, the second fitting portion  41  of the second retaining member  4  is fitted into the second retaining hole  34  of the connecting rod  3 , with the second toothed face  43  of the second retaining member  4  being directed outward from the second retaining hole  34  of the connecting rod  3 . Then, the connecting rod  3  is fitted into the slot  12  of the base  1 . Then, the first fitting portion  21  of the first retaining member  2  is arranged in the first retaining hole  15  of the base  1 , and the first toothed section  22  of the first retaining member  2  is fitted into the through hole  16  of the base  1 . Then, the threaded rod  5  in turn extends through the first axle hole  25  of the first retaining member  2 , the second axle hole  44  of the second retaining member  4  and the aperture  35  of the connecting rod  3 , and is screwed into the screw bore  14  of the base  1 . In such a manner, the outer face of the first retaining member  2  is pressed by the threaded rod  5  so that the stepped face  23  of the first retaining member  2  abuts the stop edge  17  of the base. At this time, the second retaining member  4  is pushed by the elastic member  36  to move toward the first retaining member  2  until the second toothed face  43  of the second retaining member  4  engages the first toothed face  24  of the first retaining member  2 , so that the connecting rod  3  is limited in the slot  12  of the base  1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 9 and 10  with reference to  FIGS. 1-8 , a screwdriver tip  6  having a greater size is fitted into the first mounting hole  32  of the connecting rod  3 , and a driving tool (not shown) is mounted on the driving portion  13  of the base  1 . At this time, the second toothed face  43  of the second retaining member  4  engages the first toothed face  24  of the first retaining member  2 , so that the connecting rod  3  is limited the slot  12  of the base  1 . Thus, the screwdriver tip  6  can be driven by the driving tool. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 11-14  with reference to  FIGS. 1-8 , when a user&#39;s hand exerts a force on the rod body  31  of the connecting rod  3  to overcome the elastic force of the elastic member  36 , the second retaining member  4  is forced to retract into the second retaining hole  34  of the connecting rod  3 , so that the connecting rod  3  is driven by the force to rotate about the threaded rod  5 . At this time, the second fitting portion  41  of the second retaining member  4  is limited in the second retaining hole  34  of the connecting rod  3 , so that the second retaining member  4  is also rotated with the rod body  31  of the connecting rod  3 . When the user stops driving the rod body  31  of the connecting rod  3 , the second retaining member  4  is pushed by the restoring force of the elastic member  36  to move toward the first retaining member  2  so that the second toothed face  43  of the second retaining member  4  again engages the first toothed face  24  of the first retaining member  2 , and the connecting rod  3  is limited in the slot  12  of the base  1 . Thus, the connecting rod  3  is rotated relative to the base  1  to adjust an angle between the connecting rod  3  and the base  1 . At this time, the first toothed face  24  has multiple teeth, and the second toothed face  43  has multiple teeth, so that the connecting rod  3  is rotated to adjust different angles between the connecting rod  3  and the base  1  as shown in  FIGS. 11-14 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 15 and 16 , the rod body  31  of the connecting rod  3  is driven to rotate relative to the base  1  until the second mounting hole  33  of the connecting rod  3  is directed upward. In such a manner, a screwdriver tip  7  having a smaller size is fitted into the second mounting hole  33  of the connecting rod  3 , and a driving tool (not shown) is mounted on the driving portion  13  of the base  1 . At this time, the second toothed face  43  of the second retaining member  4  engages the first toothed face  24  of the first retaining member  2 , so that the connecting rod  3  is limited the slot  12  of the base  1 . Thus, the screwdriver tip  7  can be driven by the driving tool. 
     Referring to  FIG. 17 , the rod body  31  of the connecting rod  3  is driven to rotate relative to the base  1  until the rod body  31  of the connecting rod  3  is perpendicular to the base  1 . Thus, the rod body  31  of the connecting rod  3  is used as a T-shaped bar, so that the driving portion  13  of the base  1  is used to adjust a hexagonal countersunk screw. 
     Referring to  FIG. 18 , the driving portion  8  of the base  1  has a tetragonal shape. 
     Accordingly, the connecting rod  3  is rotated relative to the base  1  to adjust the angle between the connecting rod  3  and the base  1 . In addition, the first toothed face  24  has multiple teeth, and the second toothed face  43  has multiple teeth, so that the connecting rod  3  is rotated to adjust different angles between the connecting rod  3  and the base  1  to facilitate the user operating the tool structure at different working places. Further, the connecting rod  3  has a first mounting hole  32  and a second mounting hole  33  so that the connecting rod  3  is available for two kinds of screwdriver tips with different sizes. Further, when the connecting rod  3  is perpendicular to the base  1 , the connecting rod  3  is used as a T-shaped bar. 
     Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment(s) as mentioned above, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will cover such modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the invention.