Cylinder cap system

Abstract

A cylinder cap system for decreasing the amount of time required to remove and install a protective cap upon a gas cylinder. The cylinder cap system includes a cap member having a lower portion, a middle portion, an upper portion and a lower threaded opening, and a receiver member positioned concentrically within the upper portion for receiving a drive shaft of a ratchet tool. The receiver member is comprised of a floor and a plurality of inner walls forming a polygonal shaped structure for receiving a tool such as an allen wrench. A detent cavity is preferably positioned within an inner surface of the inner walls for catchably receiving a detent ball of the drive shaft of the tool.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not applicable to this application.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable to this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates generally to gas cylinder caps and more specifically it relates to a cylinder cap system for decreasing the amount of time required to remove and install a protective cap upon a gas cylinder.

[0005] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0006] Cylinder caps for protecting a valve upon a gas cylinder have been in use for years. Typically, a conventional cylinder cap is comprised of a lower portion, a middle portion, an upper portion and a lower threaded opening. The lower threaded opening within the cylinder cap is threadably engagable upon threading of the gas cylinder surrounding the valve assembly of the gas cylinder. The cylinder cap is comprised of a hollow structure for receiving and protecting the valve assembly of the gas cylinder.

[0007] The main problem with conventional cylinder caps is that they may only be removed or installed by a user grasping the cylinder cap and rotating the cap with their hands. Another problem with conventional cylinder caps is that they require a significant amount of time to remove and install upon gas cylinders particularly within a commercial environment where numerous gas cylinders are charged. Another problem with conventional cylinder caps is that they sometimes become tightened too much upon the gas cylinder and are difficult to remove with a user's hands.

[0008] Examples of patented devices which are related to the present invention include U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,885 to Kitsuda; U.S. Pat. No. 2,661,113 to Benson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,708 to Lange et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,424 to Wood, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,568 to Trail; U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,331 to Fawley.

[0009] While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for decreasing the amount of time required to remove and install a protective cap upon a gas cylinder. Conventional cylinder caps are difficult and time consuming to remove and install.

[0010] In these respects, the cylinder cap system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of decreasing the amount of time required to remove and install a protective cap upon a gas cylinder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of protective covers for gas cylinders now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new cylinder cap system construction wherein the same can be utilized for decreasing the amount of time required to remove and install a protective cap upon a gas cylinder.

[0012] The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new cylinder cap system that has many of the advantages of the protective caps mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new cylinder cap system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art protective cylinder caps, either alone or in any combination thereof.

[0013] To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a cap member having a lower portion, a middle portion, an upper portion and a lower threaded opening, and a receiver member positioned concentrically within the upper portion for receiving a drive shaft of a ratchet tool. The receiver member is comprised of a floor and a plurality of inner walls forming a square shaped structure. A detent cavity is preferably positioned within an inner surface of the inner walls for catchably receiving a detent ball of the drive shaft.

[0014] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

[0015] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0016] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder cap system that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.

[0017] A second object is to provide a cylinder cap system for decreasing the amount of time required to remove and install a protective cap upon a gas cylinder.

[0018] Another object is to provide a cylinder cap system that increases worker satisfaction and safety when removing and installing cylinder caps upon a gas cylinder.

[0019] An additional object is to provide a cylinder cap system that reduces worker fatigue and injury to workers.

[0020] A further object is to provide a cylinder cap system that is able to work in conjunction with various types and sizes of ratchet tools.

[0021] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.

[0022] To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

[0024] FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of the present invention positioned upon a gas cylinder with a motorized ratchet positioned above thereof.

[0025] FIG. 2 is an upper perspective view of the present invention with a motorized ratchet positioned above thereof.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a side cutaway view of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0028] Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrate a cylinder cap system 10, which comprises a cap member 20 having a lower portion 22, a middle portion 24, an upper portion 26 and a lower threaded opening 28, and a receiver member 30 positioned concentrically within the upper portion 26 for receiving a drive shaft 14 of a ratchet tool 12. The receiver member 30 is comprised of a floor 32 and a plurality of inner walls 34 forming a square shaped structure. A detent cavity 36 is preferably positioned within an inner surface of the inner walls 34 for catchably receiving a detent ball 16 of the drive shaft 14.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawings, the cap member 20 is comprised of a lower portion 22, a middle portion 24, and an upper portion 26 having a generally hollow structure defining an interior cavity for receiving the valve assembly of the gas cylinder 18. The lower portion 22 of the cap member 20 is typically tapered inwardly as best shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The upper portion 26 of the cap member 20 is preferably rounded as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawings. The middle portion 24 is preferably comprised of a consistent diameter as best shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings. Openings may also extending within the cap member 20 as is well known in the art.

[0030] It can be appreciated that the cap member 20 may be comprised of various sizes, shapes and structures without sacrificing the ability to protect the valve assembly of a gas cylinder 18. The cap member 20 may also be comprised of various materials such as but not limited to metal, composite material and plastic.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, a lower threaded opening 28 extends into the lower portion 22 of the cap member 20. The lower threaded opening 28 is formed for threadably engaging a threaded portion surrounding the valve assembly of the gas cylinder 18. The lower threaded opening 28 may have various threading sizes and various inner diameters.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 of the drawings, a receiver member 30 is positioned concentrically within the upper portion 26 of the cap member 20 for receiving a drive shaft 14 of a ratchet tool 12. The receiver member 30 is comprised of a floor 32 and a plurality of inner walls 34 extending upwardly from the floor 32 defining a polygonal cavity for receiving a correspondingly shaped drive shaft 14 of a ratchet tool 12 or hand tool such as an allen wrench. The polygonal cavity may be comprised of a square shape, hexagonal shape or other well-known shape engageable with tools. The receiver member 30 is preferably formed for receiving various sizes and shapes of a drive shaft 14.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, the upper ends of the inner walls 34 are attached within the upper portion 26 concentrically. The inner walls 34 extend downwardly into the cap member 20 as further shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawings. In an alternative embodiment not shown in the figures, the receiver member 30 may be attached to the exterior surface of the cap member 20 with the floor 32 attached to the upper portion 26 and the inner walls 34 extending upwardly from the floor 32.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, a detent cavity 36 is preferably formed within the inner surface of the inner walls 34 for catchably receiving a detent ball 16 of the ratchet tool 12. The detent cavity 36 may be positioned within one or more of the inner walls 34.

[0035] The receiver member 30 is constructed for receiving various shapes, sizes and styles of a drive shaft 14 from a ratchet tool 12. The ratchet tool 12 may be motorized (i.e. air or electric) or a manual drive structure. As can be appreciated, various types of ratchet tools 12 may be utilized in conjunction with the present invention.

[0036] To remove a cap member 20 from the gas cylinder 18, the user inserts the drive shaft 14 into the upper opening of the receiver member 30. The user then operates the ratchet tool 12 to rotate the cap member 20 within the removal direction. Once the cap member 20 is removed, the user removes the drive shaft 14 from the receiver member 30 and then may continue to another gas cylinder 18.

[0037] To install a cap member 20 upon a gas cylinder 18, the user inserts the drive shaft 14 into the upper opening of the receiver member 30. The user then positions the lower threaded opening 28 upon the threaded portion of the gas cylinder 18. Alternatively, the user may desire to initially attached the cap member 20 with their hands and then attach the drive shaft 14 to the receiver member 30. The user then operates the ratchet tool 12 to rotate the cap member 20 within the attachment direction which is opposite of the removal direction. Once the cap member 20 is snugly attached, the user removes the drive shaft 14 from the receiver member 30 and then may continue to another gas cylinder 18.

[0038] As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.

[0039] With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed to be within the expertise of those skilled in the art, and all equivalent structural variations and relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

[0040] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A cylinder cap system threadably attachable to a gas cylinder, comprising:

a cap member having a lower portion, a middle portion, an upper portion, and a lower threaded opening within said lower portion, wherein said cap member is comprised of a hollow structure for receiving and protecting a valve assembly; and

a receiver member secured within said upper portion of said cap member for removably receiving a drive shaft of a ratchet tool.

2. The cylinder cap system of claim 1, wherein said receiver member is comprised of:

a plurality of inner walls forming an upper opening; and

a floor attached to said plurality of inner walls opposite of said upper opening.

3. The cylinder cap system of claim 2, including at least one detect cavity within an inner surface of said plurality of inner walls for catchably receiving a detent ball from a drive shaft of a ratchet tool.

4. The cylinder cap system of claim 3, wherein said receiver member extends inwardly within said cap member.

5. The cylinder cap system of claim 4, wherein an upper end of said plurality of inner walls are attached to said upper portion of said cap member.

6. The cylinder cap system of claim 1, wherein said receiver member is concentrically attached to said cap member.

7. The cylinder cap system of claim 6, wherein said receiver member is comprised of:

four inner walls forming an upper opening; and

a floor attached to said plurality of inner walls opposite of said upper opening.

8. The cylinder cap system of claim 7, including at least one detect cavity within an inner surface of said plurality of inner walls for catchably receiving a detent ball from a drive shaft of a ratchet tool.

9. The cylinder cap system of claim 8, wherein said receiver member extends inwardly within said cap member.

10. The cylinder cap system of claim 9, wherein an upper end of said plurality of inner walls are attached to said upper portion of said cap member.