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US 6,637,298 B1Granted
Socket for a socket wrench
OwnerNoel John O'Brien, Patrick Michael O'Brieninventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A socket mounted on the actuating handle of a socket wrench. The socket includes a hollow body member housing a number of individual sockets, which individual sockets can be moved inwards into the hollow body member to provide a socket of the correct size to engage a hexagonal bolt or nut. There is thus no longer the need to provide a number of sockets for placing on the socket wrench. The one socket will accommodate a large number of sizes.
Claims20
A socket for a socket wrench of the type comprising an actuating handle carrying the socket, the socket comprising:
- a tubular body,
- the body having two opposed end portions on either side of a hollow central portion,
- a set of nesting individual sockets on the body at each end of the body, each set of sockets being housed within an end portion of the body,
- each adjacent pair of nesting sockets in a set of 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,
- an exterior of the body at each end of the body being adapted for engagement with a lever for rotation of the sockets, locking means being provided for selectively locking each individual socket on the body,
- said locking means comprising a selector switch on the body which is operable to position an associated selector pin on the body for engagement with a selected individual socket to prevent retraction of said selected individual socket on the body,
- each individual socket having an outwardly extending lug at an inner end of said socket for engagement with the selector pin, said lugs being engagable with an associated land within the body to retain the individual sockets within the body, a spring being mounted within the body for engagement between the innermost individual sockets in each set of nesting sockets to urge each socket outwardly engaging the lug on the socket with the land on the body.
5 more elements
A socket for a socket wrench of the type comprising an actuating handle carrying the socket, the socket comprising:
- a tubular body,
- the body having two opposed end portions on either side of a hollow central portion,
- a set of nesting individual sockets on the body at each end of the body, each set of sockets being housed within an end portion of the body,
- each adjacent pair of nesting sockets in a set of 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, an exterior of the body at each end of the body being adapted for engagement with a lever for rotation of the sockets,
- an inner socket being a friction-fit within the outer socket,
- the friction fit being provided by a leaf spring secured to an outer surface of the inner socket and cantilevered upwards to bear against an inner surface of the outer socket.
3 more elements
A socket for a socket wrench of the type comprising an actuating handle carrying the socket, the socket comprising:
- an elongate tubular body,
- the body having two opposed end portions on either side of a hollow central portion,
- a set of nesting individual sockets on the body at each end of the body, each set of sockets being housed within an end portion of the body, said two sets of sockets being axially spaced apart within the body,
- each adjacent pair of nesting sockets in a set of 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, an exterior of the body at each end of the body being adapted for engagement with a lever for rotation of the sockets, and
- an adapter for engaging over each end of the body member, the adapter terminating in an actuating handle engaging socket.
2 more elements
A socket for a socket wrench of the type comprising an actuating handle carrying the socket, the socket comprising:
- a tubular body,
- the body having two opposed end portions on either side of a hollow central portion,
- a set of nesting individual sockets on the body at each end of the body, each set of sockets being housed within an end portion of the body,
- each adjacent pair of nesting sockets in a set of 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, an exterior of the body at each end of the body being adapted for engagement with a lever for rotation of the sockets, and
- an adapter for engaging an outermost socket, which adapter terminates in an actuating handle engagement hole, the body having a cylindrical outer surface having a plurality of open slots adjacent each end for engagement with axially arranged radial ribs in a bore of the adapter.
2 more elements
A socket for a socket wrench of the type comprising an actuating handle carrying the socket, the socket comprising:
- a tubular body,
- the body having two opposed end portions on either side of a hollow central portion,
- a set of nesting individual sockets on the body at each end of the body, each set of sockets being housed within an end portion of the body,
- each adjacent pair of nesting sockets in a set of 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, an exterior of the body at each end of the body being adapted for engagement with a lever for rotation of the sockets, and
- an adapter having a mounting socket for reception of each end of the body to releasably mount the adapter on the body, said adapter having means for engagement with an actuating lever for rotating the adapter and socket, the adapter having a spring loaded locking ball mounted on an inside wall of the mounting socket which is engagable with complementary receiver slots at each end of the body to releasably retain the adapter on the body.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.