Socket sling

Abstract

A holder of wrench sockets that has a carrying handle ( 40 ), and a main member ( 56 ). The main member ( 56 ) extends from the handle ( 40 ) and passes through the existing drive hole ( 62 ) in the sockets ( 58 ) to form a chain of sockets ( 60 ) that are retained in place by a stop ( 68 ). The handle ( 40 ) is easily removable so the sockets can be laid out on a tray ( 120 ) for easy access and deployment.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A compact open type of ratchet wrench socket holder for use under adverse conditions such as bumping and jarring comprising: 
 (a) an elongated flexible main member having an arbitrarily chosen first and second end, a longitudinal axis and a transverse-section that will freely pass through the drive receptacle of a ratchet wrench socket and any additional sockets that are aligned axially with said socket preferably having the same drive receptacle size    (b) a means for connecting or disconnecting said second end of said main member to or from said first end thereby forming or breaking a loop that allows the sockets surrounding the main member to be released for use or collected for storage.    
     
     
         2 . The holder of  claim 1  wherein the means for either connecting or disconnecting is a combination of two locks a positive lock and a forcible lock.  
     
     
         3 . The holder of  claim 1  further including an area at an end of the main member that is substantially more rigid than the main member itself whereby the resulting straightness of said end facilitates the passing of said end through said sockets and said rigid end increases the effectiveness of a positive pinch lock.  
     
     
         4 . The holder of  claim 1  further including a tray comprised of a elongated sheet of substantially rigid material that has a longitudinal vee groove near the center of its top surface and that has a ridge of material at each outboard longitudinal edge of said top surface, whereby said vee groove allows easy axial alignment of said sockets in a series on said tray, and said ridges prevent said sockets from being swept away from the tray by a careless hand.  
     
     
         5 . The holder of  claim 1  further including an obstruction projecting transversely from the main member near said first end of sufficient size to prevent said sockets from moving past said end.  
     
     
         6 . The holder of  claim 5  further including a split that runs transversely to the main member through said obstruction separating the obstruction into two parts, the two parts allowing the main member to hang in a straight drop, one part to form a handle of sufficient size to fit comfortably in the average human hand and the remaining part to form a stop of sufficient length to protrude far enough from the open end of the largest socket to be gripped in the thumb and forefinger and although said means for connecting or disconnecting could be placed at the inboard end of either the handle or the stop it is placed in the larger handle thereby conserving materials of manufacture and giving maximum accessibility to said means for connecting or disconnecting.  
     
     
         7 . The holder of  claim 6  wherein the main member is not flexible but is substantially rigid having a permanent indentation at the axial lock.  
     
     
         8 . The holder of  claim 6  wherein the means for either connecting or disconnecting is a combination of two locks a positive lock and a forcible lock.  
     
     
         9 . The holder of  claim 8  wherein said positive lock is a axial lock and said forcible lock is an axial lock.  
     
     
         10 . The holder of  claim 9  wherein the positive axial lock is a projection of substantially rigid material that is held in position in said handle by a spring and is pressed into said main member by an incline on a slide that moves axially to the main member and is contained in the wall of said handle thereby creating a pinched area in the main member that prevents the main member from being extracted axially from said handle.  
     
     
         11 . The holder of  claim 9  wherein the forcible axial lock is a depression at the top of an incline that is mounted on a slide that is contained by the wall of said handle so that said slide moves axially to the main member and said depression engages a projection that moves in a substantially transverse direction and said projection is held in said depression by the force of a spring until said slide is urged with a predetermined force which is transferred directly to the depression and indirectly to said projection by the profile of the depression so that said projection is released from the depression and said lock is forced open.  
     
     
         12 . The holder of  claim 8  wherein said positive lock is an axial lock and said forcible lock is a radial lock.  
     
     
         13 . The holder of  claim 12  wherein the positive axial lock is a first aperture that is located in the end wall of said handle that communicates with a second aperture and said second aperture communicates with a lead in notch thereby forming an elongated opening that is itself open at its notch end allowing the main member to enter and said opening having a dimension across its length at said first aperture that is small enough to prevent the main member from being extracted axially from said handle but larger than the dimension across the second opening.  
     
     
         14 . The holder of  claim 12  wherein the forcible radial lock is a second aperture that is located in the end wall of said handle between a first aperture and a lead in notch and that communicates with said first aperture and said lead in notch thereby forming an elongated opening that is itself open at its notch end allowing the main member to enter, and said opening having a dimension across its length at said second aperture that is smaller than the corresponding dimension across said first aperture so that if the main member is moved from said first aperture to said lead in notch a predetermined amount of force is required for the main member to pass said second aperture.  
     
     
         15 . The holder of  claim 1  wherein said main member is an elongated round tube that is made of a flexible, plastic material that can be transversely cut with a plurality of common tools by the end user to a length to fit any size socket set that he or she may own.  
     
     
         16 . The holder of  claim 15  further including an elongated round stiffening rod of substantially rigid material with a diameter of a size that requires a force fit into the internal diameter of the first end of said plastic tube whereby the resulting stiffness of said first end facilitates the passing of said end through a series of aligned wrench sockets and increases the effectiveness of a positive pinch lock.  
     
     
         17 . The holder of  claim 15  further including, attached to the second end of said tube, a stop bushing that has a free fit between the internal diameter of said stop bushing and the outside diameter of said tube and has a taper in the outboard end of said bushing so that a wedge lock connection is made; first, by forcing a tapered plug into the internal diameter of said end, thereby creating an expanded end; second, by forcing said expanded end into a matching taper on the internal diameter of said bushing.  
     
     
         18 . The holder of  claim 1  wherein said main member is a rope that has located on said first end a stop and a stop connection to said rope that is suitable for rope and has located on said second end a portion impregnated by a substantially rigid plastic thereby making said end straight so it can be passed easily through a series of aligned wrench sockets and whereby the resulting stiffness of the impregnated end increases the effectiveness of a positive pinch lock.  
     
     
         19 . The holder of  claim 1  wherein said main member is a one piece monolithic plastic ball and rod chain that has a substantially correct size ratio between said ball and rod areas and a substantially correct formulation so that said plastic main member has properties suitable for use as said ratchet wrench socket holder.  
     
     
         20 . The holder of  claim 16  wherein the outside diameter of said elongated round stiffening rod has ridges transversely applied whereby a force fit between said rod and said main member is easily accomplished.