Snap-On Technologies, Inc.

Snap-On Tools Corporation

Rexnord Gmbh

Snap-On Inc.

Envirex Inc.

Snap-On Tools Company

Bert Krivec

Jeffrey H Hoff

Daniel M Eggert

Christopher D Thompson

Frank Mikic

Dean J Iwinski

Marco E DeVecchis

Steven R Wente

Robert E Crandall

John A Braun

Elwood B Brown

Kurt L Sauer

Thomas B Petruzzi

Warren S Raynor

Marco Devecchis

Kurt Sauer

A device includes a body having a plurality of alternating drive regions and corner regions arranged about a central axis for cooperation to define a socket recess having an open outer end and an inner end. Each drive region has a drive surface disposed thereon and confined thereto. At least one drive surface slopes toward the central axis in a first direction generally parallel to the central axis and in a second direction generally traverse to the central axis. The device may be a rotatably driveable device for driving fasteners and the like, wherein the axis is the axis of rotation. The device can be used for retaining and driving a drive member. In one form, a drive member, comprising alternating flats and corners is inserted into the device. The flats of the drive member frictionally engage with at least two of the drive regions, thereby releaseably retaining the drive member in the body. The drive member can be rotated by rotating the body in one of the clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. The corner regions can comprise channels formed between two drive regions to prevent engagement of the corners of the drive member with the body. Similar principles are also applied to create drive surfaces for a male driver that retain and drive a device having a complementary female socket.

Retention socket geometry variations

A ratchet wrench is provided which includes a ratchet head having a part-cylindrical surface with head teeth thereon and an elongated handle hingedly coupled to the head. The handle has first and second handle ends, an axis extending between the ends and an axial first bore opening at the first handle end. The wrench also includes a rod disposed in and moveable within the first bore between an engaged condition engageable with the head teeth for locking the head in a selected position relative to the handle and a non-engaged condition disengaged from the head teeth and accommodating relative movement of the head and handle, and biasing structure for biasing the rod to the engaged condition. The wrench also includes retaining structure coupled to the rod for retaining the rod in its non-engaged condition. The retaining structure may be disposed at several locations relative to the ratchet head.

Ratchet wrench with multi-position ratchet head

A miniature, adjustable torque limiting screwdriver includes an elongated hollow handle internally threaded at one end. A torque-limiting mechanism is disposed within the handle and includes a rigid shaft having a hex inner end and a plurality of flexible resilient fingers engageable with the hex. An adjusting collar encircles and engages the fingers and is threadedly engaged with the handle for axial movement to adjust the force with which the fingers grip the hex end of the shaft. The outer end of the shaft sockets a driver shank. When the handle is rotated it rotates the shank up to a predetermined torque, at which point the flexible and resilient torque members slip with respect to the drive surface portions of the shaft to prevent further torque application. The outer end of the shaft carries a gear member engaged by a spring-biased pin socketed in the handle, the gear teeth being arranged to accommodate a ratcheting rotation in one direction to permit relative rotation of the handle with respect to the shaft in one direction but to prevent relative rotation in the opposite direction.

Adjustable torque-limiting mini screwdriver

A linear clamp for releasably engaging an electrical connector is provided. The clamp includes a housing having a hand grip portion and an elongated barrel portion having a longitudinal axis, a fixed jaw carried by the barrel portion, and a moveable member having a moveable jaw thereon axially aligned with and facing the fixed jaw, wherein the longitudinal axis passes through the jaws. The clamp further includes resilient means for urging the moveable jaw toward the fixed jaw, and a lever pivotally connected to the hand grip portion and coupled to the moveable member for linearly moving the moveable jaw along the longitudinal axis away from the fixed jaw.

Linear opening booster clamp

An improved elongated side terminal adapter is of the type for use with a jumper cable clamp. The terminal adapter includes a clamp connecting portion mateably engageable with the jumper cable clamp and a terminal connecting portion having laterally opposing terminal gripping plates disposed substantially in a common plane and cooperating to define an opening therebetween. The gripping plates are laterally resiliently deflectable to facilitate sliding the side terminal adapter onto a side terminal of a battery. A number of terminal engaging prongs bent out of the plane in a first direction and a number of terminal engaging prongs bent out of the plane in a second direction opposite to the first direction are disposed along the opening and are cooperatively arranged to define at least one terminal-receiving slot to facilitate clipping onto the battery side terminal.

Side terminal adapter

A cable attachment apparatus for attaching a cable conductor having an outside diameter to a booster cable clamp is provided. The apparatus includes a generally tubular wall defining a receptacle for receiving the cable conductor. The tubular wall has an inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of the cable conductor. The apparatus further includes a plurality of fingers circumferentially and axially spaced about the wall, wherein each finger is closest in the axial direction to another finger disposed at a different circumferential position on the wall.

Simplified cable attachment and jaw for cable clamp

An interlock apparatus for connecting a drawer slide member having a planar connecting surface to a slide receiving member having first and second substantially parallel surfaces is provided. The interlock apparatus includes a plurality of male interlock members integral with the drawer slide member, each interlock member defining a loop extending out of the plane of the connecting surface and having a first bearing surface thereon. The apparatus also includes a plurality of apertures disposed in the slide receiving member, each aperture defining a single uninterrupted second bearing surface. Each interlock member extends through an aperture to a mounted condition with the first and second bearing surfaces in contact with each other to connect the drawer slide and the slide receiving member together. The loops are retained in the mounted condition by pins therethrough or by retaining surfaces thereon.

Drawer slide interlock apparatus

A position latch device is used with a clamp of the type including a pair of pivotally coupled gripping members respectively defining gripping jaws at one end and first and second handle portions at the opposite end. The gripping members are operable between a latched open-jaw condition and a non-latched closed-jaw condition. The position latch device includes a resilient spring extending from the first handle portion toward the second handle portion in an arcuate manner and deflectable by the second handle portion as the gripping members move from the closed-jaw condition to the open jaw condition so as to exert on the second handle portion a force component in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the second handle portion. The spring has a fixed end connected to the first handle portion and a free end. The latch device further includes a latching abutment disposed adjacent to the free end of the spring and engageable in the latched condition with the second handle portion in response to movement of the clamp from the closed-jaw condition to retain the clamp against movement toward the closed-jaw condition. The abutment is disengageable from the latched condition in response to application to the free end of a release force having a substantial component in the direction of movement of the second handle member toward the open-jaw condition.

Position latch device

A flexural pivot joint is used to join two members for pivotal movement about a pivot axis. The pivot joint comprises two pairs of resilient spring wire sections spaced apart along the pivot axis. Each wire section is coupled to both of the members and has a longitudinal axis. The wire sections of each pair are disposed in cross-arrangement with respect to each other and are deflectable from their respective longitudinal axes to accommodate pivoting of the members from an at-rest condition about the pivot axis. In an alternative embodiment the flexural pivot joint includes first and second brackets respectively coupled to the members. The brackets are disposed facing each other and include a plurality of slots.

Wire flex pivot

A booster clamp is provided and includes a first lever having a first planar surface and a second lever pivotally connected to the first lever and having a second planar surface. The booster clamp has a substantially cylindrical pivot joint which includes a substantially cylindrical elastomeric element and first and second substantially planar surfaces substantially parallel to one another, wherein the first planar surface of the joint is connected to the first planar surface of the first lever and the second planar surface of the joint is connected to the second planar surface of the second lever.

Booster clamp with elastomeric joint element

A low-cost, low-noise, and low-weight, high strength three-piece slide assembly is provided for use with cabinet drawers. The slide assembly includes a corrugated drawer-side member having a first corrugated surface with elongated corrugations having a first extending longitudinal axis parallel to the direction of drawer travel, and a cabinet-side member having a second corrugated surface with second corrugations extending parallel to the longitudinal axis. Also included is a corrugated intermediate member sized and shaped for sliding movement between the drawer-side and the cabinet-side members. The intermediate member includes a drawer-facing surface having third corrugations, and a cabinet-wall-facing surface having fourth corrugations. The third and fourth corrugations are respectively mateably engageable with the first and second corrugations. The third corrugations extend substantially equidistantly from opposite sides of a first medial plane and said fourth corrugations extend substantially equidistantly from opposite sides of a second medial plane, where the first and second medial planes are inclined with respect to each other. In an alternative embodiment, the intermediate piece is a steel element coated with a low coefficient of friction material and has a body with generally v-shaped corrugations sized and shaped for mateable sliding movement between similarly corrugated surfaces on the drawer-side and the cabinet-side members.

Corrugated three-piece drawer slide assembly

A cabinet assembly capable of storing various configurations of drawers of different depth is provided. The cabinet assembly includes first and second walls each having a length and height, and first and second one-piece support members each having a length and a height and integral with the first and second walls, respectively. Each of the support members includes a plurality of ledges spaced along the height of the support member substantially perpendicular to the associated wall, the walls being disposed so that each ledge on the first support member cooperates with a corresponding ledge on the second support member to form a pair of opposed ledges. The assembly also includes a plurality of drawers each having a depth and a pair of support flanges lying substantially in a common plane, wherein the support flanges lying substantially in a common plane, wherein the support portions of each pair of support ledges are adapted to respectively slidably support the flanges of a drawer to both support the drawer between the walls and allow the drawer to slide along at least a portion of the ledges.

Modular cabinet and drawer assembly

A disconnect latch is provided for use with a drawer slide assembly of the type including an elongated drawer member and a stopper for limiting longitudinal travel of the elongated drawer member. The disconnect latch includes the unitarily formed combination of a lever, a mounting section for non-pivotally coupling the disconnect latch to the elongated drawer member, and a main body portion integral with the lever at one end thereof and with the mounting section at the opposite end thereof. The main body portion includes a stop surface for maintaining the elongated drawer member in a locked condition. A plurality of longitudinally spaced grooves is further included, each spanning the whole vertical height of the main body portion. The grooves facilitate the non-pivotal flexing of the disconnect latch so as to allow the stop surface to clear the locking member when downward pressure is applied to the lever, as well as to allow shock absorption during impact of the stop surface against the stopper.

Shock absorbing disconnect latch for drawer slides

The wrench holder has a plurality of pairs of elements separated by a space substantially equal to the thickness of a wrench. One element in each pair is fixed and the other is hingedly mounted for movement toward and away from the first element. Two bosses are respectively carried by the two elements and are directed laterally toward each other. A wrench is inserted into a space, forcing the second element away from the first until the bosses are aligned with a hole in wrench, whereupon the two bosses seat within the wrench hole.

Crowfoot wrench holder

A flexural pivot joint includes two pivoting members, which may be levers of a pivotal hand tool, and two substantially identical flexible blade elements, each substantially Z-shaped and having opposite ends respectively connected to the pivoting members. In particular, each blade end has an enlarged coupling portion adapted to be press-fitted in a groove which may be formed either directly in the lever member or in a bushing which is fixed to the lever member. Each bushing may be either a full cylinder or a split cylinder. In one embodiment the joint includes, in addition to the Z-shaped elements, two non-identical flexible elements, the four elements being equiangularly spaced. The grooves and coupling portions may be complementarily shaped, with each groove having a bead receivable in a recess in the coupling portion to inhibit relative rotation.

Growing community of inventors

Waukesha, WI, United States of America

Bert Krivec