Socket release construction for socket wrench

Claim 2

In a socket wrench of a type which includes an elongated body, a transverse shaft assembly disposed adjacent one end of said body and including a push-through shaft having opposite ends adapted to extend laterally beyond said body selectively at opposite sides thereof, means interconnecting said shaft assembly and said body for conjoint rotation in one direction, socket means cooperatively engageable with the selected extended ends of said push-through shaft and rotatable therewith, and means retaining said socket means in position on the selected extended end of sAid push-through shaft; the improvement which includes manually pushable means movable in the direction of the selected extended end of said push-through shaft and operable to release said retaining means from said socket means at said selected extended end.

Claim 3

A socket wrench comprising an elongated body having a socket shaft extending transversely thereto at one end thereof, said socket shaft extending outwardly of said body at one side for cooperative engagement with a socket, detent means on said socket shaft and engageable with said socket to retain it in position on said socket shaft, resilient means normally biasing said detent means into retaining engagement with said socket, the other end of said socket shaft being accessible at the other side of said body and adapted to be manually pushed in one direction transversely of said body, said resilient means being restrained against movement in said one direction and being withdrawn from said detent means upon movement of said socket shaft in said one direction, whereby movement of said socket shaft in said one direction, whereby movement of said socket shaft in said one direction retracts said resilient means from said detent means and releases said socket from said socket shaft.

Claim 4

A socket wrench comprising an elongated body having a socket shaft extending transversely thereto at one end thereof, said socket shaft extending outwardly of said body at one side for cooperative engagement with a socket, detent means on said socket shaft and engageable with said socket to retain it in position on said socket shaft, resilient means normally biasing said detent means into retaining engagement with said socket, the other end of said socket shaft being accessible at the other side of said body and adapted to be manually pushed in one direction transversely of said body, said resilient means being restrained against movement in said one direction and being withdrawn from said detent means upon movement of said socket shaft in said one direction, whereby movement of said socket shaft in said one direction, whereby movement of said socket shaft in said one direction retracts said resilient means from said detent means and releases said socket from said socket shaft.

Claim 5

A socket wrench comprising an elongated body, a rotatable shaft assembly extending transversely of said body at one end thereof, one-way clutch means between said body and said shaft assembly, said shaft assembly including an elongated socket shaft adapted to extend laterally from alternate sides of said body, detent means on both ends of said socket shaft and adapted to releasably retain a socket on the extended end thereof and to retain said socket shaft in a transverse position relative to said body, spring means normally holding said detent means in a retaining position, said socket shaft being capable of relatively limited movement transversely of said body by manually pushing the nonextended end thereof, said spring means being restrained against transverse movement when said socket shaft undergoes said relatively limited movement and being releasable from the detent means at an opposite end of said socket shaft from said pushed end, whereby to release said last-mentioned detent means from a socket means at said opposite socket shaft end, said socket shaft being capable of relatively extended movement transversely of said body by manually pushing on the extended end thereof, whereby to cause the other end of said socket shaft to extend laterally of said body, said detent means operable to releasably retain the socket on the now extended end of said socket shaft and to retain said socket shaft in its now transverse position relative to said body.

Claim 6

A socket wrench comprising an elongated body, a rotatable shaft assembly extending transversely of said body at one end thereof, one-way clutch means between said body and said shaft assembly, said shaft assembly including an elongated socket shaft adapted to extend laterally from alternate sides of said body, detent means on both ends of said socket shaft and adapted to releasably retain a socket on the extended end thereof and to retain said socket shaft in a transverse position relative to said body, spring means normally holding said detent means in a retaining position, said socket shaft being capable of relatively limited movement transversely of said body by manually pushing the nonextended end thereof, said spring means being restrained against transverse movement when said socket shaft undergoes said relatively limited movement and being releasable from the detent means at an opposite end of said socket shaft from said pushed end, whereby to release said last-mentioned detent means from a socket means at said opposite socket shaft end, said socket shaft being capable of relatively extended movement transversely of said body by manually pushing on the extended end thereof, whereby to cause the other end of said socket shaft to extend laterally of said body, said detent means operable to releasably retain the socket on the now extended end of said socket shaft and to retain said socket shaft in its now transverse position relative to said body.

Claim 7

A wrench as defined in claim 1 wherein said retaining means includes detent means normally biased by spring means into retaining engagement with said socket means, said manually pushable means being operable to withdraw said spring means from said detent means, whereby to release said socket means.

Claim 8

A wrench as defined in claim 4 wherein said push-through shaft includes a socket shaft, said manually pushable means comprising the nonextended end of said socket shaft.

Claim 9

A wrench as defined in claim 4 wherein said spring means includes a leaf-type spring, said socket shaft includes another detent means normally engaged by said leaf-type spring, said another detent means being engageable with means in said body when said socket shaft extends outwardly of said body at the other side thereof, whereby said first-mentioned detent means engages with said means in said body and said another detent means is adapted to retain a socket on said socket shaft at the other side of said body.

Claim 10

A wrench as defined in claim 1 wherein said shaft, assembly includes a driven shaft rotatably supported on said body, said push-through shaft comprising a socket shaft extending nonrotatably through said driven shaft and adapted to extend laterally beyond one end or the other of said driven shaft, detent means on either end of said socket shaft and adapted to releasably retain a socket on the extended end of said socket shaft said manually pushable means including the nonextended end of said socket shaft, said detent means being releasable from said socket when said socket shaft is pushed relative to said driven shaft toward said extended end.

Claim 11

A wrench as defined in claim 7 wherein said detent means includes a detent pin at either end of said socket shaft, spring means engageable with and normally biasing each said detent pin into a position to retain a socket on the extended end of said socket shaft, said spring being withdrawn from said detent pin adjacent said extended end of said socket shaft when said socket shaft is displaced laterally toward said extended end relative to said driven shaft.

Claim 12

A wrench as defined in claim 8 which includes one-way clutch means between said shaft assembly and said body, said socket shaft being laterally displaceable relative to said driven shaft in a direction opposite said first-mentioned direction by manually pushing on said one end thereof, whereby to position said first-mentioned detent pin in cooperative engagement with said driven shaft and whereby said second detent pin is exposed for cooperative engagement with said socket.

Claim 13

A wrench as defined in claim 9 wherein said spring means includes a leaf-type spring extending generally lengthwise of said socket shaft, said detent pins being disposed in transverse bores in said socket shaft and each having one end engageable by said leaf-type spring, means limiting movement of said leaf-type spring lengthwise with said socket shaft, whereby said leaf-type spring is withdrawn from the detent pin in engaging relation with said socket when said socket shaft is pushed in said one direction.

Claim 14

A wrench as defined in claim 1 wherein said shaft assembly includes a driven shaft rotatably supported upon said housing, said push-through shaft comprising a socket shaft extending nonrotatably through said driven shaft, a detent member extending transversely through said socket shaft adjacent each end thereof, resilient means normally biasing said detent members in one direction to retain a socket member on the extended end of said socket shaft, said pushable means comprising the nonextended end of said socket shaft which is pushable to move said socket shaft transversely of said body toward said extended end, means restraining movement of said resilient means in said direction, whereby said resilient means is withdrawn from the detent member at said extended end to release said socket member.

Claim 15

A wrench as defined in claim 11 wherein said resilient means includes a relatively flat spring extending lengthwise of said socket shaft, said restraining means including cooperable shoulder means on said flat spring and said driven shaft.

Claim 16

A wrench as defined in claim 12 which further includes a coil spring carried by said socket shaft and engaged with said flat spring, whereby to normally bias said socket shaft in a direction toward said nonextended end.

Claim 17

A wrench as defined in claim 11 wherein said resilient means normally biases the detent adjacent said nonextended socket shaft end into engagement with recess means in said driven shaft to resiliently restrain said socket shaft against movement transversely of said body toward said nonextended end, said socket shaft being movable by pushing said extended end toward said nonextended end, whereby the detent previously engaged with said driven shaft recess means now is operable to releasably retain a socket on said socket shaft, and the detent previously operable to releasably retain a socket on said socket shaft is engageable with said driven shaft recess means.