The present invention relates to socket wrenches and in particular to the sockets forming part of such socket wrenches.
It is well known to provide a wrench in the form of a socketed head having a hollow end to fit over a multi-sided head of a nut or bolt, generally a hexagonally sided nut or bolt. The socket may be permanently attached to an actuating handle in which case generally only one size or at most only two sizes of sockets may be provided, or there is provided a plurality of removable socket heads or as they are more generally called sockets. The latter type of wrench namely one comprising a handle and a plurality of removable sockets is the more commonly provided type of socket wrench since the latter is more versatile allowing a plurality of sizes of nut or bolt to be handled by the one set of sockets. Indeed, the term "a set of sockets" is commonly used to include not just the socket heads or sockets per se, but also the combination of the socket heads and the actuating handle, which actuating handle in turn often comprises a rod having pivotally mounted on one end thereof a square sectioned male spud, each individual socket having on the end opposite to its hexagonally formed portion a square sectioned hole or more properly socket adapted to receive the socket.
The versatility of sets of sockets has long been appreciated, however, the main disadvantage with them is that they tend to be mislaid. There is nothing more frustrating for a workman than to find when he goes to look for a particular socket that it is unavailable to him or her. It may simply have been mislaid previously in which case there is no possibility of using it immediately, or, alternatively it has been mislaid in around the workplace requiring a search to be carried out and therefore delay.
A further minor problem is when one wishes to use more than one size of socket one is forced to carry on one's person possible sizes of sockets so that they may be available when required.
Another problem with using sets of sockets is that it is necessary to provide a large number of sockets to accommodate a wide range of size of hexagonal bolts and nuts. This problem is exacerbated in countries where previously some other standard for size of bolt head or nut head was used such as imperial rather than the metric sizes more commonly used now.
Attempts have been made in the past to provide a socket for a socket wrench which will overcome these problems. A typical example of these attempts is a socket imitating wrench carrying a plurality of pins which are movable inwards against individual spring biasing so that a bolt head after the socket is pushed onto it is subsequently surrounded by the pins remaining. Unfortunately these pins do not provide adequate grip on the bolt head, the pins damage the bolt head, the pins do not transmit the torque adequately or positively, the pins fail under high torque and finally, the so-called socket wrench will in many instances grip the nut off centre with respect to the applied torque. Generally speaking it is an unsatisfactory construction.
Patent Specification Nos. US 1471451 and US 5157995 each show a socket assembly comprising a tubular body with a set of nesting individual sockets retained on the body, each adjacent pair of nesting sockets comprising an inner socket and an outer socket, said inner socket being movable axially inwardly relative to the outer socket to expose said outer socket for use, the body having means for engagement with a lever for rotation of the sockets. Patent Specification No. US 2322856 discloses a wrench having a socket at each end within which can be mounted one or more inserts to reduce the size of the socket.
The present invention is directed towards overcoming these and other problems.
According to the invention, there is provided a socket for a socket wrench of the type comprising an actuating handle carrying the socket, the socket comprising a tubular body with a set of nesting individual sockets on the body, each adjacent pair of nesting sockets comprising an inner socket and an outer socket, said inner socket being movable axially inwardly relative to the outer socket to expose said outer socket for use, the body having means for engagement with a lever for rotation of the sockets, characterised in that a set of nesting individual sockets is provided at each end of the body and an outer surface of the body at each end of the body is adapted for engagement by the lever for rotation of the sockets.
It will be appreciated that there is considerable advantage in having a set of nesting sockets, instead of having to carry a large number of separate sockets on one's person. For example, if there are three sockets, it is possible to push two of the sockets inside the outermost socket and similarly it is possible to push the outermost socket backwards and pull the innermost socket outwards, leaving the outermost and intermediate sockets both nesting rearwardly of the outwardly projecting innermost sockets.
Ideally it will be appreciated that there will be more than two nesting sockets. In general there will be a plurality of nesting sockets.
Preferably each nesting socket engages resiliently the other nesting socket or sockets, to require positive disengagement and reinforcement thus preventing the sockets from falling in and out of engagement by providing a force fit of an inner socket within the outer socket. One way of achieving this is to provide on each socket a spring on the outer surface thereof to engage on the inner surface of the next outermost socket. Various forms of springs may be provided such as are often seen conventionally in socket sets being resiliently mounted ball bearings or the like, indeed anything which provides a resistance against relative movement is sufficient.
Ideally the springs when used vary in strength decreasing from the outermost socket to the innermost socket of the set to ensure when the innermost socket is pushed inwards within the other socket, that the other socket it will not carry the outermost sockets with it.
In another embodiment of the invention, each of the nesting sockets is biased outwardly, preferably by means of a spring. For example, each movable socket may be connected to a rear of the outermost socket by means of a helical spring thus providing in the central portion of the outer socket a nest of helical springs each of which biases a corresponding socket outwardly or alternatively they may be biased in a cascade effect.
Ideally, restraining means in the form of a stop are provided to prevent a nesting socket fully withdrawing from its surrounding sockets. The advantage of this is that it is then impossible to lose the sockets of the set.
In one embodiment of the invention, an exposed end of each socket is bevelled inwardly. Further, each successively smaller socket in a nest will be slightly recessed with respect to an adjacent larger socket.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the two separate sets of sockets are axially spaced apart within an elongate body member, said body member having a hollow central portion between end portions within which each set of sockets is mounted. Preferably, the spacing between the sets of sockets is chosen to accommodate only one set of sockets.
The advantage of this is that pushing a socket or sockets from one end into the other end will naturally push out the socket or sockets from the other end. A further advantage in having sockets at both ends is that in addition to providing a versatile range of sockets it is also possible to provide for example metric and imperial sized sockets in the one set which is exceptionally advantageous. For example, having fourteen sockets from 6mm to 32mm means that while fitting fourteen sizes exactly you are only 1mm out on the intermediate sizes. The same will apply to imperial sizes.
Ideally each external surface surrounding the end portion is regular sided to form a male portion to engage a female socketed portion of a handle or an adaptor for mounting on the handle. This, it will be appreciated is advantageous, because it means that an easy connection between a handle and the body portion may be achieved.
Ideally the body portion itself has each end portion in the form of a socket thus utilising the body member itself as a socket.
In one embodiment of the invention the handle is a two-part handle comprising a rod having pivotally mounted on one end thereof a square sectioned male spud and a hollow adapter sleeve, one end of which is socketed to engage the external surface of a set of nesting sockets and the other end of which is socketed to receive the male spud. The advantage of this is that now the conventional handle of a conventional set of sockets may be used.
One of the particular advantages of the present invention is that where a wide range of sizes of sockets are required, they can be relatively easily provided.
The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Referring to the drawings and initially to Figs. 1 to 6 thereof there is illustrated portion of a socket for a socket wrench the socket being indicated generally by the reference numeral 1 comprising two sets of sockets indicated by the reference numeral 2, including a hollow adapter 3 and portion of an actuating handle 4. The actuating handle 4 may house a ratchet mechanism as is common and is of generally conventional construction and the sockets according to the invention are for use with such handles which is obvious unless otherwise stated.
The two separate sets of sockets 2 are housed within a hollow body member 10 having two opposed end portions 11 on either side of a hollow central portion 12. Each end portion 11 itself forms a hollow socket and has a hexagonal outer surface 13. A plurality of individual nesting sockets 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 are provided in each end portion 11. The individual socket 15 is the innermost socket and the individual socket 20 is the outermost socket. While the innermost socket 15 is an inner socket with respect to the next individual socket 16 in which it nests and the socket 16 therefore forms with respect to the innermost socket 15 an outer socket, the outer socket 16 in turn becomes an inner socket with respect of the next outer socket 17 which is therefore an outer socket with respect to the inner socket 16. It will be noted that only one set 2 of sockets is illustrated. Each socket 15-20 carries a spring 21, not all of which are shown. In effect the spring 21 forms a force-fit between an inner and outer socket. Each socket 15 to 20 inclusive nests inside its next outer socket, thus as stated above the socket 15 nests inside the socket 16, the socket 16 nests inside the socket 17, and so on. Each socket is provided with a stop 22 which engages in a slot 23 in its next outer socket. The stops 22 and slots 23 thus provide restraining means preventing full withdrawal in an axially outwards direction. Not all of these stops 22 or slots 23 are illustrated. It will be noted that each spring 21 engages a recess 24 in its next adjacent socket.
The adapter 3 comprises a hexagonally socketed hollow head 30 terminating in a square sectioned end hole 31 which is adapted to engage a square section spud 32 which is pivotally mounted by a pin 33 on the handle 4 only portion of which is shown. It will be appreciated in use that the adapter 3 and handle 4 may engage the hexagonal outer surface 13 to rotate the socket wrench 1 as illustrated in Fig. 6.
When all the sockets 15-20 nest inside the body member 10 it will be noted that no sockets 15-20 will project into the central portion 12. To select a particular size of socket, for example the sockets of lower or smaller size i.e. if you wish to select socket 18, sockets 17, 16 and 15 would be pushed together inwards so as to expose the socket 18 ready for use which would then be surrounded by the sockets 19 and 20 within the end portion 11. The socket wrench 1 may then be used. This is particularly illustrated in Fig. 3. Referring now specifically to Fig. 3 there is illustrated the socket being offered up to three different sizes of bolt 35(a), 35(b) and 35(c) having different sizes of hexagonal head 36(a), 36(b) and 36(c) respectively. It will be seen how the different sizes of individual socket are required and may be used.
If it is desired to bring any set of sockets back to the original position the sockets are merely depressed in the other set which will then push the socket on the other side outwards to the flush position. This is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.
Referring now to Fig. 7 there is illustrated an alternative construction of socket indicated generally by the reference numeral 40 having a hollow body member 41 having a cylindrical outer surface carrying a plurality of open slots 42 for engagement with axially arranged radial ribs 43 within an adaptor 44 which in turn has a square hole 45 for engagement with a spud 46 mounted on an actuating handle 4.
While all the sockets above have been described with reference to hexagonal headed nuts and bolts and undoubtedly hexagonal headed nuts and bolts constitute the majority of units which need to be actuated by a socket wrench it will be appreciated that any other shape of multi-sided unit and corresponding socket could be provided.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the appended claims.