Patent Application
20060000320
In the art of working on underground pipes, it has been conventional for workers to dig a hole to access the pipe beneath ground, with the hole being of sufficient size that workers can get down into the hole, to work on the underground pipe. Frequently, the underground pipe is on the order of 4 feet below the ground surface, such that the hole must first be excavated, and such excavation must be sufficient in amount to allow one or more workers to enter the hole and have sufficient room to work on the underground pipe.
Depending upon the depth of the pipe beneath the ground surface, the usual process requires excavation of large amounts of earth, causing considerable disruption to the surrounding landscape.
The present invention is directed to providing a ratchet wrench tool assembly for working on various sized nuts, bolts and the like associated with underground pipes, wherein the pipes are at a sufficient distance below ground to accomplish their purpose, generally being below the frost line, and often at a depth of approximately 4 feet.
In accordance with the present invention, the tool assembly of this invention is adapted to operate through a relatively small hole at the ground surface, generally on the order of 18 inches, notwithstanding that the underground water, gas, main, or other pipe may be at a level below ground of up to 4 feet or more.
The present invention is directed to a ratchet wrench tool assembly and a process of using it, for working on various sized nuts, bolts and the like associated with underground pipes, through a small hole at the ground surface, and wherein the ratchet mechanism associated with the tool assembly, while being at a location below ground proximate the location of the pipe to be worked on, such ratchet mechanism can be driven from above ground.
Also, in accordance with this invention, different sized wrench heads may be used, for accommodating different sized nuts, bolts or the like.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a novel ratchet wrench tool assembly for working on pipes below ground, through a small hole at the surface of the ground.
It is another object of this invention to accomplish the above object, through a given elongate handle member that is actuable from above ground, and which may employ any of a desired number of selected wrench heads, depending upon the size of the nut or bolt or the like with which the ratchet wrench is to be used, below ground.
It is another object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, wherein the ratchet wrench tool assembly employs a spring-loaded ratchet pawl and a drive rod.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a plurality of processes, by which underground work on pipes may be accomplished through the use of a ratchet wrench tool assembly as described above.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent upon a reading of the following brief descriptions of the drawing figures, the detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments, and the appended claims.
Referring now to the drawings in detail, reference is first made to
A ratchet wrench tool assembly in accordance with this invention is generally designated by the numeral 13, and is shown in the hole 10. The tool assembly 13 includes an elongate handle member 14 extending from its upper end 15, to its lower end 16.
Placed along the handle member 14, at a plurality of locations, are a plurality of clamps 17, clampingly engaging the outer surface of the handle member 14, and which carry an elongate release rod 18.
As can be seen more clearly in
The plate assembly 20 has a pivotal ratchet mount plate 21, pivotally mounted thereto, via a rotatable shaft 23, and carries a toothed ratchet 24 mounted to the pivotal mount 21, for pivotal movement therewith, through an arc that ranges from 0° to 180°, relative to the fixed plate 35 carried by the lower end of handle member 14.
The ratchet mount plate 21, in turn, carries a wrench head 25, bolted thereto, by bolts 26, and is open ended as shown at 27 between spaced-apart jaws 29 to allow for clearance over a pipe, around a-bolt head 28, as shown, at the end of underground pipe 30, or the like. Teeth 31 on the wrench head 25 engage a bolt head, nut or the like 28, in a conventional manner.
The toothed ratchet 24 has a plurality of teeth 32, to be engaged by a pawl 33, pivotally carried via pivot shaft 34, that, in turn, is carried by the fixed plate 35.
The pawl 33 is spring-urged toward a counter-clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow 36 in
At the upper end of the release rod 18, there is a release button 44, as shown in
Thus, it will be understood that the spring 37 normally urges the pawl 33 into engagement with a pawl tooth 32, and that, when it is desired to tighten or untighten a bolt, nut or the like 28, for example, the handle 14 may be engaged at the upper end and moved in a pivotal direction, back, and forth, as shown, between the two phantom positions therefore shown in
Thus, the wrench assembly may be used to turn a bolt, nut or the like 20° at a time, and with the ratchet operating such that the pawl engages one tooth at a time, the turning motion for a nut, bolt or the like will be 20° for each ratchet tooth that is engaged by the pawl 33, for a maximum of 180°. Thereafter, the tool is removed and the ratchet assembly is re-positioned at the lower end 16 of the tool, for movement through another 180° arc, tooth by tooth in the same manner.
With reference to
Similarly, with reference to
Thus, the operator or worker can readily reposition the ratchet to accommodate the tool to different situations, without substantial effort.
It will be apparent from the forgoing that various modifications may be made in the details of construction, as well as in the use and operation of the tool assembly of this invention, all within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
