Detent coupling means for socket of rotary power tool

Claim 1

DETENT COUPLING MEANS FOR THE SOCKET OF A ROTARY TOOL, COMPRISING: (A) A SHANK, (B) SAID SHANK HAVING A FORWARD FACE AND FURTHER HAVING AN EXTERNAL SURFACE; (C) A SOCKET SLIDABLY RECEIVED UPON SAID SHANK; (D) MEANS FORMING A ROTATIVE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN SAID SHANK AND SAID SOCKET; (E) SAID SHANK HAVING AN AXIAL OPENING TERMINATING AT SAID FORWARD FACE OF SAID SHANK; (F) SAID SHANK FURTHER HAVING AN TRANSVERSE OPENING LEADING FROM SAID AXIAL OPENING TO SAID EXTERNAL SURFACE OF SAID SHANK, SAID TRANSVERSE OPENING BEING AXIALLY SPACED REARWARDLY FROM SAID FORWARD FACE OF SAID SHANK, AND SAID TRANSVERSE OPENING INCLUDING A REARWARD PORTION AND FURTHER INCLUDING A FORWARD WALL; (G) A DETENT CARRYING MEMBER SLIDABLY RECEIVED IN SAID AXIAL OPENING IN SAID SHANK AND ACCESSIBLE INTERNALLY OF SAID SOCKET, SAID DETENT CARRYING MEMBER HAVING A NORMAL POSITION AND A DEPRESSED POSITION IN SAID AXIAL OPENING OF SAID SHANK; (H) SAID DETENT CARRYING MEMBER HAVING A THROUGH TRANSVERSE OPENING; (I) A DETENT SLIDABLY RECEIVED IN SAID THROUGH TRANSVERSE OPENING OF SAID DETENT CARRYING MEMBER; (J) SAID SHANK FURTHER HAVING AN INTERNAL POCKET COMMUNICATING WITH SAID AXIAL OPENING IN SAID SHANK AND AXIALLY SPACED REARWARDLY FROM SAID FORWARD FACE OF SAID SHANK, SAID INTERNAL POCKET BEING DISPOSED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OPPOSITE FROM SAID REARWARD PORTION OF SAID TRANSVERSE OPENING IN SAID SHANK; (K) A LEDGE FORMED WITHIN SAID SHANK COTERMINOUS WITH SAID AXIAL OPENING OF SAID SHANK, SAID LEDGE BEING ADJACENT TO SAID INTERNAL POCKET AND FORWARDLY THEREFROM; (L) YEILDABLE MEANS TO URGE SAID DETENT CARRYING MEMBER OUT OF SAID AXIAL OPENING IN SAID SHANK, WHEREBY IN THE NORMAL POSITION OF SAID DETENT CARRYING MEMBER, SAID DETENT IS IN ITS NORMAL POSITION RESTING UPON SAID LEDGE AND PASSING THROUGH SAID DETENT CARRYING MEMBER TO BE DISPOSED AGAINST SAID FORWARD WALL OF SAID TRANSVERSE OPENING IN SAID SHANK AND TO PROTRUDE BEYOND SAID EXTERNAL SURFACE OF SAID SHANK, AND WHEREBY IN THE DEPRESSED POSITION OF SAID DETENT CARRYING MEMBER, SAID DETENT IS IN ITS RETRACTED POSITION, BEING RECEIVED WITHIN SAID INTERNAL POCKET AND BEING RETRACTED IN SAID TRANSVERSE OPENING OF SAID DETENT CARRYING MEMBER TO BE DISPOSED BELOW SAID EXTERNAL SURFACE OF SAID SHANK; (M) MEANS IN SAID AXIAL OPENING OF THE SHANK TO AUTOMATICALLY RETURN SAID DETENT FROM ITS RETRACTED POSITION TO ITS NORMAL POSITION; AND (N) SAID SOCKET HAVING A FIRST ABUTTING SURFACE AND A SECOND ABUTTING SURFACE, AND SAID MEANS FORMING A ROTATIVE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN SAID SOCKET AND SAID SHANKS BEING INTERMEDIATE SAID FIRST AND SECOND ABUTTING SURFACES, WHEREBY AS SAID SOCKET IS INITIALLY RECEIVED UPON SAID SHANK, SAID FIRST ABUTTING SURFACE ENGAGES SAID DETENT AND MOVES SAID DETENT CARRYING MEMBER FROM ITS NORMAL POSITION TO ITS DEPRESSED POSITION, SAID DETENT THEREBY MOVING INTO ITS RETRACTED POSITION TO ALLOW SAID SOCKET TO BE SLIDABLY RECEIVED UPON SAID SHANK, SAID SECOND ABUTTING SURFACE OF SAID SOCKET THEREAFTER ENGAGING SAID DETENT TO PRECLUDE AN INADVERTENT REMOVAL OF SAID SOCKET FROM SAID SHANK WHEN SAID SOCKET IS FULLY RECEIVED UPON SAID SHANK, AND WHEREBY, TO REMOVE SAID SOCKET FROM SAID SHANK, SAID DETENT CARRYING MEMBER IS DEPRESSED INTERNALLY OF SAID SOCKET TO REMOVE SAID DETENT INTO ITS RETRACTED POSITION.