Pocket Hand Tool

Abstract

A pocket hand tool having an elongate handle portion and a tool carrier plate rotatably mounted on the exterior of the elongate handle portion, the tool carrier plate having a peripheral array of tool heads, the tool carrier plate having a first rotary position in which the tool heads are in a stowed configuration and having one or more further rotary positions in which one or more of said tool heads are in a deployed configuration, said tool carrier plate having an exposed major surface portion which in use is capable of being manipulated by the thumb of the hand holding the elongate handle portion.

Claims

1. A pocket hand tool comprising an elongate handle portion and a tool carrier plate rotatably mounted on the exterior of the elongate handle portion, the tool carrier plate having a peripheral array of tool heads, the tool carrier plate having a first rotary position in which the tool heads are in a stowed configuration and having one or more further rotary positions in which one or more of said tool heads are in a deployed configuration, said tool carrier plate having an exposed major surface portion which in use is manipulated by the thumb of the hand holding the elongate handle portion.

2. A pocket hand tool according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said tool heads has a longitudinal axis that intercepts a longitudinal axis of the tool carrier plate on the same side of the rotary axis of the tool carrier as said at least one tool head.

3. A pocket hand tool according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a detent defining indexed rotary positions of said tool carrier plate.

4. A pocket hand tool according to claim 3 wherein in one of said indexed rotary positions, one tool head is deployed on one of said sides and in another of said indexed rotary positions, more than one tool head is deployed on said one side.

5. A pocket hand tool according to any of claims 1 to 4 wherein said elongate handle portion and tool carrier plate are rotatably connected by a two-part snap-fit or screwed bushing.

6. A pocket hand tool according to any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the tool comprises a detent defining indexed rotary positions of said carrier tool plate in which said tool heads project orthogonally from opposite lateral sides of said elongate handle portion in a deployed configuration.

7. A pocket hand tool comprising an elongate handle portion having two opposite lateral sides and a tool carrier rotatably mounted on the elongate handle portion, the tool carrier having an elongate peripheral array of tool heads, the tool carrier having a first rotary position in which said elongate peripheral array is aligned with said elongate handle portion and the tool heads are in a stowed configuration and having one or more further rotary positions in which said elongate peripheral array is transverse to said elongate handle portion and one or more tool heads are in a deployed configuration, whereby said tool heads can protrude beyond both of said lateral sides.

8. A pocket hand tool according to claim 7 wherein, in at least one of said further rotary positions, at least one tool head protrudes beyond one of said lateral sides and at least one other tool head protrudes beyond the opposite lateral side.

9. A pocket hand tool according to claim 7 or claim 8 wherein said tool carrier is exposed on the outside of said elongate handle portion.

10. A pocket hand tool according to any of claims 7 to 9 wherein said tool carrier and elongate handle portions are in the form of overlying substantially parallel plates and are pivoted about an axis of rotation substantially orthogonal to said plates.

11. A pocket hand tool according to any of claims 7 to 10 wherein at least one of said tool heads has a longitudinal axis that intercepts a longitudinal axis of the tool carrier on the same side of the rotary axis of the tool carrier as said at least one tool head.

12. A pocket hand tool according to any of claims 7 to 11 wherein said elongate peripheral array is substantially trapezoidal or parallelogram-shaped.

13. A pocket hand tool according to any of claims 7 to 12, further comprising a detent defining indexed rotary positions of said tool carrier

14. A pocket hand tool according to claim 13 wherein in one of said indexed rotary positions, one tool head is deployed on one of said sides and in another of said indexed rotary positions, more than one tool head is deployed on said one side.

15. A pocket hand tool according to any of claims 7 to 14 wherein said elongate handle portion and tool carrier are rotatably connected by a two-part snap-fit or screwed bushing.

16. A pocket hand tool according to any preceding claim wherein both ends of said elongate handle portion extend longitudinally beyond the boundary of said peripheral array of tool heads in the stowed configuration.

17. A pocket hand tool according to any claim wherein both ends of said elongate handle portion extend longitudinally beyond the boundary of said peripheral array of tool heads in the deployed configuration.

18. A pocket hand tool according to any preceding claim wherein one or more tools are formed in said elongate handle portion.

19. A pocket hand tool according to claim 18 wherein said tools include one or more of a spanner, a serrated cutter, a file, a bottle cap remover, as miniature pry bar recess, a thread cutter and a wire stripper.

20. A pocket hand tool according to claim 19 wherein said thread cutter and wire stripper are formed by a blade carried on one of the handle portion and the tool carrier plate, and a cut-out formed in the other of the handle portion and the tool carrier plate, the blade having a cutting edge which is alignable with the cut-out portion.

21. A pocket hand tool according to any preceding claim wherein said tool heads include one or more of a screwdriver bit, a wire stripper and a fingernail-cleaning projection.

22. A pocket hand tool according to any preceding claim wherein said elongate handle portion comprises a carabiner clip.

23. A pocket hand tool according to claim 22 wherein a stepped spanner portion is formed within the interior of said elongate handle portion adjacent said carabiner clip.

24. A pocket hand tool according to any preceding claim wherein in said stowed configuration, said tool heads do not protrude beyond the outer periphery of said elongate handle portion when viewed in the direction of the axis of rotation of said tool carrier.

25. A pocket hand tool according to any preceding claim, consisting essentially of said elongate handle portion (optionally including a carabiner clip), said tool carrier and means for forming a rotary connection between them.

26. A pocket hand tool substantially as described hereinabove with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example only with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0029] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view from above of a pocket tool in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

[0030] FIG. 2 is a disassembled perspective view from below of the tool carrier plate and handle portion of the pocket hand tool of FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the pocket tool of FIGS. 1 and 2 in the retracted configuration;

[0032] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pocket tool of FIGS. 1 and 2 in a first deployed configuration;

[0033] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pocket tool of FIGS. 1 and 2 in a second deployed configuration, and

[0034] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the pocket tool of FIGS. 1 and 2 in a third deployed configuration.

DESCRIPTION

[0035] Referring to FIG. 1 the pocket tool shown comprises an elongate handle portion 1, an elongate tool carrier plate 2, and snap-fit or screwed metal bushing assembly parts 3, 4 which fit through apertures 7 and 8 in tool carrier plate 2 and handle portion 1 respectively. In this manner the handle portion and tool carrier plate are pivotally connected for rotation about axis X.

[0036] The tool is provided with a detent mechanism comprising two diametrically opposite miniature spring-loaded ball plungers 22 on the upper face of handle portion 1 which engage respective detent recesses 20 (FIG. 2) disposed in a circular array in the underside of tool carrier plate 2. The detent mechanism defines eight indexed angular positions of the tool carrier plate on the handle portion, with an interval of 45 between them.

[0037] The tool carrier plate 2 is generally rectangular and has a rectangular array of tool heads at its corners, namely three screwdrivers heads 13A (small Phillips), 13B (flat-bladed) and 13C (medium Phillips) and a fingernail-cleaning tool 14, and also a wire stripper 15 cut-out portion formed in one of its shorter sides. These tools are labelled with indicia as shown.

[0038] The elongate handle portion 1 includes a carabiner clip portion 5 and has opposed stepped spanner faces 6 of successively smaller spacing at the inner end of the internal periphery of the clip, terminating in a thread cutter/wire stripper blade 12 (labelled CUT on the handle portion 1 in FIG. 1). Thread cutter/wire stripper blade 12 is located in a square recess and its cutting edge projects slightly over the edge of the recess. When the tool carrier plate 2 is transverse to handle portion 1 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6) the cutting edge is exposed and can be used to cut thread or the like. When the tool carrier plate is aligned with the handle portion 1 as shown in FIG. 3, semicircular cut-out portion 15 overlies the cutting edge of the blade 12 and the end of an insulated wire can be placed in the cut-out portion and rotated about its axis to make a cut in its insulation near its end. The cut length of insulation can then be pulled off. In this manner the blade 12, in conjunction with cut-out 15, functions as a wire-stripper.

[0039] It will be noted that the cutting edge of thread cutter/wire stripper blade 12, being located at the interior periphery of the tool, is not liable to cut a user's finger or a pocket in which the tool is kept. Cut-out 15 is too small for a finger. Furthermore, by rotating the tool plate 2 by 180 from the orientation shown in FIG. 3, the opposite end of the tool plate will completely cover the cutting edge.

[0040] In a variant the positions of the blade 12 and cut-out 15 can be interchanged, i.e., blade 12 can be located in a recess in tool carrier plate 2 and cut-out 15 can be formed in handle portion 1.

[0041] The handle portion 1 has a pry bar cut-out 11 formed in its forward (distal) end and a spoke spanner cut-out 11 formed at the forward end of its right-hand lateral side S1. The remainder of this side has a straight edge and corresponding ruler markings The forward end of the left-hand lateral side S2 has a serrated box-cutting edge 21 formed therein. Finally, the handle portion 1 has hexagonal spanner apertures 9 formed at its forward end.

[0042] The stowed configuration of the tool is shown in FIG. 3, and it will be seen that the rectangular array of tool heads 13A-13C, 14 is longitudinally aligned with respect to the longitudinal axis L of handle portion 1. In this configuration, none of the tool heads protrude beyond the lateral sides of the handle portion 1.

[0043] Furthermore, the forward end and rear end of the handle portion 1 (to the left and right respectively in FIG. 3) both extend longitudinally beyond the boundary of said peripheral array of tool heads in the stowed configuration shown in this figure.

[0044] Furthermore, it will be noted that the axes of the forward tool heads 13A and 13B are disposed at 45 to and intersect longitudinal axis L at a point forward of rotary axis X and that the axes of rear tool heads 13C, 14 similarly intersect this axis L at points rearward of rotary axis X. This non-radial alignment of the tool head axes enables the tool heads to be deployed orthogonally with respect to the lateral sides S1 and S2 of handle portion 1 with an anticlockwise rotation of the tool carrier plate 2 of 45, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0045] In the first deployed configuration shown in FIG. 4, the screwdriver heads 13B and 13C are deployed orthogonally from lateral sides S1 and S2 respectively.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 5, a further anticlockwise rotation of tool carrier plate 2 by 45 deploys all four tool heads from lateral sides S1 and S2, tool heads 13B and 14 projecting forwardly and tool heads 13A and 13C projecting rearwardly.

[0047] Finally, as shown in FIG. 6, a further anticlockwise rotation of tool carrier plate 2 by 45 deploys a tool head 13A orthogonally from lateral side S1 and deploys tool head 14 substantially orthogonally from lateral side S2.

[0048] Thus all four tool heads can be deployed singly or in combination, at an angle of either 45 or (approximately) 90 to lateral sides S1 and S2 of handle portion 1. The tool carrier plate 2, having a major surface exposed on handle portion 1, can easily be operated by the thumb of one hand while the fingers of that hand grasp the handle portion. Thus the tool is suited to a single-handed operation.