Patent Abstract:
A pocket driver tool having a longitudinal housing with a multisided socket at one end of the tool and extending along part of a longitudinal axis of the pocket driver tool, and stalls for drivers extending transversely to the longitudinal axis. A lumination device can illuminate the work place in which the pocket driver tool is to drive a fastener into or out of a workpiece.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to miniature tools and, in particular, to pocket driver tools for storing and providing both a holder for drivers and a handle for operating the drivers, and to such pocket driver tools having illuminating devices. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,757 (Nalbandian et al., 1981), U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,249 (Shiao, 1996), U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,308 (Lin, 1998) and D592,930 (Cai, 2009) all disclose illuminated screw drivers. A number of screw driver tools are known incorporating storage compartments for the drivers, but where the socket is not on the longitudinal axis of the tool. Tools are known having storage compartments where drivers or other components are stored in the tool, but where the drivers or other components are not transverse to and are disposed on the longitudinal axis of the tool, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,249 (Shiao, 1996), U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,641 (Sung et al., 1999), U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,858 (Chiu, 2001), U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,034 (Chen, 2002), U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,675 (Chuang, 2003), U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,483 (Liu, 2006), U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 385,172 (Bramsiepe et al., 1997), and U.S. Patent Publications Nos. 2008/0083304 (Finn) and 2011/0226098 (Zhang). U.S. Pat. No. 1,309,281 (Forbes, 1919) discloses a tool whose handle is also a tool kit. Other disclosures of driver tools for holding more than one driver can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,260 (Huang, 1998), U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,150 (Huang, 1998), U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,306 (Huang, 1999), U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,606 (Huang, 1999), U.S. Publication Nos. 2007/0251355 (Kao, 2007) and 2008/0041746 (Hsiao), and U.S. Design Pat. Des. 385,172 (Bramsiepe et al., 1997), Des. 400,775 (Hsu, 1998), D580,655 (Kao, 2008) and D592,930 (Cai, 2009). Included in the foregoing are disclosures of such driver tools for holding a plurality of drivers that also have work-place illumination devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,249 (Shiao, 1996) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,308 (Lin, 1998). An illuminated screwdriver is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,757 (Nalbandian et al., 1981). The assignee of the present application has on the market a product called “XDrive Compact Driver Tool” wherein drivers are stored in the tool and extend in directions that are parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tool. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the invention is to provide a driver tool that is small enough to be stored in a user&#39;s pocket, perhaps on a key chain, in a handbag, attached to a handle or other part of a larger object, or stored in a desk, tool box, accessory box or the like. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a pocket driver tool which can store a plurality of drivers in a compact, secure but easily accessible manner. 
     A further object of the present invention is the provision of a pocket driver tool for holding elongated drivers having a working end and a holding end, the working end being a socket into which drivers can be inserted. 
     It is also a provision of the present invention to provide a pocket driver tool as discussed above having an illumination device for selectively illuminating a work place. 
     A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a pocket driver tool with an illumination device which fully illuminates a work place. 
     It is also an object of the present invention to provide a pocket driver tool which is extremely thin, while still being able to store a plurality of drivers and cell batteries for powering an illumination device forming part of the pocket driver tool. 
     An additional object of the invention is to provide a pocket driver tool with an illumination device having an easily accessible actuating button. 
     It is yet still another object of the invention to provide a pocket driver tool which is of short length, of narrow width and being flat across its broader surfaces, yet is still able to perform its intended function. 
     A general object of the present invention is to provide a pocket driver tool which is efficient and effective in operation, is attractive in appearance and can be produced in a precise manner at a low cost. 
     These and other objects will be apparent from the description to follow and from the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1 and 2  are perspective views of a pocket driver tool according to the preferred embodiment of invention, showing the front and rear portions thereof in a vertical position with the forward end of the pocket driver tool disposed at the lower part of the respective figures, with a spring clip which is not a component of the preferred embodiment. 
         FIGS. 3 and 4  are respective front and back views of the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are respective views of opposite sides of the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  are respective forward and rearward views of the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in  FIGS. 1-6 . 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in  FIGS. 1-8 , with the storage compartment cover in its open position revealing the drivers in their respective stalls. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view like that shown in  FIG. 9  with the drivers raised above the pocket driver tool. 
         FIGS. 11 ,  12  and  13  are front, side and forward views of the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1-10  with the storage compartment cover in its open position. 
         FIGS. 14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17  and  18  are perspective, front, side, rear and forward end views of a housing top used in the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1-13 . 
         FIGS. 19 ,  20 ,  21 ,  22  and  23  are perspective, front, side, rear and forward end views of a housing bottom used in the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1-13 . 
         FIG. 24  is a perspective view of a battery contact for use in the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 25 and 26  are respectively perspective and bottom plan views of an actuating button for use in the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 27  is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in  FIGS. 1-23 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The foregoing objects of the invention are accomplished by means of the preferred embodiment of the invention discussed below. A pocket driver tool  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1-13  and  27 . Pocket driver tool  10  includes a longitudinal housing  2  composed of a housing top  3  and a housing bottom  5 . Pocket driver tool  10  further includes a removable tool door  7  for opening and closing a driver storage compartment  8 , an illumination device actuating button  9  and a battery door  11  as most of its externally visible parts. Pocket driver tool  10  has a central longitudinal axis L. Housing  2  has a forward end portion  4 , a rearward end portion  6 , and opposing side portions  14  and  16 . Housing top  3  is composed of a flat front face  12 , with an actuating button orifice  13 , generally flat (although slightly concave and slightly outwardly flared with respect to longitudinal axis L) opposing side walls  15 ,  17 , a housing top, slightly convex forward end wall  19  and a forward socket and portion  20  including a multisided socket  21  which is preferably a hexagonal socket  21 . Axis L is the central longitudinal axis of socket  21 . Housing top  3  has a housing top curved rearward section  23  with a convexly curved, housing top rearward end wall  25  and a key ring-receiving orifice  27  having an imaginary axis perpendicular to longitudinal axis L. A pair of opposing housing top side walls  29 ,  31  interconnects a forward section  30  of housing top  3  and rearward section  32  of housing top  3 . Respective forward and rearward screw bosses  33  and  35  include threaded screw holes for receiving screws to construct pocket tool holder  10  as discussed below. Housing top  3  is depicted in detail in  FIGS. 14-18 . 
     Tool door  7  is positioned over a tool storage opening  37  in housing top  3 . Tool door  7  has a pair of hinge arms  39  having outwardly extending hinge pins  41  which are received in receptacle bosses  43  in housing top  3  to form a pair of hinges  45 . Tool door  7  also has a latch arm  47  and housing top  3  has a latch receptacle  49 , latch arm  47  and latch receptacle  49  forming a snap latch  51 . Tool door  7  has a flat front face  53  and opposing side walls  55  and  57  which cooperate with parts of the respective opposing sides portions  14  and  16  of pocket driver tool  10  as discussed below. 
     Housing top  3  includes on its front face  12  a pair of opposing side walls  59  and  61  of which side walls  55  and  57  of tool door  7  are respective continuations to provide this portion of pocket driver tool  10 , a continuous and sleek appearance. Opposing side walls  59  and  61  also cooperate with the side walls of housing bottom  5  as explained hereinbelow. Side walls  55 ,  57 ,  59  and  61  are slightly concave with respect to longitudinal axis L as explained below. Housing top  3  has a convexly curved housing top forward end wall  62  opposite rearward end wall  25 . Pocket driver tool  10  includes an illumination device  200 . Illumination device  200  is located at forward socket end portion  20 . Forward section  30  of housing top  3  further includes upper portions  64  and  65  of a pair of lens mounts  67  and  69  on opposite sides of an upper socket portion  70  of socket  21  for, as explained below, directing illumination to the work place for a driver inserted in socket  21 . Socket  21  and lens mounts  67 ,  69  are located in a forwardly extending nose portion  71  further discussed below. 
     Reference is now made to housing bottom  5  which is attached to housing top  3  as discussed later. The details of housing bottom  5  are shown in  FIGS. 19-22 . Housing bottom  5  has a forward portion  73  and a rearward portion  75 . Housing bottom  5  includes a housing bottom flat back face  77  with a battery door orifice  79 , opposing housing bottom side walls  81  and  83  which correspond in configuration (including the concave curve and the outward flare) to opposing housing top side walls  15  and  17  of housing top  3  to form, when housing top  3  and housing bottom  5  are attached, continuous, closed sleek and attractive opposing sides  85  and  87  of pocket driver tool  10 . Housing bottom  5  further includes a convexly curved, housing bottom forward end wall  89  and a convexly curved, housing bottom rearward end wall  91 , each configured to match and be continuous of respective forward and rearward end wall  62  and  25  of housing top  3  to also form respective continuous, closed sleek forward and rearward end walls  19  and  25  of pocket driver tool  10 . Housing bottom  5  includes in its forward portion  73  a lower socket portion  90  and a pair of lower portions  92  and  94  of lens mounts  67  and  69 . A pair of cell battery compartments  95  is in forward portion  73 , but rearward of lower socket portion  90  and lower portions  92  and  94 . A PCB-LED compartment  97  has appropriate walls to firmly support a PCB-LED assembly  99  as explained further. Extending between side walls  81  and  83  are opposing forward driver end stall wall  101  and rearward driver stall end wall  103 , and three intermediate driver stall walls  105 ,  107  and  109 , for forming a series of driver stalls  111 ,  113 ,  115  and  117 . Driver stalls  111 ,  113 ,  115  and  117  are transverse to longitudinal axis L. Housing top  3  has in the bottom of its side walls  31  and  33 , a set of opposing slots  119 ,  121  and  123  for receiving the upper ends of driver stall walls  105 ,  107  and  109 . Housing bottom  5  also has a finger slot  125  to enable a user to slip the end of the user&#39;s finger in slot  125  to open tool door  7 . Tool door  7  thus selectively covers and uncovers driver stalls  111 ,  113 ,  115  and  117 . This enables the withdrawal of one or more drivers from said respective driver stalls and for enabling the putting of drivers in driver stalls when the stalls are empty. Housing bottom  5  has in its housing bottom rearward portion  75  a centrally located boss  127  with a portion  128  of key ring-receiving orifice  27  having an imaginary axis which is perpendicular to longitudinal axis L. Housing bottom rearward portion  75  and housing top rear section  23  cooperate to form a rear housing portion  130 . Key ring-receiving orifice  27  has a portion  126  of housing top  3  and portion  128  of key ring-receiving orifice  27  of housing bottom  5  are in alignment and cooperate to form housing key ring-receiving orifice  27 . Housing bottom  5  further is further comprised of forward screw hole bosses  129  and rearward screw hole bosses  131 , each located symmetrically of longitudinal axis L for cooperating with respective tool bosses  33  and  35  in housing top  3  to receive screws in their respective screw holes for holding housing top  3  and housing bottom  5  together. 
     PCB-LED assembly  99  includes a base  133  from which extend a set of electrical leads  135  to which are connected light emitting diodes (LEDs)  137 . A mounting block  139  also extends from base  133  with a button protrusion  141  to be engaged by button  9  as explained below. LEDs  137  are respectively disposed in the rearward portions of lens mounts  67  and  69 . LEDs  137  are preferably 10,000 MCD, 50,000 LED bulbs for two hours of continuous use. 
     A battery contact  143 , shown alone in  FIG. 24 , is disposed between battery door  11  and cell battery compartments  95  for electrically connecting cell batteries C when the latter are mounted in compartments  95 . Battery contact  143  is made of an electrically conducting material such as a tin nickel alloy, and has a hole  145  in its mid-portion for receiving a captive screw  146  extending through a conical post  147  extending inwardly from the center of battery door  11 , perpendicular to longitudinal axis L. Battery contact  143  has inwardly flared side portions  149  for being compressed against cell batteries C by battery door  11  to assure contact with batteries C. Batteries C are preferably 2 CR 1025 lithium batteries. 
     Battery door  11  has an interior battery contact lip  151  for pressing battery contact  143  against cell batteries C disposed in battery compartments  85 , and a recess  153  for receiving a lip  155  in housing bottom  5  to firmly seat battery door  11  in housing bottom  5  across battery door orifice  79 . Housing bottom  5  has a screw boss  157  with a screw hole  159  for receiving captive screw  146  to firmly and releasably attached battery door  11  to pocket driver tool  10 . 
       FIGS. 25 and 26  illustrate illumination device actuating button  9 . Illumination device actuating button  9  has a generally oblong outer periphery with straight opposing sides  162 , and a flat exterior face  161 . It has a peripheral shoulder  163  on a lip  165  for engaging an interior shoulder on housing top  3  to retain button  9  in housing top  3 . There is an interior recessed cross  167  for engaging button protrusion  141 , which button  9  depresses to engage PCB-LED assembly  99  with cell batteries C to actuate LEDs  137 . 
     Driver stalls  111 ,  113 ,  115  and  117  extend across driver tool compartment  8  perpendicular to longitudinal axis  11 . The base of compartment  8  is the interior surface of the forward portion of housing bottom  5 , and the top of compartment  8  is the interior surface of front face  53  of tool door  7 . Driver tools found to be important to users of this type of tool are a flat head driver  169 , a relatively large Phillips head driver  171 , a relatively small Phillips head driver  173  and an Allen driver  175 . The preferred forms of drivers other than a flat head driver are a #2 Phillips driver  177 , a #1 Phillips driver  179  and a 5/32 inch Allen driver  175 . These drivers are preferably 24.85 mm long. The driven end of each of drivers  169 ,  171 ,  173  and  175  are each preferably hexagonal as is socket  21 , and have a cross dimension between the flats of 6.250 mm. Socket  21  is dimensioned to receive and drive drivers  169 ,  171 ,  173  and  175 . The respective drivers  169 ,  171 ,  173  and  175  each have a multisided driver end dimensioned and configured to be received in socket  21  in a fitting relationship. One of drivers  169 ,  171 ,  173  and  175 , when received in socket  21 , is used to drive a fastener by the manual rotation of pocket driver tool  10  about longitudinal axis L. The fitting relationship prevents the rotation of the driver with respect to multisided socket  21 . 
     A tool magnet  181  is provided at an interior closed end of socket  21  in order to releasably hold ferromagnetic drivers  169 ,  171 ,  173  and  175 , respectively, held in socket  21 . The foregoing drivers can easily be removed from storage compartment  8  and held in socket  21 , and likewise be removed from socket  21  by the user of pocket tool  10 . 
     Housing bottom  5  is attached to housing top  3  by means of housing screws  183  which are inserted in screw holes in each of screw bosses  33  and  35  in housing top  3 , and screw bosses  129  and  131  in housing bottom  5 . A quick clip  185  or other key ring can be inserted through key ring orifice  27 . 
     Pocket driver tool  10  is extremely flat and hence easy to store. Battery compartments  95  hold cell batteries C in a general plane parallel with the flat faces  12  and  53  of housing top  3  and tool door  7 , and flat face  77  of housing bottom  5 , with their imaginary central longitudinal axes in an imaginary plane perpendicular to an imaginary plane incorporating longitudinal axis L and perpendicular to flat faces  12 ,  53  and  77 . Drivers  169 ,  171 ,  173  and  175  extend across tool compartment  8 , and are short enough as described above to render pocket driver tool  10  to have a short width between side walls  15  and  17 . Since parts to be held by pocket driver tool  10  are the latter drivers, and since their respective widths are of a small dimension as noted above, the thickness of tool  10  is also small enough to assist in making tool  10  easy to store. Likewise the length of tool  10  between opposing curved end walls  19  and  25  is very small as well. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, pocket driver tool  10  has a width w of 33.133 mm (or about 1.3 inches), a length l of 65.237 mm (or about 2.6 inches) and a thickness t of 6.350 mm (or about 0.4 inch). 
     Pocket driver tool  10  is also effective in use. Even though its width is small, a user can insert a driver in socket  21 , insert the driver in a screw or other fastener, hold the opposing side walls  15  and  17  with the thumb on one side and index finger on the other side and apply torsion to tool  10  to obtain the desired twisting action. Curved side walls  15  and  17  assist in preventing slipping of the fingers along the latter walls during use. Actuating button  9  can be easily operated with one of the user&#39;s fingers while pocket driver tool  10  is in use, possibly requiring an easy manipulation of the user&#39;s fingers. 
     Pocket driver tool  10  is a precision tool, which nevertheless can be made inexpensively for a current retail selling price of less than ten dollars (US). Pocket driver tool  10  is attractive in appearance, and effective and efficient in use. 
     The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to its preferred embodiment, but variations and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may appear to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and from the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1