Patent Abstract:
A wire installation tool having a handle with a first opening for receiving a wire attached to a tube having a second opening for evacuating the wire. In one embodiment, the handle has a lip with external radius larger than that of the tube allowing the tube to be inserted in the drill hole of a structure with the handle engaging the structure. This configuration allows a technician to easily feed cabling through the drill hole in the inner wall of an existing structure. The tool is particularly useful for safely feeding wiring through a drill created through the first and second wallboards of an inside wall.

Full Description:
FIELD 
     The invention relates generally to the field of hand tools. More specifically, the invention relates to hand tools used for installing wiring in existing structures. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many modern electronic devices such as television sets, computers, telephones, alarm systems and other devices used in buildings and other structures require extensive wiring. The use of many of these modern electronic devices is often not anticipated at the time the building or other structure is erected. Introduction of these devices into the building or structure often requires modifying the building or structure slightly to accommodate the wiring. To accommodate the wiring, holes may be drilled in the walls of the existing structure. Wires can then be fed through the drill holes providing additional wiring access to selected portions of the building or structure. 
     For example, a television set may be added to a bedroom in which there is no television cable outlet. A television cable outlet may, however, exist in an adjacent living room. To accommodate the television set in the bedroom, a technician can drill a hole through the inner wall separating the living room and the bedroom room and feed a television cable through the wall. The drill hole in the inner wall might go through the wall board of the living room forming an entrance drill hole and through the wall board of the bedroom forming an exit drill hole. The technician can then feed the television cable through the entrance drill hole in the living room wall board and then try to manipulate the cable to feed the television cable through the living room wall board. Further complicating this feeding task is the fact that there is usually open space between the first wall board and the second wall board. Not surprisingly, feeding the television cable or any other type of wire through both the entrance and exit drill hole can be a time consuming and frustrating task. 
     Technicians approach this task in different ways. Some technicians will try to feed the wire through the second hole by peering through the first hole and then wiggling the wire to try to feed it through the second hole. This is problematic not only because it requires some dexterity and skill but also because electrical wiring can also be present in the wall board to wall board presenting a shock hazard. Other technicians may use fish tape to help feed the wire through the hole. Technicians often insert the fish tape through the first and second drill holes, then attach the fish tape to the wire and then pull the wire through the drill holes. It can be appreciated that this is also a time practice since it requires feeding the fish tape through the drill hole, then going to the other side of the wall attaching the fish tape to the cable and then returning to the feed through side again to pull the fish tape and the cable back through the wall. 
     Thus, it is apparent that there is a need for more efficient and safe tools for installing wire in an existing building or structure. The invention addresses this need as well as other needs. 
     SUMMARY 
     In an exemplary embodiment the wire installation tool has a handle with a first opening for receiving a wire is attached to a tube having a second opening for evacuating the wire. The handle at some point may have a lip with external radius larger than that of the tube allowing the tube to be inserted in the drill hole of a structure allowing the handle to engage with the structure. 
     The wire installation tool can, for example, be inserted in the drill hole of an inside wall with the lip of the handle engaging the wallboard and the tube extending through the inside wall. Cabling can then easily be fed into the first opening at the end of the handle with the wire evacuating through the second opening at the end of the tube. In this way, wiring can quickly and easily be fed through the wall. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       Claimed subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. However, such subject matter may be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows an illustration of a side view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows an illustration of a rear view of the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  shows an illustration of a front view of an exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows a cutaway cross sectional view of the tube in the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  shows a cross sectional view of the handle portion in the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  shows an exemplary use of the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  shows an alternate embodiment of the tube of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  shows an alternate embodiment of the handle of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Methods and apparatuses that implement the embodiments of the various features of the disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” is intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearance of the phrase “in one embodiment’ or “an embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used to indicate correspondence between the referenced elements. In addition, the first digit of each reference number indicates the figure in which the element first appears. 
       FIG. 1  shows a side view  100  of an exemplary embodiment of the wire installation tool. The wire installation tool  100  includes a handle  102  connected with a tube  104 . The handle  102  has a lip  106  at a distal end. The tube  104  has a chamfer  108  at its distal end. The handle  102  has a handle opening  116  at its proximal end and a curved surface  100  near the lip  106 . The tube  102  has a tube opening  114  at its distal end. 
     The handle  102  is adapted to be held comfortably in a hand with a closed grip forming a gripping means. The handle  102  has a curved surface  110  accommodating the forefinger and thumb of the closed grip. The lip  106  portion of the handle  110  is substantively flat forming an engaging means for engaging a wallboard or other structural surface. The handle opening  116  for receiving a wire is located at the proximal end of the handle  102 . The handle  116  may be formed from a variety of materials including plastics, woods, rubbers, metals, composites and/or any other rigid or semi rigid material. 
     The handle  102  is connected with the tube  104 . The tube  104  is substantially cylindrically shaped with a hollow substantially cylindrically shaped interior. The tube  104  has a chamfer  108  of approximately 35 degrees at the distal end that aids a technician in inserting the wire installation tool in a snug fitting drill hole. The tube  104  is preferably rigidly connected with the handle  102 . The tube  102  may be formed from a variety of materials including plastics, woods, rubbers, metals, composites and/or any other rigid or semi rigid materials. The tube  104  may extend longitudinally almost through the entire handle  102  to the handle opening  116 . 
     Other embodiments feature varying lip shapes that accommodate varying structural engagement surfaces such as corners, curved and cantilevered surfaces. Other embodiments also feature curved handle interiors and handle openings at more distal locations on the handle. The chamfer configuration varies in different embodiments with some embodiments featuring chamfers with large chamfer angles, other embodiments featuring chamfers with small chamfer angles and still other embodiments featuring no chamfer at all. In various embodiments, the handle is composed primarily of an electrical insulating material to prevent electric shock. In other embodiments the handle includes an electrically insulating covering for preventing electric shock. 
       FIG. 2  shows a rear view  200  of the exemplary embodiment of the wire installation tool. The wire installation tool has a rear surface  202  having a double flair  204  forming a recess in the rear surface  202  with the double flair  204  further defining handle opening  116 . The double flair  204  aids in feeding wire (not shown) into the handle opening  116 . The double flair  204  is particularly useful when the wire diameter is close to the diameter of the handle opening  116 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a front view  300  of the exemplary embodiment of the wire installation tool. The wire installation tool includes the tube  104  that defines the tube opening  114 . In this embodiment, the tube opening  114  is substantially the same diameter as the handle opening  116 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a cutaway cross section  400  of the exemplary embodiment of the tube  104  portion of the wire installation tool. On the distal side of the tube is the tube opening  114  and chamfer  108 . The tube opening  114  defines an opening into tube passageway  402 . The tube  104  is connected with the handle  102  at the handle&#39;s distal end. In this embodiment, tube  104  extends longitudinally almost until the handle opening  116 . The tube passageway  402  is substantially cylindrical allowing a wire to be fed through the tube passageway  402  and out the tube opening  114 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a cross section  500  of the exemplary embodiment of the handle  102  with a cutaway of the tube  104  of the wire installation tool. The handle  102  has a handle opening  116  that defines an opening into handle passageway  502 . The handle passageway  502  defined by the handle configuration, transitions to the tube passageway  402  defined by the tube configuration inside the handle  102 . In this embodiment, the handle passageway  502  and tube passageway  504  are substantially cylindrical, longitudinally aligned, with equal radii forming a uniform handle-tube passageway  502 ,  504 . This configuration allows a wire to be fed in the handle opening  116  through the handle-tube passageway  502   504  and out the tube opening  114  forming a wire guiding means. A countersunk portion  506  of the handle  102  is adapted to engage a double flair in the tube  104 . 
     In this embodiment, tube  104  extends almost all of the way to the handle opening  116 . The handle  102  may be precision drilled for the tube to be press fit into the handle  102 . In a preferred embodiment, the rear of the handle  102  may also be countersunk to accept a double flair in the tube  104  thus making the tube  102  flush fit with the end of the handle  102 . The press fit producing tensile and compressive forces that frictionally secure the tube  102  to the handle  104 . 
     In other embodiments, the tube extends varying lengths into the handle. In some embodiments the tube extends through the handle with the tube forming the handle opening. In yet other embodiments, the tube does not extend into the handle at all. 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize that there are many embodiments and methods of manufacture of the wire installation tool having handle and tube in accordance with the invention. For example, in one embodiment, the handle and tube are composed of the same material, such as a plastic and is formed as a single structure using a dye cast. In another embodiment the handle is formed from cellulose acetate with the tube being constructed of steel and inserted into the handle. In yet another embodiment the handle and the tube have mating threads for rigidly connecting the handle with the tube. In some embodiments, the handle and/or the tube are constructed of electrical insulating materials to prevent electrical shock. In still other embodiments the handle and/or tube are coated or sheathed in electrical insulating material to prevent shock. 
     Those skilled in the art will also recognize that the dimensions of the wireless tool may vary. For example, in one embodiment the tube extends approximately 18″ from the handle allowing the tube to extend through both wallboards of an inside wall. The tube is constructed of steel tubing has an outside diameter of ¼″, 5/16″ and inside diameters of 3/16″ and ⅜″respectively in two exemplary embodiments. A ¼ inch 35 degree chamfer is provided at the distal end in some embodiments. The handle may be for example approximately 4″ in length allowing an average size hand to comfortably grip the handle. 
       FIG. 6  shows an exemplary use  600  of the wire installation tool of  FIG. 1 . The handle  602  of the wire installation tool is placed flush against a first wall board  606  with lip  106  engaging the first wall board  606 . The tube  104  extends through a first drill hole (not shown) in the first wall board  606  and through a second drill hole in a second wall board  608 . A wire  612  extends through the wireless tool from the handle opening  116  to the tube opening  114 . 
     In an exemplary use  600  of the wireless tool a technician drills a hole through the first and second wall boards  606 ,  608  of an inside wall. After the drill is removed the technician grips the handle  102  of the wire installation tool and inserts the tube  104  through the first and second drill holes of the first and second wall boards  606 ,  608  until the lip  106  engages the first wall board  606 . The technician then feeds a wire  612  into the handle opening  116  until the wire  612  evacuates the tube opening  114 . The technician can then remove the tool from the tool from the inside wall pulling the tool proximally with the tool riding along wire  612  until the wire is pulled completely through the tool. 
       FIG. 7  shows an alternate embodiment of the tube  700  of the wireless installation tool. The inner portion  702  is cylindrical in shape and defines an inner passageway  704 , a distal opening  706  and proximal opening  708 . An outer portion  710  surrounds the inner portion  702  and covers most of the inner portion  702  of the tube  700 . An uncovered portion  712  extends into a handle (not shown). 
     The inner portion  702  of the tube is formed of a rigid material such as steel. The outer portion  710  is composed of an electrical insulator for preventing shock. The electrical insulator may be composed of any insulator, for example, rubber-shrink tubing. The outer portion  710  is particularly useful when live wires may present when a technician uses the wire installation tool. 
       FIG. 8  shows an alternate embodiment of the handle  800  of the wireless installation tool. The handle includes a lip  802  with a planar surface  812  connected with tube  804 . The tube  804  extends distally until tube opening  806 . The tube  804  has a handle opening  808  at the proximal end. The tube  804  also has a grip  810  attached the tube  804 . 
     In this embodiment a single homogenous tube, preferably of steel, provides both the handle opening  808  and the tube opening  806  forming a single homogeneous guiding means for guiding a wire. A gripping means  810  attached to the tube provides a gripping means for gripping the handle  800 . The lip  812  provides a planar surface for engaging another planar surface providing an engaging means. 
     The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make or practice the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. 
     The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive and the scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and rang of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7