Patent Application
20230405770
The present invention relates generally to an adjustable impact wrench and ground anchor assembly, specifically to a collapsible and adjustable impact wrench, and a ground anchor having a plurality of removable ground spike disposed therein.
In a previously known adjustable impact wrench device, the device includes a shaft with a handle in one end and a socket in the opposite end, whereby the shaft between its ends is provided with a hub about which is rotatably arranged about an impact arm which carries weights and is arranged to transfer impact movement to the shaft via stops arranged at the hub, in connection to the hub are arranged members which limit the ability of the impact arm to transfer movement to the shaft which carries the socket in one direction of movement of the impact arm. The device also includes an arm/bar with a plurality of holes and a weight at each end.
Another previously known impact wrench device provides for a manually operated tool wherein the inertia of weights on a rotatable cross arm is efficiently utilized to loosen or tighten screw threaded parts, such as nuts or bolts; and wherein the blow struck by a weighted arm is positively directed and is converted into a turning moment of a spindle adapted to turn the nut or bolt. The device discloses an arm/bar with a hole and a weight at each end.
A previously known ground anchor system includes a base plate having a top surface and a substantially planar bottom surface, where the base plate has a plurality of picket-guide apertures formed therein between the top surface and the substantially planar bottom surface. At least one picket is removably positioned in at least a portion of the picket-guide apertures. An anchor portion is formed at a first end of the base plate, wherein the anchor portion has an anchor aperture formed through the first end of the base plate, the anchor portion further comprising a ground face surface proximate to the anchor aperture, wherein a distance between the top surface and the ground face surface is less than a distance between the top surface and the substantially planar bottom surface. The previous ground anchor system also includes a plurality of holes which vary in sizes disposed along the bar. The bar also includes an end-link connection device which is connected to a terminal end of the bar.
Prior ground anchor devices commonly utilize spikes that can be inserted into the ground surface to anchor the ground anchor's plate thereto. In some attempts, the spikes are inserted into the ground perpendicular to the ground anchor's plate. In other attempts, the spikes include threading and require not only to be threaded into the plate, but also into the ground.
However, the aforementioned tools are two separate tools, where, even if the two tools are collapsible, i.e., can be disassembled, the two devices will require more storage than a singular tool.
Thus, there is a long-felt need for a combination tool having an adjustable impact wrench and ground anchor assembly that is collapsible for storage.
There is another long-felt need for an impact wrench having an adjustable moment by inserting the wrench portion into a non-centrally located aperture disposed within a torque bar of the impact wrench.
There is a further long-felt need for a ground anchor device that allows a plurality of stakes to be inserted within a torque bar to mount the ground anchor device to the ground, where the ground anchor device can also be configured into an adjustable impact wrench.
There is still a long-felt need for a ground anchor device that allows a plurality of stakes to be inserted within a torque bar at an angle to increase the resistance to the ground therebelow.
Additionally, there is a long-felt need for a ground anchor device that includes a torque bar, which ground spikes and connecting means can be removed therefrom, where the torque bar can accept a wrench device therein to change the ground anchor device into an adjustable impact wrench.
The present invention generally comprises a combination tool having an adjustable impact wrench functionality and a ground anchor functionality. The combination tool includes a torque bar with a plurality of apertures disposed therein, the apertures arranged to either accept a wrench device within one of the plurality of apertures, secured by a pin and a clamp, or to accept a plurality of ground spikes therein and a connecting means therein.
The present invention broadly comprises an adjustable impact wrench and ground anchor assembly including a torque bar having a first end and a second end, the torque bar having a first set of a plurality of apertures disposed therein and a second set of a plurality of apertures disposed therein, each aperture in the first set having a first diameter and each aperture in the second set having a second diameter, where the first diameter is less than the second diameter, a wrench shaft, the wrench shaft having a first end and a second end, the wrench shaft having a chuck arranged at the first end, the wrench shaft having a removable handle arranged at the second end, the wrench shaft arranged to be seated within one of the first diameter apertures of the plurality of apertures, a clamp, the clamp arranged to accept the wrench shaft through an aperture disposed therein, a pin, the pin arranged to engage a pin aperture of the wrench shaft and further arranged to sandwich the bar between the pin and the clamp, a plurality of spikes, each one of which spikes is arranged to engage at least one of an aperture of the second set of apertures, where each one of the plurality of spikes has a third diameter which is greater than the first diameter, and a clip, the clip arranged to engage one of a pair of end apertures of the plurality of apertures.
The present invention also generally comprises an adjustable impact wrench and ground anchor assembly including a torque bar having a first, a second end, and a plurality of apertures comprising a first set and a second set disposed therein, where the first set of apertures have a first diameter and the second set of apertures have a second diameter, where the first diameter is less than the second diameter, the torque bar having an adjustable impact wrench configuration whereby the torque bar is arranged to accept a wrench shaft within one of the first set of the plurality of apertures, the wrench shaft secured within one of the plurality of apertures of the first diameter via a clamp arranged on the wrench shaft and a pin arranged to engage the wrench shaft, and the torque bar having a ground anchor configuration whereby the torque bar is arranged to accept at least one spike of a plurality of spikes within at one of the second set of the plurality of apertures, each of the plurality of spikes have a diameter greater than the first diameter and less than the second diameter, the torque bar further arranged to accept a clip within one of a pair of end apertures of the second set of the plurality of apertures, the pair of end apertures arranged proximate to the respective first and second ends of the torque bar.
Further, the present invention also generally comprises an adjustable impact wrench and ground anchor assembly including a wrench shaft, a plurality of spikes, and a torque bar having a plurality of apertures, wherein at least two of the plurality of apertures are of different sizes, wherein the wrench shaft is arranged to engage with at least one of the plurality of apertures of the torque bar, wherein each of the plurality of spikes may pass through and engage at least one of the at least two of the plurality of apertures but not pass through and engage at least one other of the at least two of the plurality of apertures.
The adjustable impact wrench of the present invention generally is configured to have an adjustable moment, where the adjustable moment is determined by which of the plurality of apertures of the first diameter functions as the fulcrum of the wrench, i.e., when the wrench shaft is inserted therein.
The adjustable impact wrench of the present invention also generally includes a chuck arranged on the first end of the wrench shaft where the chuck is arranged to accept a socket thereon.
The plurality of spikes of the ground anchor configuration of the present invention generally each have a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the apertures of the first diameter of the plurality of apertures but is less than the diameter of the apertures of the second diameter of the plurality of apertures, where each of the plurality of spikes have an end cap arranged on one end, where the end cap of each of the plurality of spikes has a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the apertures of the second diameter of the plurality of apertures. In other words, in a preferred embodiment, the each of the plurality of ground spikes will not fit within the apertures of the first diameter of the plurality of apertures of the torque bar.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a combination tool having an adjustable impact wrench and ground anchor assembly that is collapsible for storage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an impact wrench having an adjustable moment by inserting the wrench portion (i.e., fulcrum) into one of the apertures of the first diameter of the plurality of apertures within the torque bar of the impact wrench.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a ground anchor device that allows a plurality of stakes to be inserted within a torque bar to mount the ground anchor device to the ground, where the ground anchor device can also be configured into an adjustable impact wrench.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a ground anchor device that includes a torque bar, which ground spikes and connecting means can be removed therefrom, where the torque bar can accept a wrench device therein to change the ground anchor device into an adjustable impact wrench, or alternatively, an adjustable impact wrench having an adjustable moment by inserting the wrench shaft (i.e., the fulcrum) into a non-centrally located aperture disposed within a torque bar of the impact wrench, which wrench portion can be removed from the torque bar, where the torque bar can accept a plurality of spikes within a plurality of apertures along with a connecting means to change the adjustable impact wrench into a ground anchor assembly.
An even further object of the present invention to provide for an adjustable impact wrench that is arranged to accept a socket on a chuck disposed on an end of a wrench shaft, where the socket is arranged to be seated on and around a lug nut, or other like nut, where the adjustable impact wrench is arranged to be rotated to tighten the lug nut, or other like nut, engaged to the chuck.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become readily apparent upon a review of the following detailed description of the disclosure, in view of the drawings and appended claims.
Various embodiments are disclosed, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts, in which:
At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements. It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the disclosed aspects.
Furthermore, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular methodology, materials and modifications described and as such may, of course, vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It should be understood that any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the example embodiments.
It should be appreciated that the term “substantially” is synonymous with terms such as “nearly,” “very nearly,” “about,” “approximately,” “around,” “bordering on,” “close to,” “essentially,” “in the neighborhood of,” “in the vicinity of,” etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. It should be appreciated that the term “proximate” is synonymous with terms such as “nearby,” “close,” “adjacent,” “neighboring,” “immediate,” “adjoining,” etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims.
It should be appreciated that the embodiments as illustrated are only one of a variety of possible embodiments of the claimed invention. It should also be appreciated that directional adjectives, such as “upper”, “lower”, “right”, “left”, and similar variations, are to be interpreted in view of the corresponding drawings, are intended to be exemplary, and non-limiting on the scope of the appending claims.
It will be appreciated that various aspects of the disclosure above and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
Adverting now to the figures, the following description and corresponding figures depict an adjustable impact wrench and ground anchor assembly, where
When assembled, torque bar 110 has wrench shaft 130 inserted into one of plurality of apertures 120, where torque bar 110 is sandwiched by pin 170 and clamp 150. Clamp 150 is prevented from sliding along torque bar 110 by restriction nut 160 (shown in
The following description should be taken in view of
Wrench shaft 130 includes two integral sections, securement section 130c and handle portion 136, where securement section 130c is arranged to be engaged within an aperture of torque bar 110 and handle portion 136 is arranged to accept handle 140 thereon. In a preferred embodiment, wrench shaft 130 includes chuck 132, disposed proximate to first end 130a. Chuck 132 includes socket retention means 132a, which in a preferred embodiment comprising a spring-loaded socket retention ball. Chuck 132 is preferably arranged to be compatible with any standard ½ inch socket, however it should be appreciated that chuck 132 may be adapted to fit a plurality of different socket sizes, including metric sizes.
Disposed within wrench shaft 110, preferably arranged within securement section 130c, is pin aperture 134. Pin aperture 134 is arranged to accept pin 170 therein. In a preferred embodiment, pin aperture 134 is disposed within securement section 130c and arranged proximate to restriction nut 160. Restriction nut 160 is preferably fixed secured on securement section 130c of wrench shaft 110, proximate to handle portion 136. Handle portion aperture 136a is arranged within handle portion 136, proximate to second end 130b. Aperture 136a is preferably threaded and arranged to accept handle screw 142 therein, securing handle 140 on handle portion 136. Handle 140 includes handle through-bore 140c, having two openings, first aperture 140a and second aperture 140b. It should be noted that the circumference of the head of handle screw 142 is greater than the circumference of second aperture 140b of handle 140, preventing handle 140 from disengaging handle portion 136 when handle screw 142 is engaged within aperture 136a.
Pin 170, or other like means, such as a removable collar or bracket, prevents torque bar 110 from sliding on wrench shaft 130 in the direction towards first end 130a. Inversely, when pin 170 is not engaged to wrench shaft 130, torque bar 110 may freely slide along wrench shaft 130 to either assemble, or disassemble, wrench 200.
Apertures of the first size of plurality of apertures 120 (122a, 122b and 122c) are arranged to accept wrench shaft 130 therein. Apertures of the second size of plurality of apertures 120 (112a, 124c, 114a, 124d, 124a, and 124b) are arranged to accept an individual spike of plurality of spikes 320 (shown in
The following description should be taken in view of
The moment of a force ({right arrow over (M)}O), otherwise known as a moment vector, about a point (O) on an axis is defined as the cross product of the lever arm ({right arrow over (r)}) and the net force ({right arrow over (F)}) applied to the lever arm, written algebraically as:
{right arrow over (M)}
O
={right arrow over (r)}×{right arrow over (F)}
The axis of the moment vector ({right arrow over (M)}O) passes through the moment center (O) and is perpendicular to the plane containing {right arrow over (r)} and {right arrow over (F)}. In 200, as well as 200′, the axis of the moment vector ({right arrow over (M)}O) is the central axis of wrench shaft 130. The moment center (O) in wrench 200 is aperture 122a and the moment center in adjusted wrench 200′ is aperture 122c. For example, the lever arm ({right arrow over (r)}) in wrench 200 is L1 and the lever arm in adjusted wrench 200′ is L3. If a net force is applied at 112a, and that net force is perpendicular to both the lever arm ({right arrow over (r)}) and the fulcrum (the axis of the moment vector, i.e., wrench shaft 130), then a moment will be applied to the fulcrum. The magnitude of the moment in adjusted wrench 200′ will be greater the moment applied in wrench 200 because the net force being applied is equal but the lever arm in adjusted wrench 200′ is larger.
Should wrench shaft 130 be disposed within aperture 122b, the magnitude of the moment applied to wrench 200 will still be larger than the moment applied to wrench 200 having wrench shaft 130 disposed in aperture 122a (shown in
The following description should be taken in view of
To tighten a lug nut, or other like nuts, attachment means 132a of chuck 132 (shown in
The following description of
The following description should be taken in view of
In a preferred embodiment, all of the aforementioned components are made of a tempered steel, and it should be appreciated that alternative metal alloys, stainless steel, or an extremely durable plastic, carbon fiber, or polymer could be used for all, or some of the components—in various combinations of the exemplary materials provided above.
In a preferred embodiment, the apertures of a second diameter disposed within the torque bar, as described supra, are of a larger diameter than each spike of the plurality of spikes—allowing the spikes to be inserted into the torque bar and the ground there below, at an angle, thereby increasing the integrity of the ground connection of a “staked” ground anchor (shown in
It should also be appreciated that although the plurality of apertures disposed within the torque are preferrable two different sizes, in alternative embodiments, the plurality of apertures may be the same size. It should be further appreciated that in a preferred embodiment the plurality of apertures are substantially circular, however, alternative shaped-apertures could be utilized, e.g., square, rectangular, oblong, elliptical, etc.
Although the weights are affixed to the torque bar in a preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that in alternative embodiments, the weights could be detachable in order to facilitate a further disassembly of the present invention. The weights also have a secondary purpose of providing handles for a user rotating the adjustable wrench to tighten or loosen a nut (similar to
The plurality of spikes are preferably linear, or straight, however, in alterative embodiments, the plurality of spikes could have a contoured, or curved configuration. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the plurality of spikes have a substantially circular body, or cylindrical, however, alternative shapes may be used, such as square or rectangular shapes, triangular, octagonal, oblong, elliptical, hexagonal, pentagonal, etc.
Although the aforementioned description illustrates a chuck disposed at the first end of the wrench shaft of the adjustable impact wrench, it should be appreciated in alternative embodiments that a socket could be directly fixed, or integral, with the first end of the wrench shaft, thereby removing the need for the chuck and its respective attachment means. Similarly, the handle, disposed on the wrench shaft proximate to the second end of the wrench shaft, could be integral with the wrench shaft and thereby removing the need for the screw aperture disposed within the second end of the wrench shaft. Also similar, the clamp could be fixedly secured on the wrench shaft, thereby removing the need for the restriction nut secured on the wrench shaft in the preferred embodiment.
In further alternative embodiments, the wrench shaft could include a known-in-the-art rachet system, like a socket wrench. The wrench shaft would include a ratcheting mechanism allowing a nut engaged to the chuck to be tightened or loosened with a reciprocating motion, thereby eliminating the need to potentially remove and refit the wrench after each turn in limited-space situations. Such ratcheting mechanism within the wrench shaft would also include a lever on the wrench shaft that is arranged to switch the wrench shaft between a tightening and a loosening configuration.
Thus, it is seen that the objects of the present invention are efficiently obtained, although modifications and changes to the invention should be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art, which modifications are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. It also is understood that the foregoing description is illustrative of the present invention and should not be considered as limiting. Therefore, other embodiments of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
