Abstract:
A hand-held tool for piercing and scraping includes a handle with a short wedge-shaped blade having a pointed end for concentrating tearing forces for piercing, and a large radius tapering away from the pointed end for scraping. A thumb-rest portion is located a short distance from the handle to facilitate use of a thumb to grip and tear away packaging. The tool can also be used to scrape off sticky price labels or to clean grime, while minimizing scratching due to its plastic construction. A flexible cap can be slipped over the blade portion to protect and keep it clean. The cap can be removed and placed in the handle when using the tool, and easily removed again by pushing down on either end of the cap to raise the opposite end for grasping. The blade and handle can be injection molded as one piece from a high strength plastic.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to hand-held tools for use in performing piercing and scraping functions. In particular, the present invention relates to a hand-held tool that can be used to pierce blister-type packages and sealed bottle caps, and that can also be used to scrape away labels and grime from surfaces. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   It is common in the pharmaceutical industry to package individual pills in blister-type packaging as an alternative to bottle-type bulk packaging. However, some individuals have difficulty opening such blister-type packages to remove the pills therefrom using only their fingers. These individuals often struggle with pushing their finger or thumbnails into the foil of the blister-type packages, or pressing the blister of the packaging until the pills themselves push through the foil. To solve this problem, such individuals often resort to using common household utensils, such as knives or other pointed objects, to aid in piercing the blister-type packages. 
   However, when knives are used to pierce through a blister-type package or bottle seal, the knife can be awkward and dangerous to handle. A metal knife can also leave scratch marks when using the knife as a scraper to remove adhesive labels, grime or other materials from a surface. Also, in order to maintain control of a knife being used for these purposes, the user is sometimes tempted to grasp the blade of the knife to reduce the distance to the work being performed. While this does increase the control of the knife blade while trying to open or scrape something, it is also more dangerous. 
   Thumbnails are also sometimes employed to accomplish piercing and scraping tasks with varying degrees of success. Depending on the nature of the work or how much such work is done, this can be quite abusive to the thumbnail. 
   Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a need for an improved hand-held tool for performing piercing and scraping functions while maintaining precise control, to avoid having to use a knife or thumbnail. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hand-held tool for piercing and scraping that solves the problems described above and the other disadvantages inherent in using a knife or thumbnail to perform piercing and scraping functions. 
   It is a further object to provide a hand-held tool for piercing and scraping that is economical to manufacture, effective for a wide variety of intended uses, efficient and durable in use, capable of a long operating life, and particularly well suited for use in removing articles, such as pills, from blister-type packaging. 
   In order to realize the objects and advantages set forth above, the Applicant has developed a unique hand-held tool that can both safely and easily pierce sealed bottle caps on bottles and individually packaged pills on a sheet of blister-type packaging, and that can be used to rub off sticky price labels on gifts or clean a surface by scraping grime while minimizing scratching. After piercing a package, a user&#39;s thumb can be used to grip the torn paper and/or foil packaging against a flat area of the blade and pull off the seal. The pointed or curved area of the tip can be used as required to rub or scrape. 
   The hand-held tool of the present invention provides a convenient and safe way for senior citizens and others who have difficulty opening blister-type packaging to do so. The tool can also be used for removal by scraping away price labels on gifts and other cleaning uses, while minimizing scratching due to the tool being molded of plastic material. 
   The tool is small enough to fit comfortably in the palm of a person&#39;s hand and can be stored in a purse, on a hook on the wall, or in a desk drawer. A removable protective cap that can be stored in the handle is also provided. The tool has a slightly raised, flat surface that creates a bordered area onto which an advertising logo can be imprinted. The cost of the device is low enough to be given away as a promotional product or sold at retail. 
   According to a broad aspect of the present invention, a hand-held tool is provided for piercing and scraping, comprising: a handle; a wedge-shaped blade protruding from the handle, the blade having a pointed end for piercing and an edge for scraping; and a removable flexible cap that fits over the wedge-shaped blade to protect and keep the blade clean. 
   According to another broad aspect of the present invention, a hand-held tool is provided, comprising a handle, a blade, and a removable flexible cap for covering and protecting the blade. The handle has a hollow body with a generally rectangular block-shaped configuration with front and rear ends, top and bottom sides, and left and right sides. The bottom side is substantially open to reveal an interior space of the hollow body. The handle is sized to fit comfortably within a user&#39;s hand. The blade protrudes from the front end of the handle and has a rounded portion adjacent to the front end of the handle, a flat thumb-rest portion protruding from the rounded portion, a scraper edge extending along at least a portion of an outer periphery of the flat thumb-rest portion, and a pointed end formed at a front tip of the blade. The thumb-rest portion is arranged such that a user&#39;s thumb can be pressed against it to grip and tear away packaging after piercing with the pointed end of the blade. The blade is shorter in length than the handle. The cap has an inner dimension that allows the cap to fit snugly over the rounded portion of the blade, and an outer dimension that allows the cap to fit snugly within the interior space of the hollow body. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more clearly appreciated as the disclosure of the invention is made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: 
       FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a hand-held tool for piercing and scraping according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of the tool shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a blade of the tool shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the tool with dashed lines showing centrally located ribs. 
       FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the tool showing, among other things, an area for displaying a logo. 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged front end view of the tool according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of the tool according to the present invention, showing the tool in use puncturing a blister pack to retrieve a pill therefrom. 
       FIG. 8  is a side perspective view of the tool according to the present invention, showing the tool in use scraping off a sticky price label. 
       FIG. 9  is a side view showing the tool with a protective cap installed over the blade. 
       FIG. 10  is an exploded bottom perspective view showing the tool of the present invention with its protective cap. 
       FIG. 11  is a side view of the tool with dashed lines showing the protective cap positioned within the handle. 
       FIG. 12  is a side view of the tool with dashed lines showing the protective cap being pivoted in a teeter totter-type fashion within the handle. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   A hand-held tool  16  for piercing and scraping according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 12  of the accompanying drawings. 
   The hand-held tool  16  according to the present invention and method of using the same will first be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 6 . The tool  16  has a handle  28  and a wedge-shaped blade  18  protruding from the handle  28 . The blade  18  has a pointed end  20  with a small radius of approximately 0.03 inch for concentrating tearing forces for piercing blister-type packaging, plastic bags, sealed caps on containers, and other similar tasks. The pointed end  20  is also suitable for cleaning grime from corners, such as on sink faucets, window corners, and other areas that require a small scraping tool. The tool  16  is preferably molded from a tough plastic, such as polycarbonate, for lasting durability when used appropriately. 
   The handle  28  comprises a hollow body having a generally rectangular block-shaped configuration with front and rear ends  22   a ,  22   b , top and bottom sides  22   c ,  22   d , and left and right sides  22   e ,  22   f . The bottom side  22   d  of the handle is substantially open to reveal an interior space  32  of the hollow body. The handle  28  is sized to fit comfortably within a user&#39;s hand. 
   The blade  18  has a rounded portion  43  adjacent to the front end  22   a  of the handle  28 , and a flat thumb-rest portion  21  protruding forwardly from the rounded portion  43 . A scraper edge  40  extends along an outer periphery of the flat thumb-rest portion  21 . The pointed end  20  of the blade  18  is formed at a front tip of the blade  18 . The thumb-rest portion  21  is arranged such that a user&#39;s thumb can be conveniently pressed against the thumb-rest portion  21 , while the handle  28  is held in the palm of the user&#39;s hand, to grip and tear away packaging after piercing with the pointed end  20  of the blade  18 . The blade  18  is shorter in its overall length than the handle  28 . 
   The scraping edge  40  comprises a generally straight first portion  40   a  adjacent to the rounded portion  43 . The first portion  40   a  extends approximately parallel to a longitudinal axis of the handle  28 . The scraping edge  40  also has an arcuate second portion  40   b  adjacent to the first portion  40   a , and a generally straight third portion  40   c  extending between the arcuate second portion  40   b  and the pointed end  20 . The third portion  40   c  extends at an obtuse angle of approximately 120 degrees relative to the first portion  40   a  of the scraping edge  40 . The arcuate second portion  40   b  of the scraping edge  40  provides a continuous transition from the first portion  40   a  to the third portion  40   c.    
   A removable flexible cap  51 , shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , fits over the blade  18  to protect and keep the blade  18  clean. The cap  51  has an inner dimension that fits snugly over the rounded portion  43  of the blade  18 . The cap  51  has an outer dimension that fits snugly within the interior space  32  of the hollow body of the handle  28 . 
   To increase the durability of the tool  16 , the third portion  40   c  of the scraping edge  40  is bordered on a side opposite from the thumb-rest portion  21  by a flat edge  39  (see  FIG. 3 ). The flat edge  39  is approximately 0.02 inch thick and also is angled back slightly (i.e., about 15 degrees) from perpendicular to the flat area of the thumb-rest portion  21 . The flat edge  39  is angled back to allow the scraping edge  40  to be somewhat sharper and to prevent the scraping edge  40  from being tipped up from a surface during scraping, as would be the case if the flat edge  39  was not angled back. Thus, the tool  16  when used for scraping can be rocked back 15 degrees from perpendicular to the work before the vertex created between the flat edge  39  and the wedge  38  contacts the work and rocks the scraping edge  40  up slightly. This would reduce the effectiveness of the scraping action and is the primary reason the flat edge  39  is angled back. 
   The thumb-rest portion  21  is positioned a short distance from the handle  28  to allow precise control, as compared to what a longer blade would offer, and to enable a person&#39;s thumb to clamp down on the flat area of the thumb-rest portion  21 . The ability to hold the handle  28  in a person&#39;s hand and still have the thumb free to clamp down on frayed packaging after piercing with the pointed end  20  and tear it back to expose the contents is what makes the proximity of the thumb-rest portion  21  to the handle  28  so important. 
   The wedge  38  slopes back toward the handle  28  at an angle of about 55 degrees from perpendicular to the flat area of the thumb-rest portion  21  for easy piercing of packaging. The third portion  40   c  of the scraping edge  40  in the plan view of  FIG. 5  angles back toward the handle  28  at an angle of approximately 30 degrees from parallel to the front boss area  36  that protrudes from the front of the handle  35  (i.e., the third portion  40   c  is angled 120 degrees from the first portion  40   a ). This provides a comfortable position holding the handle  28  when using edge  40  for scraping price labels from gifts, tape from windows, or other scraping tasks. 
   The arcuate second portion  40   b  of the scraping edge  40  has a relatively large radius (e.g., approximately 0.30 inch in the preferred embodiment). The arcuate second portion  40   b  blends the third portion  40   c  at the front of the scraping edge  40  into the first portion  40   a  at the rear thereof. The first portion  40   a  of the scraping edge  40  is disposed perpendicular to the front boss area  36 . The large radius of the arcuate second portion  40   b  of the scraping edge  40  is well suited for the concentrated scraping required in some applications. The flat edge  37 , which is formed on a back side of the arcuate second portion  40   b  of the cutting edge  40 , sweeps from 0 degrees to 15 degrees to match the flat edge  39 . A portion  29  having a variable radius blends the pointed end  20  with the wedge  38  and the rounded portion  43 . 
   A shallow depression  41  is formed in the thumb-rest portion  21  of the blade  18 . The shallow depression  41  aids in the removal of pills from a blister-type package by allowing a person&#39;s thumb to pin a pill in the shallow depression  41  and remove it from the blister-type package after piercing the package and tearing back the seal. The perimeter of the thumb-rest area  21  is left without a radius to allow the edges to remain sharp for tearing seals and bags after piercing, and so the edges are also sharp for scraping as required. 
   The rounded portion  43  has a generally cylindrical shape so that the protective cap  51 , shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , can slip over the rounded portion  43  and remain in place due to the somewhat snug slip fit between them. The bottom  30  of the rounded portion  43  remains a full radius between the variable radius portion  29  and the required coring  31  to facilitate the protective cap  51  staying in place. The coring  31  is required so the injection molding process does not leave sink marks on the part, and the molding cycle time will also be reduced. A spherical portion  42  is provided between a front end of the rounded portion  43  and a rear end of the thumb-rest portion  21  to help keep the thumb-rest portion  21  from protruding too far into a package pierced by the pointed end  20  of the blade  18 . 
   A logo area  23  is provided on the top side  22   c  of the handle  28 . The logo area  23  is raised about 0.015 inch from the top side  22   c  of the handle  28  to give a nice border for printing an advertisement or other visual indicia on the tool  16 . The back  24  of the top side  22   c  of the handle  28  also sets the logo area  23  apart from the hole  25  to help highlight the logo area  23 . The hole  25 , which is located in a lowered step at the rear area  27  of the handle  28 , is suitable for hanging the tool  16  from a hook on a wall or from a key chain. The rear handle radii  26  serve to provide a comfortable feel when gripping the handle  28  of the tool  16  in a user&#39;s hand while using the present invention. 
   The interior space  32  allows the protective cap  51 , shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , to be stored there when using the tool  16 . A pair of centrally located centering ribs  33  protrude from each of the right and left sides of the hollow body of the handle  28  into the interior space  32  for squeezing and holding the cap  51  in place. A pair of cross ribs protrude from the top side of the hollow body of the handle  28  into the interior space  32 . The centrally located ribs  33  taper approximately three degrees each as they extend toward the cross ribs  34 . The progressive narrowing of the centrally located ribs  33  squeeze the protective cap  51  and hold it in place. The protective cap  51  lays flat on the cross ribs  34  when the cap  51  is fully inserted into the interior space  32 . 
   The parting line  45  for the handle  28  is on the same plane as the flat area of the thumb-rest portion  21  in the preferred embodiment. Other parting lines could be incorporated into different embodiments of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 7 and 8  show the tool  16  of the present invention in actual use. In  FIG. 7 , the tool  16  has pierced a pill pack  47  and the frayed seal  46  is ready to be torn back by clamping on the frayed seal  46  with a person&#39;s thumb against the thumb-rest portion  21  and tearing it back while holding the handle  28  in the person&#39;s hand. In  FIG. 8 , the present invention is shown scraping a price label  49  off a gift  48 . The perimeter of the thumb-rest portion  21  is being used to remove the price label  49 . The contours of the thumb-rest portion  21  permit the handle  28  to be held at angles that allow easy viewing of the work area. The radii around the handle  50  make for a comfortable grip on the handle  28 . 
   The use and storage of the protective cap  51  will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 9 to 12 .  FIG. 9  shows the protective cap  51  installed over the rounded portion  43  of the blade  18  and butting up against the front boss area  36  of the handle  28 . The protective cap  51  keeps the surfaces of the blade  18  clean when in a desk drawer or a purse, for example. The protective cap  51  also serves to keep the pointed end  20  from making a hole in a pocket or purse or in other places it may be stored. From a cosmetic point of view, a protective cap  51  having a different color than the rest of the tool  16  will enhance the overall appearance. The normal molding material for the present invention would be a transparent color of polycarbonate, and the protective cap  51  would normally be dip molded from an opaque PVC. 
     FIG. 10  is an exploded view of the protective cap  51  over the interior space  32  that the protective cap  51  can be placed into.  FIG. 11  shows the protective cap  51  installed in the interior space  32  of the handle  28  laying flat on the cross ribs  34 . In this position, the flexible protective cap  51  is being squeezed slightly by the centrally located ribs  33  and is fully above the bottom side  22   d  of the handle  28 . The front of the interior space  52  and the rear of the interior space  53  provide sufficient room for the protective cap  51 . The size of the interior space  32  and the protective cap  51  are such that if the protective cap  51  is placed in the interior space  32  at the forward limit so that the protective cap  51  touches the front  52  of the interior space  32 , the centrally located ribs  33  will still be able to squeeze the flexible protective cap  51  to hold it in place. The same is true if the protective cap  51  is placed in the interior space  32  at the rear limit so that the protective cap  51  touches the rear  53  of the interior space  32 . 
     FIG. 12  shows the protective cap  51  being pushed down toward the underside  55  of the top side  22   c  of the handle  28  prior to being removed. The cross ribs  34  each provide a fulcrum about which the protective cap  51  can be pivoted in a teeter totter fashion. The protective cap  51  can be pushed down and pivoted about the cross ribs  34  in a teeter totter fashion into either the forward or rear area of the underside  55  of the top side  22   c  of the handle  28 . This would make the opposite end of the protective cap  51  raise up, thereby facilitating easy removal from the interior space  32 . The protective cap  51  can be placed in the handle  28  with the rounded end thereof facing the forward or rear areas of the interior space  32 . 
   The hand-held tool  16  described above provides a piercing and scraping device that can be used as an alternative to a person&#39;s thumbnail, particularly when certain tasks would impose stress and/or abrasion to the thumbnail, thereby saving the thumbnail from possible abuse. 
   While the invention has been specifically described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.