Patent ID: 7367089

Claim:
A cover for a hanging clip of a portable hand tool, the clip being of a one-piece construction having a first end segment fixedly attached to a main body of the hand tool, a second free end segment, a generally horizontal weight-supporting segment therebetween, and a generally vertical holder segment between the weight-supporting segment and the free end segment, with the weight-supporting segment at a higher position than the attached end segment, the holder segment, or the free end segment so that the hand tool can be suspended from a pants pocket or belt with the weight-supporting segment engaging the pants pocket or belt to support the weight of the hand tool in suspension, wherein the cover comprises: a body of a one-piece construction having at least a portion that is made of a deformable material, wherein the deformable material is a plastic, rubber, polymer, foam, or composite and has an elasticity selected to permit the body to deform to a non-linear shape as the body is slipped onto the clip; and the body defining an opening that receives at least a portion of the hanging clip therein, wherein the cover body has a length and the body opening has a length that are selected so that edges of the weight-supporting segment, the holder segment, and the free end segment of the clip are covered and prevented from contacting and damaging the pants pocket or belt engaged by the weight-supporting segment, the holder segment, and the free end segment when the hand tool is hung by the clip on the pants pocket or belt and repeatedly removed therefrom and replaced thereon throughout a workday, wherein the cover body length and the body opening length are selected so that the opening receives all or substantially all of the clip that extends from the main body of the hand tool, and wherein the cover body has a thickness and the body opening has a thickness that are selected so that the body opening receives the clip with a snug fit to frictionally secure the clip in the opening of the cover body during use.