Patent Application
20160361810
The present disclosure relates generally to hand tools. In particular, hand tools for pinching and/or grasping are described.
Hand tools have long been a key enabler of industrialization and are critical devices for a broad array of skilled tradesmen such as electricians, woodworkers, and mechanics, to name a few. Common types of hand tools include cutting tools, fastening tools and pinching/grasping tools. Pliers are perhaps the most important and well known pinching/grasping tools.
Known pliers are not entirely satisfactory for the range of applications in which they are employed. For example, both hands of the user or awkward and un-ergonomic hand contortions may be required in order to open the jaws of existing pliers. Needing to use both hands limits the user's abilities. Awkward hand contortions can lead to pain and discomfort and can limit the user's precision in using the hand tool. Indeed, conventional pliers may prove to be too clumsy and unwieldy for fine motor applications.
In addition, conventional pliers are prone slip from the hands of the user when being used. The tendency for conventional pliers to slip from the hands of the user is especially prevalent in wet or slippery applications like fishing or lineman work in inclement weather. In fishing applications, fisherman use pliers to remove a hook from a fishes' mouth and the pliers slipping from the fisherman's hands can cause the pliers to fall into the water and be permanently lost. In lineman applications, pliers slipping from the lineman's grip can cause a potentially dangerous condition for workers below or for the lineman himself given the risk of electric shock form imprecise or inadvertent actions.
Thus, there exists a need for pliers that improve upon and advance the design of known pliers. Examples of new and useful pliers relevant to the needs existing in the field are discussed below.
In one embodiment, a pair of loop-handled pliers comprises a first lever arm and a second lever arm and a pivot. The first and second lever arms may be connected to each other via the pivot. The pliers may include an upper jaw disposed on a distal end of the first lever arm. The upper jaw may include a first grasping surface. The pliers may include a lower jaw disposed on a distal end of the second lever arm. The lower jaw may include a second grasping surface. The second grasping surface may oppose the first grasping surface. The pliers may include a first loop handle disposed at a proximal end of the first lever arm. The first loop handle may curve back and connect with itself. The pliers may include a second loop handle disposed at a proximal end of the second lever arm. The second loop handle may curve back and connect with itself.
The disclosed loop handled pliers well become better understood through review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the figures. The detailed description and figures provide merely examples of the various inventions is described herein. Those skilled in the art will understand that the disclosed examples may be varied, modified, and altered without departing from the scope of the inventions described herein. Many variations are contemplated for different applications and design considerations; however, for the sake of brevity each and every contemplated variation is not individually described in the following detailed description.
Throughout the following detailed description, a variety of examples of loop handled pliers are provided. Related features in the examples may be identical, similar, or dissimilar in different examples. For the sake of brevity, related features will not be redundantly explained in each example. Instead, the use of related feature names will cue the reader that the feature with a related feature name may be similar to the related feature in an example explained previously. Features specific to a given example will be described in that particular example. The reader should understand that a given feature need not be the same or similar to the specific portrayal of a related feature in any given figure or example.
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Loop handled pliers 10 address many of the shortcomings existing with conventional pliers. For example, loop handled pliers 10 may be operated effectively with one hand. Further, loop handled pliers 10 are retained more securely in the user's hand than conventional pliers. Additionally, loop handled pliers 10 may be more precisely controlled than conventional pliers.
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In the illustrated embodiment, the loop handles 151, 152 are symmetrical mirror images of each other. Symmetrical loop handles may allow for ambidextrous use of the loop handled pliers. In other embodiments, the loop handles may be asymmetrical, e.g., a first loop handle may be sized to accept only the thumb of the user while a second loop handle may be sized to accept two or more digits of the user.
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The disclosure above encompasses multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. While each of these inventions has been disclosed in a particular form, the specific embodiments disclosed and illustrated above are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed above and inherent to those skilled in the art pertaining to such inventions. Where the disclosure or subsequently filed claims recite “a” element, “a first” element, or any such equivalent term, the disclosure or claims should be understood to incorporate one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.
Applicant(s) reserves the right to submit claims directed to combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed inventions that are believed to be novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of those claims or presentation of new claims in the present application or in a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to the same invention or a different invention and whether they are different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are to be considered within the subject matter of the inventions described herein.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application, Ser. No. 62/174,848, filed on Jun. 12, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62174848 | Jun 2015 | US |
