Hand tool with operator relief feature

• US 20040000220A1
• Filed: 06/25/2003
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Leonard M. Walsh
• Original Assignee: Leonard M. Walsh
• Inventors: Walsh, Leonard M.
• Application Number:
  US10/606,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20040000220A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 81/324
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 7/14 Locking means B25B7/123 takes precedence

Abstract

A hand tool, comprising: first and second members, each having a jaw at one end and a handle at an opposite end, the members pivotable between an open position and a closed position; and a retainer for selectively maintaining the members in the closed position. The hand tool could be a plier tool with a pivot pin connecting the members and enabling the members to pivot between the open and closed positions. A method of securing a clamp to an object, comprising the steps of: providing an object; providing a flexible clamp; placing the clamp on the object; actuating the hand tool to draw ends of the clamp towards each other to reduce a gap therebetween; actuating the retainer on the hand tool to keep the reduced gap; providing a fastener; securing the ends together with the fastener; and releasing the tool from the clamp.

Claims

1. A hand tool, comprising:

first and second members, each having a jaw at one end and a handle at an opposite end, said members pivotable between an open position and a closed position; and

a retainer for selectively maintaining said members in said closed position.

2. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said retainer surrounds said members.

3. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said retainer can travel from an inoperative position to an operative position in a direction from said jaws to said handles.

4. The tool as recited in claim 3, wherein said retainer surrounds said handles when at said operative position.

5. The tool as recited in claim 3, wherein said members rotate around a pivot pin, and said retainer resides adjacent said pivot pin when at said inoperative position.

6. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said retainer is annular.

7. The tool as recited in claim 6, wherein said retainer is a washer.

8. A plier tool, comprising:

first and second members, each having a jaw at one end and a handle at an opposite end;

a pivot pin connecting said members and enabling said members to pivot between an open position and a closed position; and

a retainer for selectively maintaining said members in said closed position.

9. The tool as recited in claim 8, wherein said plier tool is a needle nose plier tool.

10. The tool as recited in claim 8, wherein said retainer surrounds said members.

11. The tool as recited in claim 8, wherein said retainer can travel from an inoperative position to an operative position in a direction from said jaws to said handles.

12. The tool as recited in claim 11, wherein said retainer surrounds said handles when at said operative position.

13. The tool as recited in claim 11, wherein said retainer resides adjacent said pivot pin when at said inoperative position.

14. The tool as recited in claim 8, wherein said retainer is annular.

15. The tool as recited in claim 14, wherein said retainer is a washer.

16. A method of securing a clamp to an object, comprising the steps of:

providing an object;

providing a flexible clamp having two ends with a gap therebetween;

placing said clamp on said object;

providing a hand tool with a retainer thereon;

actuating said tool to draw said ends of said clamp towards each other to produce a reduced gap therebetween;

actuating said retainer to keep said reduced gap;

providing a fastener;

securing said ends together with said fastener; and

releasing said tool from said clamp.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein said hand tool is a plier tool.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein said plier tool is a needle nose plier tool.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein said retainer is an annular element surrounding said tool.

20. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein said object is a wire harness.