Hand tool having interchangeable accessories

• US 5,471,698 A
• Filed: 11/26/1993
• Issued: 12/05/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Innovations & Development Inc.
• Original Assignee: Innovations & Development Inc.
• Inventors: Francis, Paul S., Rouse, Teryl K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scherbel, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOOHOO, TONY GLEN
• Application Number:
  US08/157,305
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 15/105, 15/107, 15/110, 15/111, 15/114, 15/117, 15/143.1, 15/144.1, 15/145, 15/104.53, 15/176.1, 15/209.4, 15/229.13, 15/236.01 , 15/236.02, 15/236.05, 15/244.4, 16/111 R, 16/114 R, 16/112, 16/126, 51/205 R, 51/170 R, 51/392, 51/393, 51/180, 51/382, 51/387, 81/489, 7/100, 7/158, 7/168, 7/167, 30/169, 30/170, 30/171, 30/172, 30/298
• US Class Current: 15/144.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/08 with scraping blades
• CPC Class Codes: B25G 1/102 the shape being specially adapted to facilitate handling or improve grip
• CPC Class Codes: B25G 3/38 Hinged, pivoted, swivelling, or folding joints

Abstract

A hand tool having a frame which holds interchangeable working heads for scraping ice and other materials, scrubbing and sanding. The frame pivotally carries the working head at one end and has a curved forearm brace at the other end. A hand grip bar is located between the ends of the frame such that the forearm provides force against the brace to hold the working head against the work surface. This creates a leverage effect and relieves stress on the wrist. The pivotal head allows angled or contoured surfaces to be followed without requiring the wrist to flex at different angles. The scraping head has two scraping edges which scrape on both push and pull strokes. An accessory head which is interchangeable with the ice scraping head can hold two metal scraping blades or interchangeable base plates which provide a sanding sheet and a scrubbing pad, respectively.

Claims

1. A multiple head hand held tool assembly for treating different surfaces, said tool assembly comprising:

a rigid frame having opposite sides terminating in first and second ends;

a hand grip extending between said opposite sides at a location intermediate said first and second ends thereof;

a forearm brace extending between said first ends of the opposite sides of said frame;

a plurality of accessory heads each having means for treating a surface, said treating means being different for each accessory head; and

means for releasably mounting each accessory head between said second ends of the opposite sides of the frame in a manner permitting pivotal movement of each head about a pivot axis extending between said second ends, each accessory head being releasable from said frame to permit its replacement thereon by another accessory head.

2. The tool assembly of claim 1, wherein said releasable mounting means comprises:

opposite side surfaces of each accessory head presenting keyhole slots therein; and

pins on said second ends of the sides of the frame axially aligned with one another and each having a projecting lug, said pins and lugs fitting through said keyhole slots in a preselected rotative position of each accessory head and said lugs acting to retain each head on the frame in rotative positions other than said preselected position, with said pins defining said pivot axis.

3. The tool assembly of claim 1, wherein said forearm brace is located to engage the top of the forearm of a user whose hand is applied to said grip and is curved in a direction to generally conform with the curvature of the top of the forearm of the user.

4. The tool assembly of claim 1, wherein:

said treating means for one accessory head comprises a blade for scraping ice from a vehicle window.

5. The tool assembly of claim 4, wherein:

said treating means for a second accessory head comprises a metal scraping blade.

6. The tool assembly of claim 4, wherein:

said treating means for a second accessory head comprises sanding means.

7. The tool assembly of claim 4, wherein:

said treating means for a second accessory head comprises a scrubbing pad.

8. A hand held tool assembly comprising:

a rigid frame having opposite sides, each side terminating in opposite first and second ends;

a hand grip extending between said sides intermediate said first and second ends thereof at a location closer to said second ends than to said first ends;

a forearm brace extending between said first ends of the sides at a location to engage the forearm of a user whose hand is applied to said hand grip;

a scraper head having a pair of scraping edges; and

means for mounting said scraper head between said second ends of the sides in a manner permitting said head to pivot about a pivot axis to allow both of said edges to remain on a surface that is being scraped, said edges being arranged such that one edge scrapes the surface during a pushing stroke of the arm and the other edge scrapes the surface during a pulling stroke of the arm.

9. The tool assembly of claim 8, wherein said forearm brace is curved between said first ends of the frame sides and is located to engage and brace the top of the forearm of a user whose hand is applied to the grip to press the scraper head against a surface to be scraped.

10. The tool assembly of claim 9, wherein said forearm brace is constructed and arranged to alternately assume different positions with the curvature thereof being opposite in the different positions to accommodate use with either the right or left hand of a user, said hand grip comprising a grip bar having a longitudinal axis oriented at an acute angle relative to said pivot axis.

11. The tool assembly of claim 8, wherein said mounting means includes means for permitting removal of said scraper head from said frame, and wherein said tool assembly comprises:

an accessory head having means for treating a surface; and

releasable means for mounting said accessory head between said second ends of the sides in a manner permitting said accessory head to pivot about said pivot axis, whereby said scraper head and accessory head can be mounted interchangeably on the frame.

12. The tool assembly of claim 11, wherein said accessory head comprises:

a body adapted to be secured by said releasable means between said second ends for movement about said pivot axis;

a first base plate;

a second base plate, said treating means comprising first means on said first base plate for treating the surface and second means on said second base plate for treating the surface; and

means for detachably securing said first and second base plates to said body interchangeably.

13. The tool assembly of claim 12, including a pair of scraper blades and means for detachably securing said scraper blades to opposite edge portions of said body when said first and second base plates are removed therefrom.

14. The tool assembly of claim 12, wherein:

said first treating means comprises a scrubbing pad; and

said second treating means comprises a sanding sheet.

15. A hand held tool comprising:

a rigid frame having opposite sides, each side terminating in opposite first and second ends;

a hand grip extending between said sides intermediate said first and second ends thereof at a location closer to said second ends than to said first ends;

a forearm brace extending between said first ends of the sides at a location to engage the forearm of a user whose hand is applied to said hand grip, thereby allowing the application of leverage by the forearm about a fulcrum defined at the hand grip;

a working head having means for treating a surface; and

means for mounting said working head between said second ends of the sides in a manner permitting said head to pivot about a pivot axis to allow said means for treating a surface to follow the surface that is being treated as the working head is moved along said surface.