Abstract:
A hand tool and lanyard combination comprised of a hand tool to which a lanyard is removably attached. The lanyard is a length of flexible cable having an anchor and a free end. The anchor end has a housing with a spring mounted rotatable spool disposed within the housing so that the length of flexible cable is retractable by the rotation of the rotatable spool. The free end has a free end attachment mechanism for removably attaching the free end to the hand tool.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention addresses the problem of how a worker can securely retain his or her hand tools, especially when working at elevated locations.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0002]    The invention is a combination comprising a hand tool and a detachable lanyard attached to the hand tool. The lanyard comprises a length of flexible cable having an anchor end and a free end. The anchor end has a housing with a spring-mounted rotatable spool disposed within the housing so that the length of flexible cable is retractable by the rotation of the rotatable spool. The free end having a free end attachment mechanism for removably attaching the free end to the hand tool.  
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0003]    These features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying figures where:  
         [0004]    [0004]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a tool belt and tool combination having features of the invention;  
         [0005]    [0005]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the combination illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the use of one of the tools in the invention;  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a hand tool illustrating the use of a unique gripping pad;  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 4 is a plan view of the gripping pad illustrated in FIG. 3;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 5 is a side view of the gripping pad illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 6 is an isometric view of an additional embodiment of the invention;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of an attachment pin combination having features of the invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 8 is an isometric view of an additional embodiment of the invention wherein the lanyard is attached to the wrist of the user;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8 showing the insertion of a cable retainer spool into a pouch attached to the wrist of the user;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 10 illustrates the attachment of a wrist band used in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 11 is an isometric view illustrating the attachment of a lanyard having features of the invention to the shoulder strap of a user;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 12 is an isometric view illustrating the use of the invention with a tool secured to the back of the user; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 13 illustrates the attachment of a lanyard having features of the invention to a hand tool. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention and several variations of that embodiment. This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments. Practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well.  
         [0018]    In the invention, one or more of the worker&#39;s hand tools  12  are readily attachable and deattachable by a lanyard  14  which prevents the hand tool  12  from falling away from the worker.  
         [0019]    The lanyard  14  comprises a short length of flexible cable  16  retained on a cable retainer spool  14 . At the free end  20  of the cable  16  is a tool attachment connector  22  which allows the lanyard  14  to be readily attached to and deattached from a hand tool  12 . The cable  16  is typically made from a thin metallic material. Other materials, such as nylon cord, chain, braided cable, woven elastic cord (“bungee cord”), plastic mono-filament line (“fishing line”), and even string can also be used. Typically, the cable  12  has a length of between about 2 feet and about 4 feet.  
         [0020]    The cable  16  should be sufficiently strong so as to not break when a hand tool  12  used with the lanyard  14  is inadvertently dropped by the user. The cable  16  also should be sufficiently flexible to allow full use of the hand tool  12  when the hand tool  12  is attached to the lanyard  14 .  
         [0021]    The cable retainer spool  18  typically comprises a rotatable spool  24  disposed within a spool housing  26 . Preferably, the rotatable spool  24  is spring mounted within the spool housing  26  so as to make the cable  16  retractable. Preferably, the spring mounted rotatable spool  24  only exerts sufficient force to draw the cable  16  back into the cable housing  26  when the tool  12  to which the lanyard  14  is attached is not in use.  
         [0022]    The spool housing  26  can be conveniently housed within a pouch  28 , such as a leather pouch, as illustrated in the drawings.  
         [0023]    The lanyard  14  further comprises a retainer spool attachment device  30 , such as clips, clamps or other mechanical attachment means which facilitate the rapid attachment and deattachment of the cable retainer spool  24  to the person of the user or to a solid object proximate to where the user is working. FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate how the cable retainer spool  24  is attached to the shoulder strap  31  of the user. FIGS.  1 - 3  illustrate how the cable retainer spool  24  is attached to the worker&#39;s tool belt  32 . FIGS. 6, 8 and  10  illustrate the attachment of the cable retainer spool  24  to the wrist of the user using a wrist band  34 . The wrist band  34  is typically made from a nylon cloth or leather construction. The wrist band  34  has the additional advantage of acting as an elastic bandage, thereby supporting the wrist and reducing fatigue in the wrist. Typically, the wrist band  34  is attachable and deattachable to the user using hook and loop fasteners or snaps.  
         [0024]    The tool attachment connector  22  is preferably of the “snap-on” variety, wherein the tool attachment connector can be readily attached and de-attached from a corresponding lanyard receiving connector  36  located within a hand tool  12 . In a preferred embodiment, the tool attachment connector  22  is a push-release, spring-loaded, ball bearing locking pin, as illustrated in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, the tool attachment connector  22  is a male-type connector adapted to be received and retained within a corresponding female receptor  40 . This female connector  40  comprises an inwardly projecting flange  42  suitable for engaging and retaining retractable projection members  44 , such as ball bearings disposed within the tool attachment connector  22 . In a typical embodiment, the tool attachment connector  22  is readily disengaged from the lanyard receiving connector  36  in the hand tool  12  by depressing a spring-loaded button  46  on the back side  48  of the tool attachment connector  22 .  
         [0025]    Other attachment devices can also be used as the tool attachment connector  22 , such as clips, screws, snaps, clamps, hook and loop fasteners and the like.  
         [0026]    As illustrated in the drawings, lanyard receiving connectors  36  can be disposed within a wide variety of hand tools  12 , including tape measures, screwdrivers, hammers, axes, pliers, screw guns and cutting tools.  
         [0027]    In one embodiment of the invention, the lanyard receiving connector  36  is disposed within a removable handle gripping pad  48  as illustrated in FIGS.  3 - 5 . In this embodiment, the handle gripping pad  48  can be easily attached and deattached from the handle  50  of a hand tool  12  by hook and loop fasteners or snaps.  
         [0028]    The lanyard  14  can be used in a wide variety of activities where the dropping of tools  12  presents a significant problem, such as high construction, welding, electrical and telephone work. Also, the lanyard  14  is useful in scuba diving, sky diving, rock climbing, mineralogy, ice climbing, fire fighting and aerial rescue efforts.  
         [0029]    In operation, a worker intending to use a particular hand tool  12  disposed within the worker&#39;s tool belt  32  first grips the tool attachment connector  22  and pulls a length of the cable  16  out from the cable retainer spool  18  sufficient to reach the hand tool  12  to be used. Next, the worker snaps the tool attachment connector  22  into the corresponding lanyard receiving connector  36  disposed within the tool  12 . The worker then uses the hand tool  12  in the usual manner. The fact that the hand tool  12  is tethered to the lanyard  14  does not effect the use of the tool  12  because the retractive force of the spring within the cable retainer spool  18  is almost imperceptibly slight. If the worker should inadvertently drop the tool  12  during its use, the tool  12  only falls the distance of the cable  16 . Since the cable  16  is typically only about 3 feet in length, the inadvertently dropping of the tool  12  causes no danger to the tool  12  itself or to other individuals working beneath the worker. When the worker is finished with the hand tool  12 , the hand tool  12  is disposed back into the worker&#39;s tool belt  32  and the tool attachment connector  22  can be removed from the lanyard receiving connector  36 . The lanyard  14  is then ready to be used with a different tool  12  to be selected by the worker from his or her tool belt  32 .  
         [0030]    Having thus described the invention, it should be apparent that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope and fair meaning of the instant invention as set forth hereinabove and as described hereinbelow by the claims.