Tool-hanging apparatus

Abstract

A tool-hanging apparatus includes a hanger and a rotor. The hanger includes a ring, an inward flange formed on a rear internal section of the ring, and teeth formed on a front internal section of the ring. An internal diameter of the inward flange is smaller than a diameter of a circular defined by the teeth. The rotor includes elastic strips extending from a tube. Each of the elastic strips includes a groove between a ridge and a barb. One of the elastic strips includes a tooth extending from the ridge of the same. When the rotor is inserted in the ring, the grooves of the elastic strips receive the inward flange to keep the rotor in the ring and allow the rotor to rotate relative to the ring. The tooth is engageable with the teeth to keep the rotor at an angle relative to the ring elastically.

Claims

1. A tool-hanging apparatus comprising: a hanger comprising a ring, an inward flange formed on a rear internal section of the ring, and teeth formed on a front internal section of the ring, wherein an internal diameter of the inward flange is smaller than a diameter of a circular defined by the teeth; and a rotor comprising a tube and elastic strips extending from the tube, wherein each of the elastic strips comprises a ridge, a barb, and a groove between the ridge and the barb, wherein one of the elastic strips comprises a tooth extending from the ridge of the same, wherein when the rotor is inserted in the ring, the grooves of the elastic strips receive the inward flange to keep the rotor in the ring and allow the rotor to rotate relative to the ring, and wherein the tooth is engageable with the teeth to keep the rotor at an angle relative to the ring elastically.

2. The tool-hanging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the barb of each of the elastic strips comprises a slant facet slidable on the inward flange to facilitate movement of the barb into the groove past the inward flange.

3. The tool-hanging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ridge of each of the elastic strips is inserted in the orifice to allow the tooth to engage with any two of the teeth.

4. The tool-hanging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tube comprises a front aperture defined by four planar facets, and wherein the planar facets are in contact with four planar facets of a square tongue extending from a one-way wrench when the front aperture receives the square tongue.

5. The tool-hanging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the tube further comprises a rear aperture in communication with the front aperture, wherein the rear aperture is defined by four concave facets, and wherein one of the concave facets is in contact with a spring-biased ball connected to the square tongue.

6. The tool-hanging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the tube comprises four adjoining facets each of which extends between a corresponding one of the concave facets and a corresponding one of the planar facets, and wherein one of the adjoining facets abuts against the spring-biased ball to keep the square tongue in the front and rear apertures.

7. The tool-hanging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hanger comprises an orifice opposite to the ring.

8. The tool-hanging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the hanger further comprises a sticker-supporting portion form with two faces each of which is used for contact with a sticker.

9. The tool-hanging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each of the faces of the sticker-supporting portion is dropped from a face of the remaining portion of the hanger.

10. The tool-hanging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inward flange comprises a rear face and a front face, and wherein the front and rear faces respectively contact with the ridges and the barb as the grooves receive the inward flange.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a tool-hanging apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is another exploded view of the tool-hanging apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tool-hanging apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tool-hanging apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the tool-hanging apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4; and

(7) FIG. 6 is a rear view of the tool-hanging apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(8) Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a tool-hanging apparatus includes a hanger 10 and a rotor 26 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The hanger 10 includes an orifice 11 in an upper portion, a sticker-supporting portion 12 on a middle portion, and a ring 13 on a lower portion. The orifice 11 can receive a nail on a wall for example.

(9) The sticker-supporting portion 12 includes a front face (not numbered) and a rear face (not numbered). A sticker (not shown) can be adhered to the front face of the sticker-supporting portion 12. Similarly, another sticker (not shown) can be adhered to the rear face of the sticker-supporting portion 12. Such stickers display data about a tool 40 (FIGS. 5 and 6) hung on the tool-hanging apparatus. Preferably, the front face of the sticker-supporting portion 12 is dropped from a front face of the remaining portion of the hanger 10, and the rear face of the sticker-supporting portion 12 is dropped from a rear face of the remaining portion of the hanger 10.

(10) The ring 13 is used to receive the rotor 26. The ring 13 includes an orifice 14, an inward flange 15 extending along a wall of the orifice 14, and teeth 16 formed on the wall of the orifice 14. The inward flange 15 includes an annular rear face 17 and an annular front face 18. The flange 15 is located behind of the teeth 16. That is, the teeth 16 are located against the front face 18 of the inward flange 15.

(11) The rotor 26 includes four elastic strips 30 extending from a tube 20. The tube 20 includes a front aperture 22 and a rear aperture 23. The front aperture 22 is a square aperture defined by four planar facets 21. The rear aperture 23 is defined by four concave facets 24. There is an adjoining facet 25 between each of the planar facets 21 and a corresponding one of the concave facets 24. That is, there are four adjoining facets 25.

(12) The tube 20 includes a square profile formed with four external planar facets (not numbered). Each of the elastic strips 30 extends from a corresponding one of the external planar facets of the tube 20.

(13) Each of the elastic strips 30 extends from the corresponding external planar facets of the tube 20, and bends and extends parallel to the corresponding external planar facet of the tube 20. Each of the elastic strips 30 includes a ridge 31 and a barb 32 on a front section. The ridge 31 includes a convex facet 34. A tooth 36 extends from the convex facet 34 of the ridge 31 of one of the elastic strips 30. The barb 32 is separated from the ridge 31 by a groove 33. The barb 32 is formed with a slant facet 35 opposite to the groove 33. The slant face 35 is a rear face of the barb 32 for a reason to be described.

(14) Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the rotor 26 is inserted in the ring 13. During the insertion, the slant facets 35 facilitate rearward movement of the barbs 32 past the inward flange 15. During the rearward movement, the elastic strips 30 are pivoted toward the tube 20. Once the barbs 32 move past the inward flange 15, the elastic strips 30 pivot outward or restore their original shape so that the grooves 33 receive the inward flange 15, i.e., that inward flange 15 is inserted in the grooves 33. The inward flange 15 is confined between the barbs 32 and the ridges 31. The ridge 31 is inserted in the orifice 14. Thus, the rotor 26 is kept in the ring 13. Now, the front aperture 22 is located coaxially in the orifice 14.

(15) Referring to FIG. 5, the inward flange 15 is inserted in the grooves 33 and the ridges 31 are in contact with the front face 18 of the inward flange 15 while the barbs 32 are in contact with the rear face 17 of the inward flange 15. Thus, the rotor 26 is not allowed to move axially relative to the ring 13. However, the rotor 26 is allowed to rotate relative to the ring 13. In an elastic manner, the tooth 36 is engageable with the teeth 16 to keep the rotor 26 at an angle relative to the ring 13.

(16) A one-way wrench 40 includes a head 41, a square tongue 42 extending from the head 41, and a spring-biased ball 43 including a larger portion inserted in the square tongue 42 and a smaller portion extending from the square tongue 42. The square tongue 42 is inserted in the rear aperture 23 via the front aperture 22. One of the concave facets 24 is in contact with the ball 43. The head 41 is placed against the ring 13. Thus, the tool-hanging apparatus hangs the one-way wrench 40. In an attempt to move the square tongue 42 out of the rear aperture 23 through the front aperture 22, one of the adjoining facets 25 abuts against the ball 43, thereby preventing the attempt.

(17) Referring to FIG. 6, the one-way wrench 40 is rotated relative to the ring 13 in a direction indicated by an arrowhead 44. The square tongue 42 is not rotated relative to the head 41, i.e., they are rotatable together. The one-way wrench 40 rotates the rotor 26 relative to the ring 13 while tooth 36 rattles on the teeth 16. Thus, a customer is allowed to try the one-way wrench 40 to determine whether he or she likes the one-way wrench 40 without having to detach the one-way wrench 40 from the tool-hanging apparatus.

(18) The one-way wrench 40 can be rotated relative to the ring 13 in a direction opposite to the direction indicated by an arrowhead 44, the head 41 is allowed to rotate relative to the square tongue 42, which is now kept at an angle by the ring 13 due to the engagement of the tooth 36 with the teeth 16.

(19) The present invention has been described via the illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.