The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 13, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 20, 1999
Jeffrey H. Hoff, Kenosha, WI (US);
Frank Mikic, late of Lake Geneva, WI (US);
Snap-on Technologies, Inc., Lincolnshire, IL (US);
Abstract
A socket drive tool has an elongated shaft defining a coupling body at one end thereof with a square drive lug having a detent ball disposed in a recess therein and projecting from a face thereof. A link pin reciprocates in the body and has a cam surface at one end thereof engageable with the ball, the pin being spring biased to a condition holding the ball in a retaining position projecting from the recess, and movable against the spring bias to a releasing condition permitting the ball to retract into the recess. An opening in the body is generally oblong in transverse cross section and tapers from a wide outer end to a narrow inner end, and then tapers back out again a short distance from the narrow inner end. The link pin has formed diametrically therethrough a reverse tapered aperture which tapers from a narrow end near the wide end of the opening to an oblong wide end near the inner end of the opening. An actuator pin extends into the opening and through the aperture, being seated in the inner end of the opening, the outer end of the actuator pin projecting from the opening for manual access by a user to pivot the pin and thereby reciprocate the link pin. An outer lip portion of the opening has a width slightly less than an enlarged annular flange portion of the actuator pin to retain the pin in the housing.