US 6,314,617 B1 · Reconfigurable handle

Abstract

A reconfigurable handle usable on a variety of implements and method of selectively reconfiguring a gripping surface of a handle are disclosed herein. The reconfigurable handle includes an elongate shaft extending along a central axis, segments retained on the shaft, and a locking mechanism for selectively retaining or releasing the orientation of the segments relative to each other by linear compression. In one preferred embodiment, the reconfigurable handle further includes an outer covering to form a semi-smooth gripping surface on the outer circumference of the handle, an endcap to keep the segments on the shaft, and an intermediate layer to further enhance the gripping capability of the handle. The segments move in at least one of an axial direction along the shaft, a non-axial direction perpendicular to the shaft, and a rotational direction around the shaft.

Claims50

Dependent claims

A reconfigurable handle comprising:

an elongate shaft extending along a central axis;
and
a plurality of segments movably retained along and about the central axis of the shaft, wherein the plurality of segments move between a released position in which the plurality of segments are movable by at least one of rotation and translation relative to the central axis to reconfigure an outer circumference of the handle into a first configuration or a second configuration a plurality of times as desired and a locked position in which the plurality of segments engage one another to retain the plurality of segments in place in either of the first or second configuration, and wherein the plurality of segments are retained along and about the central axis of the shaft in the same order relative to each other for the first or second configuration.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Reconfigurable handle

Life of this patent

Reconfigurable handle

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims50