Extended utility tool

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING GOVERNMENTALLY FUNDED WORK

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to utility tools for use with rotary discs. More specifically, the present invention relates to a utility tool with an extended output shaft and output shaft housing for increasing the reach of the working end of the tool.

There has been a long-felt need for a utility tool that is able to perform numerous tasks for the homeowner. In particular, there has been a long-felt need for a utility tool that can extend the effective reach of a user so as to minimize the bending and reaching that the user might require for a given task. In many instances, the user will have tools that are designed to be hand held and the user's own arm length provides the reach necessary to use the tool in various applications. At best in such circumstances, the tool may be provided with a handle.

In addition to the general limitations associated with hand held utility tools, there is a benefit in using tools that have a rotary action. Examples of these tools would be buffers, sanders, grinders, and the like, and these are typified by a rotary action that is derived from the output shaft of a motor and which causes a disc shaped working piece that is the component that is making the contact with the object being worked on. The working piece (or working disc) may be comprised of a brush, or a sanding surface, or a grinding surface, or a cloth surface for buffing. The applications for such tools range from waxing and buffing a car to sanding the paint off the siding on a house. Many times this means the user has to extend his/her arms to gain the reach necessary to place the working disc on the particular object being worked upon.

There has been a long felt need for a utility tool that would have ergonomical attributes and which reduce the burdens in using the utility tools of the prior art. There have been some specific types of tools known in the art that extend the user's reach, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,578 (Armbruster) which discloses a polisher that has an adjustably extendable handle. The polisher has the motor and the working end combined at the end of the handle member which makes it difficult to use the polisher in applications other than those where the polisher can sit on the work surface. Using the polisher in positions at waist height or above the head would result in an awkward and burdensome approach for the user. The working end of the polisher is a fixed piece and the polisher is a dedicated tool lacking the option to substitute the polisher function for another function.

In U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0107522 (Paas) a similar approach is taken for a floor cleaning tool that employs a vibrating head. Again the center of gravity of the tool in this case is located near the working end making the tool very difficult to use in positions other than sitting on top of a floor. In U.S. Design Pat. No. 317,667 (Bolser, et al) a buffer or polisher for floors is taught and again the working end is comprised of the motor and the buffing attachment. It is not clear if the buffing attachment can be substituted, however, it would not result in an ergonomically desirable tool.

The mopping, waxing, and light sweeping tool disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,838 (Caruso) does possess a rotary action although this is developed at the working end by a direct drive engagement with the motor. The tool would not be suitable for use in extending a user's reach in areas other than on the surface of a floor.

As may be appreciated, a utility tool that can be easily used in extended reach applications has not been shown in the prior yet notwithstanding the desirability of such a device. In order to fulfill the needs of users though, it would be necessary to supply a tool that would be easily used without unduly stressing the user, physically, possibly setting the user up for a repetitive injury. Thus any tool that would fulfill the needs in the marketplace would have to be balanced in such a way as to minimize the effort to apply to the surface that is being worked upon.

The present invention has benefits that solve the problems that have been heretofore known in the art and it also provides a versatility in use that amplifies its value to the user. These features and attributes will be discussed in detail herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A novel utility tool in accordance with the present invention comprises an elongated tubular member with a motor end and a working end. The motor end includes a motor and a battery for powering the motor and with a trigger control for transitioning the motor from an off condition to a running condition. The output of the motor is rotatably transferred to a drive shaft enclosed inside said tubular member and extended to the working end. The working end includes a working disc that is mounted to the member and is rotatably affixed to the drive shaft such that when the motor is powered and the drive shaft is driven in a rotary fashion, the working disc is driven in a rotary fashion.

Preferentially, the tabular member is of a length that substantially extends the reach of the user. In the preferred embodiment, the tubular member includes a handle for the user to hold the utility tool and the tubular end is curved to position the working end in a substantially perpendicular orientation relative to the rest of the tubular member.

In one embodiment the trigger control is interfaced with a variable speed control to allow for infinitely selectable speeds for the rotation of working disc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the utility tool of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a working disc that is used in the utility tool of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side exploded view of the utility tool of the present invention, inclusive of a power cord that is shown as installed on the battery/charger.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the tubular member at Section Lines 3A-3A showing the interior of the tubular member with the drive shaft located therein. p FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a variable speed control for use with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a person using the present invention in one manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A novel utility tool is disclosed within this specification and in the drawings. In particular, the utility tool of the present invention is suited for use with rotary working surfaces, such as sanding discs, grinding discs, buffing or polishing discs and the like. Turning to FIG. 1, the utility tool 10 is shown with the motor end 12, the working end 14, the on/off trigger 16, the motor 18, the battery 20, the motor mount 22, the output housing 24, the mid-handle 26; the tubular member 28, the working disc 30, the disc mount 32, the disc mount base 34, the disc mount coupling 36 and the rear handle 38.

The working disc 30 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2 with the disc plate 40 and the mounting hole 42.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded version of the present invention, where the utility tool 10 further includes the mounting screw 50, the battery contact 60 and the power cord 62. In FIG. 3(A) the interior of the tubular member 28 is shown with the shaft 44 and the tubular member housing interior 46.

The utility tool of the present invention has an overall appearance somewhat like the garden tools such as edgers and weed “whackers” although the functionality is very different. The working disc is engaged with the mounting screw which is itself affixed in a rotatable fashion to the shaft. The shaft is connected to the motor at the motor end of the utility tool and the shaft is caused to rotate by the motor, through its output shaft (not shown).

The drive mechanism of the present invention is generally known in the art however the working end is where the functionality is imparted. For instance, in the examples shown the working disc may comprise a grinding wheel such as shown in FIG. 2, or a brush as shown in FIG. 3. Other working discs can be submitted for these including but not limited to buffing heads, sanding discs, wire brushes, and the like.

In use, the particular type of working disc needed for a particular job can be selected and fitted to the disc mount by threading it onto the mounting screw. The working disc will typically include a disc plate which has a mounting hole therein, and which is affixed to the working disc. The working disc is connected to the shaft, as described above, and is thus made to rotate whenever the motor is energized. Rotation is the signature effect of rotary tools and the benefits of rotary action have been known for a long time. Nonetheless, the ability to place a working surface with a rotary action in out of the way or hard to access locations has been a long standing problem. The fact that the present invention places the working disc at the end of an elongated tubular member allows the user to place the rotary action in many places that would be impossible or difficult before now. In the preferred embodiment, the length of the elongated tubular member can be as little as 24″ or as long as 48″ with a generally desirable working length of 36″ although, as explained below, provisions can be made for multiple tubular ends to be used in a given utility so as to vary length over the preferred range.

For example, a user who desires to buff or polish a wall behind a fixture may have to bend and reach in an awkward manner. Using the extended effect of the utility tool allows the user to be able to easily reach the desired application without unduly stressing their body and/or possibly risking injury. The working disc can be changed to provide a sanding surface which would allow the user again to reach applications that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. For instance, a job that requires the roof of a car to be sanded is now made much easier using the present invention.

Normally the utility tool can be held by the user by the mid-handle and the rear handle as shown is FIG. 5. The weight of the tool is evenly distributed as between the motor end and the working end to make the center of gravity close to the mid-hand area and thus making the utility tool easier for the user to hold. In this embodiment a simple on/off switch is provided, although in an alternate embodiment a variable speed control 72 which is connected to the motor by means of the control cable 70 is actuated by the trigger 74 which can be adjusted to correspondingly adjust speed up and down.

Variations on the length of the tubular member or the turns that it may take can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The turn of the tubular member, as shown in FIG. 5 for instance, allows the user to exert more control over the working disc when it's applied to the desired surface. Various lengths are important for user considerations as well, since they may be occasions where close-in work requires a shorter tubular member as opposed to other applications where the needed reach for the extension is much longer. Thus it is envisioned that the present invention may be supplied with a number of optional lengths for the tubular member which may be provided as a single-piece type product, or the tubular members may be made replaceable so different sized tubular members could be installed per the job. It is also possible to provide the present invention with an in-line transmission to increase the torque outputted to the working disc.

While the present embodiment is shown using an electric motor, with a battery, a gas engine version can be useful as well. In the preferred mode of use, the battery would be rechargeable and this can be done through the power cord.

The utility tool of the present invention may be practiced in a number of ways consistent with the scope of the teachings herein, and no limitation on the invention is intended or implied by the descriptions of the embodiments above.