US2718806A - Magnetic driving tool - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 27, 1955 CLARK 2,718,806

MAGNETIC DRIVING TOOL Filed June 23, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

B WJ

United States Patent MAGNETIC DRIVING TOOL Frederick G. Clark, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Wade Stevenson, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application June 23, 1949, Serial No. 100,911

2 Claims. (Cl. 81125) This invention relates to improvements in magnetic tools of the type in which the workpiece, such for example as a screw, bolt, nut, or the like to be driven is held on the tool by magnetic force to facilitate placing the workpiece into position to be driven.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a magnetic tool which includes a magnet permanently mounted on the tool, and a tubular socket member which is readily removable from the tool, so that it can easily be replaced by another socket member, when worn, or by socket members formed to operate on workpieces or parts of other sizes. It is also an object of this invention to provide a tool of this type in which the magnet is permanently mounted on a portion of the tool in such manner as to be protected against strains or impacts, and in which the driving force is applied to the removable socket member independently of the magnet. A further object of this invention is to provide a magnetic tool of this type with a socket removably mounted on the tool and reversible so that either end of the socket may be used to apply rotary motion or torque to a workpiece.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of the invention and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of a magnetic tool embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal view of the tool with the socket removed therefrom.

Fig. 4 is an end view thereof.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of the magnetic tool having a reversible socket mounted thereon.

Fig. 6 is an end view thereof.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal view of the magnetic tool shown in Figs. 5 and 6 with the socket removed therefrom.

Magnetic tools, such, for example, as socket wrenches, have heretofore been provided with a magnet permanently secured within the socket portion of the wrench, which magnet holds a nut or other workpiece in the socket while the same is being applied to a structure. When socket wrenches of this type are continuously and severely used, the sockets of the wrenches rapidly become worn so that the entire wrench including the magnet must be discarded. Since the sockets of wrenches of this type are much less expensive than the magnets, I have provided a tool in which the sockets are removable when worn and replaceable by other sockets, without requiring the replacing of the magnet.

In the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated by way of example in Figs. 1 to 6, 10 represents a shank of a magnetic tool and which may be rotated, either manually by means of a handle (not shown) applied to one end thereof, or which may be driven by Patented Sept. 27, 1955 means of a power operated device. This shank may be of any suitable or desired form and material and may be either of a magnetic or non-magnetic material, the outer end of the shank being provided with an extension 11 on which a magnet may be suitably supported. For example, the end of the extension 11 may be provided with an aperture or recess at the outer end thereof within which a magnet 12 is suitably secured. The extension 11 of the shank is made of a non-magnetic material, and consequently, if the shank 10 is also of nonmagnetic material, the extension 11 thereof may be formed integral with the shank. If, on the other hand, the shank is made of magnetic material, then the extension 11 thereof is made of non-magnetic material and is rigidly secured to the shank. For example, the shank may be provided with an enlarged portion 14 which may be recessed to receive the inner end of the extension 11 as shown in Fig. 5. The extension consequently forms a non-magnetic sheath about the sides and inner end of the magnet.

The extension 11 is formed to enter into a tubular socket 15 and suitable means are also provided to impart rotation to the socket when the same is in operative relation to the extension 11. For this purpose, in the construction shown by way of example, the extension 11 is provided at the portion thereof adjacent to the enlargement 14 of the shank with a portion 17 which is non-circular in cross section, for example, square is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The outer portion 18 of the extension may be of circular cross section. The socket member 15 is, consequently, also provided at least at the inner end thereof with a longitudinally extending bore or passage which is square in cross section or of other form so that torque applied to the shank 10 may be transmitted to the socket 15. Preferably the portion of the bore of the socket which extends about the extension 11 is of uniform cross section throughout its length, and the part 18 of circular cross section is of such diameter that the extension 11 may readily be inserted into the socket. The enlargement 14 of the shank acts as a stop to limit the movement of the shank about the extension 11.

The outer end of the socket which extends beyond the outer end of the magnet 12 may be provided with a recess 19 of any suitable or desired cross sectional form for engagement with a workpiece or part, such for example, as a nut or head of a bolt or screw.

The sockets may be removably held on the extensions 11 of the magnetic tool in any suitable or usual manner. In the construction shown by way of example in Figs. 1 to 4, the extension 11 is provided with a transversely extending recess 20 in which a spring 21 is arranged which acts on a ball or other detent 22 and urges the same partly beyond the outer surface of the extension. The socket is provided with an aperture 24 in registration with the aperture 20 in the extension and in registration with the ball or detent 22 when the socket is in its operative position on the extension. When the socket is moved into its operative position, the ball is pressed outwardly by the spring to enter partly into the aperture 24 of the socket, and thus yieldingly retain the socket on the extension 11 of the tool. Any other means for releasably holding the socket on the extension of the tool may be provided.

From the foregoing description, it will be obvious that in the use of the magnetic tool described, when the parts thereof are in their operative positions as shown in Fig. 1, a workpiece, such as a nut or the head of a bolt or screw may be positioned in the recess 19 of the end of the socket. The workpiece will then be held in such recess by means of the magnet 12. When torque is applied to the shank or stem 10, this torque will be transmitted through the non-circular or driving portion 17 of the extension to the socket. When end pressure is applied to the shank, this end pressure will be transmitted by the enlargement 14-01? the shank directly to the adjacent end of the socket. By means of this construction, the magnet itself is not subjected to any strain or torque and the relatively thin walled portion of the extension 11 surrounding the magnet is also not subjected to torque, and for that reason, is preferably circular in cross section, so that all of the torque will be transmitted to the socket by means of the driving portion 17 of the extension.

If a socket becomes worn, it can easily be removed from the tool by an endwise pull on the socket which will cause the ball 22 to enter into the aperture or recess 20 in the extension and thus permit the socket member to be removed from the tool. The socket member, consequently, may also be removed when it is desired to replace the same with another socket member having an end aperture or recess 19 of a difierent size or shape to cooperate with workpieces of different sizes or shapes. Since the magnet and the extension 11 in which it is housed are subject to very little wear, it will beobvious that the tool will outlast many sockets.

It is also possible in connection with my improved magnetic tool to provide a socket which may be reversed end for end. In the construction shown in Figs. 5 to 7, a socket 27 is provided, the bore of which isof uniform dimension throughout the length of the socket, for example, of hexagonal form as shown at 28. The socket is provided with a pair of apertures 29 equally spaced from the opposite ends thereof and either of these apertures is adapted to cooperate with a suitable detent member such as the ball 22 shown in Figs. 1 to 4 or a plunger 30 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, which is yieldingly urged outwardly by means of a spring 31 located in a hole or recess 32 in the extension 33 of the shank. When it is desired to remove the socket from the extension 11 of the tool, it is only necessary to press the plunger 30 inwardly by means of a nail or other device and then pull the socket member endwise from the extension 33. The socket member may then be reversed so that the other aperture 29 will cooperate with the detent or plunger 30. By means of this construction, the life of the socket may be doubled, since even if the outer end becomes mutilated and damaged by repeated use with the nuts or other workpieces upon which the socket operates, the same may be reversed. When in its reversed position, the relatively short end of the bore which has been damaged by repeated use, is not depended upon to transmit torque, since the portion of the extension 11 of non-circular cross section is considerably longer than the short mutilated end portion of the socket member.

This extension 33 is also of non-magnetic material and may be formed integral or secured to the shank 10,. and in the particular construction, this extension is of noncircular cross section, for example hexagonal, throughout the length thereof, as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The sockets used in connection with the construction described may, of course, be of any good grade of steel, or other magnetic material, since when a nut or other device is inserted into the cavity in the end of the socket it acts as a keeper to conduct magnetic lines of force from the magnet to the socket in case a bar magnet is used. However, with the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 7, the outer end of the magnet may be bifurcated and so magnetized as to form a horseshoe type of magnet, for holding the nut or other workpiece within the end of the socket.

The construction described has the advantages that the magnet is a permanent part of the tool and may be used with a variety of sockets and driving implements. By securing the magnet in an aperture or recess in the outer end of the tool, the magnet is protected against damage.

The term non-magnetic is herein used in the practical sense to designate materials of very low magnetic permeability.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain. the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention, as expressed in the appended claims. The construction described makes it possible to make the socket members of a magnetic material, such as a high grade steel, which greatly increases the life of the socket members.

I claim as my invention:

1. A magnetic tool including a rotatable solid shank provided with an extension of non-magnetic material having an axially extending aperture in the outer end thereof, a magnet secured in said aperture and being substantially flush with the end thereof, a tubular socket member of magnetic material removably secured on said extension means for limiting rearward travel of said socket on said extension, the outer end of said socket extending beyond the outer end of said extension to form a recess to receive parts to be rotated by said socket, said parts being held in said recess by said magnet, a driving connection between said tool and said socket, said driving connection being formed by a portion of non-circular cross section on said extension, and an interior noncircular part on said socket formed to cooperate with said non-circular portion of said extension, the outer por tion of said extension being of circular cross section to prevent the transmission of torque to said socket through References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,887,216 Reynolds Nov. 8, 1932 1,927,844 Pfauser Sept. 26, 1933 1,930,238 Helles Oct. 10, 1933 2,260,055 Reardon Oct. 21, 1941 2,630,036 Brown Nov. 3, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 10,488 Great Britain Sept. 4, 1885 364,794 France June 9, 1906 340,443 Germany Sept. 13, 1921

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