HK1030138B - Interchangeable grips for power hand tools - Google Patents

Description

Replaceable handle for power hand tool

The present invention relates to an ergonomic tool handle, and more particularly to a handle for a power hand tool.

Many power hand tools, such as power ratchets, impact socket wrenches, drills, air hammers, and the like, have handles that are uncomfortable to the user, especially when used continuously. The user feels discomfort due to heat, vibration, and the like. Tool handles have been proposed which are designed to improve user comfort by cushioning, shock absorption, thermal insulation, and other means. However, these handles are typically permanently attached to the tool during the manufacturing process. However, the hands of users vary in size and, therefore, permanently installed handles of a particular size, shape and material are often not suitable for all users.

It has been proposed to provide a removable tool housing including an outer casing for the tool handle, but such casings have heretofore been complicated and have had too many parts.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved handle for a power hand tool which overcomes the disadvantages of prior art handles while providing structural and operational advantages.

An important feature of the present invention is to provide such a handle of unitary construction which is removably mounted on the tool handle.

In connection with the above feature, another feature of the present invention is to provide the above-described hand grip in a generally tubular shape and slidable on a generally cylindrical grip.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide such a handle which is securely fastened to the handle of the tool.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a handle for a pneumatic tool with air duct access.

These and other features of the present invention are achieved by providing a replaceable handle for a handle portion of a generally cylindrical hand held power tool housing having an attachment structure, the handle comprising: a tubular body formed of a flexible and resilient material and shaped and dimensioned for slidably mounting over and covering the handle portion of the tool housing, and a retaining portion on the tubular body for engaging with the tool housing attachment structure for securing the handle to the handle portion.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a handle with a connecting portion adapted to be sandwiched between two portions of a separable tool housing.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a handgrip which defines an exhaust duct adjacent the handgrip covered by the handgrip.

The various novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, and the elements' connections set forth below, may be understood by reference to the drawings and claims, and various changes in detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages.

For a better understanding of the invention, its construction and use, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages of the invention.

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a power tool housing and handle according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial side view of the tool of fig. 1 with the handle attached thereto, with portions broken away to show the internal structure thereof.

Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of fig. 2.

FIG. 4 is a partial side view, partially in section, of the handle with the handle removed, similar to FIG. 2.

Fig. 5 is a partial rear view of the tool of fig. 2 with the handle portion broken away.

Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of a handle grip and a positioning plate of a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the handle of fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a power tool housing using the handle of fig. 6 and 7.

Fig. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the handle attached to the tool handle of fig. 8.

Referring to fig. 1-5, a tool housing 10 for a power hand tool is shown. Although the housing 10 is shown for ease of illustration as a housing for a pneumatic impact socket wrench, it should be apparent that the principles of the present invention are equally applicable to other types of hand tools that use various power sources. The tool housing 10 is generally in the form of a "pistol grip" comprising an elongate barrel 11 with a rear end face 12 and an enlarged circular opening 13 communicating with an internal cavity 14 containing a motor mechanism (not shown). Also on the rear end face 12 thus formed is a smaller circular hole 15 and a plurality of threaded holes 16 spaced around the edge of the end face 12. Below the end face 12 there is a pair of cylindrical recesses 17.

The housing 10 further includes an end cap 20 having a front face 21, the front face 21 having a bore 22 and four threaded through bores 23, and a pair of cylindrical recesses 24. In use, the end cap 20 is mounted on the rear end face of the barrel 11, preferably with a washer (not shown) interposed therebetween, and is held in place by screws 25 passing through aligned threaded holes 23 and 16 respectively, to close the rear end of the cavity 14, and then screwed into an internally threaded flange (not shown) on the inside of the barrel 11, with the screw heads 26 remaining in recesses in the end cap 20. The aperture 22 is aligned with the aperture 15 and receives a suitable mechanism such as a directional control mechanism (not shown) in a known manner.

The housing 10 also includes a handle 30 extending downwardly at an angle to the rear end face of the barrel 11, the handle 30 having a cylindrical outer surface 31 of generally elliptical cross-section. Preferably, the outer surface 31 near the distal end of the handle 30 has laterally projecting elongated tapered ribs 32 on opposite sides thereof. Formed longitudinally through the handle 30 is a tubular inlet passage 33 having an internally threaded portion 34 adjacent its distal end, and an elongate outlet passage 35, the inlet passage 33 and outlet passage 35 being connected to respective inlet and outlet ports in the interior chamber 11, respectively, for passing incoming air to the motor and exhaust air from the motor, respectively, in a well known manner. In this case, a suitable pneumatic device is mounted on the threaded portion 34 of the handle 30, connecting an associated source of compressed air to the inlet passage 33. A generally rectangular opening 36 for receiving a trigger mechanism (not shown) is formed through the front end of the handle 30 adjacent the upper end of the handle, preferably with forwardly projecting flanges 37 and 38 below and above the opening 36, respectively. A groove 39 is formed at the junction between the handle 30 and the barrel 11 and extends along the front and side edges of the handle 30.

According to the present invention, a handle 40 is provided for the grip 30, preferably the handle 40 is formed of a flexible and resilient material, such as a thermoplastic material, and is of unitary construction. The handle 40 generally has a tubular body 41 defining a central opening 42 extending longitudinally through the body 41 and having an annular flange 43 extending transversely from one end thereof. Two elongated tapered recesses 44 are formed in the inner surface of the tubular body 41 along opposite sides thereof, extending longitudinally from the end having the flange 43 and terminating at about the middle of the body 41. A generally rectangular trigger opening 45 is formed in the front edge of the body 41 adjacent the upper end thereof. Longitudinally spaced grooves 46 extending around portions of the outer surface of the body 41 may be provided along the rear end thereof for improving the friction of the handle surface.

The lower and upper ends of the trigger opening 45 have forwardly projecting flaps 47 and 48, respectively, which are semi-circular in shape. The upper end of the main body 41 is of a complementary shape and size to the upper end of the handle 30 and is provided with a laterally inwardly extending peripheral bead or small flange 49, which flanges 49 extend around the sides and front end thereof. At the upper edge of the body 41 there are integral with the rear end of the body 41 connecting lugs 50 and 51 which extend generally longitudinally from the handle 40 and are provided with generally cylindrical flanges 52 and 53 respectively, the flanges 52 and 53 each projecting forwardly and rearwardly of the lugs 50 and 51 respectively at equal intervals.

The central bore 42 is designed to mate with the outer surface of the handle 30 such that the handle 40 can be slid longitudinally onto the handle 30 by inserting the distal end of the handle 30 into the upper end of the handle 40, as shown in FIG. 1. In this case, the ribs 32 on the handle fit into the grooves 44 on the handle, respectively, to guide the mounting of the handle 40 and to prevent the handle 40 from rotating relative to the handle 30. The handle 40 is pushed to the installed position on the grip 30 as shown in fig. 2, 3 and 5, wherein the upper end of the handle 40 will engage the barrel 11 and the peripheral bead 49 is nested in the recess 39. In this mounted position, the flaps 47 and 48 cover the lugs 37 and 38 on the handle respectively, and it is clear that the material of the handle 40 is sufficiently flexible and resilient to allow the different parts of the handle 40 to be moved to their fully mounted position.

Preferably, the handle 40 is mounted to the handle 30 when the end cap 20 is removed. When the handle 40 is in place, the attachment lugs 50 and 51 will be located on the end face 12 of the barrel 11, with the portions of the forwardly projecting flanges 52 and 53 respectively being received in the recesses 17, the material of the handle being sufficiently flexible to allow it to be received therein. The end cap 20 is then mounted in position with the rearwardly extending portions of the flanges 52 and 53 inserted into the end cap recesses 24, respectively, and the flanges 50 and 51 captured between the barrel 11 and the end cap 20. Thereby securely positioning the handle 40 on the grip 30.

The handle 40 is preferably made of a material that both cushions the impact of the user's hand and reduces the shock to it, while also providing thermal insulation. Since the handle 40 can be easily attached to and detached from the grip 30, it is easy to replace and exchange other similar handles having the same inner structure but different outer structures. Thus, a variety of different sizes, different hardnesses of plastic material, and different colors, etc. of handles may be provided. The purpose of providing multiple handles is to provide hand comfort for most users, and the handles may also be provided with color markings to accommodate a variety of other variations in the application.

Referring now to fig. 8, there is shown a slightly different housing 60 which may also be used with a pneumatic impact socket wrench. The housing 60 is in the form of a pistol grip with a trigger mechanism 62 on the barrel 61 thereof against the rear end thereof and an elongate generally cylindrical handle 63 extending therefrom at an angle. The handle 63 defines a tubular inlet passage 64 extending longitudinally through the handle and connected through a valve mechanism (not shown) and associated passages to an air motor (not shown) to be disposed in the barrel 61, all in a known manner. In this particular embodiment, the tool housing 60 is provided with an air outlet or vent 65 in front of the upper end of the handle 63. The inlet passage 64 is internally threaded at its distal end 66 to secure an exhaust plate 67 and associated air inlet bushing 68 to the handle 63, the bushing 68 extending through a hole 69 in the exhaust plate 67, all in a known manner. Preferably, the exhaust plate 67 also has an aperture 69a in front of the aperture 69.

Referring to fig. 6, 7 and 9, there is illustrated a handle 70 of another embodiment of the present invention for the handle 63 of the tool housing 60. The handle 70 is of unitary, one-piece construction and may be formed of the same materials as described above for the handle 40, and is provided at its upper end with an elongated, recessed seating surface 72 for engaging a complementary surface on the trigger mechanism 62. An elongated recess 73 is formed in the seat surface 72 for receiving the lower end of the trigger mechanism 62. Extending longitudinally on the barrel 71 is a partition 74 extending between opposite ends of the barrel 71, the partition 74 further including an elongate longitudinally extending portion 75 integral at an upper end with a forwardly extending portion 76. The longitudinally extending portion 75 divides the interior of the cylinder 71 into a longitudinally extending inlet passage 77 and an outlet passage 78, the outlet passage 78 communicating with an air outlet 79 through the forwardly extending portion 76 of the partition 74 (see fig. 7). The other end of the cylinder 71 has an end face 80.

The inlet channel 77 and the recess 73 are shaped and dimensioned to complement the grip 63 and the trigger mechanism 62, respectively, of the tool housing 60 such that the handle 70 slides onto the grip 63 with the distal end of the grip 63 engaging the upper end surface of the inlet channel 77. During assembly, the handle 70 is pushed onto the grip 63 so that it is fully seated, as shown in FIG. 9, with the abutment surface 72 engaging a complementary surface on the trigger mechanism 62. In this mounting arrangement, the outlet passage 78 communicates with the air outlet 65 in the tool housing 60. The vent plate 67 and inlet spud 68 are then mounted in position, the vent plate 67 being shaped and dimensioned so that its entire periphery fits over the end face 80 of the attached handle 70, and the hole 69a connects to the outlet passage 78, thereby accurately mounting the handle 70 in position on the grip 63. The handle 70 may be made of the same material as the handle 40, or it may be made of a somewhat harder material, since the same degree of flexibility is not required during installation, and the somewhat harder material resists deformation of the outlet passage 78 during use.

Although only a handle adapted to a pistol-shaped tool housing has been described in this embodiment, it should be apparent that the principles of the present invention are equally applicable to other hand-held power tools with axial housings, such as: an electric ratchet, and the like.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention provides an improved handle for a hand-held power tool grip which is not only easily and replaceably mounted on the grip, but which is also securely mounted thereon.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been described, numerous changes and modifications can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is the object of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention. The above description and drawings are only intended to illustrate the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. The effective protection scope of the invention is defined in the claims from the viewpoint of appropriate prior art.

Claims (8)

1. A replaceable grip for a generally cylindrical handle portion of a pistol grip-shaped hand held power tool housing having a barrel portion from which the handle portion extends and including an attachment structure including a recess formed at and along a juncture between the handle portion and the barrel portion, the grip comprising:

a tubular body formed of a flexible and resilient material and shaped and dimensioned for slidably receiving and covering the handle portion of the tool housing, an

A retaining portion at and along one end of said tubular body engageable with the tool housing attachment structure for retaining the handle in position on the grip portion, the retaining portion including an inwardly facing flange receivable in said recess.

2. The handle of claim 1, wherein: the tool includes a trigger mechanism extendable from the handle portion, and the holding portion includes a loop of material engageable with the handle portion between the trigger mechanism and other portions of the tool housing.

3. The handle of claim 1, wherein: the hand tool is a pneumatic tool having an air inlet passage extending through the handle portion.

4. The handle of claim 3, wherein: the tool has an outlet passage extending through the handle portion alongside the inlet passage.

5. The handle of claim 1, wherein: the tubular body is made of a plastic material.

6. The handle of claim 1, wherein: the tubular body has an aperture therein for receiving a tool activation mechanism.

7. The handle of claim 1, wherein: the tool housing has two separate housing parts adapted to be secured together, and the retaining portion comprises a portion which, in use, is locatable between the two parts of the tool housing for securely holding the handle in position on the grip portion.

8. A replaceable grip for a generally cylindrical handle portion of a pistol grip-shaped hand held power tool housing, the pistol grip-shaped hand held power tool housing having a barrel portion from which the handle portion extends, and the pistol grip-shaped hand held power tool housing including an attachment structure including a recess formed along a juncture between the handle portion and the barrel portion, the handle portion including a raised rib extending longitudinally therealong and projecting laterally therefrom, the grip comprising:

a tubular body formed of a flexible and resilient material and shaped and dimensioned for slidably receiving and covering a hand portion of the tool housing,

the tubular body has an inner groove that receives the raised rib to guide the tubular body to slide on the handle portion, an

A retaining portion at one end of the tubular body engageable with the attachment formation of the tool housing for retaining the handle in position on the grip portion, the retaining portion including a flange receivable in the recess.