Patent Application
20240208032
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The disclosure relates to extension devices and more particularly pertains to a new extension device for increasing an effective length of a wrench. The device includes a sleeve which has a slot extending longitudinally along the sleeve for accommodating head of a wrench that is inserted into the sleeve. The sleeve increases the length of the wrench to increase leverage that can be applied by a user. The sleeve includes a channel which accommodates the head of the wrench to inhibit the head of the wrench from tipping when a fastener is being loosened or tightened.
The prior art relates to extension devices including a modular socket wrench assembly that includes a ratcheting wrench, a plurality of sockets and a plurality of extensions. The prior art discloses a hand grip that is structured to fit around a socket wrench extension. The prior art discloses a rotary torque wrench device that includes a rotating grip. The prior art discloses a wrench extender that includes a plurality of grips distributed along a member for mounting a handle of a wrench to the member and a knob which extends through a head of the wrench to secure the wrench to the member. The prior art discloses a wrench assembly which includes a first wrench pivotally attached to a second wrench.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a sleeve that has a slot extending through an outer wall of the sleeve such that a wrench is insertable into the sleeve. The slot accommodates a head of the wrench to increase leverage a user can apply to the wrench. The slot has an entry portion curving into a straightened portion. A channel is integrated into an interior of the sleeve thereby facilitating the channel to insertably receive the head of the wrench. Furthermore, the channel inhibits the head from tipping in the sleeve thereby inhibiting the wrench from tipping in the sleeve when the user is employing the wrench to loosen or tighten a fastener.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The sleeve 12 has a first end 32 and a second end 34 having the outer wall 16 extending between the first end 32 and the second end 34; the slot 14 extends through the outer wall 16. The entry portion 24 of the slot 14 extends from the first end 32 toward the second end 34 and the straightened portion 26 of the slot 14 extends from the entry portion 24 toward the second end 34. The slot 14 has an upper bounding edge 36 and a lower bounding edge 38. The upper bounding edge 36 has a curve 39 between the first end 32 and a straightened portion 40 of the upper bounding edge 36. The straightened portion 40 of the upper bounding edge 36 extends along a straight line.
The lower bounding edge 38 has a curve 42 located between a first portion 44 and a second portion 46 of the lower bounding edge 38. The first portion 44 intersects the first end 32 of the sleeve 12 having the first portion 44 extending along an axis that is oriented parallel with the second portion 46 of the lower bounding edge 38. Furthermore, the second portion 46 is aligned with and is oriented parallel with the straightened portion 40 of the upper bounding edge 36. The curve 42 in the lower bounding edge 38 curves in an opposite direction with respect to the curve 39 in the upper bounding edge 36. The entry portion 24 of the slot 14 is defined between the first portion 44 and the upper bounding edge 36. The straightened portion 26 of the slot 14 is defined between the straightened portion 40 of the upper bounding edge 36 and the second portion 46 of the lower bounding edge 38. Additionally, the slot 14 is rounded at an intersection between the straightened portion 40 of the upper bounding edge 36 and the second portion 46 of the lower bounding edge 38.
The sleeve 12 has an interior surface 48 and the interior surface 48 has a central portion 50 extending between a first end portion 52 and a second end portion 54. The first end portion 52 is associated with the first end 32 of the sleeve 12. The second end portion 54 is associated with the second end 34 of the sleeve 12. Each of the first end portion 52 and the second end portion 54 are continuously curved such that each of the first end portion 52 and the second end portion 54 define a cylindrical shape.
The central portion 50 has a pair of first surfaces 56 that are spaced apart from each other and which lie on a parallel plane with respect to each other. The central portion 50 has a pair of second surfaces 58 perpendicularly oriented with a respective one of the first surfaces 56 having the second surfaces 58 extending toward each other. The central portion 50 has a pair of third surfaces 60 each perpendicularly oriented with a respective one of the second surfaces 58 having each of the third surfaces 60 being oriented parallel with the first surfaces 56. The central portion 50 has a fourth surface 62 extending between and being perpendicularly oriented with the third surfaces 60.
The first surfaces 56, the second surfaces 58, the third surfaces 60 and the fourth surface 62 define the channel 28. The first surfaces 56 define a primary section 64 of the channel 28 and the third surfaces 60 define a secondary section 66 of the channel 28. The secondary section 66 has a width that is less than a width of the primary section 64. The primary section 64 receives the head 20 of a larger sized wrench 18 and the secondary section 66 receives the head 20 of a smaller sized wrench 18. Furthermore, the wrench 18 may be a box end wrench, an open end wrench or a combination wrench.
In use, a respective head 20 of the wrench 18 is inserted into the entry portion 24 of the slot 14 and the wrench 18 is twisted to urge the wrench 18 through the transition between the entry portion 24 of the slot 14 and the straightened portion 26 of the slot 14. In this way the respective head 20 is positioned in either the primary section 64 of the channel 28 or the secondary section 66 of the channel 28, depending on the width of the respective head 20. Thus, the wrench 18 is restrained in the sleeve 12 thereby facilitating the user 22 to grip the sleeve 12 to either tighten or loosen a fastener 30 with the wrench 18. Furthermore, the sleeve 12 increases the total length of the wrench 18 thereby increasing the amount of leverage the user 22 can apply with the wrench 18. In this way a physically limited user 22 can more easily break a tight fastener 30 loose as compared to using the wrench 18 alone.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
