The invention is concerned particularly with a tool having a plurality of detachable workheads for removal and insertion of a wide variety of tap or faucet spindle assemblies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In most domestic dwellings and in many commercial buildings, taps or faucets for showers, baths, handbasins, sinks and the like are plumbed to water pipes located in wall cavities with an operating spindle extending outwardly from an aperture in a wall cladding material. Typically, the plumbing is installed after completion of the wall frames but prior to cladding to facilitate easy installation. After the plumbing installation is complete, the wall cladding in the form of gyprock sheet or fibre reinforced cement sheeting is secured in place on the wall frame with apertures aligned with the protruding tap or faucet spindles and water outlets such as spouts or the like. Thereafter, the wall cladding may be provided with a waterproof decorative finish such as ceramic wall tiles or a sheet metal or plastics splash guard.

Over a period of time, tap or faucet valves are prone to leakage due to valve wear and/or valve seat corrosion. To overcome these leakage problems it is necessary to remove the tap or faucet spindle for access to the valve and/or valve seat. In older installations, the tap or faucet spindle assembly is typically made entirely from a brass alloy as is the tap or faucet body into which the spindle assembly screw threadably engages. Due to galvanic corrosion between the spindle assembly and the tap orfaucet body, the spindle assembly can be extremely difficult to release.

The most commonly employed tool for removal of tap or faucet spindle assemblies is a tube or box spanner wherein at least one end of a length of steel tube is formed into a square or hexagonal shape and an

opposite end has diametrically opposed apertures to receive a"tommy bar" to apply torque to the tube spanner. Typically, such a tube spanner is about 100-150 mm long and is operated by a steel tommy bar about 10 mm in diameter and about 200 mm long.

While generally satisfactory for their intended purpose, tube spanners suffer a number of practical disadvantages. At present there can be up to eight different sized spanner connections and a variety of spindle lengths as well as spindle base adaptors and spindle shaft extensions which need to be accommodated by the average plumber.

Older style tap or faucet spindle assemblies generally have a square boss about 12 mm deep protruding above the flange of the spindle assembly. While this deep boss provides a good purchase for tube spanners, these older spindle assemblies can be extremely difficult to remove after 20-30 years, often necessitating an elongate tommy bar which can bend under the load applied.

Even with, say, a tubular tommy bar extension to increase torque, the torque required to"crack"the joint between the spindle assembly and the tap or faucet body can be enough to deform or spring the opposed side walls of the square engaging profile. This springing can be such as to render the tube spanner unsuitable for further use or otherwise to round off the square shoulders such that the spindle assembly cannot be screwed back into position with sufficient torque to effect a leak proof joint.

The problem of"springing"of the profiled end of a tube spanner is exacerbated with more contemporary tap or faucet spindles having hexagonal bosses as these bosses have a depth of only about 3-6 mm.

Apart from the fact that a hexagonal cross-section tube spanner is easier to deform than a square cross-section tube spanner, the limited depth of boss enables the engaging socket end to"climb"along the boss whereby the outer edges thereof are easily rounded off, particularly with a slightly worn or deformed socket end.

A still further difficulty with tube spanners arises when the aperture in the wall cladding is not well aligned with the central axis of the tap

or faucet spindle or where the edges of a ceramic tile trim extend beyond the edge of the cladding aperture. In many cases, depending upon the wall thickness of the tube from which the tube spanner was made, the effective diameter of the tube spanner between diametrically opposed corners of a square or hexagonal socket end can be substantially greater than the diameter of the flange of the spindle assembly. Where this occurs it may be necessary to enlarge the aperture in the wall cladding or to break away the ceramic tile edges sufficiently to be able to insert the tube spanner. Generally speaking, most tube spanners are a compromise between sufficient wall thickness to resist deformation and a limit in wall thickness to avoid excessive cost, mass and diametric dimensions.

Where a home handyman or a tradesman with an inexpensive tube spanner of poor dimensional tolerances has already tried and failed to remove a spindle assembly, the damage done to a hexagonal boss may be so great that a large aperture will need to be formed in the wall to gain access to the tap or faucet spindle sufficient to grasp the spindle assembly by a jaw clamp wrench. Apart from the cost and inconvenience of having to renew a damaged spindle assembly, there is the additional cost of repairing the wall through which the spindle stem protrudes.

Yet another shortcoming of conventional tube spanners becomes evident when an older style tap or faucet spindle assembly is replaced with a more contemporary spindle assembly. As these more contemporary spindle assembles generally have a shorter stem than older spindle assemblies, it is customary to utilize a stem extender or a spindle adaptor to position the end of a spindle stem sufficiently from the wall surface to permit attachment of a trim flange and operating knob. Because the extended stem length is often greater than the tube spanner length, it is necessary to remove the stem extender by loosening the grub screw engaging on the flat at the end of the stem. Due to corrosion, the brass grub screw invariably strips the thread in the extender thus necessitating replacement of the extender. Similarly, where a spindle body adaptor is employed to space the spindle assembly outwardly of the tap or faucet body

to accommodate shorter spindle stem, a first tube spanner is needed for, say, the square bossed spindle assembly and a second tube spanner of a much greater diameter is needed to engage a hexagonal boss on the adaptor.

German Patent DE 3226134 describes a spark plug spanner in the form of a conventional box or tube spanner including within its hollow interior a resilient polymer with magnetic properties to releasably retain a spark plug body therein, and to minimize damage to the ceramic insulator portion of the spark plug during insertion in or removal from a cylinder head or the like.

Japanese Patent Application 06-240836 comprises an adaptation of a conventional socket wrench to straddle an elbow or tee fitting having a hexagonal nut flange adjacent a base thereof. For an elbow fitting, a section of side wall of the-cylindrical socket wrench body is removed and, for a tee fitting, diametrically opposed sections of the cylindrical side wall are removed so that remaining leg-like portions with polygonal nut flange engaging inner wall surfaces can straddle the tee fitting and engage on the flat walls of the hexagonal nut flange.

In order to overcome or ameliorate at least some of the disadvantages associated with tube spanners for tap or faucet spindles, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a convenient yet robust tap or faucet too adaptable to suit all commonly employed spindle assembly configurations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention there is provided a spindle tool for removal or replacement of a tap or faucet spindle in a wall cavity, said tool comprising: an elongate tubular tool body having a drive formation formed at a proximal end of said body and a primary spindle boss engaging socket in a distal end of said body; and at least one tubular socket adaptor having at a proximal end a complimentary drive spigot adapted to engage in said primary spindle boss

engaging socket and at a distal end a secondary spindle boss engaging socket adapted to engage a spindle boss of differing dimensions and/or configuration to said primary spindle boss engaging socket.

If required, said distal end of said socket adaptor may comprise a substantially cylindrical outer wall.

Suitably, said tubular body has a diameter at a distal end substantially the same as or lesser than a diameter of a flange of a tap or faucet spindle assembly, in use, having a spindle boss engageable in said primary spindle boss engaging socket.

Preferably, each of said at least one tubular socket adaptors has a diameter at a distal end substantially the same as or lesser than a diameter of a flange of a tap or faucet spindle assembly, in use, having a spindle boss engageable in said secondary spindle boss engaging socket.

If required, said at least one socket adaptor has a diameter at a distal end thereof greater than a diameter of an outer wall of said tubular body.

The at least one socket adaptor may have a diameter at a distal end thereof lesser than a diameter of an outer wall of said tubular body.

Suitably, said drive spigot of said at least one tubular socket adaptor includes a resiliently deformable latch member releasably engageable in said primary spindle boss engaging socket.

Preferably, said deformable latch member comprises a resiliently mounted ball engageable in a recess in said primary spindle boss engaging socket.

Suitably, said primary spindle boss socket and/or said secondary spindle boss socket is adapted to receive a rectangular boss of a tap or faucet spindle assembly.

Preferably, said primary spindle boss engaging socket is adapted to receive a hexagonal cross-section spigot.

If required, said drive formation may comprise at least two spaced parallel surfaces formed on an outer surface of said proximal end of

said body.

Alternatively, said drive formation may comprise a rectangular aperture formed in said proximal end of said body.

Suitably, said drive spigot of said at least one tubular socket adaptor includes an aperture, in use, to receivably locate a stem of a tap or faucet spindle assembly.

Preferably, said tap or faucet tool is forged from high strength steel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be more fully understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to preferred embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:- FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a tap or faucet spindle tool according to the invention ; FIG. 2 shows an assembled view of the spindle tool of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the tool through A-A in FIG. 2; and FIG. 4 shows a selection of tubular socket adaptors for use with the tool body illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3.

For the sake of simplicity, like reference numerals are employed for like features in the drawings where appropriate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In FIG. 1, the tap or faucet spindle tool 1 comprises an elongate hollow cylindrical body 2 with a proximal end 3 formed as a spigot- like projection 4 having a hexagonal cross-sectional shape. A rectangular aperture 5, communicating with the hollow interior of body 2, accommodates a half inch drive spigot of a conventional socket driver. A recess 6 in a face 7 of the spigot-like projection 4 can, if required, accommodate a spring loaded ball (not shown) to frictionally engage a socket when located on spigot-like projection 4. An aperture 8, formed through the side wall of body 2 at its distal end 9 provides a locating recess for a spring-loaded ball 14 of a hexagonal drive spigot 10 of a spindle adaptor 11.

Spindle adaptor 11, like spindle tool 1, comprises a hollow generally cylindrical body portion 2a and a circular aperture 12, the purpose of which will be described later.

FIG. 2 shows the assembly of body 2 and adaptor 11.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 2 through A-A with a tap or faucet spindle assembly (shown in phantom) engaged therein. As illustrated, hexagonal drive spigot 10 is engaged in a complementary socket recess 13 formed in the distal end 9 of body portion 2 and is releasably retained therein by the latching engagement of spring- loaded ball 14 in aperture 8.

Also located within the assembly is a tap or faucet spindle assembly 15 (shown in phantom). Spindle assembly 15 comprises a body 16 having a hexagonal shaped boss 17 located in a complementary hexagonal socket recess 18 in the distal end of body 2a of adaptor 11.

Spindle body 16 also has a flange 19, in use, to compress a washer (not shown) between flange 19 and a tap or faucet body (not shown) for a watertight connection therebetween. A screw-threaded end portion 20 engages with a complementary threaded aperture in the tap or faucet body (not shown). Flange 19 has a diameter about the same as the outer diameter of cylindrical body 2a. Screw threadably retained in body 16 is a spindle stem 21 which extends through aperture 12 in adaptor 11 into the hollow interior of main tool body 2. As shown, spindle stem 21 is fitted with a stem extension 22 securable to the knob engaging flats (not shown) on the end of stem 21 by brass screws 23.

FIG. 4 shows a selection of spindle adaptors 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4f and 4g which together with main body portion 4e (reference numeral 2 in FIGS. 1 to 3) form a tap or faucet spindle removal and replacement set for all of the commonly utilized taps or faucets of which FIGS. 4a to 4d and 4g are adapted to engage hexagonal spindle body bosses and FIG. 4f is adapted to engage an older but nevertheless commonly encountered square boss configuration.

Table 1 represents the range of common spindle assembly

boss sizes encountered in Australia although it should be understood that the invention is not so limited and a selected number of adaptors for hexagonal or rectangular spindle assembly bosses of varying sizes may differ from country to country.

TABLE 1 Tool-Elenerit = Socket Drive Spigot fVlajor Eoternal -f » ^ R Diår eter ;- 4a 20 mm hex 23 mm 28 mm 4b 21 mm hex 23 mm 28 mm 4d 23 mm hex 23 mm 28 mm 2a 22mm hex 23 mm 28 mm 4e (2) 23 mm hex 25 mm 28 mm 4f 25 mm square 23 mm 28 mm 4c 24 mm hex 23 mm 28 mm 4g 29 mm hex 23 mm 35 mm As shown in FIG. 4, adaptor 4g is employed for removal of a spindle body adaptor, in use, located between a spindle assembly and the body of a tap or faucet to space the spindle assembly outwardly from the tap or faucet body where a replacement spindle assembly has a shorter stem than the original. As the spindle assembly must first be removed for access to the spindle body adaptor, there is not a requirement to accommodate the spindle stem within the tool as would otherwise be the case when a spindle assembly is to be removed/replaced.

In use, for spindle assemblies having a boss other than 23 mm, a combination of main tool body 2 and an appropriate adaptor selected from a corresponding spindle boss size and cross-sectional shape will be required. For Australia, a 23 mm hexagonal spindle is one of the most common sizes and the length of the main body 2 is chosen to accommodate the spindle stem length. For all other combinations of main tool body and adaptor, even the longest spindle stem length is comfortably accommodated.

After removal of the tap or faucet knob (not shown) and the external decorative flange cover, the spindle tool is inserted over the spindle

stem to engage over the spindle boss. The spindle tool may then be torqued with a half inch socket driver engaging in aperture 5, a spanner engaging on opposed flat faces of drive spigot 4 or even a 25 mm socket engaged over spigot 4. As the tool rotates within the aperture in the wall cladding material, only a smooth cylindrical outer surface of the tool can engage with the wall cladding aperture thus minimizing the risk of unsightly damage to the wall cladding.

It readily will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention described herein offer a simple convenient and reliable alternative to the requirement for a plurality of high grade tube spanners. Even in the hands of an inexperienced novice, the tool offers a more secure grip on the boss of a tap or faucet spindle assembly such that very high torque loads may be applied thereto with a reduced risk of slippage and burring or rounding off of the flats on the spindle assembly boss.