Structure of hand tool

• US 5,803,584 A
• Filed: 04/14/1997
• Issued: 09/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chih-Wen Chung
• Original Assignee: Chih-Wen Chung
• Inventors: Chung, Chih-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, Y MY QUACH
• Application Number:
  US08/834,139
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 362/109, 362/119, 362/120, 81/436, 81/439, 81/440, 81/177.4, 81/490, 7/165
• US Class Current: 362/120
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/18 Devices for illuminating the head of the screw or the nut
• CPC Class Codes: B25G 1/085 for screwdrivers, wrenches or spanners

Abstract

A hand tool includes a cylindrical casing which has a tapered front end, an annular groove around the tapered front end, and a plurality of tool bit grooves longitudinally extended from the tip of the tapered front end across the annular groove to the rear end of the casing, and a tool bit unit which includes a binding ring mounted in the annular groove of the casing, and a set of bits respectively pivoted to the binding ring and turned between a first position received in the tool bit grooves of the casing, and a second position retained in alignment with the casing longitudinally.

Claims

1. A hand tool comprising:

a cylindrical casing having a plurality of longitudinal grooves equiangularly spaced around and along a periphery of the casing, and a tapered front end, a plurality of radial grooves on said front and respectively extended from said longitudinal grooves and met at a point, and an annular groove disposed around a periphery of said tapered front end and intersecting said radial grooves; and

a tool bit unit mounted on said casing, said tool bit unit comprising a binding ring mounted in the annular groove of the tapered front end of said casing, and a set of bits respectively pivoted to said binding ring and turned between a first position received in the radial grooves and longitudinal grooves of said casing, and a second position retained in alignment with said casing longitudinally, each of said bits having bit body configured to be received in one longitudinal groove of said casing, and a flat oblique head pivoted to said binding ring and adapted to be received in one radial groove of the tapered front end of said casing.

2. The hand tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein said casing comprises a plurality of smoothly curved recessed portions respectively disposed at the longitudinal grooves through which the fingers can be inserted into the longitudinal grooves of said casing to pick up said bits.

3. The hand tool an claimed in claim 1, further comprising a lighting circuit assembly mounted inside said casing and controlled to give light by a rotary cap threaded onto a threaded roar end of said casing, said lighting circuit assembly comprising a bulb mounted inside said casing near the tapered front end, a set of battery calls mounted inside said casing and held down by said rotary cap, and a metal contact plate disposed between said set of battery cells and said bulb, said metal contact plate being forced by said battery cells into contact with said bulb when said rotary cap is threaded inwards into said casing, causing said bulb to be turned on.