Abstract: A tool includes a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel arms carrying a mounting member to which are detachably connected axially oriented driver and drill elements. The mounting member is moveable along the arms reciprocally between a first position where it is manually rotated to select the axial orientation of the driver and drill elements and a second locked position to hold the driver and drill elements in a selected axial orientation until the mounting member is return to the first position. The locking function is provided by a spring element actuated upon the mounting member being moved from the first position to the second position to apply pressure against the mounting member while in the second position.

Abstract: A cutting tool includes a first and second pivoted levers for opening and closing and a pair workpiece engagement members having one or more cutting edges. One of the workpiece engagement members is pivotably attached to the fist and second members, while the other workpiece engagement member is fixedly attached to the second lever. The levers connected together by a linkage having one end fixed in position the first lever and having another end slideably attached to the second lever by of a slide element. An adjustment device is connected to the side element and to a rotatable handle on the first handle. The adjustment device moves and holds the slide element in a plurality of positions which correspond to different cutting ratios. An associated method of use is also disclosed in which the rotatable handle is used to adjust the cutting ratio while the tool is engaged with a workpiece.

Abstract: A tool includes a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel arms carrying a mounting member to which are detachably connected axially oriented driver and drill elements. The mounting member is moveable along the arms reciprocally between a first position where it is manually rotated to select the axial orientation of the driver and drill elements and a second locked position to hold the driver and drill elements in a selected axial orientation until the mounting member is return to the first position. The locking function is provided by a spring element actuated upon the mounting member being moved from the first position to the second position to apply pressure against the mounting member while in the second position.

Abstract: A glue gun has a base adapted to receive electrical power in either cordless or corded operation, a barrel, a feed roller, a selectively removable glue stick holder in axial alignment with and disposed between a nozzle assembly and the feed roller and extending through an electric heater for containing a glue stick to be melted by the heater, a pinch roller adapted to press the glue stick against the feed roller so that rotation of the feed roller causes the glue stick to be urged toward the nozzle assembly in order to extrude melted glue therethrough, the nozzle assembly having a longitudinal passageway which is normally closed by a pair of valves serially disposed at opposite ends of the passageway and which are operable to open in response to pressure from melted glue produced by rotation of the feed roller and to close to trap melted glue in the passageway when feed roller rotation is terminated, and a trigger assembly to manually control the application of electric power to a drive motor to rotate the fe

Abstract: A compact ratcheting driver has a handle portion and a an extendible ratcheting head portion. The head portion has a pair of parallel guide rails which are coplanar with and extend into the handle to engage a pair of complementary guide shoulders formed within the handle. The head portion includes ratcheting means connected to a driver element for engaging and driving an element to be driven and detent means for selectively locking the head portion in either an extended disposition or a retracted disposition. In one embodiment, the handle portion includes a fixed drive socket. In a second embodiment, the handle includes selectively manually actuated lighting means to illuminate a work area in which the ratcheting driver element is to engage a driven element.

Abstract: A compact ratcheting driver has a handle portion and a an extendible ratcheting head portion. The head portion has a pair of parallel guide rails which are coplanar with and extend into the handle to engage a pair of complementary guide shoulders formed within the handle. The head portion includes ratcheting means connected to a driver element for engaging and driving an element to be driven and detent means for selectively locking the head portion in either an extended disposition or a retracted disposition. In one embodiment, the handle portion includes a fixed drive socket. In a second embodiment, the handle includes selectively manually actuated lighting means to illuminate a work area in which the ratcheting driver element is to engage a driven element.

Abstract: An extension bar for use between a portable driving tool and a driven element includes an elongated body with an integrally formed first end adapted to receive the driving element and an integrally formed second end adapted to engage the driven element, the elongated body having a hollow interior which contains a battery. An illumination control is selectively operable to electrically connect the battery and a light source to illuminate an area surrounding the second end. A transverse passageway extends through the elongated body and has an elongated switch element slidably disposed therein. A pair of insulator rings, disposed one on each end of the switch element, are operable when the switch element is in a first disposition to open the electrical connection between the battery and the light source and are operable when the switch element is in a second disposition to complete the electrical circuit between the battery and the light source.

Abstract: A ratcheting wrench, of the type having an elongated handle connected at one end by a neck to a ratchet head having a drive stem, has a manually selectively operable source of illumination contained in the handle and a fiber optic rod bundle contained in the a channel formed in the neck. The fiber optic rod bundle transmits light from the illumination source through the channel so that the transmitted light exits the wrench adjacent the drive stem in a beam which illuminates a lateral work area below and in axial alignment with the drive stem.

Abstract: A self-adjusting ratcheting wrench has an elongated handle terminating at one end in a fixed jaw, a movable jaw pivotally attached to the handle so as to close on the fixed jaw and terminating at one end in a pair of jaw faces forming an obtuse angle and separated from one another by a lateral groove and at the other end in a tail, the pivotal attachment being disposed between the tail and the jaw faces, an actuator arm pivotally attached at one end to the tail and at the other end in a thumb plate and connected therebetween to the handle so that the actuator arm is laterally offset from and longitudinally slidable along the handle, a leaf spring disposed in and pivotally attached to the handle, and a coil spring disposed in the handle so as to urge the leaf spring against a convex camming surface formed on the movable jaw adjacent the tail, whereby torque applied to the handle in a first direction causes the jaws to close on an element contained therebetween so as to apply the torque to the element, torque a

Abstract: An improvement in a ratcheting driver of the type having a handle, a driver head connected to the handle, a driver stem, ratchet means contained in the head and including ratcheting direction selector means disposed on the head in axial alignment with and remote from the driver stem and operable to lock the driver stem against rotation in a direction which is preselected by the user by the limited rotation of the ratcheting direction selector means in a predetermined direction, consisting of a ratcheting direction control wheel disposed on the head in axial alignment with and remote from the driver stem and fixed to the ratchet means, and a control wheel cover disposed over the control wheel so as to be separated from the head thereby and locked to the head.

Abstract: A ratcheting adjustable wrench having an elongated handle and having jaw means, including a fixed first jaw element and a movable second jaw element, attached to one end of the handle, with means for selectively manually initiating longitudinal relative movement between the first jaw element and the second jaw element comprising a threaded drive member axially aligned with the second jaw element and disposed between the second jaw element and the handle, and a complementarily threaded driven member fixed to said second jaw element and extending through the drive member, a bias spring disposed between the drive member and the handle first end and operable to normally urge the drive member and so the second jaw element toward the first jaw element, and ratcheting means operable in response to torque applied to the handle in a selected first direction to longitudinally fix the first and second jaw elements with respect to a fastener clamped therebetween, whereby said first direction torque is applied to the fast

Abstract: An adjustable wrench utilizes a drive member housed in a wrench body. The drive member has a cylindrical drive element having external male threads formed thereon, onto which a guide block is mounted by means of a bore, within which female threads, complementary to the male threads, are formed extending longitudinally through the guide block, so that the drive element extends through the bore with the male and female threads in engagement with one another, whereby rotation of the drive element is operable to move the guide block longitudinally along the drive element. A drive knob is fixed to and manually operable for selectively rotating the drive element. A pair of alignment arms connect a movable jaw element to the guide block so that the movable jaw element faces and is displaced from the drive block in longitudinal alignment with the bore and is separated from the drive knob by the drive block.

Abstract: A linear driver has a drive stem having a first end and a second end and a handle fixed the drive stem so that the drive stem first end extends into a first end of the handle. In order to increase the torque the user may apply to the driver, the driver includes a thumb plate fixed when in its operating position with respect to the drive stem so that the thumb plate extends radially outwardly from the handle at the handle first end so as to permit its engagement by the thumb of a user. The thumb plate may be selectively retractable into the handle when not in use in certain embodiments of the invention, while, in others, the thumb plate remains fixed in its operating position.

Abstract: A composite magnetic-field screwdriver (10) that consists of two elements: a non magnetic-conductive housing (12) and a selectable, magnetic-conductive tool bit (100). The housing (12) includes a tool bit cavity (80) that accepts the tool bit (100) and a drill-chuck connector sleeve (48) into which is frictionally inserted a non magnetic-conductive drill chuck connector (88). The housing (12) includes an upper ring magnet (60) and a lower circular magnet (84). The two magnets operate in combination to produce a composite magnetic flux path. The composite magnetic flux path is activated only when a workpiece (250) is attached to a tool bit (100) that has been inserted into the tool bit cavity (80). The composite magnetic flux path results in a high-level gauss at the bit's upper section which allows the workpiece i.e., a screw to be firmly attached to the tool bit (100).

Abstract: A reversible and a bidirectional ratcheting wrench that transfers multiple torque power from the handle to a nut, or a standard or special socket, by use of flat gears. The oscillating power, applied to the handle of the reversible ratchet wrench is transferred as a rotating motion to a flat gear rotating sleeve. The polygonal inside shape of the rotating sleeve is mounted on a nut or a special socket, completing the transfer of the torque power. The bidirectional wrench utilizes two pairs of gears to insure that each pair creates a different rotational direction of the wrench.

Abstract: A portable lamp assembly (10) consisting of a lamp housing (12) that incorporates a quartz halogen lamp (50) and that features an articulated lamp-housing support (20). The support (20) consists of a U-shaped bracket (22) having a horizontal member (22A) and two side members (22B). The side members are swivelly attached to the lower section (12B) of the housing (12). To the bottom surface of the horizontal member (22A) is attached a clevis structure (26) to which is swivelly attached a first end (28A) of a clamp support link (28). The second end (28B) of the support link is rigidly attached to a first handle (30A) of a spring-loaded clamp (30). The clamp (30) functions as a third leg that when positioned vertically and used in combination with a pair of legs (24) that extend from the structure (20), allows the assembly (10) to be stably placed upon a horizontal surface.

Abstract: An electrically energized hand drill (10) that incorporates a hand, wrist and forearm support (50). The drill (10) is ergonomically designed, in combination with the support (50), to reduce incidents of repetitive-use injuries and cumulative-effect traumas. The drill design includes a housing (12) having on its rear side (12B) an upper and lower handle support (30, 32) that support a substantially vertical handle (34). The handle has a trigger switch (35) that when depressed by the middle finger, a battery power-pack housing (38), located above the upper handle support, supplies power to an internal electrical circuit (14) that distributes the power to operate the drill (10). Located on the housing's lower section rear side (12B) is the hand, wrist and forearm support (50).

Abstract: An improved housing for a reel of measuring tape. The housing has a base member which holds a slotted pin to support the return spring. A frame is held at the edge of the base member and has an opening for the measuring tape to be reeled in and out. A portion of the frame also forms a portion of the cover. An upper base and cover member is held against the frame to complete the housing for the measuring tape. The construction has the advantage of permitting the assembler to hold the spring as well as the measuring tape at about a right angle with respect to the slotted pin. This makes the manufacturing process safer and less costly.