Patent Publication Number: US-7587963-B1

Title: Combination pliers and spudding tool

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/808,716, filed Jun. 12, 2007, in the name of the same inventor and the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This application is directed to a combination hand tool that may be used as conventional pliers, and preferably, channel lock pliers, as well as for a spudding tool that may be used to engage and align parts, components and other structural elements by hand wherein one or more openings in the structural elements to be aligned are used to manipulated the structural elements with respect to one another. 
   2. Brief Description of the Related Art 
   Spudding tools are hand held or manipulated tools that include a pointed shaft that is tapered from a pointed end outwardly to a handle. Such tools are used to facilitate the alignment of parts, plates or other members that are to be aligned for one reason or another, such that they be ultimately connected or joined. Such tools are commonly used by iron workers, millwrights, metal building fabricators and erectors, machinists, shop mechanics, concrete form assemblers and the like. 
   Conventional spudding tools are formed as a single “shaft-like” device that is integrally formed of a metal material. The tools have very limited functionality and are specifically designed and configured for use as alignment probes for specific members, objects or structures or to clear holes that must be cleaned or finished in order to permit bolts or other fasteners to be inserted and properly seated therein during a “bolt-up” assembly of parts or components. 
   Unfortunately, because of their limited functionality for the alignment of two or more separate objects or the finishing or clearing of holes, such tools have been exclusively required as separate members of a workers tool set. Further, because the size of the members, objects or structures to be aligned or finished may vary, workers must often carry a plurality of spudding tools. 
   Often, those who must use spudding tools must also have tools that are useful to grip and manipulate objects in a manner that is possible using pliers or the like. Therefore, such workers must carry a plurality of separate tools to perform separate hand manipulative functions. Not only does the need for a plurality of separate tools require a greater economic expenditure to be made for the tools used in a specific trade, but the need to carry additional tools for separate unique functions adds to the logistical burdens that are placed on workers to carry the tools on work projects. 
   In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide a tool that is unique and multi-functional and not only provides usefulness as a hand held pair of pliers, or the like, but wherein the pliers may also be used in a safe manner as a spudding tool to facilitate the alignment of parts and components as may be necessary on a specific work site or to clear or finished rough openings or holes in work members. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This application is directed to a combination hand tool that includes a pair of opposing jaws that may be manipulated in the manner of conventional pliers, or the like, and more particularly, to a tool having a pair of hand manipulated handles that are used to control movement and force generated by the opposing jaws of the tool and, wherein, the tool may be used as a spudding tool by interengaging the handles of the tool with one another, when the handles are closed relative to one another, to thereby create a reinforced and pointed rod-like spudding tool. 
   More specifically, with the present invention, a first handle is generally conically shaped along a substantial portion of a length thereof so as to taper inwardly toward an outer tip end of the handle. An inner slot or channel extends along at least a portion of the length of a portion of the first handle that faces an opposing second handle. The second handle is of a configuration to cooperatively and closely seat within the slot and an outer surface thereof is curved to be compatible to the conical outer surface of the first handle. In this manner, when the two handles are closed relative to one another, they form a conically shaped spudding tool that tappers inwardly to a pointed end and which tool is generally circular in cross section at any plane taken perpendicularly to an elongated central axis of the first handle. In the preferred embodiment shown, the slot extends along only a portion of the length of the first handle, however, in another embodiment the slot may extend substantially along the entire length of the first handle. 
   It is a primary object of the invention to provide a combination tool that may be used as a conventional pair of pliers, such as a pair of channel-lock pliers and wherein, when the handles of the pliers are closed relative to one another, the handles interlock with one another such that the opposing handles form a conical rod shaped structure that tapers inwardly toward an outer tip end thereof such that the handles may be used as a spudding tool. 
   It is another object of the invention to both reduce tool costs and to enhance the usefulness of a single tool to provide for a plurality of differing work functions. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A better understanding of the present invention will be had with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of a pair of channel lock pliers that includes opposing handles that are configured to be cooperatively seated relative to one another to form a conically tapered and pointed spudding tool when they are closed together as shown; 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the pliers of  FIG. 1  showing the handles spaced from one another; 
       FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the combination tool of  FIG. 2  showing a slot in one of the handles that cooperatively receives a complementary shaped opposing tool handle; 
       FIG. 4  is a partial rear elevational view showing the slot in one handle of the combination tool of the invention; and 
       FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   With continued reference to the drawings, the combination hand tool of the invention includes a pair of pliers  10 , which are shown as channel lock pliers having a pair of handles  11  and  12  that are connected to one another by a pivot pin  14 . The handles are integrally formed with opposing jaw members  16  and  18  that are preferably provided with teeth  19  to facilitate gripping an object to be manipulated by the pliers. As the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings is directed to a pair of channel lock type pliers, the jaws and handles are connected by the pivot pin so as to be selectively adjustable relative to one another such that the spacing between the jaws may be varied as required. In this respect, jaw member  16  is connected to handle  11  by way of an integral connector segment  22  that includes an elongated slot  24  in which the pivot pin  14  is guidingly retained such that an actual pivot point between the jaws may be varied as desired. 
   In order to constrain the arcuate movement of the jaws in a fixed arcuate motion relative to one another regardless of the position of the pivot pin with respect to the slot  24 , a series of generally equally spaced and arcuate ridges  25  and grooves  26  are formed in the connector segment that mesh with complementary arcuate ridges and grooves, not shown, that are formed in a connector segment  28  of the opposite handle  12 . The meshed engagement of the opposing ridges and grooves ensures an arcuate motion of the opposing jaws relative to one another regardless of the spacing there between. Thus the jaws may be adjusted in increments between a maximum spacing, as shown in  FIG. 1  to closed relationship not shown in the drawing figures. 
   As previously described, conventional spudding tools are rod-like tools that are somewhat conically shaped or taper inwardly from a handle portion to a narrow tip that is used to adjust the position of one part or element with respect to another or to clear holes that must be cleaned or finished in order to permit bolts or other fasteners to be inserted therein during a “bolt-up” assembly of parts or components. Because of the area of use, spudding tools are generally circular in cross section with the diameter of the tools progressively narrowing along a length of the handles to the tips of the tools. 
   As shown in the drawing figures of the present invention, handle  11  is formed having a portion thereof  30  that is generally of a conical configuration having an outer surface  31 . The handle  11  has an elongated central axis “A”. The configuration of the handle  11  is generally such that any cross section there through taken perpendicularly relative to the elongated axis “A” will be generally circular, see  FIG. 5 , such that handle  11  may be used as a spudding tool. 
   In order to reinforce the handle  11  when used as a spudding tool, a slot or channel  35 , see  FIGS. 3-5 , is provided along at least a portion of the length of the handle in which the handle  12  may be cooperatively received. Although the length of the slot  35  is shown in the drawings as being less that a length of the handle portion  30  of handle  11 , in some embodiments, the slot may extend substantially along the full length of the handle portion  30 . As shown, the size and configuration of the handle  12  is such that it fits closely within and fills the slot  35  when the handles are closed relative to one another. Further, an outer surface  36  of the handle  12  is rounded so that it completes the conical appearance of the portion  30  of the handle  11  when the handles are closed relative to one another as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 3-5 , the slot or channel  35  is defined by generally parallel side walls  38  and  39  which are spaced apart a distance just slightly greater than a thickness dimension “T” of the handle  12 , see  FIG. 5 . In this manner, when the handles are closed relative to one another to form a spudding tool, the handles reinforce one another and their interengaged arrangement will prevent accidental slippage of one handle relative to the other. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , in the preferred embodiment, only when the jaws of the combination tool are opened to their widest extent such that the pivot pin  14  rests against an end wall of the slot  24 , are the handles properly aligned with one another to form the spudding tool. It is possible that the tool could be constructed such that the handles will only seat with one another when the jaws are closed relative to one another. 
   In view of the foregoing, the combination tool of the present invention provides usefulness as a conventional pair of pliers, and particularly, channel-lock pliers, and also provides usefulness as a spudding tool when the handles are brought together with the second handle seated within the first. 
   The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented to illustrate the principles of the invention and not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by all of the embodiments encompassed within the following claims and their equivalents.