Claims
- 1. A power tool comprising:
a housing having a handle portion for gripping by a hand of a user during operation of the tool, the housing having first and second openings therein; a motor at least partially contained in the housing for powering the tool; a switch at least partially mounted in the housing for actuating the motor; and an ambidextrous safety latch at least partially mounted in the housing adjacent the switch for selectively controlling actuation of the switch, wherein the latch is movable between a first position, where the latch prevents activation of the switch, and a second position, where the latch permits activation of the switch, wherein the latch is biased to the first position, wherein a first portion of the latch extends outwardly through the first opening, wherein a second portion of the latch extends outwardly through the second opening, and wherein a user of the tool can move the latch from its first position to its second position while gripping the handle portion by pressing on either of the first and second portions.
- 2. The power tool of claim 1, wherein the latch is pivotably movable between the first and second positions.
- 3. The power tool of claim 1, wherein the first and second portions of the latch are on opposing sides of the handle portion.
- 4. The power tool of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second portions of the latch member is adjacent and above an index finger of a user's hand when the user grips the handle portion with a right hand during use, and wherein the other of the first and second portions of the latch member is adjacent and above an index finger of a user's hand when the user grips the handle portion with a left hand during use, whereby a user's pinkie is below the switch when the user grips the handle portion during use with either hand.
- 5. The power tool of claim 1, wherein the first and second openings in the housing are adjacent and above a portion of the switch, whereby a user's pinkie is below the switch when the user grips the handle portion during use.
- 6. The power tool of claim 1, wherein the latch is pivotably movable between the first and second positions, wherein the first and second portions of the latch are on opposing sides of the handle portion, wherein one of the first and second portions of the latch member is adjacent and above an index finger of a user's hand when the user grips the handle portion with a right hand during use, and wherein the other of the first and second portions of the latch member is adjacent and above an index finger of a user's hand when the user grips the handle portion with a left hand during use, and wherein the first and second openings in the housing are adjacent and above a portion of the switch, whereby a user's pinkie is below the switch when the user grips the handle portion during use.
- 7. A power tool comprising:
a housing including a handle portion for gripping by a hand of a user during operation of the tool, the handle portion having first and second ends for receiving the hand of the user with a thumb and index finger of the user adjacent the first end of the handle, and a pinkie of the user adjacent the second end of the handle, the housing further having at least one opening formed therein; a motor at least partially contained in the housing for powering the tool; a switch at least partially mounted in the housing adjacent the first end of the handle portion for actuating the motor; and a safety latch at least partially mounted in the housing adjacent the switch for selectively controlling actuation of the switch, wherein the latch is movable between an first position, where the latch prevents activation of the switch, and a second position, where the latch permits activation of the switch, wherein the latch is biased to its first position, wherein a portion of the latch extends through the opening in the housing, wherein the portion of the latch that extends through the opening in the housing is engageable by the thumb of the user while the user grips the handle portion, and wherein the user can move the latch from its first position to its second position by pressing on the portion of the latch that extends through the opening in the housing.
- 8. The power tool of claim 7, wherein the latch is pivotably movable between the first and second positions.
- 9. The power tool of claim 8, wherein the opening in the housing is adjacent the first end of the handle portion.
- 10. The power tool of claim 9, wherein the housing includes a second opening therein, wherein the second opening is adjacent the first end of the handle portion and opposite the other opening in the housing, wherein a second portion of the latch extends through the second opening in the housing, and wherein the user can move the latch from its first position to its second position by pressing on either portion of the latch that extends through the openings in the housing.
- 11. A power tool comprising:
a housing defining a handle portion for gripping by a hand of a user during operation of the tool, the handle portion having an external wall and an elongated axis generally corresponding to a gripping axis of a user; a motor at least partially contained in the housing for powering the tool; a switch at least partially mounted in said handle portion for activating the motor, the switch configured to accommodate an index finger of the user in a trigger fashion when the handle portion is gripped by the user; and a support member located adjacent the switch and directly below the index finger of the user while gripping the handle portion during operation of the tool such that the index finger of the user can activate the switch and be accommodated by the support member simultaneously, and wherein the support member provides a resting surface for the index finger during operation.
- 12. The power tool of claim 11, further comprising:
a safety latch at least partially mounted in the housing adjacent the switch for selectively controlling actuation of the switch, wherein the latch is movable between an first position, where the latch prevents activation of the switch, and a second position, where the latch permits activation of the switch.
- 13. The power tool of claim 12, wherein the housing has an opening formed therein, wherein the latch is biased to its first position, wherein a portion of the latch extends through the opening in the housing, wherein the portion of the latch that extends through the opening in the housing is engageable by a thumb of the user while the user grips the handle portion, and wherein the user can move the latch from its first position to its second position by pressing on the portion of the latch that extends through the opening in the housing.
- 14. The power tool of claim 13, wherein the housing includes a second opening therein, wherein the second opening is opposite the other opening in the housing, wherein a second portion of the latch extends through the second opening in the housing, and wherein the user can move the latch from its first position to its second position by pressing on either portion of the latch that extends through the openings in the housing.
- 15. The power tool of claim 14, wherein the latch is pivotably movable between the first and second positions.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/051,422, filed Jan. 18, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,___,___, which itself was continuation of application Ser. No. 09/524,867, filed Mar. 14, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,802, which itself was a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/133,846, filed Aug. 14, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,518, all entitled “Lockout Mechanism for Power Tool” and all by the same inventors.
Continuations (3)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10051422 |
Jan 2002 |
US |
Child |
10379120 |
Mar 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09524867 |
Mar 2000 |
US |
Child |
10051422 |
Jan 2002 |
US |
Parent |
09133846 |
Aug 1998 |
US |
Child |
09524867 |
Mar 2000 |
US |