Abstract:
Snap hook assemblies in which additional components have been incorporated are detailed. The assemblies maintain the general shapes of carabiners rather than those of conventional versions of the incorporated components. Included among the incorporated components may be light sources, knife blades, compasses, can or bottle openers, and watches, for example, although other components may be incorporated instead.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/294,506 filed Nov. 14, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,126,484 now allowed, which is a continuation in part of each of (1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/253,226, filed Sep. 24, 2002, entitled “Personal Alarm Device,” abandoned; (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/160,032, filed May 3, 2002, entitled “Combination Snap Hook and Flashlight,” now U.S. Design Pat. No. D471,305; (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/160,034, filed May 3, 2002, entitled “Snap Hook Bottle Opener,” now U.S. Design Pat. No. D475,591; and (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/160,035, filed May 3, 2002, entitled “Combination Snap Hook and Knife,” now U.S. Design Pat. No. D474,095. The contents of all of the applications identified above are incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to snap hooks and similar assemblies and to such assemblies incorporating additional components or functionality. Non-limiting examples of the assemblies include snap hooks to incorporating lights, knives, bottle or can openers, tools, watches, compasses, thermometers, writing implements, or combinations of these items. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,909 to Weiss, et al., entitled “Openable Handle Attachment” and incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference, discloses various flashlights and mugs to which openable handles have been attached. The bulky flashlights of  FIGS. 14 and 15  of the Weiss patent are identified as being “of the usual household” or “conventional” varieties, with elongated cylindrical bodies in which batteries are housed. Arms of the handle of each variety of flashlight are attached angularly to the elongated cylindrical bodies, forming discontinuities in the shapes of the flashlights. According to the Weiss patent, the flashlights may be actuated by sliding either a thumb switch or a base plate mounted on the cylindrical bodies or by rotating a switch or “by pressure asserted during lifting of the flashlight by the attached openable handle.” See Weiss, col. 10, 11. 1-5. 
   Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,015 to Luquire, the inventor of the subject matter described and claimed herein, details padlocks with pivoting arms. The padlocks additionally include shackles formed of curved sections, with the arms positioned between ends of the shackles. The Luquire patent is also incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides snap-hook assemblies in which additional components have been incorporated. Unlike the objects of the Weiss patent, for example, the assemblies of the invention lack a separate mug or bulky cylindrical flashlight body. Instead, they maintain the general shape of the padlocks of the Luquire patent, thus resembling carabiners rather than conventional versions of the incorporated components. 
   In some embodiments of the invention, the assemblies include handles comprising two curved sections separated by a generally straight section. A pivoting arm may separate opposite ends of the curved sections. Alternatively, the pivoting arm may be incorporated into the generally straight section of the handles. 
   In use, the arm is adapted to open into a space bounded by the handle and is biased closed (by a spring or other biasing mechanism). Opening the arm permits an object to be received into the bounded space, and closing it traps the received object therein. The innovative assemblies thus operate as snap hooks and typically (although not necessarily) will be used with straps, belt loops, handles, or other objects to which they may be connected. 
   Certain embodiments of the assemblies also include an illumination mechanism and thus may be considered as “light sources” or “flashlights.” Unlike the actuators of the Weiss patent, actuation devices in these embodiments may comprise either a rotatable lamp housing or a depressable (push-button) switch. Although not preferred, the sliding plates or thumb switches of the Weiss patent sometimes may be used instead. Typically, the head is removable to allow replacement of both the light and power sources for the assembly. 
   Other embodiments of the assemblies incorporate one or more knife blades or other tools (including, without limitation, scissors, files, saw blades, pliers, and screw drivers), in this respect including items such as those often included in Swiss Army knifes. In these embodiments, a section of the handle beneficially contains a storage slot for the (or each) blade or other tool when not in use. Any blade may be adapted to pivot, or retract and extend, into or out of the slot as desired. Preferably both the facing of the slot and extension of the blade are away from the bounded area, so that the knife blade does not interfere with use of the pivoting arm. 
   Assemblies of the present invention alternatively or additionally may include bottle openers, can openers, compasses, watches, thermometers, writing implements (e.g. pens, pencils), tools, or other useful items. Such items usually are incorporated into sections of the handles remote from the pivoting arms. They may, however, be incorporated elsewhere in the assemblies if appropriate or desired. 
   It thus is an optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide snap hook (or similar) assemblies in which one or more additional components has been incorporated. 
   It is another optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide assemblies generally resembling carabiners. 
   It is also an optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide handles comprising two curved sections separated by a section housing some or all of an additional component, with intersections of at least some of these sections being continuous (hence lacking any discontinuity). 
   It is a further optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide pivoting arms adapted to open into spaces bounded by the handles, with such arms being biased closed. 
   Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art with reference to the remaining text and drawings of this application. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIGS. 1-5  illustrate an exemplary assembly of the present invention containing a light source. 
       FIGS. 6-11  illustrate another exemplary assembly of the present invention containing a knife blade. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates an exemplary assembly of the present invention containing a watch. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates an exemplary assembly of the present invention containing a bottle opener. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates an exemplary assembly of the present invention containing a (navigational) compass. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIGS. 1-5  depict snap-hook assembly  10  of the present invention. Included as part of assembly  10  are handle  14  and arm  18 , the latter of which is designed to pivot about pin  22 . Collectively, handle  14  and arm  18  bound an interior region IR in which an object (such as, but not limited to, a belt loop, strap, handle, etc.) may be received and retained. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , handle  14  may comprise curved sections  26  and  30  separated by section  34 . The radius of curvature R 1  of section  26  typically is less than the radius of curvature R 2  of section  30 , so that handle  14  is not symmetric laterally. By contrast, section  34  usually is straight (or relatively so) in cross-section, so that the appearance of assembly  10  resembles a human ear or carabiner. Assembly  10  need not necessarily be oblong, however, but rather may assume other desired shapes. 
   In some embodiments of assembly  10 , furthermore, handle  14  need not be laterally asymmetric. In preferred embodiments, however, sections  26  and  34  are continuous, with no discontinuity present at their intersection I 1 . This differs from the structures of the flashlights depicted in  FIGS. 14-15  of the Weiss patent, in which arms  84  and  94  intersect bodies  80  and  90  at acute or right angles, respectively. Stated differently, the structure of assembly  10  is intended to be that of a carabiner-style snap-hook object, while the devices of  FIGS. 14-15  of the Weiss patent appear intended to be bulky, full-size flashlights with handles attached as ancillary items. 
   Arm  18  spans the distance between spaced ends  38  and  42  of curved sections  26  and  30 , respectively. Pin  22  connects end  46  of arm  18  to end  38  of curved section  26 . A spring or other biasing mechanism cooperates with pin  22  to bias arm  18  into the “closed” position shown in  FIG. 1 , thus bounding interior region IR. To permit access to region IR, a user of assembly  10  need merely rotate arm  18  about pin  22  in the direction of arrow A, separating end  50  of arm  18  from end  42  of curved section  30 . When interior region IR is accessible in this manner, arm  18  is denominated “open.” 
   Detailed at end  54  of section  34  opposite its intersection with curved section  26  is housing  58 . Housing  58  preferably includes a rotatable collar  62  containing a light source (typically a lamp) and a protective component such as lens  66 . Collar  62  likewise preferably is removable from section  34  to allow access to the light source and any power source contained either within housing  58  or any of sections  26 ,  30 , or  34 . In some embodiments of the invention, section  34  is hollow and sufficiently straight and long to receive a single AA-size battery. In these (and other) embodiments, appropriate electrical connections between the power source and light source also exist as part of assembly  10 . Actuation of the light source may occur through rotation of collar  62 , for example, or by depressing a momentary or other push-button switch  70  placed on the exterior of assembly  10 . Those skilled in the art will recognize that other actuation mechanisms may be used instead as appropriate or desired. 
   By contrast with the continuity at the intersection of sections  26  and  34 , the overall shape of preferred versions of assembly  10  is discontinuous at the intersection I 2  of section  34  and housing  58 . In the versions detailed in  FIG. 1 , for example, section  34  and housing  58 , although both cylindrical at their intersection, have differing diameters. Indeed, in the detailed version, the diameter of housing  58  is greater than that of section  34  at their intersection. This again differs from the structures of the Weiss patent, in which transition regions exist between the respective heads and bodies, consistent with configurations of conventional full-size flashlights. 
   Finally, shown especially in  FIG. 3  is the interaction between arm  18  and sections  26  and  30 . Arm  18  preferably includes slots at each of ends  46  and  50 . The slot at end  46  permanently receives both pin  22  and end  38  of section  26 , while the slot at end  50  receives end  42  of section  30  only when assembly  10  is closed. 
   Illustrated in  FIGS. 6-11  is an alternative snap-hook assembly  100 . Like assembly  10 , assembly  100  may comprise sections  104 ,  108 , and  112 , the former of which is generally straight in cross-section, while the latter two of which typically are curved. Assembly  100  similarly may include arm  116 , spanning the distance between ends of sections  108  and  112 , and pin  120  about which arm  116  may pivot in use. Again as with assembly  10 , assembly  100  bounds an interior region IR′ when closed, and the intersection of sections  104  and  108  may be a continuous curve. Indeed, the intersection of sections  104  and  112  also may be a continuous curve as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
   Section  104  is intended to house tool  124 , which as depicted in  FIGS. 6-11  comprises a knife blade. Those skilled in the art will, of course, recognize that section  104  may house other, or additional, tools instead and in some cases will include multiple tools. To accommodate tool  124 , section  104  includes slot  128  in which tool  124  is received when not in use. To use the tool  124 , the user need merely pivot it about pin  132  (as shown in  FIG. 11 ), thereby exposing tool  124 . Preferably (if a knife blade), tool  124  will include indentation  136  to receive the user&#39;s thumbnail to facilitate extraction of the tool  124  from slot  128 . 
     FIGS. 12-14  illustrate yet alternative assemblies  200 ,  300 , and  400  configured consistent generally with principles espoused earlier in this application. Assembly  200 , for example, includes sections  204 ,  208 , and  212 , with sections  208  and  212  being curved and laterally asymmetric. Arm  216  spans the distance between respective ends  220  and  224  of sections  208  and  212  and beneficially may pivot about pin  228  to open and close, thus permitting assembly  200  to function as a snap hook. By contrast with analogous sections of other assemblies, section  204  houses watch  232  and any ancillary equipment, while section  204 ′ houses bottle opener  236 . Section  204 ″ of  FIG. 14 , finally, houses navigational compass  240  instead. 
   Any or all of assemblies  10 ,  100 ,  200 ,  300 , and  400  may include components in addition to those expressly depicted in their corresponding drawings. For example, locking mechanisms, such as those described in the Luquire patent, may be incorporated in any of these assemblies. Appropriate modifications to the assemblies similarly could permit two or more additional components to be included in the same assembly. Assembly  10 , for example, could include both a light source and tool  124 , watch  232 , bottle opener  236 , or compass  240 . Other assemblies could be adapted similarly. Thus, although the foregoing has been provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing exemplary embodiments and certain benefits of the present invention, modifications and adaptations to the illustrated and described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.