Power driven tools

Claim 2

In a power driven socket wrench having; a) a socket member with a polygonal central opening for engaging a nut or bolt head; b) a bearing member extending circumferentially around and rotatably supporting said socket member for rotation on an axis at the center of said opening; c) a housing member around said socket member and said bearing member; d) said socket member having a series of gear teeth thereon extending circularly around its axis; e) a power drive for said socket member; f) the improvement which comprises a plurality of individual drive adapters for use in said power driven socket wrench and each of said drive adapters having a length which is different from the other drive adapters to enable the wrench to be extended into confined areas of differing depths, each drive adapter connecting said power drive and said socket member, each said drive adapter further comprising: 1) an elongate drive shaft mounted on an axis generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said socket member; 2) an input gear mounted on one end of said drive shaft and in meshing engagement with the gear teeth on said socket member for rotation thereof; 3) detachable connecting means between the power drive and the other end of said drive shaft; and 4) detachable locking means between said drive adapter and said housing member adjacent said one end of said drive shaft for optionally attaching and detaching said drive adapter from said housing member and said power drive such that differing sized drive adapters may be attached to said power drive increasing the versatility of the socket wrench to be extended into confined regions at a desired depth.

Claim 3

The socket wrench of claim 1, said drive adapter having an elongate housing defining a central axial bore through which said drive shaft extends, and bearing members in the central axial bore of said housing for rotatably supporting said shaft for axial rotation in said bore.

Claim 4

The socket wrench of claim 2 wherein said detachable connecting means comprises a connector member mounted on said other end of said drive shaft proximate said power drive and within said adapter housing, and a mating connector member on said power drive.

Claim 5

The socket wrench of claim 3 wherein said power drive is a compressed air motor, said connector member on said drive shaft being a female coupling member and said mating connector member being a driver member received within and frictionally engaging said female coupling member and imparting the power drive to said shaft and input gear and to said socket member.

Claim 6

The socket wrench of claim 2, said housing member having an opening on one side thereof to receive said one end of said drive shaft and said input gear therein, one end of said elongate drive adapter housing extending within said housing member to close said opening, said detachable locking means comprising a snap lock on the adjacent walls of said drive adapter housing and said housing member.

Claim 7

The socket wrench of claim 4, said housing member having an opening on one side thereof to receive said one end of said drive shaft and said input gear thereon, one end of said elongate drive adapter housing extending within said housing member to close said opening, said detachable locking means comprising a snap lock on the adjacent walls of said drive adapter housing and said housing member.

Claim 8

The socket wrench of claim 1 wherein said detachable locking means comprises a detent on a wall of said housing member facing said drive adapter housing and said drive adapter housing has a projection thereon capable of snap fitting extension into said detent such that by merely pushing on said drive adapter toward said socket member the projection will extend into the detent and releasably lock the drive adapter to the housing member and merely by pulling on the drive adapter away from the housing member the projection will separate from the detent allowing separation of the adapter from the drive socket without need of any tool therefore.

Claim 9

An air tool wrench which comprises; a) a circularly shaped socket member having a socket housing surrounding the socket member; b) a polygonal central opening in the socket member for engaging a nut or bolt and having a central axis coincident with the axis of the socket housing; c) a bearing member extending circumferentially around and rotatably supporting said socket member within said socket housing for rotation on the central axis of said central opening; d) said socket member having a plurality of gear teeth thereon extending circularly around the central axis of the socket member which is an axis of rotation of the socket member; e) at least one drive adapter connected to said gear teeth on said socket member for drivingly rotating said socket member, said drive adapter further comprising; 1) an elongate drive shaft mounted on an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said socket member; 2) an input gear mounted on a first end of said drive shaft and in meshing engagement with the gear teeth on said socket member for rotation thereof; 3) an elongate drive adapter housing for said drive shaft; 4) a central axial bore in said drive adapter housing; 5) bearing members in the wall of said housing adjacent to and surrounding said bore for engaging and rotatably supporting said shaft for axial rotation in said bore; 6) said socket housing having an opening on one side thereof to receive said first end of said drive shaft and said input gear thereon, a first end of said elongate drive adapter housing which corresponds to the first end of said drive shaft extending within said socket housing to close said opening; 7) a power drive for said drive shaft; 8) detachable locking means between the first end of said elongate drive adapter housing and said socket housing, said detachable locking means comprising a snap lock on the adjacent walls of said drive adapter housing and said socket housing, said snap lock being operable merely by pushing the drive adapter into the opening of said socket housing to detachably lock same and merely by pulling the drive adapter away from the socket housing to detach the same without need of any mechanical tools therefore; and 9) detachable connecting means between said drive adapter and drive adapter housing at a second end thereof corresponding to a second end of the drive shaft and adjacent said second end of said drive shaft for optionally attaching and detaching said drive adapter from said power drive, said detachable connecting means comprising a connector member mounted on said second end of said drive shaft within said drive adapter housing and a mating connector member on said power drive.

Claim 10

An air tool wrench which comprises; a) a circularly shaped socket member having a socket housing surrounding the socket member; b) a polygonal central opening in the socket member for engaging a nut or bolt and having a central axis coincident with the axis of the socket housing; c) a bearing member extending circumferentially around and rotatably supporting said socket member within said socket housing for rotation on the central axis of said central opening; d) said socket member having a plurality of gear teeth thereon extending circularly around the central axis of the socket member which is an axis of rotation of the socket member; e) at least one drive adapter connected to said gear teeth on said socket member for drivingly rotating said socket member, said drive adapter further comprising; 1) an elongate drive shaft mounted on an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said socket member; 2) an input gear mounted on a first end of said drive shaft and in meshing engagement with the gear teeth on said socket member for rotation thereof; 3) an elongate drive adapter housing for said drive shaft; 4) a central axial bore in said drive adapter housing; 5) bearing members in the wall of said housing adjacent to and surrounding said bore for engaging and rotatably supporting said shaft for axial rotation in said bore; 6) said socket housing having an opening on one side thereof to receive said first end of said drive shaft and said input gear thereon, a first end of said elongate drive adapter housing which corresponds to the first end of said drive shaft extending within said socket housing to close said opening; 7) a power drive for said drive shaft; 8) detachable locking means between the first end of said elongate drive adapter housing and said socket housing, said detachable locking means comprising a snap lock on the adjacent walls of said drive adapter housing and said socket housing, said snap lock being operable merely by pushing the drive adapter into the opening of said socket housing to detachably lock same and merely by pulling the drive adapter away from the socket housing to detach the same without need of any mechanical tools therefore; and 9) detachable connecting means between said drive adapter and drive adapter housing at a second end thereof corresponding to a second end of the drive shaft and adjacent said second end of said drive shaft for optionally attaching and detaching said drive adapter from said power drive, said detachable connecting means comprising a connector member mounted on said second end of said drive shaft within said drive adapter housing and a mating connector member on said power drive.

Claim 11

The wrench of claim 8, said power drive being a compressed air motor, said connector member on said drive shaft being a female coupling member and said mating connector member being a driver member received within and frictionally engaging said female coupling member and imparting the power drive to said shaft and input gear and to said socket member.

Claim 12

The air tool wrench of claim 8, wherein a plurality of individual drive adapters are provided for use in said wrench, and each of said drive adapters having a length which is different from the other drive adapters to enable the wrench to be extended into confined areas of differing depths.

Claim 13

In a power driven socket wrench having: a) a circular socket member having a socket housing surrounding the socket member; b) a polygonal central opening in the socket member for engaging a nut or bolt and having a central axis coincident with the axis of the socket housing; c) a bearing member extending circumferentially around and rotatably supporting said socket member within said socket housing for rotation on the central axis of said central opening; d) said socket member having a plurality of gear teeth thereon extending circularly around the central axis of the socket member which is an axis of rotation of the socket member; e) a power drive for said socket member; f) the improvement which comprises a plurality of individual drive adapters for use in said power driven socket wrench and each of said drive adapters having a length which is different from the other drive adapters to enable the wrench to be extended into confined areas of differing depths; g) each drive adapter connecting said power drive and said socket member, each said drive adapter further comprising: 1) an elongate drive shaft mounted on an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said socket member; 2) an input gear mounted on a first end of said drive shaft and in meshing engagement with the gear teeth on said socket member for rotation thereof such that the input gear and the gear teeth form a bevel teeth arrangement; 3) an elongate cylindrically shaped drive adapter housing for said drive shaft; 4) a central axial bore in said drive adapter housing; 5) bearing members in the wall of said housing adjacent to and surrounding said bore for engaging and rotatably supporting said shaft for axial rotation in said bore; 6) said socket housing having an opening on one side thereof to receive said first end of said drive shaft and said input gear thereon, a first end of said elongate drive adapter housing which corresponds to the first end of said drive shaft extending within said socket housing to close said opening; 7) a power drive for said drive shaft; 8) detachable locking means between the first end of said elongate drive adapter housing and said socket housing, said detachable locking means comprising a snap lock on the adjacent walls of said drive adapter housing and said socket housing, said snap lock being operable merely by pushing the drive adapter into the opening of said socket housing to detachably lock same and merely by pulling the drive adapter away from the socket housing to detach without need of any mechanical tools therefore; 9) detachable connecting means between said drive adapter and drive adapter housing at a second end thereof corresponding to a second end of the drive shaft and adjacent said second end of said drive shaft for optionally attaching and detaching said drive adapter from said power drive, said detachable connecting means comprising a connector member mounted on said second end of said drive shaft within said drive adapter housing and a mating connector member on said power drive such that differing sized drive adapters may be attached to said power drive increasing the versatility of the socket wrench to be extended into confined regions at a desired depth.

Claim 14

In a power driven socket wrench having: a) a circular socket member having a socket housing surrounding the socket member; b) a polygonal central opening in the socket member for engaging a nut or bolt and having a central axis coincident with the axis of the socket housing; c) a bearing member extending circumferentially around and rotatably supporting said socket member within said socket housing for rotation on the central axis of said central opening; d) said socket member having a plurality of gear teeth thereon extending circularly around the central axis of the socket member which is an axis of rotation of the socket member; e) a power drive for said socket member; f) the improvement which comprises a plurality of individual drive adapters for use in said power driven socket wrench and each of said drive adapters having a length which is different from the other drive adapters to enable the wrench to be extended into confined areas of differing depths; g) each drive adapter connecting said power drive and said socket member, each said drive adapter further comprising: 1) an elongate drive shaft mounted on an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said socket member; 2) an input gear mounted on a first end of said drive shaft and in meshing engagement with the gear teeth on said socket member for rotation thereof such that the input gear and the gear teeth form a bevel teeth arrangement; 3) an elongate cylindrically shaped drive adapter housing for said drive shaft; 4) a central axial bore in said drive adapter housing; 5) bearing members in the wall of said housing adjacent to and surrounding said bore for engaging and rotatably supporting said shaft for axial rotation in said bore; 6) said socket housing having an opening on one side thereof to receive said first end of said drive shaft and said input gear thereon, a first end of said elongate drive adapter housing which corresponds to the first end of said drive shaft extending within said socket housing to close said opening; 7) a power drive for said drive shaft; 8) detachable locking means between the first end of said elongate drive adapter housing and said socket housing, said detachable locking means comprising a snap lock on the adjacent walls of said drive adapter housing and said socket housing, said snap lock being operable merely by pushing the drive adapter into the opening of said socket housing to detachably lock same and merely by pulling the drive adapter away from the socket housing to detach without need of any mechanical tools therefore; 9) detachable connecting means between said drive adapter and drive adapter housing at a second end thereof corresponding to a second end of the drive shaft and adjacent said second end of said drive shaft for optionally attaching and detaching said drive adapter from said power drive, said detachable connecting means comprising a connector member mounted on said second end of said drive shaft within said drive adapter housing and a mating connector member on said power drive such that differing sized drive adapters may be attached to said power drive increasing the versatility of the socket wrench to be extended into confined regions at a desired depth.