Tool for driving a fastener

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11759925-B2
Application number	US-202117494026-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2021
Priority date	Feb 13, 2018
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 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 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 fastener driving tool, comprising:
a housing;
a drive member coupled to the housing, the drive member comprising:
a rotational axis extending through the drive member;
an elongated hollow tube;
a first fastener-engaging end at a first end of the elongated hollow tube; and
a second fastener-engaging end opposite the first fastener-engaging end along the rotational axis of the elongated hollow tube;

a drive input coupled to the drive member and configured to rotate the drive member within the housing, the drive input providing a speed of rotation;
gearing interconnecting the drive member to the drive input; and
a slot through the housing and the elongated hollow tube of the drive member, a length axis of the slot forming an opening in a direction parallel to the rotational axis when the slot through the housing and the slot through the elongated hollow tube are aligned in a direction transverse to the rotational axis, the opening configured to receive a threaded shaft in the direction transverse to the rotational axis of the drive member, wherein the opening in the direction transverse to the rotational axis is greater than an outer diameter of the threaded shaft;
wherein the gearing has a gear ratio that increases a speed of rotation of the drive member relative to the speed of rotation of the drive input.

2. The fastener driving tool of claim 1 , the first fastener-engaging end having an inner diameter at a distal end relative to the housing that is larger than an inner diameter at a proximate end relative to the housing.

3. The fastener driving tool of claim 2 , wherein the first fastener-engaging end is a frustoconical fastener-engaging end.

4. The fastener driving tool of claim 1 , further comprising a transmission intermeshed with the gearing interconnecting the drive member to the drive input, the transmission selectively changing the gear ratio between the drive input and the drive member.

5. The fastener driving tool of claim 4 , further comprising an attachment structure having a body coupling a first connection end to the second fastener-engaging end opposite the first connection end, wherein the first connection end removably couples to the first fastener-engaging end of the elongated hollow tube and the body of the attachment structure extends along the rotational axis of the drive member.

6. The fastener driving tool of claim 1 , wherein the drive input is an electric motor.

7. The fastener driving tool of claim 6 , wherein the housing further defines a handle and wherein the drive member passes through the motor, and the handle is formed around the motor, the drive member forming a continuous passageway along a longitudinal axis passing through a center of the drive member.

8. The fastener driving tool of claim 6 , further comprising a sensor that generates a signal indicative of alignment of the slot through the housing with the slot through the elongated hollow tube of the drive member in a direction parallel to the rotational axis, wherein the motor is configured to stop rotation of the drive member within the housing based on the signal to form the opening through the housing and the elongated hollow tube of the drive member.

9. A drive tool, comprising:
a housing;
an input receiver rotatably coupled to the housing defining a first rotational axis;
a torque receiving element located on a face of the input receiver, wherein the first rotational axis extends through the torque receiving element;
a drive member centered about a second rotational axis parallel to the first rotational axis, the drive member being rotatably coupled to the input receiver, the drive member comprising a drive surface configured to rotate when the input receiver rotates; and
a removable insert coupled to the drive member;
wherein the input receiver is configured to rotate when an external torque is applied to the torque receiving element, rotation of the input receiver rotates the drive surface of the drive member removably coupled to the removable insert;
wherein the drive member further comprises a drive aperture extending through the drive member along the second rotational axis and wherein an opening extends radially inward through the drive member to the drive aperture.

10. The drive tool of claim 9 , the removable insert further comprising a connecting portion and a fastener-engaging portion opposite the connecting portion, the connecting portion removably coupling to the drive surface of the drive member, the fastener-engaging portion configured to engage a fastener.

11. The drive tool of claim 10 , wherein the removable insert includes an extension body between the fastener-engaging portion and the connecting portion and wherein the extension body includes a slot that extends along an entire length of the extension body.

12. The drive tool of claim 9 , wherein the torque receiving element of the input receiver is a power tool receiver, wherein a power tool attaches to the input receiver to rotate the drive member.

13. The drive tool of claim 9 , wherein the drive member includes a frustoconical fastener-engaging end, the frustoconical fastener-engaging end having a larger inner diameter at a first end and a smaller inner diameter at a second end and shaped to consistently position a nut concentrically within the drive surface of the drive member.

14. The drive tool of claim 9 , wherein the drive surface of the drive member are square shaped and configured to receive and rotate a square nut about a second rotational axis.

15. The drive tool of claim 9 , wherein the housing comprises an upper housing coupled to a lower housing, wherein the input receiver and drive member are captured between the upper housing and lower housing and the housing forms an outer grip that has a circular cross-sectional shape.

16. A drive tool, comprising:
a housing comprising a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
a handle;
an input receiver comprising a first set of external gear teeth rotatably captured between the first side and the second side of the housing, the input receiver defining a first rotational axis;
a torque receiving element located on a face of the input receiver, wherein the first rotational axis extends through the torque receiving element;
a drive member with a second set of external gear teeth intermeshed with the first set of external gear teeth of the input receiver, the drive member being centered about a second rotational axis parallel to the first rotational axis, the drive member comprising a drive surface configured to rotate when the input receiver rotates; and
a removable insert;
wherein the input receiver is configured to rotate when an external torque is applied to the torque receiving element, rotation of the input receiver rotates the drive surface of the drive member removably coupled to the removable insert;
wherein, the handle further comprises a hole proximate an end of the handle opposite the drive member, the hole extending through the handle such that a lanyard can extend through the handle.

17. The drive tool of claim 16 , wherein the handle forms an outer grip that has a circular cross-sectional shape.

Assignees

• Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp

Inventors

• Sawa Max R
• Hoppe Christopher S
• Blumenthal Aaron S
• Hope Caroline
• Wekwert James
• Ward Bryan C

Classifications

• B25B21/00 Primary

  Portable power-driven screw or nut setting or loosening tools; (details or components, e.g. casings, bodies, of portable power-driven tools not particularly related to the operation performed B25F5/00; {for mounting or dismounting wheels B60B29/006}); Attachments for drilling apparatus serving the same purpose (machines B23P19/06) · CPC title

• B25B21/004 Primary

  of the ratchet type · CPC title

• B25B13/06

  of socket type · CPC title

• B25B13/107

  composed of a main body with exchangeable inserts · CPC title

• B25B23/0021

  Prolongations interposed between handle and tool · CPC title