Adjustable angled socket wrench extension
OwnerAlbert E. Mercerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A jointed drive unit is provided having a power output shaft used for driving a socket or the like, and an input shaft which transmits power to the output shaft through a gearbox permitting any angular orientation between input and output shafts greater than about 20.degree.. The mechanism is more than merely a gearbox for transmitting rotational motion at an acute angle because due to the gear arrangement and a ratchet mechanism incorporated in the preferred embodiment the output shaft can be made to rotate, not only by rotating the input shaft, but also by pumping the input shaft in a plane parallel to the output shaft, or alternatively, moving the input shaft back and forth in a plane perpendicular to the output shaft in conventional open end or box end ratchet wrench fashion.
Claims8
A tool drive mechanism for producing a rotational motion at an output shaft from a selectable motion at an input shaft, said drive mechanism comprising:
- (a) an input shaft mounting bracket having said input shaft captured in journaled relation therein such that said shaft is rotational about its longitudinal axis;
- (b) an output shaft mounting bracket having said output shaft captured in journaled relation therein, such that said shaft is rotational about its longitudinal axis;
- (c) said mounting brackets being pivotally interconnected to define an axis of angular adjustment perpendicular to the rotational axes of said shafts and permitting relative pivotal motion of said shafts in their respective brackets in a common plane substantially including the shafts;
- (d) each of said shafts having a pivotally inner end mounting an integral bevel shaft gear captured by the mounting bracket which mounts same;
- (e) a gear spool rotational between said brackets about said axis of angular adjustment and defining two inwardly facing bevel gears engaging respective ones of said shaft gears whereby clockwise rotation of one of said shafts about its longitudinal axis produces clockwise motion of the other of said shafts about its longitudinal axis such that rotation of a first one of said shafts can be selectable caused by either the rotation of the other shaft about its longitudinal axis, or the non-rotational pivoting of the other shaft about said axis of angular adjustment, or the non-rotational pivoting of the other shaft about the longitudinal axis of said first one of said shafts;
- (f) each of said shaft gears, on the side thereof opposite the side engaging the respective inwardly facing bevel gear, engaging a gear in idling relation;
- and,
- (g) one of said shafts having an idler gear journaled thereon engaging the inwardly facing bevel gear which engages a shaft gear of the other of said shafts, and the last-mentioned gear engaging an inwardly facing idler beveled gear journaled coaxially with the first-mentioned two inwardly facing beveled gears.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.