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US 5,964,131 AGranted
Hand tool with sculpted handles and integral key ring
AssigneeValle de Oro Bank, N.A.
InventorsBrett P. Seber, Gregory F. Rubin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hand tool includes a pliers jaw mechanism and two solid-body handles that pivot about the lugs of the jaw mechanism between open and closed positions. The ends of the solid-body handles are in the form of implements. The externally facing surfaces of the handles are dished to conform to the sides of the jaw mechanism when the handles are closed. The jaw lugs include cam surfaces over which corresponding surfaces of the solid-body handles ride to provide detents for the handles in the open and closed positions. The jaw lugs include facing protrusions that define a key ring when the handles are in the closed position. The face of the hand tool presents a broad, generally planar surface suitable for the imprinting of information thereon.
Claims23
A multi-purpose hand tool, comprising:
- a pliers jaw mechanism lying in a jaw mechanism plane, the pliers jaw mechanism including a first jaw piece having a first jaw body, a first lug extending from the first jaw body and a first protrusion extending from the first lug, and a second jaw piece having a second jaw body, a second lug extending from the second jaw body and a second protrusion extending from the second lug, the first jaw piece and the second jaw piece being pivotably joined together to pivot about a jaw axis between a first jaw position wherein the jaw pieces are closed together and a second jaw position wherein the jaw pieces are not closed together, and the first protrusion and the second protrusion together defining an aperture when the jaw pieces are closed together so that the first jaw body contacts the second jaw body;
- a first handle lying in the jaw mechanism plane and connected to the first lug by a first handle axle pin to pivot between a first handle closed position wherein the first handle is adjacent to the second jaw piece and a first handle open position wherein the first handle is extended away from the first jaw piece;
- and
- a second handle lying in the jaw mechanism plane and connected to the second lug by a second handle axle pin to pivot between a second handle closed position wherein the second handle is adjacent to the first jaw piece and a second handle open position wherein the second handle is extended away from the second jaw piece.
1 more element
A multi-purpose hand tool, comprising:
- a pliers jaw mechanism lying in a jaw mechanism plane, the pliers jaw mechanism including a first jaw piece having a first jaw body and a first lug extending from the first jaw body, and a second jaw piece having a second jaw body and a second lug extending from the second jaw body, the first jaw piece and the second jaw piece being pivotably joined together to pivot about a jaw axis between a first jaw position wherein the jaw pieces are closed together and a second jaw position wherein the jaw pieces are not closed together;
- a first handle lying in the jaw mechanism plane and connected to the first lug by a first handle axle pin to pivot between a first handle closed position wherein the first handle is adjacent to the second jaw piece and a first handle open position wherein the first handle is extended away from the first jaw piece, the first handle including a first handle distal end formed as a first handle implement;
- a second handle lying in the jaw mechanism plane and connected to the second lug by a second handle axle pin to pivot between a second handle closed position wherein the second handle is adjacent to the first jaw piece and a second handle open position wherein the second handle is extended away from the second jaw piece, the second handle including a second handle distal end formed as a second handle implement;
- a first-handle secondary implement pivotably joined to the first handle;
- and
- a second-handle secondary implement pivotably joined to the second handle;
- wherein the first handle includes a first pivot aperture therethrough and a first handle cam surface locally defining the surface of the first handle and disposed laterally adjacent to the first pivot aperture, the first handle cam surface comprising a closing first-handle cam surface at a first-handle cam surface first distance from the first pivot aperture, an opening first-handle cam surface remote from the closing first-handle cam surface and at about the first-handle cam surface first distance from the first pivot aperture, and an intermediate first-handle cam surface disposed between the closing first-handle cam surface and the opening first-handle surface and at a first-handle cam surface second distance from the first pivot aperture, wherein the first-handle cam surface second distance is less than the first-handle cam surface first distance.
4 more elements
A multi-purpose hand tool, comprising:
- a pliers jaw mechanism lying in a jaw mechanism plane, the pliers jaw mechanism including a first jaw piece having a first jaw body and a first lug extending from the first jaw body, and a second jaw piece having a second jaw body and a second lug extending from the second jaw body, the first jaw piece and the second jaw piece being pivotably joined together to pivot about a jaw axis between a first jaw position wherein the jaw pieces are closed together and a second jaw position wherein the jaw pieces are not closed together;
- a first handle lying in the jaw mechanism plane and connected to the first lug by a first handle axle pin to pivot between a first handle closed position wherein the first handle is adjacent to the second jaw piece and a first handle open position wherein the first handle is extended away from the first jaw piece, the first handle including a first handle distal end formed as a first handle implement;
- a second handle lying in the jaw mechanism plane and connected to the second lug by a second handle axle pin to pivot between a second handle closed position wherein the second handle is adjacent to the first jaw piece and a second handle open position wherein the second handle is extended away from the second jaw piece, the second handle including a second handle distal end formed as a second handle implement;
- a first-handle secondary implement pivotably joined to the first handle;
- and
- a second-handle secondary implement pivotably joined to the second handle;
- wherein the first jaw piece includes a first jaw piece external lateral surface, the second jaw piece includes a second jaw piece external lateral surface, the first handle has a first handle external lateral surface having a dished shape to conform to at least a portion of the second jaw piece external lateral surface, and wherein the second handle has a second handle external lateral surface having a dished shape to conform to at least a portion of the first jaw piece external lateral surface;
- and
- wherein the first lug includes a first protrusion extending toward the second lug at a location remote from the first jaw body, and wherein the second lug includes a second protrusion extending toward the first lug at a location remote from the second jaw body, the first protrusion and the second protrusion together defining an aperture when the jaw pieces are closed together so that the first jaw body contacts the second jaw body.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.