AU2418200A - Improved hook tool - Google Patents

Description

-1- P/00/0011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

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ORIGINAL

Name of Applicants: Actual Inventors: Address for service in Australia: Invention Title: PATRICK PEARSE O'CONNOR and RICHARD CHARLES

HEARN

PATRICK PEARSE O'CONNOR and RICHARD CHARLES

HEARN

CARTER SMITH BEADLE 2 Railway Parade Camberwell Victoria 3124 Australia IMPROVED HOOK TOOL Details of Associated Provisional Application: PP9570 filed 1 April 1999 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us r 2 INTRODUCTION TO INVENTION This invention relates to hand tools to assist in the manipulation of materials that are either too heavy or difficult to grasp with a naked or gloved hand.

In particular, this invention relates to an improved hook for use in the manipulation of meat.

BACKGROUND TO INVENTION Intense manual manipulation of products is common to many trades and a wide range of tools have been developed to assist workers in their respective trades.

o• In the meat industry, particularly in abattoirs, workers are required to routinely handle large and heavy units of meat which are difficult to grasp with the naked or gloved hand. In response to this requirement, meat hooks are used and comprise a large hook at a first end with an integral tee-bar handle at a second end.

Such meat hooks are grasped with the crossbar of the "tee" held in the closed ••go 15 fingers and the hook stem positioned between the second and third fingers. In this manner, considerable force can be applied to the hook and meat units attached to the hook.

While the conventional meat hook is very simple and effective, it suffers from numerous limitations. In particular, the crossbar cannot be effectively prevented from pivoting within the finger grip and the user cannot therefore exert any measurable downward or upward force on the hook and insertion and removal of the hook into meat relies of deft wrist movements.

Furthermore, as virtually all the force relayed to the hook is via the grip between the fingers and the crossbar, injury and strain to the finger joints is a common problem in the meat industry.

OBJECT AND STATEMENT OF INVENTION One object of this invention is to provide an improved hooked tool.

In one aspect the invention provides a hook tool adapted for manual manipulation by a wearer including an elongate stem having an open hook incorporated at or near a first end thereof and a second end thereof adapted for placement on the top of the wrist region of said wearer and a handle means MAW:NP:#30828.PRV 30 March 2000 r- (1 3 positioned intermediate said first and second ends and adapted for grasping by the users fingers such that in use the forces applied to said hook are rigidly transferred to the hand region of said wearer.

The handle may be a crossbar positioned transverse to and below said elongate stem preferably by way of two descending struts.

The handle may form a closed structure.

The second end of the stem may be provided with a foot for resting on the upper surface of a wearer's wrist. Most preferably the foot is shaped to fit over the wearer's wrist to provide a snug engagement with the upper portion of the wrist.

S 10 The foot may be further provided with a securing means for passing under the wearer's wrist so as to lock the second end of the stem to the wearer's wrist.

:i The securing means may be a strap. The strap may be fastened to each end of the foot and adjustable to allow fitting and snug engagement to a variety of wearers along with ready removal and fitting.

oooo 15 The stem means may be a substantially linear bar formed integrally with the hook.

The invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 which show one particularly preferred embodiment and are not to be taken as limiting.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the hook per se.

20 Figure 2 shows a side view of the hook.

Figure 3 shows a top view of the hook.

Figure 4 shows an end view of the hook.

Figure 5 shows the hook as fitted to a wearer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the hook tool of the invention can be seen to include a generally descending hook-shaped tool having an elongate stem 1 with an open hook 2 positioned at or near a first end of the elongate stem. The open hook is generally configured in a descending aspect and shaped and dimensioned according to the intended end use of the tool. The elongate stem is adapted for placement on the top of the wrist of the wearer and is particularly adapted for fitting to the wrist region of a wearer at the second end thereof 3.

MAW:NP:#30828.PRV 30 March 2000 The tool further includes a handle means 4 positioned intermediate of the open hook 2 and the second end 3.

The handle means may be provided in the form of a closed structure formed by two descending struts 6 and a transverse crossbar 5 bridging the gap between the descending struts.

The handle means so formed is positioned on the underside of the elongate stem on the same side as the descending open hook. The second end of the stem adapted for placement on the wearer's wrist may be provided with a foot 7 shaped in a concave configuration so as to fit snugly over the wearer's wrist and the foot b 10 may be further provided with a securing means 8 (see Figure 5) in the form of an adjustable strap fastened to either end of the foot so as to allow the wearer to securely fasten the tool around the wrist. The securing means may be provided by a S-strap or velcro fastener or any other suitable device which will allow the ready application and removal of the tool from the user's wrist.

15 In use, the tool would be positioned over the user's wrist, the securing means attached and the fingers of the user's hand would grasp the handle means in between the descending strut 6 and around the crossbar. 5 so as to provide a very oo secure fitting of the hook to the user's hand and a direct and rigid transfer of forces from the hook to the wearer's hand. The manipulation of the tool once fitted to the 20 user's hand, can confidently include manipulation in all directions with strength and power commensurate with the user's wrist, arm, shoulder and upper body muscle groups. In clear contrast to the prior art devices, the full strength and power of the user's wrist can be applied to the hook as the leverage available between the crossbar and the foot provides significant power transmission to the open hook 2. A further advantage of the current invention is provided in the ability of a user to, in fact, manipulate the tool without having to securely grasp the crossbar as the fingers placed loosely around the crossbar provides for very adequate power transmission and manipulation of the tool whilst at the same time freeing the fingers for other manipulating tasks, for example, the holding of a knife steel. This allows the wearer to not only manipulate products including meat freely with the open hook whilst cutting or using a knife with the other free hand, but can also ,provide for MAW:NP:#30828.PRV 30 March 2000 A virtually free use of the hand to which the hook tool is fastened. This is in clear contrast and a marked improvement over the prior art meat hooks which fully engage the hand and virtually eliminate any other use of the hand whilst holding the tool. The ergonomic improvement of the current invention significantly relieve pressure on the user's fingers and wrist ligaments while promoting vastly improved power transmission and control for the user.

Various aspects of the above invention are envisaged and covered by the current application and the specific and detailed embodiment of the hook shown in the accompanying representations is not to be taken as limiting in any way to the s 10 full scope of the current invention.

*o° o *oo g MAW:NP:#30828.PRV 30 March 2000

Claims (9)

1. A hook tool adapted for manual manipulation by a wearer including an elongate stem having an open hook incorporated at or near a first end thereof and a second end thereof adapted for placement on the top of the wrist region of said wearer and a handle means positioned intermediate said first and second ends and adapted for grasping by the users fingers such that in use the forces applied to said hook are rigidly transferred to the hand region of said wearer.

2. A hook tool according to claim 1, wherein said handle means includes a crossbar positioned transverse to and below said elongate stem by way of two descending struts.

3. A hook tool according to claim 2, wherein said handle means forms a closed ooo i structure.

4. A hook tool according to claim 3, wherein said second end includes a foot for resting on the upper surface of the wearer's wrist, said foot being shaped to fit over the 15 wearer's wrist to provide a snug engagement with the upper portion of the wrist.

A hook tool according to claim 4, wherein said foot includes a securing means for passing under the wearer's wrist to lock the second end of the stem to the wearer's wrist. *°oo

6. A hook tool according to claim 5, wherein said securing means comprises a o 20 strap.

7. A hook tool according to claim 6, wherein said strap is fastened to each end of the foot and is adjustable.

8. A hook tool according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said elongate stem is substantially linear.

9. A hook tool according to claim 6 wherein said hook is integral with said stem. A hook tool according to any one of claims 1 to 9 substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED: 30 March 2000 CARTER SMITH BEADLE Patent Attorneys for the Applicants: PATRICK PEARS O'CONNOR and RICHARD CHARLES HEARN MAW:NP:#30828.PRV 30 March 2000