Patent ID: 7926136

Claim:
A folding hand tool including a folding scissors-action tool, comprising: (a) a hand tool handle defining a tool storage cavity; (b) a tool pivot shaft mounted in said hand tool handle adjacent to said cavity; (c) a scissors-action tool having a pair of tool members each including a respective blade portion and a respective tool member handle, said tool members being interconnected with each other at a scissors pivot joint, and a first one of said tool member handles being pivotally attached to said hand tool handle through said tool pivot shaft and being movable with respect to said hand tool handle, about an axis defined by said tool pivot shaft, between an extended, operative, position and a stowed position of said scissors-action tool within said tool storage cavity of said hand tool handle; and (d) a scissors-opening spring fastened to said first one of said tool member handles and movable with respect to said first one of said tool member handles so that placement of said first one of said tool member handles substantially into said extended, operative position moves said spring to a position of engagement with a second one of said tool member handles wherein said spring urges said tool member handles apart from each other, but said scissors-opening spring being movable to a position of disengagement from said second one of said tool member handles when said first one of said tool member handles is located elsewhere than substantially in said extended, operative position of said scissors-action tool, placement of said scissors-opening spring into said position of disengagement providing clearance for said tool member handles to move freely toward each other to a compact folded configuration for stowage of said scissors-action tool in said tool storage cavity.