ACCESSORY FOR GRIP HANDLE WITH ROTATING FERRULE

An accessory suitable for a removable attachment in a grip handle, in which the handle includes an inner housing formed in an end portion of the grip handle, an opening whose second portion opens onto a lateral side of the grip handle, a rotating ferrule rotating between a blocking position, in which the rotating ferrule at least partly covers the second portion of the opening, and a release position, in which the rotating ferrule releases the second portion of the opening. The accessory includes an assembly portion usable as a removable attachment of the accessory to the grip handle. The assembly portion is inserted into the inner housing, and includes a retaining part that cooperates with the rotating ferrule when the rotating ferrule is in the blocking position so as to retain the assembly portion in the inner housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of FR 22/03804 filed on Apr. 25, 2022. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of interchangeable accessories intended to be inserted into grip handles or knives.

BACKGROUND

Several types of grip handle or hand instruments provided with different accessories or tools are known, and in particular an instrument including on the one hand a handle and on the other hand various tools that are movable or detachable with respect to the handle. For example, the best known is a hand instrument usually called by the expression “Swiss knife”, including a block forming a handle. On the latter, several tools such as scissors, file, blade, punch, screwdriver, corkscrew, USB key, etc. are mounted in an articulated manner along a transverse axis. This type of knife has advantages in that it combines in a single instrument several tools with various respective functionalities. However, their structure is relatively complex given the constraints of solidity and resistance linked to the presence of several tools mounted in rotation, which leads to high weight and a high manufacturing cost.

Thus, it is found that known hand instruments or grip handles have at least one, or even two or more of the following drawbacks: complex construction; high manufacturing cost; significant weight; difficult handling and installation of accessories (tools for example); inconvenient handling of the handle (direction transverse to the handle); attachment or location of the accessory (for example screwdriver) outside periods of use, inconvenient or resulting in complex structures.

SUMMARY

In particular, the present disclosure provides accessories, such as kitchen utensils, bivouac tools, etc. configured to be removably attached to grip handles. The present disclosure also proposes an assembly including a handle and one or more accessories that can form an accessory kit.

The present disclosure proposes an accessory suitable for removable attachment in a grip handle, the grip handle comprising:an inner housing formed in an end portion of the grip handle, the inner housing including an opening whose first portion opens into an end face of the handle and whose second portion opens onto a lateral side of the grip handle, the end face extending transversely to the direction of longitudinal extension of the grip handle,a rotating ferrule rotatably mounted between a blocking position in which the rotating ferrule at least partially covers the second portion of the opening and a release position in which the rotating ferrule releases the second portion of the opening,the accessory comprising an assembly portion configured for removable attachment of the accessory to the grip handle, the assembly portion being configured to be inserted into the inner housing, and comprising a retaining part configured to cooperate with the rotating ferrule when the rotating ferrule is in the blocking position so as to retain the assembly portion in the inner housing.

It is then possible to fit a multitude of accessories on a single handle. This reduces the weight of the equipment to be carried while increasing comfort of use. The accessory can be a kitchen utensil, such as a spatula; cutlery, for example a fork or a spoon; a tool such as an awl, a screwdriver, a corkscrew; or any other function.

The cooperation between the retaining part of the accessory and the rotating ferrule makes it possible not only to provide the attachment of the accessory to the handle but also to offer advantages of use: when the rotating ferrule is in the blocking position, the accessory can be handled properly.

According to one form, the retaining part comprises a prominence configured to be received in a circumferential groove formed on an inner surface of the rotating ferrule, so as to retain the assembly portion when the rotating ferrule is in the blocking position.

According to one form, the assembly portion comprises an insertion part configured to be received in the inner housing. The insertion part thus completes the retaining part for the removable attachment of the accessory in the grip handle.

In one form, the insertion part longitudinally extends in the main direction of extension of the accessory so as to form a guide lug when inserting the assembly portion into the inner housing. This variation provides an angular anti-sloshing system for the accessory inserted into the handle when using the accessory.

According to one form, the assembly portion has a thickness less than the width of the inner housing, the assembly portion comprising a transverse portion defining a protrusion on an upper face, the protrusion being configured to bear on a first inner face of the inner housing and delimits on an opposite lower face of the assembly portion a cavity extending between two bearing parts, the two bearing parts being configured to bear against a second inner face of the inner housing opposite the first inner face. This variation avoids excessive angular movement of the accessory fixed in the grip handle and facilitates its use.

According to one form, the grip handle includes a pivoting blade and a longitudinal groove formed from the end face and comprising a slot whose portion is common with the opening of the inner housing, the pivoting blade comprising a portion pivotally mounted in the longitudinal groove for pivoting the pivoting blade between a retracted position in which the pivoting blade is housed in the longitudinal groove, in which the rotating ferrule blocks the pivoting blade when the rotating ferrule is in the blocking position and in which the inner walls of the longitudinal groove and the pivoting portion define the contours of the inner housing, and a position of use in which the pivoting blade extends out of the longitudinal groove, in the longitudinal direction of the handle, and the assembly portion comprises an indentation part delimited by the insertion part on the one hand and by the retaining part on the other hand, the indentation part being configured to have a shape complementary to the pivoting portion for an interlocking with the pivoting portion in the inner housing when the assembly portion is inserted into the inner housing. The rotating ferrule is in the blocking position. The size of the assembly portion inserted into the inner housing is limited. The accessory slightly protrudes from the handle while remaining stable for optimal use of the functional portion. The functional portion being the portion that will be used by the user. For example, when the accessory is a cutlery, such as a fork, the functional portion is the fork with pointed ends. For a spoon, the functional portion is the hollow and concave end forming the bowl.

In this variation, “rotating ferrule” is defined as a ring comprising a fixed part fixed to the grip handle and a rotary part allowing the blade to be blocked in the open position and the blade to be blocked in the closed position, the accessory being inserted and fixed in the handle.

According to one form, the accessory is configured to be hooked to an additional accessory, the accessory comprising a hooking means configured to cooperate with a complementary hooking means provided on the additional accessory, so as to allow the hooking of the accessory to the additional accessory. This variation facilitates the storage of unused accessories.

According to another form, the present disclosure proposes a kit of accessories comprising an additional accessory comprising complementary hooking means and an accessory as described above.

According to one form, the hooking means and the complementary hooking means are configured so that the assembly portions and functional portions respectively of the accessory and of the additional accessory are superimposed when the hooking means is hung by means of complementary hook. Thus, when the functional portions have complementary shapes, the superposition leads to a minimal bulk of the accessory kit.

According to one form, the hooking means comprises a lug, in particular made in a connecting portion of the accessory connecting the assembly portion to the functional portion of the accessory.

Conversely, the additional hooking means comprises a through lumen, in particular formed in a connecting portion configured to connect the assembly portion to a functional portion of the additional accessory.

According to yet another form, the present disclosure proposes an assembly comprising a grip handle, the grip handle including:an inner housing formed in an end portion of the grip handle, the inner housing including an opening whose first portion opens into an end face of the handle and whose second portion opens onto a lateral side of the grip handle, the end face extending transversely to the direction of longitudinal extension of the grip handle,a rotating ferrule rotatably mounted between a blocking position in which the rotating ferrule at least partly covers the second portion of the opening and a release position in which the rotating ferrule releases the second portion of the opening, andthe assembly further comprising at least one accessory as previously described or a kit of accessories also described above.

According to one form, the grip handle of said assembly includes a pivoting blade and a longitudinal groove formed from the end face and comprising a slot, one portion of which is common with the opening of the inner housing, the pivoting blade comprising a portion pivotally mounted in the longitudinal groove for pivoting the pivoting blade between a retracted position in which the pivoting blade is housed in the longitudinal groove, in which the rotating ferrule blocks the pivoting blade when the rotating ferrule is in the blocking position and in which the inner walls of the longitudinal groove and the pivoting portion define the contours of the inner housing, and a position of use in which the pivoting blade extends outside the longitudinal groove, in the longitudinal direction of the grip handle.

According additional forms, the accessory and the accessory kit includes one or more of the following optional characteristics, which may be implemented alone or in any combination: the lateral side of the grip handle extends in the longitudinal extension direction of the grip handle; the assembly portion is mostly flat; the retaining part extends mainly longitudinally according to the main direction of extension of the accessory; he prominence of the retaining part extends in a direction transverse to the main direction of extension of the accessory; the length of the insertion part is longer than that of the retaining part; the insertion part, the cutout and the retaining part are configured so that the retaining part is inserted from the side of the second portion of the opening of the inner housing and the insertion part is inserted from the opposite side at the second portion of the opening; the retaining part is inserted into the inner housing from the side of the second portion of the opening of the inner housing; the indentation part has a shape complementary to that of the inner housing; the protrusion of the transverse portion is obtained by embossing the assembly portion; the protrusion is radial; the transverse portion is part of the assembly portion deformed by impact; one of the bearing parts located in the end region of the assembly portion forms the retaining part; the assembly portion is made of metal; and the accessory is mainly made of metal, for example stainless steel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated inFIGS.1to3, an accessory1according to the present disclosure comprises an assembly portion2intended for removable attachment in a grip handle3(FIGS.6and7), a functional portion4, here the bowl or the fork, and a connecting portion5connecting the other two portions3,4. The assembly portion2includes a retaining part6(also visible inFIGS.4and5, configured to cooperate with a rotating ferrule7provided on the grip handle3as will be seen below (FIGS.6and7), so as to retain the assembly portion2in the handle3.

The grip handle3comprises, in an end portion8, an inner housing9(FIGS.6and7) including an opening10which is used in particular for the introduction of the assembly portion2of the accessory1. More specifically, the opening10comprises a first portion opening into an end face11of the grip handle3and from which the connecting portion5and the functional portion4protrude when the assembly portion2is inserted. The end face11extends transversely to the direction X of longitudinal extension of the grip handle3. The opening10also comprises a second portion opening onto a lateral side of the handle3and which allows a prominence12provided in the retaining part6for cooperation with the rotating ferrule7.

The rotating ferrule7of the handle is rotatably mounted between a blocking position in which the rotating ferrule7at least partly covers the second portion of the opening10and a release position in which the rotating ferrule7releases the second portion of the opening10. The prominence12of the retaining part6of the accessory1is configured to be received in a circumferential groove13provided on an inner surface of the rotating ferrule7, so as to retain the assembly portion2in the inner housing9when the rotating ferrule7is in the blocking position (FIGS.6,7).

Also illustrated in the figures, the assembly portion2comprises an insertion part14configured to be received in the inner housing9. It longitudinally extends along the main direction of extension of the accessory1, so as to form a guide lug when inserting the assembly portion2into the inner housing9. This facilitates the insertion into the housing9and also provides an angular anti-sloshing effect of the accessory1inserted into the handle3. The insertion part14thus confers good rigidity on the assembly100of the accessory1housed in the grip handle3.

In parallel, the assembly portion2has a thickness less than the width of the inner housing9, which facilitates the insertion but to compensate for this dimensional play that can interfere with the use of the accessory1, the assembly portion2comprises a transverse portion defining a protrusion15on an upper face16which makes it possible to bear against a first inner face of the inner housing9. Reciprocally, the protrusion15delimits on an opposite lower face17, a cavity18extending between two bearing parts17′ which allow a bearing on a second opposite inner face. Thus, during the insertion into the housing, the assembly portion thinner than the opening10of the inner housing9is guided by the guide lug, then the protrusion15bears on a first inner face and the two bearing parts, formed by two regions17′ of the lower face17(FIG.2), bear on a second opposite inner face which limits the angular deflections of the assembly portion2inserted into the inner housing9.

In the variation of the present disclosure where the grip handle3comprises a pivoting blade19(illustrated inFIGS.6and7), a longitudinal groove20is formed from the end face11of the grip handle3, comprising a slot, a portion of which is common with the opening10of the inner housing9. Specifically, the pivoting blade19comprises a pivoting portion21pivotally mounted in the longitudinal groove20. This provides the pivoting of the pivoting blade19between a retracted position in which the pivoting blade19is housed in the longitudinal groove20(illustrated inFIGS.6and7), and a position of use in which the pivoting blade19extends out of the longitudinal groove20, in the longitudinal direction X of the handle3(not shown).

In the retracted position of the pivoting blade19, the inner walls of the longitudinal groove20and the pivoting portion21define the contours of the inner housing9capable of receiving the accessory1. In parallel, the assembly portion2comprises an indentation part22, delimited on either side of the insertion part14and of the retaining part6, which has a shape complementary to that of the pivoting portion21so as to allow an interlocking with the pivoting portion21when the assembly portion2is inserted into the inner housing9.

In the variation where the grip handle3does not have a pivoting blade19, the accessory1also comprises an indentation part22of a shape complementary to the shape of the inner housing9.

As illustrated inFIGS.1to5, the accessory1, such as a spoon (FIGS.1and2), is configured to be hooked by overlapping with an additional accessory1′ (here a fork—FIG.3) by a hooking means23formed in the connecting part5of the accessory1, wherein the hooking means23in this form is a lug (FIGS.2and4). The hooking means23is configured to cooperate with a complementary hooking means24, illustrated here by a through lumen (FIG.3) provided on the additional accessory1′. When the shape of the assembly portions2and the functional portion4and connecting portions5of the accessory1and of the additional accessory1′ are complementary, the latter two cling together (FIGS.4and5) and form a kit30.

In use, when the rotating ferrule7is in the release position, the pivoting blade19can pivot in the retracted position in the longitudinal groove20, and the assembly portion2of the accessory1can be inserted into the inner housing9, for example until the indentation part22comes into abutment against the pivoting portion21. The retaining part6is arranged on the side of the second portion of the opening10of the housing9in order to be able to cooperate with the rotating ferrule7. The rotating ferrule7can then rotate from its release position to its blocking position in which the circumferential groove13cooperates with the prominence12of the retaining part6so as to fix the accessory1in the grip handle3. At the same time, the rotating ferrule7blocks the pivoting blade19in its retracted position. To use the pivoting blade19or inter-change accessory1, for example, the rotating ferrule7is moved from its blocking position to its release position. The retaining part6is then arranged in front of a slot of the rotating ferrule7juxtaposed with the longitudinal groove20so that it is possible to remove the accessory1from the inner housing9. The pivoting portion21of the pivoting blade19being released from the indentation part22, and being opposite the slot of the rotating ferrule7, the blade19can pivot into its position of use, in which it extends out of the longitudinal groove20, in the longitudinal direction X of the handle3.

Thus, the present disclosure proposes an accessory1for removable attachment in a grip handle3cleverly designed to be easily inserted into the handle3. The accessory1is also well thought out to provide stability in the handle3avoiding axial or angular displacement when using it. The fact of using a rotating ferrule7also makes it possible to secure the use of the accessory1received in the handle3. In addition, the hooking means23,24provided on the accessory1and the additional accessory1′ allows optimal storage, limiting the size of the kit30.