Example embodiments generally relate to hand tools and, in particular, relate to a ratchet, wrench or other hand tool having a flexible head that can be locked in either an adjusted position, or in an adjustable position.
Hand tools are commonly used across all aspects of industry and in the homes and workshops of consumers. Hand tools are employed for multiple applications including, for example, fastener tightening, component joining, and/or the like. For some fastener tightening applications, such as those involved in tightening of hex headed nuts or bolts, an open-end, box-end or combination wrench may be employed. Open-end wrenches typically have a head portion that has a U-shaped opening to grip opposing sides of the nut or bolt disposed at one or both ends of a shaft (or handle). Box-end wrenches instead have a head portion that has an enclosed opening to grip faces of the nut or bolt at one or both ends of the shaft. Meanwhile, combination wrenches have an open-end wrench head at one end and a box-end wrench head at the other end of the shaft.
Other types of wrenches are also possible, including wrenches that have a head portion configured with jaws that are adjustable relative to each other (e.g., to fit different sizes of fastener), or wrenches that have a head portion with a square drive configured to engage a socket. For some cases, in order to provide the ability to accurately apply torque, a class of hand tools referred to generally as torque wrenches have been developed. Torque wrenches are calibrated devices that enable the operator to know when a particular torque is reached. The means by which the operator is informed of the fact that the particular torque has been reached can vary with corresponding different types of torque wrenches.
For some of the different types of wrenches described above, ratcheting assemblies may be provided to enable the operator to continue to turn a fastener without removing and reorienting the wrench relative to the fastener. Such ratcheting assemblies are often placed in the head portion of box-end wrenches or wrenches configured to drive sockets. When a wrench employs a ratcheting assembly, the wrench may be referred to as a ratchet wrench or simply as a ratchet.
The head portions of many of the wrenches described above may be flared (e.g., angled relative to the longitudinal centerline of the shaft). However, having a fixed angle may be limiting in some case, thus some wrenches may be designed to be flexible (e.g., having a flexible head portion) to enable different angles to be achieved for the head portion relative to the longitudinal centerline of the shaft. Particularly for wrenches or ratchets that have a flexible head portion, the cost and complexity of designing the flexible head portion can be prohibitive. Thus, it may be desirable to provide improved designs that can be easy for operators to use, but also provide low cost and complexity for production and maintenance.
Some example embodiments may enable the provision of an improved sliding flexible interface between the head portion and the shaft of a hand tool (e.g., a wrench or ratchet).
In an example embodiment, a hand tool may be provided. The hand tool may include a head portion configured to interface with a fastener, a shaft having a grip portion at which an operator is enabled to hold the hand tool during operation, and a flexible interface configured to operably couple the shaft and the head portion in a locked state and an unlocked state, and to enable the head portion to pivot relative to the shaft about a pivot axis that extends substantially perpendicular to a direction of extension of the shaft. In the unlocked state, an angle of the head portion is pivotable relative to the pivot axis and, in the locked state, the angle of the head portion is fixed. The flexible interface includes a retention assembly and a locking assembly including an actuator. The actuator may be configured to move in a direction substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis to operate the locking assembly to transition between the locked state and the unlocked state, and configured to move in a direction substantially parallel to the pivot axis to operate the retention assembly to retain hand tool in the unlocked state.
In another example embodiment, a flexible interface for a hand tool may be provided. The flexible interface may operably couple a head portion and a shaft of the hand tool. The flexible interface may include a locking assembly and a retention assembly. The locking assembly may include an actuator having a locked state for the hand tool and an unlocked state for the hand tool. In the unlocked state, an angle of the head portion may be pivotable relative to a pivot axis substantially perpendicular to a direction of extension of the shaft and, in the locked state, the angle of the head portion is fixed. The actuator may be configured to move in a direction substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis to operate the locking assembly to transition between the locked state and the unlocked state, and configured to move in a direction substantially parallel to the pivot axis to operate the retention assembly to retain hand tool in the unlocked state.
Having thus described some example embodiments in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Some example embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all example embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described and pictured herein should not be construed as being limiting as to the scope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” is to be interpreted as a logical operator that results in true whenever one or more of its operands are true. As used herein, operable coupling should be understood to relate to direct or indirect connection that, in either case, enables functional interconnection of components that are operably coupled to each other.
As indicated above, some example embodiments may relate to improvements to the design of a hand tool with a flexible head portion.
In an example embodiment, the flexible interface 130 may further include a locking assembly 150 that is structured to define a locked state in which the head 110 is retained at a fixed angle relative to the shaft 120. The fixed angle may be any angle in the full range of possible angles from no pivoting (i.e., alignment with the shaft 120) to maximum angular difference from the shaft 120. The locking assembly 150 may also have an unlocked state in which the head 110 is free to pivot relative to the shaft 120. As shown in
The unlocked state may, for many tools, be merely a transient state. In this regard, many tools may provide biasing to place the locking assembly (if included) in the locked state. Thus, for example, using the actuator 152 in connection with a conventional hand tool with a flexible head would typically keep the tool in the unlocked state only for as long as the operator manually holds the actuator 152 against the biasing provided. However, the hand tool 100 of an example embodiment may include a retention assembly 160 that is configured to enable the locking assembly 150 (and/or the actuator 152) to be retained in the unlocked state. In this regard, some example embodiments (although not all) may design the actuator 152 to be biased to return to the locked state, thereby making the unlocked state temporary (or requiring operator interaction in order to maintain the unlocked state). Accordingly, in some cases, the actuator 152 may be operable to move in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal centerline 122 to transition between the locked state and the unlocked state, and may move in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline 122 to operate the retention assembly 160 to retain hand tool 100 in the unlocked state.
As can be appreciated from the descriptions above, the flexible interface 130 may take a number of forms from a structural perspective. Thus, the locking assembly 150, the actuator 152 and the retention assembly 160 may also take a number of different forms.
The head portion 210 may be operably coupled to a first end (e.g., a proximal end) of a shaft 220. A handle portion 222 (or grip portion) may be disposed proximate to a second end (e.g., a distal end) of the shaft 220. A longitudinal centerline 224 or axis of the shaft 220 may also form a longitudinal centerline or axis of the hand tool 200. The shaft 220, the head portion 210, and various other portions of the hand tool 200 may be made of steel or another extremely strong material. The handle portion 222 may be made of steel as well, and have a knurled outer periphery that enhances the ability of the operator to grip the shaft 220 effectively. However, the handle portion 222 could alternatively be made of a different material that is slid over the shaft 220 in some cases. Although not required, the first end of the shaft 220 may have a transition region 226 that may be shaped to have a width and a thickness that is substantially similar to a width and a thickness of the body 216 of the head portion 210. Thus, for example, the transition region 226 may be substantially flat on top and bottom sides thereof, and may be wider than other portions of the shaft 220.
The first end of the shaft 220 (i.e., the transition region 226) may be operably (and pivotally) attached to the head portion 210 via structures that form an example of the flexible interface 130 of
Meanwhile, the transition region 226 may include a receiving slot 240 formed between two shoulder members 242 that extend substantially parallel to the direction of extension of the longitudinal centerline 224 on opposite sides of the receiving slot 240. The shoulder members 242 may each include a pivot orifice 244 formed therein, and the pivot orifices 244 of each shoulder member 242 may align with each other and extend substantially perpendicular to the direction of extension of the longitudinal centerline 224. A diameter of the pivot orifices 244 may be substantially equal to a diameter of the pivot channel 234. The neck 230 may be inserted into the receiving slot 240, between the shoulder members 242, and the pivot orifices 244 may be aligned with the pivot channel 234. A pivot pin 246 may then be passed through each of the pivot orifices 244 and the pivot channel 234.
The pivot pin 246 may have a diameter slightly smaller than the diameters of the pivot orifices 244 and the pivot channel 234 to permit the head portion 210 to pivot freely about the pivot pin 246. Although other fixing methods may be employed, in one example embodiment, the pivot pin 246 may have a threaded connection to just one of the pivot orifices 244. A longitudinal centerline of the pivot pin 246 may form the pivot axis 225 about which the head portion 210 is then allowed to pivot relative to the shaft 220. As shown in
Thus, in general terms, the neck 230, the shoulder members 242 and the pivot pin 246 may form portions of the flexible interface 130 shown in
An actuator 250 (or button), shown in
The slide member 252 may be located at a top surface or portion of the transition region 226, and the button shaft 254 may extend into the transition region 226 to engage a locking pin 260. Thus, the actuator 250 may interface with the locking pin 260, which includes one or more engagement projections 262 that selectively engage the teeth 232 of the rounded portion of the neck 230 to transition the hand tool 200 between the locked state and the unlocked state. In an example embodiment, the locking pin 260 may be disposed in a locking pin channel 264 formed in the transition region 226 of the shaft 220. The locking pin channel 264 may extend from the receiving slot 240 rearward along the longitudinal centerline 224 toward an actuator cavity 270 formed in the top surface of the transition region 226. The actuator 250 may therefore be movable (between locked and unlocked positions, as well as a transition position) within the actuator cavity 270 based on the operator repositioning the slide member 252. The portion of the top surface of the transition region 226 over which the actuator 250 (and particularly the slide member 252) may slide, may be referred to as a slide zone 280. The slide zone 280 may be flat and, in some cases, may be slightly recessed relative to the rest of the top surface of the transition region 226.
In some embodiments, the locking pin 260 may be biased toward engagement with the neck 230 by a biasing member (e.g., locking spring 266). In this regard, the engagement projections 262 may be urged into contact with the teeth 232 by the force exerted by the locking spring 266 in a direction toward the neck 230 as shown by arrow 268 in
Referring to
Meanwhile, as best shown in
When the operator wishes to change the angle of the head portion 210, the operator may slide the actuator 250 in the direction of arrow 350 (i.e., parallel to the longitudinal centerline 224 and rearward relative to the head portion 210 and perpendicular to the pivot axis 225) to the transient unlocked position 342 of
All that being said, example embodiments do enable the operator to achieve the unlocked state in a stable and persistent way by providing the retained unlocked position 344. In this regard, when the operator moves the actuator 250 perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline 244 (e.g., to the right in this example) in the direction of arrow 352, the button shaft 254 moves in the retaining channel 310 and in the retaining slot 324. The operator can then release the actuator 250 and the force of the locking spring 266 will again urge the locking pin 260 in the direction of arrow 268. However, since the button shaft 254 is in the retaining channel 310 and in the retaining slot 324, the locking pin 260 is merely retained in its position in the locking pin channel 264 instead of moving forward in the direction of arrow 268. As such, the locking spring 266 cannot achieve engagement between the engagement projections 262 and the teeth 232 so that the head portion 210 stays flexible and pivotable relative to the shaft 220. The unlocked state is therefore non-transient and the actuator 250 stays in the unlocked position (i.e., is retained there) until the operator manually moves the actuator 250 to the transient unlocked position 342 (or directly to the locked position 340). As noted above, the operator can take the actuator 250 to the transient unlocked position 342 and release the actuator 250, and the locking spring 266 will urge the locking pin 260 forward to achieve the locked position 340 automatically.
As noted above, the structures shown in
Referring now to
Although there are or may be only small physical changes in the structures of these components, they may otherwise function in similar manner to the descriptions provided above except for the locking pin 260′ due to the different shape of the actuation slot 320′. In this regard, the actuation slot 320′ of
As can be appreciated from the example of
The hand tool and/or its components such as the flexible interface may include a number of modifications, augmentations, or optional additions, some of which are described herein. These modifications, augmentations or optional additions may be included in any combination. For example, the actuator may include a slide button that is disposed in an actuator cavity that extends through a proximal end of the shaft relative to the head portion substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis. In an example embodiment, the actuator cavity may be an L shaped cavity having a locking channel extending in the direction substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis and also having a retaining channel extending in the direction substantially parallel to the pivot axis. In some cases, the locking assembly may include a locking pin disposed in a locking pin channel extending substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis. The locking pin may be movable in the locking pin channel to either place the locking pin into contact with a neck of the head portion to prevent the head portion from pivoting and defining the locked state or remove the locking pin from contact with the neck to enable the head portion to pivot and defining the unlocked state. In an example embodiment, the locking assembly may further include a locking spring disposed in the locking pin channel. The locking spring may urge the locking pin into contact with the neck when the actuator is aligned for movement in the locking channel. The locking spring may be prevented from causing contact between the locking pin and the neck when the actuator is moved into the retaining channel. In some cases, the actuator may be in a locked position corresponding to the locked state when the actuator is in the locking channel and the locking spring causes contact between the locking pin and the neck. The actuator may be in a transient unlocked position corresponding to the unlocked state when manually held against a force of the locking spring while in the locking channel, and may be in a retained unlocked position corresponding to the unlocked state when moved in the retaining channel away from the locking channel. In an example embodiment, the locking pin may include an actuation slot having a locking channel that extends substantially parallel to the locking channel and a retaining slot that extends substantially parallel to the retaining channel. In some cases, the neck may extend into a reception slot formed at the proximal end of the shaft. The neck may have a rounded periphery with a plurality of teeth, and the locking pin may include one or more engagement protrusions configured to engage the teeth of the neck. In an example embodiment, the locking pin may include an actuation slot comprising a retaining slot that extends substantially parallel to the retaining channel. In some cases, the locking assembly and retention assembly may be manually operated to transition between the locked state and unlocked state.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain exemplary combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. In cases where advantages, benefits or solutions to problems are described herein, it should be appreciated that such advantages, benefits and/or solutions may be applicable to some example embodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, any advantages, benefits or solutions described herein should not be thought of as being critical, required or essential to all embodiments or to that which is claimed herein. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CN2021/074127 | 1/28/2021 | WO |