Patent Grant
12186883
The invention relates to an ergonomic multifunctional tool holder suitable to be adapted to a conventional extension pole. It is particularly directed to an ergonomic tool holder wherein a tool may be held and positioned in multiple angled positions along the X-X axis, the Y-Y axis, and the Z-Z-axis.
The difficulties of working on areas and objects out of the worker's reach are well known in the art. A second main problem, well known in the art, is that the surface or object in a difficult place to reach may be placed or oriented in various angular positions, which are also difficult to paint or clean. The use of ladders, cradles, scaffolds, and the like have been used as alternatives in reaching and working on such areas and objects. However, such options are considered time-consuming and inefficient since the workers must consistently move and reposition the working or painting materials to reach areas or objects out of reach. Furthermore, said alternatives usually result in highly insecure and potentially dangerous work conditions.
A painter can be injured due to a fall from a height or even as a result of awkwardly stretching his body while trying to reach ceilings and walls. This stress and strain on the body can lead to long-term back and muscle injuries. Thus, even with the assistance of conventional extension poles, the fact that the tools used in such working activities are not possible to be positioned in the most convenient angled position suitable to the angled position of the high area or high located object generally forces the worker to assume a stressful posture.
It is well known in the art that such non-ergonomic, awkward postures-mainly when using the arm above shoulder level while doing a repetitive movement-generates musculoskeletal disorders caused by injuries in the joints, bones, and nerves that negatively affect the wrists, arms, shoulders, upper and lower back, and neck of workers. Among the most common of such disorders are Tendinitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Thoracic Outlet syndrome, back and neck pain, among others.
Regarding the insecure and dangerous work embodiments while painting or performing maintenance activities in high to reach places or high installed objects, some holders have been designed and presented as potential solutions to such problems; for instance, the holders disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,469,050; 2,792,581; 3,413,0343; 3,357,035; 3,994,037; 4,127,296; 4,525,889; 4,854,625; 5,056,952; 8,566,999; and 8,839,480. In such patents, the disclosed holders are generally designed mostly for paint brushes or paint rollers. In most of them, the tool held may be assembled in different predetermined or specific angles within the same plane. Therefore, the predetermined angles in which the tool may be positioned using such holders may not necessarily match the multiple angles of the high areas or the objects installed in high locations wherein the worker has to perform painting or cleaning activities.
On the other hand, and with regards to addressing the angled positioning of the tool, general approaches have been designed and presented in specific and nonconventional painting and maintenance tools, as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,395,245; 4,528,714; 5,207,755; 8,132,978, and 9,486,060. In such patents, the disclosed tools are designed with nonconventional, particular, and exclusive structures that allow the functional part of the tool-usually, the brush paint or the paint roller-to be positioned in different angles of a single plane or on other particular planes and are designed only to that specific, exclusive, and nonconventional tool.
Therefore, there is a need to provide an ergonomic multifunctional tool holder that may be adapted to a conventional extended pole, and that also may be assembled to a conventional tool used in painting activities and in maintenance activities that allows setting the position of the tool in multiple angled positions along the different X-X axis, the Y-Y axis, and the Z-Z axis at the convenience of the worker.
The herein-disclosed invention provides a tool holder for firmly and steadily holding conventional tools in multiple angled positions that may be adapted to a conventional extension pole. The herein-disclosed tool holder may be used in painting preparation for surfaces and painting areas that are difficult to reach since it may firmly hold painting utensils such as paint brushes, painting scrapers, painting rollers, and other tools used in painting activities.
It may also hold tools used in maintaining and cleaning objects and surfaces located or installed in places out of the reach of the workers or with difficult access. The disclosed tool holder allows workers to paint and clean said areas and objects more safely since it eliminates the need for ladders, cradles, scaffolds, or the like.
The disclosed tool holder comprises a handle having an elongated, integral, cylindrical body with a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end has a threaded borehole suitable to be adapted to a conventional extension pole. The distal end is rounded and has no exit to the exterior of the handle. From the center of said distal rounded end emerges a protrusion comprising a flat external surface and a flat internal. The external end of said protrusion is rounded. From the flat internal surface of said protrusion emerges a cylindrical protuberance comprising multiple wedges arranged radially and alternately with wedge-shaped recesses on top. At the center of said cylindrical protrusion, there is an aperture traversing the flat internal surface and the flat exterior surface of said protrusion. The entire elongated integral cylindrical body of the handle has a symmetrical axis.
The tool holder herein disclosed also includes an interconnection section having a main body having an entire or complete physical configuration provided by a first oval section having a flat external surface and a flat internal surface and a second oval section having a flat external surface and a flat internal surface, wherein said second oval section is perpendicular to the first oval section. A first cylindrical protuberance emerges from the flat internal surface of the first oval section. The first cylindrical protuberance comprises multiple wedges arranged radially and alternately, with wedge-shaped recesses on top. At the center of said cylindrical protuberance, there is an aperture traversing the flat internal surface and the flat exterior surface of the first oval section. The first cylindrical section on the flat internal section of the first oval section is coupled and secured selectively and in a predetermined position to the cylindrical protuberance on the flat internal surface of the protrusion of the handle, said coupling providing the coupling of the handle to the interconnecting unit.
Similarly, a second protuberance emerges from the flat internal section of the second oval section. Just as in the first cylindrical protuberance, the second cylindrical protuberance comprises multiple wedges arranged radially and alternately with wedge-shaped recesses on top. At the center of said second cylindrical protuberance is an aperture traversing the flat internal surface and the exterior surface of the second oval section. Since the first oval section is perpendicular to the second oval section, the first cylindrical protuberance is perpendicular to the second cylindrical protuberance. What is the same as saying that the symmetry axis of the first oval section is perpendicular to the symmetry axis of the second oval section.
The tool holder of this invention also requires a supporting base having a flat main body comprising a flat internal surface, a flat external surface, a proximal end, and a distal end. Said main body has multiple holes traversing the internal flat surface and the flat external surface of said flat main body. It also comprises a cylindrical protuberance emerging from the flat internal surface of the flat main body. Said cylindrical protuberance comprises multiple wedges arranged radially and alternately with wedge-shaped recesses on top of said cylindrical protuberance. An aperture at the center of said cylindrical protuberance traverses the flat internal surface and the flat exterior surface of the flat main body of the supporting base. The cylindrical protuberance on the internal surface of the supporting base is coupled and secured selectively and a predetermined position to the second cylindrical protuberance on the flat internal surface of the second oval section of the interconnecting unit; said coupling, therefore, engaging the interconnecting unit to the supporting base. Due to the perpendicular position of the first oval section with respect to the second oval section, the coupling of the handle with the first oval section is perpendicular to the coupling of the supporting base with the second oval section of the interconnecting unit.
Thus, the symmetry axis of the handle is suitable to be positioned parallel to the symmetry axis of the first oval section without affecting the relative position of the supporting base. Alternatively, the handle is suitable to be assembled to the first oval section in multiple positions wherein the symmetry axis of the handle is in a nonparallel position to the symmetry axis of the first oval section without affecting the relative position of the supporting base.
On the other hand, the symmetry axis of the supporting base is suitable for positioning parallel to the symmetry axis of the second oval section without affecting the relative position of the handle. Alternatively, the supporting base is suitable for assembly to the second oval section in multiple positions wherein the symmetry axis of the supporting base is in a nonparallel position to the symmetry axis of the second oval section without affecting the relative position of the handle.
Thus, the herein disclosed tool holder allows the worker to conveniently select the most convenient, suitable, and ergonomic position of the handle and the supporting base with respect to the position of the tool being held on the supporting base in order to perform a given activity according to the position or location of the object or area that the worked have to work on.
The preceding and additional features and characteristics of the embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are used herein in a manner of example only, and wherein:
The present invention and its detailed embodiments are disclosed herein. However, this invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Instead, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and fully convey the invention's scope to those skilled in the art. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms within the scope of the invention. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting but merely as a representative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to make and use the present invention. It is thus to be understood that this invention is not limited to particularly exemplified structures, components, methods, or uses, as such may, of course, vary. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of regions may be exaggerated for clarity. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of components or parts. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is to describe embodiments of the invention only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Similarly, it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”, “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it can be directly on, connected, or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element, there are no intervening elements present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
It will be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”, “third” and the like, are used as a relative reference to any other part of the invention, in order to adequately explain and identify the particular details of the invention, and that such terms may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions and/or sections, these elements, components, regions and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, or section from another element, component, region, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention. Furthermore, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below”, or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented or subjected to a rotation in each orientation, and the spatially relative descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It should be understood that the size of the holder and its components may increase or decrease relative to the size of the held utility upon which the device is used or intended to be used.
A top view of an embodiment of the tool holder 10 according to the invention is shown in
As illustrated in
More specific details of the handle 14 are illustrated, for instance, in
The protrusion 16 has an internal flat surface 16a, an external flat and smooth surface 16b, and a rounded end. Handle 14 comprises also a single cylindrical protuberance 38, which emerges from the internal section 16a of said protrusion 16. Said cylindrical protrusion 38 comprises multiple wedges 17 and 40 arranged radially and in an alternate manner on top of said circular protuberance 38. In other words, there is a wedge-shaped recess 41 between each one of the radially distributed wedges 17, 40 or simply, the multiple wedges are arranged radially and alternately with wedge-shaped recesses on top of the cylindrical protuberance 38. The circular protuberance 38 comprises an aperture 18 that extends through or traverses the internal surface 16a to the external surface 16b. As shown particularly in
Interconnecting unit 21, illustrated in
Interconnecting unit 21 also comprises a first cylindrical protuberance 42, which emerges from the internal surface 45a of said first oval section 21a of the main body of interconnecting unit 21, and a second cylindrical protuberance 46 which projects from the internal surface 45b of the second oval section 21b. Said first cylindrical protuberance 42 comprises multiple wedges 43 arranged radially and in an alternate manner on top of said first cylindrical protuberance 42; in other words, there is a series of wedge-shaped indentations or recesses 44, radially and alternately distributed between each one of the radially distributed wedges 43. Aperture 25 is located at the center of the circular protuberance 42, as illustrated particularly in
Similarly, the second cylindrical protuberance 46 also comprises multiple wedges 47 arranged radially and alternately on top of said circular protuberance 46. In other words, there is a wedge-shaped indentation or recess 48 between each one of the radially distributed wedges 47. As illustrated more particularly in
Since the first oval section 21a is perpendicular to the second oval section 21b, as pointed out above, the first cylindrical protuberance 42 on the first oval section 21a is also perpendicular to the second cylindrical protuberance 46 on the second oval section 21b. Consequently, aperture 25 at the center of the first cylindrical section 42 is also perpendicular to aperture 27 at the center of the second cylindrical protuberance 46.
As illustrated, particularly in
Regarding supporting base 28, and as illustrated especially in
It also has a first pair of holes 33a and 33b, and a second pair of holes 33c and 33d, located preferably aligned and below the second pair of holes 33a and 33b. Hole 33a is in a diagonal position with respect to hole 33d, and hole 33b is in a diagonal position with respect to hole 33c. Holes 33a, 33b, 33c, and 33d extend through or traverse said internal and external surfaces 28a and 28b.
The scope of the invention herein described includes any supporting base 28 having any suitable shape suitable to support on its surface a conventional utensil commonly used or related to painting surfaces or in regular maintenance activities performed on characters and objects. However, it is physically connected only to the interconnecting unit 21, as explained below.
Furthermore, supporting base 28 includes a single cylindrical protuberance 52, located near the proximal end 34a of its internal surface 28a. Said cylindrical protuberance 52 comprises a circular protuberance 52, having multiple wedges 53 arranged radially and in an alternate manner on top of said circular protuberance 52; in other words, there is a wedge-shaped indentation or recess 54 between each one of the radially distributed wedges 53. As illustrated more particularly in
The single cylindrical protuberance 38 on protrusion 16 of handle 14 is coupled or meshed to the first cylindrical protuberance 42 on the first oval section of the interconnecting unit 21. In such coupling, the radially arranged wedges 40 of the cylindrical protuberances 38 are positioned inside of the recesses or indentations 44 between wedges of cylindrical protuberances 42. The radially arranged wedges 43 of the cylindrical protuberances 42 are inserted in the indentations or recesses 41 of the cylindrical protuberances 38, thus forming a complete circular structure. In other words, matching or meshing the cylindrical protuberances 38 and 42 creates an internal gear or the non-permanent first coupling point 55. Once the cylindrical protuberances 38 and 42 are coupled, the apertures 18 at the center of the cylindrical protuberances 38 and aperture 25 on cylindrical protuberance 42 on the first oval section 21a of interconnecting unit 21 are superimposed or overlapped, forming a single and continuous channel; thus, said coupling 55 may be further secured by inserting straight screw 20 into said single-channel and further securing said straight screw 20 by inserting and tightening on its end section the butterfly wing nut 19. Socket 24 on the external surface 50a of the first oval section 21a of interconnecting unit 21 is a hexagonal socket designed or intended to receive the head of the straight screw 20.
In this manner, the coupled cylindrical protuberances 38 and 42 are firmly secured, and thus, handle 14 and interconnecting unit 21 are firmly and non-permanently coupled. A selective and predetermined position of handle 14 with respect to the first oval section 21a of the interconnecting unit 21 is achieved by decoupling the first coupling point and repositioning the cylindrical protuberances 38 and 42 in a selective and predetermined position. Since wedges and recess in cylindrical protuberances 38 and 42 are identical in shape and size, the coupling point may be performed by positioning any of the wedges on the cylindrical protuberance 38 with any of the recesses on cylindrical protuberance 42 in any possible combination clockwise or counterclockwise around the axis traversing of screw 20. In other words, the engagement of cylindrical protuberances 38 and 42 or the coupling point 55 may be assembled in multiple selective and predetermined combinations by rotating any of the cylindrical protuberances 38 and 42 clockwise or counterclockwise around the axis traversing straight screw 20, selecting the desired position of said cylindrical protuberances, thus assembling an internal gear. Consequently, handle 14, bearing the cylindrical protuberance 38, and interconnecting unit 21, bearing the first cylindrical protuberance 42 on the first oval section 21a may be coupled in multiple positions with respect to one another at the worker's will. In general, for instance, the imaginary symmetrical axis of handle 14 is positioned parallel to the imaginary symmetrical axis of the first oval section 21a of the interconnecting unit 21 and in perpendicular position to the symmetrical axis of the second oval section 21b of the interconnecting unit 21. In said particular situation, handle 14 is positioned in a parallel plane with respect to the plane of the first oval section 21a of the interconnecting unit 21 but in a perpendicular plane with respect to the symmetrical axis of the second oval section 21b of the interconnecting unit 21. In other words, handle 14, and the first oval section 21a are positioned in two parallel planes.
In other instances, the imaginary symmetrical axis of handle 14 is positioned nonparallel to the imaginary symmetrical axis of the first oval section 21a of the interconnecting unit 21. Said nonparallel position embraces multiple positions wherein handle 14 is positioned in a nonparallel plane with respect to the plane of the first oval section 21a of the interconnecting unit 21. In said situation, handle 14 and first oval section 21a are positioned in two nonparallel planes.
The exact process for coupling second cylindrical protuberance 46 on second oval section 21b with cylindrical protuberance 52 on supportive base 28 is performed to provide second coupling point 56. Such assembling provides the coupling of the interconnecting unit 21 with the supporting base 28 and may be made in any selective and predetermined relative position along the axis traversing the straight screw 35 and a non-permanent manner since loosening up the corresponding winged nut and removing the straight screw will undo such coupling.
For instance, accordingly, positioning second cylindrical protuberance 46 of the interconnecting unit 21 on cylindrical protuberance 52 on supporting base 53 and further inserting wedges 47 into recesses 54 and wedges 53 into recesses 48 provides the internal gear or second coupling point 56, which assembles interconnective section 21 with supporting base 28. Said second coupling is further secured by inserting straight screw 35 into aligned apertures 26 and 30 and inserting and tightening the butterfly wing nut on the end section of straight screw 35 as illustrated in, for instance,
In other instances, the imaginary symmetrical axis of supporting base 28 is positioned nonparallel to the imaginary symmetrical axis of the second oval section 21b of the interconnecting unit 21. Said nonparallel position embraces multiple positions wherein supporting base 28 is positioned in a nonparallel plane with respect to the plane of the second oval section 21b of the interconnecting unit 21. In said situation, supporting base 28 and second oval section 21b are positioned in two nonparallel planes.
Since the coupling of handle 14 to the first oval section 21a is independent of the coupling of the supporting base 28 to the second oval section 21b, and since the first oval section 21a remains perpendicular to the second oval section 21b, the user may assemble the tool holder in different positions wherein the handle and the supporting base are in different tridimensional positions—or what is the same, in different positions along the X, Y, and Z axis of the Cartesian system.
The spatial tridimensional effect of the perpendicularity of the first and second oval sections of the interconnection section 21 is thus better understood by the relative position of the symmetry axes of the handle 14, the supporting base 28, and the first and second oval sections 21a and 21b in a particular, selective and predetermined position. As explained above, the symmetrical axis of handle 14 is suitable to be positioned parallel with respect to the symmetrical axis of the first oval section 21a without changing the relative position of the supporting base 28. Alternatively, handle 14 is also suitable to be assembled to the first oval section in multiple positions wherein the symmetry axis of the handle is in a nonparallel position with respect to the symmetry axis of the first oval section without changing the relative position of the supporting base 28. Similarly, the symmetry axis of the supporting base 28 is suitable for positioning parallel to the symmetry axis of the second oval section without changing the relative position of the handle 14. Alternatively, the supporting base is suitable for assembly to the second oval section in multiple positions wherein the symmetry axis of the supporting base 28 is in a nonparallel position with respect to the symmetry axis of the second oval section without affecting the relative position of the handle. Alternatively, said selective and relative predetermined positions of the handle 14 and the supporting base 28 on the interconnecting unit 21 are the result of the perpendicularity of the first oval section with respect to the second oval section, and it may also be understood using the cartesian systems.
For example,
Similarly,
In
Once tool holder 10 is assembled in a predetermined manner at the convenience of the worker, a given functional or useful article or utensil, conventionally used in a given or predetermined work or human activity may be positioned and clamped to the internal surface 28a of the supporting section 28 using, for example, U-shaped screws 36 and 37 and butterfly wings nuts 32a-32d. As examples of the multiple utensils suitable to be held in the tool holder 10 and without excluding others; in
More particularly, in
The worker, however, has the alternative to easily reposition said bristles in multiple angled positions to the left or the right sides with reference to the handle 14 by simply keeping the first coupling point 55 in the same position as illustrated in
On the other hand, by doing the opposite: keeping the second coupling point 56, in other words, keeping the supporting base 28 and the interconnecting unit 21 coupled as illustrated in
Furthermore, supporting base 28 may be positioned in even more multiple-angled positions by, for instance, recoupling and setting coupling point 55 and further maintaining the given position of coupling point 56, or vice versa. In this manner, for instance, the supporting base 28 may be positioned at any of the multiple-angled positions along the X-X axis or Y-Y axis.
Even further, as illustrated in
Similarly,
In
Similarly, since utensils commonly used in maintenance activities of objects, walls, and ceilings-such as brooms, brushes, feather dusters, and the like—may also be firmly and securely clamped and held to the tool holder 10, it is also highly convenient in the regular maintenance activities of objects installed in high or difficult to reach areas and/or in angled positions; likewise, it may be used in maintenance activities, such as removal of dust and cobwebs on high ceilings, high walls, and similar areas, cleaning of fans, air conditioning, lamps and chandeliers installed in high places or in areas difficult to reach.
Finally, while the present invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, in both summarized and detailed forms, it will be understood that many substitutions, changes, and variations in the described embodiments, applications, and details of the novel tool illustrated herein and of its operation can be made by those skilled in the art to adapt it to various usages and conditions, without departing from the spirit of this invention. As such, these changes and modifications are properly, equitably, and intended to be within the full range of equivalence of the following. While the invention has been described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is to be understood that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art considering the preceding description. Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20230191585 A1 | Jun 2023 | US |
