Patent Publication Number: US-6986538-B1

Title: Device for storing and carrying hole saws

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/345,345, filed Jan. 4, 2002. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to tools, and, more particularly, to devices for storing and carrying tools. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Hole saws (also known as rotary cutters, shell cutters, crown drills, and hole cutters) are commonly used in both domestic and commercial settings to cut small- to medium-sized round holes in walls or other objects. U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,677, with reference to its  FIG. 1 , shows a conventional, representative hole saw  10 . 
   Because each hole saw  10  can only be used to cut one size of hole, people that commonly need to cut round holes, such as carpenters, electricians, and plumbers, typically have a number of hole saws in various sizes and configurations. Unfortunately, all these hole saws can be difficult to organize and carry—oftentimes, they will simply end up jumbled together at the bottom of a toolbox or even flying around loose in a work vehicle. This problem is exacerbated for those who frequently move from one worksite to another. 
   Additionally, the most popular current method of storing and carrying hole saws is a variety of different sized “kits” or boxes that are bulky and inconvenient (i.e., where each hole saw has its own circular storage slot). 
   Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a device for organizing, storing, and carrying a plurality of hole saws. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A device for storing and carrying hole saws, referred to under the trademark Hole Caddy™, comprises a bolt-like stack pin and a carrying/retaining handle that is removably attachable to the stack pin. The stack pin is generally cylindrical, and has a widened “bun” or head at one end and a lateral keyhole slot near its other end. One end of the handle has a key-like element, by which the handle can only be detached from the stack pin when the key is properly aligned with the stack pin&#39;s keyhole slot. For use, the handle is detached from the stack pin by first orienting the handle to align the key with the keyhole slot and by then sliding the handle through the keyhole slot. Subsequently, loose hole saws are nested together and stacked onto the stack pin, and the handle is re-attached to the stack pin, preventing the hole saws from being removed from the stack pin until the handle is once again detached. The stacked, nested hole saws can be hung or carried by way of the handle. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with respect to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a device for storing and carrying hole saws (Hole Caddy™) according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the Hole Caddy; 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the Hole Caddy; 
       FIG. 4A  is a detail view of a portion of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIGS. 4B &amp; 4C  are conceptual or alternative views illustrating operation of a handle and key portion of the Hole Caddy; 
       FIG. 4D  is a perspective end view of a key portion of the Hole Caddy&#39;s handle; 
       FIG. 5  is a front view, partially in section and partially in perspective, of the Hole Caddy in use; 
       FIG. 6  is a front elevation view of a first alternative embodiment of the Hole Caddy; 
       FIG. 7  is a front elevation view of a second alternative embodiment of the Hole Caddy; 
       FIG. 8  is a front elevation view of a third alternative embodiment of the Hole Caddy; 
       FIG. 9  is a front elevation view of a fourth alternative embodiment of the Hole Caddy; 
       FIG. 10  is a front elevation view of a fifth alternative embodiment of the Hole Caddy; and 
       FIG. 11  is a front elevation view of a sixth alternative embodiment of the Hole Caddy. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Turning now to  FIGS. 1–5 , a preferred embodiment of a device or “carrying and storing” means  10  for carrying and storing differently sized hole saws, hereinafter referred to under the trademark Hole Caddy™, according to the present invention, will now be given. The Hole Caddy  10  comprises a bolt-like stack pin  12  and a carrying/retaining handle  14  that is removably attached to the stack pin  12 . For use, the handle  14  is detached from the stack pin  12 . Then, as shown in  FIG. 5 , differently sized hole saws  16   a ,  16   b  are nested together and stacked coaxially onto the stack pin  12 , and (referring back to  FIGS. 1–4D ) the handle  14  is re-attached to the stack pin  12 , preventing the hole saws  16  from being removed from the stack pin  12  until the handle  14  is once again detached. The nested hole saws can be hung or carried by way of the handle  14 . 
   Turning now to the individual components in more detail, the stack pin  12  comprises: a generally cylindrical shaft  20 ; a radially-extended (widened) head or “bun”  22  at one end of the shaft (also referred to herein as a support means for supporting holes saws); and a transverse keyhole slot or throughbore  24  extending through the shaft proximate the shaft&#39;s other end. The keyhole slot  24 , as its name implies, is generally keyhole-shaped, i.e., it includes a generally cylindrical main bore  26  extending laterally through the shaft  20 , and a smaller-sized, secondary bore  28 , offset from the main bore  26  but connected thereto, also extending laterally through the shaft  20 . The secondary bore  28  may be aligned with the longitudinal axis of the shaft  20 , i.e., to lie “above” or “below” the main bore  26  as shown in  FIG. 4A  (above) and  FIGS. 4B and 4C  (below), or it may have another orientation. The secondary bore  28  may be an actual semi-rectangular slot or trough, as shown in  FIGS. 4B and 4C . However, for ease of manufacturing, it may also be provided as a second, smaller-diameter cylindrical bore offset from the main bore  26  (but connected and parallel thereto). For example, as shown in  FIG. 4A , the main bore  26  is a 3/16″ cylindrical through-bore, while the secondary bore  28  is formed as a 0.156″ cylindrical through-bore offset from the main bore by 0.049″. 
   As should be appreciated, the particular dimensions of the shaft  20  used in practice will depend on the size and type of hole saws meant to be carried by the Hole Caddy  10 . More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the diameter of the shaft  20  should be no larger than the effective diameter of the connection openings (at  21 ) in the middle of the hole saw bases or back plates (e.g.,  17   a ,  17   b ), while the bun  22  (support means) should be larger than the effective diameter of those central openings. One appropriate diameter for the shaft  20 , suitable for many applications, is 9/16″ (e.g., this will accommodate many standard hole saws), while one appropriate diameter for the bun  22  is ¾″. 
   As used herein, “nested” refers to smaller hole saws (e.g.,  16   b ) being nestled or housed within the confines of the largest hole saw (e.g.,  16   a ). The back plates (e.g.,  17   a ,  17   b ) of the hole saws rest against each other when the Hole Caddy™ is in its upright orientation, illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
   The handle  14  is best shown in  FIG. 1 . The handle  14  may be a plurality of individual components attached together, or it may be a unitary piece of appropriately-configured plastic or metal (e.g., one suitable material is 3/16″ diameter, cold-rolled steel shaped via a bending jig or the like). Either way, the handle  14  comprises a carrying/hanging portion  40  and a straight, cylindrical retainer  42  that terminates at a “key”  44 . The carrying/hanging portion  40  of the handle  14  includes: a riser  46  extending away from the end portion  42  at about a 60° angle with respect thereto; a handle portion  48 , generally parallel to the end portion  42 , extending back from the riser  46  at about a 60° angle with respect thereto; and a hanger  50 , with a radius of about ⅝″, curling around from the handle portion  48 . The retainer  42 , as mentioned, is straight and cylindrical, and has a diameter that is equal to or slightly less than the diameter of the main bore  26  of the keyhole slot  24 , i.e., so that the retainer  42  fits through the main bore  26 . 
   The key  44  comprises a tab-like protuberance  52  that extends beyond the diameter of the retainer  42 . The protuberance  52  is angled at about a 45° with respect to a plane defined by the remainder of the handle  14 , as shown in  FIGS. 4A–4C  (other angular orientations are possible as well). The key  44  may be formed by actually attaching a small, appropriately dimensioned and angled tab to the retainer  42 . For ease of manufacture, however, the key  44  may also be formed by flattening the end of the retainer  42 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  4 A, and  4 D, such that the end of the retainer extends past the diameter of the remainder of the retainer, on one or both sides. 
   The key  44  is dimensioned to pass through the keyhole slot  24  only when the handle  14  is appropriately positioned. In particular, the handle  14  can only be detached from the stack pin  12  when the tab-like protuberance portion  52  of the key  44  aligns with the secondary bore  28 , which only happens when the handle  14  is pivoted to one particular angular orientation (i.e., out of 360°) with respect to the stack pin  12 . The pivoting is transverse to a longitudinal axis of the shaft  20 , and also transverse to the stack pin  12 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . At all other pivoted-to positions, the protuberance  52  will strike the edge of the keyhole slot  24  instead of passing into and through the secondary bore  28  when the handle is pulled away from the stack pin. In addition to permitting the handle to be removed (when desired), the pivoting action of the handle  14  eases transport of the blades within the Hole Caddy™  10 . 
   For example, since the protuberance  52  is at, e.g., a 45° angle with respect to the rest of the handle, when the handle  14  is aligned with the stack pin  12  (i.e., the two are coplanar), as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4A , the protuberance  52  is misaligned with the secondary bore  28  of the keyhole slot  24 . As such, the handle  14  cannot be detached from the stack pin  12 , because the protuberance  52  hits the edge of the keyhole slot  24  when the handle  14  is moved away from the stack pin  12 . However, when the handle  14  is rotated by 45°, as shown in  FIG. 4C , the protuberance  52  aligns with the secondary bore  28 , and the handle  14  can be detached from the stack pin  12  by pulling the retainer  42  and key  44  through the keyhole slot  24 . 
   While the handle  14  provides an inexpensive, multi-function means (handle, hanger, retainer) for securing hole saws to the stack pin, other types of handles may be used as well. For example, the handle could be provided as part of an element  60  that screws down onto the top of the stack pin  12 , in which case the stack pin  12  would not need a keyhole slot (see  FIG. 11 ). Further, the handle could be provided as part of a carabiner-like mechanism  62  (see  FIG. 6 ), in which case the keyhole slot would only need to be a simple cylindrical through-bore  64 . In this embodiment, the handle would have an end portion  66  that fits through the stack pin through-bore  64 , and a lever arm  68 , normally spring-biased in a closed position (as shown in  FIG. 6 ), that would fit up against the handle end portion. To remove the handle, the lever arm would be pivoted back, and the handle end portion slid through the stack pin through-bore. 
   The handle could also be attached to the stack pin  12  by way of a “quick release” mechanism (see  FIG. 7 ), e.g., a retractable sleeve  70  and lipped protuberance  72  like those used for releasably connecting hoses to valve ends. Additionally, instead of having a keyhole slot and associated handle key, the stack pin could be provided with a standard through-bore  64 , with the handle fitting through the through-bore and having some sort of removable closure member or mechanism. For example,  FIG. 8  shows a retainer clip  74  and associated handle groove  76 ,  FIG. 9  shows a wing nut  78  (or some other threaded removable fastener, such as a screw) and accompanying handle threading  80 , and  FIG. 10  shows a cotter pin  82  and associated handle pinhole  84 . Of course, whatever mechanism was used, it would be necessary to ensure that: (i) the connection was strong enough to withstand the weight of numerous nested hole saws; and (ii) that there was little risk of the handle/retaining element coming detached from the stack pin accidentally. 
   Although there would be a slightly elevated risk of accidental release, it should be noted that the bun end  22  (support means) of the stack pin  12  could be removably attached to the shaft  20 , by complementary threads, a fastener, or some type of quick release mechanism. Also, the bun  22  (support means) could be entirely replaced by a different type of removably-attached lower retainer element, such as a pin or carabiner, which would fit through a lateral through-bore located towards the “bottom” of the stack pin. This would allow someone to remove the hole saws from the bottom of a nested stack without having to remove all the hole saws from the stack pin  12 . 
   The various versions of the handle described above and shown in the drawings may also be characterized as a “handle and retainer” means for selectively preventing hole saws stacked on the stack pin from being removed therefrom. Additionally, the bolt-like stack pin (i.e., the shaft and widened head or similar element, either detachable or not) may together be characterized as a “shaft support means” for holding a plurality of nested hole saws. 
   The various components of the Hole Caddy  10  can be made of metal, plastic, or any other suitably strong and durable material. 
   While the stack pin  12  has been described as having a generally cylindrical shaft  20 , one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the shaft could be any size or shape (e.g., hexagonal, square, irregular) that would accommodate stacked and/or nested hole saws. 
   Since certain changes may be made in the above device for storing and carrying hole saws, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all of the subject matter of the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted merely as examples illustrating the inventive concept herein and shall not be construed as limiting the invention.