Multi-purpose tool

• US 4,815,346 A
• Filed: 07/28/1986
• Issued: 03/28/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John Littlehorn
• Original Assignee: John Littlehorn
• Inventors: Littlehorn, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, James G.
• Application Number:
  US06/889,639
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 81/440, 81/437, 81/438, 81/439, 81/124.5, 81/177.4, 81/490, 81/492, 81/450
• US Class Current: 81/439
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 15/00 Screwdrivers hand-driven gear-operated B25B17/00; impact screwdrivers B25B19/00; portable power-driven B25B21/00 ; screwdrivers specially adapted for osteosynthesis A61B17/8875
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 15/02 operated by rotating the handle
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 1/04 wherein the elements are brought into working positions by a pivoting or sliding movement
• CPC Class Codes: B25G 1/085 for screwdrivers, wrenches or spanners

Abstract

A multi-purpose portable and collapsible hand tool including a main barrel having a plurality of differing blades or bits. Each blade or bit is pivotally mounted on the barrel with at least one end cap closing off one end of the barrel where the blades or bits are pivotally connected to the barrel. The end cap is rotatably mounted to the respective barrel end and includes an elongated slot so that a blade or bit, normally disposed against the barrel and lying substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the barrel, is prevented from pivoting away from the barrel until the end cap preventing said pivoting is rotated to align its slot with a blade or bit so that the blade or bit may be pivoted away from the barrel to a position extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said barrel, said end cap being rotatable to prevent said blade or bit from pivoting back against the barrel, i.e. to lock the blade or bit into operative position.

Claims

1. In a collapsible portable hand tool device having a plurality of blades or bits with varying tips hereon, said device having a main body portion providing a handle, and the plurality of blades or bits being spaced about the main body portion and pivotable from a first stored position overlying and adjacent to the main body portion to a second operative position extending away from the main body portion, the improvement which comprises:

said main body portion being smooth walled on its outer surface, having at least one slotted closure cap, said cap having one end of each of said bits or blades pivotally mounted therein, said one end being at an angle with respect to the remaining portion of said blade or bit, and an end cap rotatable mounted over said closure cap having at least one slot therein with a concentric opening in said end cap aligned with the central longitudinal axis of said main body portion, said opening communicating with said slot and concentric in said end cap whereby, when said slot in said end cap is aligned with the slot in said closure cap, a first pivotally mounted bit or blade can pivot from its first position stored abuttingly against said smooth walled outer surface of said main body portion to its second operative position extending in a direction away from said main body portion along an axis coincident with the central longitudinal axis of said main body portion and out of the opening in said end cap;

said end cap being rotatable to move its slot out of alignment with the slot in said closure cap thereby preventing said bit or blade from pivoting back to its first stored position until the slot in said end cap is realigned with the slot in said closure cap and when said end cap'"'"'s slot is not in alignment with the slots in said closure cap for each of the remainder of the plurality of said bits or blades, each of the remainder of the plurality of said bits or blades is retained by said end cap abuttingly against said smooth walled outer surface and further including a backing pin, and wherein said blade or bit at the intersection of its angled portion with its remaining straight portion is notched and said closure cap is indented at its slot where said bit or blade pivots so as to provide a pressure bearing surface for the blade or bit.

2. In the tool of claim 1 including a second closure cap and a second blade or bit pivotally mounted therein and closed off by a second rotatable end cap on the side of said main body portion opposite said side having said first-mentioned closure cap and end cap thereon.

3. In the device of claim 1 including a second slot in said closure cap having a second blade or bit pivotally mounted therein.

4. In the device of claim 1 wherein said closure cap includes a flange on the outer end thereof snap fitting into a groove on the internal wall of said end cap.

5. In the device of claim 1 wherein said end cap has a concentric curved inner wall adjacent said closure cap bearing against said blade or bit when said end cap is rotated.

6. In the device of claim 1 wherein said angled portion is at an angle of about 45 degrees.

7. In the tool of claim 2 wherein each of said first and second closure caps has a second blade or bit pivotably mounted therein and each closure is closed off by its own rotatable end cap.

8. In the device of claim 7 wherein one of said closure caps has a pair of bits, and the other of said closure caps has a pair of blades pivotably therein.

9. In the device of claim 1 wherein there are two end caps, one at each end of said device, and each end cap has a curved inner wall adjacent said closure cap bearing against said blade a bit when said end cap is rotated.