US20070267307A1

US20070267307A1 - Suspension device for hand tools having ring portion

Info

Publication number: US20070267307A1
Application number: US11/380,423
Authority: US
Inventors: Chi-Tsai Chang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-04-27
Filing date: 2006-04-27
Publication date: 2007-11-22

Abstract

A suspension device designed for a tool having a ring portion is provided. The major feature of the suspension device is that a one-piece hook member having three sequentially and flexibly linked portions is provided at the bottom of a suspension board. The three portions can be threaded through the ring portion of the tool and bended upward to form a U shape, thereby supporting the tool be the middle portion of the hook member. The outmost portion has a plug at its tip for joining with a socket member of the suspension device so that the tool cannot be removed from the hook member easily and manually.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to suspension devices, and more specifically to a suspension device for a hand tool having a ring portion.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Various anti-theft packages of hand tools for hanging on a display rack of a retail store have already been disclosed by quite a few patents. However, most of these teachings are not applicable to combination wrenches having jaws at one end and a box at the other end. For tools like the combination wrenches that have a ring portion, a package that can suspend the tool by the ring portion while revealing the details of the ring portion for customer's inspection is difficult to design. Recently a suspension device for tools having a ring portion is disclosed, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8. As illustrated, the suspension device mainly contains a suspension board 21 and a U-shaped member 22 attached to the bottom of the suspension board 21 having its two wings extended downwards. Each of the two wings has a through hole at a corresponding location. A first through holes has a surrounding flange ring 23 on the outer surface of a wing. The ring portion of a tool 20 is positioned between the wings and a pin 24 having a positioning stick 25 at its tips is threaded through a second through hole, the tool 20's ring portion, and the first through hole. The pin 24 is then rotated for 90 degrees so that the positioning stick 25 is trapped inside a lateral groove 26 configured in the first through hole. With the protection of the flange ring 23, the entrapment of the positioning stick 25 inside the groove 26 is more reliable and secured. The suspension device thus provided indeed offers an adequate suspension of the tool 20 on a display rack. However, most of the details of the tool 20's ring portion are covered up by the U-shaped member 22. Most importantly, the suspension device provides little anti-theft protection to the tool 20 being displayed; any person can easily turn and remove the pin 24 and then takes away the tool 20. In addition, the small and separate pin 24 not only adds to the packaging effort and cost, but also can be easily lost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a suspension device specifically designed for the reliable and secured suspension of a tool having a ring portion is provided. The major feature of the present invention is that a one=piece hook member having three sequentially and flexibly linked portions is provided at the bottom edge of a suspension board. The three portions can be threaded through the ring portion of the tool and bended upward to form a U shape, thereby supporting the ring portion of the tool by the middle portion of the hook member. The outmost portion has a plug at its tip for joining with a socket member of the suspension device so that the tool cannot be removed from the hook member easily and manually.
With the forgoing design, the present invention has several advantages, in addition to the secured and reliable suspension of the tool. For example, the socket member and the portions of the hook member can all be fabricated easily with a single molding process. Furthermore, the additional cost and effort resulted from the use of separate and individual components are therefore avoided.
The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the various components of a suspension device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the suspension device of FIG. 1 after its assembly.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a tool suspended by the suspension device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the various components of a conventional suspension device.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the conventional suspension device of FIG. 5 after its assembly.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a tool suspended by the conventional suspension device of FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a suspension device according to an embodiment of the present invention contains a suspension board 10. The suspension board 10 has a rectangular or other specially designed shape. On the top portion of the suspension board 10, there is a slot for hanging on a hook of a display rack. Along the bottom edge of the suspension board 10, there is a socket member 11 protruding towards the front of the suspension device. The socket member 11 has a socket 16 whose opening is also facing the front. A hook member is extended from the bottom edge of the suspension board 10. The hook member contains a base plate 12, a hanger rod 13, and a cover plate 14 that are sequentially and flexibly linked together such that they can be bended upward to form a U shape. The base plate 12 is attached to the bottom edge of the suspension board 10. The hanger rod 13 is linked between the base plate 12 and the cover plate 14 for suspending the ring portion of the tool 20. The bottom end of the cover plate 14 is provided with a plug 15 that can be inserted into the socket 16. To suspend the tool 20, the hook member is threaded through the ring portion of the tool 20, and then is bended upward so that the suspension device has the plug 15 inserted into the socket 16 of the socket member 11. As such, the tool 20 is reliably held by the suspension device. To secure the binding of the plug 15 and the socket 16, a fluke is provided at the tip of the plug 14 so that, when the plug 15 is inserted into the socket 16, a locking plate 17 inside the socket 16 sticks behind the fluke to prevent if from retracting. As such, it is basically impossible to pull out the plug 15 manually and the tool 20 is securely locked to the suspension device.
When a customer purchases the tool 20, he or she can use a pair of scissors to cut the cover plate 14 into halves or to clip plug 15 from the cover plate 14. Then, the tool 20 can be easily removed from the suspension device after bending the cover plate downward to become level with the hanger rod 13. To facilitate the cutting or clipping, the length of the plug 15 can be designed to be a bit larger than the depth of the socket 16 so that the plug 15 can be pulled out of the socket 16 for an appropriate distance, thereby providing some leverage space for the operation of the scissors. As described above, the present invention indeed provides a reliable and secured suspension device for tools with ring portions. In addition, the socket member 11 and the portions of the hook member can all be fabricated easily with a single molding process. The additional cost and effort resulted from the use of separate and individual components are therefore avoided.
While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A suspension device for a tool having a ring portion, comprising:

a suspension board; and

a socket member at the bottom of said suspension board protruding towards the front of said suspension device, said socket member having a socket whose opening is facing the front; and

a hook member having a base plate, a hanger rod, and a cover plate sequentially linked together in this order and flexibly extended from the bottom edge of said suspension board, said cover plate having a plug capable of being inserted into said socket

wherein said hook member is threaded through said ring portion of said took, said hook member is bended upward so that said ring portion of said took is supported by said hanger rod; and said plug is inserted into said socket.

2. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein said suspension board has a rectangular or other specially designed shape.

3. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein said hook member is a molded single piece of object.

4. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the length of said plug is larger than the depth of said socket.

5. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein a fluke is provided at the tip of said plug; a locking plate is provided inside the socket; and, when said plug is inserted into said socket 16, said locking plate sticks behind said fluke to prevent it from retracting.