Reformable handle

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6832413
  • Patent Number
    6,832,413
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, December 10, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, December 21, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
There is shown a reformable handle (10) having an air pump (12), partially surrounded by a covering (13) so as to define a chamber (17) which contains a mass of filler material (18). The handle may be reformed into another configuration by a person firmly grasping the handle (10) so as to deform the covering (13) to conform with the person's grip and evacuating the air from within the chamber (17). The removal of air from within the chamber causes the covering to constrict about the filler material thereby locking the filler material in place. The handle may later be reconfigured by actuating a pressure release valve (44) which allows the return of air into the chamber. Once air is returned the filler material may be reconfigured and the pump actuated again to re-evacuate the chamber and once again reform the handle.
Description




TECHNICAL FIELD




This invention relates to handles, and specifically to handles for devices that can be reformed to conform to a user's grip.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Handles have existed in many forms over the years. Most handles, such as those commonly found on tools such as screwdrivers, hammers or power tools, have a round or square handle in cross-section. While these general shapes provide some gripping capabilities they do not provide an optimal gripping configuration. Furthermore, some handicapped people or people with medical problems, such as arthritis, have trouble grasping items with these commonly shaped handles.




To provide enhanced gripping capabilities devices have been designed with moldable handles. As shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,617,697, 4,719,063 and 5,155,878, handles have been designed to include an inner mass of material which is converted from a pliable or moldable state to a solid or resilient state. This change in the physical state may be accomplished through the use of thermoplastics or the like. A user simply grips the handle while the material is in the pliable state to reconfigure the material, which is then allows it to harden over time to its hardened state. While this approach provides a custom grip, once it has been reformed the material can not later be changed. If the user does not like the manner in which the handle has been formed he cannot reform the handle to a more preferred form. Also, should a different user wish to utilize the tool he will find that the handle does not conform to his grip and that he cannot change the form of the hardened grip.




Handles have also been designed to include repositionable, movable elements, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,617. These handles include a linear series of interior disks that can be moved relative to a central rod to change the overall shape of the handle. Once the disks are positioned to conform with the person's hand a locking mechanism is actuated to lock the relative position of the disks. The configuration of the handle however is greatly limited and does not conform to the small variations in a person's grip. Therefore, these handles have proven to be inadequate in providing a truly custom grip.




Accordingly, it is seen that a need remains for a handle which may to reconfigured to one's grip but which may also be later reconfigured again. It is to the provision of such therefore that the present invention is primarily directed.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In a preferred form of the invention a reformable handle is shown which may be coupled to device. The handle comprises a flexible, air impermeable, outer covering at least partially defining a grip portion, a mass of filler material contained within the grip portion, and air pressure reducing means for reducing the air pressure within the grip portion. With this construction, a person may grip and therefore deform the outer covering to conform to the configuration of the person's hand and simultaneously actuate the air pressure reducing means so as to reduce the quantity of air within the mass of filler material thereby causing the outer covering to constrict and lock the mass of filler material in place, the locking of the filler material thereby causing the grip portion to remain in its deformed configuration conforming to the person's hand.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a reformable handle embodying principles of the present invention in a preferred form.





FIGS. 2-4

are a sequence of side views showing the reformable handle of

FIG. 1

, which show in sequence, the reformation of the handle.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




With reference next to the drawings, there is shown a reformable handle


10


, in a preferred form of the invention, shown coupled to a working device shown herein as the driving end of a screwdriver


11


. The handle


10


has a generally central, rigid manual air pump


12


at least partially surrounded by a flexible, tubular, air-impermeable covering


13


. The covering


13


is sealed in an air-tight manner to the air pump


12


by a first annular, sealing end


14


and a second annular, sealing end


15


. The covering


13


is spaced from the air pump


12


to define a tubular chamber


17


therebetween which is filled with a mass of filler material


18


in the form of pellets. The covering


13


, first sealing end


14


, and second sealing end


15


generally form a grip portion of the handle


10


.




The air pump


12


includes a tubular cylinder


21


and a moveable piston


22


mounted for reciprocal movement within the cylinder


21


between a fully collapsed position, shown in

FIG. 2

or a partially collapsed position, shown in

FIG. 4

, and an extended position, shown in FIG.


3


. The air pump


12


has a distal end


23


with an opening


24


therethrough which allows the passage of air into the cylinder


21


and a rubber check valve


25


which allows the passage of air into the cylinder


21


but prevents the passage of air out of the cylinder through opening


24


. The moveable piston


22


has an elongated shaft


28


with a sealing end


29


and a stop end


30


opposite the sealing end


29


.




The sealing end


29


has a conventional annular O-ring type seal


32


which is designed to prevent the passage of air between the seal


32


and the interior surface of the cylinder


21


when the piston


22


is moved from its collapsed position to its extended position, but which allows the passage of air between the seal


32


and the interior surface of the cylinder


21


when the piston is moved from its extended position to its collapsed position.




The stop end


30


has a mounting collar


34


with a central passage


35


in which the shaft


28


is slidably coupled for reciprocal movement. The collar


34


has an exterior flange


36


and a spring


37


mounted within the passage


35


which biases the shaft


28


in a direction out of passage


35


. The shaft


28


however has a stop


38


which prevents the shaft from being removed from the collar


34


. The screwdriver


11


driving end is shown mounted to the stop end


30


.




The first sealing end


14


is designed to capture and seal one end of the tubular covering


13


, as best shown in FIG.


24


. The first sealing end


14


also has an interior flange


41


sized and shaped to releasably mate with the exterior flange


36


of stop end


30


. The second sealing end


15


is similarly designed to capture and seal an opposite end of the tubular covering


13


. The second sealing end


15


also includes a filter block


42


of air permeable foam which is selected to allow the passage of air therethrough but prevent the passage of the filler material


18


therethrough. The second sealing end


15


also includes a pressure release valve


44


which allows the passage of air into the chamber


17


through an opening


45


upon manual actuation of the pressure release valve


44


. The pressure release valve


44


may be in the form of a planar, rubber check valve


47


which is deformable to an unsealing configuration by a pressure button


46


which allows the passage of air thereby while in the deformed configuration.




In use, the stop end


30


is rotated relative to the first sealing end


14


so that the exterior flanges


36


of the stop end are disengaged from the interior flanges


41


of the first sealing ends. With the flanges


36


and


41


disengaged from each other and a person firmly grasping the handle


10


so as to deform the covering


13


to conform with the person's grip, as shown in

FIG. 3

, the air pump


12


is actuated to evacuate or withdraw air from within chamber


17


. In actuating the air pump the piston


22


is moved from its collapsed position, shown in

FIG. 4

, to its extended position, shown in FIG.


3


. This movement of the piston creates a low pressure zone or vacuum within the cylinder


21


which causes air to be withdrawn from the chamber


17


. The withdrawn air passes from the chamber


17


through the filter block


42


, through the opening


24


, through the check valve


25


, and into the cylinder


21


between the sealing end


29


of the piston and the distal end


23


of the pump. Any air captured within the cylinder between the piston sealing end


29


and the first sealing end


14


escapes to ambience between the piston shaft


28


and first sealing end


14


. Return movement of the piston


22


from its extended position to its retracted position causes the air within the cylinder to flow past O-ring seal


32


into the portion of the cylinder between the piston sealing end


29


and first sealing end


14


.




The evacuation of the air from within the chamber


17


causes air between the pellets to be withdrawn and the covering


13


to constrict against the mass of filler material


18


. The constriction of the covering


13


locks the filler material


18


in place in substantially the form it has been positioned by the gripping force of the person's hand.




Once the chamber


17


is substantially evacuated of air the pump is returned to its fully contracted and locked position. This is accomplished by pushing the piston


22


into the cylinder


21


and rotating the stop end


30


so that its exterior flanges


36


engage and releasably lock with the interior flanges


41


of the first sealing end


14


.




It should be understood that in order to allow the piston sealing end


29


to extend all the way to the distal end


23


of the pump while the stop end


30


is not forced into the first sealing end


14


, spring


37


forces the piston shaft


28


outwardly from the stop end


30


. The movement of the shaft


28


by the spring


37


effectively increases the length of the piston. However, the spring


37


is compressed and the shaft is forced into the stop end


30


when the stop end


30


is moved to its locked position, shown in FIG.


2


.




Should the person utilizing the handle or another person entirely wish to reconfigure the handle the vacuum within the chamber must to released. In order to release the vacuum the operator simply actuates release valve


44


by depressing pressure button


46


so as to deform rubber check valve


47


. The actuation of the release valve


44


allows ambient air to flow past the rubber check valve


47


, through opening


45


, through filter block


42


and into chamber


17


. The return of air into the chamber


17


causes the covering


13


to expand and thereby unlock or decompress the mass of filler material, i.e., the return of air loosens the filler material so that it may once again become pliable.




It should be understood that the handle of the present invention may be utilized with virtually any device which includes a handle or grip, including but not limited to sports equipment such as golf clubs, bats and tennis rackets, hand tools such as screwdrivers, hammers, shovels, wrenches, and axes, power tools such as power saws, jack hammers, lawn mowers and drills, vehicle parts such as the handles of bicycles, stick shifts or steering wheels, household items such as vacuum cleaners, mops and brooms, and carrying items such as suitcases. The device may be coupled to the stop end, as shown in the drawings, or alternatively may be coupled to the second sealing end. It should also be understood that the device to which the handle


10


is coupled may be mounted in any conventional fashion, such as by welding, glueing, brackets, fasteners, threaded posts, male and female couplers, internal or external threads within or about one of the ends of the handle and other similar mounting means.




Also, when used in connection with a power tool the means for reducing the pressure within the chamber may be a mechanical air pump. The mechanical air pump may be driven by the motor of the power tool. Also, the air reducing mechanism of the handle may be an air reducing mechanism of the device, such as the mechanism of a vacuum cleaner, i.e., a vacuum may be siphoned from another mechanism which creates a vacuum.




It should be understood that any type of pellet may be used as the filling material, such as sand, seeds, small balls, ground material, foam rubber, powders, or the like.




Also, the exterior covering


13


may be any material which is flexible and impermeable to air, such as a layer of latex, rubber, vinyl or other plastic material.




While this invention has been described in detail with particular reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood that many modifications, additions and deletions, in addition to those expressly recited, may be made thereto without departure from the spirit and scope of invention as set forth in the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A reformable handle which may be coupled to a device, said handle comprising,a flexible, air impermeable, outer covering at least partially defining a handle grip portion; a mass of filler material contained within said grip portion, and air pressure reducing means for reducing the air pressure within said grip portion, whereby a person may grip and therefore deform the outer covering to conform to the configuration of the person's hand and simultaneously actuate the air pressure reducing means so as to reduce the quantity of air associated with the mass of filler material thereby causing the outer covering to constrict and lock the mass of filler material in place, the locking of the filler material thereby causing the grip portion to remain in its deformed configuration conforming to the person's hand.
  • 2. The reformable handle of claim 1 wherein said air pressure reducing means is an air pump.
  • 3. The reformable handle of claim 1 further comprising an interior support member which supports said grip portion.
  • 4. The reformable handle of claim 3 wherein said air pressure reducing means is an air pump and wherein said air pump is also said interior support member.
  • 5. The reformable handle of claim 1 further comprising an air release valve, whereby the actuation of the air release valve allows air to flow back into the grip portion.
  • 6. The reformable handle of claim 1 wherein said mass of filler material is a mass of pellets.
  • 7. The reformable handle of claim 1 further comprising mounting means for mounting said grip portion to the device.
  • 8. A reformable handle which may be coupled to a device, said handle comprising,a generally rigid support member; a flexible, air impermeable, outer covering at least partially overlying said support member so as to form a chamber; a mass of filler material contained within said chamber; and air pressure reducing means for reducing the air pressure within said chamber, whereby a person may grip and therefore deform the outer covering to conform to the configuration of the person's hand and simultaneously actuate the air pressure reducing means so as to reduce the quantity of air within the chamber thereby causing the outer covering to constrict and lock the mass of filler material in place causing the grip portion to remain in its deformed configuration conforming to the person's hand.
  • 9. The reformable handle of claim 8 wherein said air pressure reducing means is an air pump.
  • 10. The reformable handle of claim 8 wherein said air pressure reducing means is an air pump and wherein at least a portion of said air pump is said support member.
  • 11. The reformable handle of claim 8 further comprising an air release valve, whereby the actuation of the air release valve allows air to flow back into the chamber.
  • 12. The reformable handle of claim 8 wherein said mass of filler material is a mass of pellets.
  • 13. The reformable handle of claim 8 further comprising mounting means for mounting said support member to the device.
  • 14. A reformable handle which may be coupled to a device, said handle comprising,an air pump; a flexible, air impermeable, outer covering positioned at least partially about said air pump so as to define a chamber; a mass of filler material contained within said chamber; and coupling means for coupling said chamber to the device, whereby a person may grip and therefore deform the outer covering to conform to the configuration of the person's hand and simultaneously actuate the air pump so as to reduce the quantity of air within the chamber thereby causing the outer covering to constrict and lock the mass of filler material in place causing the outer covering to remain in its deformed configuration conforming to the person's hand.
  • 15. The reformable handle of claim 14 further comprising an air release valve, whereby the actuation of the air release valve allows air to flow back into the chamber.
  • 16. The reformable handle of claim 14 wherein said mass of filler material is a mass of pellets.
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Number Date Country
4446727 Jun 1995 DE
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