Abstract:
The present invention is concerned with an auxiliary handle assembly having a rotatable handgrip for hand tools having a longitudinal shaft such as rakes, forks, hooks, cultivators, hoes, shovels, scoops, spoons, scrapers, edgers, brooms and floor squeegees. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary handle assembly is an inverted U-shaped rod having two legs and a handle portion, whereupon the lower ends of the legs are pivotally attached to the tool head of the hand tool. Alternatively, the handle assembly may comprise a single leg that is pivotally attached to the tool head. In the preferred embodiment, each leg of the handle assembly is capable of adjusting in length. When the hand tool is to be put away for storage, or when it is more convenient to use the tool in a conventional manner, a handle clip temporarily secures the handgrip of the handle assembly to the shaft of the hand tool.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/660,874 awarded a filing date of 12 Sep. 2003 as filed on behalf of the applicant hereof, which claimed the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 of Canadian Application N   o .  2,435,638 filed by the applicant on 21 Jul. 2003. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to the field of auxiliary handle assemblies for use with hand tools. More specifically, the present invention relates to auxiliary handle assemblies having rotatable handgrips for use with shovels, rakes, brooms and the like.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     The concept of auxiliary handles for hand tools is not new. For example, many instances of two-handled shovels exist in the prior art. Some examples include accessory handles that attach to the shaft of a conventional shovel whereas other examples may comprise a second handle or shaft or a flexible cord attached to the juncture of the shovel blade and the shaft allowing the shovel to be used with both hands. The second handle provides the ability to apply extra leverage and force to the shovel in lifting and/or moving the load carried by the shovel. The second handle also permits a person to lift or move a heavier load without having to stoop or bend over and grasp the shovel handle near the blade. In moving snow, for example, the snow may be laden with moisture and be very heavy to move. Moving snow under these conditions can be very strenuous and hard on a person&#39;s arms and back.  
         [0004]     As two-handled shovels are supported by both hands, each handle of the shovel moves along separate paths or arcs as determined by the length of a person&#39;s arms. If each handle is gripped tightly in order to move a heavy load with the shovel blade, each hand must turn, at the wrist, in the direction the shovel is being moved. One hand will turn inward at the wrist whereas the other will turn outward at the wrist. This may cause pain and discomfort if the shovel is being used to move heavy or multiple loads.  
         [0005]     It is, therefore, desirable to have an auxiliary handle assembly for use with garden implements where the hand gripping the auxiliary handle assembly does not need to bend or turn at the wrists when lifting or moving a load with the garden implement.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0006]     The present invention is concerned with an auxiliary handle assembly for hand tools such as garden implements, brooms and the like, the assembly having a rotatable handgrip. The type of hand tool expected to use the present invention will include, but is not limited to, the class of hand tools known as rakes, forks, hooks, cultivators, hoes, shovels, scoops, spoons, scrapers, edgers, rotary edgers, brooms and floor squeegees. In all cases, the hand tool comprises a longitudinal shaft having upper and lower ends whereby the lower end of the shaft is operatively attached to the tool head of the hand tool.  
         [0007]     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary handle assembly is an inverted U-shaped rod having two legs and a handle portion for attaching to the tool head of the garden implement. The assembly further comprises a pivot bracket for attaching to the tool head of the garden implement. Depending on the type of implement being used, the pivot bracket may be a single bracket having left and right tabs defining a pivot axis. Alternatively, the pivot bracket may comprise individual left and right tabs that amount separately to the tool head of the implement while still forming a pivot axis. The lower ends of the legs of the handle assembly are pivotally attached to the pivot tabs mounted on the tool head of the garden implement thereby allowing the handle assembly to be capable of pivoting forwards and backwards about the pivot axis. The handle portion further comprises a tubular handgrip surrounding said handle portion whereby the handgrip is capable of rotating about the handle portion.  
         [0008]     In another embodiment of the present invention, each leg of the handle assembly is capable of adjusting in length. Each leg is comprised of an upper and lower leg member. The upper leg members and the handle portion are formed from a single piece of solid rod. A rotatable handgrip, such as a piece of thick-walled tube or sleeve, is slipped over the rod to the handle portion before the rod is bent into a U-shaped piece. At the lower end of each upper leg member is a long nut welded to the rod wherein the axis of the nut aperture is parallel to the axis of the rod. Each lower leg is a piece of threaded rod that threads into the long nut. The overall length of each leg is then determined by the amount each lower leg is threaded into the long nut. The lower end of each lower leg is bent into an L-shape and placed through an aperture in a pivot tab. A nut is then threaded on to the end of each lower leg to retain the lower leg to the pivot tab and permits the auxiliary handle assembly to pivot about the pivot axis.  
         [0009]     In another embodiment of the present invention, both the upper and lower leg members are made from threaded rod. The upper leg member and handle portion would be made from rod having right-handed threads whereas the lower legs would be made from rod having left-handed threads. The converse could be true as well. To connect the upper legs to the lower legs, a sleeve having internal right-handed threads at one end and internal left-handed threads at the other end are used to couple the upper and lower legs together on each side of the second handle assembly by threading the upper and lower legs into the sleeve. Similar to a turnbuckle, turning the sleeve clockwise or counterclockwise will either shorten or lengthen the overall length of each leg of the second handle assembly.  
         [0010]     In another embodiment, both the upper and lower legs are made from threaded rod having right-handed threads. Two long nuts are welded together to form a coupling nut that fastens the upper and lower legs together. The upper leg threads into one of the long nuts of the coupling nut from one end whereas the lower legs threads into the other long nut from the opposite end.  
         [0011]     In yet another embodiment, the upper and lower legs are slidably connected to one another in a telescoping fashion. The legs comprise a plurality of pinholes placed in a spaced-apart fashion along the longitudinal length of the legs. Telescoping the upper and lower legs to one another until a pinhole on both legs line up sets the overall length of the leg portion. A pin is placed through the pinholes of both legs to secure the length. A hitch pin clip is used to keep the pin in place.  
         [0012]     An alternate embodiment of the present invention may comprise the auxiliary handle assembly having a single leg portion. Preferably, the upper leg is an inverted L-shaped leg with a handle portion having a rotatable handgrip. The lower leg attaches to the tool head at a pivot point. The lower leg is connected at the pivot point using a universal joint assembly that allows the auxiliary handle assembly to pivot in all directions about the pivot point. Alternatively, the lower leg is connected at the pivot point using a ball joint assembly that also allows the auxiliary handle assembly to pivot in all directions about the pivot point. In either case, the auxiliary handle assembly operates and functions similar to the two-legged version of the present invention described above.  
         [0013]     When the hand tool is to be put away for storage, or when the hand tool is to be used in a conventional manner without resorting to the auxiliary handle assembly, a handle clip is used to temporarily secure the handgrip of the auxiliary handle assembly to the shaft of the hand tool. The handle clip comprises back-to-back horseshoe-shaped clips that are fastened to one another such that the opening of one clip is orthogonal to the other. The handle clip is simply snapped onto the handgrip of the auxiliary handle assembly and is then snapped onto the shaft of the hand tool as the assembly is pivoted toward the shaft.  
         [0014]     Broadly stated, one aspect of the present invention is an auxiliary handle assembly for a hand tool having a longitudinal shaft with upper and lower ends, the lower end operatively attached to a tool head, the assembly comprising: left and right pivot tabs operatively connected to said tool head, said pivot tabs defining a pivot axis; an upper assembly comprising of left and right leg portions each having upper and lower ends, and a handle portion extending between said upper ends of said leg portions, said handle portion defining a handle axis, said lower ends of said leg portions adapted to pivotally attach to said pivot tabs whereby said upper assembly is capable of pivoting about said pivot axis; and a hand grip pivotally attached to said handle portion, said hand grip capable of rotating about said handle axis.  
         [0015]     Broadly stated, another aspect of the present invention is a handle clip for removably attaching a handgrip of an auxiliary handle assembly to a shaft of a hand tool, said auxiliary handle assembly pivotally attached to a tool head of said hand tool, said handle clip comprising: a first clip having a first opening suitable for removably attaching to said shaft and a first back opposing said first opening; and a second clip having a second opening suitable for removably attaching to said handgrip and a second back opposing said second opening, said second clip attached to said first clip whereby said first back is abutting said second back and whereby said first and second clips are substantially orthogonal to one another.  
         [0016]     Broadly stately, another aspect of the present invention is an auxiliary handle assembly for a hand tool having a longitudinal shaft with upper and lower ends, the lower end operatively attached to a tool head, the assembly comprising: a pivot tab operatively connected to said tool head, said pivot tab defining a pivot point; an upper assembly comprising of a leg portion having upper and lower ends, and a handle portion extending from the upper end of said leg portion, said handle portion defining a handle axis, said lower end of said leg portion adapted to pivotally attach to said pivot tab whereby said upper assembly is capable of pivoting about said pivot point; and a hand grip pivotally attached to said handle portion, said hand grip capable of rotating about said handle axis. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1A  is perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention as mounted on a snow shovel.  
         [0018]      FIG. 1B  is a perspective of an alternate embodiment of the present invention as mounted on a snow shovel.  
         [0019]      FIG. 1C  is a close-up exploded view of one embodiment of the pivot attachment mechanism of the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 1D  is a close-up view of the leg length adjustment mechanism of the alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the present invention as mounted on a snow shovel.  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the present invention as mounted on a snow shovel.  
         [0023]      FIG. 4A  is close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a snow shovel blade.  
         [0024]      FIG. 4B  is close-up exploded view of an alternate pivot attachment mechanism of the present invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 5A  is close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a scoop shovel in the first alternate embodiment.  
         [0026]      FIG. 5B  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a scoop shovel in the second alternate embodiment.  
         [0027]      FIG. 5C  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a scoop shovel in the third alternate embodiment.  
         [0028]      FIG. 6A  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a fork in one embodiment.  
         [0029]      FIG. 6B  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a fork in an alternate embodiment.  
         [0030]      FIG. 7A  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a rake in the first alternate embodiment.  
         [0031]      FIG. 7B  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a rake in the second alternate embodiment.  
         [0032]      FIG. 7C  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a rake in the third alternate embodiment.  
         [0033]      FIG. 7D  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a rake in the fourth alternate embodiment.  
         [0034]      FIG. 8A  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a hook in one embodiment.  
         [0035]      FIG. 8B  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a hook in an alternate embodiment.  
         [0036]      FIG. 9  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a scraper.  
         [0037]      FIG. 10  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on an edger.  
         [0038]      FIG. 11  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a rotary edger.  
         [0039]      FIG. 12A  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a hoe in one embodiment.  
         [0040]      FIG. 12B  is a close-up exploded view of the present invention as mounted on a hoe in an alternate embodiment.  
         [0041]      FIG. 13  is a close-up view of the leg length adjustment mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0042]      FIG. 14  is a cutaway view of the handgrip of the present invention.  
         [0043]      FIG. 15  is an exploded perspective view of a second alternate embodiment of the present invention as mounted on a snow shovel.  
         [0044]      FIG. 16  is a close-up view of the leg length adjustment mechanism of the second alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0045]      FIG. 17  is an exploded perspective view of a third alternate embodiment of the present invention as mounted on a snow shovel.  
         [0046]      FIG. 18  is a close-up view of the leg length adjustment mechanism of the third alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0047]      FIG. 19  is a close-up view of the present invention as mounted on a broom.  
         [0048]      FIG. 20  is a close-up view of the present invention as mounted on a floor squeegee.  
         [0049]      FIG. 21  is an exploded perspective view of a fourth alternate embodiment of the present invention as mounted on a snow shovel.  
         [0050]      FIG. 22  is an exploded perspective view of a fifth alternate embodiment of the present invention as mounted on a snow shovel.  
         [0051]      FIG. 23  is an exploded perspective view of a sixth alternate embodiment of the present invention as mounted on a snow shovel.  
         [0052]      FIG. 24  is a close-up view of the handle clip of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0053]     The present invention is concerned with an auxiliary handle assembly having a rotatable handgrip for use with a hand tool. As shown in  FIGS. 1A and 2 , handle assembly  10  of the present invention is illustrated as attached to snow shovel  19 . Shovel  19  comprises a blade  12  having a concave front surface  13  and a convex rear surface  15 . On rear surface  15  is shaft insert sleeve  14 , which receives the lower end of shaft  16 . Handle  18  is mounted on the upper end of shaft  16 . Handle  18  is preferably a D-shaped handle and has rotatable handgrip  20 . Mounted on blade  12  is U-shaped pivot bracket  32 . Attached to pivot bracket  32  is handle assembly  10 . Handle assembly  10  comprises of upper leg members  22 A and B, lower leg members  24 A and B and handgrip  30 .  
         [0054]     Referring to  FIGS. 1B and 1C , an alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, lower leg members  24  are splayed apart to nearly the width of blade  12 . Lower legs  24  comprise yokes  106  which are used to pivotally connect to bracket  32 . Pin  110  passes through holes  108  of yoke  106  and holes  34  of bracket  32 . Pin clip  112  secures pin  110  into position.  
         [0055]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 A, bracket  32  is bolted to blade  12  by bolts  38 A and B passing through apertures  42 A and B of backing plate  36 , through corresponding apertures in blade  12 , through apertures  44 A and B of pivot bracket  32  and secured by nuts  40 A and B. Lower legs  24 A and B are made of threaded rod whose lower ends are bent 90 degrees into ends  25 A and B. Preferably, lower legs  24 A and B are made of threaded rod and upper legs- 22  A and B are made of solid rod. The diameter of the threaded and solid rods may range from ¼″ to ⅜″ depending on the application and the strength required for handle assembly  10 . Ends  25 A and B pass through apertures  34 A and B of bracket  32  and are secured with nuts  28 A and B. Preferably, nuts  28 A and B are aircraft-style or self locking nuts. Referring to  FIG. 4B , an alternate embodiment of attaching handle assembly  10  to a hand tool is shown. In this embodiment, bracket  32  comprises pins  33 A and B in place of apertures  34 A and B. Correspondingly, lower legs  24 A comprise tabs  27 A and B having apertures  35 A and B in place of bends  25  and B. Once bracket  32  is attached to a hand tool, handle assembly  10  is pivotally attached to said hand tool by passing pins  33 A and B through apertures  35 A and B of tabs  27 A and B that are then secured by either cotter pins  37 A and B or nuts  39 A and B. In the examples to follow, it is anticipated that handle assembly  10  may be, alternatively, pivotally attached to the hand tools described using the embodiment described in this paragraph.  
         [0056]     Referring to  FIGS. 5A, 5B , and  5 C, alternate embodiments of attaching handle assembly  10  to shovel  46  are illustrated. In  FIG. 5A , bracket  32  is replaced with ears  51  which form part of scoop  47 . Apertures  52  in ears  51  define pivot axis  11  and received bends  25 A and B of lower legs  24 A and B. In  FIG. 5B , bracket  32  is replaced with tabs  54  which are, preferably, L-shaped and are attached to scoop  47  with bolts  56  and nuts  58  or with rivets (not shown). Alternatively, tabs  54  may be welded or spot-welded to scoop  47 .  
         [0057]     In  FIG. 5C , shovel  46  is shown with ears  51  positioned near the leading edge of scoop  47 . By positioning ears  51  in this fashion, the efficiency and effectiveness of handle assembly  10  is improved when shoveling materials such as grain. Preferably, ears  51  would be placed approximately 3″ from the leading edge of scoop  47 .  
         [0058]     Referring to  FIGS. 6A and 6B , alternate embodiments of attaching handle assembly  10  to fork  60  are illustrated. In  FIG. 6A , fork  60  comprises ears  51  which are formed part of tines  61 . Ears  51  comprise apertures  52  to define pivot axis  11  and to receive bends  25 A and B of lower legs  24 A and B. In  FIG. 6B , bracket  32  is replaced with tabs  54  which are fastened to tines  61  with U-bolts  62 , clamp  64  and nuts  66 .  
         [0059]     Referring to  FIGS. 7A, 7B ,  7 C and  7 D, embodiments of the present invention for use with rake  68  are shown. In  FIG. 7A , bracket  32  is attached to rate  68  using fasteners as known to those skilled in the art (not shown). If rake  68  is made of metal, brackets  32  may be welded to rake head  67 . Similar to the aforementioned embodiments, handle assembly  10  is then pivotally attached to bracket  32 .  
         [0060]     Referring to  FIG. 7B , the second embodiment of rake  68  is shown with ears  51  formed as part of rake head  67 . If rake head  67  is molded from plastic, then ears  51  may be formed as part of the molded piece. If rake head  67  is made of metal, then ears  51  may be formed by punching rake head  67  and bending ears  51  up using metal stamping techniques as well known by those skilled in the art.  
         [0061]     Referring to  FIG. 7C , a third embodiment of rake  68  is shown with ears  58  being formed as part of rake head  69 . Alternatively, tabs  54  may be mounted to rake head  69  using U-bolts  62 , clamp  64  and nuts  66  as shown in  FIG. 7D .  
         [0062]     Referring to  FIGS. 8A and 8B , alternate embodiments of attaching handle assembly  10  to hook  70  is shown. Similar to that of fork  60 ,  FIG. 8A  shows ears  51  forming part of tines  71  for defining pivot axis  11  and for receiving bends  25 A and B of lower legs  24 A and B. In  FIG. 8B , bracket  32  is replaced with tabs  54  which are mounted to tines  71  using U-bolts  62 , clamp  64  and nuts  60 .  
         [0063]     Referring to  FIG. 9 , an embodiment to the present invention for use with scraper  72  is shown. In this embodiment, blade  73  of scraper  72  comprises of ears  51  having apertures  52  to form pivot axis  11  and to receive bends  25 A and B of lower legs  24 A and B. Although not shown, scraper  72  may, alternatively, have tabs  52  fastened to blade  73  similar to that of shovel  46  as shown in  FIG. 6B .  
         [0064]     Referring to  FIG. 10 , an embodiment of the present invention for use with edger  74  is shown. In this embodiment, blade  75  of edger  74  comprises ears  51  having apertures  52  to form pivot axis  11  and to receive bends  25 A and B of lower legs  24 A and B. Although not shown, edger  74  may, alternatively, have tabs  52  fastened to blade  75  similar to that of shovel  46  as shown in  FIG. 6B .  
         [0065]     Referring to  FIG. 11 , an embodiment of the present invention for use with rotary edger  76  is shown. In this embodiment, bracket  32  is mounted to shaft  78  of rotary edger  76  using U-bolt  80  that passes around shaft  78  and through apertures  44  and B of bracket  32  to be secured by nuts  82 .  
         [0066]     Referring to  FIGS. 12A and 12B , alternate embodiments of attaching handle assembly  10  to hoe  84  is shown. In  FIG. 12A , blade  86  is formed with ears  51  having apertures  52  to form pivot axis  11  and to receive bends  25 A and B of lower legs  24 A and B. In  FIG. 12B , tabs  88  which may be formed from flat strips of metal such that the opposing ends are turned approximately 90° with respect to each other, are fastened to blade  86  using fasteners or by being welded or spot welded in place. Tabs  88  have apertures  90  to pivot axis  11  and to receive bends  25 A and B of lower legs  24 A and B.  
         [0067]     The preferred embodiment of the present invention permits the overall length of handle assembly  10  to be adjusted. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the lower end of upper leg  22  has long nut  26  attached to it, preferably welded. The axis of nut  26  is parallel to the axis of upper leg  22 . Lower leg  24  is threaded into nut  26 . The overall length of handle assembly  10  is governed by the amount of lower leg  24  is threaded into nut  26 .  
         [0068]     As shown in  FIG. 14 , one preferred embodiment of handle assembly  10  has the handle portion and both upper legs  22 A and B formed from a single piece of rod  31 . Grip  30  is a cylindrical tube made up of material suitable for gripping. Grip  30  is slid onto rod  31  prior to rod  31  being bent with 90° corners  23 A and B thereby containing grip  30  onto handle assembly  10 . Grip  30  is free to rotate on rod  31 .  
         [0069]     In an alternate preferred embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , upper legs  22 A and B are formed from a piece of right-hand threaded rod, and lower legs  24 A and B are formed from left-hand threaded rod, both upper and lower legs are preferably made from ¼″ to ⅜″ diameter threaded rod. Alternatively, upper legs  22 A and B can have left-hand threads and lower legs  24 A and B can have right-hand threads. Sleeves  48 A and B are then used to couple the upper and lower legs together. Sleeves  48 A and B have internal right-hand threads at one end and internal left-hand threads at the other end. Upper legs  22 A and B and lower legs  24 A and B are then threaded into the appropriate end of sleeves  48 A and B. Operating similar to that of a turnbuckle, the length of the legs of handle assembly  10  is adjusted by turning sleeves  48 A and B clockwise or counter-clockwise.  
         [0070]     In another preferred embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18 , upper legs  22 A and B and lower legs  24 A and B are made from threaded rod having right handed threads, preferably ¼″ to ⅜″ in diameter. Coupling nuts  50 A and B are used to join the upper and lower leg members together and to permit adjustment of the overall length of the handle assembly  10 . Coupling nut  50  consists of two long nuts  26  welded together side by side. Upper leg  22  threads into one nut of coupler nut  50  from one end while lower leg  24  threads into the other nut of coupler nut  50  from the opposite end. The overall length of each leg of handle assembly  10  is determined by the amount upper leg  22  and lower leg  24  are threaded into coupler nut  50  prior to attaching end  25  to aperture  34  of bracket  32 .  
         [0071]     Referring to  FIG. 1D , another embodiment of the leg length adjustment mechanism is shown. Upper and lower legs  22  and  24  are slidably connected to one another to operate in a telescoping fashion. In this embodiment, each of upper and lower legs  22  and  24  have spaced-apart holes  114  placed along their longitudinal length. The overall length of handle assembly  10  is adjusted by telescoping upper and lower legs  22  and  24  to a desired position where holes  114  line up and then placing pin  116  through holes  114  thereby fixing the leg length. Pin clip  118  secures  116  to keep it from falling out.  
         [0072]     Referring to  FIG. 19 , an embodiment of the present invention for use with broom  92  is shown. In this embodiment, bracket  32  is fastened to the top of broom head  93  using conventional fasteners such as screws, bolts or nails (not shown). Alternatively, bracket  32  is attached to broom  92  by passing U-bolt  80  around the shaft of broom  92  and through apertures  44 A and B of bracket  32  to be secured by nuts  82 . Handle assembly  10  can than be attached to bracket  32  in the manner previously described herein.  
         [0073]     Referring to  FIG. 20 , an embodiment of the present invention for use with floor squeegee  94  is shown. In this embodiment, bracket  32  is attached to squeegee  94  by passing U-bolt  80  around the shaft of squeegee  94  and through apertures  44 A and B of bracket  32  to be secured by nuts  82 . Handle assembly  10  can than be attached to bracket  32  in the manner previously described herein.  
         [0074]     The preferred embodiment of handle assembly  10  comprises two substantially parallel leg members although an alternate embodiment of handle assembly  10  may comprise a single inverted L-shaped leg member. Illustrated in  FIGS. 21, 22  and  23  are three embodiments of the present invention comprising a single leg member. It is anticipated that these alternate embodiments are nearly as effective as the preferred embodiments described above.  
         [0075]     In  FIG. 21 , a universal joint attachment mechanism is illustrated. In this embodiment, U-joint  128  is attached to bracket  32  with pin  134  which is secured by pin clip  136 . This allows U-joint  128  to rotate about the longitudinal axis of pin  134 . Lower leg  24  is attached to flange  130  of U-joint  128  by passing pin  124  through holes  122  of yoke  120  and hole  132  of flange  130 . Pin  124  is then secured by pin clip  126 . This allows lower leg  24  to rotate side to side about the longitudinal axis of pin  124 . This arrangement allows handle assembly  10  to pivot in all directions about the point where U-joint  128  is attached to bracket  32 .  
         [0076]     In  FIG. 22 , a ball joint attachment mechanism is illustrated, which provides similar functionality as the embodiment shown in  FIG. 21 . In this embodiment, base block  148  replaces bracket  32 . Ball joint  142  sits in concave hollow  150  of base block  148 . Threaded end  144  of ball joint  142  passes through hole  147  of cover block  146 . A similar concave hollow (not shown) is positioned on the underside of cover block  147  to match the curvature of ball joint  142 . Bolts  38  pass through backing plate  36 , blade  12 , base block  148  and cover block  146  to be secured by nuts  40 . End  138  of lower leg  24  has internal threads  140  that thread onto threaded end  144  of ball joint  142 . Once assembled, this embodiment also allows handle assembly  10  to pivot in all directions about the point where the ball joint assembly is attached to blade  12 .  
         [0077]     In  FIG. 23 , another single leg embodiment of handle assembly  10  is shown. In this embodiment, lower leg  24  is an L-shaped member having pivot rod  152 . Pivot rod  152  passes through apertures  34  of bracket  32  and is secured by rod clip  154 . This arrangement allows handle assembly  10  to pivot about the longitudinal axis of pivot rod  152 . This embodiment provides similar stability and rigidity as the two-legged versions of handle assembly  10  described above.  
         [0078]     Referring to  FIG. 24 , a handle clip for securing handle assembly  10  to a hand tool. Handle clip  96  secures handle assembly  10  to the hand tool when the hand tool is put away for storage or when the hand tool is to used in a conventional manner without handle assembly  10 . Handle clip  96  consists of two pieces, vertical clip  98  and horizontal clip  100 , which are secured at point  102 . Each clip is a horseshow or Omega-shaped piece of spring metal or resilient plastic that is sized to snuggly slip on to shaft  104  or grip  30  yet can be easily slipped off with minimal effort. Vertical clip  98  and horizontal clip  100  are fastened together at point  102  such that one clip is substantially orthogonal to the other. They may be spot welded together or fastened by a rivet. If handle clip  96  is made of plastic, both vertical clip  98  and horizontal clip  100  may be molded as a single unit. In operation, horizontal clip  100  snaps on to grip  30  of handle assembly  10  and is, preferably, 1″ to 1½″ in length. As handle assembly  10  is swung toward shaft  104  of a hand tool, vertical clip  98  snaps on to shaft  104 . Vertical clip  98  is, preferably, 2″ to 2½″ in length. To use auxiliary handle assembly  10 , grip  30  is simply pulled away from handle clip  96  releasing it from horizontal clip  100 . Handle clip  96  may be left on shaft  104  as the hand tool is being used or removed and stored away separately.  
         [0079]     In operation, a person grabs grip  30  of handle assembly  10  and the shaft of the hand tool with their hands. As the hand tool is swung backward or pushed forwards, grip  30  rotates on rods  31 . This permits the person to keep their wrists stationary or in a locked position as handle assembly  10 , in combination with the hand tool, is used to lift or move a load thereby reducing undue stress or strain on the wrists.  
         [0080]     Although a few preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The terms and expressions used in the preceding specification have been used herein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized at the scope of the invention as defined and limited only by the claims that follow.