Patent Application
20090007731
The present invention generally relates to a fixing structure of direction switch buttons for a reversible wrench, and more particularly to a wrench with two direction switch buttons that are equipped with a quick positioning structure in-between, with cooperation of the two direction switch buttons and the inserting structure on the wrench, the two direction switch buttons can be positioned and integrated into one piece while they insert into the wrench.
Conventional wrenches are provided with a direction switch including two direction control members that are actuated simultaneously. There are many prior arts approved, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,477, in which both sides of a driving portion of a wrench are each equipped with a direction control member respectively, and a coupling means is provided between the direction control members to allow simultaneous actuation thereof. The structure of the coupling means has many embodiments, in which the two direction control members are equipped with structures that are operatively connected with each other, through a penetrating bore to connect into a structure of simultaneous actuation on the wrench. Such structures have shortcomings, which are:
1. The structured of the direction control members are too complicated to be formed easily: because the direction control members must have the structures matched with each other, therefore, the structures of the direction control members are too complicated, which are not only hard to be formed but also high cost of manufacture, it is necessary to be improved.
2. Limited stability of connection: because the direction control member s are formed into a structure of connection with each other, the strength of the connection is extremely limited, there is the shortcoming of coming off after an impact, therefore, the whole direction control structure is unable to be operated efficiently, which will affect the lifetime of the whole structure.
This case has another embodiments, in which after the connection of the two direction control members, which are screwed together by a screw. However the structure of the screw connection needs to dispose a through hole and an inner-threaded hole on the direction control members respectively, so that the screw can pass through one direction control member and fasten the other direction control member together, so as to connect the two direction control members into a structure of simultaneous actuation. Such structure still has shortcomings, which are:
1. The structure and assembly are still too complicated: after the two direction control members are connected together, which need to be screwed, that has not only the forementioned shortcomings but also the complication of assembly, therefore, which consumes unnecessary cost of labor and assembly structure, it needs to be improved.
2. The screw connection is unstable: because the place of using the wrench might have not only high frequency of shaking but also greasiness, the screw is easy to loosen due to the shaking, and furthermore the location of the screw is easy to cause unnecessary contamination due to the greasiness, so that while the direction control members are damaged, which are hard to exchange efficiently and instantly, it is inconvenient to use.
Being aware of the shortcomings mentioned above, to have a wrench with two direction switch buttons that is more fast and convenient to fix the direction switch buttons, and more stable on the structure of connection to achieve the best state of use, the inventor develops a fixing structure of direction switch buttons that is fulfilled the requirements mentioned above.
The main objective of the present invention is to provide a fixing structure of direction switch buttons for a reversible wrench. In which an elastic button-fixing device is provided between the two direction switch buttons, with cooperation of button-restricting portions on the relative locations of the wrench and location-restricting portions of the two direction switch buttons, so that the two direction switch buttons are positioned on the relative locations of the wrench by the method of insertion. In addition with the elastic button-fixing device, the objective of fast positioning of the direction switch buttons is achieved.
The other objective of the present invention is to provide a fixing structure of direction switch buttons for a reversible wrench. In which an elastic button-fixing device is provided between the two direction switch buttons, the button-fixing device comprises an actuating member and a restoring member. The two ends of the actuating member are wedged into the two direction switch buttons respectively. The actuating member possesses elasticity by means of the restoring member, so that the two direction switch buttons can be inserted into the relative locations of the wrench in order and actuated together by the actuating member. The objectives of simplification of the whole structure and fast assembly are achieved.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings that show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to
The wrench 10 is disposed with button-restricting portions 122 with given thicknesses relative to the direction switch buttons 21. The given thicknesses of the button-restricting portions 122 are formed with button-accommodating portions 123 penetrated horizontally into the receiving portion 121 for the direction switch buttons 21 to insert horizontally along the surfaces of the handle 11. With the cooperation of the button-fixing device A of the direction switch device 20, the two direction switch buttons 21 can be positioned firmly and quickly.
The driving portion 12 of the wrench 10 is disposed with a through hole of containing portion 124 relative to the centers of the direction switch buttons 21 for accommodating the button-fixing device A of the direction switch device 20. The driving portion 12 of the wrench 10 is also disposed with at least one shallow hole of positioning portion 125 and one positioning device 30 for fixing the direction controlled by the direction switch buttons 21. The containing portion 124 can be equipped with a smaller diameter of stopping portion 126 on one end thereof for the button-fixing device A to push against.
Mainly, the direction switch device 20 has two opposite direction switch buttons 21, and the button-fixing device A is provided between the two direction switch buttons 21. The button-fixing device A is arranged inside the containing portion 124 of the driving portion 12 of the wrench 10.
The two direction switch buttons 21 are equipped with tails for an operator to switch with fingers and discs of location-restricting portions 210 that can insert into the button-accommodating portions 123 horizontally. Parts of the location-restricting potions 210 reach to the receiving portion 121 to control the urging pawl 14, which are conventional structures and not the features of the present invention, so that further description is superfluous.
The location-restricting portions 210 of the two direction control buttons 21 each has a polygonal button-fixing portion 211 on the center of the opposite side for the button-fixing device A to be wedged into and to drive together with, and a semicircular fixing portion 212 next to the button-fixing portion 211 for the positioning device 30 to be wedged into elastically and be positioned.
The forementioned button-fixing device A includes mainly an actuating member 22 and a restoring member 23 cooperated with the actuating member 22 to be wedged into the two direction switch buttons 21 elastically. The actuating member 22 is formed as a cylinder and two ends of the actuating member 22 are equipped with polyhedrons of button-actuating portions 220 relative to the button-fixing portions 211. The button-actuating portions 220 can be wedged into the button-fixing portions 211 to drive the two direction switch buttons 21. The cylinder between two button-actuating portions 220 of the actuating member 22 is formed with a disc of urging portion 222 with large diameter near one of the button-actuating portions 220 for one end of the spiral restoring member 23 to push against with. The other end of the restoring member 23 pushes against the stopping portion 126 to provide the actuating member 22 the strength of wedging elastically with the direction switch button 21.
The containing portion 124 of the wrench 10 can be as shown in
The length of the actuating member 22 is slightly shorter than the length of two button-fixing portions 211 plus the containing portion 124, therefore, to install the direction switch buttons 21, first to put the actuating member 22 and the restoring member 23 of the button-fixing device A into the containing portion 124. Then, as shown in
The forementioned positioning device 30 comprises a ball of positioning member 31 and a spiral spring of urging member 32 relative to the positioning portion 125, so that the positioning member 31 is able to be wedged into the fixing portion 212 of the direction switch button 21 elastically, so as to fix the direction switch button 21 at the direction that the operator chose.
Via the forementioned structures of the button-fixing device A and the related structures of the wrench 10, the direction switch device 20 can reach the functions and purposes exactly as follows:
1. Structure simplified: via the button-fixing device A consisting of the actuating member 22 and the restoring member 23, and the arrangement of the button-accommodating portion 123 and button-restricting portion 122, the direction switch buttons 21 just need to be installed in order, the structures are very simplified and the cost is extremely limited, which is a low cost and high efficiency structure.
2. Positioning exactly: via the button-fixing device A wedging elastically into the two direction switch buttons 21, which is fast and convenient to install, position and drive together; after the installation of the structure, the two direction switch buttons 21 are unable to withdraw so that the structure is extremely stable and precise, the lifetime is extremely long, and there is no shortcoming of coming off, which is more superior than the conventional structure.
The button-fixing device A of the present invention has different embodiments, as shown in
The present invention can also be the structure as shown in
While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
