Conventional connection members such as bolts or nuts are provided with various sizes according to various requirements, and thus wrenches are sized in sizes different from each other to fasten or unfasten the various bolts or nuts. To save storage space and reduce loading on a user due to the weights of the wrenches, a hand tool which includes an operation rod suitable to cooperate with variously sized sockets, such as a socket wrench, T-shaped wrench or Y-shaped wrench is developed. This kind of hand tool is generally includes an operation rod having an axial connection portion and sockets whose sizes are different from each other. Each of the sockets is formed with a receiving recess at one end thereof for correspondingly nonrotatably receive the axial connection portion of the operation rod, so that the user can rotate the operation rod together with the socket to fasten or unfasten the bolts or nuts.
A rapidly rotatable holding sleeve structure of a hand tool is disclosed in TW M299055 (application No.: 095204559). In TW M299055, a holding sleeve is disposing around the intermediate section of a handle, and a positioning pin is pivotally disposed in the holding sleeve. The positioning pin is fixedly secured to handle so that the handle is rotatable relative to the holding sleeve. Through the above structure, the user can use his one hand holding the holding sleeve and rotate the handle using the other hand during a later period of unfastening a bolt (or nut) or a earlier period of fastening a bolt (or nut), which can result in a convenient and smooth operation. However, there are problems with the above conventional structure when actually used: since the holding sleeve is relatively fixedly secured to the handle, the holding sleeve cannot be disassembled from the handle and thus cannot be interchanged to a handle of another kind; the holding sleeve cannot be adjusted in position relative to the handle, so that either of the holding sleeve and the handle has no interchangeability and adjustability; and the holding sleeve is difficult to fabricate, has plural parts and is of high cost.
US 20070214916 discloses that the spring member is much longer than the control ferrule. That is, when the spring member is disposed around the tubular member, the top end of the spring member is much outside the distal end of the tubular member before the control ferrule is connected with the tubular member. Besides, the spring member is provided with a coil pitch greater than the diameter of the detent at an intermediate portion thereof. Even the spring member is provided with reduced coil pitches at opposite ends, the top end of the spring member is still located beyond the distal end of the tubular member and cannot restrict the detent to remain within the orifice. As a result, the spring member cannot avoid disengagement of the detent from the orifice during fabrication of the control ferrule and the tubular member. Additionally, the retaining ring is attached to and entirely within the tubular member with such as a force-fitted engagement or by an adhesive material, such that the retaining ring cannot be manually detached by hand directly, thus being not easy to assemble/assemble, repair and replace elements.
The present invention is, therefore, arisen to obviate or at least mitigate the above mentioned disadvantages.
An object of the present invention is to provide a retaining mechanism, and a holding sleeve and a rod tool including the same, in which they are easy and quick to assemble, disassemble and fabricate.
To achieve the above and other objects, a retaining mechanism of a holding sleeve of the present invention is provided. The retaining mechanism includes: a first sleeve, being substantially tubular and formed with at least one through hole, having a stepped shoulder portion, the at least one through hole disposed between a distal end of the first sleeve and the stepped shoulder portion; at least one blocking member, received in the through hole; and an elastic member, disposed around a part of the first sleeve, one end of the elastic member abutted against the stepped shoulder portion of the first sleeve, the other end of the elastic member corresponding to the blocking member in a radial direction of the first sleeve so as to unpermit disengagement of the blocking member from the through hole.
To achieve the above and other objects, a holding sleeve including the retaining mechanism of the present invention is provided. The holding sleeve is adapted to be limitatively slidably disposed around a body portion of a main body and rotatable relative to the body portion, and the body portion is formed with at least one annular groove. The holding sleeve further includes a second sleeve. The second sleeve is movable relative to the first sleeve and disposed around the part of the first sleeve and depressing the other end of the elastic member, the elastic member is located between the second sleeve and stepped shoulder portion, and the blocking member is abutted by the second sleeve so as to be controllably partially received in the annular groove.
To achieve the above and other objects, a rod tool including one of the above holding sleeve and a main body is provided. The main body includes a body portion, and the body portion is formed with at least one annular groove. The holding sleeve is limitatively slidably disposed around the body portion and movable relative to the body portion. The blocking member is abutted by the second sleeve so as to be controllably partially received in the annular groove to secure the holding sleeve to the body portion.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention.
As shown in
The holding sleeve 10 is adapted to be limitatively slidably disposed around a body portion 22 of a main body 20 and rotatable relative to the body portion 22. The body portion 22 of the main body 20 is formed with at least one annular groove 24, more specifically, formed with four annular grooves 24. However, the body portion 22 of the main body 20 may be formed with two, three or more than four annular grooves. The holding sleeve 10 includes a first sleeve 12, at least one blocking member 14, a second sleeve 16 and an elastic member 18.
The first sleeve 12 is substantially tubular and formed with at least one through hole 122, more specifically, formed with two corresponding through holes 122. However, the first sleeve 12 may be formed with one, three or more than four through holes. With the first sleeve 12 including the through holes 122, the through holes 122 are preferably evenly arranged around the first sleeve 12 with equal intervals therebetween. For each of the through holes 122, an inner opening at an inner surface of the first sleeve 12 is smaller than an outer opening at an outer surface of the first sleeve 12.
In this embodiment, the holding sleeve 10 includes two blocking members 14, and each of the blocking members 14 is received in one of the through holes 122. Preferably, each of the blocking members 14 is a ball-shaped body such as a rolling ball, steel ball or the like, and the amount of the blocking members 14 is equal to that of the through holes 122. The greatest external diameter of the blocking member 14 is smaller than the diameter of the outer opening but greater than the diameter of the inner opening of the through hole 122, such that the blocking member 14 is permitted to partially go into the interior of the first sleeve 12 via the inner opening but not go through the inner opening.
The second sleeve 16 is movable relative to the first sleeve 12 and disposed around the part 125 of the first sleeve 12 and depressing the other end 182 of the elastic member 18. The elastic member 18 is located between the second sleeve 16 and stepped shoulder portion 123. The blocking members 14 are abutted by the second sleeve 16 so as to be controllably partially received in the annular groove 24 to secure the holding sleeve 10 and the main body 20. In this embodiment, the second sleeve 16 includes an annular member 162 and a tubular member 164. The annular member 162 is detachably secured to the distal end 124 of the first sleeve 12, and the tubular member 164 is slidably disposed between the annular member 162 and the stepped shoulder portion 123 of the first sleeve 12. The annular member 162 is threadedly connected with the distal end 125 of the first sleeve 12 and located out side the tubular member 164. The annular member 162 is located beyond an end surface of the tubular member 164 and detachable from an outside of the tubular member 164, so that the annular member 162 can be manually detached by hand directly. More specifically, the inner circumferential surface of the annular member 162 is formed with inner threads, the top end of the first sleeve 12 is formed with outer threads, and the annular member 162 and the first sleeve 12 are screwed together via the inner threads and the outer threads. However, the annular member 162 and the first sleeve 12 are not limited to be connected with each other via the above screwing manner.
In this embodiment, the inner surface of the tubular member 164 of the second sleeve 16 is formed with a circumferential projection 166 and a circumferential indentation 168 adjacent thereto, and the tubular member 164 of the second sleeve 16 is movable between a limitation position and a release position relative to the first sleeve 12. When the tubular member 164 of the second sleeve 16 is located in the limitation position, the circumferential projection 166 abuts against the blocking members 14 so that each of the blocking members 14 is partially received in the annular groove 24. When the tubular member 164 of the second sleeve 16 is located in the release position, the circumferential indentation 168 corresponds to the blocking members 14 so that the blocking members 14 go into the circumferential indentation 168 and are non-wedged in the annular groove 24.
As shown in
It should be noted that the elastic member may be designed to have a different structure, as shown in
As shown in
The second sleeve 16 is then disposed around the first sleeve 12. Since the radial extent of the circumferential projection 166 of the tubular member 164 is smaller than the external diameter of the coil spring, the coil spring can be compressed by the circumferential indentation 168 of the tubular member 164 so as to assist in biasing of the second sleeve 16 away from the first sleeve 12. When the circumferential projection 166 of the tubular member 164 keeps compressing the coil spring until a top end of the first sleeve 12 is exposed outside the tubular member 164, the annular member 162 is then secured to the top end of the first sleeve 12 so as to retain the tubular member 164 to be located between the annular member 162 and the annular abutting surface of the first sleeve 12 so that the tubular member 164 cannot disengage from the first sleeve 12.
It is noted that, when the elastic member 18′ as shown in
Regarding the fabrication method of the holding sleeve 10 is further described below. The fabrication method of the holding sleeve 10 includes following steps: providing the first sleeve 12 which is substantially tubular and formed with the through holes 122; disposing the blocking members 14 in the through holes 122; disposing the elastic member 18 around the first sleeve 12, wherein a part of the elastic member 18 corresponds to the blocking member 14 in the radial direction of the first sleeve 12 so as to unpermit disengagement of the blocking member 14 from the through holes 122; and disposing the second sleeve 16 around the first sleeve 12, wherein the elastic member 18 is compressed and abutted against the first sleeve 12 and the second sleeve 16, the second sleeve 16 is controllably movable relative to the first sleeve 12, and the blocking members 14 are abutted by the second sleeve 16 so as to controllably partially go into the interior of the first sleeve 12.
As shown in
It is noted that, as shown in
In this embodiment, the holding sleeve 10 is limitatively slidably disposed around the body portion 22 and rotatable relative to the body portion 22. When the second sleeve 16 is located in the limitation position (
Regarding the fabrication method of the rod tool is further described below. In the fabrication method of the rod tool, the fabricated holding sleeve 10 is disposed around the body portion 22 of the main body 20, that is, the main body 20 is disposed through the first sleeve 12 and the second sleeve 16, the second sleeve 16 is movable and can controllably move relative to the first sleeve 12 to abut the blocking members 14, so that the blocking members 14 are hustled and partially received in the annular groove 24. Whereby, the holding sleeve 10 is secured to the body portion 22 and rotatable relative to the body portion 22. The fabrication method of the holding sleeve 10 is well described previously and thus not described herein in detail.
Besides, the structures, functions, effects, the cooperative relationship and the fabrication methods of the holding sleeve 10 and the main body 20 are also well described previously and thus not described herein in detail.
A user can connect the fabricated rod tool to a wrench or other working member via the joint, to rapidly rotate the rod tool to screw or unscrew a fastener such as a nut, for example. More specifically, the user can hold the holding sleeve 10 with one of his hands and rotate the main body 20 with the other hand, so that the fastener to be screwed or unscrewed can be rapidly fastened or unfastened.
Additionally, the structure of the main body 20 can be modified on the basis of the spirit of the invention. For example, the main body 20 may include two end portions respectively disposed at two ends of the body portion 22, and the two end portions may be respectively formed with a driving portion 26 and a joint 28. The driving portion 26 may be a transverse rod which is substantially perpendicularly connected to the body portion 22, and the driving portion 26 and the body portion 22 substantially forms an T-shaped structure (as shown in
In an alternative embodiment, as shown in
In sum, via simply disposing the elastic member around the first sleeve, a part of the elastic member corresponds to the blocking members in a radial direction of the first sleeve so as to unpermit disengagement of the blocking members from the through holes, and elements can be easily and quickly assembled.
Furthermore, the annular member of the second sleeve is detachably secured to the top end of the first sleeve, so that the blocking members and the elastic member can be easily and quickly assembled or disassembled, and the first sleeve and the second sleeve can be easily and quickly assembled or disassembled.
Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
The present invention is a CIP of application Ser. No. 13/630,061, filed Sep. 28, 2012, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13630061 | Sep 2012 | US |
Child | 14806396 | US |