SE544452C2

SE544452C2 - Hand tool for use with an l-shaped key and a method of using such a hand tool

Info

Publication number: SE544452C2
Application number: SE2051183A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Jens Fors
Original assignee: Jens Fors
Priority date: 2020-10-09
Filing date: 2020-10-09
Publication date: 2022-06-07
Also published as: SE2051183A1; WO2022075902A1

Abstract

The invention relates to hand tool (1) for use with an L-shaped key (20), comprising:- a stem (2) extending mainly in a first direction (A1) and being configured to be gripped by a hand of a user,- a head portion (3) being rigidly connected to the stem (2) and comprising a through hole (4, 4’) extending in a second direction (A2), which is orthogonal or close to orthogonal with respect to the first direction (A1),wherein the through hole (4, 4’) is adapted to receiving a first shaft portion (21, 22) of an L-shaped key (20) and to grip the first shaft portion (21, 22) of the L-shaped key (20) so as enable operating the L-shaped key (20) via the hand tool (1).The invention also relates to method of using a hand tool (1) to screw or unscrew a screw by action on an L-shaped key (20).

Description

HAND TOOL FOR USE WITH AN L-SHAPED KEY AND A METHOD OF USING SUCHA HAND TOOL TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to a hand tool for use with an L-shaped key, such as an Allen keyand to a method of using such a hand tool with an L-shaped key for screwing or unscrewing a cap screw or nut, such as an Allen screw.

BACKGROUND Today it is common to buy furniture and similar products in a half-completed state in flatboxes comprising parts that should be assembled into a finished product by the user, in the user's home. The assembly of these products often demand the use of tools such asL-shaped keys or the like. Often, a typical L-shaped Allen key is provided along with the flat boxes containing the products to be assembled.

The use of such an L-shaped Allen key is often cumbersome and time consuming.Different aids have been presented on the market, but none of these aids functions in a satisfactory manner for a non-professional handy-person. lt would be advantageous to provide a hand tool that makes it easier for a non-professional handy-person to operate an L-shaped key.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION lt is an object of the invention to provide a hand tool that provides a simple and intuitivesolution on how to use an L-shaped key. This is achieved by the invention in accordancewith a first and a second aspect thereof.

According to a first aspect the invention relates to a hand tool for use with an L-shapedkey, comprising: - a stem extending mainly in a first direction and being configured to be gripped by ahand of a user, - a head portion being rigidly connected to the stem and comprising a through holeextending in a second direction, which is orthogonal or close to orthogonal with respect tothe first direction, wherein the through hole is adapted to receiving a first shaft portion of an L-shaped keyand to grip the first shaft portion of the L-shaped key so as enable operating the L-shaped key via the hand tool.

An advantage of the inventive hand tool is that it is simple to use in an intuitive mannersuch that no expert knowledge or previous knowledge is needed to operate the hand tool.lt is simple to use and adapted to be used in confined and hard-to-reach spaces in whichit is normally difficult to operate an L-shaped key, such as an Allen key or the like. Thehand tool is adapted to be used by a variation of pulling forces and pushing forces tothereby produce a leverage, specifically in a confined space where a wrench or an L-shaped key is othen/vise hard to reach.

According to a second aspect the invention relates to a method of using a hand tool asdescribed in anyone of the preceding claims, the method comprising: - positioning a first shaft portion of two shaft portions of an L-shaped key in an cap screwto be screwed or unscrewed, in the through hole of the head portion, - positioning the second shaft portion of two shaft portions of the L-shaped key in thethrough hole of the head portion of the hand tool, - screwing or unscrewing the cap screw by operating the L-shaped key via the hand tool.

Preferred embodiments of the invention and advantages thereof will be apparent from thedetailed description and the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Below, specific embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to theappended drawings, of which: Figs. 1-4 shows a first embodiment of an inventive hand tool in different views,Figs. 5-6 shows the first embodiment of the inventive hand tool with an insert,Figs. 7-8 shows a second embodiment of the inventive hand tool with an insert, and Figs. 9-10 shows the first embodiment of the inventive hand tool in operation on an L-shaped key.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SHOWN EI\/IBODII\/IENTS ln Fig. 1 a first embodiment of a hand tool 1 for use with an L-shaped key, such as an Allen key is shown. The L-shaped key is in turn adapted to tighten or untighten (screw orunscrew) a cap screw, a cap nut, or the like which has a protrusion adapted to receive akey, e.g. a hexagonal shape to fit an Allen key or any other existing shape to receive the shape of a first shaft of the hand tool in a semi-lockable manner, i.e. in a manner thatallows the L-shaped key to be rotated by action on the other shaft thereof while the outerend of the first shaft remains inside the protrusion.

Although, the hand tool 1 is intended to be used with an L-shaped key it may of coursebe used with other types of tools, such as wrenches or the like. The hand tool 1comprises an elongate stem 2 that extends mainly in a first direction A1 and is configuredto be gripped by a hand of a user. The elongate stem 2 may advantageously betelescopic in two or more steps, such that it may be adapted in length while having apractical pocket size when in a compact, none extended state.

A head portion 3 of the hand tool 1 is rigidly connected to the stem 2 and comprises athrough hole 4 extending in a second direction A2, which is orthogonal or close toorthogonal with respect to the first direction A1. The through hole 4 is adapted toreceiving a shaft portion of a wrench tool, an L-shaped key, or the like.

The hand tool 1 may be produced as an integrated product in a plastic material by diecast moulding. The hand tool 1 may also be produced from wood or metal. Further, itmay also be produced in a 3D-printer from a digital construction drawing.

The head portion 3 may typically have a length in the second direction A2 of between 2and 5 centimetres. The stem 2 may typically have a length of between 5 andcentimetres.

The stem 2 may be tubular and may contain an elongate void 6 that extends along amain portion of its length. This is especially useful to keep down the weight if the tool ismade of metal and to keep down the production cost if the tool is made of metal, plastics,or the like. ln specific embodiments the elongate void 6 may be adapted to tightly housea shaft portion 22 of the L-shaped key 20. ln this way the L-shaped key 20 may beprovided inside the stem 2 of the hand tool 1. Also, a tight fit of the shaft portion 22 of theL-shaped key 20 inside a therefore adapted void 6 offers the possibility to utilise the handtool 1 as lever and o comfortable handle to the L-shaped key 20. To fit an Allen key, thevoid 6 may have a hexagonal cross sectional shape.

As is illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 the through hole 4 is adapted to receiving a first orsecond shaft portion 21 or 22 of an L-shaped key 20 and to grip this first or second shaftportion 21 or 22. The grip should be such that it enables operating of the L-shaped key20 via the hand tool 1. Therefore, the through hole 4 may have a high friction surface,which will increase the grip contact between the hand tool 1 and the L-shaped keyFigs. 2 and 3 are sectional side view of the first embodiment of the hand tool 1 fromdifferent directions that are orthogonal to each other, and Fig. 4 is sectional top views ofthe first embodiment of the hand toolAs is illustrated in Figs.5-8 the hand tool 1 includes a flexible, tubular insert 5 arranged tofit tightly inside the through hole 4, 4”. Figs.5-6 illustrates the hand tool 1 according to thefirst embodiment which have an oval through hole 4, and Figs.7-8 illustrates the hand tool1 according to the first embodiment which have a round or close to circular through hole4”. The through hole may also have a polygonal shape such as a rectangular, hexagonal,rhombic, or the like.

The through hole is adapted to be somewhat larger than the shaft portions 21,22 of the L-shaped key 20 to provide a tight fit that may or may not offer a wiggle room, i.e. apossibility to slightly wiggle or tilt the hand tool 1 with respect to the relevant shaft portionof the L-shaped keyHence, in the hand tool 1 according to the first embodiment the through hole 4 has anoval cross-sectional shape, and in the hand tool 1 according to the second embodimentthe through hole 4 has a circular cross-sectional shape. The tubular insert 5 may be tubeshaped and flexible such that it may fit both an oval through hole 4 and a circular throughhole 4”.

Preferably, the through hole 4 includes at least one shoulder, rim or the like arranged tokeep the insert 5 at place. For instance, the through hole 4 may include two rimsarranged outside of the insert 5. Alternatively, protrusions arranged on the inside of thethrough hole 4 may be arranged to increase the adhesion between the through holeand the insert 5 and to restrict mutual movement therebetween.

The hand tool 1 may include at least two tubular inserts 5 of different thicknesses withrespect to each other to fit a selection of L-shaped keys of different sizes. As analternative to exchangeable tubular inserts of different thicknesses, a through hole of areduced radius may be achieved by providing a second, smaller tubular insert that maybe arranged to fit inside a first tubular insert 5, which fits tightly inside the through hole 4,4”. The insert 5 preferably has a high friction inner surface configured to provide a highfriction contact with respect of first shaft portion 21, 22 of the L-shaped keyThe through hole 4, 4” of both embodiments through head portion 3 may typically have a maximal radius of about 2 centimetres, and a minimal radius of about 5 millimetres. ln specific embodiments, the hand tool 1 may include two head portions 3, each providedwith a through hole. Specifically, the through hole of such a tool may have different sizesso as to fit L-shaped keys of different sizes. ln Figs. 9-10 the hand tool 1 is shown in an operational mode with an L-shaped key 20arranged through the through hole 4. The through hole 4 is adapted to receiving eitherthe longer, first shaft portion 21 or the shorter, second shaft portion 22 of the L-shapedkey 20 and to grip this first or second shaft portion 21 orln specific embodiments the hand tool 1 may be attached to a shaft portion of an L-shaped key 20 in a manner that allows the through hole 4 of the hand tool 1 to rotate withrespect to shaft portion of an L-shaped key 20. Specifically, the L-shaped key 20 mayinclude a shoulder or slight bend positioned at the outer end of the shaft portion of an L-shaped key 20 to keep the through hole 4 of the hand tool 1 from sliding off said shaftportion. The shoulder may preferably releasably attached to an end portion of therelevant shaft portion. The releasable shoulder may e.g. be attached by screwing.

The hand tool 1 may be used in the following manner: Positioning a first shaft portion of the two shaft portions 21, 22 of an L-shaped key 20 in acap screw such as an Allen screw to be screwed or unscrewed, and positioning thesecond shaft portion of the two shaft portions 21, 22 of the L-shaped key 20 in thethrough hole 4 of the head portion 3 of the hand tool 1. ln the drawings the longer, firstshaft portion 21 is arranged through the through hole 4 of the head portion 3 such thatthe shorter second shaft portion 22 may be arranged in an cap screw (not shown) to be screwed or unscrewed.

These two positioning steps may be performed in either order, Hence, the L-shaped key20 may either first be positioned in the through hole 4 of the hand tool 1 and subsequently in the cap screw, or vice versa.

The cap screw is subsequently screwed or unscrewed by operating the L-shaped key 20via the hand toolThe L-shaped key 20 may be operated by tilting and/or turning the hand tool 1 while oneof the shaft portions is positioned in the cap screw and the other shaft portion ispositioned in the through hole 4 of the head portion 3. The tilting and/or turning of thehand tool 1 will rotate the shaft portion 22 positioned in the cap screw to rotate the cap screw in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction and thereby screw or unscrew the cap screw.

The second shaft portion 22, i.e. the shaft portion that is positioned in the cap screw maybe arranged to extend in a direction A3 that is substantially orthogonal to the extensionA1 of the eiongate stem 2 of the hand tool 1, as in Fig. 9, in a direction A4 that issubstantially parallel to the extension A1 of the eiongate stem 2, as in Fig. 10, or in anydirection therebetween. The hand tool 1 is adapted to be operatabie in many differentpositions with respect to the L-shaped keyAbove, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. Theinvention is however not limited to these embodiments. lt is obvious to a person skilled inthe art that other embodiments are possible within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A hand tool (1) for use with an L-shaped key (20), comprising: - a stem (2) extending mainly in a first direction (A1) and being configured to begripped by a hand of a user, - a head portion (3) being rigidly connected to the stem (2) and comprising a throughhole (4,»-4”) extending in a second direction (A2), which is orthogonal or close toorthogonal with respect to the first direction (A1), wherein the through hole (4,--4”) is adapted to receiving a first shaft portion (21 ,--22) of gšufirst shaft portion (21,»22) as enable operating the L-shaped key (20) via the hand tool (1), an L-shaped key (20) and to grip wherein the through hole (4,-«4”) is adapted to be somewhat larger than the shaftportions (21,22) of the L-shaped key (20) to provide a tight fit that may offer a wiggleroom, and wherein the through hole (4Ã_-:~~4”) has a high friction surface configured toprovide a high friction contact with respect to the first shaft portion (21,»~22) of the L-shaped key (20). . The hand tool (1) according to claim 1, wherein the hand tool (1) includes a flexible, tubular insert (5) arranged to fit tightly inside the through hole (4,--4”) and wherein theinsert (5) has a high friction inner surface configured to provide a high friction contactwith respect to the first shaft portion (21,-~22) of the L-shaped key (20). . The hand tool (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the through hole (4) has an oval cross-sectional shape. . The hand tool (1) according to anyone of the claims 1-2, wherein the through hole (4') has a circular cross-sectional shape. . The hand tool (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the stem (2) has a length in the first direction (A1) of between 5 and 15 centimetres. . The hand tool (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the head portion (3) has a length in the second direction (A2) of between 2 and 5 centimetres. . The hand tool (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the through hole (4,»4”) through head portion (3) has a maximal radius of in the second direction(A2) of 2 centimetres, and a minimal radius of 5 millimetres. . The hand tool (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the stem (2) is tubular and contains an elongate void (6) extending along a main portion of itslength.The hand tool (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the hand tool(1) includes a plurality of flexible, tubular inserts (5) arranged to fit tightly inside thethrough hole (4,»~4'), of which at least two tubular inserts (5) have different thicknesseswith respect to each other so as to fit a selection of L-shaped keys of different sizes. A method of using a hand tool (1) as described in anyone of the preceding claims, themethod comprising: - positioning a first shaft portion of two shaft portions (21 ,-«22) of an L-shaped key (20)in a cap screw to be screwed or unscrewed, Fr) ï*f:~::;,:;;št trfvïﬁ: 1' *ïçïçïfï - positioning the second shaft portion of two shaft portions (21,»22) of the L-shapedkey (20) in the through hole (4,~-~4”) of the head portion (3) of the hand tool (1), - screwing or unscrewing the cap screw by operating the L-shaped key (20) via thehand tool (1).