Snap-on Technologies, Inc.

Mark Eberhage, Legal Representative

Jeffrey H Hoff

Frank Mikic, Deceased

A socket drive tool includes an elongated shaft having a coupling structure for coupling to a socket. The coupling structure includes a detent ball disposed in a detent recess and moveable between retaining and releasing positions relative to the socket. The shaft has a cavity therein communicating with the detent recess. A tubular sleeve having a sleeve cam surface is disposed coaxially about the shaft for movement between a retaining condition and a releasing condition. A rod is moveable axially between retaining and releasing conditions, being spring-biased to the latter. The rod has within the cavity a first cam surface engageable with the detent ball and a second cam surface engageable with a transfer ball which is, in turn, engageable with the sleeve cam surface. When the sleeve is in the retaining condition, the sleeve cam surface causes the transfer ball and rod to hold the detent ball in its retaining position, and when the sleeve is in the releasing condition it causes the transfer ball and the rod to permit movement of the detent ball to its releasing position.

Growing community of inventors

Greenfield, WI, United States of America

Mark Eberhage, Legal Representative