Mini screw driver

Claim 2

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a tool body, constructed in a size and shape to allow the body to be conveniently held and manipulated in one hand of an operator; a plunger, having a rack formed integrally therewith, which plunger is adapted to reciprocate along its longitudinal axis relative said tool body, said plunger oriented relative said tool body to allow reciprocation thereof with said one hand of said operator while said tool body is manipulated with said one hand; a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel; gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft; a tool tip connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewith; and means for selecting either direction of rotation of said drive shaft about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft in response to reciprocation of said plunger.

Claim 3

The apparatus set forth in claim 1 additionally comprising means for allowing said plunger to return to its initial position without reversing said drive shaft.

Claim 4

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a plunger, having a rack found integrally therewith, which plunger is adapted to reciprocate along its longitudinal axis; a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel; gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft; a tool tip connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewith; and means for allowing said plunger to return to its initial position without reversing said drive shaft, comprising: first and second driven bevel gears mounted to rotate freely on said drive shaft; a driving bevel gear for rotating said first and second driven bevel gears; first and second ratchet gears mounted on said drive shaft and constrained to rotate therewith; and means for selectively operatively connecting said first or second ratchet gear with said driving bevel gear through said first or second driven bevel gear, respectively, such that when said driving bevel gear is connected through said first driven bevel gear, said first driven bevel gear will mesh with said first ratchet gear when said plunger is moving downwardly to rotate said drive shaft in a first direction, and will slip with respect to said first ratchet gear when said plunger is moving upwardly; and when said driving bevel gear is connected through said second driven bevel gear, said second driven bevel gear will mesh with said second ratchet gear when said plunger is moving downwardly and thus rotate said drive shaft in the opposite direction and will slip with respect to said second ratchet gear gear when said plunger is moving upwardly.

Claim 5

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a plunger, having a rack found integrally therewith, which plunger is adapted to reciprocate along its longitudinal axis; a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel; gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft; a tool tip connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewith; and means for allowing said plunger to return to its initial position without reversing said drive shaft, comprising: first and second driven bevel gears mounted to rotate freely on said drive shaft; a driving bevel gear for rotating said first and second driven bevel gears; first and second ratchet gears mounted on said drive shaft and constrained to rotate therewith; and means for selectively operatively connecting said first or second ratchet gear with said driving bevel gear through said first or second driven bevel gear, respectively, such that when said driving bevel gear is connected through said first driven bevel gear, said first driven bevel gear will mesh with said first ratchet gear when said plunger is moving downwardly to rotate said drive shaft in a first direction, and will slip with respect to said first ratchet gear when said plunger is moving upwardly; and when said driving bevel gear is connected through said second driven bevel gear, said second driven bevel gear will mesh with said second ratchet gear when said plunger is moving downwardly and thus rotate said drive shaft in the opposite direction and will slip with respect to said second ratchet gear gear when said plunger is moving upwardly.

Claim 6

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a plunger, having a rack formed integrally therewith, which plunger is adapted to reciprocate along its longitudinal axis; a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel; gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft; a tool tip connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewith; and means for selecting either direction of rotation of said drive shaft about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft, Comprising: a driving bevel gear; two driven bevel gears each for causing rotation of the drive shaft in an opposite direction; and means for selectively operatively connecting the driving bevel gear with the drive shaft through a selected one of the two driven bevel gears.

Claim 7

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a plunger, having a rack formed integrally therewith, which plunger is adapted to reciprocate along its longitudinal axis; a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel; gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft; a tool tip connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewith; and means for selecting either direction of rotation of said drive shaft about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft, Comprising: a driving bevel gear; two driven bevel gears each for causing rotation of the drive shaft in an opposite direction; and means for selectively operatively connecting the driving bevel gear with the drive shaft through a selected one of the two driven bevel gears.

Claim 8

The apparatus set forth in claim 4 in which said means for selectively operatively connecting the driving bevel gear with the drive shaft is responsive to translating an upper casing half, to which said driving bevel gear is rotatably attached, longitudinally of a lower casing half.

Claim 9

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising a plunger having a rack formed integrally therewith, which plunger is adapted to reciprocate along its longitudinal axis, a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel, gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft, and a tool tip connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewith, in which said gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft comprises: a spur gear engaged with said rack and adapted to be rotated thereby when said plunger is reciprocated; a driving bevel gear fixed to rotate with said spur gear; a driven bevel gear mounted on said drive shaft and adapted to rotate about said longitudinal axis thereof, said driven bevel gear being rotated through engagement with said driving bevel gear; and means for converting the rotation of said driven bevel gear to rotation of said drive shaft.

Claim 10

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising a plunger having a rack formed integrally therewith, which plunger is adapted to reciprocate along its longitudinal axis, a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel, gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft, and a tool tip connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewith, in which said gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft comprises: a spur gear engaged with said rack and adapted to be rotated thereby when said plunger is reciprocated; a driving bevel gear fixed to rotate with said spur gear; a driven bevel gear mounted on said drive shaft and adapted to rotate about said longitudinal axis thereof, said driven bevel gear being rotated through engagement with said driving bevel gear; and means for converting the rotation of said driven bevel gear to rotation of said drive shaft.

Claim 11

The apparatus set forth in claim 6 wherein the driven bevel gear is free to rotate on the drive shaft and the means for converting the rotation of said driven bevel gear to rotation of said drive shaft comprise: a ratchet gear mounted on said drive shaft and constrained to rotate therewith; and means for meshing said ratchet gear with said driven bevel gear when said driven bevel gear is rotated in a first direction of rotation about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft by said driving bevel gear, to rotate said drive shaft in said first direction, and for permitting slippage of said ratchet gear relative to said driven bevel gear when said driven bevel gear is rotated in a second direction of rotation about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft, thus imparting no rotation to said drive shaft.

Claim 12

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a plunger, having a rack formed integrally therewith, which plunger is adapted to reciprocate along its longitudinal axis; a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel; gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft, comprising: a spur gear adapted to be rotated through engagement with said rack when said plunger is reciprocated; first and second driven bevel gears adapted to rotate freely on said drive shaft, the axes of roation of which are collinear with said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft; a driving bevel gear fixedly mounted with said spur gear, with the axes of rotation of said driving bevel gear and said spur gear collinear; means for selectively engaging said first or second driven bevel gears with said driving bevel gear so as to rotate said first or second driven bevel gears when selectively engaged therewith, the direction of rotation being opposite depending on which driven bevel gear is engaged; and first and second ratchet gears, mounted on said drive shaft in spaced-apart manner and constrained to rotate therewith; said first ratchet gear being adapted to mesh with said first driven bevel gear when said first driven bevel gear is driven in one direction of rotation by said driving bevel gear, thus to rotate said drive shaft in said one direction of rotation, and tO slip when said first driven bevel gear is driven in the other direction of rotation by said driving bevel gear; said second ratchet gear being adapted to mesh with said second driven bevel gear when said second driven bevel gear is driven in said other direction of rotation by said driving bevel gear, thus to rotate said drive shaft in said other direction of rotation, and to slip when said second driven bevel gear is driven in said one direction of rotation by said driving bevel gear; and a tool tip connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewith.

Claim 13

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a plunger, having a rack formed integrally therewith, which plunger is adapted to reciprocate along its longitudinal axis; a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel; gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft, comprising: a spur gear adapted to be rotated through engagement with said rack when said plunger is reciprocated; first and second driven bevel gears adapted to rotate freely on said drive shaft, the axes of roation of which are collinear with said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft; a driving bevel gear fixedly mounted with said spur gear, with the axes of rotation of said driving bevel gear and said spur gear collinear; means for selectively engaging said first or second driven bevel gears with said driving bevel gear so as to rotate said first or second driven bevel gears when selectively engaged therewith, the direction of rotation being opposite depending on which driven bevel gear is engaged; and first and second ratchet gears, mounted on said drive shaft in spaced-apart manner and constrained to rotate therewith; said first ratchet gear being adapted to mesh with said first driven bevel gear when said first driven bevel gear is driven in one direction of rotation by said driving bevel gear, thus to rotate said drive shaft in said one direction of rotation, and tO slip when said first driven bevel gear is driven in the other direction of rotation by said driving bevel gear; said second ratchet gear being adapted to mesh with said second driven bevel gear when said second driven bevel gear is driven in said other direction of rotation by said driving bevel gear, thus to rotate said drive shaft in said other direction of rotation, and to slip when said second driven bevel gear is driven in said one direction of rotation by said driving bevel gear; and a tool tip connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewith.

Claim 14

The apparatus set forth in claim 8 wherein said means for selectively engaging said first or second driven bevel gear with said driving bevel gear comprises: first and second casing members connected to permit relative longitudinal shifting; means mounting said driving bevel gear on said first casing member for shifting therewith; means mounting said drive shaft and driven bevel gear on said second casing member for shifting therewith; and means for selectively and releasably retaining said two casing members in a first position with the driving bevel gear and first driven bevel gear engaged, or in a second position with the driving bevel gear and second driven bevel gear engaged.

Claim 15

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a plunger, having a rack formed integrally therewith, said plunger being adapted to reciprocate parallel to its longitudinal axis; a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel; gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft; means for allowing said plunger to return to its initial position without reversing the direction of rotation of said drive shaft thereby, comprising: first and second driven bevel gears mounted to rotate freely on said drive shaft; a driving bevel gear adapted to be selectively engaged with said first and second driven bevel gears; and first and second ratchet gears mounted on said drive shaft and constrained to rotate therewith, and adapted to be selectively engaged with said first and second driven bevel gears, respectively, and further adapted such that: when said driving bevel gear is in engagement with said first driven bevel gear, said first driven bevel gear will mesh with said first ratchet gear when said plunger is moving downwardly and thus turn said drive shaft in one of the two possible directions of rotation about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft, and slip with respect to said first ratchet gear when said plunger is moving upwardly; and when said driving bevel gear is in engagement with said second driven bevel gear, said second driven bevel gear will mesh with said second ratchet gear when said plunger is moving downwardly and thus turn said drive shaft in the other of two possible directions of rotation about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft, and slip with respect to said second ratchet gear when said plunger is moving upwardly; means for adjustably selecting either direction of rotation of said drive shaft about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft; and chuck means for retaining said tool tip such that said tool tip rotates with said drive shaft.

Claim 16

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a plunger, having a rack formed integrally therewith, said plunger being adapted to reciprocate parallel to its longitudinal axis; a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel; gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft; means for allowing said plunger to return to its initial position without reversing the direction of rotation of said drive shaft thereby, comprising: first and second driven bevel gears mounted to rotate freely on said drive shaft; a driving bevel gear adapted to be selectively engaged with said first and second driven bevel gears; and first and second ratchet gears mounted on said drive shaft and constrained to rotate therewith, and adapted to be selectively engaged with said first and second driven bevel gears, respectively, and further adapted such that: when said driving bevel gear is in engagement with said first driven bevel gear, said first driven bevel gear will mesh with said first ratchet gear when said plunger is moving downwardly and thus turn said drive shaft in one of the two possible directions of rotation about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft, and slip with respect to said first ratchet gear when said plunger is moving upwardly; and when said driving bevel gear is in engagement with said second driven bevel gear, said second driven bevel gear will mesh with said second ratchet gear when said plunger is moving downwardly and thus turn said drive shaft in the other of two possible directions of rotation about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft, and slip with respect to said second ratchet gear when said plunger is moving upwardly; means for adjustably selecting either direction of rotation of said drive shaft about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft; and chuck means for retaining said tool tip such that said tool tip rotates with said drive shaft.

Claim 17

A hand tool for use with a variety of tool tips, comprising: first and second casing members adapted such that said second casing member may slide axially within said first casing member adjustably to either of two detented positions, said first and second casing members having parallel longitudinal axes; a plunger maintained substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes of said first and second casing members by mutual reciprocating engagement with both of said casing members, said plunger extending out the free end of said first casing portion; a drive shaft maintained substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes of said first aNd second casing members by engagement therewith, said drive shaft being mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis, and extending out the free end of said second casing member; rack means formed integrally with said plunger along a substantial portion of the length thereof; gear means for engagement with said rack means of said plunger for the purpose of converting the reciprocating motion of said plunger to rotary motion of said drive shaft; means responsive to selection of one of said two detented positions of the casing members for causing said gear means to rotate the drive shaft in a first direction and responsive to selection of the other detented position for causing the gear means to rotate the drive shaft in the opposite direction; and a tool tip attached to said drive shaft.

Claim 18

A hand tool for use with a variety of tool tips, comprising: first and second casing members adapted such that said second casing member may slide axially within said first casing member adjustably to either of two detented positions, said first and second casing members having parallel longitudinal axes; a plunger maintained substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes of said first and second casing members by mutual reciprocating engagement with both of said casing members, said plunger extending out the free end of said first casing portion; a drive shaft maintained substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes of said first aNd second casing members by engagement therewith, said drive shaft being mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis, and extending out the free end of said second casing member; rack means formed integrally with said plunger along a substantial portion of the length thereof; gear means for engagement with said rack means of said plunger for the purpose of converting the reciprocating motion of said plunger to rotary motion of said drive shaft; means responsive to selection of one of said two detented positions of the casing members for causing said gear means to rotate the drive shaft in a first direction and responsive to selection of the other detented position for causing the gear means to rotate the drive shaft in the opposite direction; and a tool tip attached to said drive shaft.

Claim 19

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a rack; a plunger for reciprocating said rack; a spur gear adapted to be rotated by interaction with said rack; a driving bevel gear fixedly attached to said spur gear, and with the axes of rotation collinear so as to rotate with said spur gear; a drive shaft extending parallel to said plunger; first and second ratchet gears disposed in spaced-apart relationship on said drive shaft; first and second driven bevel gears disposed on said drive shaft and engaged with said first and second ratchet gears, respectively, the interconnection therebetween being such that said drive shaft is rotated in one direction when said driving bevel gear is engaged with said first driven bevel gear, and said drive shaft is rotated in an opposite direction when said driving bevel gear is engaged with said second driven bevel gear; and chuck means at the free end of said drive shaft for attaching a plurality of tools to said hand tool such that they will be rotated by the drive shaft.

Claim 20

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a rack; a plunger for reciprocating said rack; a spur gear adapted to be rotated by interaction with said rack; a driving bevel gear fixedly attached to said spur gear, and with the axes of rotation collinear so as to rotate with said spur gear; a drive shaft extending parallel to said plunger; first and second ratchet gears disposed in spaced-apart relationship on said drive shaft; first and second driven bevel gears disposed on said drive shaft and engaged with said first and second ratchet gears, respectively, the interconnection therebetween being such that said drive shaft is rotated in one direction when said driving bevel gear is engaged with said first driven bevel gear, and said drive shaft is rotated in an opposite direction when said driving bevel gear is engaged with said second driven bevel gear; and chuck means at the free end of said drive shaft for attaching a plurality of tools to said hand tool such that they will be rotated by the drive shaft.

Claim 21

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a plunger, having a rack affixed to move therewith, which plunger is adapted to reciprocate along its longitudinal axis; a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel; gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft; a tool tip connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewith; and means for selecting either direction of rotation of said drive shaft about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft, which comprises: a driving gear; two driven gears, spaced longitudinally with respect to the drive shaft, engagement of said gears respectively causing rotation of said drive shaft in opposite directions; and means for selectively engaging said driving gear with said drive shaft through a selected one of said two driven gears through a longitudinal shifting of said driving gear relative to said driven gear.

Claim 22

A hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, comprising: a plunger, having a rack affixed to move therewith, which plunger is adapted to reciprocate along its longitudinal axis; a drive shaft disposed such that the longitudinal axes of said plunger and said drive shaft are substantially parallel; gear means for converting the reciprocating motion of said rack to rotary motion of said drive shaft; a tool tip connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewith; and means for selecting either direction of rotation of said drive shaft about said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft, which comprises: a driving gear; two driven gears, spaced longitudinally with respect to the drive shaft, engagement of said gears respectively causing rotation of said drive shaft in opposite directions; and means for selectively engaging said driving gear with said drive shaft through a selected one of said two driven gears through a longitudinal shifting of said driving gear relative to said driven gear.

Claim 23

In a hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, which hand tool comprises a reciprocable plunger with a rack affixed to move therewith, a drive shaft parallel to said plunger, means for converting reciprocation of said plunger to rotation of said drive shaft, and a tool tip for rotation with said driven shaft, means for selecting the direction of rotation of said drive shaft, comprising: first gear means comprising two longitudinally spaced gears; second gear means for engaging said first gear means, one of said first and second gear means being driven gear means and the other of said first and second gear means being driving gear means; and means for longitudinally shifting said first and second gear means relative to each other between a first and a second position, so that when said first and second gear means are in said first position, one of said gears of said first gear means is engaged with said second gear means, and and when said first and second gear means are in said second position, the other of said gears of said first gear means is engaged with said second gear means.

Claim 24

In a hand tool for imparting rotary motion to a tool tip, which hand tool comprises a reciprocable plunger with a rack affixed to move therewith, a drive shaft parallel to said plunger, means for converting reciprocation of said plunger to rotation of said drive shaft, and a tool tip for rotation with said driven shaft, means for selecting the direction of rotation of said drive shaft, comprising: first gear means comprising two longitudinally spaced gears; second gear means for engaging said first gear means, one of said first and second gear means being driven gear means and the other of said first and second gear means being driving gear means; and means for longitudinally shifting said first and second gear means relative to each other between a first and a second position, so that when said first and second gear means are in said first position, one of said gears of said first gear means is engaged with said second gear means, and and when said first and second gear means are in said second position, the other of said gears of said first gear means is engaged with said second gear means.

Claim 25

The hand tool as defined in claim 14, in which said first gear means is said driving gear means, and in which said gears of said first gear means comprise spur gears in engagement with said rack.

Claim 26

The hand tool as defined in claim 14, in which: said first gear means is said driven gear means, and said first gear means comprises two longitudinally spaced spur gears; and said second gear means comprises a spur gear engaged with said rack.