Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~1-
Socket wrencll Witll Interchall~eable
Sockets Stored in Ik~lldL
~ac~ of the Invcl~ion
A very popular and useEul wrench is a socket
wrench of the type wllich has a handle, a head at one end
- of the handle wltl~ a socket mountin~ stub, and a set of
interchallgea~le socket members of di~eren~ sizes which
are adapted for lndividual selective mOllntillCJ on t~le
- stub. usually called "socket wrencll sets", they are
con~only pac7ced in a box which has a compartment for
t~lc ~an-lle alld a compartment, or separa~e compartments,
or the interchangeable socket me~ers. In addition,
it is quite common for such a socket wrench set to in-
clude an extension member ~hich has one end portion that
seats on the stub and a second end portion comprising a
stub to selectiuely receive the interchangeable socket
members.
Socket wrencll sets are o~ten used in connection
with servi~ce work on machillery or vehicles; and it is a
20 COllUllOn e,Y~eriellCe O~ a person doing such wor~ to ~ind
i that he needs to change socket mem~ers when the case con-
taining them is not readily at hand; and this causes un-
desirable delay and, sometimes, frayed nerves.
Many interchangeable socket members are lost
because they are not immediately returned to the case
,
especially when, ~or example, the person removes from
` the case two or three socket members that he expects to
`~ need on a particular job and then misplaces one or more
of them.
Sum~ar~ of the Invention
The principal object of the present invention is
; to pr~vide an i~proved socket storage means for in`erchangeable
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sockets of a socket wrench of the type which has a head
with a socket mounting stub. The storage means comprises
an arcuate longitudinal wall defining a cavity which has an
entrance opening along one side with the cavity having
several distinct portions, each of which receives and friction-
ally engages with one socket member of a set, and the wall has
an access opening operatively associated with each portion
; of the cavity for applying manual force to the socket member
in the portion to remove it through the entrance opening.
The Drawing.s
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a socket wrench
embodying a first form of the invention, sllowll with the
entrance opening to the storage cavity uppermost;
Fig~ 2 is a perspective view of -the embodiment
of Fig. 1 with the entrance opening lowermost;
, Fig. 3 is a fragmelltary lollgitudillal scctional
: view taken substantially as indicated along the line 3-3
of Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is a sectional vie~l taken on the section
line in Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows
, 4-4;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken a]ong the
section line in F'ig. 3 looking in the dir~ction of the
arrows 5-5;
Fig. 6 is a view like Fig. 1 of a sccon(l cm-
bodiment of the invention;
Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken
substantially as indicated along the line 7-7 of Fig. 6;
and
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`~ Fig. 8 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 2
illustrating a third embodiment of the invention.
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Detailed Description of the Invention
Referring to the drawings in greater detail,
and referring first to Figs. l to 5, a socket wrench,
indicated generally at 10, includes a handle ll, a head
12 at one end of the handle, a socket mounting stub 13
on the head, a set of interchangeable socket members 14
through 20 which are of different sizes and which are
~; lO adapted to be individually selectively mounted on the
stub 13, and an extension member 21 which has one end
portion 22 that seats on the stub 13 and a second end
portion 23 comprising a stub to selectively receive any
of the socket members 14 through 20.
The handle 11 comprises a longitudinal, arcuate
wall 24 defining a cavity 25 with an entrance opening 26,
and the wall 24 tapers from a broad outer end 27, having
an end plate 28, to a naxrow neck 29 which is immediately
; ; adjacent the head 120
~` 20 The cavity 25 has a plurality of portions 30
through 36 ~Fig. 2) which are adapted to receive and
frictionally retain the socket members 14 through 20,
~:~ respectively. In addition, the cavity 25 includes a
neck portion 37 in which the extension member 21 is
frictionally held. The portions 30 through 37 of the
cavity~25 are defined by transverse webs, such as the
webs 38 and 39 in Figs. 3 and 4, which thus cause the
- ~ several portions 30 throu~h 37 of the cavity to ser~e
as compàrtments for the members 14 through 21. The
compartment for the socket member 20 is, of course,
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defined by the web 39 and the end wall 28 of the handle.
The webs have chamfered or rounded margins to facilitate
insertion of the socket members into the compartments.
Each of the portions, or compartments 30 through
37 is provided with an access opening, numbered 40 to 47,
respectively, consisting of a laterally elongated hole
which is on the longitudinal median line o~ the wall 24.
Each o~ the access openings permits pressure to be ap-
plied to the member which is frictionally retained in
the compartment with which the access opening is associ-
ated, so as to ramove the member from the compartment
through the entrance opening 26. AS seen from the en-
larged sectional views of the holes 45 and 46 in Fig. 3,
~- the margins of the holes are carefully finished to a
rounded cross section so that a person applying finger
pressure to remove one of the members cannot damage a
finger or push it through the hole and find himself un-
able to withdraw it.
The compartments 30 through 37 are provided
with resilient means, which~ as illustrated in the draw-
ings, consists of a pair of strips 48 of a soft, elasto-
~ meric material which are close to the upper edges 49 of
;~ the wall 24 which de~ine the entrance opening 26.
As seen in Figs. 4 and S, the longitudinal
wall 24 has a radius of curvature in the area of any of
the compartments 30 through 37 which is greater than that
of the member stored in the compartment, but the upper
margins 49 of the wall 24 are above the pivot axes of
- the members and curve inwardly above the diamet0rs of
3Q said members which are stored in the handle with their
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pivot axes extending longitudinally. Thus, the wall in
cross section is a segment of a circle in excess of 180,
and the resilient means 48 is slightly above a horizon-
tal diameter of each of the members so as to afford firm
frictional gripping of all the members, each of which is
stored with its diameter inwardly of the minimum span
across the resilient means 48. It is clear that the
cavity might have a resilient strip on only one side,
with the sock~t member snapping past the margin of the
wall on the other side; or that with proper selection
of wall material and thickness the socket members could
snap into place without the separate resilient means.
The interchangeable socket members 14 through
20 are of standard type. Each has a s~uare hole, like
the hole l9a seen in Fig~ 4, at one end; and a hexagonal
socket, like the socket 20b seen in Fig. 5, at the other
; end. The square holes adapt the socket members for in-
dividual selective mounting on the stub 13 or on the
extension member stub 23, as the case may be.
Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, the second
embodiment of the invention is similar to the first, e~-
cept that the access openings in the form of holes
along the median line of the handl~e wall 24 are elimin-
ated; and a handle wall 124 is provided with access
openings in the form of an arcuate recess at each of the
; margins 149 of the wall. The recesses are given the
reference numerals 140 through 147 in Figs. 6 and 7,
corresponding to the numbers 40 through 47 of the access
holes in the ~irst embodiment. As seen in Fig. 7, the
arcuate recesses are provided with margins which are
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rounded in cross section to avoid possible finger injury.
The recesses permit force to be applied to a socket mem-
ber by gripping it between the fingers in order to re-
move it from the cavity thro~gh the entrance opening, as
-~ 5 is the case with the first embodiment.
~ The only differ~nce between the first and
'~ second embodiments is that in the latter the arcuate re~
cesses make it necessary for the resilient means to be
in the form of single pads 148 bonded to the wall 124
between the recesses, rather than the continuous strips
;~ of the first embodiment.
Referring now to Fig. 8, the third embodiment
of the invention has a handle provided with an arcuate
wall 224 which is much like the wall 24 of the ~irst em-
~- 15 bodiment in that it defines a storage cavity with an
entrance opening along one side and has holes the axes
; of which are along the longitudinal median line of the
wall 224. In the third embodiment, the socket members
' 14 through 20 and the extension member 21 are stored with
their respective axes of rotation effectively on the
longitudinal median plane of the entrance opening, and
,the access holes 240 through 247 are of different sizes
- so that each is adapted to have a part of one of the
~, members extending therethrough. As in the first and
',~ 25 second embodiments, transverse webs (not shown) divide
' the storage cavity înto separate compartments, each of
' which receives and frictionally grips one of the members
,,, 14 through 21. Thus, force may be'applied to the pro---
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'~,' , 3ecting end of any one of the members 14 through 21 when
; ,30 it is desired to remove that member from the cavity
,' through the entrance opening.
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If desired, the wall 224 may be modified so
that it is deeper, in which event the members 14 through
:- 21 may be completely enclosed within the cavity, and in
that case the unit is provided with access holes like 55 the holes 40 through 47 of the first embodiment. .
: The foregoing detailed description is given
for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary
limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifica-
tions will be obvious to those skilled in the art.
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