Abstract:
A jointer for connecting two rod members includes a male connector for fastening to an end of one of the two rod members, and a female connector connectable to the male connector for fastening to an end of the other rod member. The female connector has a longitudinally extended receiving chamber having an opening, and a retaining element protruded into the receiving chamber. The male connector has a plug member, a guiding groove longitudinally extended on the plug member for accommodating the retaining element upon insertion of the plug member into the receiving chamber, and a transverse locating groove extended from a bottom end of the longitudinal guiding groove for receiving the retaining element upon rotation of the female connector relative to the male connector after insertion of the plug member into the receiving chamber of the female connector.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally a jointer for connecting two rod members and, more particularly, to such a jointer, which enables two rod members to be rapidly connected with or detached from each other.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     In order to save storage space, a stick member, for example, the handle of a broom or sports gear, or a billiard cue is made detachable. For instance, a conventional billiard cue is generally comprised of a shaft and a butt connected to the shaft by a jointer. The jointer includes a screw rod axially fastened at a front end of the butt, and a nut embedded in a rear end of the shaft for threadedly fitting onto the screw rod. When in use, the screw rod is threaded into the nut to secure the butt to the shaft. When not in use, the screw rod is disengaged from the nut to separate the butt from the shaft for storage. This structure of jointer is functional; however, the user must rotate the shaft and the butt relative to each other through several turns when connecting the shaft and the butt, or separating these two members.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a jointer for connecting two rod members, which enables two rod members to be easily and rapidly connected with each other, and then conveniently detached from each other when desired.  
         [0006]     To achieve this objective of the present invention, the jointer for connecting two rod members comprises a male connector for fastening to an end of one of the two rod members, and a female connector connectable to the male connector for fastening to an end of the other rod member. The female connector comprises therein a longitudinally extended receiving chamber having an opening, and a retaining element protruded into the receiving chamber. The male connector comprises a plug member having a free end and being insertable through the opening into the receiving chamber of the female connector, a guiding groove longitudinally inwardly extended from the free end of the plug member for accommodating the retaining element upon insertion of the plug member into the receiving chamber, and a transverse locating groove extended from a bottom end of the longitudinal guiding groove for receiving the retaining element upon rotation of the female connector relative to the male connector after insertion of the plug member into the receiving chamber of the female connector. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a jointer according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, which shows that a female connecter and a male connecter are separated from each other.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing the plug member of the male connector partially inserted into the female connector according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  is similar to  FIG. 5  but showing the plug member of the male connector completely inserted into the receiving chamber of the female connector.  
         [0013]      FIG. 7  is a sectional view taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 8  is a schematic sectional view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the female connecter and the male connecter are fixed in position together.  
         [0015]      FIG. 9  is a sectional view taken along line  9 - 9  of  FIG. 8 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 10  is similar to  FIG. 2  but showing a cross sectional view of the female connector according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 11  is similar to  FIG. 3  but showing a cross sectional view of the male connector according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 12  is a plan view of a jointer according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, which shows that a female connecter and a male connecter are separated from each other.  
         [0019]      FIG. 13  is a sectional view taken along line  13 - 13  of  FIG. 12 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 14  is a sectional view taken along line  14 - 14  of  FIG. 12 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 15  is a schematic sectional view of the third preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the plug member of the male connector completely inserted into the receiving chamber of the female connector.  
         [0022]      FIG. 16  is a schematic sectional view of the third preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the retaining elements respectively engaged into the transverse locating grooves of the male connector such that the female connecter and the male connecter are fixed in position together. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]     Referring to FIGS.  1 ˜ 4 , a jointer  10  for connecting two rod members in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown comprised of a female connector  20  and a male connector  30 .  
         [0024]     The female connector  20  comprises a cylindrical body  21 , an end cap  25  capped on one end of the body  21 , and two semispherical retaining elements  24 . The body  21  has a longitudinal receiving chamber  22  axially extended through the two distal ends, two through holes  23  transversely extended through the peripheral wall at two sides near one end (the bottom end), and a thread  27  extended around the periphery of the upper part. The peripheral wall of each through hole  23  is a sphere. The longitudinal receiving chamber  22  has a circular cross section and an opening. The semispherical retaining elements  24  are respectively mounted in the through holes  23  of the body  21 , each having the semispherical periphery disposed in contact with the periphery of the corresponding through hole  23  and partially projecting into the inside of the longitudinal receiving chamber  22 . The end cap  25  is capped on the bottom end of the body  21  and covered over the through holes  23  to hold the semispherical retaining elements  24  in the through holes  23  of the body  21 , having an annular receiving portion  26  at the bottom end around the opening of the receiving chamber, and a thread  28  extended around the outer periphery thereof.  
         [0025]     The male connector  30  comprises a plug member  31  and a mounting member  32  axially connected in a line. The plug member  31  is a cylindrical rod having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the longitudinal receiving chamber  22  of the female connector  20 , two longitudinal guiding grooves  33  of smoothly arched cross section (see  FIG. 3 ) symmetrically disposed at two sides and respectively downwardly extended from the free (top) end to a predetermined distance, two transverse locating grooves  34  of smoothly arched cross section respectively, perpendicularly and integrally extended from the bottom ends of the longitudinal guiding grooves  33  in clockwise direction (see  FIG. 4 ), and two retaining portions  35  respectively disposed at the ends of the transverse locating grooves  34  remote from the longitudinal guiding grooves  33 . The transverse locating groove  34  has a width made gradually smaller from the start point  38  that is integrally connected to the respective bottom end of the longitudinal guiding groove  33  toward the end point  39  that is integrally connected to the retaining portions  35 . The width of the end point  39  of each transverse locating groove  34  is slightly smaller than the width of the semispherical retaining elements  24 . The retaining portions  35  are recessed holes having a width and depth relatively greater than the transverse locating grooves  34 . The mounting member  32  extends axially downwardly from the bottom end of the plug member  31 , having a top flange  37  extended around the top end and a thread  36  extended around the outer periphery thereof.  
         [0026]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the female connector  20  and the male connector  30  are respectively axially fastened to first and second rod members  1  and  2 , e.g. the shaft and butt of a billiard cue. The female connector  20  is fastened to the first rod member  1  by means of the thread  27  of the body  21  and the thread  28  of the end cap  25 , keeping the opening the longitudinal receiving chamber  22  exposed to the outside. The mounting member  32  of the male connecter  30  is fixedly inserted into the rod member  2  such that the plug member  31  is protruded from the rod member  2 .  
         [0027]     Referring to  FIGS. 5-7 , when fastening the first and second rod members  1  and  2 , insert the plug member  31  of the male connector  30  through the opening of the longitudinal receiving chamber  22  into the inside of the longitudinal receiving chamber  22  to let the two semispherical retaining elements  24  be engaged into the two longitudinal guiding grooves  33  of the plug member  31  as shown in  FIG. 5 , and then push the plug member  31  forwards in the longitudinal receiving chamber  22  to the position where the start points  38  of the transverse locating grooves  34  are respectively aimed at the semispherical retaining elements  24  and the top flange  37  of the mounting member  32  is fitted into the annular receiving portion  26  of the end cap  25  as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , and then rotate the second rod member  2  with the male connector  30  relative to the first rod member  1  with the female connector  20  to move the semispherical retaining elements  24  through the transverse locating grooves  34  over the end points  39  of the transverse locating grooves  34  into engagement with the retaining portions  35 , and therefore the first and second rod members  1  and  2  are firmly connected in a line.  
         [0028]     When separating the rod members  1  and  2 , rotate the second rod member  2  relative to the first rod member  1  in the reversed direction to move the two semispherical retaining elements  24  away from the retaining portions  35  through the transverse locating grooves  34  into the longitudinal guiding grooves  33 , and then axially pull the first rod member  1  and the second rod member  2  apart.  
         [0029]     By means of the aforesaid arrangement, the invention enables two rod members to be quickly and detachably connected in a line.  
         [0030]     The semispherical retaining elements of the female connector are adapted to be engaged into the transverse locating grooves of the male connector. The number and structure of the semispherical retaining elements may be various embodied.  FIGS. 10 and 11  show a jointer according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is substantially similar to the aforesaid first preferred embodiment with the exception that the body  52  of the female connector  51  has three through holes  53  equiangularly spaced around the periphery and respectively mounted with a respective semispherical retaining elements  54 , and the plug member  56  of the male connector  55  has three longitudinal guiding grooves  57  equiangularly spaced around the periphery thereof and three transverse locating grooves  58  respectively extended from the bottom ends of the longitudinal guiding grooves  57 . When rotating the female connector  51  relative to the male connector  55  after insertion of the male connector  55  into the female connector  51 , the semispherical retaining elements  54  are respectively engaged into the transverse locating grooves  58 , and therefore the male connector  55  and the female connector  51  are firmly connected in a line.  
         [0031]     FIGS.  12 ˜ 14  show a jointer  70  for connecting two rod members according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the jointer  70  is comprised of a female connector  80  and a male connector  90 . The female connector  80  comprises a connector body  81  and an end cap  82  capped on one end of the connector body  81 . The connector body  81  has two transverse through holes  83  symmetrically disposed at two opposite sides. The peripheral wall of each transverse through hole  83  is a sphere. The male connector  90  comprises a plug member  91  and a mounting member  92 . The plug member  91  comprises two longitudinal guiding grooves  93  symmetrically disposed at two sides and respectively downwardly extended from the free (top) end to a predetermined distance, two transverse locating grooves  94  respectively, perpendicularly and integrally extended from the bottom ends of the longitudinal guiding grooves  93  in clockwise direction and terminating in a respective retaining portion  95 .  
         [0032]     Unlike the aforesaid first preferred embodiment, each transverse locating groove  94  has the same width from the start point to the end point. Further, the end cap  82  has two recessed inside holes  84  formed in the inside wall at two opposite sides corresponding to the transverse through holes  83 . Two compression springs  86  are respectively mounted in the recessed inside holes  84 . Two retaining balls  84  are respectively mounted in the transverse through holes  83  and supported on the compression springs  86 . The compression springs  86  force the retaining balls  85  toward the inside of the longitudinal receiving chamber  87  of the connector body  81 . However, the peripheral wall of each transverse through hole  83  prohibits the respective retaining ball  85  from falling to the inside of the longitudinal receiving chamber  87 . As shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , when inserted the plug member  91  of the male connector  90  into the longitudinal receiving chamber  87  of the female connector  80 , the retaining balls  85  are respectively supported in the longitudinal guiding grooves  93  of the plug member  91  and slightly forced backwards (radially outwards) by the peripheral wall of each longitudinal guiding groove  93  to compress the respective compression spring  86 . When rotating the female connector  80  relative to the male connector  90  at this time, the retaining balls  85  will be moved from the longitudinal guiding grooves  93  into the transverse locating grooves  94  and then engaged into the retaining portions  95 . By means of the spring power of the compression springs  86 , the retaining balls  85  are firmly maintained in engagement with the retaining portions  95  to hold the female connector  80  and the male connector  90  in the connected condition firmly.