Claims
- 1. A socket and wrench combination comprising:
a wrench socket having first locking means on its exterior surface; a wrench for receiving said wrench socket and having second locking means for cooperating with said first locking means of said socket to positively lock said socket to said wrench; and, socket retention means for holding said socket in place to restrict outward movement of said socket in said wrench when said socket is positively locked to said wrench.
- 2. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said socket retention means is provided by a permanent magnet mounted in said wrench which magnetically holds said socket in place to restrict outward movement of said socket along its rotational axis.
- 3. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said socket retention means is provided by a member mounted in said wrench which is selected from the group of a wire, flexible grommet and spring loaded ball.
- 4. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second locking means cooperate to positively lock said socket to said wrench at least 90% of the time as the socket is rotated relative to the wrench head during normal use of the wrench.
- 5. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second locking means cooperate to positively lock said socket to said wrench 100% of the time as the socket is rotated relative to the wrench head during normal use of the wrench.
- 6. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein:
said first locking means includes a groove provided in said exterior surface of said socket which is axially aligned about said socket's longitudinal rotational axis; and said second locking means includes one or more section(s) of said wrench for being received in said groove when said socket is received by the wrench, said groove and section(s) received therein cooperating to positively lock said socket to said wrench.
- 7. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein said permanent magnet magnetically pulls said socket into said wrench when said socket is inserted in said wrench.
- 8. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein:
said first locking means includes a groove provided in said exterior surface of said socket which is axially aligned about said socket's longitudinal rotational axis, said groove also having one or more side openings; and said second locking means includes one or more sections of said wrench for being received in said groove through said groove's side opening(s) when said socket is rotated relative to said wrench, said groove and section(s) received therein cooperating to positively lock said socket to said wrench except when said section (s) align with said groove's side opening(s) at which point(s) said socket may be removed from said wrench.
- 9. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 8 wherein said sections are rigidly affixed to said wrench.
- 10. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 8 wherein said socket retention means includes a permanent magnet built into said wrench for magnetically attracting said socket to hold said socket in place when said socket is positively locked to said wrench.
- 11. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein:
said first locking means includes a pair of first and second annular grooves provided in said exterior surface of said socket which are separated by a central ridge, said first groove having one or more first side openings for accessing said first groove from one side of said first groove and one or more second side openings for accessing said first groove from its other opposite side, said second side openings being defined by said central ridge and also providing access to said second groove; and said second locking means includes one or more sections of said wrench for being received in said first and second grooves through said grooves' first and second side opening(s) when said socket is inserted into and rotated relative to the wrench, said grooves and section(s) received therein cooperating to positively lock said socket to said wrench.
- 12. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 11 wherein said first and second side openings are located from about 69 to about 90 degrees from each other as measured along the circumference of said socket.
- 13. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein said permanent magnet is a rare earth magnet.
- 14. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 13 wherein said rare earth magnet includes neodymium.
- 15. A socket and wrench combination as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an elongated socket extension having said first locking means on its exterior surface.
- 16. A socket and ratchet wrench combination of the type for receiving and allowing an externally threaded member to pass through said socket as the nut is driven on the threaded member with said ratchet wrench comprising:
a pass through wrench socket having first locking means on its exterior surface; and, a pass through ratchet wrench for receiving said wrench socket and having second locking means for cooperating with said first locking means of said socket to positively lock said socket to said wrench; and a permanent magnet built into said ratchet wrench for magnetically attracting said socket to hold said socket in place when it is positively locked to said wrench.
- 17. A socket and ratchet wrench combination comprising:
a wrench socket having a driving end defining a drive socket cavity for engagingly receiving a nut and the like to be driven and a driven end defining a through hole passageway in communication with said drive socket cavity for receiving and allowing an externally threaded member to pass through said socket as the nut is driven on the threaded member with said ratchet wrench, said wrench socket also having first locking means on its exterior surface; and, a ratchet wrench including:
an elongated wrench body; a ratchet wheel having an outer rim defining detents and an inner cut-out axially aligned about the rotational axis of said wheel for engagably receiving said driven end of said wrench socket, said cut-out extending through said ratchet wheel to allow an externally threaded member to pass there through as a nut is driven on the threaded member with said ratchet wrench and said socket; floating pawl means; said wrench body defining a chamber in which said ratchet wheel is received for rotation relative to said wrench body, said wrench body also defining pocket means opening into said chamber for receiving said floating pawl means, said ratchet wheel rim defining said detents and said pocket means being sized and configured to facilitate movement of said floating pawl means into a drive position when said wrench body is rotated in a first direction relative to said ratchet wheel, said sizing and configuring also facilitating the release of said floating pawl means from the drive position when said wrench body is rotated in a second opposite direction, said floating pawl means when in the drive position being sandwiched between a detent of said ratchet wheel rim and said pocket means to prevent said wrench body and said ratchet wheel from rotating relative to each other, said floating pawl means when released permitting said wrench body and said ratchet wheel to rotate relative to each other; magnet means for facilitating movement of said floating pawl means into the drive position when said wrench body is rotated in the first direction, said magnet means also providing magnetic force for holding said socket in said cut-out of said ratchet wheel; and, second locking means for cooperating with said first locking means of said socket to positively lock said socket to said wrench, said first and second locking means cooperating to positively lock said socket to said wrench when said first and second locking means are moved in a predetermined manner relative to each other after said socket is received by said wrench.
- 18. A socket and ratchet wrench combination as claimed in claim 17 further comprising socket retention means for holding said socket in place to prevent outward movement of said socket in said wrench when said socket is positively locked to said wrench.
- 19. A socket and ratchet wrench combination as claimed in claim 18 wherein said socket retention means is provided by a permanent magnet mounted in said wrench.
- 20. A socket and ratchet wrench combination as claimed in claim 18 wherein said socket retention means is provided by a member mounted in said wrench which is selected from the group of a wire, flexible grommet and spring loaded ball.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a nonprovisional application claiming the benefit under 35 USC 119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/184,967, filed on Feb. 25, 2000.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60184967 |
Feb 2000 |
US |