Patent Publication Number: US-11383371-B2

Title: Multi-functional telescopic device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a non-provisional application which claimed priority of Chinese application number 2018105290456, filing date May 29, 2018; and 2018208103137, filing date May 29, 2018. The contents of these specifications are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates a multi-functional handheld rod tool, and particularly to a multi-functional extensible or telescopic device. 
     Description of Related Arts 
     At present, the demand for telescopic rods in the renovation and remodeling tool industry is increasing. With the advancement and development of science and technology, the requirements for telescopic rods are also higher and higher. At present, most of the telescopic rods on the market employ sleeve mechanisms, which are fixed into position by the expansion block at the bottom of the inner sleeve, or by the limit button, and the structure is simple. However, the expansion block and the limit button often become stuck or damaged during use, which shortens the service life of the telescopic rod and affects the use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     In order to solve the problems of existing arts, an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose telescopic device to realize a stepless displacement of the telescopic device and bi-directional telescoping which has the advantages of simple principle, sophisticated design, and secure positioning. 
     Additional advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, and may be realized by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particular point out in the appended claims. 
     According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained by the followings: 
     A multifunctional telescopic device, comprising: 
     an outermost layer which sequentially comprises a front hand grip cylinder element  1  at a front end  101 , a middle hand grip cylinder element  2  at a middle, a rear cylinder element  3  at a tail end  102  opposite to the front end  101 , and a tail fastener  4 ; 
     a middle layer which comprises a middle layer fixed sleeve element  9  connecting between the front hand grip cylinder element  1  and the middle hand grip cylinder element  2  such that the middle hand grip cylinder element  2  and the rear cylinder element  3  are capable of sliding along a longitudinal direction of the middle layer fixed sleeve element  9 ; 
     an innermost layer which comprises an extensible tube  8  provided inside the front hand grip cylinder element  1  and the middle hand grip cylinder element  2  capable of extending outside the front hand grip cylinder element  1  and comprising a threaded connecting head  5  at the front end  101 , and a rack  7  at a top side thereof, 
     wherein the front hand grip cylinder element  1  comprises a button  6  having a teeth structure arranged for engaging with the rack of the extensible tube  8  at a fixed-length state at which the length of the multifunctional telescopic device is fixed and for disengaging with the rack of the extensible tube  8  at a length adjustment state at which the length of the multifunctional telescopic device is free to adjust, 
     wherein a sliding movement of the extensible tube  8  for length extension or length shortening is driven through a movement of the middle hand grip cylinder element  2  by a transmission arrangement. 
     The transmission arrangement comprises a position sleeve  13  fixedly connected inside the tail fastener  4 ; a drive plate  11  positioned inside the rear cylinder element  3 , a left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and a right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22  at the innermost layer supported by the middle layer fixed sleeve element  9 ; a positioning sliding block  12  provided at the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22  inside the front hand grip cylinder element  1 ; and a wire rope  18  having one end connecting to the drive plate  11  through the sliding block  12  and another end connecting to the wire rope fastening sleeve  14  which is positioned at the tail end of the extensible tube  8 . 
     The extensible tube  8  has a cylindrical hollow body and is indented along a longitudinal length thereof at two opposite top and bottom sides to form an upper groove  81  and a lower groove  82  respectively. The rack  7  is positioned at the upper groove  81  while a left bearing connecting rod  16  and a right bearing connecting rod  17  are guided by the lower groove  82  having one end fixedly connected to the front end of the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22  and another end supporting a second bearing  19  which is positioned at an inner side of the front hand grip cylinder element  1 . A wire rope fastening sleeve  14  is positioned at the tail end of the extensible tube  8 . 
     The front hand grip cylinder element  1  comprises a positioning protrusion  111  at the front end and inner side thereof for restricting sliding movement of the middle layer fixed sleeve element  9 . 
     The extensible tube  8  has a cylindrical hollow body. 
     The left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22  are connected together to form a complete cylindrical hollow sleeve and forming a hollow guiding rail therein, the drive plate  11  has a front end affixed at the hollow guiding rail formed by the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22  through the positioning sliding block  12 . 
     The front hand grip cylinder element  1  is formed by two cylinder members. 
     The button  6  comprises a spring  61  and has a teeth structure  62  at a front inner side  63 , the teeth structure  62  is engaged with the rack  7  at the fixed-length state and the spring  61  is compressed to disengage the teeth structure  62  from the rack to allow movement at the length adjustment state. 
     The left bearing connecting rod  16  and the right bearing connecting rod  17  are connected together to form a rod structure having a rectangular cross-section. 
     The advantageous effect of the present invention: 
     The principle of the invention is simple. The wire rope is fixed on the innermost layer and the outermost layer of the three-layered rods, and the innermost and outermost portions of the rod are extended in the opposite direction respectively by the wire rope transmission to realize the extension and retraction action of the rod for extending and shortening the length of the rod. The invention realizes the stepless extension and retraction of the telescopic rod by the engagement of the rack of the inner rod and the teeth structure of the outer spring button. The threaded head at the front end of the telescopic rod can be connected to any tool that needs to be extended and its application can be very widely used. 
     Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings. 
     These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing a shorten state of the telescopic tube according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram showing an extended state of the telescopic tube according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic sectional view showing an extended state of the telescopic tube according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the telescopic tube according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing the rack and the button of the telescopic tube according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention is further described with the accompanying drawings as follows. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 5  of the drawings, the multi-functional telescopic device  100  of the present invention, such as a telescopic rod or a telescopic tube, has a three-layered structure. The outermost layer is the first layer. The middle layer is the second layer. The innermost layer is the third layer. 
     According to the present invention, the outermost layer of the multi-functional telescopic device comprises: a front hand grip cylinder element  1  provided at a front end  101 , a middle hand grip cylinder element  2  provided at the middle, a rear cylinder element  3  provided at a tail end  102  opposite to the front end, and a tail fastener  4 . The front hand grip cylinder element  1  comprises a button  6  at its outer surface. The middle layer comprises a middle layer fixed sleeve element  9 . The innermost layer comprises an extensible tube  8 , a left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10 , and a right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22 . The left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and a right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22  are arranged to couple together to form a complete cylindrical sleeve. The provision of the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22 , which are two half cylinders arranged for forming a complete cylindrical sleeve, is designed for assembly convenience. The extensible tube  8  have one end comprising a threaded connecting head  5 . The threaded connecting head  5  is capable of connecting to different tools, such as renovation and remodeling tools, which require length adjustment. For the ease of assembly, the front hand grip cylinder element  1  comprises two cylinder members  15 , which are an upper cylinder and a lower cylinder member, arranged for assembling together to form the front hand grip cylinder element  1 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  of the drawings, the extensible tube  8  is positioned at an inner side of the front hand grip cylinder element  1  and the middle hand grip cylinder element  2  and comprises a rack  7 . The button  6  is a spring button comprising a spring  61  and has a teeth structure  62  at a front inner side  63  to engage with the rack  7 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 to 5  of the drawings ( FIG. 5  is the enlarged view of the button  6  and the rack  7  of the present invention). Under a normal condition, which is defined as a fixed-length state, the button  6  is engaged with the rack  7  under a spring action such that the extensible tube  8  is affixed into a particular position with a fixed length. When the button  6  is pressed downwardly, the spring  61  of the button  6  is compressed and the teeth structure  62  at the front inner side is disengaged with the rack  7 , then the extensible tube  8  can be extended or shortened freely, which is defined as a length adjustment state. When the extensible tube  8  is extended to a target length, the button  6  is released and then the teeth structure  62  at the front inner side  63  of the button  6  will engage with the rack  7  again such that the extensible tube  8  is affixed into position again. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3-4  of the drawings, the extensible tube  8  has an upper groove  81  and a lower groove  82 . In particular, the extensible tube  8  has a cylindrical hollow body and is indented along its longitudinal length at two opposite side to form the upper groove  81  and the lower groove  82  respectively. The upper groove  81  is arranged to receive the rack  7  and affixed the rack  7  into position. The lower groove  82  is a guiding rail for a left bearing connecting rod  16  and a right bearing connecting rod  17 . A wire rope fastening sleeve  14  is provided at a rear end of the extensible tube  8 . 
     The two parts structures of the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22  are arranged for installation of a first bearing  20  at a tail end at the inner side and for the installation of the left bearing connecting rod  16  and the right bearing connecting rod  17  at the front end at the inner side. The first bearing  20 , the left bearing connecting rod  16  and the right bearing connecting rod  17  are installed at the front end and the inner side of the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22 , then the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22  are connected together form a cylindrical hollow sleeve. The two parts structure of the left bearing connecting rod  16  and the right bearing connecting rod  17  is designed for installation convenience. The left bearing connecting rod  16  and the right bearing connecting rod  17  are connected together after installation to form a rod structure having a rectangular cross-section. A second bearing  19  is provided at another end of the left bearing connecting rod  16  and the right bearing connecting rod  17 . 
     A drive plate  11  has a front end positioned inside the hollow guiding rail  112  formed by the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22  through a positioning sliding block  12 . The drive plate  11  has a rear end fixedly connected to a position sleeve  13 . The position sleeve  13  and the rear cylinder element  3  are fixedly connected together by the tail fastener  4 . The middle hand grip cylinder element  2  is fixedly connected on the rear cylinder element  3 . 
     The middle layer fixed sleeve element  9  is installed at the outer side of the extensible tube  8 , the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22 . A front end of the middle layer fixed sleeve element  9  is restricted into position by a positioning protrusion  111  at an inner side of the front hand grip cylinder element  1 . A rear end of the middle layer fixed sleeve element  9  is affixed into position to the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22  by a rear end positioning sleeve  21 . 
     The second bearing  19  is affixed into position at a front end of the lower grove  82  of the extensible tube  8 . The first bearing  20  is affixed into position at the inner side and a tail end of the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22 . A wire rope  18  has one end affixed to the wire rope fastening sleeve  14  and another end extended to and passing around the first bearing  20 , affixing the wire rope  18  and the drive plate  11  into position by the positioning sliding block  12  at the front end of the drive plate  11 , then extending to and passing around the second bearing  19  at the front end and finally affixed at a rear end of the wire rope fastening sleeve  14 . 
     Working principle of the present invention: 
     In the normal state, the rack  7  of the extensible tube  8  is engaged with the teeth structure  62  of the button  6  under the action of the tail spring  61  of the button  6  so that the telescopic rod  100  is in a fixed-length state. 
     When extension or retraction is required for length adjustment, the two hands of a user are placed on the upper cylinder member and the lower cylinder member  15  at the front end and the middle hand grip cylinder element  2  at the middle respectively. The button  6  is pressed downwardly so that the rack  7  of the extensible tube  8  at the front end is disengaged with the teeth structure  62  of the button  6  so that the extensible tube  8  can be extended or shortened freely. When the hands are pulled in opposite direction to extend the telescopic rod  100 , the middle hand grip cylinder element  2  will drive the connecting rear cylinder element  3 , the tail fastener  4 , the position sleeve  13  which affixed the rear end of the drive plate  11 , and the drive plate  11  to move and extend rearwardly. The drive plate  11  drives the connecting wire rope  18  through the positioning sliding block  12  to move and extend rearwardly, the wire rope  18  is driven by the first bearing  20  installed at the inner side and tail end of the left transmission guiding half cylinder member  10  and the right transmission guiding half cylinder member  22  and the second bearing  19  installed at the front end of the lower groove of the extensible tube  8  to pull the wire rope fastening sleeve  14  into movement so that the extensible tube  8  is extended forward towards the front end. Therefore, the tool, such as a household tool, cleaning tool or hand tool, which is connected to the threaded connecting head  5  is extended. When a desired length is reached, the button  6  is fixed into position so that the rack  7  of the extensible tube  8  is engaged with the teeth structure  62  of the button  6  again for fixing the length of the telescopic rod  100 . 
     One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting. 
     It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. Its embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.