Belt clip for hand-held power tools

• US 20040206522A1
• Filed: 02/09/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wall, Daniel Paxton, Phillips, Alan Gene, Etter, Mark Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,143,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 173/170
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/02 Construction of casings, bodies or handles B25F5/006, B25F5/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 3/006 Storage means specially adapted for one specific hand apparatus, e.g. an electric drill
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/44017 with specific mounting means for attaching to rigid or semirigid supporting structure or structure-to-be-secured

Abstract

A power tool, such as a drill/driver or a reciprocating saw, can be provided with a belt clip which attaches to the tool at multiple positions to adapt to the user'"'"'s preference. The belt clip can be side-mounted to a drill/driver to facilitate holstering of the drill/driver and to reduce the profile of the drill/driver. The side-mounted belt clip can be positioned to enable the drill/driver to be grasped in the ergonomically desirable thumb-rest and power-grip holds. The belt clip can be adapted to facilitate the wielding of the tool by providing additional surfaces for the fingers and thumb to contact when grasping the tool.

Claims

1. A hand-held power tool comprising:

a housing;

at least a first attaching means for selectively detachably mounting a clip to the housing and a second attaching means for selectively detachably mounting a clip to the housing; and

a clip for suspending the hand-held power tool from an accommodating surface when not in use, the clip selectively detachably mounted to the housing via either the first attaching means or the second attaching means, the clip capable of capturing the accommodating surface for suspending the hand-held power tool from the accommodating surface;

wherein the clip is selectively detachably mountable by a user to the housing at a first position through the use of the first attaching means and without the use of the second attaching means, and

the clip is selectively detachably mountable by a user to the housing at a second position different from the first position through the use of the second attaching means and without the use of the first attaching means.

2. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 wherein each of the first attaching means and the second attaching means comprises:

a bore formed in the clip;

a bore formed in the housing

a fastener passing through the bore in the clip and received in the bore formed in the housing;

an indexing projection extending from one of the housing or the clip; and

an indexing projection receiving recess formed in the other of the housing or the clip which receives the indexing projection and laterally holds the indexing projection.

3. The hand-held power tool of claim 2 wherein the bore formed in the housing for the first attaching means is provided on a portion of the housing opposite from the bore formed in the housing for the second attaching means.

4. The hand-held power tool of claim 2 wherein the bore formed in the housing for the first attaching means is provided on a portion of the housing symmetrically opposite from the bore formed in the housing for the second attaching means.

5. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 wherein the clip is attached to the housing at each of the first position and the second position using no more than a single threaded fastener.

6. The hand-held power tool of claim 5 wherein the clip is detached from the housing at each of the first position and the second position by removing no more than a single threaded fastener from the housing.

7. The hand-held power tool of claim 6 wherein the clip is generally rigid and unitary in construction.

8. The hand-held power tool of claim 1 wherein the clip comprises:

a tool mating surface;

a first projection extending outwardly from the tool mating surface at a first end; and

a second projection extending from a second end of the first projection creating a receiving space between the second projection and the housing.

9. The hand-held power tool of claim 8 wherein the first projection has a concavely curved surface which is curved to generally fit the profile of a user'"'"'s thumb and finger and which cradles the thumb or finger between the clip and the housing.

10. A hand-held power tool comprising:

a housing having a fastener receiving recess;

a clip for suspending the hand-held power tool from an accommodating surface when not in use, the clip selectively detachably mounted to the housing through attachment of a clip fastener to the fastener receiving recess, the clip fastener being selectively detachable and reattachable by a user to the fastener receiving recess;

one of the clip or the housing having an indexing projection extending therefrom; and

the other of the clip or the housing having an indexing projection receiving recess which receives the indexing projection and laterally holds the indexing projection.

11. The hand-held power tool of claim 10 wherein the clip fastener is a threaded fastener and the fastener receiving recess is a bore in the housing.

12. The hand-held power tool of claim 11 wherein the clip is generally rigid and unitary in construction.

13. The hand-held power tool of claim 10 wherein the clip comprises:

a tool mating surface;

a first projection extending outwardly from the tool mating surface at a first end; and

a second projection extending from a second end of the first projection creating a receiving space between the second projection and the housing.

14. A drill/driver comprising:

a housing with a barrel portion and a pistol grip portion, the barrel portion at least partially enclosing a rotary motor, the pistol grip portion having a switch which controls the rotary motor;

the housing having a central axis defined by a plane that approximately divides in half the barrel portion of the housing and the pistol grip portion of the housing with a first side of the housing on one side of the central axis and a second side of the housing on the other opposite side of the central axis; and

a clip capable of suspending the drill/driver from a surface, the clip selectively detachably mountable by a user to the housing in at least two separate positions;

a first position where the clip is on the first side of the housing and a second position where the clip is on the second side of the housing.

15. The drill/driver of claim 14 wherein:

the barrel portion has a top side portion, a bottom side portion generally opposite the top side portion, a first side portion, a second side portion generally opposite the first side portion, a front portion, and a back side portion generally opposite the front side portion, a chuck for holding a drill or screwdriver bit extending from the front side portion, the pistol grip portion being attached to the bottom side portion; and

the first position is on the first side portion, and the second position is on the second side portion.

16. The drill/driver of claim 15 wherein:

the first side of the housing has a first attaching means for attaching the clip to the housing in the first position; and

the second side of the housing has a second attaching means for attaching the clip to the housing in the second position.

17. The drill/driver of claim 15 wherein:

when the clip is mounted in the first position, the clip creates a receiving space between the clip and the first side of the housing for receiving a surface, and

when the clip is mounted in the second position, the clip creates a receiving space between the clip and the second side of the housing for receiving a surface.

18. The drill/driver of claim 15 wherein:

the second position is approximately symmetrical about the central axis with the first position.

19. The drill/driver of claim 18 wherein:

when the clip is mounted in either of the first position or the second position, the clip is positioned closer to the back side portion of the barrel portion of the housing than to the front side portion.

20. The drill/driver of claim 19 wherein:

the clip has a bore for receiving a fastener which holds the clip on the housing; and

one of the clip or the housing has an indexing projection extending therefrom, and the other of the clip or the housing has an indexing projection receiving recess which receives the indexing projection and holds the indexing projection laterally.

21. The drill/driver of claim 20 further comprising:

a fastener;

a first bore formed in the first side of the housing;

a first indexing projection receiving recess formed in the first side of the housing;

a second bore formed in the second side of the housing;

a second indexing projection receiving recess formed in the second side of the housing;

wherein the fastener passes through the bore in the clip and attaches to the first bore, and the indexing projection engages with the first indexing projection receiving recess to attach the clip to the housing in the first position; and

wherein the fastener passes through the bore in the clip and attaches to the second bore, and the indexing projection engages with the second indexing projection receiving recess to attach the clip to the housing in the second position.

22. The drill/driver of claim 21 further comprising:

a pad formed on the housing with a perimeter that corresponds generally to the profile of the clip that is adjacent to the housing when the clip is attached to the housing; and

wherein the first bore and the first indexing projection receiving recess are each formed on the pad.

23. The drill/driver of claim 22 wherein the pad is a raised pad.

24. The drill/driver of claim 20 wherein the clip is generally rigid and unitary in construction.

25. The drill/driver of claim 24 wherein the clip is an injection-molded plastic component and comprises:

a tool mating surface;

a first projection extending at a first end from the tool mating surface and having a second end opposite the first end; and

a second projection extending from the second end of the first projection, the second projection being spaced from the housing by the first projection when the clip is mounted to the housing.

26. A drill/driver comprising:

a housing with a barrel portion and a pistol grip portion, the barrel portion at least partially enclosing a rotary motor, the pistol grip portion having a switch which controls the rotary motor;

the housing having a central axis defined by a plane that approximately divides in half the barrel portion of the housing and the pistol grip portion of the housing with a first side of the housing on one side of the central axis and a second side of the housing on the other opposite side of the central axis; and

a means for holding the drill/driver from a surface when the drill/drive is not in use, the means for holding selectively detachably mountable by a user to the housing in at least two separate positions;

a first position where the means for holding is on the first side of the housing and a second position where the means for holding is on the second side of the housing.

27. The drill/driver of claim 26 wherein:

the barrel portion has a top side portion, a bottom side portion generally opposite the top side portion, a first side portion, a second side portion generally opposite the first side portion, a front portion, and a back side portion generally opposite the front side portion, a chuck for holding a drill or screwdriver bit extending from the front side portion, the pistol grip portion being attached to the bottom side portion; and

the first position is on the first side portion, and the second position is on the second side portion.

28. The drill/driver of claim 27 wherein:

when the means for holding is mounted in the first position, the means for holding creates a receiving space between the means for holding and the first side of the housing for receiving a surface, and

when the means for holding is mounted in the second position, the means for holding creates a receiving space between the means for holding and the second side of the housing for receiving a surface.

29. The drill/driver of claim 27 wherein:

the second position is approximately symmetrical about the central axis with the first position.

30. The drill/driver of claim 29 wherein when the means for holding is mounted in either of the first position or the second position, the means for holding is positioned closer to the back side portion of the barrel portion of the housing than to the front side portion.

31. The drill/driver of claim 30 wherein:

the means for holding has a bore for receiving a fastener which holds the means for holding on the housing; and

one of the means for holding or the housing has an indexing projection extending therefrom, and the other of the means for holding or the housing has an indexing projection receiving recess which receives the indexing projection and holds the indexing projection laterally.

32. The drill/driver of claim 31 further comprising:

a fastener;

a first bore formed in the first side of the housing;

a first indexing projection receiving recess formed in the first side of the housing;

a second bore formed in the second side of the housing;

a second indexing projection receiving recess formed in the second side of the housing;

wherein the fastener passes through the bore in the means for holding and attaches to the first bore, and the indexing projection engages with the first indexing projection receiving recess to attach the means for holding to the housing in the first position; and

wherein the fastener passes through the bore in the means for holding and attaches to the second bore, and the indexing projection engages with the second indexing projection receiving recess to attach the means for holding to the housing in the second position.

33. The drill/driver of claim 32 further comprising:

a pad formed on the housing with a perimeter that corresponds generally to the profile of the means for holding that is adjacent to the housing when the clip is attached to the housing; and

wherein the first bore and the first indexing projection receiving recess are each formed on the pad.

34. The drill/driver of claim 33 wherein the pad is a raised pad.

35. The drill/driver of claim 31 wherein the means for holding is generally rigid and unitary in construction.

36-39. -39. (Cancelled)