Patent Abstract:
A tool, for use in turning the screw on a hose clamp, in which a shaft is slidably and rotatably mounted on an elongate slender body member and resiliently biased toward an abutment on the body member to grasp there between the screw on the hose clamp. The shaft has a tool head end to drivingly engage the screw head and at the other end a handle or socket for use in turning the shaft. The abutment on the body has a recess to receive therein the free outer end of the hose clamp screw. This recess and the socket on the drive head end maintain the screw and drive in axial alignment during use. A lug on the body member projects toward and terminates proximate a leading end portion of the shaft turning handle. The lug and its proximity to the handle make it easy to manipulate the tool using one hand.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention relates to a hand tool and more particularly to a hand tool for turning the screw on a hose clamp. 
     2. Background Information 
     Hose clamp screws have a recess and/or hex head for a tool drive end to engage. The recess conventionally is a slot for a blade type driver but sometimes a star for a Phillips type driver. The majority of hose clamps have a hex head and a slot for a blade driver. Regardless of the type of drive the tool must in most instances be pushed against the screw during use and when a clamp is loose on a hose it rotates thus making the task most difficult. To stop the rotation one must apply an equal and opposite force on the clamp or screw. 
     Tools have been proposed that engage both the nut on a bolt and the bolt head. Reference in this regard may be had to the following United States Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 1,294,857 issued Feb. 18, 1919 to C. Yuncker; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,282,523 issued Oct. 22, 1918 to C. Bauer. The tools in these references have a shaft with a socket drive head end for drivingly engaging the head of a bolt to rotate the same and means resiliently urging it toward a an extension to the tool that has a wrench or socket to hold a nut on the bolt while the head end is rotated. With these tools one must use two hands to force the bite of the tool open against the spring pressure to get it in a work position on the bolt. This is inconvenient and awkward and doesn&#39;t leave a hand free to hold other parts and pieces as is often necessary when working with movable things such as hoses and hose clamps. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,910,899 is designed for use with a ring clamp. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The hose clamp tool of the present invention includes a base, an elongate post secured to and projecting upwardly from the base, and a support secured to and projecting upwardly from the base and offset laterally from the post. The support terminates in a free upper end. A flip up lid comprising a plate like member and hinge means pivotally attaching the plate like member, adjacent one edge thereof, to the upper end of the support. The lid has a slot extending inwardly from an edge thereof, opposite the hinge, to receive therein a portion of the post. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a hose clamp tool wherein the clamp screw is engaged between and in axial alignment with the tool head end of a driver and an anvil on the tool and which can be readily manipulated using only one hand. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a hose clamp tool provided in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an oblique view of the hose clamp tool shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of an outer tip end portion of the tool shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating an alternative construction; FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the drive end for the tool illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is an alternate embodiment of an outer tip end portion of the tool illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the tip having a rounded shoulder wherein the hole is spaced an equal distance from the bottom and side edges of the shoulder; 
     FIG. 7 is an end view of the alternate outer tip end portion of FIG. 6 showing the tip having a rounded shoulder and a wedge shape; 
     FIG. 8 is an alternate embodiment of an outer tip end portion of the tool illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the recess in the body member and a plug of a pin press fit into the aperture in the tool body member; 
     FIG. 9 is an alternate embodiment of an outer tip end portion of the tool illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the recess in the body member and a plug of a pin press fit into the aperture in the tool body member held in place with a screw disposed into the body member normal thereto in cooperative engagement therewith; 
     FIG. 10 is an alternate embodiment of an outer tip end portion of the tool illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the recess in the finger of the body member, wherein the aperture in the tool body member is formed integrally therewith of hard material in an elongated slot shape eliminating the need for a pin or plug and the jaw shoulder is formed at an acute angle with respect to the finger; 
     FIG. 11 is an alternate embodiment of an outer tip end portion of the tool illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the recess in the body member comprising a groove formed therein in alignment with the tool shaft for cooperatively engaging a screw mounted within a clamp; 
     FIG. 12 is an alternate embodiment of the tool shown in FIG. 1, showing a rubber grommet having base portion sized having the same diameter of the handle and a neck portion sized in accordance with the shaft, joined by a concave tapered middle portion with is a user friendly shape; 
     FIG. 13 is an alternate embodiment of the tool shown in FIG. 1 showing an adapter having an aperture therein as an attachment which is placed over the outer tip end of the tool and held into position by a friction fit, a tongue and groove arrangement, or snap fit; 
     FIG. 14 is an alternate embodiment of the tool shown in FIG. 1, wherein the lug is shown including grooves formed therein for gripping; 
     FIG. 15 is an alternate embodiment of the tool illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the recess in the body member comprising an oval shaped aperture formed therethrough in alignment with the tool shaft for sliding over a distal end of a screw of a clamp being removed and cooperatively engaging a portion of the clamp; 
     FIG. 16 is an alternate embodiment of FIG. 1, showing the shaft utilizing a flexible longitudinal shaft member within the jaw for allowing flexing of same; 
     FIG. 17 is an alternate embodiment of the hose clamp tool of FIG. 1, wherein the handle has been removed to show a shaft distal end having a square shank for cooperative engagement to a ratchet, wrench, or screwdriver; 
     FIG. 18 is an alternate embodiment of the hose clamp tool of FIG. 1, wherein the handle has been removed to show a shaft distal end having a hexagon shaped shank for cooperative engagement to a ratchet, wrench, or screwdriver; and 
     FIG. 19 is an alternate embodiment of the hose clamp tool of FIG. 1., wherein the handle has been removed to show a shaft distal end having a threaded shank for cooperative engagement to a ratchet, wrench, or screwdriver or other tool. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Illustrated in the drawings, FIGS. 1-19, is a tool  10  comprising a slender elongate body member  20  or frame having a recessed portion at one end forming an open shallow “C” shaped jaw  21 . The longitudinal distal end portion of the jaw  21  of the preferred embodiment further defines a finger  11  curved at about a 90 degree angle with respect to the main body member  20  defining an interior holding surface as the a first abutment  22  on the distal end of the jaw further defining an exterior shoulder portion  12  connected by an outer tip distal end  13 . A second abutment  23  is located at the opposite proximate end of the jaw  21  forming an inner shoulder portion. There is a through hole  25  extending from the proximate end of the jaw  21  through the finger  11  axially aligned with the first and second abutments,  21  and  23  respectively. 
     Spaced apart from the first abutment  22  and remote from the hole  25 , is an opposing aperture  28  formed in or near the distal end of the finger  11  which is also axially aligned with the hole  25 . The aperture  28  may extend all the way through the finger  11  or extend only enough to form a dimple, notch, elongated notch, or circular depression defining a recess  26 . During use of the tool  10 , the recess  26  receives the free outer distal end of the hose clamp screw. The recess  26  may be in the finger  11  of the body member itself as shown in FIGS. 3 or be formed in a plug or cap of a pin  27  as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8 wherein it is threaded or press fit into the aperture  28  of the finger  11  of the tool body. As shown in FIG. 13, a cover cap forming an anvil  60  may be held into position over the distal end of the finger and be permanently or removably retained by a snap fit, frictional fit, retaining screw of the like, and include a recess  26  therein in alignment with the shaft  30 . 
     The shaft  30  extends through the hole  25  and has a free outer tool head end  31  adjacent said first abutment  22 . Means for compressing such as a compression spring  32  is disposed coaxially on the shaft  30 . The compression spring  32  has one end abutting against the second abutment  23  of the jaw  21  and the other end abutting against a spring abutment means  33  disposed on the opposing end of the shaft  30  to resiliently urge the tool head end  31  toward the first abutment  22 . A preferred embodiment utilizes a washer  18  disposed between the spring  32  and the second abutment of the body  20 . Means for spacing including a washer of a particular thickness or a plurality of washers  18  may be used to vary the distance the spring  32  is compressed and various size springs may be used to obtain the desired compression strength. The spring abutment means  33  can for example be a C-clip or E-clip snap fit into a groove around, a pin extending traverse to, press pinched areas, or notches in the shaft  30 . A washer  15  such as shown in FIG. 13 may be used as a means for abutting the spring  32  in combination with a means for stopping comprising an C-clip, E-clip, or transverse pin, or press pinched areas on the shaft  30 . It should be noted that a sleeve  14  as shown in FIG. 14 may be inserted within the body  20  coaxially around the shaft  30  to provide a strength and structural support to the body  20  if the tool body  20  is fabricated from aluminum or a plastic material. A small oil port  16  may optionally be formed or drilled into the body to lubricate the shaft  30  rotating therein. 
     The shaft  30  may end at the second abutment in a male or female means of attachment such as a socket so that a flexible longitudinal shaft member  19  may be permanently or removably attached thereto such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,929 by Kozak hereby incorporated by reference. The preferred embodiment would include the means for compressing or spring  32 , means for holding the compression means in a compressed state coaxially around the flexible shaft  9  such as the washers  18  and  33  and means for stopping such as the c-clip  33  defined heretofore together with a selected tool head end  31  for engaging a clamp screw or bolt head. 
     The opposite end of the shaft  30  extends beyond the tool body  20  and the extending portion has a hand grip handle  35  is mounted thereon for use in rotating the shaft  30  with respect to the body  20 . The handle  35  can be fixed to the shaft  30  or alternatively the drive end of the shaft may be a female square socket (not shown) for receiving the male square shaft of a ratchet, a power driven stub shaft on a hand drill or simply a handle  35  with a square at one end to mate with the socket. The handle  35  of the preferred embodiment is plastic; however, it is contemplated that all or a portion of the handle  35  may be rubber coated, include a knurled surface, and/or be fabricated from metal, wood, or combinations thereof. The handle  35  may comprise a hollow body cylinder  16  having a distal end with a threaded surface for cooperatively engaging an end cap  17  having threads or utilize a hollow cylindrical body wherein the end cap is frictionally held thereto for storage of bits such as illustrated in FIG.  13 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 16-18, the handle  35  may be detachable and the distal end of the shaft  30  extending into the handle  35  may be formed as a square, hex, or threaded socket or male end for cooperatively engaging a ratchet, wrench such as a strong arm tool, electric screwdriver, or drill. 
     The tool head end  31  is shaped to match the slot, star or hex head as the case may be of the hose clamp screw. Illustrated in FIG. 1 is a blade drive  36  within an optional socket  37  (or recess) in the tool head drive end  31 . The socket  37  receives a portion of the screw head end therein and this together with the recess in the abutment  22  at the end of the screw maintains the drive and screw in axial alignment. In some instances a hose clamp screw head has a slot and peripheral rib shaped like a bolt head that keeps a driver centered on the screw in which case a recess  37  is not required on the driver. For most clamps a socket matching the hex head is all that is required. 
     The body  20  has a projection defining a lug  50  that is readily engaged by one&#39;s thumb while the fingers of that hand are wrapped around the handle. All or a portion of the lug  50  may be covered with a plastic or rubber coating and/or include grooves or a knurled surface for gripping. The lug  50  projects from the body toward the handle  35  overlapping a portion thereof. It is thus possible to pull on the handle  35  with one&#39;s fingers on one hand while pressing the thumb on the same hand against the lug  50  to open the bite of the tool  10  against the spring pressure. 
     To use the tool  10  the shaft  30  is moved by hand pulling the handle  35  while holding the body or frame  20  stationery which compresses the spring  32  and retracts the shaft  30  for engaging or disengaging the head of the clamp screw with the tool head end  31  and to seat the distal end of the clamp screw within the recess  26 . When the shaft  30  is released the hose clamp screw is clampingly engaged between the tool head end  31  and the first abutment  22  and drivingly engaged by the head end  31 . The first abutment, being recessed as at  26 , keeps the tool in position at that end and at the other end the screw head is in the tool head drive end socket  37 . This arrangement maintains axial alignment of the drive shaft  30  and the hose clamp screw. Rotating the handle (by hand or power) turns the screw to tighten or loosen the clamp as desired and while doing so the web portion of the jaw engages the hose thus preventing the tool from rotating. Release of the tool is again a one hand operation. Moreover, rotating the shaft  30  in a selected direction spreads the hose clamp freeing the ribbed portions of the band which may have become embedded in the rubber material comprising the hose. 
     Details of the preferred drive head end  31  is illustrated in FIG. 5 in which a socket  41  is removably mountable on a square  40  on the end of the shaft  30 . A drive element  42  is removably insertable (if the need should arise) into the socket  41  and can be chosen at the time of use to match the hose clamp screw head at hand. If a blade drive is used the socket should be deep enough to receive a portion of the head of the hose clamp screw. 
     The handle  35  has a front edge  44  against which abuts a rubber grommet  37  on the shaft. This grommet  37  has a shoulder  38 . During one hand manipulation of the tool the index finger engages this shoulder while the thumb of the same hand bears against the end of the lug  50 . With this grip the shaft  30  is easily forced against the force of the compression spring  32  to open the bite between abutment  22  and the drive socket. Another preferred embodiment of the tool utilizes a plastic or rubber grommet  37  as shown in FIG. 12, wherein the shoulder  38  defines a base portion  46  sized having the same diameter of the handle  35  and a neck portion  48  sized in accordance with the shaft  30  joined by a concave tapered middle portion  49  which is a user friendly shape; 
     The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, for modifications will become obvious to those skilled in the art based upon more recent disclosures and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1