Patent Publication Number: US-6659317-B2

Title: Quick draw tool holder

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Applicant claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(e) of Provisional Application No. 60/285,888, filed Apr. 23, 2001. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to the field of holding and carrying devices for manual (as opposed to power) hand tools, particularly T-shaped or L-shaped hand tools. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Extensive efforts have been directed in the prior art to finding ways in which small manual hand tools can be carried comfortably and securely on the user&#39;s person, yet remain readily accessible for use. Tools that have elongated handles and transversely mounted heads (herein also referred to as “T-shaped” or “L-shaped” tools) have always presented particular problems because of their configuration. Examples of such tools are hammers, mallets, hatchets, axes, picks, etc. Carrying devices for such tools have ranged from simple loops in the user&#39;s clothing to specially designed holders mounted on utility belts or tool pouches. Typically, the devices of the prior art comprise a loop or cradle into which the head of a hammer or other similarly shaped tool is placed, with the handle of the tool descending vertically below the head of the tool. When the tool is need for the job, the hammer is removed from the loop by lifting the hammer vertically from the cradle or loop, and when the job is finished, the procedure is essentially reversed. As useful as these arrangements are, the vertically dangling handle interferes with the user&#39;s legs while walking, kneeling, or climbing, and the tool is sometimes prone to falling out of its holder. In addition, the vertical motions required to remove and re-insert the tool are awkward and inefficient, in large part because the user must subsequently re-position his or her grip on the handle in order to use the tool. 
     Several approaches have been taken in the prior art to secure a T-shaped tool within a holder, yet still make the tool accessible. For example, Gallant, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,667 describes a device for suspending a T-shaped tool from a belt, toolbox, wall, or other mount, comprising a rotating holder body having a spring-loaded securing receptacle that secures the tool while allowing the tool to be inserted and removed from different angles. This device provides for access to the tool with a more natural hand motion, but still orients the handle of the tool below the head. Examples of other devices designed to grasp the head of a T-shaped tool while allowing the handle to be disposed vertically below the head include Harvey U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,468; Riley et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,716; Jones et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,072; Redzisz et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,264; and Stover U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,461. 
     Some attempts have also been made in the prior art to orient the handle of a T-shaped tool above the head. For example, Henderson U.S. Pat. No. 2,956,715 teaches a tool holder for hammer-like tools in which a socket near the bottom of the holder receives the head, a clip near the top of the holder receives the helve (handle), and a ledge positioned to engage the widened part of the head adjacent to the neck serves as a fulcrum around which the tool rotates during withdrawal and re-insertion. In this arrangement, the tool can be withdrawn from the holder only by executing a specific pivotal movement in combination with an axial pull on the handle. As another example Bohlsen U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,590 describes a hammer holster having an upwardly opening elongated pocket near its bottom adapted to receive the hammer head, and retaining means, such as a swing lug or flexible cord, near its top to retain the handle against transverse movement. A separate motion is required to move the lug or flexible cord into engagement with the handle before the tool is secured in the holster and out of engagement with the handle when the tool is removed. Although these prior art arrangements exhibit the benefit of “handle-up” positioning of the tool the hand movements required to insert and remove the tool are still unnatural and inconvenient. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an apparatus that receives and holds a manual hand tool having an elongated handle and transversely mounted head connected by a neck area, for example, a carpenter&#39;s or roofer&#39;s hammer, a woodsman&#39;s axe, a dry-wall hatchet, a climber&#39;s pick, a crowbar or similar T-shaped or L-shaped hand tool. Preferably, the holder is mounted on a scabbard or tool pouch that is suspended from a user&#39;s belt, with the tool&#39;s handle freely extending in an upward position above the tool&#39;s head, preferably at about a 45° angle counter clockwise from the vertical. This orientation allows the tool to be removed from and re-inserted into the holder with the same natural swinging or striking motion that is employed in the use of the tool. Retaining means in the holder automatically secure the head and neck of the tool in place without the user releasing his grip from the handle. Therefore, no other motion is required to retain the tool in the holder other than that which is used for insertion and withdrawal. 
     Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a tool holding and securing apparatus wherein the tool is inserted and withdrawn with only a single normal swinging motion of the user&#39;s hand, without the user having to remove his hand from the handle of the tool. 
     A further objective is to provide a means of securely carrying a ‘T’ or ‘L’ shaped tool, with the handle extended upward, above the head of the tool and out of the way of the user&#39;s legs as he walks, kneels, or climbs. 
     A further objective is to provide a tool holder having means for securing a ‘T’ or ‘L’ shaped tool by its head and neck area only so that the handle is left freely available in an upright position for grasping by the user. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing an adjustable clip in the vertical member thereof. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in conjunction with a conventional claw hammer. 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of the preferred embodiment, showing the adjustable clip in its narrowest position. 
     FIG. 4 is a top view similar to FIG. 3 with the adjustable clip shown in its widest position. 
     FIG. 5 is a front view of the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 6 is a rear view of a preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 7 is a side view showing a tool holder of the present invention mounted on a scabbard suspended from a user&#39;s belt and holding a carpenter&#39;s hammer. 
     FIG. 8 is similar to FIG.  7  and shows a tool holder of the present invention mounted on a pouch suspended from a user&#39;s belt and holding a hatchet. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is particularly suitable for those manual hand tools having an elongated handle and a transversely mounted head connected by an intermediate neck area; i.e. the previously described T-shaped or L-shaped tools. The head of such tools characteristically has a primary striking face on one end and a secondary face on the opposite end. Typically the tool head is made of a metal material, such as iron, steel, aluminum or an alloy. Examples of such tools are various types of hammers, including but not limited to, carpenter&#39;s hammers, roofer&#39;s hammers, claw hammers and ball peen hammers; as well as mallets, hatchets, drywall hatchets, axes, picks, pry-bars and so forth. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tool holder of the present invention comprises a body  100  having a hollow horizontal member  15  combined perpendicularly with a hollow vertical member  5 . In the most preferred embodiment, body  100  is made of a rigid lightweight material, such as plastic, which can be molded from a integral piece or made from separate members joined together. Horizontal member  15  has a cavity  2  extending from a front opening  2   a  to a rear opening  2   b . Front opening  2   a  may be the same diameter as rear opening  2   b  thereby making cavity  2  cylindrically shaped (as best shown in FIG.  1 ), or front opening  2   a ′ may be somewhat larger than rear opening  2   b ′ thereby making cavity  2 ′ cone-shaped (as best shown in FIG.  9 ). Vertical portion  5  has a cavity  20  extending from a top opening  20   a  to and communicating with cavity  2  at its midsection. Cavity  20  is open along the front side of vertical member  5  to form a longitudinal channel  21   a  that runs vertically from top opening  20   a  to front side intersection  22  with horizontal member  15 . Cavity  2  is open along the top side of horizontal member  15  to form a longitudinal channel  21   b  that runs transversely from front opening  2   a  to front side intersection  22 , thereby forming with channel  21   a  an L-shaped channel on the front side of body  100 . 
     As shown in FIG. 2, when a typical claw hammer  11  is inserted into the holder body  100 , head  24  of hammer  11  passes through front opening  2   a  and channel  21   b , and is received into cavity  2  with its primary striking face  17  directed toward the rear and protruding through rear opening  2   b . Secondary face  25  of head  24  is directed toward the front and protrudes through front opening  2   a . Having front opening  2   a ′ slightly larger than the rear opening  2   b ′ (as shown in FIG. 9) makes it easier for the user to hit the opening, particularly when tools with larger heads are used. The smaller diameter of the rear opening  2   b ′ aids in preventing the tool from tipping forward in the event that the user accidentally disengages the neck  26  of the tool from the adjustable spring clip  1 . 
     Neck  26  of hammer  11  passes through channel  21   a  so that handle  27  is positioned above head  24  and protruding through top opening  20   a  unimpeded by any holder structure. Channel  21   b  and cavity  2  are sized to receive the head of the tool being held; for example, channel  21   b  may be about 1¼″ in width and cavity  2  may be about 2″ inner diameter to accommodate head  24  of claw hammer  11 . Channel  21   a  and cavity  20  are sized to receive the neck portion of the tool being held; for example, channel  21   a  may be about 1¼″ in width and cavity  20  may be about 1½″ inner diameter to accommodate neck  26  of claw hammer  11 . Of course, other dimensions can be used to accommodate tools of other sizes. 
     As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the rear portion of cavity  2  in horizontal member  15  is preferably open along its top side to form a longitudinal channel  4  that runs from rear opening  2   b  transversely to rear side intersection  23  with vertical member  5 . Cavity  20  is preferably open along the rear side of vertical member  5  to form a longitudinal channel  4   a  running vertically from rear side intersection  23  to an intermediate point  28  thereon. Together channels  4  and  4   a  form a truncated L-shaped channel, preferably the length and width of which accommodate the elongated striking face (blade)  31  of a hatchet or axe, when the tool holder of the present invention is used for these types of tools (as shown in FIG.  8 ). Channel  4   a  may be relatively small (as shown in FIGS. 1,  5  and  6 ) or channel  4   a ′ may be of size slightly smaller than channel  21   a ′ (as shown in FIG. 9) with the intermediate point  28 ′ located just below spring clip  1 ′. 
     Horizontal member  15  preferably contains means for securing the head of the tool in cavity  2 . As best shown in FIGS. 2,  5  and  6 , horizontal member  15  preferably contains a magnet  3  that is embedded into the bottom of cavity  2 . When a tool having a metal head, such as head  24  of claw hammer  11 , is placed in the holder as previously described, head  24  bonds to the magnet  3 , thereby holding it securely in cavity  2 . Magnet  3  should be of sufficient strength to provide a reasonably secure magnetic bond with the metal tool head, but not so strong as to impair the user&#39;s ability to easily remove the tool from the holder. Magnet  3  is also shaped in a way to create a flat bottom inside cavity  2  to prevent the tool from tipping forward. 
     The sidewalls of vertical member  5  may be solid (as shown in FIG. 1) or vertical member  5 ′ may contain various openings  28 ′ to decrease the overall weight of the holder (as shown in FIG.  9 ). Vertical member  5  preferably also contains means for securing the neck of the tool in cavity  20  in such a way that the handle is left freely available for grasping by the hand of the user. Spring clip  1  is preferably disposed, to prevent unwanted spinning or twisting, in track  31 ′(as best shown in FIG. 9) of cavity  20  near the top of vertical member  5  adjacent top opening  20   a . Suitable clips are known in the art, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,711,730, describes a clip that may be used in the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, spring clip  1  comprises a strip of sheet material with a normally straight attaching portion  18  having on either end a pair of spaced arcuate bows continuously curved towards each other from opposite directions, then away from each other and towards one another again to form gripping arms  19   a  and  19   b , which define with each other an open-ended recess within which the neck of the tool is gripped. 
     In the preferred embodiment, spring clip  1  is made of spring steel and has an adjustable feature that allows the clip to accommodate different sizes of tool necks and/or provide varying amounts of gripping pressure on the tool neck being held. Spring clip  1  may be attached to the rear wall of vertical member  5  by means of a machine screw  6  that passes through hole  29  in spring clip  1  and threads into an embedded receiving element  9 . Machine screw tip  10   a  advances through receiving element  9  as machine screw  6  is tightened and loosened against attaching portion  18  of spring clip  1 . Machine screw  6  preferably has a fine thread to allow the most precise adjustment. Receiving element  9  is preferably a threaded fastener with a means for reducing vibration, such as a nylon insert, that will help prevent unwanted loosening of machine screw  6 . The placement of adjustable spring clip  1  in cavity  20  allows it to engage only the neck of a tool, for example, neck  26  of hammer  11 , when the tool is placed in the holder. This feature leaves the handle completely free so that the user&#39;s hand can remain on the handle during insertion and withdrawal of the tool, without the impediments of prior art holders that engage the handle or are mounted on a back plate in such a way that natural access to the handle is impeded. 
     In the preferred embodiment, spring clip  1  automatically engages the neck of a tool when the tool is placed in the holder and downward pressure is exerted on the handle. The retention pressure exerted by the clip must be great enough to securely hold the tool in place under normal working conditions and prevent the tool from accidentally falling out of the holder. However, the pressure must also be light enough that the user can easily remove and replace the tool with minimal effort. The distance between gripping arms  19   a  and  19   b  of adjustable spring clip  1 , which determines the amount of pressure exerted by the clip on the tool neck, is conveniently adjusted by turning the head  10  of machine screw  6  with a screwdriver. When machine screw  6  is in its loosest position, gripping arms  19   a  and  19   b  of adjustable clip  1  are the widest distance apart, as shown in FIG.  4 . When machine screw  6  is tightened by turning the head of machine screw head  10  to the right, attaching portion  18  of adjustable spring clip  1  is forced into the curvature of vertical member  5 , which causes attaching portion  18  to bend, thereby forcing gripping arms  19   a  and  19   b  closer together and increasing the pressure exerted on the tool neck. By fully tightening machine screw  6 , gripping arms  19   a  and  19   b  of adjustable spring clip  1  will be the closest distance apart, as shown in FIG.  3 . Machine screw  6  may have a disc  8  of minimal thickness affixed to it immediately after it passes through hole  29  in the attaching portion  18  of adjustable spring clip  1 . Disc  8  forces the attaching portion  18  of the adjustable spring clip  1  to bend away from the curvature of vertical member  5  when machine screw  6  is loosened, which forces gripping arms  19   a  and  19   b  farther apart. The user is thus able to adjust the gripping pressure of adjustable spring clip  1  to custom fit the holder of the present invention to the neck of the tool that the user intends to place in the holder. The distance between gripping arms  19   a  and  19   b  is infinitely adjustable within the range established by the length of machine screw  6  and the depth of cavity  20 . 
     The holder of the present invention is particularly well adapted for attachment to the outward side of a generally flat back panel member that is suspended from a user&#39;s belt by suitable means, but also can be mounted on a wall, tool chest or other structure. Examples of representative back panel members are tool scabbard  14  in FIG.  7  and tool pouch  16  in FIG.  8 . Holder body  100  is conveniently mounted to the back panel member by conventional fastening means such as rivets or threaded fasteners (not shown) through mounting holes  7  (FIG. 1) located in the inward sidewalls of vertical member  5  and horizontal member  15 . Holder body  100  may be oriented on the back panel member so that the axis of vertical member  5  (and therefore the handle of the tool being held therein) is disposed at an angle anywhere between (and including) a vertical position and (moving counterclockwise) a horizontal position. Of course, channel  21   a - 21   b  of holder body  100  must be maintained in an upward position so that the tool is cradled therein without falling out. In other words, the holder body may be oriented so that it holds the tool handle anywhere from a vertical position, wherein the handle is directly above the head, to a horizontal position, wherein the handle is directly behind the head. Most preferably, the axis of vertical member  5  is maintained at about a 45° angle counterclockwise from the vertical (see FIG.  7 ), so that the user&#39;s hand  30  can naturally grasp handle  27  and swing hammer  11  along arc  13  out of and into holder body  100 . 
     The present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments. These embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but merely providing illustrations of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims and their legal equivalents, rather than the examples given.