Patent Publication Number: US-2013234458-A1

Title: Zipper pulling tool

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/603,167, filed Feb. 24, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a handheld tool adapted for pulling zippers in hard-to-reach places or having sliders that are difficult to manually grip. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Various zipper pull tools are disclosed in the patent literature. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,996 discloses a telescoping tool with a spring clip. Despite the advantages of prior art zipper pulls, opportunities exist for various improvements in function and design of such tools. 
     SUMMARY 
     A zipper pull tool may include a telescoping handle comprising at least three sections of different diameters nested in sliding relationship to one another, a clamp attached adjacent to a first end of a largest-diameter section of the at least three sections, and resilient button assemblies. A respective one of the button assemblies may be attached adjacent to ends of at least two of the at least three sections. The camp may be, or may include, an alligator clip. The largest-diameter section may include an interior space holding the clamp in a folded position 
     The zipper pull tool may further include spring button receivers (e.g., through holes) at opposite ends of at least two of the at least three sections. The button receivers may be positioned in the at least three sections, such that each of the at least two sections is lockable in a collapsed configuration relative to another one of the at least three sections, using a receiver at a first end of the another one of the at least three sections. In addition, the button receivers may be positioned in the at least three sections, such that each of the at least two sections is lockable in an extended configuration relative to the another one of the at least three sections, using a receiver at a second end of the another one of the at least three sections. Thus, any one of the telescoping sections is lockable in an open or extending position relative to other sections of the tool handle. 
     The zipper pull tool may further include a swivel assembly interposed between the clamp and the largest-diameter section. The zipper pull tool may further include a swivel assembly interposed between at least two adjacent ones of the at least three sections, or a swivel assembly interposed between each of the at least three sections. The swivel assembly may include a friction fit swivel holding the swivel at any user-adjusted angle. The swivel assembly may provide rotation around two orthogonal axes of rotation. 
     Additional aspects and details of the zipper pull tool and its telescoping handle are provided in the detailed description below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a first zipper pull tool in a collapsed configuration. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the first zipper pull tool, in an expanded configuration. 
         FIGS. 3A-3B  show details a swivel joint between sections of the first zipper pull tool. 
         FIG. 4  is an isometric view of an alternative zipper clamp for a zipper pull tool. 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the zipper clamp shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the zipper clamp shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIGS. 7  is an isometric assembly view of an alternative zipper pull tool using the alternative zipper clamp. 
     
    
    
     Like element numerals are used to indicate like elements appearing in one or more of the figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A zipper pull tool may assist persons to engage a back-side slider without the assistance of another person. This may benefit a person with limited mobility, etc., who would otherwise need the assistance of a helper to operate a zipper. 
     The described tool collapses to the approximate size of a ball-point pen (about 6 inches) and can therefore easily fit in a hand bag or the like. It may be constructed to extend as long as 3 feet in six-inch intervals. Each section of the telescoping handle may be swiveled in one or two axes to enable the user to easily maneuver the working end to the desired position. 
       FIG. 1  shows a zipper pull tool  100  in a collapsed position.  FIG. 2  shows the same tool  100  in and extended position, with the telescoping handle sections  102 ,  106 ,  108  and  110  fully extended. Referring to both  FIGS. 1-2 , a telescoping handle of the tool  100  may include nested tubes (sections)  102 ,  106 ,  108  and  110 . A swivel mount  104  may join a clamp (e.g., alligator clip  126 ) to a first end of the largest-diameter section  102 . The tube  102  may include an interior space into which the clamp  126  may be stored when not in use. The clamp may be detached from the swivel  104  and stored in the tube  102  as a separate piece, or swivel through an opening (not shown) into an interior of the tube  102 . 
     Three of the sections  106 ,  108  and  110  may be coupled to respective resilient buttons  112 ,  114 ,  116 , each of which locks to an opposing receiver, such as the holes  122  in section  102  when the handle is in an extended position, as shown in  FIG. 2 . When in a collapsed position, the buttons may lock into receivers at opposite ends of the respective sections, such as the hole  124  shown at the right end of section  102  in  FIG. 1  and holes  124 ,  120 , and  118  in  FIG. 2 . The sections  102 ,  106 ,  108  and  110  may constructed of aluminum or any other suitable lightweight structural material. 
     The zipper pull tool  100  may be operated by opening the clamp  126  and clipping onto the zipper tongue. To extend the tool, the user may push in and hold the first button  112  and pull out the second section  106  until the button  112  engages in the hole  124 . Then, the button  114 , which should be engaged in the receiver  120 , may similarly be depressed to slide out the third section  108  to the position shown in  FIG. 2 . The last section  110  may similarly be extended if desired. Collapsing the tool is the reverse of extending. 
     In some embodiments, joints between respective sections of the tool, and/or between the tool and the clamp, may be provided with a swivel assembly  200 , as shown in  FIGS. 3A-B .  FIG. 3A  shows the swivel assembly  200  in a front view, while  FIG. 3B  shows the assembly  200  in a side view. A clevis  202  may swivel around a handle section  206  as shown in  FIG. 3B . A pin (not shown) may connect the clevis  202  to a lock assembly  210  to enable the clevis to rotate around the long axis of the tube section  206 . A second pin  204  may couple to an adjacent section  208 , enabling rotation of the section  208  around an axis perpendicular to the tube  206  longitudinal axis, as shown in  FIG. 3A . The swivel pins (e.g., pin  204 ) may be press fit into their respective swivel pieces to provide enough friction to hold the adjacent sections  206 ,  208  at a desired angle during normal handling. The swivels may move and permit the handle to straighten when under tension. The telescoping handle may be provided with the swivel assemblies instead of, or in addition to, the sliding mechanism described in connection with  FIGS. 1-2 . 
       FIGS. 4-6  show various views of an alternative device  400  (clamp) for gripping the tongue of a zipper. If the tongue of the zipper has an opening or hole, then the dimples  414  will grip the hole in the tongue. A rectangular ring  410  may be provided in sliding relation to the exterior  402  of the grip to provide a locking action on a clamped zipper tongue. A slot  408  defines a resilient upper jaw  406  opposing the resilient lower jaw  404 . A pair of dimples  414 , teeth, roughened surfaces, or other features for gripping a zipper tongue may be placed between the jaws  406 ,  404 . To use the device  400 , the user first locks the clamp  400  on the tongue of the zipper, locking the clamp  400  in place by sliding the rectangular ring towards the dimples  414  until stopped by the taper of upper and lower jaws  406 ,  404 . A ring  416  may be connected to the mounting mole  412  to facilitate grasping of the clamp by hand, with or without using an extension tool  500  ( FIG. 7 ). The clamp  400  may be constructed of any suitable resilient structural material, for example, steel, aluminum, hard plastic, or a combination of such materials. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates how a 3 prong (or 4 prong) hook  502  of an extension tool  500  may enable a user to locate and connect with a ring  508  on the zipper grip. A round rod  506  may push into the hole  504  in the hook  502  using a compression fit. The hole  504  in the hook may include a compression seal member (for example, an o-ring) to keep the rod attached to pull the zipper. 
     An extension handle as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-2  may be used, with or without an additional clamp to grasp the ring  416 . On an alternative, a multi-prong hook  502  may also make it easy to grasp a ring  416  on the zipper grip  400  to pull on the zipper. The rod  506  is an extension device to reach the zipper grip device. The extension rod may be a telescoping tube as previously described, or several rods with a ring on the ends that are joined with a friction or ratchet pivot device to collapse the rods when not extended. 
     Having thus described an embodiment of a zipper pull tool, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain advantages of the within system have been achieved. It should also be appreciated that various modifications, adaptations, and alternative embodiments thereof may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present technology. The scope of what is claimed should be determined by the appended claims interpreted in accordance with the foregoing specification, and is not limited by the examples hereinabove.