Patent Application
20130276241
The present invention relates generally to hand tools, and more particularly to sawing tools.
Hacksaws are saws having a frame that holds a blade in tension. Hacksaw frames typically have an arched configuration, with the blade coupled to both ends of the arched configuration. A handle is generally mounted to, or formed with, the arched configuration of the frame, and usually includes a pistol grip configuration. Some hacksaws are configured to support a variety of different uses, or be placed in a variety of different configurations. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0011732, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, discloses embodiments of such hacksaws. Among other things, the present application relates to an improved hacksaw design configured to support a variety of different uses.
According to one aspect of this disclosure, a multi-tool saw assembly includes a saw assembly and a utility tool. The saw assembly includes a frame having a first end and a second end. The saw assembly also includes a first handle fixed relative to the frame. The saw assembly further includes a saw blade, selectively coupled to the frame and extending between the first end and the second end. The saw blade includes a first connection portion connected to the first end and a second connection portion connected to the second end. The utility tool includes a second handle and a work portion. The second handle forms a portion of the frame and/or the first handle. The utility tool is separable from the saw assembly. The saw blade remains connected to the first end and the second end, and the first handle remains connected to the frame, when the utility tool is separated from the saw assembly.
These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. In one embodiment of the invention, the structural components illustrated herein are drawn to scale. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. In addition, it should be appreciated that structural features shown or described in any one embodiment herein can be used in other embodiments as well. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Features of the tool in accordance with one embodiment are shown in the drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like elements. The drawings form part of this original disclosure in which:
As shown, the frame 20 of the hacksaw assembly 10 generally comprises an arched configuration, with an upper portion 60 spaced from the hacksaw blade 30. A forward portion 70 is configured to extend between the upper portion 60 and a forward connecting end 30a of the hacksaw blade 30. Additionally, a rearward portion 80 is configured to extend between the upper portion 60 and a rearward connecting end 30b of the hacksaw blade 30. While, in the illustrated embodiment, the upper portion 60, the forward portion 70, and the rearward portion 80 are generally formed together, and are curved into one another to define the arched configuration, in other embodiments, the upper portion 60, the forward portion 70, and the rearward portion 80 may be separately assembled together, and/or may be joined by angled intersections.
Further shown in
As indicated above, the hacksaw blade 30 is coupled to the frame 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the forward connecting end 30a is fixedly mounted to the forward portion 70 of the frame 20. In particular, a forward mounting pin 100a (seen in greater detail in
In the illustrated embodiment of
Further illustrated in
In some embodiments, the operable portion 170 may be fixed to the utility handle 160. Such connection between the operable portion 170 and the utility handle 160 may be through welding, application of adhesive, integral molding, forming together, fastening with one or more permanent fasteners, or by any other appropriate mechanism. In other embodiments, the operable portion 170 may be separable from the utility handle 160, so as to allow different operable portions 170 to be coupled thereto. For example, one or more releasable fasteners may be associated with either or both of the operable portion 170 and the utility handle 160. As other examples, clips, friction mounts, screws, pins, or other attachment mechanisms may be utilized to releasably couple the operable portion 170 to the utility handle 160. In an embodiment, the utility handle 160 may contain therein a receiving space configured to frictionally engage with the operable portion 170, such that the operable portion 170 partially slides into the utility handle 160, and may be frictionally retained, may be secured by a spring-biased ball bearing, or may be retained by any other engagement.
As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the utility handle 160 may be received on or by a handle connecting portion 180 of the frame 20, which extends from the upper portion 60 and/or the rearward portion 80 towards the hacksaw handle 90. As the utility handle 160 is received on the handle connecting portion 180, the operable portion 170 of the removable utility tool 150 may extend into the receiving space 140. In the illustrated embodiment, the receiving space 140 is open on one side, and has a generally U-shaped configuration. In other embodiments, however, the receiving space 140 may be enclosed, and may form a bore into the frame 20 that may receive the operable portion 170 of the removable utility tool 150.
As described in greater detail below, in an embodiment the removable utility tool 150 may be secured to the frame 20 by any appropriate mechanism. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, an engagement tab 190 is formed on the handle connecting portion 180, and is configured to be received in a slot 200 formed in the utility handle 160 of the removable utility tool 150. It may be appreciated that to receive the engagement tab 190 in the slot 200, the utility handle 160 may generally be slid laterally so as to decouple the engagement tab 190 from the slot 200. In some embodiments, such engagement may be coupled with a frictional engagement between surfaces of the removable utility tool 150 and the frame 20 (including, for example, the handle contacting portion 180). In an embodiment, such as that illustrated, a non-frictional securement may additionally or alternatively be provided to fix the removable utility tool 150 relative to the frame 20. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, a turnscrew 210 may extend through the upper portion 60 into the receiving space 140, and may be configured to engage with the utility tool 150. In some embodiments, a portion of the turnscrew 210 may selectively extend into a receiving aperture or other engagement feature on the utility tool 150, while in other embodiments the turnscrew 210 may frictionally engage the utility tool 150. It may be appreciated that in some embodiments other engagement mechanisms may be utilized in lieu of the illustrated turnscrew 210. For example, pins, tabs, latches, magnets, spring biased engagements, and/or other appropriate mechanisms may be utilized instead to couple the utility tool 150 to the frame 20. As one non-limiting example, it may be appreciated that in an embodiment the In other embodiments, the engagement tab 190 may be configured to be selectively depressed so as to disengage the engagement tab 190 from the slot 200 of the utility tool 150, facilitating the subsequent removal of the utility tool 150 from the frame 20.
As shown in
It may be appreciated that in some embodiments, the blade 30 may be coupled to the frame 20 such that the forward blade aperture 110a or the rearward blade aperture 110b is coupled to the turnscrew 220, while an intermediate portion of the blade 30 extends through the aperture 230, and the other of the forward blade aperture 110a and the rearward blade aperture 110b extends forward of the forward portion 70. In such a configuration, a user of the hacksaw assembly 10 may utilize the blade 30 as a protruding blade, or otherwise may control motion of the blade 30 through engagement of the handle 90 of the hacksaw assembly 10, without the blade 30 being surrounded on both sides by the frame 20. Such a protruding configuration may allow the blade 30 to cut into regions that are generally harder to reach, or have smaller surrounding clearance than would be allowed by the blade 30 being substantially surrounded by the frame 20.
It may be appreciated that other blades or tools may be configured to extend from the aperture 230 in a protruding configuration from the hacksaw assembly 10. For example, in some embodiments where the operable portion 170 of the utility tool 150 is removable from the utility handle 160, the operable portion 170 may alternatively be configured to be received within the aperture 230. In some such embodiments, part of the operable portion 170 generally received in the utility handle 160 may be engaged within the forward portion 70, may be secured by the turnscrew 220, or may be secured to the frame 20 by any other appropriate securing arrangement or mechanism.
Further shown in
It may be appreciated that to mount the hacksaw blade 30 in the angled configuration, the blade tensioner arrangement 120 may be relaxed, as described below. Where the blade 30 is currently positioned on the forward mounting pin 100a and the rearward mounting pin 100b, the tension across the blade 30 would thus be released, allowing removal of the blade 30 by sliding the forward blade aperture 110a across the forward mounting pin 100a, and sliding the rearward blade aperture 110b across the rearward mounting pin 100b. With the blade tensioner arrangement 120 in the relaxed position, the spacing between the forward angled mounting pin 240a, and the rearward angled mounting pin 240b may also be narrowed so as to readily allow the forward blade aperture 110a to slide onto the forward angled mounting pin 240a, and allow the rearward blade aperture 110b to slide onto the rearward angled mounting pin 240b. By retensioning the blade tensioner arrangement 120, tension may again be applied across the blade 30, securing the blade 30 to the frame 20 at an angle determined by the orientation of the forward angled mounting pin 240a, and a rearward angled mounting pin 240b.
Additionally, illustrated in the exploded view of
Further illustrated in
In an embodiment, the movable mounting arm 130 includes a shaft 330 extending therefrom. The shaft 330 may slidably extend through an engaging pin 340, which may be received in recesses 350 formed in the lever 280. In particular, the shaft 330 may slidably extend through an aperture 340a formed in the engaging pin 340. In an embodiment, a biasing member 360, such as a spring in the illustrated embodiment, may be configured to engage the engaging pin 340 to apply a force between the shaft 330 and the engaging pin 340, thus applying tension to the hacksaw blade 30 when the lever 280 is in the closed position. For example, in an embodiment, an adjustment member 370 may be coupled to the shaft 330, such that the biasing member 360 is engaged between the adjustment member 370 and the engaging pin 340, applying the force therebetween. As shown, the adjustment member 370 may include an engagement flange 370a configured to support one side of the biasing member 360, while the opposite side of the biasing member 360 engages the engaging pin 340. In the illustrated embodiment, the adjustment member 370 may be selectively adjusted to modify the force applied by the biasing member 360, pushing the adjustment member 370 away from the engaging pin 340, thus adjusting the amount of tension across the hacksaw blade 30. It may be appreciated that the adjustment member 370 may vary across embodiments, and may be of any appropriate configuration to adjust an amount of tension applied across the blade 30. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the adjustment member 370 may be threaded onto the shaft 330, so as to be selectively positionable thereon, to apply a desired amount of force against the engaging pin 340 by the biasing member 360. As shown, in an embodiment the adjustment member 370 may be prevented from generally being removed from the shaft 330 by a lock clamp 380.
As indicated above, other blade tensioner arrangements 120 may be utilized in other embodiments. For example, in an embodiment, the blade tensioner arrangement 120 may be configured similarly to or may otherwise contain features from one or more of U.S. Pat. No. 6,925,720, U.S. Pat. No. 6,820,340, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0011732, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, or other arrangements knows in the art.
Although in the embodiment of
Configured to be received within the nestable hacksaw handle 410 and the nestable frame 420 is a removable utility tool 430. As shown, the removable utility tool 430 includes a nestable utility handle 440, and an operable portion 450. As shown, the nestable hacksaw handle 410 includes a generally U-shaped receiving portion 460, which may be shaped so that an exterior portion 470 may be engaged by a user's hand, while the U-shaped receiving portion 460 is positioned to the interior, and is configured to receive the nestable utility handle 440 therein. As shown, the nestable frame 420 likewise may have a receiving portion, configured to receive the operable portion 450 of the removable utility too 430 therein, when the nestable utility handle 440 is received in the U-shaped receiving portion 460. While in some embodiments the receiving portion of the nestable frame 420 may be generally U-shaped, in other embodiments the receiving portion may be formed as a bore extending along the nestable frame 420, or may be of any other appropriate configuration.
While in the illustrated embodiment the nestable hacksaw handle 410 and the nestable utility handle 440 are both illustrated to be of a pistol grip configuration, in other embodiments one or more of the nestable hacksaw handle 410 and the nestable utility handle 440 may be oriented to be generally in line with either the operable portion 450 or the hacksaw blade 423. Additionally, the removable utility tool 430 may be secured to the hacksaw 400 by any appropriate mechanism. In the illustrated embodiment, the removable utility tool 430 include an engagement feature 480 configured to be received in a corresponding recess 490 formed in the hacksaw 400. In an embodiment, the engagement feature 480 may snap, click, lock, or otherwise secure the removable utility tool 430 to the hacksaw 400. Such securement may be achieved through any appropriate mechanism, including but not limited to those described in embodiments of the hacksaw assembly 10 above. In another embodiment, the removable utility tool 430 may frictionally engage with the hacksaw 400. In the illustrated embodiment, the engagement feature 400 may be configured to enter into the recesses 490 in a predetermined orientation, so as to limit potential for inadvertent removal of the removable utility tool 430 from the hacksaw 400.
The configuration of the operable portion 450 of the removable utility tool 430 may vary across embodiments. While in some embodiments the operable portion 450 may be permanently fixed to the nestable utility handle 440, in other embodiments the operable portion 450 may be removable from the nestable utility handle 440. In the illustrated embodiment, the operable portion 450, which is configured as a file, couples to the nestable utility handle 440 by the engagement feature 480, which may be configured as a threaded fastener extending through both an engaging end of the operable portion 450 and a receiving portion of the nestable utility handle 440. As shown, in an embodiment an additional operable portion 500, configured in the illustrated embodiment as a jab saw, may be alternatively installed into the nestable utility handle 440, by removal of the engagement feature 480 to disengage the engagement feature 480 from the operable portion 450, removing the operable portion 450 from the nestable utility handle 440, installing the operable portion 500 into the nestable utility handle 440, and securing the engagement feature 480 through an engaging aperture 510 formed in the operable portion 500.
Regardless of the configuration of the hacksaw assembly (e.g., the hacksaw assemblies 10, 390), it may be appreciated that across various embodiments, the removable utility tool thereof (e.g., removable utility tool 150, 440) may be separable therefrom, in a configuration that allows both the utility tool and the hacksaw of the hacksaw assembly to be independently and simultaneously utilized. While hacksaws are depicted herein, other tools utilizing a saw blade and an associated handle may likewise be configured to contain a removable utility tool therein, separable from the saw blade and associated handle, to allow such independent simultaneous use.
Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.
