US3593417A - Hand tool having a holder for spare blades and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

A holder for spare blades and the like mounted in the handle portion of a hand tool which holder is in the form of a tray pivotally mounted in the bottom wall of the handle for swinging movement between a closed position within the handle and an open position extending outwardly from the handle, the holder having a movable catch which in the closed position of the tray extends through an opening in a wall of the handle opposite said bottom wall for engagement with a keeper and being exposed at said opening for manual actuation to disengage the catch from the keeper.

Description

United States Patent Inventors Robert P West West Simsbury; Robert S. Hyde, East Hartford, both oi, Conn. I Appl. No. 849,663 Filed Aug. 13, 1969 Patented July 20, 1971 Assignee The Stanley Works New Britain, Conn.

HAND TOOL HAVING A HOLDER FOR SPARE Primary Examiner- Robert C. Riordon Assistant Examiner-J. C. Peters AltorneyPrutzman, Hayes, Kalb and Chilton ABSTRACT: A holder for spare blades and the like mounted in the handle portion of a hand tool which holder is in the form of a tray pivotally mounted in the bottom wall of the handle for swinging movement between a closed position within the handle and an open position extending outwardly from the handle, the holder having a movable catch which in the closed position of the tray extends through an opening in a wall of the handle opposite said bottom wall for engagement with a keeper and being exposed at said opening for manual actuation to disengage the catch from the keeper.

PATENTED JUL 20 IBTl INVENTORS ROBERT F. WEST ROBERT S. HYDE ATTORNEYS HANDTOOL HAVING A HOLDER FORSPARE BLADES ANI)-'FI HZ-ILIKIEIv This invention relates generally" to hand tools ofthe: type which have" replaceable cutters or other operating elements...

and? relates more specifically toa: storage arrangement for holding the spare cutters such as blades and the like in the handle portionof the tool in a rea'dil'y accessible manner.-

An. object of the invention is to" provide a storagearrangementfor spare'blades-and' theliketo'p'ermit the blades and'the liketo'bestored'iwithinthe handle; portion ofa hand to'ol and arranged so-that the blades; are easily accessiblewitho'ut need for disassem blingxthe handleportion of th'e tool:but without at the. same time detracting from the appearance andutility'of the handle-portion, or renderingit likely that the blades-will become released inadvertently ct -accidentally;

Nnother object isto provide such a storage arrangement which can be fabricated andi assembled without imparting material extra cost to the hand'tooliand which is designed so that it willnotbe susceptible'tobreakage und'ernormal-conditions' of use and-willrhave azlongrsenvice lifewithout nced for repair or'replacement.

Other objectswill be in part'obvious and in 'part pointed'out more in'detail hereinafter.

Abetter. understanding'of'the'invention will be obtained from the following detailed.description'and theaccompanying;

drawings of illustrative applications-ofthe invention.

ln'the drawing: FlGl l is -a side view of autility knife embodyingthe present invention, the open position':of'the blade.holder'beinglshownin phantom;

FIG. 2 is-a perspective view of the blade'holder tray;

FIG. 3 is afragmentarysideview-ofithe knife partly in cross sectionwith the blade'holder'in closed position and'also showing a stored lc'nife blade;

FIG; 4ziS a'fragmentary sideview of the knife partly-in cross section with the blade'holder in position slightly retracted from'fullyclosed position; and

FlG. S'isan enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the |ine-5:5.of FIG. 3.

Referring to the-drawings in detail, the present invention is shown embodied in a utility'knife ofthetype disclosed and claimedxin US. Pat. No. 3,107,426, issued Oct. 22; l963to the assignee of the present invention. ln this exemplaryihand tool, the handle or handgn'p portion-of the tool is formed of two complementary handle halves l'and 2-which' fit together along surfaces-disposed generally in aplane extending longitudinally of the knife and are held inassembledposition bythe screw 3. The knife blade 4 extendingfrom'the forward end of the handle is a retractable knife blade mounted on a movablecarriage-(not-shown) within the forward end of the handle and actuatablebythe thumbpiece SQTh'e full configuration of the blade 4 is the same-as that of the spare blade 6 shown in stored position in FIG.- 3."

As best shown =inrFlG. 5, the handle halves'l, 2 are inter nally channelledat 7 and 8; respectively, to providean inter nal storage compartment having :sidewalls 9; 10 and a top wall formed by the-abutting flanges l 1; l2IfThe'flanges forming the bottom 'wallof the "knife are .not'ched as shownat "Band to form anrelongated longitudinal opening or slot in the bottom wall providingaccess to the storage compartment.

Tofacilitate storage of spare blad'es'in the storage compartvment and permiteasy access thereto there is provideda tray l5:as bestshown *in H612. In "the preferred embodiment the tray l'5'.is formed. in its entirety as a single'molded plastic piece. The-tray comprises a supporting-backwall l6'having;

an end flange l7and bottom flange 18 integrally formed thereon. Tfunnions 19,'"20' are formed adjacent the intersection ofthe flanges "17, l8whic hitrunnions are received in bearings -21,- 22Ifo'rmed in the handle halves land 2 respec tivelyadja'cent the forward end of the matches 13,14 providing? the access openingto the storage counter. When assembled in: the l'tnife, the tray 151s pivotally mounted by the trunnions 1-9, 20" and bearings 2 1 22 for swinging movement between a fully closed position as shown fig. 3 and an open position asshown inphantom" linesin FIG. 1-. A tab 23 on the flange 18- whichis receivedin a slot- 24' in the bottom of handle half 1 providesas'topwhen the tray is' in fully closed position. As best shownin FIGS. 3 and 5, the bottom flange 18 is dimensioned so that it substantially closes the access opening provided by the notches 13} 1 4 and forms a continuation of the bottom wall ofthe handle when the tray is in fully closed position.

lnte'grally joinedat'on'eend onth'eend of the flange l8 opposite from the flange L7 but not connected to the backwall lti 'isanangularly related resiliently'flexible arm 25 forming an end wall-forthe tray-and having a head portion 26 at its free end'provided'with a re'arwardlyextending'flan'ge' 27- forming a catch. The headportion 26 also forms a thumbpiece formanual actuation of the catch-and,to-facilitate its use for this purpose,itis suitableknurled'or groovedin its upper surface as indicated'at28. Whenthetray isinfully closedp'osition, the catch 27 engages a keeperin the" form of a=lip' 29 formed at one end ofthenotch 3 0 which'is located in the upper wall of the handle and offset from the end of the access opening wh'ere'the trunnions 19,-2 0 and bearings 21, 22'- are located. The forward endofthe'h'ead portion'2G'is'steppedas indicated at 3 to provide clearance withrespect to'the edge 32of the notch 'duringunlatchingxmovem'entof thear'm 25.

The 1ip'29 'isrecessed b'elow the outer surface of the upper wall'ofthe'knife'therebyproviding a recess or pocket in the upper wallpartiall y. enclosing. the-head portion'26 of the arm 25 when' thetray is latched'in closed'p'o'sition so thatonly the knurled or grooved'portion 28 -protrudes. Below the lip 29 there is-provided a-camming surface 33 which acts as a strike forth'e catch 2 7 and' acts to move theff'r'ee end of the arm 25 inwardly or to th'e-l'eft as viewed inFlGi 4 when the-tray approaches the" fully closed position. Since the arm 25 is resiliently. flexibleit acts like a spring-and being loaded by the cam'ming surface-33duringkclosing movement of the tray, it is assured thata firm and positiveengagement exists between the--catch"2 7 an'd th'e k'eeper29; Exceptfor'the' engagement which takes placebetween the catch27 a'nd the camming surface"33"and keeper 29at or near 'fully' closed position of the tray; the parts are" so dimensioned as to permit ample clearanceduringthe remainder of the opening and closingmovement so that the tray will have a substantially free swingingmovem'ent.

An advantage of the structure of the-present invention is that within reasonable lim'its,'th'e 'tray l5'may be dimensioned to correspondto the shape 'ofth'e spare blades or other tools which'are to be accommodated. lit the specific embodiment shown'in the drawings, for example, the angular relation of the flange l7 and -arm"25 with'respect to the flange 18"gives the tray Isa-generallytrapezoidalconfiguration'which is particularly suitable'for receptionof the'blades 6which are similarly shaped. It also will be'noted that thereis sufficient depth to the tray toperrnit stackin'gof a pluralityiof spare blades 6'as best illustrated in FIG. 5;

Tl-le' manipulation of the tray l5-andactuation of the catch are' easy operations 'toperform and it hasfbeen noted that the average right-handed user of the tool, when performing these operations will normally tilt or turn the handle slightly clockwise, thus assuring that the spare blades 6 will rest firmly onthetray l5 betweenthe flanges 17 and 'l8and arm 25; and not become'inadvertentlydisengaged therefrom.

Although'easy to operate, the tray l5and its catch 27 do not interfere with the normal'operation'of the tool or detract fromitsappearance since-only a portion of head 26 protrudes when thetray is in fully closed positionand this is located so that itis normally protected 'by .thehand 'of the operator from inadvertentactuation. Also, since "the 'entire tray can be formedofrnoldedplasticand can be readilynm'ounted 'inthe together, the same may be provided at little extra cost, but at the same time providing a rugged and durable assembly which is not likely to become broken or require repair or replacement over long periods of normal usage.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications, adaptations and variations of the foregoing specific disclosure can be made without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

We claim:

1. In a hand tool, an elongated housing having sidewalls and top and bottom walls forming a generally tubular handgrip portion, a slot in the bottom wall of the housing providing an access opening to the interior of the housing and providing a storage compartment for blades and the like, and means for positioning blade and the like in the storage compartment and permitting easy access thereto comprising a tray pivoted on the housing adjacent one end of the access opening for swinging movement between a closed position within the storage compartment and an open position extending outwardly from the housing, a flange on said tray forming a continuation of the bottom wall of the housing and closing the access opening when the tray is in closed position, and means for releasably retaining the tray in closed position comprising an opening in the top wall of the housing offset from said one end of the access opening and having an edge portion forming a keeper, and a member on the tray having a movable end portion received in the opening in the top wall when the tray is in closed position and forming a catch engageable with the keeper, said end portion being exposed at the opening in the top wall for manual actuation to release the catch.

2. In a hand tool as defined in claim 1 and wherein the edge portion of the opening in the top wall forming a keeper is recessed below the outer surface of the top wall of the housing to form a pocket partially enclosing the catch when the tray is in closed position.

3. In a hand tool as defined in claim I and wherein the said member on the tray is an arm connected at one end to the tray and having a transverse flange at its free end forming the v catch.

4. In a hand tool as defined in claim 1 and wherein the interior of the housing is formed with a camming surface adjacent the said lip providing astrike for engagement by the catch as the tray is moved toward fully closed position.

5. In a hand tool as defined inclaim 3 and wherein the member on the tray is a flexible arm, and wherein the arm and the tray including its flange are formed as a single molded plastic unit.

6. In a hand tool, an elongated housing having sidewalls and top and bottom edge walls forming a generally tubular handgrip portion, a slot in one of the edge walls of the housing providing an access opening to the interior of the housing and providing a storage compartment for blades and the like, and means for positioning blades and the like in the storage compartment and permitting easy access thereto comprising a tray pivoted on the housing adjacent one end of the access opening for swinging movement between a closed position within the storage compartment and an open position extending outwardly from the housing, flange on said tray forming a continuation of said one edge wall of the housing and closing the access opening when the tray is in closed position, and means for releasably retaining the tray in closed position comprising an opening in the other of said edge walls forming a keeper on the housing and a member on the tray having a movable end portion forming a catch engageable with the keeper and being exposed for manual actuation to release the catch.

7. A hand tool as defined in claim 6 wherein the opening forming the keeper is offset from said one end of the access opening the catch being being received in the offset opening when the tray is in closed position.

8. A hand tool as defined in claim 6 wherein the said member on the tray is an arm connected at one end to the tray and having a transverse flange at its free end forming the catch. I 9. A hand tool as defined in claim 6 wherein the interior of the housing is formed with a camming surface adjacent the said keeper providing a strike for engagement by the catch as the tray is moved toward fully closed position.

10. A hand tool as defined in claim 8 wherein the member on the tray is a flexible arm, and wherein the arm and the tray including its flange are formed as a single molded plastic unit.

Claims (10)

1. In a hand tool, an elongated housing having sidewalls and top and bottom walls forming a generally tubular handgrip portion, a slot in the bottom wall of the housing providing an access opening to the interior of the housing and providing a storage compartment for blades and the like, and means for positioning blade and the like in the storage compartment and permitting easy access thereto comprising a tray pivoted on the housing adjacent one end of the access opening for swinging movement between a closed position within the storage compartment and an open position extending outwardly from the housing, a flange on said tray forming a continuation of the bottom wall of the housing and closing the access opening when the tray is in closed position, and means for releasably retaining the tray in closed position comprising an opening in the top wall of the housing offset from said one end of the access opening and having an edge portion forming a keeper, and a member on the tray having a movable end portion received in the opening in the top wall when the tray is in closed position and forming a catch engageable with the keeper, said end portion being exposed at the opening in the top wall for manual actuation to release the catch.

2. In a hand tool as defined in claim 1 and wherein the edge portion of the opening in the top wall forming a keeper is recessed below the outer surface of the top wall of the housing to form a pocket partially enclosing the catch when the tray is in closed position.

3. In a hand tool as defined in claim 1 and wherein the said member on the tray is an arm connected at one end to the tray and having a transverse flange at its free end forming the catch.

4. In a hand tool as defined in claim 1 and wherein the interior of the housing is formed with a camming surface adjacent the said lip providing a strike for engagement by the catch as the tray is moved toward fully closed position.

5. In a hand tool as defined in claim 3 and wherein the member on the tray is a flexible arm, and wherein the arm and the tray including its flange are formed as a single molded plastic unit.

6. In a hand tool, an elongated housing having sidewalls and top and bottom edge walls forming a generally tubular handgrip portion, a slot in one of the edge walls of the housing providing an access opening to the interior of the housing and providing a storage compartment for blades and the like, and means for positioning blades and the like in the storage compartment and permitting easy access thereto comprising a tray pivoted on the housing adjacent one end of the access opening for swinging movement between a closed position within the storage compartment and an open position extending outwardly from the housing, flange on said tray forming a continuation of said one edge wall of the housing and closing the access opening when the tray is in closed position, and means for releasably retaining the tray in closed position comprising an opening in the other of said edge walls forming a keeper on the housing and a member on the tray having a movable end portion forming a catch engageable with the keeper and being exposed for manual actuation to release the catch.

7. A hand tool as defined in claim 6 wherein the opening forming the keeper is offset from said one end of the access opening the catch being being received in the offset opening when the tray is in closed position.

8. A hand tool as defined in claim 6 wherein the said member on the tray is an arm connected at one end to the tray and having a transverse flange at its free end forming the catch.

9. A hand tool as defined in claim 6 wherein the interior of the housing is formed with a camming surface adjacent the said keeper providing a strike for engagement by the catch as the tray is moved toward fully closed position.

10. A hand tool as defined in claim 8 wherein the member on the tray is a flexible arm, and wherein the arm and the tray including its flange are formed as a single molded plastic unit.

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