Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/616,484 filed Jul. 8, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,036401, which is a continuation-in-part of Patent Cooperation Treaty application no. PCT/US02/21611, filed Jul. 8, 2002, which is a CIP:  
         [0002]     of U.S. application Ser. No. 29/160,446 filed May 9, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. D468,984,  
         [0003]     and of U.S. application Ser. No. 29/160,447 filed May 9, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. D469,325  
         [0004]     and of U.S. application Ser. No. 29/155,019 filed Feb. 01, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. D476,873,  
         [0005]     and of U.S. application Ser. No. 29/136,362 filed Jan. 29, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. D459,961,  
         [0006]     and of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/185,235 filed Nov. 03, 1998 now abandoned.  
         [0007]     U.S. application Ser. No. 10/616,484 is also a CIP of U.S. application Ser. No. 29/155,019 filed Feb. 01, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. D476,873, which is a CIP of and of U.S. application Ser. No. 29/136,362 filed Jan. 29, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. D459,961, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/185,235 filed Nov. 03, 1998 now abandoned. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention relates generally to socket systems. More particularly, it relates to a tool system for use in deep cavities or with long rods. The socket tool has a long internal cavity to allow threaded members to be driven onto a long rod, which may extends into an internal cavity.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     Socket systems for turning or rotating nuts, bolts, etc. have existed in many forms for many years. These systems typically take the form of a wrench or impact tool having a square drive which interlocks with a socket having a square drive opening. Opposite the drive opening is a hexagonal or 12 pointed opening for a nut or bolt. The drive tool is either manually, pneumatically, or electrically driven to rotate the socket, thereby rotating the nut or bolt the socket is engaging.  
         [0010]     These types of systems are only useful in cases where nuts are driven only a short distance onto a rod or for bolts. If a nut is to be driven down a substantial length of rod, the rod begins to interfere with the operation of the driving tool. Deep sockets provide some additional depth into which a rod may feed and provide better access to slightly deeper holes, however, the additional space is minimal, usually only approximately 1 or 2 inches. For the most part, the deep sockets are intended for use in deep openings.  
         [0011]     Another tool designed for deep openings is the extension bar. The extension bar is a solid bar that connects a socket to a wrench. However, there is no additional space within the socket or extension bar to allow for a rod or other protrusion. So, although these devices provide better access to nuts and bolt within deep openings, they have no provision for threading a nut any substantial distance onto a threaded rod. Also, with longer devices there may be substantial torque lost due to twisting of the extension bar.  
         [0012]     Therefore, there is a need for a tool system that allows the user to turn a nut or other rotational member onto a rod or other protruding member without the rod interfering with the driving mechanism. There is also need of a system that may be used in deep cavities without any substantial loss of torque.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     The present invention takes the form of a multi-piece tool with a standard drive attachment opening. The socket system has at least two pieces: a drive adaptor and a socket. Optionally, one or more extension collars may also be used. When assembled, the socket, extension collar(s) if used, and drive adaptor form a long tubular body having an internal opening into which a rod or other member may enter while the nut is being driven onto the rod. The drive adaptor, extension collars, and sockets preferably attach together using a plurality of interlocking teeth on the inside and outside of the ends of each member. For further stability, a spring biased pin extends from the wall of one member and through a hole in the wall of the mating member. Alternate systems use other attachments, such as a threaded attachment or a drill chuck. Other objects and advantages of the invention will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description along with the accompanying drawings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the socket drive system in use.  
         [0015]     FIGS.  2 A-E are views of the drive adaptor.  
         [0016]     FIGS.  3 A-E show views of the socket.  
         [0017]     FIGS.  4 A-C are views of an alternate socket.  
         [0018]     FIGS.  5 A-D show views of the extension collar.  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of a socket system with the splines reversed.  
         [0020]     FIGS.  7 A-G are views of threaded attachment.  
         [0021]     FIGS.  8 A-E show views of a first chuck attachment.  
         [0022]     FIGS.  9 A-E show views of a second chuck attachment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the socket system  10  in use driving a nut  12  onto a threaded rod  14 . The drive wrench  16  shown is a corded electric version although other versions such as cordless electric, pneumatic, or manual wrenches or ratchet wrenches may also be used. The socket section  18  of the system is made of at least two parts: the drive adaptor  20  and the socket  40 . Optionally, one or more extension collars  70  may be used to extend the length of the internal opening  100 .  FIG. 1  shows a system  10  in which the drive adaptor  20 , a single extension collar  70 , and the socket  40  are used. The additional length provided by using the drive adaptor  20  and optionally the extension collar(s)  70  allows the user to drive a nut  12  onto a long threaded rod  14 . The opening extending through or into each of the sections  20 ,  40 ,  70  allows the rod  14  to extend up into the opening while the nut  12  is driven farther down the rod  14 . In most cases, the nut is approximately the same size or is smaller than the internal opening, thereby leaving room for the rod to extend into the entire length of the internal opening through the drive adaptor  20 , extension collar  70  and socket  40 . The diameter of the internal opening may be anywhere in the range of 0.5 inches to 5 inches or more. Typically the larger diameter is used in a situation where the socket  40  is larger and therefore the internal opening needs to be correspondingly larger or where greater torque transmission is required. More preferably, the internal opening has a diameter of 0.75 to 3 inches, most preferably between 1 and 2 inches.  
         [0024]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  are perspective views of the drive adaptor  20 .  FIG. 2C  is a cross-section thereof,  FIG. 2D  is a side view, and  FIG. 2E  is an end view thereof. The drive adaptor  20  shown is a generally cylindrical member having a drive opening  22  at one end and a connector opening  24  at the other end. If preferred, these openings  22 ,  24  may meet, forming an internal opening  26  through the entire length of the drive adaptor  20 . The drive opening  22  may be any desired or functional shape, but is currently shown as an opening  22  for a standard drive such as a ¼″, ⅜″, or ½″ square drive. In order to assist the user in placing the drive opening  22  onto the drive of the drive wrench  16 , the drive opening  22  is set in a shallow depression  28 , which helps guide the drive to the drive opening  22 . The connector opening  24  has a multiplicity of ridges or splines  30  on the interior surface  32  of the wall  34 . These ridges  30  interlock with a matching set of ridges or splines  50 ,  80  on the exterior  52 ,  82  of the socket  40  or on the extension collar  70 . A hole  36  passes through the wall  34  of the connector opening  24  which interlocks with a pin  56 ,  86  on the socket  40  or on the extension collar  70 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 3A  is a socket end perspective view of the socket  40 .  FIG. 3B  is a cross-section thereof,  FIG. 3C  is a side view,  FIG. 3D  an end view, and  FIG. 3E  is an opposing end view. The socket  40  is a generally cylindrical member having a connector  44  on one end, and a socket opening  42  on the other end. The connector  44  has a multiplicity of ridges or splines  50  that are located on a necked down portion  46  of the connector end of the socket  40 . These ridges  50  interlock with ridges  30 ,  76  in the connector opening  24 ,  72  in the drive adaptor  20  or in the extension collar  70 . A pin  56  extends from the necked down connector portion  46  of the socket  40  and fits into the connector opening  24 ,  72  of the drive adaptor  20  or the extension collar  70 . The pin  56  is spring biased to be in an extended position. When the user wants to release the socket  40  from the drive adaptor  20  or extension collar  70 , the pin  56  is depressed and the socket  40  is slid off. Although other shapes and configurations may be used, the socket opening  42  shown is a standard hexagonal socket opening  42 . The socket opening  42  extends a portion of the way through the socket  40 , at which point it connects to the internal opening  48  that extends through the remainder of the socket  40 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 4A  is a socket end perspective view of an alternate socket  60 .  FIG. 4B  is a cross-section thereof and  FIG. 4C  is a side view of the alternate socket. In this embodiment, the socket opening  62  is smaller, and the diameter of the socket opening  62  end of the socket  60  has been reduced to conserve material and allow the tool to be functional in smaller openings. A thicker ring  64  is located around the socket  60  to prevent the extension collar  70  or drive adaptor  20  from extending too far onto the socket  60 . The end wall  38 ,  88  of the connector opening  24 ,  72  of the drive adaptor  20  or the extension collar  70  abuts the edge  66  of the ring  64  and is prevented from progressing any farther onto the socket  60 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of the extension collar  70 .  FIG. 5B  is a cross-section thereof.  FIG. 5C  is a side view and  FIG. 5D  is an end view of the extension collar  70 . The extension collar  70  is a generally cylindrical member, which fits between the drive adaptor  20  and the socket  40  when a longer internal opening  100  is desired, or when the opening into which the socket system  10  is being used is deeper. The internal opening  90  of the extension collar  70  extends through the entire length of the collar  70  and connects to the internal opening  48  in the socket  40 . When attached to the drive adaptor  20 , the internal opening  90  ends at the base  39  of the connector opening  24  in the drive adaptor  20 . The extension collar  70  may be any suitable length, such as from one to twenty inches in length, more preferably between two and fifteen inches in length, most preferably between three and ten inches in length.  
         [0028]     Alternate embodiments may have a deeper section extending from the connector opening  24  in the drive adaptor  20  to provide further depth for the internal opening  100 . In other designs, the internal opening  100  may connect to the drive opening  22  so that the internal opening  100  passes through the entire length of the socket section  18 .  
         [0029]     When in use, the user may choose to use the pieces of the multi-piece socket section  18  in different configurations depending on the application. For example, if a standard socket is too shallow, but only by a small amount, the socket  40 ,  60  may be connected directly to a drive adaptor  20 . This is applicable in cases where the socket  40 ,  60  of the present invention has a greater length than a standard socket. If a greater depth is required, the socket  40 ,  60  may be attached to an extension collar  70  which is then attached to the drive adaptor  20 . If the length necessary is greater still, one or more additional extension collars  70  may be inserted between the socket  40 ,  60  and the drive adaptor  20  until the length is sufficient for the application.  
         [0030]     The number of ridges or splines  30 ,  50 ,  76 ,  80  may be anywhere between ten and a hundred, with a smaller number typically used for smaller diameter drives and a larger number used for large diameter drives. More preferably, between fifteen and fifty ridges  30 ,  50 ,  76 ,  80  are used. Most preferably, between twenty and forty ridges  30 ,  50 ,  76 ,  80  are used. In the embodiments shown, there are thirty-two ridges  30 ,  50 ,  76 ,  80  which provide the rotational connection between the drive adaptor  20 , socket  40 ,  60 , and extension collar(s)  70 . With larger numbers of ridges  30 ,  50 ,  76 ,  80 , the user must be more careful to properly align the pins  56 ,  86  and holes  36 ,  92  such that each pin  56 ,  86  properly aligns and extends through the corresponding hole  36 ,  92 . However, a larger number of ridges  30 ,  50 ,  76 ,  80  increases the gripping surface between the drive adaptor  20 , socket  40 ,  60 , and extension collar  70 , as well as increasing the maximum possible size of internal opening  100 , thereby allowing a larger rod to fit within the internal opening  100 .  
         [0031]     A further benefit of the present design is the increased moment of inertia, which is created by using a collar type of design instead of the narrower rods found in the extension bars of the prior art. The increased moment of inertia is created by placing the material farther away from the center of rotation in a collar formation instead of a rod that is focused around the centerpoint. Force transmission is also improved by placing the splines on the exterior surface of one collar and the interior surface of a slight larger collar. These design features create a system in which the torque transmission is less likely to damage the parts of the socket drive system  10 , while providing greater torque transmission.  
         [0032]     Alternate connections may be formed between the pieces of the socket section  18 . For example, the embodiments shown have the female portions of the connections on the socket  40  end of the members, and the male portions on the wrench  16  end of the members. These may be reversed if desired, as shown in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0033]     Additional attachments may also be included in the socket system or they may be additional separate attachments. Examples of the additional attachments include a threaded attachment  100 , as seen in FIGS.  7 A-G.  FIG. 7A  is a top perspective view,  FIG. 7B  is a bottom perspective view,  FIG. 7C  is a back end view,  FIG. 7D  is a right side view,  FIG. 7E  is a front end view,  FIG. 7F  is a cross-sectional view,  FIG. 7G  is a left side view and. The threaded attachment  100  may have any suitable diameter, such as from 0.1 to 2 inches, more preferably between 0.25 to 1 inch. The length of the attachment  100  is approximately in the range of 0.25 and 5 inches, more preferably between 0.5 inches and 3 inches, and most preferably between 0.5 and 1.5 inches. The threaded attachment  100  is used to connect threaded tools, such as core bits, sanding or grinding wheels or other tools with a female threaded attachment opening. The diameter and length of the threaded attachment  100  used is determined by the opening in the tool to be attached to the threaded attachment  100 .  
         [0034]      FIG. 8A  is a top perspective view of a first chuck attachment  110 ,  FIG. 8B  is a bottom perspective view,  FIG. 8C  is a left side view,  FIG. 8D  is a front end view and  FIG. 8E  is a back end view thereof.  FIG. 9A  is a top perspective view of a second chuck attachment  120 ,  FIG. 9B  is a bottom perspective view,  FIG. 9C  is a left side view,  FIG. 9D  is a front end view and  FIG. 9E  is a back end view thereof. The chuck attachments  110 ,  120  allow a user to use standard or specialty drill bits with the system, thereby making it possible to drill a hole within a deep opening or other hard to reach location.  
         [0035]     Another option would be an angled drive. In this case the user would be able to use any of the sockets or other attachments, but the drive mechanism would have a fixed or adjustable angle built-in one of the sections. Although other fixed angles may be used, a typical configuration would have the socket or drill acting at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the drill&#39;s rotation. The angle may be achieved by a special extension collar with a fixed or adjustable angle mechanical interface or within a special attachment such as a socket, drill chuck or other attachment wit the angle incorporated therein.  
         [0036]     Although a generally cylindrical socket section  18  is optimal for providing the maximum internal opening  100  for the least rotational footprint, other shapes of socket sections  18  may also be used, such as square, hexagonal, and other geometric and nongeometric shapes may be used. A further variation could use one or more keys that fit in corresponding keyways. The keyways could be straight with a locking pin, or the keyways could be a labyrinth forming an interlock with a key, with or without spring biasing. Locking rings, and other types of interlocks may be substituted for the hole and pin and/or the interlocking ridges.  
         [0037]     Many features have been listed with particular configurations, options, and embodiments. Any one or more of the features described may be added to or combined with any of the other embodiments or other standard devices to create alternate combinations and embodiments.  
         [0038]     Although the examples given include many specificities, they are intended as illustrative of only one possible embodiment of the invention. Other embodiments and modifications will, no doubt, occur to those skilled in the art. Thus, the examples given should only be interpreted as illustrations of some of the preferred embodiments of the invention, and the full scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Technology Category: b