Window handle turning accessory

An accessory for a hand drill which cooperates with the crank handle of the opening mechanism of a casement window. The accessory, when turned by the drill, facilitates turning of the crank handle and opening or closing of the window. The accessory includes a shaft which is intended to be gripped by the chuck or jaws of the hand drill in much the same manner that hand drills grip drill bits. A forwardly projecting crank handle-contacting head is provided which is adapted to slide over the crank handle. The head has a side opening with a pair of edges which push against one side of the crank handle in order to rotate the same. Preferably, the inside surface of the head of the accessory and the crank handle's contacting edges are rubber coated so that rotation of the accessory and its movement with respect to the crank handle will not mar the finish of the crank handle. In an alternate embodiment, the head can be adapted for rotation of the splines of the window turning mechanism exposed when the handle is fully removed. In yet another alternate embodiment, a head is provided which is adjustably configured to receive different sized crank handles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
The present invention relates to an accessory for use with a hand drill. 
Preferably, the hand drill is of the cordless or battery-operated type. 
The accessory is intended to facilitate the turning of the crank handle of 
the opening mechanism of casement-type windows so they are easier to open 
and close. This accessory would be used by the elderly or those having 
arthritic conditions and it would facilitate their ease of opening and/or 
closing of casement type windows since it is now difficult for these 
people to turn, manually, the crank handles of these opening mechanisms. 
Often these crank handles are not properly greased or have become 
sufficiently rusted that operation and opening or closing of the windows 
is extremely difficult. 
In addition, the accessory would have instant appeal to vacation or second 
home owners who frequently leave their homes shut tight when they are in 
their primary residence and, upon arriving and "opening up" the house, it 
is highly desirable for all windows to be quickly opened to allow fresh 
air to come in. This device would accomplish that in a minimum of time 
with respect to manual turning of the handle cranks of these casement-type 
windows. Also, clearly, when it is time for the vacation or second 
homeowner to "close up" the vacation or second home, prior to leaving, the 
accessory, again, could be a very simple and quick manner of accomplishing 
the closing of all windows, rather than manually hand cranking them all to 
the closed position. 
Portable hand drills of the electric cordless-type have recently become 
extremely popular and are primarily used as portable screwdrivers. These 
devices have a relative high torque to weight ratio. After use, they are 
stored for subsequent use in a battery recharger which is connected to a 
source of household electric current. As mentioned, the principle use of 
these portable drills is for use as a screwdriver and, therefore, the 
drill is often provided with a chuck or jaw mechanism for holding 
alternative drill bits in the form of Phillips-head screwdriver tips or 
flat head screwdriver tips, all in addition to ordinary drill bits. 
Irrespective of the shape of the driving head which is inserted into the 
chuck or jaws of the portable drill, the drill connecting shank is 
generally a metal hex-shaped rod or bar. A locking mechanism is frequently 
provided for insuring that the hex-shaped shank is secured into the chuck 
of the portable drill. 
The present invention relates to a new and extremely useful accessory for a 
portable hand drill or screwdriver which facilitates the quick and easy 
turning of the crank handle of the opening mechanism of a casement-type 
window. The accessory can be easily inserted and locked into the portable 
drill and, then, the head of the accessory can be easilY slipped into 
place over the crank handle. When it is desired to either open or close 
the casement window, after the head of the accessory is placed or slipped 
over the lateral extension of the crank handle, the trigger or other 
actuator of the hand drill is depressed and the torque power of the hand 
drill rotates the head of the accessory which, in turn, causes the crank 
handle to rotate about its turning axis to thereby operate the opening 
mechanism of the casement window. Typically, these portable hand drills or 
cordless screwdrivers are provided with a "reverse" switch so that the 
present accessory can be used to either open or close the casement type 
window, as desired. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An accessory for a portable screwdriver or hand drill is provided for 
facilitating the easy opening and closing of the opening mechanism of 
casement-type windows which are provided with mechanical hand-crank 
handles. The accessory is provided, on one end, with an ordinary 
hex-shaped shaft which is adapted to be received and held within the chuck 
or movable jaws of the portable screwdriver or hand drill. The head end of 
the accessory is, preferably, generally cylindrically or conically shaped 
so as to be received over the cylindrical portion of the crank handle of 
the opening mechanism of the casement window i.e., that portion of the 
handle which overlies and surrounds the turning axis of the opening 
mechanism. A side opening or lateral slot is also provided in the head end 
extending outwardly from the center opening which allows the device to be 
slipped over the handle from a side. The side opening also allows the 
lateral extension of the hand crank to be "gripped" for turning. The side 
opening allows for easier placement of the device over the crank handle 
since axial alignment between the head and the center turning axis of the 
opening mechanisms is eliminated. Rather, the device can be mounted over 
the crank handle by radial or lateral movement of the head with respect to 
the turning axis. 
The edge of the side opening or lateral slot is intended to contact one 
side of the lateral extension of the hand crank and, therefore, when the 
hand drill or portable screwdriver is energized to rotate the shank of the 
accessory, the head rotates and the edge of the side opening will contact 
one side of the lateral extension of the hand crank and cause it to rotate 
thereby driving the opening mechanism of the casement-type window in the 
desired direction. By having the edge contact the lateral extension of the 
crank handle and not relying on direct turning of the center portion of 
the crank handle the mechanical advantage provided by the crank handle is 
used to advantage for these portable, lightweight devices. 
Preferably, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, 
the inside surface of the head end of the accessory is rubber coated so 
that repeated use of the device on the metal hand cranks will not mar 
their outside surface or finish. Also, the edges of the side opening which 
contact the lateral extension of the hand crank are also preferably rubber 
coated, again, to prevent surface damage after repeated use. 
It is thus a principle object of the present invention to provide an 
accessory device for a portable hand drill or battery operated screwdriver 
or, of course, any drill powered by any means which facilitates the quick 
and relatively effortless opening and closing of a casement type window 
having a crank handle opening mechanism. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for 
opening and closing a casement-type window having a mechanical hand crank 
opening mechanism without requiring significant manual strength or 
dexterity to accomplish the same. 
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an accessory 
device for opening and closing a casement type window without marring the 
surface of the handles of the opening mechanism of the casement-type 
windows. 
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a device which is 
capable of rotating the opening mechanism of a casement-type window even 
with the turning crank handles removed. The device eliminates the need for 
the presence of the handles which detract, aesthetically from the 
appearance of the windows. Removal of the handle is also desirable so as 
to allow window shades or blinds to not be interfered with. 
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a single head 
which, by adjustable mechanisms is capable of adapting to various sized 
opening mechanisms and associated crank handles. 
It is also an object of the present invention to allow the device to be 
slipped over the crank handles from a side or by axial alignment between 
the turning axis of the crank handle and the head of the device. 
These and additional objects, if not set forth specifically herein, will be 
readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the detailed 
description provided herein below when considered and understood in 
conjunction with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS AND THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference to the Figures, an accessory for a portable hand drill or 
battery operated screwdriver is provided for facilitating the opening and 
closing of a casement-type window which is provided with the normally and 
conventionally used crank handle opening mechanism. The device, generally 
referred to as 10, comprises a hex-shaped shank portion 12 and a head end 
18. The shank portion 12 is adapted to be selectively received and held in 
the chuck mechanism or jaws, generally referred to as 14, of a portable 
hand drill or battery powered screwdriver mechanism 16. As best shown in 
FIG. 1, the portable hand drill 16 can be gripped by the user and a 
trigger (not shown) can be selectively depressed to rotate the chuck 
mechanism 14 which, in turn, serves to rotate shank 12 of the accessory or 
device 10. The torque power of the hand drill 16 is transferred to the 
accessory 10 and is generally sufficient to rotate the device 10 and, in 
turn, when the device is placed over the crank handle of the opening 
mechanism of a casement-type window, the handle, too, will rotate which, 
in turn, causes the opening mechanism of the casement-type window to open 
or close the window, as desired, depending upon the direction of rotation 
of the screwdriver and the secured device. 
The head end 18 extends forwardly from the shank 12 and is generally of a 
cylindrical or conical configuration. Preferably, the head is made from 
either a hard plastic, like Delrin or, alternatively, it can be machined 
from metal as, for example, aluminum or stainless steel. The head end 18, 
while generally cylindrical has a rear section 20 which is cone shaped. 
The shank 12 can be either integrally formed with head end 18 or, 
alternatively, the shank can be inserted into and then glued to section 
20. 
A center opening 22, generally cylindrical, is molded or machined into the 
head end 18. The longitudinal axis of center opening 22 is aligned with 
the rotative axis 23 of the device as defined by shank 12. The center 
opening has a front end 25. The center opening 22 consists of a first 
partial cylindrical hollow section 24 and an inclined section 26 (See 
FIGS. 2 and 3) which intersects cylindrical section 24 and forms a 
continuous surface corresponding to the shape of the crank handle. A side 
opening 30 is formed at the outside surface of the head end 18 to allow 
the device to be laterally placed over and removed from a crank handle. 
The interior of the head end 18 is preferably coated with rubber so that 
when it is secured over the crank handle of the opening mechanism of a 
casement-type window it will not mar the surface or finish thereof. The 
edges 31 and 32 (See FIG. 2) of the side opening 30 are also rubber coated 
so that when they contact the sides of the crank handle during rotation 
again, no marring of the surface or finish will result. 
The diameter of the cylinder section 24 of the head end 18 is sufficient so 
that it can be easily received over the cylindrical connecting portion 34 
(See FIG. 3) of crank handle 36 of the opening mechanism 38 of a casement 
window 40. The inclined section 26 of the head end 18 is angled with 
respect to the cylindrical section 24 and is substantially the same angle 
of inclination that the lateral extension 42 of crank handle 36 defines 
with respect to the cylindrical connecting portion 34 of crank handle 36. 
The width of the side opening 30 is sufficiently wide so that the device 
can be placed over the lateral extension 42 of the crank handle 36 and 
easily removed, after use. 
The side opening eliminates the need for precise axial alignment between 
the device and the crank handle on which it is to be placed. The width of 
the side opening is greater than or equal to the diameter of the 
cylindrical connecting section of the handle so that the device can be 
easily slid onto and off of the handle from the side, thereby avoiding the 
requirement of axial alignment. Thus, the side opening is equal to or 
greater in width than the diameter of the center opening 22. 
In operation, the accessory 10 is located and locked into the chuck 
mechanism 14 of the portable hand drill or battery operated screwdriver 
16. This is performed, as mentioned, by having the shank 12 of the 
accessory 10 secured within the chuck mechanism or movable jaws 14, in a 
well known and conventional manner. The head end 18 of the accessory 10 is 
then laterally or axially slid over the crank handle 36 (but not 
necessarily axially) so that the cylindrical connecting portion 34 of the 
crank handle is located within the cylinder section 24 of the device while 
the lateral extension 42 of the crank handle 36 is located within the 
inclined section 26. The lateral extension 42 of the crank handle exits 
from the head end through the side opening 30. This is shown in FIG. 3. 
Thus, the lateral extension 42 of the crank handle passes through the side 
of the head end 18 and the interior of the head end is held against the 
lateral extension of the crank handle since inclined section 26 is 
positively located against the lateral extension 42. Then, the operator 
can depress the trigger mechanism of the hand drill 16 and, in this 
manner, rotation of the shank 12 of the accessory causes the head end 18 
to correspondingly rotate. This, in turn, causes one of the edges 31 or 32 
(depending upon the direction of rotation of the shank and head end) to 
contact one of the sides of the lateral extension 42 of the crank handle 
and, in this manner, the power or torque transmitted by the hand drill is 
transferred through the head end and this causes the crank handle 36 to 
rotate about its rotation axis 37. This in turn, causes the opening 
mechanism 38 to operate either in the opening or closing direction to 
thereby cause the casement window 40 to open or close. The internal 
mechanical gearing of the opening mechanism 38 is not a part of the 
present invention and need not be described herein in that it is well 
known and conventional. 
An alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 4. 
Similar parts to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3 have been numbered the 
same as the first embodiment. Here, however, the crank handle 36 of the 
opening mechanism 38 has been replaced by a butterfly handle 50. The 
opening mechanism 38 is identical to that shown for the casement window 
40. In this embodiment, however, the head end 18 of the device 10 has a 
pair of opposed side openings 52 and 54. These allow the two wings 56 and 
58 of the butterfly handle 50 to exit through the head end. The head end 
has a central conical section 60 which is adapted to fit over the central 
hub 62 of the butterfly handle 50. In this embodiment, the edges of the 
two side openings 52 and 54 will contact the sides of the wings 56 and 58 
of the butterfly handle 50. This embodiment requires axial alignment 
between conical section 60 and the central hub 62 of the handle to put the 
device in its proper position ready for use. 
After the casement window 40 has been opened or closed by the accessory 
device 10, it is rather simple for the user to merely withdraw the drill, 
with the accessory attached thereto, from the crank handle 36 or 50 and 
the user can then go on to the next window for opening or closing. Of 
course, if all windows have been opened or closed, as desired, the drill, 
with device secured or detached, can be stored in the battery charging 
holder for subsequent use. 
An alternate embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 5. Here, however, 
the crank handle 36 has been removed from the opening mechanism to thereby 
expose the splines 100. The head 102 of the device 106 is, of course, 
secured to the hex-shaped shank 104 in the same manner as described with 
respect to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The head of this 
embodiment, however, is not provided with a lateral opening but, rather, 
axial alignment between head and splines 100 is required to place the head 
end over the splines 100. The inside surface of the head end 102 is 
provided with internal, parallel grooves and ridges 108 which are matingly 
engagable with splines 100. This embodiment of the invention is used in 
the same manner as previously discussed with respect to the other 
embodiments. 
FIG. 6 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention. A single 
device 150, shown therein, is capable of being used on a plurality of 
crank handles, each of which has a different sized cylindrical connecting 
portion 34 and width of lateral extension 42. This embodiment can also be 
used with the exposed splines 100. In this embodiment, the head end 152 is 
machined or molded with two or more internal grooves 154. The grooves 
extend from the front edge 156 to the bottom 158 of the cylindrical 
section 160. An insert 162 preferably brass, is insertable and removable 
from the head end 152 of the device. The insert 162 is generally 
cylindrical and hollow with a side opening 164. The exterior of the insert 
162 is provided with two or more bar-like projections 166 which are of a 
size and configuration to be frictionally held, by sliding into the 
grooves 154 of the head end 152, and, yet, with force, selectively 
removed. The front of the insert 162 has an outwardly extending lip or 
ridge 168. When the insert is installed into the head end 152 of the 
device 150, the bar-like projections 166 will be received by and held in 
the grooves 154 and the lip or ridge will limit or block the insert 162 
from going too deeply into the head end in that it will abut against the 
front edge 156. The thickness of the insert and the size of the side 
opening 164 determine the snugness of fit between the device and a crank 
handle. Various inserts 162 can be provided and sold along with a single 
head 152 to fit onto various sized crank handles. The use of selectively 
insertable and removable inserts, of various internal sizes, with 
different dimensioned side openings, yet all with a standard exterior 
circumference having bar-like projections 166 increases the versatility of 
the device. 
The side opening 170 of the head end allows for the lateral and angled 
extension of the handle to be captured and held by the device. A sliding 
ring portion 172 is adjustable rotated in a circumferential groove 174 cut 
into or molded into the head end. The sliding ring portion 172 has a 
plurality of holes 176 passing from edge to edge. A pair of flanges 178 
facilitate relative movement of the sliding ring portion 172 and yet 
prevent accidental removal of the ring portion from the head end. Flanges 
travel in grooves located at the opposed planar surfaces 180 and 181 of 
circumferential groove 174. To facilitate assembly, the circumferential 
groove 174 has an enlarged rear opening which is capable of receiving the 
ring 172 with its outwardly extending flanges 178. A hole 182 passes 
completely through the top of the head end and exit through top planar 
surface 180. In addition, a hole 184 (not visible in the drawings) is 
drilled into bottom planar surface 181, the holes 182 and 184 being 
aligned. 
In use, the sliding ring is rotated within to the circumferential groove 
174 until the hole 176 is aligned with the pair of holes 182 and 184 such 
that the lateral extension of the handle is snugly held between edge 190 
of the ring and the far wall 192 of the lateral opening 170. Then, a pin 
194 (not shown) is passed downwardly through hole 182 of top planar 
surface 180, through hole 176 of ring 172 and then into hole 184 of bottom 
planar surface 181. The ring is thus held in relative position by the pin 
and the device thus is capable of adapting to a variety of sizes of crank 
handles. After initial set-up of the position of the sliding ring and the 
proper sized insert 162, the device is used in the same manner as that 
shown in FIGS. 1-3, until further adjustment is required. 
Alternatively, the insert 162 can have a set of internal grooves and teeth 
to matingly engage with the exposed splines 100 of the opening mechanism. 
This, then, allows the device 150 to be used in much the same manner as 
that shown in FIG. 5. 
Yet another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 7-9. The spline 
covering knob 200 (basically a specially designed knob or cap) consists of 
a general cylinder shape having a pair of outwardly extending turning 
wings or "ears". The cylinder has a cavity 202 with internal, alternating 
teeth 204 and valleys 206. The teeth and valleys are matingly engagable 
with the exposed splines 100 (See FIG. 5) of the casement window opening 
mechanism after the crank handles has been removed. A pair of turning ears 
208 and 210 facilitate turning of the spline covering knob 200. They allow 
easy manual turning of the exposed spline portion 100 of the window 
opening mechanism, after the crank handle has been removed and the knob 
installed thereover. The cavity 202 has a rear end wall 212 which limits 
the degree of downward travel of the spline covering knob 200 on the 
exposed splines 100 even as the knob is turned. It must be appreciated 
that the spline covering knob is not intended to clamp down or provide 
downward force (contrast a wing nut) but, rather, it allows a window 
turning mechanism, with crank handle removed, to be manually turned, by 
use of the outwardly extending ears and, yet, an open head 220 (See FIG. 
9) can be selectively used to fit over the spline covering knob 200 and 
battery-powered turning can also be accomplished. 
The open head 220 is quite similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 except 
that the ears 208 and 210 of the knob 200 and the opposed lateral openings 
222, 224 of the open head are machined to fit precisely together. Also, 
cylindrical surface 224 of the insert and the central cavity 226 of the 
open head fit nicely together. The open end of the device, too, has a rear 
wall 226 which, when the head is placed over the knob abuts against the 
exterior wall 228. Of course, the device is provided with a hex-shaped 
shank for connecting to the battery powered screwdriver. 
While the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred 
embodiment, it is to be understood that various modifications thereof will 
be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this 
specification. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention 
disclosed herein is intended to cover all such modifications as fall 
within the scope of the appended claims.