US20020179659A1 - Tool support and lock - Google Patents

Abstract

A tool support and lock for supporting and suspending a tool, such as a commercial stapler or similarly constructed tools, from a user's belt. The tool support and lock is an elongated inverted U-shaped loop having an outward diverging leg, rounded upper portion and an opposing leg terminating in an eccentric cam portion, said diverging leg and cam portion having aligned apertures therein, said cam portion sized to frictionally engage the tool and secure the tool components from loosening and disengaging from the tool by means of a fastening device passing through the appertures into the tool.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• The invention relates to a tool support and lock, and more particularly, to a support which is mounted on a tool and securely locks the structure of the tool together, and clips on to a user's belt which supports and carries the tool dangling therefrom.[0001]
• Workmen are known to use numerous tool holders for support and carrying various tools on their belts. Generally, these tool supports have been limited only to supporting and carrying the tools and nothing more. Thus, if the structure of the tool has a tendency for its components to loosen and disengage from the tool, the tool holder cannot prevent it from taking place. In many instances, this loosening and disengagement renders the tool inoperable. This situation is particularly true with respect to commercial staplers and other similarly constructed tools. With commercial staplers, a stapler arm encompasses a retention spring mechanism that forces staples up through the arm. As depicted in FIG. 3, a flat mounting base having opposing planar sides and a hook retainer locks into the arm and holds the retention spring under pressure within the arm. The problem is that when using the tool, the hook retainer has a tendency to loosen and disengage from its locked position. This causes the flat mounting base to fall away from the arm making the stapler inoperable.[0002]
• Accordingly, there is a need for a tool support that clips onto a user's belt which not only will support and carry tools, such as commercial staplers and similarly constructed devices, but will also prevent the tool structure from loosening and falling apart.[0003]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The invention relates to a tool support and lock made from flat spring steel or similar material having an outward diverging leg, a rounded upper portion, and an opposing leg terminating in an eccentric cam shaped portion, said diverging leg and cam shaped portion having aligned apertures disposed therein. It attaches to the user's belt by means of its rounded upper portion clipping onto the belt by having the diverging leg on the inside and the terminal eccentric cam shaped leg on the outside of the belt. It is secured to the tool by sliding the cam portion of the opposing leg in-between the overlapping flat side of the mounting base and the planar side wall of the tool structure, mounting a bolt through the aligned apertures of the opposing legs and the bore in the structure of the tool and tigthening the bolt in place with the interposed cam portion pressing upwardly and outwardly on theoverlapped components with the rounded upper portion in position to clip on to the user's belt.[0004]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
• The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and, together with a general description given above and the detailed description the preferred embodiment given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.[0005]
• FIG. 1 is a frontal side perspective view of the tool holder and lock according to the invention.[0006]
• FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the tool holder and lock supported on a belt.[0007]
• FIG. 3 is an exploded rear side view of a commercial stapler lying flat depicting attaching of the tool holder and lock of the invention to the tool.[0008]
• FIG. 4 is a rear side view similar to FIG. 3 with the tool holder and lock attached in the locked position to the commercial stapler.[0009]
• FIG. 5 is an upright rear side view with the tool holder and lock in the unlocked position.[0010]
• FIG. 6 is an upright rear side view similar to FIG. 5 with the tool holder and lock in the ocked position.[0011]
• FIG. 7 is an upright rear side view depicting the stapler attached to the tool holder and lock supported on a workman's belt.[0012]
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• Reference is made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7.[0013]
• Shown in FIG. 1 is tool support and lock[0014]10 for operatively securing a tool, such as a commercial stapler, onto a belt and securing the mechanism of the tool in place. The tool support andlock10 is made from flat spring steel however plastic or other metal materials can be used. The tool support and lock is bent into an elongated inverted U-shaped loop having an outward divergingleg12, roundedupper portion14 and an opposing leg terminating in aneccentric cam portion16 having anaperture18 therein. When it is being attached to a workman's belt or other belt, it loops around the belt as shown in FIG. 2 with thediverging leg12 on the inside of the belt.
• The opposing leg with eccentric cam shaped portion has been designed to fit within the[0015]lower structure20 of acommercial stapler arm22 as depicted in FIG. 3. Generally,stapler arm22 encompasses a retention spring mechanism that forces staples up through the arm to the top gun portion of the device which when activated forces staples into an object. As seen in FIG. 3, flatmetal mounting base24 includes opposing flatplanar metal sides26,hook retainer28 andspring metal sheet30. Flatmetal mounting base24 fits into thelower structure20 ofstapler arm22 by means ofopposing side walls26 slidingly and loosely engaging planarflat walls36 ofstapler arm22 which allowshook28 to frictionally engageslot34.Mounting base24 is further secured to the staplerlower structure20 by means ofbolt38 threadedly engaged inbore40 by internally pressing againstmetal spring30 adjacent tostapler spring arm32. However, inuse mounting base24 has a tendency to become loose causinghook28 to disengage fromslot34 resulting in the entire mounting base to completely fall out of stapler armlower structure20 making the stapler inoperable.
• In accordance with the present invention in improving the operability of the commercial stapler and similarly constructed tools, there is provided tool support and[0016]lock10 which is mounted on the stapler as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. Tool support and lock is fixedly secured tolower stapler structure20 by removingbolt38 frombore40, sliding the cam portion ofopposing leg16 in-betweenflat side26 offlat base24 andplanar side wall36 ofstapler structure20, aligningapertures18 of the diverging leg and cam portion withbore40, and fixedly tighteningbolt38 thrrough the apertures into the bore. As seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, the cam portion pressing upwardly against the under surface ofbase wall27 locks in place the flat base and hook28 inslot34 so that the flat base cannot loosen or fall out with the cam portion in position. Further, the increased tightening pressure on the engagedsides26 of the base and theplanar wall36 by the interposed cam portion prevents any movement or loosening of the flat base or disengaging ofhook38 fromslot34.
• Shown in FIG. 5 is the holder and lock in the unlocked upright position on the tool whereas in FIG. 6 the holder and lock is in the locked upright position. FIG. 7 depicts the commercial stapler hanging from the holder and lock attached to the belt of a workman.[0017]
• Although the preferred embodiment has been diverted to a holder and lock for a commercial stapler, tool holder and[0018]lock10 of the invention is applicable to any tool having sided attachment that becomes loose during use. If there is not a bolt attachment as with the staples a bolt or other attachment would be applicable to hold the holder and lock secured to the tool.

Claims (7)

What is claimed is:

1. A tool support and lock for supporting and suspending a tool from a belt and locking components of the tool in place, said tool having a planar wall and a releasable mounting base with a base wall having an underside and an upright side wall which slidingly engages said planar wall releasably engaging said tool, said tool having a releasable fastening device mounted in a bore adjacent to said upright side wall, comprising

the tool support and lock comprising a flat spring sheet bent into an elongated inverted U-shaped loop having an outward diverging leg, a rounded upper portion and an opposing leg terminating in an eccentric cam portion, said diverging leg and cam portion having aligned apertures therein,

said eccentric cam portion sized to slide in-between and frictionally engage said upright side wall and said planar wall and said underside of the mounting base,

said fastening device releasably mountable on said tool support and lock through said apertures into said bore,

said tool support and lock releasably mountable on said belt.

2. A tool support and lock according toclaim 1 wherein said tool is a commercial stapler.

3. A tool support and lock according toclaim 1 wherein said flat spring sheet is spring steel.

4. A tool support and lock according toclaim 1 wherein said outwardly diverging leg is releasably mountable on the inside of the belt.

5. A method of mounting a tool to a belt and locking components of the tool in place, said tool comprising a planar wall and a releasable mounting base having a base wall with an underside and an upright side wall which slidingly engages said planar wall releasably engaging said tool, said tool having a releasable fastening device mounted in a bore adjacent to said upright side wall, comprising

providing a tool support and lock comprising a flat spring sheet bent into an elongated inverted U-shaped loop, having a an outwardly diverging leg, a rounded upper portion and an opposing leg terminating in an eccentric cam portion, said diverging leg and cam portion having aligned apertures therein,

sliding said eccentric cam portion in-between said upright side wall and said planar wall and engaging said underside of the mounting base, and aligning said aperture with said bore,

releasably mounting said fastening device through said aperture and said bore.

6. The method ofclaim 5 wherein said tool is a commercial stapler.

7. The method ofclaim 6 wherein said fastening device is a bolt.

Images