Patent Application
20070089569
The inventor incorporates herein by reference any and all U.S. patents, U.S. patent applications, and other documents, hard copy or electronic, cited or referred to in this application.
The words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,” and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.
“Rectangular” includes square.
There are many types of devices used to connect and disconnect a pair of items attached to each other. There are pry-to-open openers that are used to detach, for example, a cap crimped to close an open mouth of a bottle. There are strap openers having a looped strap that is manually warped around, for example, a twist-to-open cap connected by threads to a container. The strap is tightened around the circumference of the cap and the strap opener is rotated to turn the cap until it is loosened or tightened on the container. There are wrench openers that fit snug over or around to grip and hold an item tightly, for example, a twist-to-open cap connected by threads to a container. While gripping the cap, the wrench opener is rotated to turn the cap until it is loosened or tightened on the container. Each type of opener is typically limited to one application, The pry-to-open openers are unsuited to detach items connected together by threads. Strap openers are poorly suited for attaching and detaching small diameter items, because the looped strap cannot properly grip a diameter of less than about 1.5 inches. A wrench opener may be used to open such small diameter items, but may only be used with a single or limited diameter range of items. Various types of openers are depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,330,893; 3,962,936; 4,008,636; 4,010,662; 4,145,938; 4,221,140; 4,25.7,288; 4,345,494; 4,455,894; 4,474,087; 4,506,568; 4,532,833; 4,543,858; 4,598,615; 4,607,407; 4,646,593; 4,723,465; 4,846,024; 4,750,389; 4,848,192; 4,916,993; 4,967,622; 4,979,407; 4,981,228; 4,987,804; 5,090,274; 5,115,700; 5,313,859; 5,333,522; 5,388,297; 6,101,903; 6,105,468; 6,196,090B1; 6,212,721B1; 6,282,985B1; 6,427,561B1; 6,490,951B1; 6,520,052B1; 6,789,450B1; 6,834,568B2; 6,918,150B1, and U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D297,203; D238,411.
This invention has one or more features as discussed subsequently herein. After reading the following section entitled “DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THIS INVENTION,” one will understand how the features of this invention provide its benefits. The benefits of this invention include, but are not limited to: combing in a single device a pry-to-open opener, a strap wrench, and a wrench opener.
Without limiting the scope of this invention as expressed by the claims that follow, some, but not necessarily all, of its features are:
One, the opening device of this invention has an elongated body, which may be unitary, having at a first end two different types of openers: a first opener adapted to attach and detach items by rotation of one item with respect to the other item and a second opener adapted to detach items by lever action. The first opener may be a wrench opener and the second opener may be a pry-to-open opener. At a second end opposite the first end is a strap wrench. A handle member, which may include a grip, extends between the first and second ends. The grip may comprise an anti-slip material.
Two, the body may be molded from a plastic material and the handle member may have a recess therein that receives the anti-slip material forming the grip. The handle member may have a length substantially from 3.5 to 6 inches and a substantially oblong cross-sectional configuration having a length greater than its width. The handle portion is oriented with respect to the strap wrench and wrench opener so that, in use, a force applied to the handle portion rotates the strap wrench or wrench opener is in a direction substantially along the length. When the pry-to-open opener is being used, the handle portion is oriented so that a force applied to it to open a pry-to-open item is in a direction substantially along the width.
Three, a support element at the end including the two different types of openers may have a wall member with first and second opposed open ends and an internal surface. The wall member may be substantially continuous. The pry-to-open opener may be at the first end and the wrench opener may be at the second end opposite the pry-to-open opener. The internal surface may be in the form of a truncated cone with alternating ridges and grooves therein extending lengthwise between the open ends. The first open end may have a diameter greater than the diameter of the second open end. Using such a conical surface accommodates a number of items having a limited range of different diameters or widths. The plate element may be embedded in the support element nearby the second open end. The pry-to-open opener may include a metallic plate element with an aperture therein. This plate element may be inserted into a mold and embedded in the body during molding of the body member. Because the two different types of openers are opposed to each other, this enables a user to orient the device in one position for use of one type of opener and then invert the device for use of the other type of opener.
Four, a series of alternating substantially parallel grooves and ridges may be along an edge of the second end of the body. The strap wrench may include a pair of slots extending from this edge to one side of the body. Each slot may have one terminal opening in the edge and another terminal opening in the one side. A strap member is looped through the slots to provide an adjustable diameter adapted to be wrapped around items having varying diameter or width typically greater than about 1.5 inches, for example, having a diameter or width substantially from 1.5 to 10 inches. Thus an adjustable strap wrench is provided. A raised segment along the edge may be positioned so that the grooves and ridges are on one side of the raised segment and the terminal openings in the edge are on the other side of the raised segment.
These features are not listed in any rank order nor is this list intended to be exhaustive.
This invention also includes a method of manufacturing the opening device of this invention. The method comprises injection molding a plastic into the elongated unitary body member, including the steps of (a) forming in the body member a head end including slots for a strap of a strap wrench, a tail end including a continuous wall member with opposed open ends, and an intermediate handle portion between the tail and head ends,
(b) forming in the wall member an inward tapering internal surface in the form of a truncated cone with alternating ridges and grooves therein extending lengthwise between said open ends of the wall member, said first open end having a diameter greater than a diameter of the second open end.
(c) embedding in the wall member nearby the second open end a metallic plate element with an aperture having a prying lip, and
(d) forming a recess in the handle portion and filling the recess with an anti-slip material to provide a grip on the handle portion.
This method may be a two-stage process where in a first mold the recess is formed in the handle portion and subsequently in a second mold the recess is filled with the anti-slip material. Alternately, the method may be a single-stage process where in one mold the recess is formed in the handle portion and subsequently in the same mold a space adjacent the recess is filled with the anti-slip material.
One embodiment of this invention, illustrating all its features, will now be discussed in detail. This embodiment depicts the novel and non-obvious opening device of this invention as shown in the accompanying drawing, which is for illustrative purposes only. This drawing includes the following figures (FIGS.), with like numerals indicating like parts:
As illustrated in
At the tail end 14 are two different types of openers: a pry-to-open opener 30 best shown in
A support element 44 at the tail end 14 includes both the pry-to-open opener 30 and the wrench opener 32. The support element 44, which may have an external cylindrical configuration, comprises a continuous wall member 46 having opposed open ends 46a and 46b, with the open end 46a along the right hand side 22 as best shown in
Each open end 46a and 46b has a substantially circular perimeter. In the embodiment illustrated, the open end 46b has a diameter greater than the diameter of the open end 46a. The pry-to-open opener 30 includes a circular metallic plate element 40 with an aperture 42 therein. The plate element 40 is inserted into a mold used to form the body member 14 prior to injecting plastic into the mold. As best shown in
The head end 16 includes a multi-curved edge 50 best shown in
As best shown in
As illustrated in
The body member 14 is manufactured by injection molding. The grip is formed either by a two-stage process or a single stage process. In the two stage process, a first mold is employed that forms the body member 14 described above, including at the head end 16 the slots 54 and 56 for the strap 58 and at the tail end 14 the hollow wall member 46, and an intermediate handle portion 26 between the tail end 14 and head end 16. The metallic plate element 40 is inserted into the first mold so that its perimeter P1 is embedded in the wall member 46 nearby the open end 46a as the plastic is injected into this first mold. The recess 26a in the handle portion 26 is formed by the internal shape of the first mold. The body member 14 with the plate element 40 and recess 26a therein is removed from the first mold and then placed in a second mold. This second mold has a wall adjacent the recess 26a and offset from the recess to provide an empty space corresponding to the configuration and volume of the grip 36. This space is then filled with the anti-slip material to form and bond the grip 36 of the handle portion 26. The single stage process uses only one mold and the body member 12 is not removed from this one mold. In the single stage process a removable plug having a shape corresponding to the configuration and volume of the grip 36 is located within the mold. After formation of the body member the plug is removed to provide a space corresponding to the configuration and volume of the grip 36. This space is then filled with the anti-slip material.
The above presents a description of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the present invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use this invention. This invention is, however, susceptible to modifications and alternate constructions from that discussed above which are fully equivalent. Consequently, it is not the intention to limit this invention to the particular embodiment disclosed. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications and alternate constructions coming within the spirit and scope of the invention as generally expressed by the following claims, which particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter of the invention:
