U.S. patent application number 11/380423 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-22 for suspension device for hand tools having ring portion.
Invention is credited to Chi-Tsai CHANG.
Application Number | 20070267307 11/380423 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38711029 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070267307 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHANG; Chi-Tsai |
November 22, 2007 |
SUSPENSION DEVICE FOR HAND TOOLS HAVING RING PORTION
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.
Inventors: |
CHANG; Chi-Tsai; (Taichung
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LEONG C LEI
PMB # 1008
1867 YGNACIO VALLEY ROAD
WALNUT CREEK
CA
94598
US
|
Family ID: |
38711029 |
Appl. No.: |
11/380423 |
Filed: |
April 27, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/376 ;
40/673 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 73/0071
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/376 ;
040/673 |
International
Class: |
B65D 85/28 20060101
B65D085/28 |
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.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] (a) Technical Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention generally relates to suspension
devices, and more specifically to a suspension device for a hand
tool having a ring portion.
[0003] (b) Description of the Prior Art
[0004] 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
[0005] 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.
[0006] 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.
[0007] 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.
[0008] 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
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the various components
of a suspension device according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the suspension device
of FIG. 1 after its assembly.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a tool suspended by the
suspension device of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of FIG. 3.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the various components
of a conventional suspension device.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the conventional
suspension device of FIG. 5 after its assembly.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a tool suspended by the
conventional suspension device of FIG. 5.
[0016] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] 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.
[0018] 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.
[0019] 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.
[0020] 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.
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