Stacking Socket Wrench Set

1. Field: The field of the invention is manual tools, particularly socket wrenches wherein differently sized heads are designed to interfit together.

2. State of the Art: Typically, socket wrench sets include a number of socket heads sized for a range of nuts and bolt heads. The socket heads are used interchangeably with a single wrench handle. Such socket sets are difficult to store and transport between use sites, a specially designed case typically being necessary. When the nut or bolt head is in a recessed location, the socket must be engaged by an extension drive bar in turn engaged by the handle at its opposite end. U.S. Pat. No. 1,371,350 discloses a socket set which further utilizes such a drive bar as a carrier for the wrench set between uses. The individual sockets do not, however, engage together for use U.S. Pat. No. 851,068 discloses a set of socket heads which to a limited extent can be used while assembled together. The sockets in this set assemble in order of increasing size from a drive handle. To use one of the smaller sockets, all of the larger sockets must be removed from the set. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,460 also discloses a set of socket heads designed to fit together to be used as an extension. The socket heads cannot be assembled in random order, but only in order of decreasing size from the handle. Each socket of the desired size may be removed from the stack and secured at the end to the smallest socket in the set. This set is inconvenient to use as an extension substitute, because the general order of the sockets must always be preserved, and the particular smallest socket always used. Another problem not solved by the prior art is the removal of nuts through which the bolts extend a substantial distance. The interior cavities of state of the art socket heads are too shallow to engage such nuts, except in specialized, long shank spark plug tools or the like. Thus, prior art socket head sets fail to provide the versatility and adaptability needed to accomplish frequently required tasks with a minimum of inconvenience.

With the foregoing in mind, the present invention eliminates or substantially alleviates the shortcomings in prior art socket wrench sets, by providing such a set wherein the socket heads may be stacked together in random order to be used as an extension, and wherein each socket head has a bolt stem clearing passage therethrough. Provisions are made for transfer of torque through the stacked set of socket heads. Since the socket heads may be assembled in any desired order, full extension length may be utilized for use with nuts and bolt heads in recessed locations, regardless of their size.

It is therefore the principal object of the invention to provide a stacking socket wrench set of greatly increased utility, versatility and convenience over present sets.

In the drawings, which represent the best mode presently comtemplated for carrying out the invention,

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of one of the individual sockets of the drawn to substantially full scale,

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the socket of FIG. 1, taken along line 2--2 thereof drawn the same scale,

FIG. view of the socket of FIG. 1, taken along line 3--3 there drawn to the same scale,

FIG. 4 a top plan view of the handle adaptor member of the invention, take along line 4--4 of FIG. 5, drawn to the scale of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 a vertical sectional view of the socket wrench set of the invention showing the individual sockets thereof secured together end to end in descending order of size from

FIG. 6 a vertical elevational view of the socket wrench set of the invention, partially cut away, showing the individual sockets thereof assembled in another order, drawn to the scale of FIG. 5, and

FIG. 7 a longitudinal cross sectional view of the socket wrench set of the invention, incorporating however a reduced number of sockets, shown in use upon a nut through which the corresponding bolt extends several diameters along the central cavity of the assembled wrench set, drawn to the scale of FIG. 5.

Socket wrench set 10 comprises a plurality of individual socket heads 11, each designed to wrench a particular nut or bolt head within a range of sizes. The illustrated embodiment comprises seven such sockets, numbered 11a through 11g, as shown in FIG. 5 stacked joined together in order of decreasing size from a handle adapter head 12. The sockets 11, or any two or more thereof, may be joined in any desired order, since they are completely interchangeable within the stack 13. In FIGS. 5 and 6, for example, the stack 13 is arranged with the smallest socket llg respectively at the bottom and at the top of the stack 13. Socket 11g is in nut-engaging position in FIG. 5, while socket lla is so positioned in FIG. 6. Both of the stacks 13 utilize all of the sockets 11. As indicated above, stacks 13 incorporating any desired number of sockets may be employed.

To achieve the complete interchangeability of sockets 11, all are constructed of identical dimensions, with the exception of the working ends 14, which of course must vary in size to accommodate the range of nut and bolt head sizes. The lowermost working ends 14 of each illustrated socket 11 has a hexagonal nut-engaging cavity 15, an intermediately located male connector 16 and an uppermost, female, connector 17. Each male connector 16 joins with the female connector 17 of the next lower socket 11, while its female connector 17 joins with the male connector 16 of the immediately higher socket 11. Since connector portions 16 and 17 are of identical lengths and diameters in all of the sockets 11, all sockets of the set may be assembled together in any desired order. The removal of one or more sockets 11 from the set in no way prevents assembly, in any desired order, of those remaining. As previously stated, any two or more of the sockets 11 may be assembled together for use as desired. Each socket 11 may be joined to handle head 12, further insuring the random order capability. (FIGS. 1-6).

To prevent rotation of the sockets 11 relative to each other, equally spaced torque keys 18 and matching keyways 19 are provided on male connector 16 and within female connector 17. Projections 18 and keyways 19 engage by contact of end surfaces 20 and 21, to transmit torque through the stack 13, when it is used as an extension for manipulating recessed bolt heads and nuts. The full stacked length of all the sockets 11 may be utilized regardless of the size of the bolt or nut to be manipulated. A detent assembly 22, carried in a radially directed blind bore 23 in each male connector 16, and in handle head 12, snaps into a circumferential groove 24 in the wall 25 of female connector 17, to hold sockets 11 together until forcibly separated.

Each of the socket heads 11a through 11g carries a bore 26 communicating between the hexagonal cavity 15 and cavity 27 in male connector 16. The bores 26 each provide a shoulder 28 to function as a stop for the nuts or bolt heads. Bore 26 of each socket 11 is also of sufficient diameter to clear the threaded stem of the associated bolt. This arrangement enables socket set 10 to, unlike typical sets, be used even though a bolt extends a great distance through its nut. See FIG. 7, for example, showing a thin brace 29 secured by a bolt 30 and a nut 31 to a bulkhead 32. The aligned bores 26 of abbreviate stack 13 provides the necessary clearance for bolt stem 33, to permit socket 11c to engage nut 30.

Socket set 10 may incorporate additional features or be changed in detail. For example, knurls 34 may be provided to facilitate use of stack 13 without handle assembly 35. Fewer or greater numbers of sockets 11 may be incorporated into the set. The hexagonal cavities 15 may be changed to square or pentagonal if needed for particular uses. Other means than those illustrated could be devised to prevent the rotation of the individual sockets with respect to each other within the set. For example, aligned radial bores could be employed with pins or the like, to both prevent relative rotation and to secure the tacked sockets together.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.