WO2002016086A1

WO2002016086A1 - Arrangement for tools including a shank with a recess and a flexible handle with a catch

Info

Publication number: WO2002016086A1
Application number: PCT/SE2001/001797
Authority: WO
Inventors: Conny Jansson; Michael Carlsson; Håkan BERGQVIST
Original assignee: Kapman Ab
Priority date: 2000-08-24
Filing date: 2001-08-23
Publication date: 2002-02-28
Also published as: TW512091B; SE0003003D0; AU2001282784A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an arrangement for tools, comprising a tool part (1) and a handle part (2). The handle part has an end provided with an opening and an elongated internal cavity (10) communicating with said opening and thereby has a first open end (11). The tool part comprises a shank portion (5) that is insertable into said cavity of the handle part, via said opening. The arrangement further comprises fastening members (7, 14) for securing said tool part by means of said shank portion to said handle part which fastening members are provided as integral parts with the handle part and the shank portion, respectively. The invention also relates to a hand tool provided with the arrangement.

Description

Arrangement for tools including a shank with a recess and a flexible handle with a catch .

The present invention relates to an arrangement for tools and a tool pro- vided with such an arrangement.

In particular it relates to an arrangement in accordance with the preamble of claim 1. Preferably the tool is a hand tool.

A large number of tools or utensils for a multitude of different uses have in common that the actual tool part and the handle part are manufactured as sepa- rate units, which are then assembled to form the final product. In most cases this assembly is made permanent, e.g. by means of gluing or some permanent mechanical locking means. The former involves handling of possibly toxic agents and the latter usually involves manufacturing and handling a number of different, separate parts. Another traditional manufacturing method is direct moulding of the handle onto the tool. These methods have in common that they are relatively labour intensive and costly, they have the disadvantage of introducing opportunities for errors and faults which can compromise manufacturing safety, and they can create environmental concerns, in particular with regard to gluing and moulding. In addition, they do not offer very much flexibility in the production process. The as- sembly of the tools is rather time-consuming and cannot be made with short notice, which has the result that the manufacturer and/or the retailer is forced to keep a fairly big stock of already assembled tools, of different types.

It has also been determined that in some applications it is an advantage if the tool part and the handle part are not permanently assembled. For example, it may be desirable to be able to replace the tool part when it has been worn out or exchange it for a different tool in multipurpose tools. It may also be desirable to exchange the handle part, e.g. when it has been worn out or when it needs to be adapted to the requirements of a different user.

Examples of tools with removable and exchangeable tool parts (or handle parts) are previously known from the following patent publications: US 5,664,274, DE-A-28 30 945, FR-A-2 649 350 and EP-A-0 901 886. They all disclose tool parts provided with a socket, or even a separate mounting part, which is inserted into a corresponding cavity provided in the handle part, or vice versa. They mostly have a spring-actuated knob or button by means of which the tool is attached with a snap-action and which is pressed down in order to release the tool part from the handle part. One of the most serious problems with these solutions is that there is always a certain play or slack in the connection joint and therefore these tools cannot be used as precision tools or for work where they have to sustain a heavy load. Another important disadvantage is that all these suggested solutions require that a number of loose parts or components have to be added when the tool parts and the handle parts are assembled.

The main purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems. This is achieved by means of an arrangement having the new features as defined in the characterizing portion of claim 1 and by means of a hand tool as defined in the characterizing portion of claim 12.

Accordingly, an arrangement for tools is proposed in which the handle part has an end provided with an opening and an elongated internal cavity communicating with said opening and thereby having a first open end, and in which the tool part comprises a tool portion combined with a shank portion, said shank portion comprising a first end connected to said tool portion and a second, opposite free end insertable into said cavity of the handle part, via said opening, said arrangement further comprising fastening members for securing said tool part by means of said shank portion to said handle part, characterized in that the fastening mem- bers are provided as integral parts of the handle part and the shank portion, respectively.

Through this inventive arrangement the important advantage is obtained that a tool can be provided which, in principle, only comprises of two separate parts, i.e. the handle part and the tool part. By the omission of the many separate components used in the previously known tools, the assembly time and costs are reduced. Since a number of different tools can be provided with the shanks according to the present invention, it will be possible to use several types of handles for one and the same tool, as well as vice versa. Thereby, it will be possible to store different tool parts and handle parts separately and only assemble them upon the receipt of an order, at very short notice. Then only the exact type of tool that is ordered is assembled. This will results in a very high flexibility in the production process, reduce the need for keeping a variety of finished products in stock and thereby lead to economic savings. As compared to tools assembled by gluing, the present invention offers the advantage that no epoxy or other glue is needed, there is no cost involved for handling equipment for gluing and no cost for waste disposal. There are no health hazards and no cost for special health controls in that respect. It also eliminates the need to plan for and undertake these steps well ahead of the sale, which is also valid when comparison is made with the known process of direct moulding of the handle onto the tool.

In a preferred first embodiment, the fastening members include two mutually co-operating locking members, at least one first locking member provided on the shank portion and at least one second locking member provided on the handle part, which are designed to enter into engagement with each other and by means of which said shank portion can be secured to said handle part. The locking members may be designed as at least one female element and at least one male element. Preferably, the first locking member is located in the vicinity of the free end of the shank portion.

According to another aspect of the invention, the internal cavity of the handle part has a second open end and the second locking member is located in the vicinity of and essentially outside said second open end, such that it is visible from outside the handle part and that the engagement between the two locking members is also visible. This is an important advantage, since the manufacturer, and also the user for instance, can easily verify that the tool part and the handle part are securely locked together and the tool is ready to use.

Advantageously, the first locking member is designed as a recess made in the shank portion and the second locking member is designed as a corresponding protrusion made on the handle part for locking cooperation with said recess in the shank portion.

According to another advantageous feature, a portion of the handle part, which portion forms a part of the wall of the internal cavity, close to its second open end, is designed as a resilient tongue which serves to press down that part of the shank portion which is provided with the first locking member for locking engagement with the second locking member. This further improves the reliability of the tool and contributes to the tool part and the handle part being positively secured to one another. According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a release means is provided for releasing said tool part from the handle part, which release means is integral with the handle part. The advantage achieved by the release means is that either the handle part or the tool part may be exchanged or re- placed. This may be an advantage if either of the parts becomes defective.

The release means may be provided by means of at least a portion of the handle part being made resilient. This can be achieved by said portion of the handle part being made of a resilient material, such as a plastic material. It can also be achieved by the release means comprising at least one transversal notch made in the handle part and functioning as a spring element.

The present invention will now be described in further detail, with reference being made to the accompanying schematic drawings illustrating embodiments thereof, by means of example only, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly in cross section, of a first hand tool provided with a first embodiment of an arrangement according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a handle part of the hand tool illustrated in

Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a partial, enlarged side view, in perspective, of the cooperating locking members;

Fig. 4 is a plan view, partly in cross section, of a second hand tool provided with a second embodiment of an arrangement according to the present invention; and Figs. 5a and 5b show a side view and a plan view, respectively, of a tool part of the hand tool illustrated in Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a handle part of the hand tool illustrated in

Fig. 4. Reference is now being made mainly to figures 1 and 4. Elements, which are the same or have a corresponding function, have been assigned the same reference numeral. In figures 1 and 4 is illustrated a hand tool, such as a pair of pliers, provided with an arrangement according to the present invention. The illustrated tool is a two-shank tool. It has a tool part comprising the actual tool member 4 at one end thereof and two shank portions 5 extending in a direction essentially opposite the tool member. Only one shank portion is shown in the figure. At the other, free end of each shank portion, i.e. that end which is not connected to the tool member, a fastening member or locking member in the shape of at least one recess or slot is provided, according to the invention. In the first embodiment illustrated in figure 1, the locking member comprises two recesses or slots 7, as is also apparent from figure 3. Figures 4, 5a and 5b illustrate a second embodiment comprising only one recess 27.

In the represented embodiments, each one of the shank portions 5 are provided with a separate handle part or sleeve 2. The handle parts are preferably made of some kind of at least slightly resilient material, such as plastic, for exam- pie injection moulded plastic. Each handle part 2 is designed with an internal, longitudinal cavity 10. This cavity has one open end 11 located at that end of the handle part which is facing the tool member, and a second open end 12 inside the handle part, facing downwards, and directed towards the other handle part. In the vicinity of the second open end 12, a second locking member in the shape of at least one protrusion or hook is provided on the inside of the handle part. In the embodiment illustrated in figure 1 , the locking member comprises two protrusions or hooks 14, as is also apparent from figures 2 and 3. The second embodiment, illustrated in figures 4, 5a and 5b, comprises only one protrusion 14. These protrusions preferably have a shape essentially corresponding to the recesses 7, and are intended to co-operate with said recesses in locking engagement. They are preferably moulded into the handle part. Consequently, the shank portion 5 is in- sertable in the cavity 10 of the handle part via said first open end 11 of the cavity, and the insertable length of the shank portion is such that its free end, with the recesses 7, extends through the second open end 12 of the cavity, and the re- cesses 7 may be forced over the protrusions 14, and enter into locking engagement with said protrusions with a snap action. In the view illustrated in figures 1 and 4, the recesses 7 are located behind the protrusions 14, at a right angle relative to the plane of the paper.

As is apparent from figure 3, it may be advantageous to design the first of the protrusions 14, seen in the direction of insertion of the shank 5 into the cavity 10, with a sloping side surface 19 facing the shank during insertion. This is done in order to facilitate for the free end of the shank and its first recess 7 to slide over the first protrusion without risk of damaging the protrusions. The shank will continue to slide over the second protrusion, even though the second protrusion has a corresponding surface that is not sloping, and will settle over the handle part with the recesses 7 in locking engagement with the protrusions 14. This locking engagement is enhanced by those lateral sides of the recesses 7 and the protrusions 14 which are facing away from the direction of insertion being essentially at right angles to the plane of insertion. This will result in a locking engagement that is free of any axial play between the shank portion 5 and the handle part 2. Naturally, a corresponding design may be used for an embodiment having only on recess and one protrusion, as well as any embodiments having more than two recesses and protrusions. When the shank portion 5 is inserted in the handle part and the recess/recesses 7 is/are forced to pass over the protrusion/protrusions 14, this occurs against the action of a resilient tongue element 16. This tongue forms a part of the wall of the internal cavity 10, and it is resilient enough to allow the shank portion 5 to pass the tongue and continue beyond the open end of the cavity. The tongue also exerts a clamping force on the shank portion inside the cavity, thus contributing to preventing that the locking engagement between the recess and the protrusion is inadvertently released. The resilient effect of the tongue is achieved by means of the choice of a material, which allows for some resiliency. The tongue element 16 is only connected to the handle part at one of its transver- sal ends. The longitudinal sides of the tongue are free.

The first embodiment of the present invention illustrated in figures 1 -3, is primarily adapted for at handle part that is intended to be mounted on the shank permanently. This means that, even if the material in the tongue and at least also that portion of the handle part that is in the vicinity of the protrusions must be resil- ient to some extent, it should only be resilient enough to enable assembly of the handle part and the shank portion. It should not allow that the parts are disassembled.

However, in the second embodiment illustrated in figures 4 and 5, the further feature is added that the handle part and the shank should also be releasable from each other, i.e. it should be possible to disassemble with ease.

In order to achieve this, and to be able to release the tool part from the handle part, release means are provided. According to the illustrated second embodiment, the release means are integral with the handle part, and are constituted of at least a portion 3 of the handle part being made resilient, preferably at least that half of the handle, which includes the free end. The resiliency or spring property of the free end of the handle part is preferably achieved by means of several transversal notches 18 being made on that side of the handle part which faces inwards, directed to the opposite handle part, in combination with a choice of a ma- terial having resilient properties. The notches 18 are preferably located approximately at the longitudinal centre of the handle part 2, and the second open end 12 of the cavity 10, the protrusion 14 and the recess 7 are then advantageously located approximately halfway between the notches 18 and the extreme free end of the handle part 2. This means that the shank portion of the tool part is made much longer than the traditional sockets of the previously known tools. Its length is about three-quarters of the length of the handle, which has a beneficial influence on the stability and reliability of the connection between the tool part and the handle part.

It should be noted that all of the described elements are integral with either the tool part or the handle part. The arrangement works as follows: The handle part 2 can be attached by inserting the free end of the shank portion 5 into the opening 11 at the first open end of the handle part, through the internal cavity 10 and out through the second opening 12 in the handle portion. When the free end of the shank portion is pushed further down through the cavity, the handle part will be slightly bent out- wards, due to a certain resiliency in the material. The free end of the shank with its recess will then be pressed over the protrusion and will enter into locking engagement therewith through a snap action. When the tool is in use the clamping force from the tongue of the handle part and the hand of the user keeps the protrusion in position within the recess and there should be no risk of the handle part becoming loose.

In the variant comprising release means, the free end of the handle part has such a degree of resiliency, due to the release means, that it may be bent further outwards, and by doing so the protrusion will be released from engagement with the recess in the shank portion. The handle part can then be pulled in the ax- ial direction and removed from the shank portion.

The present invention shall not be limited to the illustrated embodiments, but may be varied and modified in numerous ways by the person skilled in the art, within the scope of the inventive concept as defined in the appended patent claims. In particular, it shall not be limited to a two-shank tool, but may be applied on any tool of any kind, having one or two shanks. Examples of such tools are pliers, scissors, cutters, shears, wrenches, gardening tools, tools for agricultural and animal farming purposes, medical and hygiene tools such as toothbrushes, kitchen and general household implements, etc. To continue, the shape of the mutually co-operating locking members may be modified, the number of protrusions, recesses and notches may vary etc. It may also be feasible to provide the recesses in the handle part and the protrusions on the shank portion.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. An arrangement for tools, comprising a tool part (1 ) and at least one handle part (2), said handle part having an end provided with an opening and an elon- gated internal cavity (10) communicating with said opening and thereby having a first open end (11), said tool part comprising a tool portion (4) combined with a shank portion (5), said shank portion comprising a first end connected to said tool portion and a second, opposite free end insertable into said cavity of the handle part, via said opening, said arrangement comprising fastening members (7,14) for securing said tool part by means of said shank portion to said handle part, characterized in that the fastening members (7,14) are provided as integral parts of the handle part (2) and the shank portion (5), respectively.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the fastening members (7,14) comprise at least one female element and at least one male element.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the fastening members include at least two mutually co-operating locking members (7,14), at least one first locking member (7) provided on the shank portion (5) and at least one second locking member (14) provided on the handle part (2), which are designed to enter into engagement with each other and by means of which said shank portion can be secured to said handle part.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that the first locking member (7) provided on the shank portion (5) is located in the vicinity of the free end of the shank portion.

5. An arrangement according to any one of claims 3-4, characterized in that the internal cavity (10) of the handle part (2) has a second open end (12), that the second locking member (14) of the handle part (2) is located in the vicinity of and essentially outside said second open end, such that it is visible from outside the handle part and that the engagement between the first locking member and the second locking member is also visible.

6. An arrangement according to any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that said first locking member is designed as a recess (7) made in the shank portion and said second locking member is designed as a corresponding protrusion (14) made on the handle part for locking co-operation with said recess in the shank part.

7. An arrangement according to claim 6, characterized in that a portion of the handle part (2), which portion forms a part of the wall of the internal cavity (10), close to its second open end (12), is designed as a resilient tongue (16) which serves to press down that part of the shank portion which is provided with said first locking member (7) for locking engagement with said second locking member (14).

8. An arrangement according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that it comprises release means (3,18) for releasing said tool part from the handle part, which release means are integral with the handle part.

9. An arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in said release means being provided by means of at least a portion (3) of the handle part (2) being made resilient.

10. An arrangement according to claim 9, characterized in that said portion (3) of the handle part (2) is made of a resilient material.

11. An arrangement according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the release means comprise at least one transversal notch (18) made in the handle part and functioning as a spring element.

12. A hand tool comprising at least one shank, characterized in that said shank is provided with an arrangement according to any one of claims 1-11.