Tool for insertion or removal of electrical connectors

Abstract

A drive tool that may be attached to a driven tool which has a drive head, a shank, a tool body, and a longitudinal slot in the drive head whose upper end portion is sloped to provide a ramp, the drive tool being adapted to be pushed downward into a hollow end of the driven tool to then become locked in place relative to the driven tool, both rotationally and longitudinally, so that the driven tool can then be driven forward and concurrently driven in either a clockwise or a counterclockwise rotation.

Description

DRAWING SUMMARY

FIGS. 1 a, 1b, and 1c provide an artistic illustration of the manner in which the tool system of the present invention operates;

FIGS. 2 a, 2b, 3, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 5a, and 5b illustrate the application of the invention to a BNC Removal Tool; and

FIGS. 6 a, 6b, 7, 8a and 8b illustrate application of the invention to an F Connector Removal Tool.

PART NUMBERS AND NAMES

The Part Numbers and Names are as follows:

• 1. Punch Down Tool
• 2. Driving Head of punch down tool 1
• 3. Circumferential groove in tool head 2
• 4. Detent Spring
• 5. Radial hole in bottom of groove 4
• 6. In-turned end of spring
• 7. BNC Connector, Female part
• 8. BNC Connector, Male Part
• 9. BNC Connector Insertion/Removal tool
• 10. F Connector, FIG. 5a
• 11. Drive head of BNC insertion/removal tool 1
• 12. Shank of BNC Removal Tool 1
• 13. Tool body of BNC Connector
• 14. Tapered ramp in drive head 11
• 15. Detent or depression at end of ramp
• 16. Tapered friction surface in tool bxody 13
• 17. Coaxial Cable, outer conductor
• 18. Coaxial Cable, inner conductor
• 19. F Connector Removal tool.
• 20. Drive head of F connector removal tool 19
• 21. Tool Body of F Connector tool 19
• 22. F Connector
• 23. Hex engagement surfaces of Tool 19
• 25. Arrows for downward movement
• 26. Arrow for clockwise rotation
• 27. Arrow for counter-clockwise rotation

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

We now refer to drawings 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 3, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7, 8a, and 8b (eight drawing sheets) which collectively show both an insertion or removal tool 9 for a BNC Type Connector and an insertion/removal tool 19 for an F Type Connector.

With reference to FIG. 2a, Item 1 is a punch-down tool such as disclosed in Applicant's prior application Ser. No. 11/175,466 entitled OPTIMAL SELECTABLE FORCE IMPACT TOOL filed Jul. 5, 2005, docket 0395, which is incorporated herein by reference. That application shows a punch-down tool for which the downward or longitudinal driving force can be conveniently adjusted. Item 2 is a hollow cylindrical lower driving end of tool 1 upon whose outer surface a circumferential groove 3 is formed.

Item 9 is a BNC Connector Removal/Insertion tool. Its driving head is number 11, shank is 12, and tool body is 13. Item 17 is the outer conductor of a coax cable, the inner conductor being item 18. The lower end of the coax is secured in the female part 7 of a BNC type connector. The male half of the connector is item 8. The numeral 12 is the stem or handle of a tool 9, which is a BNC connector/removal tool. Numeral 13 is the tool body or three-quarter cylindrical shield that has to surround the coax cable section 17, 18 during operation of the tool. One section of coax cable extends upward from female member 7 of a BNC connector; member 8 is the male member, attached to another section of coax cable, not shown in the drawing. FIG. 2b shows the two members of the connector being attached by a rotating movement of the tool body 13.

Referring to FIG. 3, numeral 16 is the longitudinally tapered internal friction surface of tool body 13 of tool 9.

Referring to FIG. 4, shank 12 and tool body 13 are as referred to above. Part 11 is the drive head of tool 9, which has tapered ramp 14 and depression or detent 15. The radial hole in the wall of driving head 2 of tool 1 is labelled 5, shown in all of FIGS. 4c, 4d, and 4e. Those figures also show the progression of movement as the drive head 11 of the removal tool 9 is pushed upward into the hollow end of the punch-down tool driving end 2, the slot in the drive head 11 engages the spring end 6, and when the spring end point passes the high point of the ramp in the slot and drops down into the indentation 15 in the slot as shown in FIG. 3e, the removal tool 9 is then locked in place relative to the punch down tool driving end 2 both rotationally and longitudinally. The removal tool 9 can then be used to drivingly insert its tool body 13 into a connector part and can be drivingly rotated for either inserting or removing the connector part.

FIG. 4 b shows that the ramp which engages the inturned end of spring 4 has a peak at about ¾ or ⅞ of its length. The spring is held by punch-down tool 1. The head of the BNC connector tool 9 is inserted longitudinally up into the opening in the lower end of tool 1. The inturned end 6 of spring 4 rides up the longer and more gently sloped portion of the ramp 14; then passes the peak; and then clicks further into the radial hole 5 described above. When the spring clicks in, the stem or handle is not only locked in a longitudinal direction, but also against rotation in either direction. Now you can either connect or disconnect the BNC connector.

Referring to FIG. 5, they show an enlargment of the removal tool 9. Also shown is the manner in which spring 4, carried by hand tool 1, 2, will engage the ramp 14 and detent 15.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 show the invention as applied to a tool 19 for insertion or removal of an F Connector part. Tool body 21 has an internal hexagonal surface 23 which engages the hexagonal surface 22 of an F Connector part. Parts 4 and 14 are numbered as before, since the drive head 20 of the F Connector removal tool 19 is made just like the drive head 11 of BNC rmoval tool 9.

FIGS. 1 a, 1b, and 1c artistically illustrate the operation of the present invention. Arrows 25 indicate that the driving tool 1 may have its hollow lower driving head 2 forced against the upper end 11 or 20 of an insertion/removal tool. Arrows 26 and 27 indicate that the driving tool 1 may be used to rotate the driven tool, 11 or 20, in either direction of rotation.

While this mechanical technique is shown applied to a particular kind of tool, it may also be used for other tools which require this type of drive; that is, the ability to apply force longitudinally downward, and to drivingly rotate the driven tool in either direction of rotation while doing so.

Although the presently preferred forms of my invention have been disclosed herein, it will be understood that other modifications should be apparent to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of my invention is to be judged only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A drive tool selectively attachable to a driven tool that is characterized by a drive head, a shank, and a tool body, the driving end of the driven tool having formed therein a longitudinal slot that has an upper end portion sloped to provide a ramp, and a lower end portion indented to form a detent, the longitudinal slot being adapted to receive the inturned end of a spring which may then be locked by the detent; the drive tool comprising: a hollow cylindrical lower driving end upon whose outer surface a circumferential groove is formed, and also having at one point along the circumferential groove a single radial hole through its wall;a locking spring disposed within the circumferential groove and extending almost around the circumference of the driving end, the spring having an in-turned end which engages the hole and is thereby locked in place in the groove;the operation being such that as the drive head of the drive tool is pushed downward into the hollow end of the driven tool driving end, the slot in the drive head of the driven tool becomes engaged by the spring end, and when the spring end point passes the high point of the ramp in the slot and drops down into the indent in the slot, the driven tool is then locked in place relative to the driving tool end, both rotationally and longitudinally, so that the driven tool can then be driven forward and concurrently driven in either clockwise or counterclockwise rotation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the driven tool is adapted to insert or remove a BNC Connector part, and wherein its tool body is adapted to frictionally engage a cylindrical surface of the BNC Connector part.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the driven tool is adapted to insert or remove an F Connector part, and wherein its tool body is adapted to hexagonally engage a hexagonal surface of the F Connector part.

4. A tool system for selectively inserting or removing a small electrical connector part, comprising: a hand tool having a hollow cylindrical lower driving end upon whose outer surface a circumferential groove is formed;a locking spring disposed within the circumferential groove and extending almost around the circumference of the driving end;the hand tool driving end also having at one point along the circumferential groove a single radial hole through its wall;the spring having an in-turned end which engages the hole and is thereby locked in place in the groove;a removal or insertion tool having a drive head, a shank, and a tool body;the drive head of the removal tool having formed therein a longitudinal slot that has an upper end portion sloped to provide a ramp, and a lower end portion indented to form a detent;the longitudinal slot in the drive head of the removal tool being adapted to receive and engage the inturned end of the spring; andthe operation being such that as the drive head of the removal tool is pushed upward into the hollow end of the punch-down tool driving end, the slot in the drive head engages the spring end, and when the spring end point passes the high point of the ramp in the slot and drops down into the indentation in the slot, the removal tool is then locked in place relative to the punch down tool driving end, both rotationally and longitudinally, so that the removal tool can then be used to drivingly insert its tool body into a connector part and can be drivingly rotated for either inserting or removing the connector part.

5. A tool system as in claim 4 wherein the removal tool is adapted to insert or remove a BNC Connector part, and wherein its tool body is adapted to frictionally engage a cylindrical surface of the BNC Connector part.

6. A tool system as in claim 4 wherein the removal tool is adapted to insert or remove an F Connector part, and wherein its tool body is adapted to hexagonally engage a hexagonal surface of the F Connector part.