Patent Publication Number: US-2003233916-A1

Title: Tool with opposing driving and telescopic pick-up functions

Description:
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 10/036,617 filed on Dec. 21, 2001. 
    
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0003] The present invention relates to driving tools, and more specifically to tools equipped with a telescopic pick-up wand.  
       [0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art  
       [0005] As manufacturers have striven to produce ever more compact machinery and equipment, the need has developed to provide tools that would allow one to manipulate or retrieve fasteners, nuts, washers, debris, etc. . . . located outside the reach of human fingers. Often, such tools take the form of telescopic wands terminating in any of a variety of grasping or fetching implements. Two recent U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,487,576 to DuVivier (1996) and 5,878,637 to Liu (1999) are typical in that the telescopic wand extends from the same region of a hand tool that also imparts torque to whatever workpiece is to be turned by the tool. Thus a worker who is driving fasteners and wants to retrieve a fastener that he just dropped must remove the driving bit so as to access the extendable pickup device. This is cumbersome, time-consuming, and, especially, hazardous as many such tasks are performed in cramped situations, near moving machinery or high voltage terminals, where a dropped tool may cause extensive damage.  
       [0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,637 to Liu teaches a telescopic pick-up wand that may hold a tool-bit interchangeably with a pick-up device. The disadvantage in this device is that it is limited in the size of driver tool-bits that it can employ and in the torque that can be applied thereto without damaging the pick-up wand.  
       [0007] Thus there is a need in the art for a tool that would combine driving and pick-up functions. Such a tool may be either manually or power driven.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a driving tool with a telescopic pick-up wand that remedies disadvantages in the prior art.  
       [0009] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a driving tool with a telescopic pick-up wand that is independent of the driving function of the tool. It is a feature of the present invention that it provides for a tool handle wherein the pick-up wand and the driving shaft extend from opposing ends of the handle. It is an advantage of the present invention that the same tool can perform pick-up and driving functions without the need for first removing driving bits to get access to the pick-up means.  
       [0010] It is another object of the present invention to provide a telescopic pick-up wand for power driven driving tools. It is a feature of the present invention that it provides for a tool handle wherein the pick-up wand is distinct from the driving shaft. It is an advantage of the present invention that a power tool can perform pick-up functions.  
       [0011] It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a driving tool with a telescopic pick-up wand that includes means for positioning the wand at various angles from the longitudinal axis of the handle and also a means for facilitating the deployment (i.e. the folding out) of the pick-up wand. It is a feature of the present invention that it provides several embodiments of implements that facilitate the positioning of the wand in relation to the tool handle when the wand remains attached to the handle. It is an advantage of the present invention that the pick-up wand can be deployed quickly and cannot be misplaced.  
       [0012] In brief, the present invention provides for a tool handle from which extend a driving implement in a first direction and a telescopic pick-up implement in a second direction. Specifically, the invention provides for a combination driving and pick-up tool comprising a handle with a first end and a second end, a driving implement extending from said first end; and a telescopic pick-up implement extending from said second end with means being provided to facilitate the deployment of the pick-up implement from the tool handle.  
       [0013] Further objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawing. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
     [0014]FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a tool with opposite driving and pick-up implements in accordance with features of the present invention;  
     [0015]FIG. 1B is an alternative deployment shaft for use with the invented device, in accordance with features of the present invention;  
     [0016]FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a tool with opposite driving and pick-up implements with the pick-up implement recessed in the tool&#39;s handle, in accordance with features of the present invention;  
     [0017]FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of a modification of a tool with opposite driving and pick-up implements with the pick-up implement recessed in the tool&#39;s handle, in accordance with features of the present invention;  
     [0018]FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of movable heels of a tool handle, in accordance with features of the present invention;  
     [0019]FIGS. 3C and 3D are cross-sectional views of removable heels of a tool handle, in accordance with features of the present invention;  
     [0020]FIG. 3E is a cross-sectional view of a tool handle in slidable communication with its heel, in accordance with features of the present invention;  
     [0021]FIG. 3F is a view of FIG. 3E taken along the line F-F, in accordance with features of the present invention; and  
     [0022]FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a tool with opposite driving and pick-up implements with the pick-up implement recessed in a power tool&#39;s handle, in accordance with features of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     [0023] Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention provides a tool, designated as numeral  10 , which comprises a torque-inducing driving implement extending in one direction and a telescopic pick-up implement extending in the opposite direction. The invented device includes a tool handle  20  with a first end  25  and a second end  35 . From the first end  25  extends a conventional driving tool assembly  30 . The second end  35  communicates with a telescopic member  40 . Further provided are means to facilitate the storage, the positioning, and the deployment of the telescopic member, all relative to the handle.  
     [0024] Telescopic Member Detail  
     [0025] A salient feature of the invention is that the telescopic device extends in a direction generally different from the direction in which a torque-imparting shaft  30  extends. The present invention accommodates a myriad of telescopic member configurations. Also, the telescopic member (also referred to herein as the pick-up wand) is either removably attached to the tool handle  20 , recessed in the handle, as shown in FIG. 2, or a combination thereof.  
     [0026]FIG. 1 depicts the telescoping member threadably received into the second end  35  of the handle. However, and as depicted in FIG. 2A, the telescoping member can be stored, and deployed from an interior portion of the handle defining a cavity. Finally, as depicted in FIG. 3E, the telescopic member can be stored in and deployed from a housing that is slidably received by an interior portion of the handle. In this embodiment the telescopic member  40  is in hingeable communication with the housing  150 .  
     [0027] Generally, the telescoping member  40  comprises a first end  41  adapted to be attached to the handle, and a second end  42  adapted to retrieve hard to reach objects or detritus. The member further comprises concentrically-arranged tubular members  52 ,  53 ,  54 ,  58  each with sides tapering radially inwardly relative to the longitudinal axis of the member as the member extends away from the handle. The tapered arrangement facilitates deployment of the telescopic member up to the point where the tapered outer surface  51  of a second tube  53  frictionally engages a tapered inner surface  55  of a first tube  52  juxtaposed radially outward from the second tube  51 . The telescopic member may be extended to its full length by pulling on the second end  42 .  
     [0028] To prevent azimuthal relative motion between the concentrically-arranged tubular members, tubular members having non-circular cross-sections, such as elliptical, square or hexagonal cross-sections are utilized.  
     [0029] In one embodiment the telescoping member  40  is reversibly attached to an exterior region of the handle (such as its second end  35 ), or to an inside surface of the handle, by any of a variety of means. Such means include, but are not limited to, a press fit arrangement, a snap fit arrangement, or a male-female threaded configuration, the latter configuration of which is depicted in FIG. 1A.  
     [0030] The telescoping member is attached to the handle, so as to be collapsed after use, swung back into coaxial alignment with the longitudinal axis of the handle and hidden away inside the handle. In one exemplary attachment configuration, the telescopic member is adapted to be threaded into a threaded aperture located on the handle.  
     [0031]FIG. 1B depicts an exemplary embodiment  12  of the telescoping member  40 . This embodiment  12  shows the telescopic member with hexagonal cross section. Also shown is a ball lock mechanism  49  (i.e. a ball-detent configuration) to reversibly lock the member in an extended configuration. The ball-lock mechanism is any standard spring ball lock configuration comprising a spherical body slidably received in an aperture formed in a surface opposing the spherical body when the telescopic member is fully extended. It should be noted that the spring ball configuration also can be utilized with a telescopic wand having a circular cross section, or other geometry.  
     [0032]FIG. 2A depicts the invented device wherein the telescopic member  40  is stored in an interior region of the handle  20  of the tool  10 . The interior region defines a cavity  45 , coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the handle. The cavity is adapted to house the telescopic member  40  when the telescopic member is un-deployed. The telescopic member  40  may be secured to the cavity  45  by a variety of means, a press fit among others. A press fit attachment is facilitated by forming a knurled section  47  on the end of the outer surface of the outermost tube. In the case where the telescopic member is permanently attached to the tool, the proximal end  56  of the first tube  52  is knurled so as to frictionally engage with a complementarily shaped female aperture  58  of the cavity, the aperture extending in the direction opposite the direction of deployment of the telescopic member. In the case where the telescopic member is to be reversibly attached to the handle, the proximal end  56  of the first tube  52  is threaded to facilitate its engagement with a threaded aperture defined by the female aperture  58 .  
     [0033] In its un-deployed state the telescopic implement may be used as a magnetic nut setter and driver. Such an embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 2A where a standard size nut setter  43  such as a {fraction (5/16)} inch hexagonal nut setter is attached to the distal end  42  of the telescopic wand. FIG. 2A depicts the nut setter fully nested in an aperture  64  formed at the distal end  63  of the cavity  45 . The aperture  64  is formed of similar cross section to that of the nut setter so as to slidably receive the nut setter, but prevent azimuthal rotation of the nut setter when the setter is nested inside the aperture.  
     [0034] The nut setter is affixed reversibly (for example in a snap fit or a male-female threaded configuration) to the end  42  of the telescopic wand and comprises a hexagonal cavity  46  sized to receive a nut. The nut setter may be magnetic. The nut setter serves an additional function of preventing the terminal end of the telescope member from slipping completely within the confines of the cavity  46 . In this regard, a proximal end  60  of the nut setter  43  comes to rest (when the telescopic member is in the fully retracted position) against an annular shoulder  62  defined by the proximal end  63  of the aperture  64 .  
     [0035] Alternatively the cross section of the cavity  46  can be configured to slidably receive but rotatably confine standard driver bits. A bit confined in this instance is not physically connected to the telescopic member  40  but would be magnetic so as to draw the end  42  of the telescopic member  40  (heretofore equipped with the magnetic tip  43 ) from the confines of the handle cavity  45  when the bits are removed from the aperture  64 .  
     [0036]FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the handle section of FIG. 2A and depicts a modified arrangement for holding the pick-up wand in an undeployed configuration. A rod  66  extends from the tip  42  of the telescopic wand to the female aperture  58 . The end  71  of the rod  66  proximal to the aperture  58  comprises a magnet  61  that abuts a ferrous layer  72  at the bottom of the aperture  58 . Magnetic attraction between the magnet  61  and the ferrous layer  72  holds the wand in an undeployed position but the wand may be easily deployed by a gentle pull at the wand end  62 .  
     [0037] Methods of fabricating a tool wand as described above are well known. Typically light metallic materials are employed. Also, one may use plastic or other non-electrically conducting materials such as ceramic non-static materials so that the pickup tool may be used in the immediate vicinity of microchips. In addition to the enhanced safety factor, the use of such materials avoids causing electric short-circuits in the presence of electric wiring or machinery.  
     [0038] Telescopic Member Detail  
     [0039] The distal end  42  of the telescopic member may terminate with a means for retrieving objects, in which case the telescopic member may be conceived as a If the objects to be retrieved are ferrous-containing materials, a magnetic substrate is attached to the end  42 . An exemplary magnetic substrate is a nut setter such as a standard {fraction (5/16)}th of an inch sized setter.  
     [0040] If the objects to be retrieved are non-ferrous-based materials, and perhaps detritus (dust, wood shavings, plastic fasteners, and the like), a scoop, hook, or bit (wherein the bit is complementarily shaped to the targeted material) is removably secured to the end  42 .  
     [0041] Furthermore, the end  42  may in addition (or, in the alternative) terminate in a male screw thread capable of receiving a pick-up tool comprising a cavity with a matching female thread. Other pick up tools and means to hold same are known in the art and these may be utilized in conjunction with the present invention.  
     [0042] Although the telescopic member is intended primarily for pick-up functions, it may also be used, when this is indicated, as a driving tool for a remote fastener. In that case the distal end  42  is adapted to hold an hexagonal bit holder adapted to receive fastener-engaging bits.  
     [0043] Various pick-up devices may be stored on a bit holding assembly via frictional fit on an exterior region of the handle or else inside a cavity in the handle.  
     [0044] Facilitating Deployment of the Telescopic Implement.  
     [0045] A specific feature of this invention is that means are provided to facilitate the deployment of the telescopic implement out of the tool handle. Outlined presently are four exemplary embodiments:  
     [0046]FIGS. 3A, 3B,  3 C and  3 D depict embodiments of such facilitating means wherein a cap  110  comprises a magnetized or ferrous disk  111  is in magnetic contact with the tip  43  of the telescopic wand  40 . As an operator pulls gently on the cap  110 , the latter attracts the tip  43  thus gently extending the wand  40  out of the handle  20 . The cap  110  may be hingeably attached to the second end  35  of the handle  20  (See FIG. 3A) or, in the alternative, and as shown in FIG. 3B, it may be attached to the second end of the handle  35  by means of a chain or string  115 .  
     [0047] The embodiments depicted in FIGS. 3A, 3B and  3 D are used in conjunction with driving tools where the heel of the handle is held stationary while the handle itself is rotated. In these embodiments the cap  110  constitutes the heel of the driving implement. The cap&#39;s magnetic disk  111  is integrally molded to the cap and is designed to slide smoothly over the wand tip  43 . The cap rim  112  is designed to slide smoothly on the surface  36  at the second end  35  of the handle  20 . In FIG. 3A the cap  110  is attached to a plastic connecting member  116  that comprises what is commonly known as a “living hinge”  120  and a finger  125 . The connecting member  116  is integrally molded to the cap  110 . The finger  125  comprises a protuberance  127  that is designed to snap into a channel or groove  130  that runs along the circumferential periphery of the second end  35  of the handle. The groove  130  is so designed as to allow smooth travel of the protuberance  127  along the groove while preventing the protuberance from sliding out of the groove. In FIG. 3A the chain  115  is removably attached to the cap  110  by means of a clip  119 .  
     [0048]FIGS. 3C and 3D depict alternative embodiments of deployment facilitating means wherein a cap  145 , adapted to be grasped by hand, is removably attached to the tip  43  of the wand  40 . For instance, as shown in FIG. 3C, the cap  145  may contain a female thread  139  adapted to receive a male thread  133  on the tip  43 . The tap itself may be ferrous or magnetized and thus allow the use of the wand/cap combination as a sturdy pick-up tool. In such a case, and as shown in  3 D, the cap  145  may be held in place by the magnetic attraction with the tip  43 . The cap  145  is further secured to the second end  35  by means of two prongs  146 ,  147  adapted to be received by cavities  148 ,  149  in the second end  35 .  
     [0049]FIG. 3E depicts another alternative embodiment of a telescopic wand deployment device. The wand  40  is pivotably attached to a housing  150  at a pivot post  155 . The housing  150  is adapted to be slidably received in a cavity  160  in the handle  20 . The housing is held in a retracted position within the handle  20  by means of magnetic attraction. Such attraction may be effected by placing a magnet  174  at the bottom  175  of the cavity  160 . The housing  150  has a cap  110  adapted to be grasped by the tool&#39;s operator. The underside  167  of the cap  110  is adapted to slide smoothly on the rim  36  of the cavity  160 . Both the cavity  160  and the housing  150  are cylindrical in shape so as to allow rotation of the housing inside the cavity. As shown in FIG. 3D, the wand  40  may be deployed at any angle between 0 and 180 degrees with respect to the driving tool  30 . To this end the cap  110  comprises a notch  180  to allow deployment of the wand  40  above the plane of the cap  110  as depicted in FIG. 3F which is a planar view of the cap  110  in FIG. 3E along the line F-F.  
     [0050] Handle Detail  
     [0051] As shown in FIG. 1, an embodiment of the present invention comprises a standard tool handle  20  with a tool driving implement  30  extending from one end of the handle and a telescopic pick-up wand  40  extending from the opposite end. In all essential particulars the driving tool/handle combination is identical to manual- or power driven-screw (or other) drivers that are commercially available at present. The pick-up wand/handle combination is standard as well.  
     [0052] As noted supra, the telescopic member can be either attached to an outer surface of the handle  20  as depicted in FIG. 1 or else nested inside the handle, as depicted in FIG. 2. An external attachment configuration may be preferred when the tool in question is a power tool. Under these circumstances one usually prefers that the innards of the tool handle be reserved for the tool power plant (electric motor or air turbine).  
     [0053] Yet, the telescopic member  40  also may be embedded inside the handle of a power tool. This can be accomplished for power tools where the handle of the tool is aligned along the line of action of the driving tool as well as for tools where the handle of the tool is not along the line of action of the driving tool but perpendicular or otherwise inclined thereto (See FIG. 4).  
     [0054] Deployment and retraction of the telescopic member is performed manually. One may extend the pick-up wand by attaching the telescopic member  40  to the second end  35  and then pulling manually. In the alternative, one may allow the shaft end  42  to project from the handle even when the wand is fully retracted.  
     [0055] As shown in FIG. 1, the tool also may comprise a circumferential bit-holding assembly  50 . The bit-holding assembly may be used to store pick-up tools. This assembly may take the form of a slip-on annulus slidably received by the fastener driving shaft  30 . Alternatively, the bit holding means may consist of an array of cavities formed in the handle so as to store bits in a friction-fit capacity.  
     [0056] Another bit-holding embodiment is disclosed in “A Hand Tool with Opposing Drive Ends and Storage for Multiple Tool Bits,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/918,958, Pub. No.: US 2003/0024356, with the same inventor as the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/918,958 discloses a tool with a handle, a driving shaft, an annulus that is slidably received by the driving shaft and whereon bits are stored with their driving end pointing towards the handle. The handle itself may comprise an annular cavity coaxial with the driving shaft so configured that the annulus may be slid up against the handle until all the bits are wholly contained therein. Furthermore, one may provide a window opening parallel to the driving shaft on the side of said cavity so that one may access a bit stored in said cavity by rotating the annulus until the desired bit comes into view.  
     [0057] A great variety of materials may be used to fabricate the handle. These include, but are not limited to wood, plastics, rubber, KEVLAR, fiberglass, Bakelite, resins, etc. . . . .  
     [0058] Driving Tool Details  
     [0059] There are no limitations on the driving tool assembly  30 . Any presently available driver assembly may be employed and the present invention does not address the driver assembly as such. It may consist of a shaft terminating in a standard working tool configuration, such as a straight blade  72 , a Philips tip, a socket, a threaded aperture, a threaded rod, a quick-disconnect, or standard accessories with a {fraction (5/16)} inch hex rear and ¼ inch front. Alternatively, the terminal end of the shaft may define an aperture adapted to receive a variety of different tool bits. In such instances, the end of the shaft would interact with the bits in a standard socket-insert configuration, whereby the end of the shaft defines a female socket adapted to receive a complementary shaped insert  74 . Typically, non-circular sockets and inserts are utilized to prevent turning of the inserts. An exemplary socket size suitable for the end  70  of the driving portion is a one-quarter-inch hex female socket.  
     [0060] In summary, the present invention provides for a tool handle from which extend a driving implement in one direction and a telescopic pick-up implement in a different direction. The two implements are constructed and function totally independently from each other.  
     [0061] Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, the described embodiments have been presented by way of example only and numerous modifications and alterations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.