Patent Application
20100147117
The present invention is generally related to a hand tool, and more particularly to a connection device for connecting with a socket.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,006,632 and 6,003,414 of this applicant disclose conventional socket connection devices. The socket connection device includes a connecting rod having an insertion end for connecting with a socket by means of insertion. The connecting rod is formed with an internal axial slide passage. A slide rod is disposed on the slide passage and slidable along the slide passage. The insertion end of the connecting rod is formed with a radial through hole in communication with the slide passage. A steel ball is received in the through hole. The slide rod has a slope corresponding to the steel ball. In normal state, a resilient member urges the slide rod to push the steel ball outward, whereby the steel ball partially protrudes out of the through hole.
When connecting a socket with the connection device, a user needs to first press or pull the slide rod to drop the steel ball to the bottom end of the slope without protruding from the connecting rod. Thereafter, the insertion end of the connecting rod can be inserted into a fitting hole of the socket. Then the slide rod is released from the pressing or pulling force and the resilient member pushes the slide rod back to its home position. At this time, the slope of the slide rod again pushes the steel ball outward, whereby the steel ball again partially protrudes out of the through hole to engage with a wall of the fitting hole of the socket. Under such circumstance, the socket is connected with the connection device without detachment.
When releasing the socket, the user needs to again press or pull the slide rod away from the steel ball, permitting the steel ball to move into the connecting rod without engaging with the socket. Under such circumstance, the socket can be taken off.
The conventional connection device is able to engage with the socket and release the socket. However, no matter when connecting the socket with the connection device or disconnecting the socket therefrom, a user needs to perform a pressing or pulling operation. This is inconvenient in use of the connection device.
It is impossible to forcedly insert the insertion end of the connecting rod into the fitting hole of the socket without pressing or pulling the slide rod. The steel ball and the slope of the slide rod are point-to-point in contact with each other by small contact area. Therefore, the action force is concentrated to the point and it is hard to push and slide the slide rod via the steel ball.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a connection device for connecting with a socket. The socket can be directly connected with the connection device without any pressing or pulling operation.
According to the above object, the connection device of the present invention includes: a main body having a front end as an insertion end; a slide rod mounted in an axial slide passage of the main body and slidable along the slide passage; a slope being formed on a front end of the slide rod; and an engaging column mounted in a through hole formed on a circumference of the main body. A contact face is formed at a bottom end of the engaging column. The contact face snugly attaches to the slope of the slide rod. In normal state, the slide rod is resiliently urged by a resilient member, whereby the slope approaches and pushes the engaging column outward to protrude a top end of the engaging column out of the main body.
The engaging column and the slide rod are face-to-face in contact with each other. When the socket is fitted onto the main body to touch the engaging column, the action force is effectively transferred from the engaging column to the slide rod to make the slope thereof move away from the engaging column. At this time, the top end of the engaging column can be moved into the main body to complete connection of the socket with the connection device.
The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:
Please refer to
As exemplified with the connection device 10 shown in
A slide rod 30 mounted in the slide passage 24 of the main body 20 and slidable along the slide passage. The slide rod 30 has a front end as a driving end 32. A slope 34 is formed on the driving end corresponding to the through hole 26. A resilient member 35 is disposed in the main body 20. One end of the resilient member 35 abuts against a rear end of the slide rod. When free from any external force, the resilient member 35 keeps the slide rod moving to an engaging position where the slope 34 is moving toward the through hole 26. In this embodiment, the slide rod 30 tends to move toward the insertion end 22.
A user can operate and move the slide rod 30 to a releasing position. For example, the connection device 10 has a linking mechanism 15. The linking mechanism 15 includes a pull collar 16 fitted on an outer circumference of the main body 20 and a pin 17. A first end of the pin 17 is inserted in the pull collar 16. A second end of the pin 17 extends into a cavity 27 of the main body and is inserted in the slide rod 30. When pulling the pull collar 16 backward, the slide rod is driven and moved backward.
The connection device 10 further includes an engaging column 40. The engaging column 40 is a column body such as a cylinder or a polygonal prism. A contact face 42, which is a slope in this embodiment, is formed at a bottom end (rear side) of the engaging column. The engaging column 40 is mounted in the through hole 26 of the main body 20 and is displaceable along the through hole 26. The contact face 42 of the bottom end of the engaging column snugly attaches to and contacts with the slope 34 of the slide rod 30. A rear section of top end of the engaging column 40 is cut off to form a recess 45. Accordingly, relative to the rear section, a front section (g) of the top end of the engaging column protrudes upward. A front edge of the top end of the engaging column is a pressed face 46 gradually uprising from a front side to a rear side. Preferably, the pressed face 46 is an arced face or a slope. Also, a rear side of the front section (g) is formed as a sidewall 47. The sidewall and the pressed face 46 contain an angle 48. In normal state, the slide rod 30 pushes the engaging column 40 outward to protrude the top end of the engaging column out of the main body.
Besides, a second resilient member can be arranged between the main body and the engaging column. The second resilient member resiliently abuts against the engaging column, whereby the engaging column tends to move inward. It should be noted that the resilience of the second resilient member is such that the second resilient member will not hinder the resilient member 35 from pushing the slide rod.
Referring to
When the socket is further pushed to move a dent 54 formed on a wall of a fitting hole 52 of the socket to a position above the engaging column 40, the engaging column is released from the press of the socket. Under such circumstance, the resilient member 35 pushes the slide rod 30 and makes the slope 34 approach the engaging column. At this time, the engaging column is pushed upward and the top end of the engaging column extends into the dent 54 of the socket to latch the socket as shown in
When it is desired to take off the socket, a user must pull the pull collar 16 backward to drive the slide rod 30 to the releasing position as shown in
In use of the present invention, a user only needs to fit the socket onto the connection device to latch the connection with the socket. Accordingly, the socket can be connected with the connection device in a simple manner without any other operation step (such as pulling the linking mechanism 15). When taking off the socket, the user needs to perform an operation step, that is, pulling the linking mechanism, to separate the socket 50 from the connection device 10.
In the second embodiment as shown in
When releasing the socket, as shown in
When a socket is fitted onto the insertion end 82 of the main body 80, the action force (F) of the socket acts on the engaging column 100. In this state, a component force (f) of the action force pushes the engaging column 100 inward. The direction of the component force (f) is approximately or exactly the same as the axial direction of the through hole 86. Accordingly, the engaging column 100 can be more easily pushed and displaced to facilitate operation. Similarly, the slide rod 90 can push the engaging column 100 outward with less force.
According to the present invention, the socket can be directly connected and latched with the connection device simply by means of insertion without any other operation step. Therefore, the use of the connection device is facilitated.
The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention, not intended to limit the scope thereof. Many modifications of the above embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
