Patent ID: 7481137

Claim:
A folding hand tool comprising: a handle section having a raised or relief surface geometry on an inner sidewall and a shaped hole formed in an opposing inner sidewall; a plurality of elongated tools with each elongated tool having an extended tool working end and a lug aft end arranged adjacent to each other, the lug aft end having a mating raised or relief surface geometry and a through hole; a floating plate having a hole and a mating raised or relief surface geometry placed between a lug aft end and said handle section within the shaped hole for selectively engaging or disengaging the mating raised or relief surface geometry on a lug aft end of one of said plurality of elongated tools; means, associated with said handle section, for selectively displacing said floating plate axially within the shaped hole; and a shaft passing through the hole in said floating plate for mounting the lug aft end on said handle section in which any particular one of said plurality of elongated tools is selected by pivoting the particular one of said plurality of elongated tools around said shaft that is secured within the confines of said handle section and from a retracted closed position for storage within the confines of said handle section to an extended open position projecting outside the confines of said handle section for use, wherein the mating raised or relief surface geometry of the lug aft end can engage and disengage with the raised or relief surface geometry of said handle by selectively applying a bias force or removing a bias force for axially displacing said floating plate, and wherein a force greater than the bias that effects the engagement of said floating plate with the lug aft ends and the adjacent inner sidewall of said handle section is applied so as to permit said floating plate to be displaced in an axial direction within the shaped hole allowing sufficient displacement to permit said floating plate to disengage away from a lug aft end and subsequent lug aft ends and the inner sidewall of the handle section.