Abstract:
A cover for use with a pouch accessory to a toolbelt. The pouch accessory includes a pouch having a first opening into an interior of the pouch, and at least one sidewall defining the first opening. The first opening is configured to receive a worker&#39;s hand. The cover includes a deformable web anchored along its periphery to a frame. The web has a second opening that is smaller than the first opening. The frame is configured to be inserted into the first opening of the pouch. Together, the web and the frame are configured to completely close the first opening with only the second opening providing access to the interior of the pouch when the frame is inserted into the first opening of the pouch.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is directed generally to toolbelts worn by workers, such as mechanics and construction workers. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Conventional toolbelts are commonly worn by workers, such as mechanics and construction workers. Accessories, like pouches, can be attached to or hung from toolbelts. Such accessories may be used to store tools and/or small items, such as nails, screws, and the like. Most pouches have an opening that remains open during use and is large enough for a worker to place his/her hand inside the pouch. As a result, items stored inside a pouch may fall from the pouch as the worker moves around and/or reaches inside the pouch. Therefore, there is a need for devices that prevent items from falling out of a pouch attached to a worker&#39;s toolbelt. The present application provides this and other advantages as will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a worker wearing a conventional toolbelt and a prior art pouch accessory fitted with an embodiment of a cover assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of the prior art pouch accessory of  FIG. 1  storing small items. 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view of the embodiment of the cover assembly depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the cover assembly of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a hand of the worker positioned inside a slit of the cover assembly and grasping a small item stored inside a pouch of the pouch accessory. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  depicts a worker  10  wearing a conventional toolbelt  20 . A prior art pouch accessory  30  is attached to and hangs from the toolbelt  20 . Referring to  FIG. 2 , in the embodiment illustrated, the pouch accessory  30  includes one or more pouches  40  configured to hold small items  42 , such as fasteners, clips, and the like. By way of non-limiting examples, the small items  42  may be nails, screws, bolts, and the like. In the embodiment illustrated, the pouch accessory  30  includes a first pouch  44  adjacent the toolbelt  20 , and a second pouch  46  attached to the first pouch  44 . However, this is not a requirement. 
       FIG. 1  also depicts a removable cover assembly  50  that may be used to close one or more of the pouches  40  (see  FIG. 2 ). For ease of illustration, the cover assembly  50  will be described as being used with the second pouch  46 . However, this is not a requirement. The second pouch  46  may be implemented as a conventional nail bag or pouch. 
     Returning to  FIG. 2 , in the embodiment illustrated, the second pouch  46  has one or more sidewalls  60 . The one or more sidewalls  60  have one or more inwardly facing surfaces  61  opposite one or more outwardly facing surfaces  62 . The one or more sidewalls  60  have an open upper portion  68  that at least partially define an opening  66  into which the worker  10  (see  FIG. 1 ) may insert a hand  12  (see  FIG. 1 ) to retrieve one or more of the small items  42 . In the embodiment illustrated, the opening  66  has a shape that is generally oval. The open upper portion  68  is opposite a lower portion  69  near a closed bottom portion  70  of the second pouch  46 . The one or more sidewalls  60  may be constructed from fabric (e.g., woven nylon), leather, and the like. The one or more sidewalls  60  may be flexible, deformable, and the like. 
     The one or more sidewalls  60  and the closed bottom portion  70  define an interior  72  in which the small items  42  may be stored. Unfortunately, as the worker  10  (see  FIG. 1 ) moves around and/or withdraws the hand  12  (see  FIG. 1 ) from the second pouch  46 , some of the items  42  may fall from the opening  66  of the second pouch  46 . Referring to  FIG. 3 , to avoid this problem, the removable cover assembly  50  may be used to partially close or reduce the size of the opening  66  of the second pouch  46 . 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the cover assembly  50 . The cover assembly  50  includes an upper web  100 , a frame assembly  102 , and optional clips  150 . In the embodiment illustrated, the frame assembly  102  includes a body member  110 , an anchor member  120 , and optional fasteners  140 . 
     The web  100  includes a central portion  160  with an opening or slit  162  configured to allow the hand  12  (see  FIG. 5 ) of the worker  10  (see  FIG. 5 ) to pass therethrough. In the embodiment illustrated, the slit  162  has a first end  164  opposite a second end  166 . Optionally, the slit  162  may be larger at its first and second ends  164  and  166 . The web  100  has a peripheral portion  168  that surrounds the central portion  160 . Optionally, openings  170  may be formed in peripheral portion  168 . In  FIG. 4 , the peripheral portion  168  is illustrated bent downwardly such that the peripheral portion  168  extends downwardly from the central portion  160 . However, as is apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, the web  100  may be formed from a flat piece of material that is bent or folded as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The web  100  may be deformable, flexible, stretchable, elastic, and/or pliable. By way of a non-limiting example, the web  100  may be constructed from a sheet of rubber and/or similar materials. 
     The peripheral portion  168  of the web  100  is coupled to the frame assembly  102 , which is configured to be at least partially inserted into the opening  66  (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) of the second pouch  46  (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). The frame assembly  102  may be substantially cylindrical in shape and sufficiently rigid to press against the opening  66  causing the opening  66  to conform to the outer shape of the frame assembly  102 . In the embodiment illustrated, the frame assembly  102  has a substantially oval shaped cross-sectional shape. 
     As mentioned above, in the embodiment illustrated, the frame assembly  102  includes the body member  110 , the anchor member  120 , and the optional fasteners  140 . The body member  110  is configured to slide into the second pouch  46  (see  FIG. 2 ) and be positioned against the one or more inwardly facing surfaces  61  (see  FIG. 2 ) of the one or more sidewalls  60  (see  FIG. 2 ) of the second pouch  46 . Friction between the body member  110  and the one or more sidewalls  60  may help maintain the cover assembly  50  inside the second pouch  46 . In the embodiment illustrated, the body member  110  is generally cylindrical in shape. The lateral cross-sectional shape is substantially identical to the shape of the opening  66 , which in the embodiment illustrated is generally oval. 
     The body member  110  has an open upper portion  112  opposite an open lower portion  114 . When the body member  110  is inserted into the second pouch  46  (see  FIG. 3 ), the open upper portion  112  is positioned near or adjacent the opening  66  (see  FIG. 3 ), and the open lower portion  114  is positioned deeper inside the interior  72  (see  FIG. 3 ) of the second pouch  46 . 
     The body member  110  has an outwardly facing surface  116  that faces the one or more inwardly facing surfaces  61  (see  FIG. 2 ) of the one or more sidewalls  60  (see  FIG. 2 ). The outwardly facing surface  116  is opposite an inwardly facing surface  118 . Optionally, through-holes  119  may extend between the outwardly and inwardly facing surfaces  116  and  118 . In the embodiment illustrated, the optional through-holes  119  are formed in the open upper portion  112  of the body member  110 . 
     The body member  110  is rigid or semi-rigid to help maintains its outer shape, which in the example embodiment illustrated is substantially cylindrical. However, the body member  110  may be compressed or deformed by the sidewalls  60  of the second pouch  46  and/or forces applied thereto. By way of a non-limiting example, the body member  110  may be constructed from leather and/or similar materials. For example, the body member  110  may be constructed from a strip of leather curved into a ring or oval shape. 
     The anchor member  120  may be generally ring-shaped or oval-shaped. While the anchor member  120  is illustrated as being a continuous oval-shaped ring, in alternate embodiments, the anchor member  120  may be discontinuous and include a gap (no shown). In such embodiments, the anchor member  120  may be squeezed or compressed to narrow the gap or stretched to enlarge the gap. Thus, the outer shape of the anchor member  120  may be adjusted to accommodate different pouches, and facilitate assembly of the cover assembly  50 . By way of a non-limiting example, the anchor member  120  may be constructed from aluminum and/or similar materials. The anchor member  120  and/or the body member  110  may be constructed from sufficiently wear resistant materials (e.g., pliable plastic) such that when the web  100  wears out, the web  100  may be replaced without also replacing the anchor member  120 , the body member  110 , and/or the optional fasteners  140 . While particular materials have been described as being suitable for constructing the various components of the cover assembly  50 , those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that through application of ordinary skill in the art to the present teachings, alternate materials may be used and the cover assembly  50  is not limited to being constructed from any of the materials described herein. 
     The anchor member  120  has an outwardly facing surface  122  opposite and inwardly facing surface  124 . In the embodiment illustrated, optional through-holes  126  extend between the outwardly and inwardly facing surfaces  122  and  124 . 
     The optional fasteners  140  may include rivets, screws, bolts, nuts, and the like. By way of a non-limiting example, the optional fasteners  140  may be implemented using Chicago screws. In embodiments that do not include the optional fasteners  140 , other means of fastening the body member  110 , the peripheral portion  168  of the web  100 , and the anchor member  120  together, such as adhesives may be used. 
     The optional clips  150  each have an anchor portion  152  connected by a bent portion  154  to free end portion  156 . The anchor portion  152  is configured to be positioned alongside the outwardly facing surface  116  of the body member  110 . 
     In the embodiment illustrated, the optional clips  150  each include a though-hole  158  configured to receive one of the optional fasteners  140 . Each of the though-holes  158  may be aligned with a different one of the though-holes  119  formed in the body member  110 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , each of the optional clips  150  is configured to receive the open upper portion  68  of the one or more sidewalls  60  of the second pouch  46 . The optional clips  150  grip at least a portion of the one or more sidewalls  60  and help maintain the cover assembly  50  inside the second pouch  46 . 
     Returning to  FIG. 4 , to assemble the cover assembly  50 , the peripheral portion  168  of the web  100  is wrapped around the outwardly facing surface  122  of the anchor member  120  to form a subassembly. In embodiments that include the openings  170  in the peripheral portion  168  of the web  100  and the through-holes  126  formed in the anchor member  120 , the openings  170  are aligned with the through-holes  126 . Alternatively, the openings  170  may be formed by the optional fasteners  140 . 
     The subassembly is inserted into the body member  110 , and the anchor member  120  is positioned alongside the open upper portion  112  of the body member  110  with the peripheral portion  168  of the web  100  sandwiched between the anchor member  120  and the body member  110 . In embodiments that include the through-holes  126  and the through-holes  119  formed in the body member  110 , the through-holes  126  are aligned with the through-holes  119 . Optionally, at least a portion of the optional fasteners  140  may be used to couple the peripheral portion  168  of the web  100 , the anchor member  120 , and the body member  110  together. 
     Next, the optional clips  150  may be positioned adjacent the open upper portion  112  of the body member  110 . In embodiments of the body member  110  that include the through-holes  119  and embodiments of the optional clips  150  that each include the though-hole  158 , the though-hole  158  of each of the optional clips  150  is aligned with a different one of the through-holes  119 . Finally, one of the optional fasteners  140  may be used to couple each of the optional clips  150  to the body member  110 , the peripheral portion  168  of the web  100 , and the anchor member  120 . 
     After the cover assembly  50  is assembled, the cover assembly  50  may be coupled to the second pouch  46  as illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 5 . Referring to  FIG. 3 , this may be achieved by inserting the open lower portion  114  (see  FIG. 4 ) of the body member  110  into the opening  66  of the second pouch  46  until the open upper portion  68  of the one or more sidewalls  60  of the second pouch  46  are gripped by the optional clips  150 . The web  100  and/or the frame assembly  102  (see  FIG. 4 ) at least partially close the opening  66  such that the interior  72  of the second pouch  46  is accessible only through the slit  162  formed in the web  100 . The slit  162  may be positioned near or adjacent the opening  66  of the second pouch  46 . In the embodiment illustrated, the slit  162  is approximately centered inside the opening  66 . 
     The small items  42  may be placed inside the second pouch  46  before the cover assembly  50  is coupled to the second pouch  46 . Alternatively, the small items  42  may be placed inside the second pouch  46  though the slit  162 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the worker  10  may retrieve the small items  42  from the second pouch  46  by inserting the hand  12  into the second pouch  46  through the slit  162 . 
     The cover assembly  50  may be removed from the second pouch  46  by gripping the cover assembly  50  and lifting it out of the second pouch  46 . This will disengage the optional clips  150  from the one or more sidewalls  60 . 
     The foregoing described embodiments depict different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. 
     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). 
     Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.