CA2186324A1 - Light for manual rotary tool - Google Patents
Light for manual rotary toolInfo
- Publication number
- CA2186324A1 CA2186324A1 CA 2186324 CA2186324A CA2186324A1 CA 2186324 A1 CA2186324 A1 CA 2186324A1 CA 2186324 CA2186324 CA 2186324 CA 2186324 A CA2186324 A CA 2186324A CA 2186324 A1 CA2186324 A1 CA 2186324A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- light source
- shaft
- light
- central aperture
- energy source
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25B—TOOLS OR BENCH DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, FOR FASTENING, CONNECTING, DISENGAGING OR HOLDING
- B25B23/00—Details of, or accessories for, spanners, wrenches, screwdrivers
- B25B23/18—Devices for illuminating the head of the screw or the nut
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Details Of Spanners, Wrenches, And Screw Drivers And Accessories (AREA)
Abstract
An illuminating device is provided for placement on a shaft of a manual rotary hand tool having a handle at a first end thereof and a workpiece-engaging adaptation at a second end thereof. The device has a body with a central aperture therethrough, at least one light source an energy source for causing the light source to be illuminated and a switch to selectively connect or disconnectthe energy source from the light source. The central aperture has an inner diameter adapted to permit the body to slide freely on the shaft. The at least one light source is aimed in the body to direct the light provided essentially coaxially with the central aperture to the workpiece-engaging shaft end. In preferred embodiments, the device uses at least two light sources. In some embodiments, an annular lens/reflector may be used to enhance the illumination
Description
LIGHT FOR MANUAL ROTARY TOOL
The present invention relates to a portable lighting device which provides a beam of light for coaxiai mounting on a tool with an axial shaft, such as a screwdriver, a nutdriver, or the like. In such a device, the light is provided along an axis generally coaxial with the shaft. In some el~bodi~ents, a magnification or refle~tance adaptalion is also provided.
Hand tools are often used by necessity in confined quarters where lighting of the workpiece is limited: In such cases, it is desi,~ble to project a light beam axially along the shaft of the hand tool towards the end of the shaft away from the 10 handle, at which end a worhpiece~l ,~ag;"g adaptalion, such as a saewdriver head, has been affixed. In such situ~tions, it is inconvenient for the user to hold the hand tool in one hand and a slandard flashlight in the other hand. It is also econo,l,ically disadvant~geous to provide each and every hand tool with a pe""ane"lly-affixed light source, particularly when a user will need to carry several c,irrere"l tools.
It is, U ,ererore, an object of the pr~senl invention is to provide a device forilluminating a wu, h, Ece-engaging ~d~ lion of a hand tool, particularly a rotary hand tool, with a shaft having a handle at a first end thereof and the workpiece-engaging adaptalion at a second end thereof. Such a device coll,~,ises a body 20 with at least one light source ~l;sposed in the body, along with an energy source comm,.,nicated to each of the at least one light sources to cause illumination of the light source and a switch for selectively conne. ting and .I;sconne~,ti,lg the energy source from the light source. The body has a central aperture therel~"ough with an inner .lia",eler adapted to permit the body to slide freely on the shaft of the tool. Each of the at least one light sources is aimed so as to direct the light provided essen~ially coaxially with the central aperture. In use, the device is secured, pl t:~er~bly rl i~tionally, to the shaft in a selected position, but the device is easily removable from the shaf~.
-,- 218632~ `
In some e",bodi."e,)ls the body is provided with an annular lens for r~ayrlirying the work area and in some cases the lens is partially silvered to reflect light back towards the work area. The prefen~ed embodi",e, ItS of the device have at least two light sources and the light sources are distributed around the circu",rerence of the central aperture so as to minimize ~blind spots~ caused by the shaft in lighting the work area.
These and other objects of the prese"t invention will be best u"der~lood when rt:ference is made to the acco",p~"ying drawings wl ,erein identical parts are indiG~ted by idenlical part numbers and wherein:
FIGURE 1 shows a pel ~pecti~e view of the device as it may be applied to a screwdriver FIGURE 2 is a front view of a first e",bodi",ent of the device having two light sources;
FIGURE 3 is a front view of a second e",bodi"lent of the device with only one light source;
FIGURE 4 is a rear view;
FIGURE 5 is a front view of a single light source device;
FIGURE 6 is a partial side view with portions broken away;
FIGURE 7 is a partial side view with a reflective disk mounted behind the 20 device for enhanced illumination; and FIGURE 8 is a perspe~i~/e view of the device in use with a nutdriver.
A s~andard rotary hand tool 100 of the type co"""only rer~"ecJ to as a screwdriver or a nutdriver has a shaft or shank 102 providing an axis with a pair of ends. Such devices are shown in Figs. 1 and 8 with the device of the presenl invention applied thereon. A handle or yl ipping means 104 is provided at a first end of the shaft 1Q2 and a workpiec~enyag;r,g adap(~lion 1Q6 is provided at the second end. The type of tool is dele~",ined by the specific workpiece-engaging adaptation selecte~ For example a flat blade end adaptalion is generally - ~186324 . . , referred to a Uscrewdriver~ but other end configurations result in the tools referred to as a IPhillips-head screwdriver~ a socket-head screwdriver" or a Uhexhead nutdriver~ just to name a few of the possible Vdl ialions. In some of these va, ia~ions the end ~dap~ion 106 has an effective diameter which is larger than that of the shaft 102 so simply sliding so",elhing onto the shaft over the adaplc,lion 106 and ~e~ing it to be rri- lionally securable to the shaft is not possible. To ach.~ve the desi,~d l"e~l~anical adva,llage the handle 104 always - has a larger di~",eler than the shaft 102. Although it is known in some cases to make the junction of the shaft with the handle one that permits inla,~,ange of l 0 shafts in a single handle it is much more co"""o" to pei",anenlly affix a shaft into a handle largely due to the fact that this junction is a point of high stress bec~use of the torque transfer which occurs in use.
As shown in the several d~ a~-;ngs the c, er~" ~d device 10 of the present invention has a body 12 the primary structural feature of which is a central - aperture 14 about the axis of which the body will generally exhibit symmetry in the prefe, led embodiments. The pr~re, e:nce for symmetry sl~ggestC use of a toroidal or ring-shaped body although other desiy"s are ce, ~ainly possible. Thecentral aperture 14 will have an inner dia"~e~er sufficiently large to allow the body 12 to slide freely onto the shaft 102 of the tool 1-00 on which it is to be used even 20 over a wu, hp.ece-engaging ~lap~AIiGn 106 which is larger than the shaft. Once positioned on the shaft 102 of a tool 100 the axis of the body 12 will be generally aligned with the axis of the shafL
Disposed in the body is at least one light source 16 as shown in Fig. 5.
Each of the light sources 16 so used is posilioned on the body so that the light it provides is directed essentially co~ ly with the central aperture 14 towards theworkpiecc e"yaging end of the shaft 102. Use of a single light source 16 will provide an ope, dble embodiment but the clearly prefe" ed embodiments will provide two or more light sources 16 as is shown in Figs. 1-3 and 8. This is forat least two reasons. First the pr~xi" ,it~ of the light source 16 to the shaft 102 30 means that the shaft blocks off light from reaching the work area at the orkpiece engagi,)g end. Second the preferred e",bodi",e"t of the invention is to provide a device in which the light sources are not easily replaced. Although a .
long life light source should be selected a device having at least two light sources re~ains operable if one of the at least two light sources fails prematurely but a device having only one light source is no longer operable if the single light source fails. The prime conside, clions in selecting the exact light source include the following: size; power consumption in~ensily of light provided and reliability or expected life and cost. For these reasons the prefe" ~d presently available commercial light source is a high-intensity light-e",iLling diode (LED). Such a light source is pr~fe(ably pe""a"ently mounted in the body in a face of the body surrounding the central aperture. The light provided by the light l O source 16 should be directed generally co~yi~lly with the axis of the central aperture 14 so that a point along the shaft 102 located from a few inches to about a foot away from the light source is illu",inaled. When two or more light sources 16 are used they should be evenly distributed around the peri~)hery of the central aperture thereby minimizing the shadow of the shaft 102 onto the work area.
Two light sources 16 would be prerel ably loc~ted 180 degrees apart from each other; three light sources would prerer~bly be 120 degrees apart and so on.
Also diiposerl in the body 12 is at least one energy source 18 as is shown in Fig. 2 and 6. Each energy source 18 provided is communicated to at least one of the light sources 16 so that each of the light sources provided may be 20 sufficiently powered to cause the illumination thereof. The prefe" t:~ energysource 18 is a che",ical battery cell particularly a button-type cell as would be used in a small device such as a watch a c--'c~ tor a ca",era or the like.
These cells typically provide 1-3 volts of power and the cells may be connected in series to provide additive voltage. The exact s~lection of the energy source 18 will be a~.~are"L once the light source 16 is selecte~l Unlike the light sources 16 the energy sources 18 are e~e~ed to be depleted during use. For that reason the body should be provided with means for ~ccessing and replacing the energy source such as the covered recess 19 shown in Figs. 2 and 6.
The body 12 must also contain a switch 20 or other means for selectively 30 connecting and d;sconnecting the communi~l~ion of each at least one light source from its energy source. If the switch 20 is located on the exterior of the body 12 the type of switch 20 may be of a variety of types since a variety of - small reliable inexpensive switches are co"",~ercially available for handling the voltage and wattage involved in this arplic~tion. Two such different types of switches 20 are shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the switch 20 in Figs. 1 and 2 being a slide-type switch and the switch 20 in Fig. 3 being a push-button type switch. Avariation on the prere"~d scl~e",e of the prese"l invention is to provide the interior of the central aperture 14 with opposed electrical contact means so that an ele1t, ically-conductive shaft 102 of the tool 100 acts between the contacts to make a circuit. The mere act of placing the body 12 onto the shaft 102 of such atool 100 causes the circuit to be made and the light sources to be activated.
Since the device 10 of the ,~rt:se"l invention has a central aperture 14 with an inner dia",eler large enough to permit the device to slide freely on the shaft 102 and to be able to be passed over the workpiece-engaging adaptdliGn 106 at one end of the shaft it is necess~ to provide a means for securing the device tothe shaft 102 so that it is held in place while the tool 100 is being used. The prefen ed Ille~llod of doing this is to provide a collar 22 as shown in Fig. 6 which may be placed betur0cn the shaft 102 and the device 10 with the collar having aninner surface for frictionally engaging the shaft and an outer surface for frictionally engaging the inner diameter of the 14 central aperture in the device. A pre~"~adIlldnner of acco",plishing this is with a collar 22 formed from an elas~o",el ic20 material especially a collar having a longitudinal axial split which permits easy place",e, ll of the collar on the shaft 102 without requiring it to pass over the workpiece-engaging ~sdart .1ion 106. In anoU ,er e",bodi",en~ the securing means could be a plurality of stiff bristles di. ec~d radially inwardly from thecentral aperture and afFixed therein. Such bristles would be defle~hl~ to allow p~ss~ge over the workpiec~enga~,;ng ada~la~ion but would r, i~lionally secure the device to the shaft. If the bristles were used were electrically-conductive and the shaft was electrically conductive then these could provide the opposed electrical contact means for contact with the shaft as described above.
In some e",bod;."ents of the prese"l invention it may be desi,able to 30 further provide the device with a lens means or a reflectance means or a CGlllt~ lion of the two secured to the body and radially extending outwardly therer,o",. Such a lens or reflector 24 would typically be a relatively thin piece of material pre~er~bly polymeric (if a lens) or possiLly metallic (if a I ~rleclor only) with a central aperture 26 of at least the same inner diameter as the central aperture 14 of the body 10. The radius of the lens/r~ne~tor 24 should be at least about 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) larger than the radius of the body 10 so that the edges extend radially outwardly tl,er~r,u", when the lens/reflector and body areplaced in proximity. This lens/reflector 24 may be a clear plastic " ldlel ial molded to act as a Fresnel lens in one e",bodi",e"l or formed in a concave ras~,ion to act as a focusing reflector among other possi' ilities. If the lens/reflector 24 is intended to serve both purposes at least one of the generally planar surfaces of10 the lens/reflector may be coated with a silvering or reflective ",~le, ial so that the lens/reflector acts as a one~Nay mirror. The lens/reflector 24 may be allached directly to the body 10 or to the collar 22 holding the body to the shaft 102. In the first case the body 10 may have an elaslo",eric flange dtlached around its central aperture 14 upon which the central aperture 26 of the lens/reflector maybe se~terl In the second case the central aperture 26 of the lens/reflector engages the collar 22 frictionany in the same ",anner as the central aperture 14of the body 10 does.
In yet another variation encoll~pacsed within the present invention the body 10 has a central aperture 14 however the central aperture is smaller for 20 frictionally engaging the shaft directly. To enable the body 10 to be placed upon the medial portion of the shaft without having to pass over the workpiece-engaging adapldlion 106 the body should be formed from an ela~lo",eric ",a~erial which may be derorr"ed. A particular e",bodin,el,l of this device would have a longitudinal axial split similar to that in the collar 22 described above so that the split may be opened for place,l ,enL around the shaft after which the body would be frictionally held to the shaft.
In some e",bodi"~enl:, of the prese"l invention the body 10 may have body modifications directed specifically at adapling the body to work better with a specific tool. For example the handle 104 of the tool 100 often has a fluted end.
30 If the rear surface of the body 10 surrounding the central aperture 14 is provided with a si",ila, Iy fluted recess 28 this may assist in securing the body to the shaft 102 in a non-r~alil lg manner.
.
- Although the device of the present invention is described as being most co"""only used in ~ssor; 'ion with a rotary hand tool such as a screwdriver, it is clear that the desi, ability of providing a coaxial light source along other shafted tools provides incentive for va, iation. For exa",p'o, a chisel is not used as arotary-type of tool, but there is often a desire to light the work area. Non-manual tools, such as a powered screwdriver or drill will usually have sufficient poweravailable to provide lighting from the main body of the device, if desired, so the present device would not usually be used in ~-csoc;^~ion with them in most cases.
The present invention relates to a portable lighting device which provides a beam of light for coaxiai mounting on a tool with an axial shaft, such as a screwdriver, a nutdriver, or the like. In such a device, the light is provided along an axis generally coaxial with the shaft. In some el~bodi~ents, a magnification or refle~tance adaptalion is also provided.
Hand tools are often used by necessity in confined quarters where lighting of the workpiece is limited: In such cases, it is desi,~ble to project a light beam axially along the shaft of the hand tool towards the end of the shaft away from the 10 handle, at which end a worhpiece~l ,~ag;"g adaptalion, such as a saewdriver head, has been affixed. In such situ~tions, it is inconvenient for the user to hold the hand tool in one hand and a slandard flashlight in the other hand. It is also econo,l,ically disadvant~geous to provide each and every hand tool with a pe""ane"lly-affixed light source, particularly when a user will need to carry several c,irrere"l tools.
It is, U ,ererore, an object of the pr~senl invention is to provide a device forilluminating a wu, h, Ece-engaging ~d~ lion of a hand tool, particularly a rotary hand tool, with a shaft having a handle at a first end thereof and the workpiece-engaging adaptalion at a second end thereof. Such a device coll,~,ises a body 20 with at least one light source ~l;sposed in the body, along with an energy source comm,.,nicated to each of the at least one light sources to cause illumination of the light source and a switch for selectively conne. ting and .I;sconne~,ti,lg the energy source from the light source. The body has a central aperture therel~"ough with an inner .lia",eler adapted to permit the body to slide freely on the shaft of the tool. Each of the at least one light sources is aimed so as to direct the light provided essen~ially coaxially with the central aperture. In use, the device is secured, pl t:~er~bly rl i~tionally, to the shaft in a selected position, but the device is easily removable from the shaf~.
-,- 218632~ `
In some e",bodi."e,)ls the body is provided with an annular lens for r~ayrlirying the work area and in some cases the lens is partially silvered to reflect light back towards the work area. The prefen~ed embodi",e, ItS of the device have at least two light sources and the light sources are distributed around the circu",rerence of the central aperture so as to minimize ~blind spots~ caused by the shaft in lighting the work area.
These and other objects of the prese"t invention will be best u"der~lood when rt:ference is made to the acco",p~"ying drawings wl ,erein identical parts are indiG~ted by idenlical part numbers and wherein:
FIGURE 1 shows a pel ~pecti~e view of the device as it may be applied to a screwdriver FIGURE 2 is a front view of a first e",bodi",ent of the device having two light sources;
FIGURE 3 is a front view of a second e",bodi"lent of the device with only one light source;
FIGURE 4 is a rear view;
FIGURE 5 is a front view of a single light source device;
FIGURE 6 is a partial side view with portions broken away;
FIGURE 7 is a partial side view with a reflective disk mounted behind the 20 device for enhanced illumination; and FIGURE 8 is a perspe~i~/e view of the device in use with a nutdriver.
A s~andard rotary hand tool 100 of the type co"""only rer~"ecJ to as a screwdriver or a nutdriver has a shaft or shank 102 providing an axis with a pair of ends. Such devices are shown in Figs. 1 and 8 with the device of the presenl invention applied thereon. A handle or yl ipping means 104 is provided at a first end of the shaft 1Q2 and a workpiec~enyag;r,g adap(~lion 1Q6 is provided at the second end. The type of tool is dele~",ined by the specific workpiece-engaging adaptation selecte~ For example a flat blade end adaptalion is generally - ~186324 . . , referred to a Uscrewdriver~ but other end configurations result in the tools referred to as a IPhillips-head screwdriver~ a socket-head screwdriver" or a Uhexhead nutdriver~ just to name a few of the possible Vdl ialions. In some of these va, ia~ions the end ~dap~ion 106 has an effective diameter which is larger than that of the shaft 102 so simply sliding so",elhing onto the shaft over the adaplc,lion 106 and ~e~ing it to be rri- lionally securable to the shaft is not possible. To ach.~ve the desi,~d l"e~l~anical adva,llage the handle 104 always - has a larger di~",eler than the shaft 102. Although it is known in some cases to make the junction of the shaft with the handle one that permits inla,~,ange of l 0 shafts in a single handle it is much more co"""o" to pei",anenlly affix a shaft into a handle largely due to the fact that this junction is a point of high stress bec~use of the torque transfer which occurs in use.
As shown in the several d~ a~-;ngs the c, er~" ~d device 10 of the present invention has a body 12 the primary structural feature of which is a central - aperture 14 about the axis of which the body will generally exhibit symmetry in the prefe, led embodiments. The pr~re, e:nce for symmetry sl~ggestC use of a toroidal or ring-shaped body although other desiy"s are ce, ~ainly possible. Thecentral aperture 14 will have an inner dia"~e~er sufficiently large to allow the body 12 to slide freely onto the shaft 102 of the tool 1-00 on which it is to be used even 20 over a wu, hp.ece-engaging ~lap~AIiGn 106 which is larger than the shaft. Once positioned on the shaft 102 of a tool 100 the axis of the body 12 will be generally aligned with the axis of the shafL
Disposed in the body is at least one light source 16 as shown in Fig. 5.
Each of the light sources 16 so used is posilioned on the body so that the light it provides is directed essentially co~ ly with the central aperture 14 towards theworkpiecc e"yaging end of the shaft 102. Use of a single light source 16 will provide an ope, dble embodiment but the clearly prefe" ed embodiments will provide two or more light sources 16 as is shown in Figs. 1-3 and 8. This is forat least two reasons. First the pr~xi" ,it~ of the light source 16 to the shaft 102 30 means that the shaft blocks off light from reaching the work area at the orkpiece engagi,)g end. Second the preferred e",bodi",e"t of the invention is to provide a device in which the light sources are not easily replaced. Although a .
long life light source should be selected a device having at least two light sources re~ains operable if one of the at least two light sources fails prematurely but a device having only one light source is no longer operable if the single light source fails. The prime conside, clions in selecting the exact light source include the following: size; power consumption in~ensily of light provided and reliability or expected life and cost. For these reasons the prefe" ~d presently available commercial light source is a high-intensity light-e",iLling diode (LED). Such a light source is pr~fe(ably pe""a"ently mounted in the body in a face of the body surrounding the central aperture. The light provided by the light l O source 16 should be directed generally co~yi~lly with the axis of the central aperture 14 so that a point along the shaft 102 located from a few inches to about a foot away from the light source is illu",inaled. When two or more light sources 16 are used they should be evenly distributed around the peri~)hery of the central aperture thereby minimizing the shadow of the shaft 102 onto the work area.
Two light sources 16 would be prerel ably loc~ted 180 degrees apart from each other; three light sources would prerer~bly be 120 degrees apart and so on.
Also diiposerl in the body 12 is at least one energy source 18 as is shown in Fig. 2 and 6. Each energy source 18 provided is communicated to at least one of the light sources 16 so that each of the light sources provided may be 20 sufficiently powered to cause the illumination thereof. The prefe" t:~ energysource 18 is a che",ical battery cell particularly a button-type cell as would be used in a small device such as a watch a c--'c~ tor a ca",era or the like.
These cells typically provide 1-3 volts of power and the cells may be connected in series to provide additive voltage. The exact s~lection of the energy source 18 will be a~.~are"L once the light source 16 is selecte~l Unlike the light sources 16 the energy sources 18 are e~e~ed to be depleted during use. For that reason the body should be provided with means for ~ccessing and replacing the energy source such as the covered recess 19 shown in Figs. 2 and 6.
The body 12 must also contain a switch 20 or other means for selectively 30 connecting and d;sconnecting the communi~l~ion of each at least one light source from its energy source. If the switch 20 is located on the exterior of the body 12 the type of switch 20 may be of a variety of types since a variety of - small reliable inexpensive switches are co"",~ercially available for handling the voltage and wattage involved in this arplic~tion. Two such different types of switches 20 are shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the switch 20 in Figs. 1 and 2 being a slide-type switch and the switch 20 in Fig. 3 being a push-button type switch. Avariation on the prere"~d scl~e",e of the prese"l invention is to provide the interior of the central aperture 14 with opposed electrical contact means so that an ele1t, ically-conductive shaft 102 of the tool 100 acts between the contacts to make a circuit. The mere act of placing the body 12 onto the shaft 102 of such atool 100 causes the circuit to be made and the light sources to be activated.
Since the device 10 of the ,~rt:se"l invention has a central aperture 14 with an inner dia",eler large enough to permit the device to slide freely on the shaft 102 and to be able to be passed over the workpiece-engaging adaptdliGn 106 at one end of the shaft it is necess~ to provide a means for securing the device tothe shaft 102 so that it is held in place while the tool 100 is being used. The prefen ed Ille~llod of doing this is to provide a collar 22 as shown in Fig. 6 which may be placed betur0cn the shaft 102 and the device 10 with the collar having aninner surface for frictionally engaging the shaft and an outer surface for frictionally engaging the inner diameter of the 14 central aperture in the device. A pre~"~adIlldnner of acco",plishing this is with a collar 22 formed from an elas~o",el ic20 material especially a collar having a longitudinal axial split which permits easy place",e, ll of the collar on the shaft 102 without requiring it to pass over the workpiece-engaging ~sdart .1ion 106. In anoU ,er e",bodi",en~ the securing means could be a plurality of stiff bristles di. ec~d radially inwardly from thecentral aperture and afFixed therein. Such bristles would be defle~hl~ to allow p~ss~ge over the workpiec~enga~,;ng ada~la~ion but would r, i~lionally secure the device to the shaft. If the bristles were used were electrically-conductive and the shaft was electrically conductive then these could provide the opposed electrical contact means for contact with the shaft as described above.
In some e",bod;."ents of the prese"l invention it may be desi,able to 30 further provide the device with a lens means or a reflectance means or a CGlllt~ lion of the two secured to the body and radially extending outwardly therer,o",. Such a lens or reflector 24 would typically be a relatively thin piece of material pre~er~bly polymeric (if a lens) or possiLly metallic (if a I ~rleclor only) with a central aperture 26 of at least the same inner diameter as the central aperture 14 of the body 10. The radius of the lens/r~ne~tor 24 should be at least about 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) larger than the radius of the body 10 so that the edges extend radially outwardly tl,er~r,u", when the lens/reflector and body areplaced in proximity. This lens/reflector 24 may be a clear plastic " ldlel ial molded to act as a Fresnel lens in one e",bodi",e"l or formed in a concave ras~,ion to act as a focusing reflector among other possi' ilities. If the lens/reflector 24 is intended to serve both purposes at least one of the generally planar surfaces of10 the lens/reflector may be coated with a silvering or reflective ",~le, ial so that the lens/reflector acts as a one~Nay mirror. The lens/reflector 24 may be allached directly to the body 10 or to the collar 22 holding the body to the shaft 102. In the first case the body 10 may have an elaslo",eric flange dtlached around its central aperture 14 upon which the central aperture 26 of the lens/reflector maybe se~terl In the second case the central aperture 26 of the lens/reflector engages the collar 22 frictionany in the same ",anner as the central aperture 14of the body 10 does.
In yet another variation encoll~pacsed within the present invention the body 10 has a central aperture 14 however the central aperture is smaller for 20 frictionally engaging the shaft directly. To enable the body 10 to be placed upon the medial portion of the shaft without having to pass over the workpiece-engaging adapldlion 106 the body should be formed from an ela~lo",eric ",a~erial which may be derorr"ed. A particular e",bodin,el,l of this device would have a longitudinal axial split similar to that in the collar 22 described above so that the split may be opened for place,l ,enL around the shaft after which the body would be frictionally held to the shaft.
In some e",bodi"~enl:, of the prese"l invention the body 10 may have body modifications directed specifically at adapling the body to work better with a specific tool. For example the handle 104 of the tool 100 often has a fluted end.
30 If the rear surface of the body 10 surrounding the central aperture 14 is provided with a si",ila, Iy fluted recess 28 this may assist in securing the body to the shaft 102 in a non-r~alil lg manner.
.
- Although the device of the present invention is described as being most co"""only used in ~ssor; 'ion with a rotary hand tool such as a screwdriver, it is clear that the desi, ability of providing a coaxial light source along other shafted tools provides incentive for va, iation. For exa",p'o, a chisel is not used as arotary-type of tool, but there is often a desire to light the work area. Non-manual tools, such as a powered screwdriver or drill will usually have sufficient poweravailable to provide lighting from the main body of the device, if desired, so the present device would not usually be used in ~-csoc;^~ion with them in most cases.
Claims (20)
1. In combination with a manual rotary hand tool having a shaft with a handle at a first end of the shaft and a workpiece-engaging adaptation at a second end of the shaft an improved device for illuminating the workpiece-engaging adaptation comprising:
a body having a central aperture therethrough, the central aperture having an inner diameter of sufficient size to slide freely on the shaft;
means for frictionally securing the body to the shaft at a selected point along the length thereof to prevent longitudinal movement therealong;
at least one light source disposed in the body so as to direct the light provided thereby at the workpiece-engaging adaptation;
an energy source for each at least one light source said energy source disposed in the body and communicated to the at least one light source to cause illumination of the at least one light source; and means for selectively connecting and disconnecting the communication of each at least one light source from its energy source.
a body having a central aperture therethrough, the central aperture having an inner diameter of sufficient size to slide freely on the shaft;
means for frictionally securing the body to the shaft at a selected point along the length thereof to prevent longitudinal movement therealong;
at least one light source disposed in the body so as to direct the light provided thereby at the workpiece-engaging adaptation;
an energy source for each at least one light source said energy source disposed in the body and communicated to the at least one light source to cause illumination of the at least one light source; and means for selectively connecting and disconnecting the communication of each at least one light source from its energy source.
2. The device of Claim 1 wherein the manual rotary hand tool is a screwdriver.
3. The device of Claim 1 wherein the manual rotary hand tool is a nutdriver.
4. The device of Claim 1 wherein the at least one light source is a high-intensity light-emitting diode (LED).
5. The device of Claim 4 wherein the energy source for each at least one light source is a button-type electrical battery.
6. The device of Claim 1 wherein the at least one light source comprises two light sources.
7. The device of Claim 6 wherein the light sources are evenly distributed around the circumference of the central aperture.
8. The device of Claim 1 wherein the means for selective connecting and disconnecting is a switch mounted on the body.
9. The device of Claim 1 wherein the means for frictionally securing is an elastomeric collar having a longitudinal axial split for placement on the shaft.
10. The device of Claim 1 where in the device further comprises an annular lens secured coaxially on the shaft by the body.
11. The device of Claim 10, wherein a surface of the annular lens is coated with reflective material.
12. The device of Claim 10, wherein the annular lens is attached to an end of the body.
13. The device of Claim 10 wherein the annular lens is secured between the body and an elastomeric collar having an elastomeric longitudinal split.
14. A device for illuminating a workpiece-engaging adaptation of a manual rotary hand tool with a shaft having a handle at a first end thereof and the workpiece-engaging adaptation at a second end thereof, the device comprising:
a body having a central aperture therethrough, the central aperture having an inner diameter to permit the body to slide freely on the shaft;
at least one light source disposed in the body so as to direct the light provided essentially coaxially with the central aperture;
an energy source for each at least one light source, said energy source disposed in the body and communicated to the at least one light source to cause illumination of the at least one light source; and means for selectively connecting and disconnecting the communication of each at least one light source from its energy source.
a body having a central aperture therethrough, the central aperture having an inner diameter to permit the body to slide freely on the shaft;
at least one light source disposed in the body so as to direct the light provided essentially coaxially with the central aperture;
an energy source for each at least one light source, said energy source disposed in the body and communicated to the at least one light source to cause illumination of the at least one light source; and means for selectively connecting and disconnecting the communication of each at least one light source from its energy source.
15. The device of Claim 14 wherein the at least one light source is a high-intensity light-emitting diode (LED).
16. The device of Claim 15 wherein the energy source for each at least one light source is a button-type electrical battery.
17. The device of Claim 14 wherein the at least one light source comprises two light sources.
18. The device of Claim 17 wherein the light sources are evenly distributed around the circumference of the central aperture.
19. The device of Claim 14 wherein the means for selective connecting and disconnecting is a switch mounted on the body.
20. The device of Claim 14 where in the device further comprises an annular lens secured on the body coaxially with the central aperture.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US430395P | 1995-09-26 | 1995-09-26 | |
| US60/004,303 | 1995-09-26 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2186324A1 true CA2186324A1 (en) | 1997-03-27 |
Family
ID=21710120
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2186324 Abandoned CA2186324A1 (en) | 1995-09-26 | 1996-09-24 | Light for manual rotary tool |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2186324A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2305719B (en) |
| HK (1) | HK1013273A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2349353A (en) * | 1999-04-30 | 2000-11-01 | Chang Chen Chi | A ratchet screwdriver with illumination means |
| US6443675B1 (en) | 2000-02-17 | 2002-09-03 | Roto Zip Tool Corporation | Hand-held power tool |
| CA2753909C (en) | 2003-01-08 | 2015-05-26 | Robert Bosch Tool Corporation | Attachment for power tool |
| US7854054B2 (en) | 2003-01-08 | 2010-12-21 | Robert Bosch Tool Corporation | Attachment for power tool |
| GB2428397A (en) * | 2005-07-18 | 2007-01-31 | Gaston Edwards | Screwdriver with lighting means |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3919541A (en) * | 1974-07-11 | 1975-11-11 | Albert A Chao | Screw driver{3 s light |
| US4480295A (en) * | 1983-03-21 | 1984-10-30 | Shuster Frank J | Work surface light |
| GB9107375D0 (en) * | 1991-04-08 | 1991-05-22 | Astra Holdings Plc | Fuse setting tool |
| US5124893A (en) * | 1991-10-25 | 1992-06-23 | Jeng Jong Pyng | Screw driver having illuminating means mounted thereto |
| US5211468A (en) * | 1992-09-04 | 1993-05-18 | Jeng Jong Pyng | Screw driver having an illuminating unit mounted thereto |
-
1996
- 1996-09-24 CA CA 2186324 patent/CA2186324A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1996-09-26 GB GB9620051A patent/GB2305719B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1998
- 1998-12-21 HK HK98114511A patent/HK1013273A1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| HK1013273A1 (en) | 1999-08-20 |
| GB2305719B (en) | 1999-05-05 |
| GB2305719A (en) | 1997-04-16 |
| GB9620051D0 (en) | 1996-11-13 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Dead |
Effective date: 20030616 |