Abstract:
A collapsible pliers where a jaw assembly is mounted between a pair of handles. The jaw assembly is movable relative to the handles from a retracted position to an extended position which will permit the jaw assembly to move to an open position and the jaw assembly used in a conventional manner by squeezing of the handles to move the jaw assembly from the open position to a gripping position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The field of this invention relates to hand tools and more particularly to a pair of pliers where the jaws of the pair of pliers can be collapsed into the handle assembly and then movable to protrude from the handle assembly during usage of the pliers. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A hand tool in the form of a pair of pliers has long been known. A conventional form of a pair of pliers comprises a pair of handles mounted in a scissors arrangement. One end of the handles is adapted to connect with the user&#39;s hand. The opposite end of the handles includes an operating head. The operating head includes a pair of jaws. Squeezing together of the handles causes the jaws to be moved toward a closed position which will place the jaws in a gripping position. An object that is to be gripped is to be located between the jaws, and when the jaws are moved to the gripping position, the object is gripped. 
     A typical pair of pliers ranges generally from six inches to twelve inches in length. Tradesmen commonly have clothing that is designed to facilitate the carrying of a pair of pliers, such as having a small pocket that facilitates the storing of the pliers when such are carried from one job location to another. However, most non-trade type of people do not wear clothing that is designed to facilitate carrying of pliers. If such a person wishes to carry a pair of pliers, they must be carried in one&#39;s pocket or purse. The carrying of a pair of pliers in one&#39;s pocket or purse inherently constitutes a cumbersome item that takes up a substantial amount of space. 
     The having of a pair of pliers available to an individual can, at times, be a desirable practice. If a pair of pliers could be constructed that when such are not being used that the pliers occupies a small amount of space, such would be a desirable feature as then the pliers could then be readily carried in one&#39;s pocket or purse. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A first embodiment of collapsible pliers which takes the form of a jaw assembly formed of a first pair of jaws which are pivotally mounted together so the jaws can move between an open position and a gripping position and a closed position where the pair of jaws abut each other. The jaw assembly includes track means. A housing that is composed of separate spaced apart handles is connected with the jaw assembly. The handles are both movable on the track means between a first extended position and a retracted position. The first extended position locates the handles in juxtaposition with the first pair of jaws protruding from the handles permitting the first pair of jaws to move to the open position and then to a gripping position by applying of a manual squeezing force to the handles. The retracted position is when the first pair of jaws is located between the handles. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basic embodiment is modified by the jaw assembly including a spring which exerts a continuous bias tending to locate the first pair of jaws in the open position. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basic embodiment is modified by the track means being defined as a groove assembly. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basic embodiment is modified by each handle having a channel with a jaw of the jaw assembly being mounted within each channel. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basic embodiment is modified by the jaw assembly including a second pair of jaws located opposite the first pair of jaws and facing in a direction opposite the first pair of jaws. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where the just previous embodiment is modified by the second pair of jaws being movable to a second extended position which is located opposite the first extended position and located at the opposite end of the housing. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where a second basic embodiment of this invention comprises a handle assembly with a jaw assembly being mounted thereto. The jaw assembly is movable from a retractable position from the handle assembly to an extended position protruding from the handle assembly which will automatically locate the jaw assembly in an open position. Manual squeezing of the handle assembly will cause the jaw assembly to move from the open position to a gripping position. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where the second basic embodiment is modified by the jaw assembly including a spring which continuously biases the jaw assembly toward the open position. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is where the second basic embodiment is modified by the jaw assembly including a first pair of jaws and a second pair of jaws with the second pair of jaws being located opposite the first pair of jaws and facing in a direction opposite the first pair of jaws. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is to be made to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown in the drawings. 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the collapsible pliers of the present invention showing the pliers in the collapsed configuration; 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the collapsible pliers of the present invention showing a first set of jaws protruding that can be moved to a gripping position by squeezing of the handle assembly which forms the housing; 
     FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 indicating how the handle assembly can be moved in order to cause a second pair of jaws to extend for usage; 
     FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the collapsible pliers of the present invention showing the second pair of jaws being extended so as to be capable of being used; 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded isometric view of the collapsible pliers of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring particularly to the drawings, there is shown the collapsible pliers  10  of this invention which is composed generally of a housing  12  and a jaw assembly  14 . The housing  12  is composed of a pair of separate handles  16  and  18 . The handles  16  and  18  are constructed to be identical and each has flared ends  20  and  22 . In transverse cross-section, each handles  16  and  18  is basically U-shaped defining an internal channel  24 . Each of the channels  24  is open ended. Access into the channel  24  can be accomplished at each of the flared ends  20  and  22  or can be through the open side which defines rectangular opening  26  which is located between a first pair of facing rails  28  and  30  and a second pair of facing rails  32  and  34 . The rails  32  and  34  are located directly adjacent the flared ends  22  with the rails  28  and  30  being located directly adjacent the flared end  20 . 
     The jaw assembly  14  is composed of a jaw element  34  and a jaw element  36 . Jaw element  34  has a circular center section  38  from which is integrally connected and extends a jaw  40  and a jaw  42 . The jaw  42  extends basically one-hundred eighty degrees opposite to jaw  40 . The center section  38  includes a center hole  44 . The jaw  40  includes a planar inner surface  46  which includes a series of serrations  48 . In a similar manner, the jaw  42  includes a planar inner surface  50  which also includes a series of serrations  52 . 
     Longitudinally formed on the jaw  40  is upper and lower longitudinal grooves  54  and  56 . The grooves  54  and  56  are located parallel to each other and extend from the outer end of the jaw  40  to the center section  38 . Formed within the center section  38  is a groove  58 . Groove  58  is the same configuration in dimension in transverse cross-section as groove  54  and is in continuous alignment with groove  54 . Groove  58  is also of the same configuration and of the same size in transverse cross-section as groove  56  and is also in continuous alignment with groove  56 . However, it is to be understood that groove  58  could be a slightly different configuration than groove  54  if such was desired. One end of groove  58  connects with groove  54  with the opposite end of groove  58  being open ended. At the outer end of groove  54  there is located a protuberance  62 . A similar protuberance  64  is mounted within the groove  56 . These protuberances  62  and  64  are only slightly raised off the bottom surface of each of their respective grooves  54  and  56 . With the rails  28  and  32  being slidably mounted within the grooves  54  and  58 , the height of each of the rails  28  and  32  is selected so as to ride over the protuberance  62 . The same is true also for the rails  30  and  34  relative to the protuberance  64 . 
     The jaw  42  has a longitudinal groove  66  formed on its upper surface and is open at the outer end of the jaw  42  where there is located a protuberance  68 . On the bottom side of the jaw  42  is a longitudinal groove  70  which has a protuberance  72  formed therein. The groove  70  is parallel to the groove  66 . Groove  66  is in alignment with a groove  74  that is formed within the center section  38 . Groove  70  will also be in alignment with a groove, which is not shown, which is formed within a center section  76 . It is also to be understood that the groove  56  will be in alignment with a groove formed on the undersurface of the center section  76 , which is not shown. It is to be noted that grooves  66  and  54  are located parallel to each other as is also grooves  58  and  74  are parallel. 
     The center section  76  includes an upstanding pin  78 . The pin  78  is pivotally mounted within center hole  44 . Surrounding the pin  78  and formed within the center section  76  is an annular groove  80 . Mounted within the groove  80  is a spring  82 . Spring  82  includes right angled ends  84  and  86 . End  84  is mounted within a hole, which is not shown, formed within the groove  80 . End  86  is mounted within a hole  88  formed within the center section  38 . The spring  82  will exert a continuous bias tending to locate the jaw assembly  14  in an open position, which is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the drawings. 
     Integrally mounted to the center section  76  is a jaw  90  and a jaw  92 . Jaw  92  extends basically one-hundred eighty degrees opposite the jaw  90 . Jaw  90  includes a planar inner face  94  which has formed therein a plurality of serrations  96 . In a similar manner, the jaw  92  has a planar face  98  which has formed therein a plurality of serrations  100 . The upper surface of the jaw  90  has a longitudinal open ended groove  102  which includes at its outer end a protuberance  104 . In a similar manner, the upper surface of the jaw  92  includes a longitudinal open ended groove  106  which has at its outer end a protuberance  108 . On the bottom surface of the jaw  90  is a longitudinal open ended groove  110  which has formed therein at its outer end a protuberance  112 . In a similar manner, there is a longitudinal open ended groove  114  formed in the bottom surface of the jaw  92 . A protuberance  116  is formed within the outer open end of the groove  114 . The bottom surface of the center section  76  will include a pair of grooves (not shown) similar to grooves  58  and  74  and also parallel to each other and parallel to grooves  58  and  74 . One of these grooves aligns with groove  114  and the other with groove  110 . 
     The jaw element  36  is pivotable between the open position, shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, to the closed position, shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 relative to the jaw element  34 . When in the closed position, the grooves  106  and  54  are in alignment as well as grooves  66  and  102 . With the rails  28  and  32  mounted within the grooves  54  and  106  and jaws  40  and  92  mounted within the interior channel  24 , the handle  16  can be slid from the retracted position, shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to an extended position, shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. It is also to be understood that the rails  30  and  34  will be located within the aligned grooves  56  and  114 . 
     The rails  28  and  32  of the handle  18  will be slidably engaged with aligned grooves  102  and  66  with the rails  30  and  34  being engaged with aligned grooves  110  and  70 . The result is the handles  16  and  18  can be manually moved relative to the jaw assembly  14  so as to cause the jaws  40  and  90  to be extended, as shown in FIG. 2, or jaws  42  and  92  extended, as shown in FIG.  4 . It is to be understood that the different pairs of jaws will have different configurations, such as one maybe possibly blunt nosed and another one a needle nose configuration. 
     In order to prevent disengagement of handle  16  relative to either jaw  40  or jaw  92 , there is included within groove  54 ,  58  and  106  a floating member  118 . This floating member  118  will abut against rail  32  when the pliers is in the configuration shown in FIG.  4  and then will slide over and abut against rail  28  when the pliers is in the configuration of FIG.  2 . This floating member  118  will abut against protuberance  62  when in the position of FIG.  4  and will abut against protuberance  108  when in the position of FIG.  2 . Thusly, the floating rail functions as a device to limit the amount of movement of the jaw assembly  14  relative to the housing  12 . 
     It is to be understood that there will be a similar floating member  120  that connects between the alignable grooves  56  and  114 . There is also a similar floating member  122  that rides within the alignable grooves  102 ,  74  and  106 . Additionally, there is a similar floating member  124  that rides within the alignable grooves  114  and  56 . Each of the floating members  118 ,  120 ,  122  and  124  are to be engaged between their respective protuberances and rails to define the limit of the position of the handles  16  and  18  relative to the jaw assembly  14  to establish the pliers  10  of this invention in the position of FIG. 2 or in the position of FIG.  4 .