Special receptacle or package – For a tool – Plural
Utility Patent
1999-09-20
2001-01-02
Gehman, Bryon P. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For a tool
Plural
C211S070600
Utility Patent
active
06168018
ABSTRACT:
SPECIFICATION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable rack for receiving sockets of different sizes that are used with a socket wrench.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Socket wrenches are widely utilized by mechanics and tradesmen for commercial purposes, as well as by individuals for home and auto repairs. A socket wrench includes a drive unit with a wrench handle that forms a lever arm which has a socket-receiving stud thereon. The socket-receiving stud is normally or always oriented perpendicular to the wrench handle. The socket-receiving studs employed in conventional socket wrench drives have a square cross-sectional configuration and are standardized at several drive sizes. For example, in this country, standard socket stud sizes measure one-quarter of an inch on each side, three-eighths of an inch on each side, or one-half of an inch on each side.
The various sockets employed with a socket wrench are generally annular in configuration and include a square opening at one end. This square opening is of an appropriate size to receive the socket wrench drive stud for which the socket is designed for use. Each socket has an opening at the opposite end which is of a size suitable to receive a nut or bolt head of a particular size.
Due to the considerable number of different size nuts with which a socket wrench may be utilized, quite a number of different sockets are necessary to provide the user with adequate flexibility in making repairs or constructing articles that employ bolts, nuts, or both bolts and nuts. Socket wrench sets are typically sold with thirteen or fourteen sockets of different sizes at a minimum, although larger wrench sets employ a considerably greater number of sockets. Although the drive size for each socket in a socket wrench set is the same, the outer diameter of each socket will vary, depending upon the size of the nut or bolt head which the socket is designed to receive.
To organize the sockets in a socket wrench set and to prevent sockets in a socket wrench set from becoming lost or misplaced, it is highly desirable to employ a wrench socket rack to receive and store the sockets that are not currently in use. A conventional rack of this type may employ pegs or posts that all have a uniform square cross section conforming to the socket drive size of the socket set involved. However, these socket mounts are spaced at specific longitudinal intervals that vary in spacing to accommodate sockets of different sizes.
While wrench socket racks having pegs spaced at specific intervals different distances apart may be adequate for some users, wrench socket racks with the pegs located at fixed locations lack the flexibility which other users have come to expect. For this reason wrench socket storage racks having movable pegs have been devised. Conventional movable peg socket rails employ a plurality of spring clips having outwardly projecting, convex portions at their center that are of a size suitable for receiving sockets having a particular drive opening size, and ends that resiliently engage opposing rails of a wrench socket rack. The individual socket-mounting spring elements may be moved longitudinally along the length of the rack to desired positions, spaced apart so as to accommodate sockets of the particular sizes in a user's socket set.
However, conventional movable peg socket rails are disadvantageous in that the spacing of the individual socket clips may be altered unintentionally since there is very little to prevent their movement lengthwise along the socket rails. Also, in order to create clip elements that may be adjustably positioned along the length of a socket rack, the structure of each clip element in a conventional wrench socket rack is such that it can be easily damaged or bent. Consequently, while socket wrench racks with movable pegs do exist, they have structural and functional features that are unacceptable to many users.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention involves a wrench socket rack having a plurality of different socket mounts that can not only be adjustably positioned along the length of a rack, but which can also be releaseably secured in position when desired. Unlike conventional movable spring clip socket mounts, the socket mounts of the present invention employ clamps that are engageable and disengageable to immobilize a socket at a selected position along the length of a track, or to allow the position of each socket mount to be adjusted along the track along the track, at the discretion of the user.
In one broad aspect the present invention may be considered to be an adjustable rack for wrench sockets comprising an elongated mounting strip and a plurality of socket mounts. The mounting strip defines an outwardly facing track thereon of uniform cross section throughout. The track has opposing lateral sides. A pair of elongated, inwardly facing bearing ledges are formed along both of the lateral sides of the track. Those bearing ledges are coextensive in length with the track. Each one of the plurality of socket mounts includes a base, a socket-engaging stud, and a clamp. The base has a pair of opposing bearing lugs that extend laterally beneath and face the bearing ledges alongside the track. This construction permits longitudinal movement of the base along the track while maintaining the base engaged with the track. Each socket-engaging stud projects outwardly from the base of its socket mount and away from the track. The clamp is selectively releaseable to permit the base to be moved to a selected position along the track and engaged to press the lugs against the bearing ledges. This immobilizes the base relative to the track. With this construction each socket mount is independently adjustable relative to the track.
While the clamp mechanism may take different forms, each of the socket mounts preferably has an internally tapped bore extending through its socket-engaging stud and through its base. This bore is aligned perpendicular to the track. The clamp is preferably formed as a screw that is threadably engaged with the internally tapped bore. The screw may be advanced toward the track to bear against the track, thereby forcing the lugs in the opposite direction against the bearing ledges. Alternatively, the screw may be advanced away from the track so that the lugs no longer press against the bearing ledges to permit movement of the base of the socket mount along the track to a new position.
To provide a rugged construction, the base with its laterally projecting lugs and the socket-engaging stud of each socket mount are formed together as a unitary, solid metal structure. Such a construction ensures that the socket mount will not be damaged by the very strong forces and impacts that are likely to be exerted against it during use. However, when the socket-engaging stud post is formed as a rigid structure, it can be difficult to achieve just the right dimension so that the drive opening of a socket will be securely held on the stud by friction, yet removed without undue difficulty.
Accordingly, in a preferred construction, each socket mount is preferably provided with a socket engagement spring attached to the socket engagement stud. This spring is oriented to act in a lateral direction from the socket-engaging stud to aid in releaseably holding a wrench socket on the stud. By utilizing a spring in conjunction with a solid socket-mounting stud or post, ruggedness of construction is achieved accompanied by a resilient biasing means for holding a socket piece on a stud in a manner that allows release of the wrench socket from the stud when desired by the user.
In a preferred construction the socket-engaging stud or post has a top remote from the base and lateral sides. Preferably the spring is a leaf spring having an anchored end secured to the top of the stud and a free end projecting downwardly along one of the lateral sides of the stud. The leaf spring is bowed concave outwardly from the socket-engaging stud. By providing each solid metal stud
Ramsey Edward
Vovos Chris
Gehman Bryon P.
Thomas Charles H.
LandOfFree
Adjustable socket rack does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Adjustable socket rack, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Adjustable socket rack will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2548004