Hand-manipulated torque tool

[0002] This invention relates to a hand-manipulated torque tool, and more particularly, it relates to a torque tool which is optionally positionable between a straight handle configuration and a T-handle configuration.

[0003] The prior art is aware of hand-manipulated torque tools which can optionally be positioned between straight and T-handle configurations.

[0004] This invention improves upon the prior art by providing a hand-manipulated torque tool that is sturdy, is easily positionable in its two positions, is not subject to being inadvertently positionable nor releasable relative to those two positions, is securely held in both two positions, and presents a substantial and firmly grippable handle in both two positions.

[0005] The tool of this invention is precision made, and, as such, it is useful in highly precise functions such as in the medical arts where orthopedic surgery is performed and screws are applied to a patient's skeleton, or in other precision applications. It is also arranged for rotatably supporting a tool bit such as a screwdriver bit for a ratcheting action.

[0006] There is a release mechanism which permits the handle to be re-configured from its straight position to its T-handle position, and that mechanism is manually operated and it is in a location where there is no likelihood of the user inadvertently operating the release. That is, the user can grip the tool for using it in either of its two positions and not have his hand or fingers in a position which could inadvertently cause the release mechanism to be operated.

[0007] This invention also includes the method of maneuvering the tool to establish the two working positions.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the tool of this invention in its T-handle position.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a sectional view on the plane designated 2—2 in FIG. 1.

[0010] FIG. 3 is a right side elevational view of the tool of FIG. 1 but in the straight position.

[0011] FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of FIG. 3.

[0012] FIG. 5 is a sectional view on the plane designated 5—5 in FIG. 2.

[0013] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a pivot post seen in FIGS. 2 and 5.

[0014] FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the pivot post of FIG. 6.

[0015] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a locking part seen in FIG. 5.

[0016] FIG. 9 is a left end elevational view of the end of a part of FIGS. 1 and 5.

[0017] FIGS. 10 and 11 are front elevational views of two parts seen in FIG. 5.

[0018] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a part seen in FIG. 2.

[0019] This torque tool can releasably receive a tool bit designated 10, and that may be a screwdriver bit which is chucked and ratcheted in the ratcheting mechanism which may be of any suitable construction at the tool end 11. The ratcheting mechanism is seen in FIG. 5, and it has a heretofore known construction for driving the bit in either selected direction of rotation about the longitudinal axis A of the tool.

[0020] There are two handle portions 12 and 13 which, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, can be positioned in the T-handle position of FIG. 1 and the straight or aligned position of FIG. 3. Both handle portions 12 and 13 are cylindrical and have a respective longitudinal axis extending along the respective lengths of each, namely, axis F and axis S. In the FIG. 3 position, the axes F and S are in alignment with each other and with axis A, and in the FIG. 1 position the axis S is positioned at a right angle to axis F. The two portions 12 and 13 are pivotally related by having the portion 13 pivotal on the portion 12 at a pivot axis P which is transverse to the lengths of each of the portions 12 and 13. Handle portions 12 and 13 are substantially the same length, and the pivot axis P is at one end of portion 12 and it is at a mid-point or the center of the portion 13.

[0021] The portion 12 has a hollow cylindrical body 14 with a wall 16 therealong and an opening 17 opposite the wall 16. It is through the opening 17 that the handle portion 13 swings to and from alignment with the handle portion 12. Thus handle portion 13 half-length 18 extends from the pivot axis P to an end 19 and adjacent a transverse wall 21 which is the back wall for the ratcheting mechanism 11, and as seen in FIG. 3. The handle portion 13 has a remaining half-length 20 which extends in alignment with, and as an extension of, the handle portion 12 in the FIG. 3 mode.

[0022] The portion 12 also has two spaced-apart legs 22 extending from the wall 16. The space between the legs 22 is substantially the same as the cross-sectional dimension of the handle portion along the pivot axis P, and thus the handle portion 13 is snugly supported by and between the legs 22.

[0023] This invention provides for the apparatus and method for a hand tool which can optionally be placed in either the aligned position of FIG. 3 or the T-handle position of FIGS. 1, 2, and 5. In both modes, there is a releasable locking mechanism which securely holds the handle portion 13 in the selected one of those two modes. To accommodate those two modes, it will be seen that the wall 16 spans an arc of approximately 240 degrees about the axis F, and that arrangement leaves the opening 17 of approximately 120 degrees. Supporting legs 22 have two inside surfaces 23 which are flat and are parallel to each other for snug support of the mid-section of the pivotal handle portion 13 which has its own two flat surfaces 24 to match with the respective surfaces 23. Beyond that, the handle portion 13 is circular in cross section but of varying diameter along its length, as shown.

[0024] The pivotal mounting of the handle portion 13 is on a pivot post 26 which is secured by the legs 22. FIGS. 2, 5, and 6 show that the post 26 is cylindrical and hollow and has transverse openings 27 therethrough. The handle portion 13 has a cylindrical opening 28 extending therethrough for snug mounting of the handle 13 on the post 26. The two ends of the post are threaded and respectively receive screws 29 and 31 for holding the post 26 on the legs 22.

[0025] Additionally, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 12, there is a square insert 32 with an angularly shaped end 30, and the screw 31 passes throught insert 32 and then holds the insert 32 in an opening 33 in the post 26 and also in an opening 34 in the one leg 22. The openings 33 and 34 match the angularity of the insert end 30. In that manner, the post 26 is always held in a fixed position and against rotation on the legs 22. So the handle portion 13 pivots relative to the handle portion 12 but the pivot post does not pivot or rotate. Any suitable non-rotatable arrangement for the post 26 will suffice.

[0026] It will be noted that the handle portion 13 has a longitudinal central opening 35 that aligns with the post openings 27, and the entire construction is arranged with a complete central passageway through the tool, as seen in FIG. 5.

[0027] FIG. 5 shows there is a locking mechanism which includes a cylindrical rod or pin 36 slidably disposed in a cylindrical opening 37 in the handle portion 13. The rod 36 and the opening 37 intersect the handle portion 13 transverse opening 28 and is akin to being tangential thereto. It will also be seen in FIG. 5 that the post 26 has two surfaces 38 and 39 disposed adjacent to each other and at right angles to each other. The surfaces 38 and 39 are formed from semi-circular cutouts in the post 26, as shown in FIG. 7. The size of the two arcs formed by the two cutouts matches the cross-sectional circular shape of the rod, and thus the rod 36 snugly nests on the surfaces 38 and 39, in accord with the selected mode for the handle portion 13.

[0028] Therefore, with the handle portion in the FIG. 1 T-handle mode, the circumference portion 41 of the rod presents a straight surface 40 along the length of the rod 36 and that straight surface nests in the semi-circular shape 39 for a significant length along the rod 36, and thus the handle portion 13 is releasably held in the shown T-handle mode relative to the handle portion 12. The handle portion 13 can not then pivot on the post 26.

[0029] To release the T-handle mode and place the tool in the aligned mode, the rod 36 is slid along the cylindrical opening 37 to a position where a relief 42 in the rod 36 is adjacent the post 26. That relieves the tool from the T-handle mode and the user can then pivot the handle portion 13 to the aligned mode. A sleeve 43 is threaded into the end of the handle portion 13 and it slidably receives a cylindrical interconnector 44 which moves back and forth along the axis S. A shoulder 46 on the connector 44 abuts the end of the sleeve 43 to limit the movement leftward as viewed in FIG. 5.

[0030] The connector 44 has a flange 47 which is received in a notch 48 in the rod 36 to thus establish the axial position of the rod 36 in accord with the position of the connector 44. A compression spring 49 abuts a shoulder 51 on the connector 44 and exerts a force between the connector 44 and the bottom of a bore 52 in the handle portion 13 to thus urge the connector 44 and the attached rod 36 leftwards as viewed in FIG. 5.

[0031] There is a button 53 slidable on the end of the handle portion 13 and it is threadedly connected with the connector 44. While the button 53 is counter-sunk in the sleeve 43, it can be finger depressed to move the rod 36 rightwards and thereby place the rod relief 42 adjacent the post 26 to release the lock of the handle portion 13 relative to either on of its setting modes.

[0032] In that arrangement and method, there is a positive lock between the handle portions 12 and 13 and only a specific maneuver of pressing on the button 53 will release the locking mechanism. In the aligned mode, the post surface 38 is in abutment with the rod circumference to thereby hold the tool in that aligned mode.

[0033] Throughout this description, the method of achieving the two modes of alignment and T-handle have been described. The user maneuvers the lock mechanism described by inserting a finger into the sleeve 43 and onto the button 53 and depresses the button to release the lock against the force of the spring 49. Once the lock is released, the user need only slightly pivot the handle portion 13, then release finger pressure, and then continue to pivot the handle portion 13 to its next position of alignment or right angle disposition, as desired, and the lock will snap into its locked mode. Thus, upon release of finger pressure on the button 53 and positioning the handle portion 13, the lock mechanism will automatically return to the lock position. There is the audible click when seating into the lock position so the user then knows that the lock is in its operative position.

[0034] Movement to the finality of the selected mode will cause the connector shoulder 46 to abut the adjacent end of the sleeve 43 in that locked and non-pivotal securement of the handle portion 13, as seen in FIG. 5. Also, the two handle ends 18 and 20 are of a similar cylindrical shape for optimum gripping in the T-handle mode. With the spring 49 always urging the rod 36 toward its locked position where the surfaces 41 and 38 or 39 are aligned and in contact with each other, the two handle modes are secured and subject only to the user depressing the button 53 to release the lock mechanism. Also, in arriving at the locked position where the surface 41 abuts the selected one of the surfaces 38 and 39, an audible sound of a click will be produced to tell the user that the locked mode has been achieved.

[0035] Of course the lock mechanism is accessible from the exterior of the handle portion 13 and through the button 53 which can be considered to be a part of the lock mechanism. The post 26 is considered to be an engager which is cooperative with the lock mechanism.

[0036] In addition to the stability provided by the contacting surfaces 23 and 24 being in snug contact with each other and held toward each other by the screws 29 and 31, an end 54 of the handle portion 13 snugly nests within the arcuate wall 16, as best seen in FIG. 3. That provides further sturdiness of the tool in its aligned mode.