Abstract
A versatile ambidextrous pouch worn on the front central abdominal waist of user. provides quick access to handheld accessories for automotive detailing and other interchangeable tool uses, regardless of whether the user is right-handed or left-handed. The tool pouch enables both right-handed workers and left-handed workers to choose a primary, frequently used tool for the dominant hand of the worker and a secondary less used tool for the less dominant hand interchangeably, so that the primary tool can be advanced directly forward from the front central abdominal waist of the user, without awkwardly reaching across the abdomen to grasp a tool and move it angulary across the user's abdomen toward a work surface. Multiple other accessory tools are attached in and out of the pouch.
Claims
1. A tool holder configured to house and provide ambidextrous and ergonomic access to a plurality of tools, said tool holder comprising: a pouch, said pouch formed into an elongated shape with an interior compartment, and comprising: a zipper, said zipper configured to be zipped to enclose said interior compartment and be unzipped to create an opening to provide access to said interior compartment, said interior compartment formed to extend along an entire length of said pouch; said interior compartment of said elongated shape of said pouch configured to house the plurality of tools; wherein said elongated shape of said pouch comprises: a substantially rectangular shape with a length being about two and one-half times longer than a height of said pouch, to thereby hold the plurality of brushes within said interior compartment in a horizontally oriented direction; wherein said zipper extends substantially linearly across a top surface of said elongated pouch; a waist belt, said waist belt configured to be secured around the waist of a user, and to centrally position said pouch at a front abdominal waist region of the user and to furthermore position an elongated direction of said elongated shape of said pouch transversely with respect to the front abdominal waist region of the user; wherein said waist belt comprises: a first belt portion that extends away from an upper left-side portion of said pouch and a second belt portion that extends away from an upper right-side portion of said pouch, said waist belt thereby configured for said pouch to hang down from the waist region of the user when secured thereto, to provide ready access into said interior compartment using said linearly-oriented zipper; a first eyelet, said first eyelet positioned on said pouch beyond a left-most distal end of said linearly extending zipper at a distal left side of said pouch; a first tool tether arrangement comprising: a first carabiner; a cable; a reel; a second carabiner; wherein said second carabiner is coupled to, and extends away from, said reel; wherein said cable extends out from said reel and retractable within said reel, and said cable extends from outside of said compartment and passes through said opening, when said linearly oriented zipper is unzipped, and into said compartment, and then out through said first eyelet; wherein a free end of said cable is secured to said first carabiner, said first carabiner configured to releasably couple to a first most frequently used tool; a second eyelet, said second eyelet positioned on said pouch beyond a right-most distal end of said linearly extending zipper at a distal right side of said pouch; a second tool tether arrangement comprising: a first carabiner; a cable; a reel; a second carabiner; wherein said second carabiner of said second tool tether arrangement is coupled to, and extends away from, said reel of said second tool tether arrangement; wherein said cable of said second tool tether arrangement extends out from said reel of said second tool tether arrangement and is retractable within said reel of said second tool tether arrangement, and said cable of said second tool tether arrangement extends from outside of said compartment and passes through said opening, when said linearly oriented zipper is unzipped, and into said compartment, and then out through said second eyelet; wherein a free end of said cable of said second tool tether arrangement is secured to said first carabiner of said second tool tether arrangement, said first carabiner of said second tool tether arrangement being configured to releasably couple to a second most frequently used tool; wherein said second carabiner of said first tool tether arrangement is configured to releasably couple to a third most frequently used tool; wherein said second carabiner of said second tool tether arrangement is configured to releasably couple to a fourth most frequently used tool; wherein said elongated shape of said pouch is configured to extend laterally across the front side of the user's waist, when supported by said waist belt at the front abdominal waist region of the user, to thereby position said first eyelet on a distal left side of the user, with said first carabiner of said first tool tether arrangement positioned on the distal left side of the user thereby being in close proximity to the left hand of the user, and to also thereby position said second eyelet on a distal right side of the user, with said first carabiner of said second tool tether arrangement positioned on the distal right side of the user thereby being in close proximity to the right hand of the user; wherein said tool holder is thereby configured for use of the dominant hand of the user to access the most frequently used tool being positioned in proximity to the dominant hand, without having to reach across the front abdominal waist region of the user.
2. The tool holder according to claim 1, further comprising: a first loop sewn to an interior wall on a left side of said compartment of said pouch, to releasably attach to said second carabiner of said first tool tether arrangement to releasably secure said reel of said first tool tether arrangement within said compartment, when the third most frequently used tool is not attached to said second carabiner of said first tool tether arrangement; and a second loop sewn to an interior wall on a right side of said compartment of said pouch, to releasably attach to said second carabiner of said second tool tether arrangement to releasably secure said reel of said second tool tether arrangement within said compartment, when the fourth most frequently used tool is not attached to said second carabiner of said second tool tether arrangement.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The present invention can best be understood in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in the following drawings. In the description of the drawings, the word right side and left side refer to what the user would see when wearing the pouch. Therefore, with the user depicted in the drawings facing forward, the right side of the pouch is shown on the left side of the drawings, and the left side of the pouch is shown on the right side of the drawings.
(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the versatile ambidextrous tool accessory waist belt worn pouch, shown in use by an auto detailer using a tethered handled brush, which is retractable back to the exterior surface of the pouch by a retractable cable.
(3) FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the versatile ambidextrous tool accessory waist belt worn pouch, of the present invention, as in FIG. 1, showing a user extending the brush and retractable cable outward where the user's right hand is holding the brush.
(4) FIG. 3 is a close-up detail front view of the versatile ambidextrous waist belt wom tool accessory pouch, showing a brush on the right side of the pouch (when viewed from the rear) of the present invention; and wherein a holding loop fastener for a left-handed person, is shown in phantom dashed lines, revealing the alternate storage position for a brush to be used by a left-handed user.
(5) FIG. 4 is a close up detail perspective view of an open right side corner of the versatile ambidextrous waist belt worn tool accessory pouch, revealing an open zipper closure in an open position and further revealing an interior sewn carabiner clasp for the retractable cable attached to an exterior loop fastener for a tool, such as an auto detailing brush, located on the right side of the pouch, together with a second sewn in loop for exterior attachment of another tool on the right side of the versatile ambidextrous tool accessory pouch (when viewed from the rear).
(6) FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the versatile ambidextrous waist belt worn tool accessory pouch, showing both left-handed and right-handed accessible loop clasps and retractable cables for a primary brush on the right side and a secondary less used brush on the left side for a right-handed person, wherein a primary brush and secondary less used brush for a left-handed user is shown in phantom dashed lines of the present invention.
(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment for use of the versatile ambidextrous tool accessory pouch in the pet grooming environment.
(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment for use of the versatile ambidextrous tool accessory pouch in a cosmetic environment.
(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment for use of the versatile ambidextrous tool accessory pouch in a search and rescue night environment.
(10) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment for use of the versatile ambidextrous tool accessory pouch in a remote hiking environment.
(11) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment showing a cleaning worker using an extended handle duster with a retractable cable, where the duster is used for cleaning dust off of house interior surfaces, such as walls, counters, windows, window shades and/or Venetian blinds with the dominant hand, and the other side of the pouch having a cleaning rag suspended from a retractable cable on the secondary, non-hand dominant side of the pouch, and an optional bottle of spray cleaning fluid with a small collar around the neck of the bottle, the bottle being suspended from an exterior loop on one side of the pouch.
(12) FIG. 11 is an exploded view showing an array of different automotive detailing brushes that may be used by a professional auto detailer while detailing a client's vehicle.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
(13) 1. Versatile ambidextrous waist belt worn tool accessory pouch 1a Waist belt for pouch 1b Interior wall of pouch 2. Front panel of pouch 3. Right side panel of pouch 4. Left side panel of pouch 5. Top panel of pouch 6. Rear panel of pouch 7. Top zippers of top openable pouch 7a Top zippers pull handle of top openable pouch 8. Front zippers of secondary front openable pouch 9. Front zippers pull handle of secondary front openable pouch 10. Right side cable fastener for tool 10a Loop fastener for cable fastener 10 11. Right side primary cleaning brush tool 12. Right side cleaning brush bristles 13. Right side cleaning brush tool handle 13a Fastener hole in handle of brush 14. Right side retractable cable 15. Carabiner fastener for right side retractable cable 16. Wall attached loop for carabiner fastener 17. Right side mechanical housing for retractable cable 14 18. Right side exterior auxiliary tool loop fastener 19. Right side eyelet hole in pouch for right side retractable cable 14 20. Left side eyelet hole in pouch for left side retractable cable 24 20a Loop fastener for left side cable fastener 20 21. Left side secondary cleaning brush tool 22. Left side cleaning brush bristles 23. Left side cleaning brush tool handle with fastener hole 23a 24. Left side retractable cable 25. Left side carabiner fastener for retractable cable housing 27 27. Left side mechanical housing for retractable cable 24 28. Left side exterior auxiliary tool loop fastener 29. Left side eyelet hole in pouch for right side retractable cable 24 31. Left side primary cleaning brush tool 32. Right side secondary brush tool with cleaning brush bristles 33. Left side rush handle with fastener hole 33a 33a Fastener hole for left side rush handle 33 41. Right side secondary cleaning brush tool 42. Right side secondary brush bristles 43. Right side brush handle with fastener hole 43a 50. Auxiliary wiping cloth 60. Tool pouch for dog groomer 62. Front panel of tool pouch for dog groomer 71. Right side hair/fur cutter 74. Retractable cable 79. Fastener for hair/fur cutter 80. Fastener for cosmetic tool 81. Cosmetic tool brush 83. Secondary tool for cosmetician 84. Retractable cable for cosmetic tool brush 89. Eyelet hole for retractable cable 84 90. Versatile ambidextrous pouch for rescue worker 92. Front panel of pouch 90 100. Loop fastener for tool flashlight 101 101. Flashlight 104. Retractable cable for tool flashlight 101 109. Eyelet hole in pouch 90 for retractable cable 104 120. Loop fastener for secondary tool key set 121 121. Secondary tool key set 130. Versatile ambidextrous pouch for wilderness hiker 140. Fastener for fabric wiping cloth 141. Fabric wiping cloth 144. Retractable cable for wiping cloth 141 170. Auxiliary backpack 180. Ambidextrous tool accessory pouch for a house cleaning worker 181. Primary tool all-purpose duster for window treatment 200 184. Retractable cable 184 for primary tool all-purpose duster 181 for window treatment 200 191. Secondary less frequently used cleaning rag 191 194. Retractable cable 194 for cleaning rag 191 on the secondary, non-hand dominant side of the pouch 180 196. Optional bottle of spray cleaning fluid with a small collar 197 around the neck of the bottle 197. small collar around the neck of spray bottle 196 198. Exterior loop 198 on one side of the pouch 180 for suspending cleaning fluid bottle 196. 200. residential window treatment being cleaned by cleaning worker
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(14) The present invention has broad applications to many technical fields for a variety of articles (see e.g., FIGS. 6-10). However, it is particularly adapted for use by a professional automobile detailer while detailing a vehicle (see FIGS. 1-5), and for illustrative purposes only, that preferred mode for carrying out the invention is described herein, wherein a versatile ambidextrous waist belt worn tool accessory pouch utilizes mirror image placement of fasteners therein, so that a left-handed user would have the same access to a primary tool as would a right-handed user.
(15) As used throughout this specification, the word may is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to, or being optional), rather than a mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must), as more than one embodiment of the invention may be disclosed herein. Similarly, the words include, including, and includes mean including but not limited to.
(16) The phrases at least one, one or more, and and/or may be open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions at least one of A, B and C, one or more of A, B, and C, and A, B, and/or C herein means all of the following possible combinations: A alone; or B alone; or C alone; or A and B together; or A and C together; or B and C together; or A, B and C together.
(17) Also, the disclosures of all patents, published patent applications, and non-patent literature cited within this document are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. However, It is noted that the citing of any reference within this disclosure, i.e., any patents, published patent applications, and non-patent literature, is not an admission regarding a determination as to its availability as prior art with respect to the herein disclosed and claimed apparatus/method.
(18) Furthermore, any reference made throughout this specification to one embodiment or an embodiment means that a particular feature or characteristic described in connection therewith is included in at least that one particular embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases in one embodiment or in an embodiment in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Therefore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of any particular aspect of an embodiment disclosed herein may be combined in any suitable manner with any of the other embodiments disclosed herein.
(19) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the versatile ambidextrous tool accessory pouch 1 shown in use worn in front of the abdominal waist of a user, by a right-handed user, having internal fasteners for retractable cable mechanisms 14, which extend through eyelet 19 on one side of the front of the pouch 1, which is, shown in use by an auto detailer using a tethered handled brush with a handle 13, which is retractable back to the interior surface of the pouch 1 by a retractable cable 14. The eyelets may be positioned on the pouch so as to be proximate to the distal left side and distal right side of the wearer's waist, with the eyelets spaced apart at least
(20) FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the versatile ambidextrous tool accessory pouch 1, of the present invention. Pouch 1 is shown with front panel 2, opposite side panels 3 and 4, top panel 5, having zippers 7 and zipper pull 7a, and rear panel 6. As seen in FIG. 2 (as well as the pouch shown in FIG. 8), a zipper 7 may be positioned to extend substantially linearly across a top surface of the elongated pouch.
(21) As also disclosed in FIG. 2, a right-handed user grasps and extends the right-handed brush 11 and retractable cable 14 outward where the user's right hand is holding the right-handed brush 11 with handle 13, and which has distal bristles 12 and a fastener hole 13a for attachment by fastener 10 attached to retractable cable 14, inside a housing 17. The cable 14 extends through right sided eyelet 19 of pouch 1. Pouch 1 is also shown with front panel 2, opposite side panels 3 and 4, top panel 5 having zippers 7 and zipper pull 7a. As may be seen in FIG. 4, an internally sewn or adhesively attached loop fastener 16 of internal surface 1b of pouch 1 holds right side carabiner fastener 15. Also, as may be seen in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a second end of the cable 14 that is coupled to the reel 17 with carabiner 15 may form a third cable and reel arrangement, with the cable 14 being configured to extend out from within the interior compartment of the pouch at a distal left side of said pouch, and which arrangement, as seen in comparing FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, permits this reel of the third cable and reel arrangement to be positioned either inside or outside of the interior compartment of the pouch 1. Similarly, a second end of a cable 24 that is coupled to the reel 27 with carabiner 15 may form a fourth cable and reel arrangement, with the first end of the cable 24 being configured to extend out from within the interior compartment of the pouch at a distal right side of the pouch, and which arrangement, as seen in comparing FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, also permits this reel of the fourth cable and reel arrangement to be positioned either inside or outside of the interior compartment of the pouch 1. As shown in FIG. 3, a carabiner 15 is coupled to, and extends away from the reel 17 on the left side, and another carabiner 15 is coupled to and extends away from the reel 27 on the right side, where each respective cable 14, 24 extends out from the corresponding reel 17, 27, and is retractable within the respective reel, and each cable extends from outside of the pouch compartment and passes through the opening formed when the linearly oriented zipper is unzipped, into the compartment, and then out of the pouch through the respective eyelet 19, 29, after which it is coupled to the respective carabiner 10a, 20a using the respective fasteners 10, 20. Therefore, the ambidextrous tool accessory pouch 1 is particularly configured to hold four of the most often used car detailing brushes (see FIG. 11) in a readily accessible and ergonomic positions on retractable cables, with two being disposed on the distal left side of the pouch and two disposed on the distal right side of the pouch, being spaced apart at least 80 percent of one-half of the circumference of the user's waist (i.e., 40 percent of the user's waist), and more preferably across at least 90 percent of one-half of the circumference of the user's waist in another embodiment (i.e., 45 percent of the user's waist), and may be positioned proximate to where the user's pants pockets would be located. As may be understood from FIG. 3, each carabiner fastener 15 is capable of attachment to a tool the same as is shown therein for the attachment of brush 11 to carabiner fastener 10a, and a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize this capability of the carabiner fastener 15.
(22) As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, optional further sewn-in or otherwise attached exterior loops 18, 28 can be provided for holding other externally accessible tools or containers, such as fluid cleaning or first aid containers (not shown), with removable caps or spray nozzles, and without retractable tether cables.
(23) FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 also show the versatile ambidextrous waist belt worn tool accessory pouch 1, of the present invention, as in FIG. 1, but also, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, in dashed phantom lines, for a left-handed person, including extending the left-handed brush 21 and retractable cable 24 with housing 27, as shown in FIG. 5, where the cable 24 extends outward, when the user's left hand would hold the selected primary left-handed brush 21 with handle 23. Left-handed selected primary brush 21 has distal bristles 22 and a fastener hole 23a for attachment by fastener 20 attached to retractable cable 24, which extends through left-sided eyelet 29 of pouch 1. An internal sewn or adhesively attached loop fastener (not shown) of internal surface 1b of pouch 1 holds carabiner fastener 28 attached to housing 27 with retractable cable 24, having distal fastener 20 with openable loop fastener 20a. As may be seen in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the ambidextrous tool accessory pouch 1 may be particularly configured in one embodiment to extend laterally across a substantial majority of the user's front waist portion (e.g., to extend across at least 80 percent of one-half of the circumference of the user's waist, and more preferably across at least 90 percent of one-half of the circumference of the user's waist in another embodiment, and most preferably across at least 95 percent of one-half of the circumference of the user's waist in yet a different embodiment), when supported by a waist belt configured to be worn around the waist of the user, and to position the pouch at a front central abdominal waist region of the user. This configuration thereby positions four of the most often used car detailing brushes (see e.g., FIG. 2) in readily accessible and ergonomic positions on retractable cables proximate to the user's sides/arms, with two being disposed on the distal left side of the user's waist and two being disposed on the distal right side of the user's waist. In addition to this length requirement for the ambidextrous tool accessory pouch 1, it is also configured to have a shallow height, being, as seen in FIG. 2, such that its length is about 2 and % half times longer than it is tall. This length and height is also particularly configured to hold the assortment of other brushes utilized by the auto detailer, (i.e., the brushes shown in FIG. 11, other than the four most frequently used brushes that may be coupled to the retractable cables), but to not be so deep as to encumber visible sighing of, and accessing and removing of, one of those other brushes from the interior of the pouch when needed by the auto detailer. The ambidextrous tool accessory pouch 1 may be formed to have a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, a rear surface, a left side surface, which may be angled, and a right side surface, which may also be angled. In one embodiment, all of the features of the ambidextrous tool accessory pouch 1 are symmetrically positioned.
(24) FIG. 5 also shows where the right-handed user can choose brush 11 as the primary tool to extend directly outward from the user's front waist, and a less used smaller secondary brush 31, having bristles 32, handle 33 and fastener hole 33a. FIG. 5 also shows in dashed phantom lines, the left-handed user having optionally brush 21 as the primary brush, and the smaller, less used brush 41 as the secondary brush with brushes 42, handle 43 and handle hole 43a.
(25) FIG. 5 indicates that a right-handed user could optionally have the lesser used secondary brush 31 temporarily on the left side and a left-handed user can have a lesser used secondary brush 41 on the right side. Instead of brushes, the user could select any tool as a primary tool on the dominant hand side, or any other tool on the opposite non-dominant side of the pouch.
(26) While FIG. 5, shows brush tools 11 and 31 associated with right-handed users and brush tools 21 and 41 for left-handed users, the pouch could optionally be provided with more than two cables 14 and 24, for example, two more cables and reels with carabiner fasteners (not shown), so that brush tools 11, 31, 21 and 41 could each be provided with retractable cables and reels the ambidextrous pouch 1.
(27) In yet another embodiment four or more cables and reels with carabiner fasteners (not shown) could be provided with the pouch 1, so that a user (either left handed or right handed) could have four or more selected tools being provided with the pouch 1.
(28) FIG. 11 shows an array of different automotive detailing brushes that may be used by a professional auto detailer while detailing a client's vehicle, as shown in FIGS. 1-5.
(29) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment for use of the versatile ambidextrous waist belt worn tool accessory pouch 60 in the pet grooming environment with brush/comb 71 attached by cable 74 via loop fastener 79.
(30) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment for use of the versatile ambidextrous waist belt worn tool accessory pouch 80 in a cosmetic environment, where the user uses makeup brush 81 attached by fastener 80a to retractable cable 84 through eyelet 89 of front 82 of pouch 80.
(31) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment for use of the versatile ambidextrous waist belt worn tool accessory pouch 90 in a search and rescue night environment, where a selected primary tool flashlight 101 is the selected dominant hand tool, and is attached by fastener 100 to cable 104 extending through eyelet 109 of pouch 90. Secondary tool set of keys 121 is attached by fastener 120 on the other side of pouch 90.
(32) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternate recreational use embodiment for use of the versatile ambidextrous waist belt worn tool accessory pouch 130 for a hiker in a remote hiking environment, where a sweat wiping rag 146 is attached by fastener 140 to retractable cable 144 through eyelet 149 of pouch 130. FIG. 9 also shows an unrelated backpack 170.
(33) FIG. 10 shows an alternate embodiment showing a cleaning worker in a building cleaning service industry wearing an ambidextrous tool accessory pouch 180 and using with the user's dominant left hand an extended primary tool all-purpose duster 181 with a retractable cable 184, where the primary handle all-purpose duster 181 is used for cleaning dust off of house interior surfaces 200, such as walls, counters, windows, window shades and/or Venetian blinds with the dominant hand, and the other side of the pouch 180 having a secondary less frequently used tool such as a cleaning rag 191 suspended from a retractable cable 194 on the secondary, non-hand dominant side of the pouch 180, and an optional bottle 196 of spray cleaning fluid with a small collar 197 around the neck of the bottle 196, the bottle 196 being suspended by the collar 197 from an exterior loop 198 on one side of the pouch 180. Additionally, other tools for a cleaning worker can include house keys or other handheld cleaning accessories.
(34) In summary, the pouch of the present invention is a versatile, ambidextrous pouch, worn in the front abdominal waist region of the user, where both right-handed and left-handed users can select a primary tool to be conveniently used straightforward from the side of the pouch closest to the user's dominant hand, without awkwardly reaching across the user's abdomen to uncomfortably manipulate the selected tool in an angular orientation.
(35) In the foregoing description, certain terms and visual depictions are used to illustrate the preferred embodiment. However, no unnecessary limitations are to be construed by the terms used or illustrations depicted, beyond what is shown in the prior art, since the terms and illustrations are exemplary only, and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention.
(36) It is further known that other modifications may be made to the present invention, without departing the scope of the invention, as noted in the appended Claims.
