Patent Application
20090145938
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool holder, specifically to a tool holder configured to support a tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices for carrying tools are well known in the prior art. Many such devices are in the form of tool belts of various configurations which are designed to carry and retain one or more desired tools while allowing the user to keep his hands free. Conventional tool belts are provided with leather or cloth loops which suspend from the belt and which serve as tool retainers. Although useful to some extent, such tool belts present inherent deficiencies which limit their usefulness. For example, because cloth is not necessarily a rigid structure, cloth loops may close when not in use, making it difficult for the user to replace the tool into the loop with one hand. More over, a loop may lightly constrict about the tool handle as the tool settles into position, thereby making it difficult to remove the tool when needed. Similar problems arise with the use of the more rigid leather loops. Some improvements have been made in the field. Examples of references related to the present invention are described below, and the supported teachings of each reference are incorporated by reference herein:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,451, issued to Kahn, discloses a tool-toting device facilitating the carrying and retention by a workman of a hand tool having a clip for attaching the device to a belt such as a workman's tool-belt. A rigid hook depends through fastening means from the clip and has the ability to swivel as the workman moves to maintain the center of gravity of a tool attached to the hook. Rigidity of the hook ensures that the workman will be able to replace the tool onto the toting device or to remove it therefrom single-handedly. Further, the hook is rotatably positionable to permit the workman to position his tool in a comfortable fashion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,449, issued to Kahn, discloses a tool-toting device for carrying and retaining a hand tool comprising a clip, a swivel element and a U-shaped hook, the clip being capable of attachment to a belt, such as a tool belt. The swivel element is swivelably connected to the clip by conventional means, such as a semi-tubular rivet such that it freely swivels about a 360.degree. axis, while the U-shaped hook is rotatably connected to the swivel element by means of a jam nut-acorn nut arrangement such that it is capable of rotating about a 360.degree. axis. In this manner, a tool hanging from the U-shaped hook will swivel about the 360.degree. axis, thereby maintaining its center of gravity as the user moves about a construction area. The user can re-position the hook for comfort and accessibility simply by rotating the hook about its axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,342, issued to Kahn, discloses a tool belt tool tote device that is capable of carrying two tools independently, such as a cordless drill and a hammer. The double tool tote device comprises a C-shaped clip, a terminal swivel element and two hook elements. In use, a tool depending from each hook may freely swivel to maintain its center of gravity so that the tool will remain securely attached to the tool tote while remaining easily accessible to the user. In addition, each hook element is rotatably positionable to permit the user to independently position each tool in a comfortable fashion. The two hook elements also can be selectively positioned to retain one tool element across the breadth of the two hook elements.
The inventions heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages when carrying hammers and other similar tools which include being bulky, being cumbersome to use, being expensive, being awkward to use.
What is needed is a tool holder that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.
The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available tool holders. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide an efficient and effective device for securing a tool, especially a hammer-type tool.
In one embodiment of the invention, there is a tool holder configured to support a tool; wherein the tool holder may include a clip configured to couple to pants of a user. The clip may include an exterior member coupled to an interior member along a U-shaped bend, wherein the exterior and interior members define an axis of the clip. The interior member of the clip may include an enlarged portion disposed near a bottom end of the interior member and a plurality of support ridges extending from the interior member towards the exterior member.
The tool holder may also include a cylindrical receptacle that is hollow and coupled to the exterior member of the clip. The cylindrical receptacle includes an axis that may be angularly oriented away therefrom such that a bottom portion of an elongated tool body disposed therein will project diagonally away from the axis of the clip. In addition, the cylindrical receptacle may include a top; wherein the top of the cylindrical receptacle includes a pair of recessed portions disposed oppositely. Furthermore, the cylindrical receptacle may include a top circumference and a bottom circumference; wherein the bottom circumference is smaller than the top circumference. The cylindrical receptacle may further include a bias member extending into an interior of the cylindrical receptacle and configured to cooperate with the magnet in angling a body of a tool extending through a bottom of the tool holder such that the body of the tool extends diagonally downward away from the axis of the clip.
The tool holder may further include an angle adjustment device coupled between the clip and cylindrical receptacle; wherein the angle adjustment device may be configured to provide selectable adjustment of an angle between the axis of the clip and the axis of the cylindrical receptacle. The angle adjustment device may include a shaft disposed through a cavity, wherein the shaft and cavity are cooperatively shaped to provide a plurality coupling orientations. The plurality of coupling orientations may be configured to provide selectable angular attachment between the clip and the cylindrical receptacle of the tool holder. In addition, the tool holder may also include a magnet disposed along the exterior member, wherein the magnet may be configured to attract a portion of a tool disposed in the tool holder. Furthermore, the tool holder may include a storage receptacle coupled to one side of the clip and the cylindrical receptacle, wherein the storage receptacle includes a cavity with a top opening. The storage receptacle may be configured to allow a user to store elongated items therein.
Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention, should be, or are in, any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.
Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.
These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.
In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawing(s). It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not to scale. The drawings are mere schematics representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. Understanding that these drawing(s) depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not, therefore, to be considered to be limiting its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawing(s), in which:
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing(s), and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.
Reference throughout this specification to an “embodiment,” an “example” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or combinations thereof described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases an “embodiment,” an “example,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, to different embodiments, or to one or more of the figures. Additionally, reference to the wording “embodiment,” “example” or the like, for two or more features, elements, etc. does not mean that the features are necessarily related, dissimilar, the same, etc.
Each statement of an embodiment, or example, is to be considered independent of any other statement of an embodiment despite any use of similar or identical language characterizing each embodiment. Therefore, where one embodiment is identified as “another embodiment,” the identified embodiment is independent of any other embodiments characterized by the language “another embodiment.” The features, functions, and the like described herein are considered to be able to be combined in whole, or in part, one with another, as the claims and/or art may direct, either directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly.
As used herein, “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “is,” “are,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional unrecited elements or method steps. “Comprising” is to be interpreted as including the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.”
In operation, a user may clip the tool holder to belt or pants and then dispose a hammer-like tool through the cylindrical receptacle until the head of the tool rests against the top of the cylindrical receptacle. Advantageously, the tool holder places the tool in a convenient location about the waist of the user and keeps the tool from bumping against a leg of the user. Accordingly, the user may perform other activities while the tool is stowed without interference from the tool.
In operation of one embodiment of the invention a user attaches a tool holder onto a belt and/or waist of a pair of pants worn by the user. The user slides the interior member of the clip about an interior portion of the belt and/or waist of a pair of pants, until the U-shaped bend is contacting the top of the belt and/or waist of a pair of pants of the user. The plurality of support ridges assists in securing the interior member of the clip to the interior of the belt and/or waist of a pair of pants of the user. The user then secures a tool to the cylindrical receptacle by disposing the handle of the tool through the cylindrical receptacle and resting the head of the tool about the top of the cylindrical receptacle. When the tool is securely engaged with the cylindrical receptacle, the enlarged portion near the bottom of the interior member of the clip counterbalances the weight of the tool, thereby supporting the tool in a substantially vertical position.
In operation of one embodiment of the invention a user attaches a tool holder onto a belt and/or waist of a pair of pants worn by the user. The user slides the interior member of the clip about an interior portion of the belt and/or waist of a pair of pants, until the U-shaped bend is contacting the top of the belt and/or waist of a pair of pants of the user. The plurality of support ridges assists in securing the interior member of the clip to the interior of the belt and/or waist of a pair of pants of the user. The user then secures a tool to the cylindrical receptacle by disposing the handle of the tool through the cylindrical receptacle and resting the head of the tool about the top of the cylindrical receptacle. When the tool is securely engaged with the cylindrical receptacle, the enlarged portion near the bottom of the interior member of the clip counterbalances the weight of the tool, thereby supporting the tool in a substantially vertical position. Then, the user may adjust the angle adjustment device of the tool holder to a plurality of coupling orientations, to provide the desired angle between the clip and the cylindrical receptacle wherein the handle of the tool is properly orientated and angles away from the user.
In operation of one embodiment of the invention, a user attaches a tool holder onto a belt and/or waist of a pair of pants worn by the user. The user slides the interior member of the clip about an interior portion of the belt and/or waist of a pair of pants, until the U-shaped bend is contacting the top of the belt and/or waist of a pair of pants of the user. The user then secures a tool to the cylindrical receptacle by disposing the handle of the tool through the cylindrical receptacle and resting the head of the tool about the top of the cylindrical receptacle. When the tool is securely engaged with the cylindrical receptacle, the enlarged portion near the bottom of the interior member of the clip counterbalances the weight of the tool, thereby supporting the tool in a substantially vertical position. In addition, the biased member of the cylindrical receptacle angles the tool away from the user, thereby disposing the tool as to not impede movement of the user. Furthermore, the magnet is configured to secure the head of the tool to the exterior member of the clip, thereby assisting the bias member of the cylindrical receptacle in disposing the tool handle away from the user.
It is understood that the above-described embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
For example, although the figures illustrate a tool holder including a clip, a cylindrical receptacle, an angle adjustment device, a pair of recessed portions, a cylindrical receptacle having a top circumference and a bottom circumference; wherein the bottom circumference is smaller than the top circumference, a magnet, a storage receptacle, a bias member, a clip having an enlarged portion disposed near a bottom end of the interior member, and a plurality of support ridges; one skilled in the art would appreciate that the device may include all, one, or a few of these elements in one embodiment and still perform its intended function.
Additionally, although the figures illustrate a clip having an interior member and an exterior member coupled along a U-shaped bend, one skilled in the art would appreciate that the clip may vary in size, shape, design, configuration, color, length, width, height, depth, and still perform its intended function.
It is also envisioned that one skilled in the art would appreciate that the cylindrical receptacle may vary in size, shape, configuration, design, circumference, and axis to receive and secure a variety of different sized tools and still perform its intended function.
It is expected that there could be numerous variations of the design of this invention. An example is that the configuration may be reversed to suit a left handed user and still perform its intended function.
Finally, it is envisioned that the components of the device may be constructed of a variety of materials, such as but not limited to plastic, plastic composite, metal, metal alloys, rubber, rubber composite, etc. and still perform its intended function.
Thus, while the present invention has been fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth in the claims. Further, it is contemplated that an embodiment may be limited to consist of, or to consist essentially of, one or more of the features, functions, structures, methods described herein.
This invention claims priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 120, to the U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/012,842 to Kahn filed on Dec. 11, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61012842 | Dec 2007 | US |
