Illumination – With implement or hand held holder therefor – Hand tool
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-04
2001-10-02
Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)
Illumination
With implement or hand held holder therefor
Hand tool
C362S577000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296365
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lighted hand tool that can be used to illuminate a tool or work piece grasped thereby, and more particularly to a lighted plier hand tool, in which the lighted plier hand tool includes a plier member having a handle portion and a light source received within a portion of the handle portion.
2. Background Art
Developments in the art have produced various solutions to the problem of technicians working on equipment and components positioned in poorly-lit environments. For example, automobile and industrial components are often located inside of unlighted enclosures or in areas that block external background light. This problem is particularly troublesome for industrial equipment that is located next to other components that can easily be damaged or that present a hazard to the technician, such as exposed high-voltage sources.
One prior art solution to this problem is a trouble light, which is a light that is connected to an outlet by an extension cord and that the technician hangs in a position to illuminate the component. One obvious problem with this solution is the requirement that an electrical outlet or other power source be located near the equipment that is to be serviced. Additionally, a trouble light and its extension cord are bulky so technicians do not normally carry them when inspecting and adjusting equipment.
Another solution in the art is the development of tools that generate their own light, instead of using external lighting. The advantage of this approach is that the beam of light generated by the tool is directed at the area where the technician is performing the work. Thus, the lighted tools can be used to manipulate nuts, bolts, screws and other fasteners in the poorly-lighted environments using light produced by the tool itself. One example of this solution is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,536, which issued to Montgomery in 1941. More recent examples of similar tools are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,324,158 to Le Roy, 5,577,829 to Hall, and 5,628,556 to Hrabar et al. The lighted tools have been found to be more advantageous than other prior art techniques.
However, many technicians still carry small flashlights in addition to the lighted tools. One reason is that the light generated by the tool is diffused passing though the tool more than passing through the lens of a flashlight and, therefore, the light from the tool is a lower intensity than from the flashlight. Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a hand tool, such as a lighted plier hand tool, that has a light source which provides illumination to the desired work surface or object to be grasped by the plier hand tool that closely approximates the illumination that would be delivered by a separate small flashlight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention satisfies this and other needs in the art and comprises a lighted hand tool, such as a lighted plier tool, having a first plier member, a second plier member, and a light source for illuminating a portion of first and/or second plier member. Each plier member has a handle portion, a pivot section, and a jaw portion. The first and second plier members are pivotally connected relative to each other at the respective pivot sections of the plier members. This pivotal connection allows the plier members to be moveable between a closed position, in which a portion of the jaw portions of the first and second plier members contact each other, and an opened position, in which the jaw portions of the first and second plier members are spaced apart.
The handle portion of the first plier member has a distal end, a proximal end, and a length extending between the proximal and distal ends. The handle portion further defines a bore extending longitudinally along at least a portion of the length of the first plier member and having a bore front end near the pivot section of the first plier member and an opposite bore back end adjacent the proximal end of the first plier member.
The light source is capable of producing a beam of light and is disposed within the bore adjacent the bore front end. When the light source is energized, the light beam emitted therefrom illuminates at least a portion of the first or second plier members, preferably a portion of the jaw portions of the first and second plier members, and more preferably, a portion of the jaw portions of the first and second plier members adjacent a portion of a work piece proximate to, or grasped by, the jaw portions of the first and second plier members.
The lighted plier may also have a light guide assembly having a guide head and at least one elongated optically conductive tube. The guide head is of a size to be complementarily received within the bore of the handle portion of the first plier member proximate the bore front end and intermediate the bore front end and the light source. Each conductive tube has a first light end and an opposed second light end which forms a light aperture. The first light end is connected to the guide head and is in communication with the light source. Thus, when the light source is energized, the light beam emitted therefrom communicates with the first light end and travels from the first light end to the second light end of each optically conductive tube to exit out of the light aperture. The second end of each conductive tube is secured to the lighted plier hand tool so that the light exiting out of each light aperture illuminates at least a portion of the first and second plier members, preferably a portion of the jaw portions of the first and second plier members, and more preferably, a portion of the jaw portions of the first and second plier members adjacent a portion of a work piece proximate to, or grasped by, the jaw portions of the first and second plier members.
The present invention additionally includes a method for illuminating a portion or a first end of a work piece that is proximate to or grasped between the jaw portion of the first plier member of a lighted plier. The method comprises the step of energizing the light source to produce a beam of light that is in communication with at least one portion of the jaw portion of the first plier member and/or a portion of the work piece.
These and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.
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pat
Burns Steve R.
Lutz William R.
McCalla Gavin
Husar Stephen
McCalla Company
Needle & Rosenberg P.C.
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