US2635661A - Magazine multiple tool handle - Google Patents

Description

' p il, 1953 J. E. EGAN 2,635,661

MAGAZINE MULTIPLE TOOL HANDLE Filed Dec. 5, 1949 2 Sl-IEETS-Sl-IEET l {ELEM-mama lll .m.

INVENTOR.

April 21, 1953 J.E. EGAN f MAGAZINE MULTIPLE TOOL HANDLE Filed Dec. 5, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR. W a BY Patented Apr. 21, 1953 -MAGAZINE MULTIPLE TOOL HANDLE '.Iiam E- sam sh wi i Application December 5, 1949, Serial No. 1'31,2 1

Theinvention relates to amultiple tool.

The objectof the invention is to provide 'a :m'ultiple ..tool inwhich -a' plurality of tools are housed within the handle of the tool, and any one of the tools may beselectively projected intolits operating position relative to the handle. l'I'hus the -.tool may carry a series of different kinds of screwdrivers or wrenches of different type' and sizes any one of which may be quickly made available for use. I I I I A further object of the invention is to provide a tool having a multiple tool housing handle, mechanism associated with the handle for selectively moving any one of the tools into operating positionrelative to the handle, and means tor-locking the tool in its operating position.

The invention-furtherconsists in the several features hereinafter described and -more par- .ticularly defined by claims at the conclusion here'ofw In the drawings, 'Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View of a tool embodying the invention, the parts being shown -in-atool-selector position; w

Fig. 2 isa viewsimilar to Fig. --1 showing the 6 parts in an operative position;

- Fig. 3 is a detailed horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation view of the tool; Fig. 5 is an elevation view of the tool retainer andguide; v V V Fig. 6 is a detailed front elevationview of certainof the parts;

FigJZ is-a side elevation ,viewoftheindexing means forthetool selector; V I

Fig.8 is a plan view of the part shown in i I Fig. 9 is a detailed top view ofone of the tools; Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification; g

Fig. '11 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2 of the modified form shown in Fig. 11; v Fig. 12 is a detailed view of parts of the modification;- i i Fig. 13 is an elevation'view of the modified form of tool. 1' I 0 Referring to Figs. 11 to Bof the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the handle. of the tool which is hollow toform a housing :forthe tools H each of which has'a polygonal shank I 2, here shown as ahexagon, whichin the'operative position of the tool registers with a similarly formed polygonal opening l3 injth'e lower end oi' the tool which prevents} rotationfof the -positionedtool relative to" the. handlei- As shown,

handle 2 has a flange.

ries a push button or plungerthead 4i and bore 1.4 .to. which radially disposed: longitudinally extending tool spacer ribs I 5 are secured or formedintegral therewith, :if desired. The upper end" of the. handle has an- .nular groove I0a.to receive a springretainer ring I6, and'it has a tapered bore portion. Ma

to guide the lower ends of the tools to the chuck opening'l3.

rotatable: to'ol retainer I1. .is' formed as ,a tube provided with .spaced ann'ularfianges l8 and I9 near itsupper'end', said tube being split 'throughou't its'length by'a series of connecting slots 20, 2|, 221 23, and 24; i8- o'f thi's tube rests on the tops of the ribsil5 -'so that-the-tube maybe rotated relative to the housing "Each tool II has a notch 25 The. upper flange formed! in its upper end and is cut back or relieved at the top side 26 of this notch so that the tools maybe hung from or. held against longitudinal movement by the flange I9 bythe engagement of the notched portion 25 with said The alined slots-2|, 22, and..23 permit successive placement of the tools on theretainer which "also forms a guide forthe tool selector and positioning mechanism. V i

- A tool indexing member 21 comprises afianged metal-disk which has a conically inclineditop edge 28 engageable with the ring l6 and adapted under end thr'ustto exert pressure against .said

ring. This disk has-a central opening 29 to fit over'the upper end of the tube l'i with a slot '30 in its top extending through-the upper conical edge 28. The side flange 3! of the diskinline with the slot 30 has a depending finger 32pmvided-with an index-point 32a. Thewtop of the disk adjacent portions'of the opening 29 has slits-'33 cut therein communicating with. slits 3ladjacent the slot 30,- these. slits 34 also extending down through-the .side flangeof... the

disk as shown in Fig. .7. .Thedisk is madeof spring steel so-that the flngeritz, because of the slitting, forms a spring finger which extends down into the-"slotted portion of the flange l3 ofthe tube so that it iskeyed to said tube. The bottom tube edge of the flange 3| rests on the flange I 8 oflthe 'The tool selector and positioning mechanism includes a round rod 35 having a lever slot, 36 extending thelength thereof with a transverse notch 3'l intersecting saidxslot near its upper end-which isprovided with a bore 38 inwhich a rod 39 is slidably mounted. The rod 39,.has

a lever slott0 aliningwithslot 36 and alsojcarhas one end of -'a spring'dz'anch'ored thereto. I 1,,

A selector lever $3 is mounted to move in the slots and and has a locking and pivot pin 84 mounted in it intermediate its ends, said pin being disposed in the notch 31 when the lever is in a withdrawn position as shown in Fig. 1, it being noted that the rod 39 is slotted at so the movement of the rod 39 relative to rod 35 does not affect said pin, but the lower end of the slot 45 may engage thepin 44 to limit the upward movement of said rod 39. The'lever '43 pivots-on the rod 35 through the pin 44 and is connected. to the lower pin end 46 of the spring 42 by a slot 41. At its lower end, the lever 43 has a forked selector block or chucking means :48ypivotaliyconnected thereto by a pin 49. The block 48 is provided with a notched head 50 for chucking engagement with the notched-portion 12542116. side 25 of a selected tool, it being noted that in Fig. l the block 48 is disposed in the slot 2| so' that the selected tool is not engaged by the flange IS. The

upper .end :oftlrei'levenhas .arcamor *weiigenuriace 5 i which: is :adaptedtto engage :attransver-sely :;dis posedportiontfiz (seellEigfi) 'of the :spring :tobe iorcedibyisaid spring into th'eiposition'shown in :to said'rmember:byrits'sliding mounting in-th'e slot T20 :of said member. The member 521 13111 turn "keyed to'fthe retainer I l by the :projection of the finger32 'into the slot 2| of-saidretainer, itbeing noted' that:asitheretainer is turned, theflnger'fl ridesover the :tops'o'f thetoolsandinanyindexed position its point 52a T-moves idOWIl iI-HO registry withia 'notch*53 (.SSEFignQ) formed inthe top :of Ith'tOOl.

'W-ith the selector lever -43 positioned :overthe tool to be operativelyipositioned the holder'or 'thandle 'Hi and the parts then being -in the positiOlliShOWIlil'l Fig. 1, the operatorgpresses.inward- 'ly on the 'button'4l moving rod-39 -inwardly.relativeitorod 35 and-moving Sprlng-42 inwardly-or 'downwardlytrelativeto lever 43 causingtsaidxlever 'to pivot about :the pin 49 and its upper-send to swingoutwardly. A washer'54-on the-rod 39 en- :gagesrodiiifi relaying thrust tepid-414 to lever '43. There is then a direct thrust on :the lever 43 :from therod 139 and the1selected tool heldin se- Ilector block :or "chucking imeans 4-8 -is pushed downwardly in the handle Hi -llIlti1:"ll'/S lower end is guided by the taper bore 14a into :the chuck opening 13, the spring 42 permitting the lever 43 to shift relative to the rod "35 so "that while the .pin '44 may be almost out 50f the -notch3 'l after engagement of washer :54 with the :rod 35 when "the'tool H is extending through the opening 1 3, the lever 43 ismoved down-until the ends-of'the pin "44 engage the top of the tube l-l,:=and under these conditions since the ends of this pin are bevelled as shownrat 55in iF-igedgthey will 'act to cam theiupper end'of the leverinwardly-andpermitthe pin 4'4 'to move idowninto the tube :until the 'polygonalishank of the tool registers with :the opening 13, and at .the'completion of'the-gmovement of theselector mechanism, the ;pin 44-.alines position of abutting engagement with the flange l5 adjacent said slot so any end thrusts imparted against the tool will now be resisted through the selector mechanism transferring these thrusts through the pin to the members I! and 21 to the retainer ring l6 and then to the handle, the greater the thrust, the greater the wedging action of the ring 16 because of the tapered surface 28.

With the -parts shown in the position .of Fig. 2 when theoperator pulls outwardly on the button 4|, the spring 42shifts its position in the slot 41 and acts on the lever 43 to shift the pin 44 into the notch 31 and out of locking engagement with atlreflange 1.9, and then a continued pull on the button 4! brings the parts to the initial position -*showndnl 'ig. l where the selector may be turned to -engage another :tool, if desired. The handle withtheslot 22 in'the retainer Hwhichpermits the spring '42 :to throw the upper end of :said lever 43 outwardly rto .disposeithe pin -44 in 1a ill is provided with index marks 56 to aid in position'i-ng the selector lever 43 and the indexing finger 32 relative to the tools in said handle. It will be noted ifrom 1311B above that :izhe lever 43 :withathepin 44 forms 1-a latchto :loek the selector mechanism inia tool:positioning.positiomandimat this latch :is released through the relative :movem'entoftherodszifi andi39.

Referring to Figs. -l0'to l3 whichzshow'a :modi- =fied form-of the invention, the handle of-ltheto'ol -is;formed of telescoping'cylinders 5Tand 58. The cylinder 5'! 'is-vgen'erally similar to the handle 10 and has a bore 59 to which :radialltrdisposedlonrgitudinally extending tool spacer .ribs 5.0,:similar to the ribs 1.5 are secured or formed integral therewith, :if .desired. "The upper end of the cylinder5l has an annular groove x61 to receive Ia split spring :ringretainer- 62, and :itha-sa tapered bore portion 59a to guide the lower :end of the tools i I having tpolygonalishanks 12 to wthesimi- ,larly shaped chuokopening 52.

"The-cylinder 58 hasiabore'63 which is'slidably mounted on the outer side of the cylinder 5'l,=an'd it fixedly carries a toothed chuck plate 54 at its upper endadapted to engage in-the toothedaend portion -65 'of 'the cylinder 5-1-50 that both parts of the handle will turntogether inthe operative positionofthe tool as shownin-Fig. 1-1.

A tool retainer '55 isformed as-a-tube provided with spaced annular flanges ii! and 58 at its upper end, said tube being split throughout its length :by a .slot .65 similar to the slot 2!. The upper flanged?! of this tube rests on the tops of the ribs 55. The tool II is the same in the .first described construction .having a notch 25 formed in its upper end and is but hack or relievedatthe topside 25- of this-notch so that the tools may be hung fromior heldagainst lengthwise .movement .by the flange 58 by the notched portion 25 engaging with said flange.

.A-tool indexing member iii, identical with the member .exceptthatits topis not tapered or inclined, is interposed between .t,, e carrier 55 .and thering-EZ, .andit .hassa central opening Ti and a slot l2 communicating therewith similar to the opening 29 and slot 55 of member 2?.

The tool selector and positioning mechanism includes a .post or abutment E3 and a spring finger "it. The post T3 is anchored to the 'top of the cylinder ta n a .screw 15a and has a tapered side 15 againstwhich the lower endoi the spring finger 1.4 abuts in the operative .position-of .the tooland has as'top flange "tea .at its lower end to engage at oneside with-astopproejection J6 on'the member :68 to limit-the outward in Fig. 11 of the drawings by the fact that the flange 1511" projects over a part of the finger.

The spring finger I4 is anchored at its upper endto thepost I3 by screws 11 and is formed to normally extend outwardly at I8 from the post I3 and'also to have a notched-lower end or chuck- -ing' means 19 adapted to interlock with the --notched'portion' 25 of: the tool I! and berunder some tensionintheposition shown in Fig. 10. As in thefirst' describedconstruction, rotation .ofthe cylinder 58 moves the finger I4 with it so that said fingermay be positioned over any tool desired for'use, the index member I and the member 66 also being rotated because the post has akeyed connection with the top portion-80 of the b rii-an a im la eer e tie with the slot I2 of the indexing member 10'. u M Rotation of the cylinder -58'*and the movement for the finger Id-to-aposition to 'engagetheida sired toolispermitted-when the cylinder 58is drawn out to the position-shownin Fig. 10; Then as the cylinder 58 is pushed in or over the cylinder 51, the tapered portion 59a acts to cam or guide thetool l l into the opening 62, so thatits polygonal end seats itself in said opening and in doing so draws the notched end or chucking means I9 of the spring finger I4 into abutting engagement with the post I3 as shown in Fig. 11 in the final position of the tool as shown in Fig. 11. In this position the pressure of the spring finger I4 on the tool acts to hold the tool against movement in the cylinder 58, and as the operator in using the tool has to exert pressure on the cylinder 58 to engage the tool with the work, the tool will be held against longitudinal movement relative to the cylinder 51, and since the keyed or clutch connection 64, 65 is then engaged, the tool I I is turned by the turning of the assembled parts by exerting a turning action on the cylinder 58. It will be noted that in this form the cylinder 58 with the parts I3 and I4 forms a rotary and lengthwise movable tool selector and positioning mechanism for positioning a selected tool in operative position in the opening 62 of the handle portion 5! and holding it against endwise movement relative to said handle.

It is also to be noted in connection with the first form above described that by pressing inwardly on the push button 4| so as to bring it into abutting, engagement with the rod 35 in the extended position of the device as shown in Fig. 1 and then pushing inwardly on the lower end of the lever 43, this lever may be disconnected from the tool II in its selective position so that this selected tool may be dropped out of the housing through the opening I3 and will permit pulling out the selector assembly including the rod 35 and lever 43 from the housing and clutching the lever 43 with a new tool and then reassembling the parts 35 and 43 in the housing with the clutched tool in the position of assembled relation shown in Fig. 1 with the new tool interlocked with the block 48.

It is to be noted that in either form of the device the tool I I is always positively chucked to the selector mechanism either in its withdrawn position as shown in Figs. 1 and or in its operative position as shown in Figs. 2 and 11.

The tools Il may be of various kinds, for example, plain screwdrivers, screwdrivers for Phillips head screws, screw wrenches for Allen head screws, chisels, gouges, gimlets, etc.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any particular form or 6 arrangement of parts except in sofariasfsuch limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a multiple tool, the combination of a handle forming a radially partitioned housing for a plurality of tools and provided with an opening at one end to operatively receive. the shank of anyone ofsaid tools, said tools having notched shanks, a retainer having a flange. engaging the notched shanksf of said tools and mounted for rotary adjustment in-said handle relative to said tools with a slot in said flange to i free any selected tool therefrom, selector means for 'rotating said retainer including a chucking meansworking in'the slot of said flange to positively-engage the selected tool, said selector'mearis -also mounted-for reciprocatory movement relative to said handle to positively move the select- -ed' tool from its position in the slot in'said flange into operative position in said opening,'and means for-lockingsaidselector means against endwise movement relative to said handle when the selected tool is in operative position.

2. In a multiple tool, the combination of a handle forming a radially partitioned housing for a plurality of tools and provided with an opening at one end to operatively receive the shank of any one of said tools, said tools having notched shanks, a retainer having a flange engaging the notched shanks of said tools and mounted for rotary adjustment in said handle relative to said tools with a slot in said flange to free any selected tool therefrom, an indexing ring mounted on said retainer and rotatable therewith and having an inclined edge, a retainer ring mounted in said handle and engageable with said inclined edge, and rotary and reciprocatory tool selector mechanism rotatable with said retainer and movable lengthwise relative thereto to move a selected tool into an operative position relative to said opening in said handle and having releasable locking means engageable with said retainer in the operative position of the selected tool.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 in which the selector mechanism includes a pair ofrelatively slidably movable rods provided with alined lengthwise extending slots, one of said rods having a transversely disposed notch, a lever working in said slots and provided with a pin engageable in said notch, the other of said rods provided with a hand grip and having a spring anchored at one end thereto, said spring at its other end having a lost jmotion connection with said lever and having a transversely disposed portion engageable with a wedge surface at one end of said lever, the other end of said lever operatively carrying a notched selector blo-ck engageable with the notched end of any one of the selected tools, the pin on said lever engageable with said retainer in operative position of the tool to releaseably lock the tool against endwise movement in said handle.

4. In a multiple tool, the combination of a handle forming a radially partitioned housing for a plurality of .tools and provided with an opening at one end to operatively receive the shank of any one of said tools, said tools having notched shanks, a retainer having a flange en-- gaging the notched shanks of said tools and mounted for rotary adjustment in said handle relative to said tools with a slot in said flange to free any selected tool therefrom, selector means for rotating said retainer including a chucking means working in the slot of said flange to posi- '7 tively engage the selected tool, "said selector means also mounted forireciprocatory movement relative to said handle to positively move the chucked selected tool :from its position in the slot in said flange into operative position in said ,handle :forming ,a radially partitioned housing "for a plurality of tools and provided with an opening at one :end to operatively receive the shank of any oneof-sai'd tools, said tools shaving notched ;shanks, a retainerhaving a flange-engaging the notched shanks of said tools and mounted for irotary adjustment in said handle .relative to said ztools'with a radially disposed slot --in said flange to free any selected tool there- B from, selector means for rotating 'Lsaid retainer including an oscillatory :lever :provided with *a chucking means working in the slot in said flange and 'engageable with the notched shank'of the selected tool to positively hold said tool, said :selector means also mounted for recipro'cator'y movement relative to'said handle from a tool selector position to a position in which the selected tool is positioned in the opening in said ban dle, said chucking means in its tool'selector position being releaseable from sa'idselected tool on the manual operationof said'leve'r.

JAMES E. EGAN.

References Cited in the file of this :patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v

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