Patent Application
20130118322
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hand tools, more particularly to hand tools having a functional head formed to function as a screw driver, a socket driver, a pick, or the like and more specifically to a hand tool having more than one such functional head thereon, wherein the functional heads may be interchanged between a working position and a storage position without the requirement of removing the functional head from the tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hand tools generally include one work member that allows a user to engage the tool for one particular use. For example, a hand tool may comprise a screwdriver, having a particular driver or head forming the work member thereon, such as a Phillips head, a flat head or a socket driver head. It is also known to provide a hand tool having interchangeable heads for different functions, wherein a user is faced with a cumbersome process of manually switching out the heads in order to fully utilize the interchangeability feature of the tool. Moreover, when using such a tool, there is a common problem of misplacing, or losing the interchangeable heads, even where the tool itself provides storage for such heads, such as in the handle thereof. Thus, the tool having interchangeable heads becomes, over time, a tool with a dedicated head and thus dedicated function, once all but one of the heads is lost, and, if the last of the interchangeable heads is lost, trash. There is a need for a tool that offers multiple functional heads within one hand tool, wherein the heads are quickly and easily interchanged, but the heads will not become lost or misplaced from the tool.
A hand tool with a work member with multiple heads that can be easily and quickly interchanged is disclosed. The tool may comprise a work member having more than one head configuration thereon, which is rotatably coupled to a shaft, and a sleeve that is axially movable relative to the shaft. As the sleeve is moved axially relative to the shaft, a biasing member on the sleeve engages the work member causing it to be rotated upon the shaft to alternatively position one or the other of at least two functional heads of the work member to be placed into a working position of the tool.
A method of using a hand tool with a work member with multiple heads is also disclosed. To change the position of the heads within the tool, a sleeve located over a shaft is moved in one axial direction relative to the shaft, which biases the work member which causes rotation of the work member which is rotationally coupled to the shaft. The sleeve is then moved in a second axial direction relative to the shaft, which completes rotation of the work member within the shaft to align the second end of the work member to be received within the sleeve as the sleeve continues to move in the second direction, and thereby changes the functional head of the tool from a first head type to a second head type.
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
The hand tool 5 of the present invention is configured to enable a user to select between multiple head types within the same tool without the need to physically remove the head from the hand tool 5. The tool includes a work member 10 having opposed tool heads 26, 28 thereon, and a sleeve 60 and shaft 30 arrangement whereby the reciprocal sliding of the sleeve 60 along the shaft 30 causes the position of tool heads 26, 28 to be interchanged within the tool 5. In the embodiment shown and described herein, this is accomplished by supporting the work member 10 on a pin 20 which spans a clearance gap 11 in the shaft, and the sleeve 60 includes clearance slots 65A, B therein through which the ends of the work member 10, having the tool heads 26, 28 positioned thereon, may pass during interchange of the heads, and a biasing member 70 which causes the work member 10 to pivot on the pin 20 in response to movement of the sleeve 60 with respect to the shaft 30. When the sleeve 60 in moved in a direction away from the handle 80, along the shaft 30 which is secured within the handle 80, the biasing member 70 becomes positioned to engage an end of the work member 10 located or stored within the clearance gap 11 in the shaft 30, and as the sleeve 60 continues to move further along the shaft 30 in the same direction, the opposed end of the work member 10, which has been retracted from a working position by the movement of the sleeve 60 with respect to the shaft 30, is free to swing or pass through the slots 65A, B, and the force exerted by the biasing member 70 causes the work member 10 to rotate on the pin 20, causing the opposed ends thereof to pass through the opposed clearance slots 65A, B. The two clearance slots have different lengths of extension along the sleeve as measured from the handle, such that the end of slot 65A spaced from the handle, or a secondary feature thereon, will engage the shank or side of the work member 10 extending there through as the sleeve 60 is moved in the direction of the handle 80, thereby causing continued rotation of the work member 10 about the shaft 20 to position the previously stored end of the work member into a working position of the tool 5, and the end of the work member 10 which was previously position for use with the tool into a storage position within the clearance gap 11. Thus, the tool user need not locate and load different tool heads into the tool 5 to choose between tool heads. The tool user may simply choose which of the heads 26, 28 provided on the opposed ends of the work member 10 to employ with the tool 5, and merely slide the sleeve 60 back and forth on the shaft 30 in order to employ the particular tool head 26, 28.
An overview of an embodiment of the present invention is indicated in
The sequence of steps to change the tool head configuration between a first head and second head is shown generally in
Referring still to
The arms 35a, b are formed by providing a gap 11 though the body of the shaft, such that generally flat, planer inner faces of each arm 35a, b face one another in a generally parallel relationship. A bias member track 32 extends along the shank 36 from a position on the shaft 30, adjacent to but spaced from the base 31 and terminates at a location wherein gap 11 begins, such that the distance between pin bores 33a, b and the end of the bias member track 32 is at least longer than the length of one half the work member 10 which allows the work member 10 to freely rotate about the pin 20 in the gap 11 without interfering engagement with the bias member track 32.
The bias member track 32 forms a recess in the outer circumference of the shaft 30 within which a biasing member 70, which is held between the sleeve 60 and an outer sleeve 50 via a biasing member fastener 72, bears against the track 32 in a compressed state when the work member 10 of the tool 5 is in one of its working positions. When a user of the tool 5 desires to switch the head of the work member 10 and moves the sleeve 60 away from the handle 80 to do so, the bias member track 32 also serves to guide the biasing member 70 along the shank 36 of the shaft 30 until the free end of the biasing member 70 extends beyond the end of the track 32 and thus engages the stored end of the work member 10 to rotate the work member 10 about the pin 20, as will be described further herein.
A narrow through shaped inlet 34 extends from approximately the middle of the base 31 of the shaft 30 between two of its opposing vertical faces and continues, generally co-linearly with the longitudinal axis of the shank 36 portion of the shaft 30 through the center of the bias member track 32 and terminates short of the end thereof. The inlet 34 is thinner than the width of the biasing member 70, but sufficiently wide enough that the biasing member fastener 72 may extend into the slot 34. When the sleeve 60 is moved away from the handle 80, and the biasing member fastener 72 reaches the end of the inlet 34 located in the bias member track 32, the biasing member fastener 72 and inlet 34 cooperate to prevent the sleeve 60 from moving further away from the handle 80 and thus become disengaged from the tool 5, and positions the longitudinal slots 65A, B in a position to enable the end of the work member to pass through slot 65A. When the sleeve 60 is positioned with the fastener 72 at this end of the inlet 34, the sleeve 60 is at its furthest distance away from the handle 80. Accordingly, the length 34a of the inlet 34 is at least long enough to position the clearance slots 65A, B of the sleeve 60 such that both ends of the work member 10 may freely pass through the clearance slots 65A, B when the sleeve 60 is at its furthest distance away from the handle 80, the shorter of the two slots, slot 65A, defining the proper position of the sleeve 30 in this extended position.
The arms 35a, b of the shaft 30 receive and support the work member 10 there between. The arms 35a, b extend, from the base 31 of the shaft 30 and are spaced apart so that the gap 11 between the arms 35a, b is wider than the width of the work member 10 across opposed flats thereof, to permit rotation of the work member in the gap 11 formed between the two arms 35a, b. The work member 10 is supported between the arms 35a, b on the pin 20, which extends through, and is secured within (such as by a press fit), the work member pin bore 22 positioned through the work member's 10 midsection, and is received, at opposite ends thereof, in arm bores 33a, 33b extending inwardly and through the opposed faces of the arms 35a, b. The pin bore 22 is positioned approximately midway between the terminuses of the two heads 26, 28 of the work member; such that the heads 26, 28 may be pivoted about the pin 20 to selectively position one of the heads 26, 28 through the sleeve bore 67. Alternate embodiments could include other fastening means permitting the work member 10 to rotate between the shaft arms 35.
The work member 10 consists of two heads 26, 28, one at either end of the work member 10. The two heads are preferably different, allowing the tool 5 to serve multiple functions. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the first head 26 of the work member 10 is a Phillips head screwdriver tip and the second head 28 is a flat head screwdriver tip. This is not meant to limit the types of tool heads, and is merely illustrative of one type of work member 10 that could be used in the present tool 5. However, it will be understood that the heads could form any number of head types depending on the needs of a user. For example, the heads could be socket type tools, Allen wrenches, or even screwdriver like tools of different sizes. Any combination of head types are interpreted to be within the scope of the invention so long as they can be located at each end of the work member 10 and are sized to ensure that the heads can pass through the gap 11 between the opposed arms 35a, b of the inner shaft for purposes of interchanging the positions of the heads 26, 28.
To enable automated interchanging of the head 26, 28 positions, the sleeve 60, and biasing member 70, is position able over the shaft 30. The sleeve 60 is configured to provide anti-rotational (in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 30) support to the work member 10 when the work member 10 is positioned for tool use, and to selectively position the biasing member 70 to cause pivoting of the work member about the pin 20 during the interchange of the two heads 26, 28 of the work member 10. In this regard, the sleeve 60 is a generally hollow, cylindrical tube which is sized and configured to be slidingly received over the shaft 30, and it includes, two longitudinal clearance slots 65A, 65B formed on opposing sides thereof. At the end of the sleeve 60 that receives the work member 60, a sleeve bore 67 having a mating cross section of the work member 10 is provided to receive the work member therethrough, in order to prevent rotation of the work member 10 within the sleeve 60 when the work member 10 in a working position 100, 200. The shaft 30 is concentrically disposed within the hollow interior of the sleeve 60.
Referring now to
The biasing member 70 is placed externally on the sleeve 60 immediately below the clearance slot 65A with the shorter opening. The biasing member 70 is secured between the sleeve 60 and an outer sleeve 50. The biasing member 70, such as a leaf or bias spring, is a flexible, preferably metallic, material and is capable of deforming such that one end of the biasing member 70 can remain in a compressed state while on the bias member track 32. When the biasing member 70 is positioned on the bias member track 32, the free end 71 of the biasing member 70 is angled away from the bias member track 32. The angle between the free end 71 of the biasing member 70 and the bias member track 32 enables the biasing member 70 to engage the work member 10 from its side nearest clearance slot 65A when the biasing member 70 engages the work member 10, which occurs when the biasing member 72 is still positioned on the bias member track 32 and when the work member 10 is still in a vertical position within the sleeve 60. Accordingly, when the biasing member 70 has fully traversed the biasing track 32, which occurs when the sleeve 60 moves axially away from the handle 80, the free end 71 of the biasing member 70 engages the (vertical) work member 10 on its side, which ensures that the bias member 70 will be guided over the shank of the work member 10, and not contact against the end of the tool member 10 stored within the gap 11. As the sleeve 60 continues to move axially away from the handle 80, the biasing member 70 may decompress to its free state as it engages the side of the work member 10, and thereby spin or rotate the work member 10 about the pin 20 and through the clearance slots 65A, B in the sleeve 60.
The outer sleeve 50, as discussed above, is attached to the sleeve 60 by means of a biasing member fastener 72, which serves to fasten both the outer sleeve 50 and biasing member 70 to the sleeve 60. The outer sleeve 50, in one embodiment (not shown), can have an external and internal diameter that is equal to or slightly wider than the external diameter of the handle 80, wherein the outer sleeve 50 sits over an outer sleeve rest 82 of the handle. In this configuration, a friction fit may prevent movement of the sleeve 60 and outer sleeve 50 relative to the handle 80. In yet another embodiment, shown in
The handle 80 of the quick change tool 5 includes a threaded bore 85 at one end to receive the shaft connector 40. On the same end of the handle 80, a wider counterbore 87 is present to receive the outer sleeve 50, as discussed above. Alternatively to the counterbore 87 configuration, the external portion of the handle 80 is formed into an outer sleeve rest 82. The outer sleeve rest 82 could consist of multiple grooves such that an outer sleeve 50 can temporarily lock into the handle 80 by means of a friction fit. However, the outer sleeve rest 82 could consist of any means (or no means) to temporarily fix an outer sleeve 50 to the handle 80. In yet a different embodiment, the shaft 30 of the tool 5 and the handle 80 could be integrated into a unitary component.
In summary, the disclosed tool 5 offers the ability for a user to use different heads 26, 28 within one hand tool, which heads are quickly and easily interchanged. Simply stated, to interchange the tool heads, a user need only move the sleeve 60 of the tool 5 axially away from the handle 80 and then back into place on the handle 80.
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
