Patent Description:
A conventional hammer or axe is used to tap or chop an object and may have a grip cover mounted on an end of a handle of the conventional hammer or axe. The grip cover may reduce a reaction force of the conventional hammer or axe due to collision with the object. However, the grip cover disposed on the end of the handle may provide a shock absorption and buffering effect to the conventional hammer or axe, and a length of the grip cover is mostly less than half of a length of the handle. That is, only when the user holds the end of the handle, the grip cover can provide a shock-absorbing or buffering effect. Furthermore, when the conventional hammer or axe is used to move at a close distance or in a small range, the user may hold the handle away from the grip cover. At this time, when the user holds the handle without the grip cover, a reaction force generated to the handle during use cannot be reduce or buffered by the grip cover, which will make the user feel uncomfortable and easily cause injuries during use. Therefore, in use, the user cannot hold the conventional hammer or axe at different locations according to the user's need with a shock absorption and buffering effect.

Additionally, another conventional hand tools are also disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, and <CIT>. In <CIT>, that shows the preamble of claim <NUM>, the hammer handle comprises a handle body having a plurality of through shock absorption holes, wherein the through direction of each shock absorption hole is different from the hammering direction of the hammer. Since the hammer generates a recoil force and a rebound force along the hammering direction when the hammer is hammered, the through direction of each shock absorption hole is different from the hammering direction, and therefore the recoil force and rebound force generated along the hammering direction will cause each of the shock absorption holes to deform, thereby absorbing the recoil force and rebound force, thereby reducing the degree of hand vibration when the hammer is hammered. In <CIT> B, the tool handle has a core that has a tool engaging end, an intermediate section, and a grip end. One or more rigid molded layers at least partially cover at least the intermediate section. The rigid molded layers include an outermost rigid layer having an undulated outer surface. The outermost rigid layer can include a portion that at least partially surrounds the grip end. In one aspect, that portion of the outermost rigid layer that surrounds the intermediate section is undulated and that portion of the outermost rigid layer that surrounds the grip end is free of undulations. The tool handle dampen vibration that is transmitted from the impact end of the tool handle to the grip end that is held by the user.

In <CIT>, the force-limiting and damping device has a body, a tapping element, a shock-absorbing element, and a limiting module. The body has a connecting segment and a holding segment. The tapping element is connected to the body and has a mounting segment, a tapping segment, and a fixing segment. The mounting segment is movably connected to the connecting segment. The tapping segment is disposed on the mounting segment. The shock-absorbing element is mounted on the mounting segment and abuts the connecting segment and the tapping segment. The limiting module is mounted between the body and the tapping element and has a force-limiting element mounted between the mounting segment and the connecting segment to provide a force-limiting reminder and damping effect. In <CIT>, the vibration reduction mechanism for a hand operated striking tool includes a collar coupled to a portion of a handle of the hand-operated striking tool, at least one sleeve interposed over the collar, and at least one pin interconnecting the collar to the handle, wherein the at least one pin retains a position of the collar near a first end of the handle.

In <CIT>, the hammer includes a handle, a hammer head, and an elastic group. The hammer head is set on a long handle with a percussion head, a nail pull part, a hammer head body, and a nail pull support. The hammer head body is located between the striking head and the nail pulling part. The nail pulling support part is located on the top of the hammer head. Its contour extends to the hammer head body and ridges and then descends towards the striking head. The elastic group is provided with damping elastic parts and auxiliary elastic parts, the contour of the nail puller support part of the creation ridges before the hammer head body and then descends toward the striking head, which can solve the lack of existing hammer heads to optimize the nail pull function, which leads to the consumption of nail pulling operations. In <CIT>, the damping handle is wrapped by an internal damping layer and an external damping layer which are softer than the handle and form the damping handle. When in use, the external damping layer is held by a hand, the internal damping layer contacts the handle and firstly damps and absorbs the vibration and impact which are transmitted from the handle, the external damping layer damps and absorbs the vibration and impact which are transmitted from the internal damping layer, by twice damping and absorption, the vibration feeling and impact of the user are greatly reduced.

In <CIT>, the hammer or other hand tool has a head to which is attached a handle. The handle has a plurality of spring steel rods extending substantially the length of the handle and extending into the head where the rods are affixed by a plate. Spacer plates with holes are positioned at spaced locations along the rods. The rods and spacer plates are encased in a rubber material that forms the outer surface of the handle. The rods and spacer plates at the end of the handle form a reinforced lanyard hole. A collar is formed on the handle adjacent the head. The head of the hammer has angled deflecting pads adjacent the striking faces. A raised rim on the head opposite the handle forms a stand surface to enable the barrel shaped head to stand with the handle projecting upwardly. In <CIT>, the axe or hammer includes axe head or hammer head with assembling blind hole and a handle, wherein the bottom part of the assembling blind hole is inverted tapered shape, and the part of the assembling blind hole, which is away from the bottom part of the assembling blind hole and is above the middle part and below the top part of the assembling blind hole, has a tubular shape. In the assembling blind hole there is an inverted wedge whose shape corresponds with the shape of the blind hole, the handle is tubular, whose front part for assembling locates between the blind hole and the inverted taper part of the wedge. In this invention, because the front part locates between the blind hole and the inverted taper part of the wedge, in the course of assembling axe head or hammer head and the handle, due to inverted wedge producing great compressing force, the axe' or hammer's resistance to separating is increase with great extent, its reliability is also enhanced, and the life of validity is prolonged over <NUM> times than the known axe or hammer.

To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide a hand tool with a buffering effect to mitigate the aforementioned problems.

The main objective of the invention is to provide a hand tool with a buffering effect that can be held according to usage needs and can improve shock absorption effect.

The invention is set out in the appended of claims. The following disclosure serves a better understanding of the present invention.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:.

With reference to <FIG>, a first embodiment of a hand tool with a buffering effect in accordance with the present invention comprises a body <NUM>, a working element <NUM>, and at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM>.

The body <NUM> may be an elongated shaft, and has a holding end <NUM> and a connecting end <NUM>. The holding end <NUM> and the connecting end <NUM> of the body <NUM> are respectively disposed on two ends of the body <NUM>. The working element <NUM> may be a hammer head and is connected to the connecting end <NUM> of the body <NUM>. The at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM> is disposed on the body <NUM> between the holding end <NUM> and the connecting end <NUM>. When a user holds the body <NUM> to tap an object by the working element <NUM>, the at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM> can absorb the vibration of the hand tool to provide a shock absorption effect. The at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM> may be a sleeve made of silicone rubber, rubber or a thermoplastic rubber material. Furthermore, the body <NUM> has a length L1, the at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM> has a length L2, and the length L2 of the at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM> is larger than a half of the length L1 of the body <NUM> and less than or equal to the length L1 of the body <NUM> (i.e. <NUM>/2L1<L2 ≦ L1), and this may increase a range for holding the body <NUM> in use.

For example, when the body <NUM> of the hand tool of the present invention needs to be swung over a long distance or in a large amplitude, a user can hold the at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM> close to the holding end <NUM>, and a reaction force generated when the working element <NUM> colliding with an object can be reduced to transmit to the user's hand via the at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM>. When the body <NUM> of the hand tool of the present invention needs to be swung over a close or small range, the user can hold the at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM> close to the connecting end <NUM>, and a reaction force generated when the working element <NUM> colliding with the object also can be reduced to transmit to the user's hand via the at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM>. Therefore, no matter which part of the body <NUM> is held by the user for use, the at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM> can provide a shock-absorbing and buffering effect to the user. Preferably, the at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM> may have a single thickness or a thickness that gradually increases from the connecting end <NUM> toward the holding end <NUM> of the body <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, a second embodiment of a hand tool in accordance with the present invention is substantially the same as the first embodiment except for the following features. In the second embodiment of the present invention, the hand tool has multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B, and the multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B are disposed on the body <NUM> and abut each other. The multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B can be made of the same or different materials, and each one of the shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B can have the same or different thicknesses. In addition, the multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B have a total length L2, and the total length L2 is larger than a half of the length L1 of the body <NUM> and less than or equal to the length L1 of the body <NUM> (i.e. <NUM>/2L1<L2≦L1).

In use, the user can hold the body <NUM> of the hand tool of the second embodiment of the present invention with one of the multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B at different positions according to the user's need. Then the corresponding shock-absorbing element 30A, 30B can provide a buffering effect to the user. With reference to <FIG>, when the hand tool needs to be swung over a close or small range, the user can hold the shock-absorbing element 30A close to the connecting end <NUM> to reduce to the reaction force by the shock-absorbing element 30A. With reference to <FIG>, when the hand tool of the present invention needs to be swung over a long distance or in a large amplitude, the user can hold the shock-absorbing element 30B close to the holding end <NUM> to reduce the reaction force by the shock-absorbing element 30B. Therefore, in use, the user can hold the body <NUM> with a corresponding one of the multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B to provide a shock-absorbing and buffering effect.

With reference to <FIG>, a third embodiment of a hand tool in accordance with the present invention is substantially the same as the first embodiment except for the following features. In the third embodiment of the present invention, the working element 20C is an axe blade. With reference to <FIG>, a fourth embodiment of a hand tool in accordance with the present invention is substantially the same as the second embodiment except for the following features. In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the working element 20C is an axe blade. With reference to <FIG>, when the hand tool of the present invention needs to be swung over a close or small range, the user can hold the shock-absorbing element 30A close to the connecting end <NUM>, and the reaction force can be reduced by the shock-absorbing element 30A. Therefore, in use, the user can hold the body <NUM> with a corresponding one of the multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B to provide a shock-absorbing and buffering effect.

With reference to <FIG>, a fifth embodiment of a hand tool in accordance with the present invention is substantially the same as the first embodiment except for the following features. In the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the body 10D has a connecting segment 13D disposed on the connecting end <NUM>, and the connecting segment 13D has a mounting hole 131D. The working element 20D is movably connected to the connecting segment 13D and has a mounting segment 21D, a tapping segment 22D, and a fixing segment 23D. The mounting segment 21D is movably connected to the mounting hole 131D of the connecting segment 13D. The tapping segment 22D is disposed on an end of the mounting segment 21D and is mounted below the connecting segment 13D. The fixing segment 23D is connected to the mounting segment 21D opposite to the tapping segment 22D and abuts against the connecting segment 13D. The hand tool has an elastic element 40D disposed between the connecting segment 13D and the tapping segment 22D. When the fifth embodiment of the present invention is in use, the shock-absorbing element <NUM> on the body 10D can provide a shock-absorbing and buffering effect, and the elastic element 40D between the connecting segment 13D and the tapping segment 22D also can provide a shock-absorbing and buffering effect. Therefore, the fifth embodiment of the present invention can provide dual shock-absorbing and buffering effects in use.

With reference to <FIG>, a sixth embodiment of a hand tool in accordance with the present invention is substantially the same as the fifth embodiment except for the following features. In the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the hand tool has multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B, and the multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B are disposed on the body <NUM> and abut each other. The multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B can be made of the same or different materials, and each one of the shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B can have the same or different thicknesses. In addition, the multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B have a total length L2, and the total length L2 is larger than a half of the length L1 of the body <NUM> and less than or equal to the length L1 of the body <NUM> (i.e. <NUM>/2L1<L2 ≤L1).

In use, the user can hold the body <NUM> of the hand tool of the sixth embodiment of the present invention with one of the multiple shock-absorbing elements 30A, 30B at different positions according to the user's need. Then the corresponding shock-absorbing element 30A, 30B can provide a buffering effect to the user. With reference to <FIG>, when the hand tool needs to be swung over a close or small range, the user can hold the shock-absorbing element 30A close to the connecting end <NUM> to reduce to the reaction force by the shock-absorbing element 30A to provide a shock-absorbing and buffering effect. In addition, the elastic element 40D between the connecting segment 13D and the tapping segment 22D also can provide a shock-absorbing and buffering effect. Therefore, the sixth embodiment of the present invention can provide dual shock-absorbing and buffering effects in use.

With reference to <FIG>, a seventh embodiment of a hand tool in accordance with the present invention is substantially the same as the fifth embodiment except for the following features. In the seventh embodiment of the present invention, the tapping segment 22E is an axe blade. With reference to <FIG>, an eighth embodiment of a hand tool in accordance with the present invention is substantially the same as the sixth embodiment except for the following features. In the eighth embodiment of the present invention, the tapping segment 22E is an axe blade. With reference to <FIG>, when the hand tool of the present invention needs to be swung over a close or small range, the user can hold the shock-absorbing element 30A close to the connecting end <NUM>, and the reaction force can be reduced by the shock-absorbing element 30A to provide a shock-absorbing and buffering effect. Furthermore, the elastic element 40E between the connecting segment 13E and the tapping segment 22E also can provide a shock-absorbing and buffering effect. Therefore, the eighth embodiment of the present invention can provide dual shock-absorbing and buffering effects in use.

According to the above-mentioned structural relationships and the features, the hand tool of the present invention is in use, using a structure configuration of the length L2 of the at least one shock-absorbing element <NUM>, 30A, 30B is larger than a half of the length L1 of the body <NUM>, 10D and less than or equal to the length L1 of the body <NUM>, 10D (i.e. <NUM>/2L1<L2≦L1), and the user can hold the body <NUM>, 10D with a corresponding one of the shock-absorbing elements <NUM>, 30A, 30B conveniently according to the user's need. Furthermore, the elastic element 40D, 40E disposed between the connecting segment 13D, 13E and the tapping segment 22D, 22E can provide a delayed rebound to the reaction force and can provide a shock-absorbing and buffering effect. Then, the hand tool of the present invention can provide dual shock-absorbing and buffering effects in use, and this can effectively alleviate the discomfort of the user and allow the user to hold the body <NUM>, 10D firmly for operation. The hand tool of the present invention can be held according to usage needs and can improve the shock absorption effect.

Claim 1:
A hand tool with a buffering effect, wherein the hand tool comprises:
a body (<NUM>, 10D) being an elongated shaft and having
a holding end (<NUM>) disposed on one of two ends of the body (<NUM>, 10D); and
a connecting end (<NUM>) disposed on the other one of the two ends of the body (<NUM>, 10D);
a working element (<NUM>, 20C, 20D) connected to the connecting end (<NUM>) of the body (<NUM>, 10D); and the hand tool is characterized by further comprising:
multiple shock-absorbing elements (30A, 30B) disposed on the body (<NUM>, 10D) between the holding end (<NUM>) and the connecting end (<NUM>), abutted each other, and being made of different materials, and the multiple shock-absorbing elements (30A, 30B) having a total length (L2) being larger than a half of a length (L1) of the body (<NUM>, 10D) and being less than or equal to the length (L1) of the body (<NUM>, 10D);
wherein a shock-absorbing and buffering effect is provided by the multiple shock-absorbing elements (30A, 30B) when a user holds the body (<NUM>, 10D) and uses the working element (<NUM>, 20C, 20D).