Patent Publication Number: US-2005116429-A1

Title: Fast and convenient operation structure of a screwdriver head socket

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      In order to make hexagonal screwdriver head socket more convenient and stable in usage, traditionally uses a socket with an elastic body and a steel ball. The steel ball is for locking and positioning the screwdriver head by locking at a groove on an angle of the hexagonal shape. Referring to  FIG. 1  of a prior art. A cover  91  is being pulled back by the compression of a spring  92 , so that a steel ball  93  is inserted into a groove  94  for clamping on a screwdriver  95 . When the screwdriver  95  is placed in side the preset position, release the cover  91  to push the steel ball  93  to fall into the groove  94  to lock and position the screwdriver  95 . Referring to  FIG. 2 , also a prior art uses a steel ball to clamp on a screwdriver. A big elastic body  83  is disposed between a cover  81  and a post  82 , the post  82  having a small elastic body  84 , sliding base  85  and a socket  86  inside, a positioning piece  87  and an upper cover  88  are used for combining and positioning. When a screwdriver is inserted into a socket  86 , the small elastic body  84  is being compressed and the big elastic body  83  is pressed against the cover  91 , so that a steel ball  89  falls into a circular groove  90  of the screwdriver. When the screwdriver is being taken out, the cover  91  is being pulled back and the steel ball  89  is released, so the screwdriver is finally bounced out by the small elastic body  84 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , yet another prior art. It mainly comprises a socket shaft, a sliding ring, a spring and a positioning piece. The sliding ring is in cylindrical shape and is hollow inside with a front inner ring disposed at the front, a pyramidical shaped ring and a big inner ring are disposed by its sides. The socket shaft having a hexagonal hole at the front and a ring groove for placing a ring, the ring and the spring are orderly disposed on the utter diameter of the socket shaft. The inner ring at the front of the sliding ring is pressed against the positioning piece as one body. A positioning groove is disposed at the front of the socket shaft, the positioning groove is connected to the hexagonal hole and is for placing the positioning piece. When the inner ring at the front of the sliding ring is pressed against the positioning piece, the sharp end of the positioning piece is inserted into a V-shaped groove of a screwdriver. Accordingly, it is a firm and convenient method of clamping the screwdriver. The drawbacks are, users must push the sliding ring backwards towards the socket shaft in order to release the screwdriver from the positioning piece or the steel ball that are used for locking and positioning the screwdriver. A user must use both hands to achieve this, which is not convenient at all.  
      So that another prior art which only required on hand was invented as referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 . It mainly comprises a post  71  with a space inside, the space comprises a first space  711  and a second space  712 , the first space  711  is for inserting a tool head, a positioning device  72  which is fixed on one side of the post  71  for locking the tool head, a sleeving tube  73  which is disposed outside the post  71 , an elastice body  74  is disposed between the sleeving tube  73  and the post  71  to provide elasticity for the sleeving tube  73 , a stopping device  77  is fixed on the post  71  for limiting the sleeving tube  73  inside the first space  711  and the second space  712  of the post  71 , and preventing the sleeving tube  73  depart from the post  71  when it is moved to-and-fro outside the post  71 . A bottom sleeve  75  is fixed inside the second space  712  of the post  71 , a small elastic body  76  is disposed between the bottom sleeve  75  and the post  71 . Accordingly, when the sleeve tube  73  slides toward the second space  712  of the post  71 , the tool head is sleeved inside the post  71 . By the locking mechanism of the positioning device  72  and the compression of the small elastic body  76 , when the tool head is locked inside the post  71 , user can further slides the sleeve tube  73  toward the second space  712  of the post  71 , so that the positioning piece  72  loses its locking mechanism on the tool head, so that the small elastic body  76  of the bottom sleeve  75  bounces the tool head out to the first space  711 . Thus users can insert and take out the screwdriver by only using one hand.  
      This prior art also has its drawbacks. The positioning device falls into the steel ball groove, and by compression to limit movement of the sleeve tube by the pressing of the big elastic piece, therefore, the screwdriver can be inserted inside the post and locked by the positioning device, which does not need both hands to operate. Reversely, the screwdriver can also be taken out. But when users need to take out the screwdriver, if the movement of the sleeve tube being moved down to let the positioning piece falls into the steel ball groove and afterwards being released and back to position, is faster than the small elastic body presses against the sliding base, then the positioning device will protrudes at the first space before being positioned, so that the sliding base cannot moves to be positioned as shown in  FIG. 6 . Therefore if users need to insert the screwdriver again, must need to use one hand to move the sleeve tube downward, with another hand to insert the screwdriver. Also the small elastic body for providing elasticity to the sliding base back to position will loses its elasticity after a certain period of usage, which will affect the stability of the positioning device.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention of a fast and convenient operation structure of a screwdriver head socket allows users to insert and take out the screwdriver with ease and convenience.  
      It mainly comprises an axial shaft, an inner bushing and a sliding socket element. A socket for sleeving the screwdriver head is disposed on the inner edge of the end of the axial shaft where the inner busing is disposed, a trough connecting outward is disposed on the inner surface of the socket, the inner bushing having a ball hole in corresponding to an appropriate place of the trough, the ball hole is for placing a positioning element, the sliding socket element having a pressing flange part and a retracting flange part in neighboring to each other, which are also in sectional flange structure, the two parts are disposed in corresponding to the inner surface of one end of the inner bushing, when one end of the positioning element is pressed against by the pressing flange part of the sliding socket element, the other end of the positioning element is protruded slightly from the trough, so that when the screwdriver head is inserted into the socket, the positioning element is pressed against to move and fall into the retracting flange part, after the screwdriver is positioned, the positioning element is then returned back to its original position by elastic force of the elastic element, at the same time, the outer edge of the positioning element is pressed against a concave positioning trough of the screwdriver head, thus the locking mechanism and sleeving process of the screwdriver head can be done with only one hand.  
      The present invention will become more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description thereof when read in conjunction with the attached drawings 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a sectional assembly view of a first prior art;  
       FIG. 2  is a sectional assembly view of a second prior art;  
       FIG. 3  is a sectional assembly view of a third prior art;  
       FIG. 4  is a sectional assembly view of a fourth prior art;  
       FIG. 5  is a sectional assembly view of the fourth prior art with a screwdriver inserted;  
       FIG. 6  is a sectional assembly view of the fourth prior art showing its drawbacks;  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a fast and convenient operation structure of a screwdriver head socket of the present invention;  
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of a fast and convenient operation structure of a screwdriver head socket of the present invention;  
       FIG. 9  is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 10  is a sectional assembly view of the present invention before a screwdriver is inserted;  
       FIG. 11  is a sectional assembly view of the present invention while a screwdriver is being inserted;  
       FIG. 12  is a sectional assembly view of the present invention after a screwdriver is inserted and positioned;  
       FIG. 13  is a sectional assembly view of the present invention with a screwdriver being bounced out;  
       FIG. 14  is a sectional assembly view of a third embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 15  is a sectional assembly view of the second embodiment of the present invention; 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring to FIGS.  7  to  12 , the present invention mainly comprises an axial shaft  10 , an inner bushing  20  for sleeving on the axial shaft. The axial shaft is a long body with its one end having a socket  11  for inserting a screwdriver head  50 , another end having a connecting section  12  for connecting to an electric driver tool. The socket  11  having a stopping ring  61  disposed on its outer circumference for accurate and stable positioning of the inner bushing  20 . A trough  13  connecting to the outside is disposed on the inner surface of the socket  11  in corresponding to the hexagonal shape of the screwdriver head  50 . The position and shape of the trough  13  depends on the shape of a concave positioning trough  51  on the screwdriver head  50 . Referring to  FIG. 8 , when the concave positioning trough  51  of the screwdriver head  50  are formed on each of the hexagonal angles, the trough  13  can be formed by milling at one of the hexagonal angles of the socket  11  of the axial shaft  10 . Referring to  FIG. 9 , if the concave positioning trough  51  is formed on a suitable location on the hexagonal circumference of the screwdriver head  50 , then the trough  13  has to be formed on a hexagonal surface of the socket  11  of the axial shaft  10 . In other words, the present invention is not limited by the structure and shape of the concave positioning trough  51  of the screwdriver head  50 .  
      The inner bushing  20  is a ring sleeve for sleeving on the trough  13  of the axial shaft  10 . A ball hole  21  is disposed on the inner bushing  20  in corresponding to the trough  13  for placing a positioning element  62 . The positioning element  62  is a steel ball for placing between the ball hole  21  and the trough  13 . A sliding socket element  30  is disposed on the axial shaft  10 . The sliding socket element  30  having an inner shaft sleeve  31  and an outer shaft sleeve  32 , the inner shaft sleeve  31  can sleeve on the middle part of the axial shaft  10  while the outer shaft sleeve  32  is sleeved on the inner shaft sleeve  31  and also cover the inner bushing  20 . An elastic element  40  is disposed between the inner bushing.  20  and the inner shaft sleeve  31 . A pressing flange part  321  and a retracting flange part  322  are in neighboring to each other, which are also in sectional flange structure, are formed on the inner surface of the outer shaft sleeve  32  in corresponding to the positioning element  62 . When the positioning element  62  is placed between the ball hole  21  and the trough  13 , its one end is pressed by the pressing flange part  321  and its another end is slightly protruded outside the trough  13 , which is on the path of the screwdriver head  50  being inserted into the socket  11 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 14 , the sliding socket element  30  can also be formed by the outer shaft sleeve  32  and a positioning ring  33 . The outer shaft sleeve  32  having a positioning trough  323  disposed on the inner surface at its end for the positioning ring  33  to hook on. This is for the replacement of the inner shaft sleeve  31 . When the outer shaft sleeve  32  is sleeved on the axial shaft  10 , the both ends of the elastic element  40  are being pressed between the inner bushing  20  and the positioning ring  33 .  
      Accordingly, since the positioning element  62  is protruded outside on the path, when the screwdriver head  50  is inserted into the socket  11 , the positioning element  62  is being pushed and the inner bushing  20  is being moved, and at the same time, the elastic element  40  is being compressed. When the positioning element  62  is being moved to the retracting flange part  322 , the screwdriver head  50  can be inserted and positioned, Then the positioning element  62  can be bounced back to its original position by the elasticity of the elastic element  40 , and is also positioned on the concave positioning trough  51  of the screwdriver head  50 . Thus the screwdriver head can be inserted and taken out by using only one hand conveniently and stably.  
      Users can simply push the outer shaft sleeve  32  towards the socket  11 , to let the positioning element  62  falls into the retracting flange part  322 , so as to release the positioning element  62  from the screwdriver head  50 , in order to take out the screwdriver head  50 . An elastic body  63  and an attraction body  64  can be placed inside an extended groove  14  disposed at the inside end of the socket  11  of the axial shaft  10 , in order to provide further convenience for taking out the screwdriver head  50 .  
      When the screwdriver head  50  is inserted inside the socket  11 , it can be attracted by the attraction body  64 . When the locking mechanism for locking and positioning the screwdriver head  50  by positioning element  62  disappeared, the elastic body  63  can bounces the screwdriver head  50  out from the socket  11  as referring to  FIG. 13 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 9  again, with demonstration of  FIG. 15 , the attraction body  64  can also be placed inside the inner surface of the socket  11  at a suitable location, a hole  15  is disposed on the inner surface of the socket  11  at a suitable location for placing the attraction body  64 .  
      Thus, the present invention can provide a stable locking and positioning mechanism for the screwdriver head, and can also provide convenience and practicability for operating the tool by using only one hand.  
      Note that the specification relating to the above embodiment should be construed as exemplary rather than as limitative of the present invention, with many variations and modifications being readily attainable by a person of average skill in the art without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.