Quick release for socket wrenches

Sept. 28, 1965

P. M. ROBERTS

QUICK RELEASE FOR SOCKET WRENCHES Filed April 24, 1964

3,208,318

<img file="US3208318A_D0001.tif" />

INVENTOR

PETER M. ROBERTS

<img file="US3208318A_D0002.tif" />

ATTORNEY

United States Patent Office

3,208,318

Patented Sept 28, 1965

3,208,318

QUICK RELEASE FOR SOCKET WRENCHES Peter M. Roberts, 90 Sunset Road, Gardner, Mass.

Filed Apr. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 362,277

Claim. (Cl. 81—177) 5

This invention relates in general to a socket wrench of the kind employing sets of removable sockets in combination with a driver or stud, the latter having means such as a ball, detent, or the like for holding the socket there- jo to during the operation thereof, and the principal object of the invention resides in the provision of a new and improved means for releasing these sockets which sometimes are difficult to remove from the stud of the wrench particularly when the sockets .are small and the user’s 15 hands are greasy.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a driver or stud for the socket of a socket wrench, said driver or stud having a ball, detent, or the like for temporarily securing the socket in position there- 20 on, together with means releasing the same, so that it no longer holds the socket, which then can be easily withdrawn from the driver or in fact can actually fall off the stud due to gravity.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will ap- 25 pear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation illustrating the invention applied to a ratchet wrench; 30

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale with parts in section illustrating the stud;

FIG. 3 is a view in section on a still further enlarged scale illustrating the ball, detent, etc. in socket-holding position, and 35

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the ball, detent, etc. in socket-releasing position.

This invention has been illustrated as being applied to an ordinary socket wrench, for instance of the ratchet type, having a handle 10, a head 12, and a driving stud 40. 14. The stud 14 is ordinarily square, hex, etc., but can be of any non-circular shape in order to drive a socket 16, these all being well known in the art.

The stud or driver 14 is provided with a ball, detent, or the like 18 which may be spring-pressed if desired but 45 need not be in the present case, and which is held in the position shown in FIG. 2 to cooperate with a small dimple, lip, or the like on the socket 16 to hold it in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This position is also shown in FIG. 3 wherein the stud 14 is shown as pro- 50 vided with an internal generally centrally located movable pin 20. This pin extends at one end 22 out through the head 12 and terminates in an operating knob. The member 20 may be of any cross section desired although cylindrical is preferred, and also it can be solid. When 55 it is in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, it abuts a ball 18 in an aperture of the stud and holds it outwardly as indicated at 24, see FIGS. 2 and 3, in socket-holding position. Due to the presence of the pin 20, the ball cannot retreat inwardly with respect to the stud 14. On ⁶⁰the other hand, it can be held in position as is normal by reason of the fact that its diameter is slightly greater than the aperture in the stud through which it projects, as is well known in the art.

However when it is desired to remove the socket 16, all that is necessary to do is to press inwardly on the knob 22 and pin 20 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 and this then aligns the ball 18 with respect to a cutout portion or recess 26 in the pin 20. In this position, see FIG. 4, the socket itself forces the ball 18 inwardly into the recess 26 and it no longer acts to hold the socket in position, and as a matter of fact the socket can then fall off merely through gravity if the wrench is held in the position shown in the drawings. In any event the socket 16 is easily picked off manually without any resistance on the part of the ball 18.

It is preferred that the pin 22 shall be normally held in the FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 position by any kind of spring means such as for instance a coil spring 28 engaged with the pin at one end and located in a recess 30 in the head 12 of the wrench. Any other spring means could be used such as a flat spring or a loose rubber or plastic collet or the equivalent thereof.

It will be seen that this invention provides a very simple and quick and easily operated device for quickly detaching sockets from socket wrench studs whether the same are solid, ratchet, or whatever the general construction of the wrench might be.