Abstract:
Components of a an assembly of operatively related devices for installing a flange cover for a gas valve include a bit especially useful for engaging a corresponding access hole or opening in the face plate portion of a flange cover for transmitting torque thereto for coupling it with a matingly threaded gas valve. The bit end of the bit may have a hole extending axially therethrough and is preferably successively smaller as the end is approached. In one embodiment the bit includes a drive end of a shape differing from the bit end so that a shoulder is formed separating the two ends and providing a stop to prevent the bit from sliding into the hole in which it is engaged. In another embodiment, the drive end is circular with a square recess to accept a drive lug of an appropriate driving tool.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field 
     This invention relates to a an assembly of operatively related devices, which, according to this invention, includes a bit tool for use with a wrench or driver device for applying torque to a decorative flange cover for a gas shut off valve such as that used in connection with gas fireplaces and traditional wood fireplaces having a gas starter jet. 
     2. State of the Art 
     Flange covers for gas shut off valves such as used in connection with gas fireplaces and traditional wood burning stoves and fireplaces having gas starter jets are in common use. The gas valve in such installations are usually located behind a wall or underneath a floor with access to the valve stem provided through a rough opening in the floor or wall. The rough opening is covered over by a decorative flange cover which usually has a decorative face with an access opening providing access to the valve stem and an internally threaded cylindrical portion for mating engagement with an externally threaded collar on the gas valve. Thus, when the flange cover is coupled to the gas valve, the rough opening is sealed and access is provided to the valve stem in the chamber formed between the gas valve housing and the flange cover. This chamber may collect dust, dirt, and fireplace debris which may be difficult to clean. It would be advantageous to provide a tool for uncoupling the flange cover for cleaning or other purposes and for initial installation as well. Heretofore coupling and uncoupling of the gas flange cover has been accomplished by hand. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to provide for installing a gas control valve and its accessory components, which may include a gas valve, a flange cover, and to provide an inexpensive bit tool for applying torque to the flange cover for original installation or for removing the flange cover for cleaning or other purposes, and a driving tool for transmitting torque to the aforementioned tool. The bit tool provided in such an assembly has a bit portion which interlockingly engages with the usual access opening in the usual flange cover and thereby provides for easy installation or removal of the flange cover and also allows application of torque to it without causing damage to the face of the flange cover. 
     A key feature of the invention is the tool for transmitting torque to a threaded device, normally a flange cover, to couple the threaded flange cover to the receiving threads of a specially threaded gas valve, which comprises a novel bit. All flange covers are provided with an access opening, but with the instant invention the shape of the bit and the shape of the hole in the flange cover are interlocking to permit the transmission of torque. In a preferred embodiment the bit has a hole extending axially therethrough and the bit is progressively smaller toward the end. This tapering allows for easy entry of the undersize portion of the bit into the flange cover opening, the accommodation of flange covers having different sized openings for receipt of the bit, and the oversize portion of the bit acts as a stop to prevent the bit from continuing to slide into the hole in the flange. The hole referred to above is of sufficient size to allow free movement around the normally square shaped valve stem. The bit may be attached to shaft and handle or may be incorporated into an elongated tool having two functional ends, i.e., a bit end and a drive end of the same or different shape than the bit end. In the most preferred embodiment, the drive end has a square shaped recess for receipt of an appropriate corresponding shaped driving tool, such as a square ended lug of a rachet wrench. In another embodiment a round shoulder is provided which separates the bit end and drive end and prevents the bit end from sliding into the flange cover opening. The bit may be injection molded of a soft plastic material to prevent marring of the decorative flange cover surface. 
     The invention also encompasses a novel method for coupling and uncoupling a flange cover to a gas valve by use of a bit which has a shape for mating interlocking engagement with the access hole of a flange cover. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and further and more specific objects and advantages of the instant invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the bit of the present invention and its use in conjunction with a gas valve, flange cover, and a gas valve key; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the components of FIG. 1 shown assembled and with the flange cover and bit of the invention shown in section. 
     FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the bit shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a top view (referred to herein as the second end or driver end) of the embodiment of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 6 is a bottom view (referred to herein as the first end or bit end) of the same embodiment of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional side view of the embodiment of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment; 
     FIG. 9 is a top view (referred to herein as the second end or driver end) of the embodiment of FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 10 is a bottom view (referred to herein as the first end or bit end) of the embodiment of FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 13 is a side view of yet another alternative embodiment; 
     FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG.  13 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Turning now to the drawings in which like reference numbers indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is first directed to FIG. 1 which illustrates a gas valve  20 , flange cover  14 , a bit  30  fashioned in accordance with the invention, and a valve key  25 . Gas valves used in gas fireplaces and heating stoves and wood burning fire places supplied with gas starter jets usually have a square shaped valve stem  22 , which is operated by a key  25  having a square end  26  and a square shaped recess (not shown) for engagement therewith. All or some of the components illustrated may be supplied as components of an installation kit for assembly at new or remodel construction sites involving natural gas or propane and the like. 
     In actual practice, gas valve  20  is installed behind a wall surface or under the floor surface with the externally threaded portion  21  of gas valve  20  oriented perpendicular to the surface with a rough opening made in the surface allowing access to externally threaded portion  21 . As shown in FIG. 2, cylindrical portion  16  of flange cover  14  is internally threaded  17  for mating engagement with the external threads of gas valve  20 . 
     Bit  30 , FIGS.  1 - 7 , has a first end, tapered bit end  40 , which is fashioned for interlocking insertion into corresponding opening  12  (arrow, FIG. 1) in the face  13 , FIGS. and  2 , of flange cover  14 . Although the interlocking shapes in this instance are square, any mating interlocking shapes could be employed so long as access through the opening is sufficient to allow passage of an actuating key, such as key  25 , FIGS. 1 and 2. Accordingly, at least some portion of tapered bit end  40  is small enough to enter and interlock with opening  12 , but greater in size than key  25  which passes entirely through opening  12  when used to operate the valve. 
     Bit end  40  of bit  30  is elongate and has an apical end portion  41  and a base portion  42  (FIGS. 3,  4 , and  7 ). Bit  30  may be supplied with a shoulder  60 , FIGS.  3 - 7 , which in this embodiment demarcates the base of bit end  40  from drive end  50  and supplies a stop to prevent further sliding of the bit into opening  12  of face  13  of flange cover  14 . Preferably bit  30  is injection molded of a soft plastic material so that shoulder  60  is prevented from marring the usually decorative surface of face  13 . 
     In the embodiment depicted in FIGS.  1 - 7 , the second end, or drive end  50 , of bit  30  is provided to engage a driving tool. Although this objective could be accomplished in a wide variety of means such as a slot or slots for receipt of a standard or a Phillips screw driver, an external polygonal shape for engagement with a wrench or socket, or a polygonal shaped recess other than the square shape depicted, it is in this instance a hole running axially through drive end  50  of substantially square transverse cross section, drive recess  32 , FIGS. 1,  2 ,  5  and  6 , for receiving a corresponding square drive lug of an associated driving tool, such as key  25 , or a conventional ratchet wrench (not shown). Although not provided in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, drive recess  32  may optionally be provided with detent 
     In the embodiment depicted in FIGS.  1 - 7 , the second end, or drive end  50 , of bit  30  is provided to engage a driving tool. Although this objective could be accomplished in a wide variety of means such as a slot or slots for receipt of a standard or a Phillips screw driver, an external polygonal shape for engagement with a wrench or socket, or a polygonal shaped recess other than the square shape depicted, it is in this instance a hole running axially through drive end  50  of substantially square transverse cross section, drive recess  32 , FIGS. 1,  2 ,  5  and  6 , for receiving a corresponding square drive lug of an associated driving tool, such as key  25 , or a conventional ratchet wrench (not shown). Although not provided in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, drive recess  32  may optionally be provided with detent recesses for receiving a detent ball of the associated drive lug of the driving tool to retain bit  30  in place on the driving tool in a known manner. It is most preferred for the recess to be adapted to receive the lug from a ½ inch square drive lug. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the components shown in FIG. 1 are depicted as they would occur when assembled with a partial sectional view of bit  30  and flange cover  14  to better show the advantages of the invention. Square end  26  of key  25  is shown engaged with drive recess  32 . A user may thus apply torque to the handle of the key and turn the flange cover. Optional shoulder  60  of bit  30  is shown, but not in use as the tapered side walls stop the bit from sliding entirely through access opening  12  in flange cover  14 . Referring generally to FIGS.  1 - 7 , bit end  40  may have hole  46  (arrow FIGS. 3,  6 , and  7 ) running axially therethrough defined by cylindrical wall  44  which provides sufficient clearance to allow bit  30  and flange cover  14  with which it is engaged to turn freely around valve stem  22  without actuating the valve. Internal threads  17  of cylindrical portion  16  of flange cover  14  are illustrated in FIG. 2 fully matingly engaged with externally threaded portion  21  of the gas valve housing. Consequently, the chamber housing the valve stem within the flange cover, i.e., the free space within the flange cover accessible through opening  12 , FIG. 1, is relatively shallow and the desirability of free clearance around the valve stem provided within the bit end is demonstrated, as seen in FIG. 2, when the flange cover and gas valve are coupled. 
     Referring particularly to FIG. 5, an end view of drive end  50  is illustrated (arbitrarily designated a top view in the brief description of the drawings). As seen in FIG. 5, drive end  50  includes a cylindrical body having centrally located square shaped recess  32 . 
     Bit end  40  is adapted for interlocking engagement with the access opening in the face of the usual flange covers as illustrated by access opening  13  in flange cover  14  in FIGS. 1 and 2. Such access openings are square on all current commercially popular models, and although all commercial models are not of uniform dimensions, the range of dimensions encountered can be accommodated in a single bit end such as that depicted where the transverse cross sectional area of base of the bit end is greater than that of free or apical end. This forms a tapered bit that will accommodate a range of different sized openings. The tapering is perhaps best illustrated in side view in FIG. 4, where  42  indicates the broader base of the bit and  41  indicates the narrower apical end (arbitrarily considered the bottom of the bit and hence FIG. 6, a bottom view). This tapering is optional, of course, as bits of different sizes for different sized access openings may be provided preferably with an outwardly extending shoulder at the base of the bit end similar to shoulder  60  of bit  30 . 
     As seen in end view, i.e., bottom view, in FIG. 6, bit end  40  has hole  46  running therethrough of circular transverse cross section, although the shape of the hole is optional. Cylindrical wall  44  forms the boundary of hole  46 . Walls  43 , seen also in FIGS. 3 and 4, of bit end  40  can be seen in bottom view due to the tapering effect, but accentuated shoulder  60  obscures drive end  50  in this view. As mentioned, provision of this hole is preferred as it allows bit  30  when engaged with flange cover to turn freely without engaging the square valve stem or opening the valve and also allows for better results with injection molding. 
     As seen in cross section in FIG. 7, around the mid-portion in the axially running hole from end to end in bit  30 , a transition takes place from a transverse cross sectional shape of a square to a cross sectional transverse shape of a circle in this embodiment forming an internal shoulder  61 . When transitioning from two differing shapes or two similar shapes of differing sizes such a shoulder may be formed, especially in an injection molding process. This is the case for outwardly directed shoulder  60 , FIGS.  3 - 7 , and is also the case for internally directed shoulder  61  seen in sectional side view in FIG.  7  and in top view in FIG.  5 . Drive end  50 , or as also referred to herein as the second end of the bit, as illustrated in end view, FIG. 5 (also seen in FIG.  7 ), has internally directed shoulder  61  which forms a shelf with the unusual shape of a circle cut out of the bottom of the recess in second end  50 . Shoulder  61 , although not essential, may provide a useful stop for some types of drivers upon insertion into the drive recess in drive end  50 . It has been found particularly advantageous to accentuate external shoulder  60 , FIGS.  1 - 7 . Outwardly projecting shoulder  60  also acts as a stop to prevent the bit end from sliding into larger access openings (not shown) provided in some commercially available flange covers. As shown in FIGS.  4 - 6  the round hole running through bit end  40  may communicate with the square recess in the socket drive end  50  and results in the unusual shaped shelf mentioned. Although this communication is optional, it may facilitate manufacture by means such as injection molded plastic by preventing the tendency of some polymers to shrink after the molding process. 
     FIGS.  8 - 12  depict a different embodiment of the elongate bit of the invention where second end, drive end  72 , of bit  80  is square rather than cylindrical as in the embodiment depicted in FIGS.  1 - 7  and there is no external shoulder demarcating the boundary of the first and second ends. Except in these particular aspects this embodiment is quite analogous to the previous embodiment. 
     In this particular embodiment, bit  80  is a unitary structure. As seen in end view in FIG. 9, drive end  72  is square and has a square recess  71 , i.e., a hole running axially therethrough of square transverse cross section adapted for use with an associated drive tool. This embodiment, accordingly, similar to the embodiment of FIGS.  1 - 7 , is adapted for receipt of a square drive lug of an associated driving tool. As an alternative to fashioning the bit for receipt of a drive tool in a drive recess, the outside shape of the drive end may be adapted to interlock with a drive tool as is the case in this embodiment. Preferably the shape is polygonal and most preferably square and adapted in size to interlock with a standard size open end wrench or twelve point box or socket wrench as it depicted in FIGS.  8 - 12 . Bit  80  has a mid portion from which point the cross sectional area of the square bit end  90  tapers so that it can readily be realized that the cross sectional area of base portion  92  is greater than apical end  91 , thus giving a tapered shape to the first end. Drive end  72  is preferably of sufficient size to act as a stop to prevent the bit from sliding too far into the access hole in the face of a flange cover with which it is engaged. 
     Bit end  90  is adapted for mating engagement with the access opening in the face of the usual flange covers. To accommodate the range of dimensions of openings encountered currently commercially popular models of flange covers, the transverse cross sectorial area of the base of the bit end is greater than that of apical end. In other words, the bit becomes successively smaller toward the end or is tapered. That is perhaps best illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, where  92  indicates the broader base of the bit end and  91  indicates the narrower apical end, arbitrarily considered the bottom of the bit. 
     As seen in bottom view, FIG. 10, bit end  90  has hole  93  (arrow), also seen in FIG. 8, running therethrough of circular transverse cross section, although the shape of the hole is optional. The exterior walls of bit end  90  can be seen in bottom view due to the tapering effect. Provision of the hole is preferred as it allows bit  80  when engaged with a flange cover to turn freely without engaging the square valve stem or opening the valve. 
     The transition from the round hole in bit end  90  to the square recess in driver end  70  can be seen to form an internal shoulder  73 , seen in FIGS. 9 and 12, around the mid-portion in the hole running axially end to end in bit  80 . This shoulder is optional and, as mentioned in reference to the embodiment of FIGS.  1 - 7 , this communication is optional, but it may facilitate manufacture by means such as injection molding by preventing the tendency of some polymers to shrink after the molding process. Internal shoulder  73  is formed as a result of the choice of shapes and sizes of holes, but may be useful as a stop for an associated driver tool inserted into the drive recess. 
     FIGS. 13 and 14 depict yet another alternative embodiment of the invention. Bit  100  is secured by rivets  103  to shaft  101  at one end. Shaft  101  has a handle  102  at the other end. Ends  104  of the handle are flared to secure it to shaft  101 . Bit  100 , as best seen in in sectional view in FIG. 14, is similar in every aspect to the bit embodiment of FIGS.  1 - 7  with the exception that the hole  105  running axially through the base of the bit has a round rather than a square transverse cross section as illustrated in section in FIG.  14 . 
     The method according to the invention is for coupling or uncoupling a flange cover to a gas valve. First, a gas valve is provided having threads for mating engagement with a flange cover having corresponding threads. Second, a flange cover having an access opening with a shape permitting interlocking engagement with a bit is provided. Third, a bit having a shape permitting interlocking engagement with the access opening in the flange cover is provided. Fourth, torque is applied to the bit in the desired direction to achieve either coupling or uncoupling. 
     Whereas this invention is here illustrated and described with reference to embodiments thereof presently contemplated as the best mode of carrying out such invention in actual practice, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in adapting the invention to different embodiments without departing from the broader inventive concepts disclosed herein and comprehended by the claims that follow.