Driving tool with illuminating capability

Details Driving tool with illuminating capability Driving tool with illuminating capability

1999-07-16

2001-01-30

Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)

Illumination

With implement or hand held holder therefor

Hand tool

C362S206000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06179433

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a driving tool, more particularly to a driving tool with an illuminating capability.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a conventional driving tool
10
is shown to include an elongated hollow handle
11
made of an insulator material, a torch unit, and a rear cap
16
also made from an insulator material.
As illustrated, the handle
11
has a tubular surrounding wall with front and rear ends
111
,
112
and extending in a longitudinal direction to confine a receiving compartment
12
therein, and a front mounting wall
113
provided at the front end
111
. The front mounting wall
113
has a drive shaft
17
that extends therefrom outwardly of the receiving compartment
12
in the longitudinal direction. The front mounting wall
113
is further formed with two lamp receiving holes
121
which are offset from the drive shaft
17
and which are in communication with the receiving compartment
12
.
The torch unit includes two lamps
132
received in the lamp receiving holes
121
respectively, a conductive lamp contact piece
131
disposed transversely in the receiving compartment
12
, two battery cells
14
disposed in the receiving compartment
12
, and a switch member
15
disposed in the receiving compartment
12
proximate to the battery cells
14
. The lamps
132
and the battery cells
14
are connected in series via the lamp contact piece
131
. The switch member
15
are connected to and bias the battery cells
14
toward the lamp contact piece
131
when the rear cap
16
is mounted removably on the rear end
112
of the surrounding wall, and has a press button
151
that projects outwardly of the rear cap
16
. When pressure is applied on the press button
151
, a closed electrical circuit will be formed to activate the lamps
132
.
Some of the disadvantages of the aforesaid driving tool
10
are as follows:
(a) It is time-consuming to bore the lamp receiving holes
121
through the front mounting wall
113
.
(b) The torch unit cannot be separated from the handle
11
, thereby restricting the utility of the conventional driving tool
10
in view of the need to purchase an extra torch.
(c) The handle
11
is bulky, because it is designed to accommodate two battery cells
14
that are disposed side-by-side.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The main object of this invention is to provide a driving tool with an illuminating capability, which is clear of the aforesaid disadvantages that result from the use of the conventional driving tool.
Accordingly, the driving tool of the present invention includes an elongated hollow handle, a torch, and a rear cap. The handle has a tubular surrounding wall with front and rear ends. The surrounding wall extends in a longitudinal direction, and confines a torch receiving compartment therein. A front end wall is disposed at the front end of the surrounding wall. The front end wall has a drive shaft that extends therefrom outwardly of the torch receiving compartment in the longitudinal direction, and is formed with a lamp receiving hole that extends in the longitudinal direction and that is offset from the drive shaft. The torch is received removably in the torch receiving compartment via the rear end of the surrounding wall of the handle. The torch includes a tubular torch housing, a switch member, a lamp, and a conductive lamp contact member. The tubular torch housing has front and rear end portions. The front end portion confines a battery receiving space that is adapted to receive a battery cell therein. The switch member is mounted in the rear end portion of the torch housing, and has a first switch contact adapted to establish electrical contact with a first battery terminal of the battery cell when the battery cell is received in the battery receiving space, and a second switch contact. The lamp extends into the lamp receiving hole, and has a first lamp terminal that extends into the front end portion of the torch housing, and a second lamp terminal electrically insulated from the first lamp terminal and electrically connected to the second switch contact. The conductive lamp contact member is disposed in the front end portion of the torch housing, and is connected electrically to the first lamp terminal of the lamp. The lamp contact member is adapted to establish electrical contact with a second battery terminal of the battery cell when the battery cell is received in the battery receiving space. The rear cap is mounted removably on the rear end of the surrounding wall of the handle for retaining removably the torch in the torch receiving compartment.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5772308 (1998-06-01), Lin
patent: 6022121 (2000-02-01), Lin

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