Rotatable hand tools and fasteners

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11724366-B2
Application number	US-202016869229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2020
Priority date	Nov 10, 2017
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A hand tool for driving a fastener is provided. The hand tool includes gearing that interconnects a splined socket to a rotatable or trigger actuator and increases a rotational speed of the splined socket relative to the actuator. The hand tool may include a power tool receiver 38 or an independent motor to drive rotation of the splined socket to advance or retract a fastener from a threaded shaft. By increasing the speed and conserving rotational inertia, the hand tool reduces the time to secure a fastener on a threaded shaft. A rotatable nut is provided. The rotatable nut can slideably orient along a first axis and threadedly orient along a second axis to fasten to an adjacent surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hand tool, comprising:
a housing forming an outer grip, the housing having a front end and a back end opposite of the front end;
a splined socket passing through the housing and defining a passageway that extends from the front end of the housing to the back end of the housing;
a rotatable actuator that rotates the splined socket within the housing as a rotational force is applied to the outer grip;
gearing interconnecting the rotatable actuator to the splined socket, wherein the gearing increases a rotational speed of the splined socket relative to a rotational speed of the outer grip as the housing is rotated; and
wherein the rotational speed of the splined socket relative to the outer grip is increased as the outer grip is rotated.

2. The hand tool of claim 1 , further comprising a flywheel coupled to the splined socket that adds circumferential mass to the splined socket to conserve rotational inertia of the splined socket as the rotational force is applied to the outer grip.

3. The hand tool of claim 1 , further comprising a power tool receiver wherein a power tool attaches to the power tool receiver to rotate the rotatable actuator and the splined socket.

4. The hand tool of claim 1 , wherein the passageway extends through the housing and the splined socket is hexagonal shaped and configured to receive a hexagonal nut.

5. The hand tool of claim 1 , wherein the passageway and the splined socket extend through the housing and the splined socket extends along a central longitudinal axis of the housing, the splined socket passing through a center of the housing.

6. The hand tool of claim 1 , wherein the splined socket includes a smaller diameter through a part of the splined socket defining a shoulder, wherein the shoulder is shaped to consistently position a nut concentrically within the passageway of the splined socket, and wherein the outer grip is a circular cross-sectional shape.

7. The hand tool of claim 1 , further comprising a brushless direct current (DC) electric motor coupled to the rotatable actuator and to the gearing to rotate the splined socket, and wherein a gear ratio between the rotational actuator and the splined socket is 1:2.

8. The hand tool of claim 1 , wherein the gearing is adjustable to provide different gear ratios, the gearing providing a first gear ratio that rotates the splined socket a first speed relative to rotation at the outer grip, and a second gear ratio that rotates the splined socket a second speed relative to rotation at the outer grip, wherein the first speed is less than the second speed.

9. A hand tool, comprising:
an outer housing forming an outer grip, the outer housing having a front end and a back end opposite of the front end;
a splined socket coupled to the outer housing, the splined socket passing through the outer housing and defining a passageway through the outer housing from the front end of the outer housing to the back end of the outer housing;
a trigger actuator coupled to the splined socket; and
gearing interconnecting the trigger actuator to the splined socket, wherein the gearing increases a rotational speed of the splined socket relative to the rotational speed generated by the trigger actuator;
wherein movement of the trigger actuator generates rotation of the splined socket, and the gearing interconnecting the trigger actuator to the splined socket increases the rotational speed of the splined socket relative to the movement of the trigger actuator.

10. The hand tool of claim 9 , further comprising a cam mechanism coupled between the trigger actuator and the splined socket, the cam mechanism converting movement of the trigger actuator into a rotational movement of the splined socket.

11. The hand tool of claim 9 , further comprising a flywheel coupled to the splined socket, wherein a mass of the flywheel generates a rotatable circumferential mass of the splined socket and conserves rotational inertia of the splined socket.

12. The hand tool of claim 9 , further comprising a biasing member within the trigger actuator, the trigger actuator being movable between an open position away from the outer grip and a closed position adjacent to the outer grip, wherein the biasing member biases the trigger actuator to the open position away from the outer grip.

13. The hand tool of claim 9 , further comprising a flywheel, wherein the trigger actuator is a lever pivotably coupled to the outer housing, wherein linear movement of the lever from a first position away from the outer grip to a second position adjacent to the outer grip, rotates the flywheel of the splined socket.

14. The hand tool of claim 9 , further comprising a power tool receiver coupled to the gearing, wherein a power tool is coupled to the power tool receiver to drive rotation of the splined socket.

15. The hand tool of claim 9 , wherein the splined socket includes a hexagonally shaped passageway to fit a hexagonal nut and the splined socket has a shoulder extending inward from a surface defining the passageway, wherein a width of the passageway at the shoulder is less than a width at an open end of the passageway, the shoulder orients the hexagonal nut within the splined socket and prevents the hexagonal nut from passing through the splined socket.

16. The hand tool of claim 9 , wherein an outer diameter of the splined socket increases or decreases when the splined socket is restrained against applied rotation of the outer grip, wherein the outer diameter is reduced to clamp a bit within the splined socket when the splined socket is restrained, and the outer grip is rotated in a first direction, the outer diameter is expanded to remove a clamped bit within the splined socket when the splined socket is restrained, and the outer grip is rotated in a second direction.

17. A power tool, comprising:
a housing defining a handle;
a splined socket coupled to the housing, the splined socket passing through the housing and defining a passageway through the housing, the splined socket forming the passageway along a longitudinal axis passing through a center of the splined socket, the splined socket having a void that receives a fastener on a threaded shaft;
a motor coupled to the splined socket and configured to rotate the splined socket within the housing, the motor providing a speed of rotation;
gearing interconnecting the splined socket to the motor, wherein the gearing has a gear ratio that increases a rotational speed of the splined socket relative to the rotational speed of the motor, the gearing including a driven gear coupled to the splined socket;
a first slot through the driven gear; and
a second slot through the housing;
wherein the first slot and second slot each have a width greater than a diameter of the splined socket and configured to facilitate interchanging the splined socket, wherein the first slot, second slot, and the void in the splined socket align to receive the fastener on the threaded shaft within the splined socket;
wherein the handle extends parallel to the longitudinal axis.

18. The power tool of claim 17 , further comprising a frustoconical inner guide coupled to the splined socket, the frustoconical inner guide having a larger inner diameter at a first end and a smaller inner diameter at a second end to orient the fastener within the frustoconical inner guide, wherein the fastener is oriented when first engaging the threaded shaft.

19. The power tool of claim 17 , further comprising an elongated member rigidly coupled to the splined socket, the elongated member fu

Assignees

• Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp

Inventors

• Hoppe Christopher S
• Blumenthal Aaron S
• Williams Aaron M
• Caelwaerts Michael John
• Sawa Max R
• Hope Caroline
• Wekwert James
• Thurner Jason D

Classifications

• F16B37/00

  Nuts or like thread-engaging members {(specially shaped for rotations by a tool F16B23/00)} · CPC title

• F16B37/0814 Primary

  movable along the bolt after tilting the nut · CPC title

• B25B21/004

  of the ratchet type · CPC title

• B25B17/02 Primary

  providing for torque amplification · CPC title

• B25B15/06 Primary

  operated by axial movement of the handle · CPC title