Torque control mechanism for power tool

Claim 1

A TORQUE CONTROL MECHANISM FOR A POWER TOOL COMPRISING (A) A DRIVEN MEMBER CONNECTED TO BE ROTATIVELY DRIVEN BY A SOURCE OF ROTARY POWER, (B) A TORQUE TRANSMITTER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID DRIVEN MEMBER FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE DRIVEN MEMBER, (C) SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTER BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A WORKPIECE TO BE ROTATED, (D) SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTER HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED JAWS, (E) SAID DRIVEN MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED JAWS DISPOSEDIN ROTATIVE ALIGNMENT WITH AND SPACED FROM THE JAWS OF SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTER, (F) A ROLLING MEANS DISPOSED IN EACH OF THE SPACES BETWEEN THE NEXT ADJACENT JAWS OF THE DRIVEN MEMBER AND THE TORQUE TRANSMITTER TO PROVIDE CONJOINED ROTATION OF THE DRIVEN MEMBER AND THE TORQUE TRANSMITTER, (G) THE WALLS OF SAID JAWS ENGAGING DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE PORTIONS OF SAID ROLLING MEANS BEING INCLINED SO THAT, UPON A PREDETERMINED TORQUE LOAD ON SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTER, THE LATTER IS FORCED TO MOVE AXIALLY RELATIVE TO THE DRIVEN MEMBER, (H) SAID DRIVEN MEMBER INCLUDING A CAVITY ADJACENT SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTER RECEIVING THEREIN A PORTION OF SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTER, (I) A SUBSTANTIALLY INCOMPRESSIBLE MEANS CAPABLE OF FLOWING WHEN SUBJECTED TO AN EXTENAL FORCE DISPOSED IN SAID CAVITY TO BE SUBJECTED TO THE PRESSURE BY SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTER UPON THE AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTER, (J) SAID DRIVEN MEMBER INCLUDING A BORE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CAVITY ADJACENT THE SIDE THEREOF OPPOSITE FROM SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTER, AND (K) ROD MEANS WITHIN SAID BORE FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREIN EXTENDING ADJACENT THE COMMUNICATION OF SAID BORE AND SAID CAVITY FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID INCOMPRESSIBLE MEANS WHEN THE LATTER IS CAUSED TO FLOW, (L) SAID ROD MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SOURCE OF ROTARY POWER TO EFFECT THE CESSATION OF THE ROTATION OF THE DRIVEN MEMBER WHEN URGED TO MOVE AXIALLY BY SAID INCOMPRESSIBLE MEANS UPON A PREDETERMINED TORQUE LOAD ON THE TORQUE TRANSMITTER.