Abstract:
A carabiner tool assembly is provided. The tool assembly comprises in one embodiment a body portion for storing a tool having a longitudinal length and a carabiner assembly. The body portion comprises an outside shell forming an interior chamber and an opening extending through the outside shell through to the interior chamber, the opening being sized to be only slightly larger than needed to pass the tool through in a direction along the longitudinal length of the tool. The carabiner assembly comprises a first leg having a selectively openable gate assembly, the first leg extending from a first section of the body portion. A second leg extends from a second section of the body portion and a third leg extends between and connects the first and second legs, wherein the first, second and third legs of the carabiner assembly define another opening. The carabiner assembly can also have only two legs.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates generally to carabiner-type attachment devices, and more particularly, to a carabiner-type attachment device having further use as a standard tool, such as, but not limited to, a tape measure or a screwdriver/allan wrench.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Carabiners have long been in use for providing a means for attaching articles to each other. Such devices have numerous applications, such as for example enabling articles to be quickly and easily secured to a backpack, purse, handbag, key chain, belt loop, utility belt, or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,266 discloses a typical carabiner-type attachment device.  
         [0003]     It is also known that combination tools are useful. For example, the Swiss Army knife concept of taking a known item, such as a knife, and enhancing it through the incorporation of various types of other tools, such as, screwdrivers, combs, toothpicks, scissors, tweezers, eating utensils, can openers, and the like has been around for years. In some instances it has even been known to combine specific types of tools, such as knives and flashlights, as part of the standard construction of a carabiner; i.e., as one of the three legs of the carabiner body (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,270,909 and 6,223,372 and www.demstore.com and www.branders.com). It has further been known to combine a carabiner attachment device with standard items used everyday by individuals, such as radios (see U.S. Design Pat. No. D459,338), compasses (see www.advantageindustries.com), and watches and chronometers (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,527,434 and U.S. Design Pat. No. D469,023 and www.promoplace.com).  
         [0004]     Such prior art, while useful in their own right for achieving their specific purposes, are simply not what is disclosed in the subject invention, and so have no adverse bearing thereon.  
         [0005]     As it is thus desirable to have the above types of items/tools made easily attachable/detachable to other items through the use of a carabiner-type construction, it would also be desirable to have items/tools such as a tape measure and an interchangeable head screwdriver/allan wrench made easily attachable/detachable through use of a carabiner-type attachment mechanism.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     In accordance with the invention, a carabiner tool assembly is provided. The tool assembly comprises in one embodiment a body portion for storing a tool having a longitudinal length and a carabiner assembly. The body portion comprises an outside shell forming an interior chamber and an opening extending through the outside shell through to the interior chamber, the opening being sized to be only slightly larger than needed to pass the tool through in a direction along the longitudinal length of the tool. The carabiner assembly comprises a first leg having a selectively openable gate assembly, the first leg extending from a first section of the body portion. A second leg extends from a second section of the body portion and a third leg extends between and connects the first and second legs, wherein the first, second and third legs of the carabiner assembly define another opening. The carabiner assembly can also have only two legs.  
         [0007]     It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved tool assembly.  
         [0008]     It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved tool assembly having a carabiner-type attaching mechanism.  
         [0009]     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved tool assembly wherein the tool is a screwdriver having a carabiner-type handle assembly.  
         [0010]     Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved tool assembly wherein the screwdriver comprises a plurality of interchangeable screwdriver heads, and/or allan wrench-type bit heads.  
         [0011]     It is still an additional object of the invention to provide an improved tool assembly wherein the tool is a tape measure having a carabiner-type handle assembly.  
         [0012]     Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the following description.  
         [0013]     The invention accordingly comprises assemblies possessing the features, properties and the relation of components which will be exemplified in the products hereinafter described, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of the tool assembly of the present invention, showing in cut out the plurality of screwdriver heads in the body;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a bottom plan view of the tool assembly of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the tool assembly of the present invention, showing in cut out the measuring tape in the body; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a bottom plan view of the tool assembly of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]     In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide a better understanding of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to one having ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known features may be omitted or simplified so as not to obscure the present invention. Furthermore, reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment,” if any, in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.  
         [0020]     Referring now to the figures, it is seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2  that a tool assembly  10  is provided. Tool assembly  10  is comprised of body section  20  and carabiner-type handle section  50 .  
         [0021]     Body section  20  is of a cylindrical/bulbous shape, which shape allows it to store therein a tool  80 . Tool  80  in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  comprises a plurality of screwdriver heads. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of screwdriver heads is four (4) screwdriver heads  82 ,  84 ,  86  and  88  (hereinafter “ 82 - 88 ”), with two of these heads being flat head screwdrivers and the other two being philips head screwdrivers. For purposes of the figures, it makes no difference which of heads  82 - 88  are flat and which are philips. It is further to be understood that of the two flat head screwdrivers and two philips head screwdrivers, one will be smaller while the other is larger. This “size” differentiation between the screwdriver heads  82 - 88  does not refer to the length of the screwdriver head, and also does not refer to the width of the screwdriver head, but instead refers to the size of the tips of the flat and philips head portions, so that different size screw heads are more easily accommodated. In another embodiment heads  82 - 88  may comprise allan wrench-type tips or other tips known in the art, and/or a combination of screwdriver heads and allan wrench-type bit heads.  
         [0022]     Body  20  also has an opening  90  extending therethrough from its outside surface to the inner chamber thereof. For purposes of interchangeable placement into opening  90  of body  20 , heads  82 - 88  are all of substantially the same longitudinal length L and width W. In this way, head  82  may be placed into opening  90  of body  20  for use in attending to insertion or removal of a screw, and then once the screw is all the way in or all the way out, head  82  can be removed from opening  90  and head  86  can substitute therefore, when, for example, a larger or smaller thread size is needed for a larger or smaller threaded screw, or if one needs to switch from a philips/flat head to a flat/philips head, or to an allan wrench-type head.  
         [0023]     Heads  82 - 88  are held within opening  90  in manners known in the art; for example, by octagonal or hexagonally shaping the width W of these heads to correspond to the walls of opening  90  having a similar receiving shape (not shown). Raised nubs  92  may be placed on one, or multiple, of the flat surfaces of the longitudinal length of the portion of heads  82 - 88  that go into opening  90 , in order to retain the heads within opening  90 , as is also known in the art.  
         [0024]     Finally regarding body  20  of tool assembly  10  of the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , plurality of heads  80  may be received onto/into a slidable drawer  94 . Drawer  94  is designed to hold all of the plurality of heads  80 , and is able to be selectively slid into and out of body  20  for secure holding within body  20  of the heads, or for removal of the heads from body  20  for use in opening  90 , respectively. It is to be understood that the invention is also meant to cover other manners of storing plurality of heads  80  within body  20  of tool assembly  10 . Such other types of constructions might consist of providing a pivotable door that opens outwardly (not shown) from one side of body  20  for access into the interior chamber of body  20  where heads  80  are stored between their various usages. Yet another type of construction for access into the interior chamber of body  20  to remove and/or replace heads  80  would be to use a sliding door (not shown) on one, or both, sides of body  20 . Other similar types of constructions are anticipated herein.  
         [0025]     It is also to be understood herein that the tool may be comprised solely of one tool bit received within opening  90 . In this regard, if the tool is a screwdriver head, it can be either a flat or philips head bit, or a dual-head screwdriver bit having screwdriver heads on either side, as for example, two flat heads or two philips heads or even a flat head on one side and a philips head on the other side. The tool can even be in the form of an allan wrench-type bit head, or a dual-sided allan wrench-type bit head. In such an embodiment, no storage component is anticipated, although one might exist.  
         [0026]     Turning now to the embodiment of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , we are again faced with tool assembly  10  having a body portion  20  and a carabiner-type handle portion  50 . In this embodiment, however, tool  80 ′ is a measuring tape. Measuring tape  80 ′ is located within body  20  in the inner chamber and is preferably rotatably mounted around a dowel  96 .  
         [0027]     In this embodiment of tool assembly  10 , it is anticipated that the assembly operate as a typical tape measure, whereby the spool of measuring tape  80 ′ has a leading edge  100  extending out from an opening  90  in body  20  and that a user of assembly  10  will simply need to pull on leading edge  100  in the normal use of a tape measure. In this embodiment, opening  90  is sized so as to just allow the longitudinal length of measuring tape  80 ′ to extend therethrough, yet being smaller in size than the size of an end cap  102  on leading edge  100 . In this way, end cap  102  acts as a full retraction prevention device since it prevents leading edge  100  from automatically retracting all the way into the inner chamber of body  20  once measuring tape  80 ′ is released.  
         [0028]     It is further understood herein that tool assembly  10  may comprise another retraction prevention device  94  located along an outside surface of body  20  which, as is known in the art, will exert pressure onto/against measuring tape  80 ′ to prevent it from automatically retracting around dowel  96  when tape  80 ′ is released by a user. Other constructions of a standard operating tape measure are anticipated herein.  
         [0029]     It is also anticipated herein that tool assembly  10  can be made of any of the well known standard materials for making the same, including metal, metal alloys, rigid plastics, and/or other such known materials.  
         [0030]     It is also to be understood herein that assembly  10  will in its normal construction be made from two separate halves  12  and  14  that are adhered together in manners known in the art for adhering such materials as metals and/plastics; such as, but not limited to, using adhesives and/or screws. While body  20  may be so sealed together, it is understood that opening  90  is not sealed, and instead allows receipt of tools  80  and  80 ′ therethrough.  
         [0031]     Turning now to a discussion of carabiner-type handle assembly  50 , it will be seen that carabiner  50  in a preferred embodiment has a first leg  60 , a second leg  70 , and a third leg  74 . First leg  60  has gate assembly  62  extending therealong as an integral part thereof. Gate  62  is constructed in the known ways of making carabiner gates which are automatically closable upon release, including using spring-loaded mechanisms or a flexible gate construction. If using a flexible gate construction, arm  61  of gate  62  is molded of a flexible material having a “memory” for its starting position, so that after arm  61  is bent and gate  62  is opened, arm  61  will return to the closed position after it is released by the user. In these particular embodiments, pivot element  64  of gate assembly  62  is on portions of first leg  60  closer to body  20  than to third leg  74 . In this manner, gate assembly  62  opens closer to third leg  74  allowing for easier attachment of assembly  10  onto such items as belt loops, utility belts, handbags, etc., as well as removal thereof.  
         [0032]     Unless otherwise expressly indicated, when used throughout this document the term “substantially” shall have the meaning, “being largely but not wholly that which is specified.” See,  Webster&#39;s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary,  Merriam-Webster Inc., 1989. Hence, applicant is not using the term “substantially” to denote “considerable quantity” or “significantly large,” but is instead using the term as a qualifier/minimizer of a term. For example, in the phrase “the head portion is substantially above the body portion,” “substantially above” is meant to indicate that most of the head portion is located above the body portion, but there might be some of the head portion located in planes with the body portion, or even below parts of the body portion. As a further example, the phrase “substantially hollow,” is meant to indicate that the item is almost totally hollow, but there might be small areas where it is not. These examples are meant to be illustrative of the meaning to be attributed to the term “substantially” as used throughout this document, even if these particular phrases are not found herein.  
         [0033]     It is also to be understood that when used throughout this document the phrase “at least one” is meant to mean one or more.  
         [0034]     It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained, and since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.  
         [0035]     It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.