US 2011/0078881 A1 · Ergonomic snap hook

Abstract

Use of a snap hook requires the capture loop to be cradled in a joint of the index finger to prevent it from rolling in the hand. Hooks having a cylindrical body roll easily, and those having an oval section capture loop roll more easily. When a hook rolls, its loop can move to a position where it blocks access to the gap, requiring it to be repositioned in the hand. Ergonomic requirements for this hook included: spacing the hand a maximal distance from the gap, stabilize it from rolling in the hand, and minimize hand movement in use. The hand does not close around the hook; it is held between the thumb and a finger, a natural configuration in which the hand retains the lie of its usual open form. Stability from rolling occurs from the contact forces being within the wide contact surfaces of the body and the button. The larger the contact forces, the more stable the hook is. By its nature, it does not roll.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A hook, comprising:

a first member and a second member, the first and second members defining a loop and being pivotally connected about a pivot axis, the loop having an end opposite the pivot axis;
a spring member biasing the first and second members to a closed position;
a first contact surface carried by the first member and a second contact surface carried by the second member, the first and second contact surfaces disposed opposite each other, the contact surfaces moving one of the first and second members to an open position within the loop as pressure is applied to the contact surfaces, the contact surfaces each having a width that is substantially planar in a direction parallel to the pivot axis, the contact surfaces having a combined width of at least half the distance from the pivot axis to an inner surface of the end of the loop, the contact surfaces having a combined width at least three quarters of the distance between the contact surfaces when the first and second members are in the closed position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Ergonomic snap hook

Life of this patent

Ergonomic snap hook

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16