Tool Organizer

Abstract

A system for organizing tools including a flexible base; tool retainers coupled to the base and configured to hold tools, wherein the tools include wrenches; and coupling elements disposed at the ends of the flexible base configured to couple the ends of the flexible base to form a loop.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/354,209 filed on Jun. 12, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of utility belts, such as are worn by carpenters, electricians, and other journeymen laborers and, more specifically to improvements in the construction of components carried by the utility belt.

2. Description of Related Art

The use of tools, such as hand-held tools, is omnipresent in society. Indeed, a multitude of craftspeople utilize tools in a vast variety of trades to operate, maintain, and repair machines, and to install, assemble, and disassemble various devices and systems, and the like. Further, hand-held tools are employed commonly for personal use at home or elsewhere for installations, assembly and disassembly of apparatuses, repair of systems and devices, and so forth. As is generally known, tools are typically kept in tool boxes, tool bags, drawers, and so on. Yet, a problem exists with maintaining organization of tools in such tool boxes and tool bags, for example. The tools tend to become in disarray and, thus, difficult to access. Indeed, specific desired tools in the tool box or bag may be hard to find, or take a relatively long time to locate.

The use of a belt to organize tools is known in the prior art. More specifically, by way of example, U.S. PreGrant Publication No. 2008/0135594 to Williams discloses a hammer support device usable with a tool belt for conveniently storing a hammer in a tool belt while preventing the hammer from striking a person wearing the belt while the person is walking.

U.S. PreGrant Publication No. 2005/02747674 to Lyle discloses a tool belt that is secured about a wearer's waist or hips and leg for providing support for the wearer's back when in use and includes pockets and loops for holding various tools and objects.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,534 to Guibord discloses a work tool belt device includes an elongated strap for mounting on a user's waist and for carrying a plurality of tools thereon. The strap has opposed free ends that carry complementary parts of a locking member for securing the device around a user's waist. A plurality of tool holders are mounted along an external surface of the strap to releasably receive complementary hook members of the tools therein.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,703 to Ryerson discloses a tradesman's tool belt having a tool pocket which is angulated with respect to the longitudinal axis of the belt. Tools in the angulated tool pockets tend to be retained when the tradesman is crouching, crawling or bending over.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,459 to Yarbrough, Jr. discloses a tool holder which organizes a bartender's tools. The tool holder has a pliable support, a first pocket for holding a pen having a first side edge attached to a first side of the support and a second side edge attached to a second side of the support, a hook attached to the first side of the support for holding a bottle opener, a second pocket attached to the first side of the support for holding a lighter, a third pocket attached to the first side of the support for holding a knife, and a ring attached to the first side of the support for holding a towel so that the second side of the support is adjacent a hip of the user

U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,105 to Snyder discloses a belt adapted to be worn around the waist of a wearer, and a number of belt components removably mounted on the belt. Included among the number of belt components is a flexible pouch arrangement with a number of expandable pockets having a puncture resistant interior surface. The flexible pouch arrangement can include a first pocket having an outer wall and a pair of loops affixed to the wall.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,527 to Trumpower, II discloses a utility belt formed from an elongated strip of plastic material which has inherent torsion resistance to prevent the belt from being twisted more than 90 degrees.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,316 to Peterson discloses apparatus for providing quick release retention of work pieces. A receptor that is attachable to a user includes a mechanism for attaching the work piece to the receptor by contact. The receptor is provided with a guard structure to protect against accidental release, without inhibiting quick release when desired.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,104 to Vokaty discloses a tool holder for holding a T-shaped tool which includes a tool head receiving member and a tool tail receiving member. The tool head receiving member includes an opening with a continuous surface for engaging the tool head at spaced apart points of contact for control of the tool during any jostling movement thereof. The tool tail receiving member includes a U-shaped inner surface disposed for guiding the tool head into engagement with the tool receiving member. The tool head receiving member and tool tail receiving member are spaced apart a distance for receiving the handle of the tool.

U.S. Pat. No. 4, 372,468 to Harvey discloses a snap-lock device for securing and pivotally supporting a hammer or other similar tool from the user's waist belt

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a utility belt for organizing tools comprising:

a flexible strip of material having cooperating fastening means at each end which are adapted to engage each other;

a number of tool holders, each of the tool holder having means for fixing the tool holder to the flexible strip of material;

wherein each tool holder is a single piece of material including:

a first opening located at the top of the tool holder for receiving the means for fixing the tool holder to the flexible strip of material;

a second opening located below the first opening formed by a substantially rigid J shaped member which extends down from one side of the first opening and aligned with a second member which extends down from the other side of the first opening and has a notch at its base which allows the second member to pivot about the notch and swing into the second opening when a force is applied to the second member;

wherein the J shaped member is adapted for holding a tool.

The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may better be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention and that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claim, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elements are given similar reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a utility belt in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a wrench keep adapted to be attached to a workman's utility belt in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the wrench keep assembly of FIG. 1 with a wrench set;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the wrench keep assembly having a sleeve for holding a pair of pliers;

FIG. 4A is a top view of the sleeve for holding a pair of pliers; FIG. 4B is a front elevational sectional view of the sleeve of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4C is a cutaway view showing the interior of the sleeve of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B are side and front views of a wire spring keeper which has a loop that is adapted to be attached directly to the belt with a rivet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

For the purposes of providing an understanding of the new improved utility belt, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings where specific language will be used to describe the invention. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitations, alterations or further modifications of the illustrated apparatus disclosed, or further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated is intended.

One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions may be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill in the art and having the benefit of this disclosure.

A problem commonly exists with disorganization of tools in tool boxes or tool bags, and the like. The inconvenience of locating and removing tools out of the tool box or bag to find the desired tool may be problematic. For example, it may take a relatively long time to locate the desired tool in the tool box or bag. Further, other adjacent tools in the tool box or bag may scrape or cut the hands of the person attempting to locate the wanted tool.

Moreover, access to a tool in a disorganized tool box or tool bag, for example, may be especially problematic for locating tools configured to fit a single size, such as with standard wrenches, socket wrenches, and the like. Other tools such as pliers and adjustable tools may also be difficult to locate in a tool box/bag in disarray, but these tools generally fit multiple sizes and, thus, fewer are needed. Indeed, tool boxes or tool bags tend to be dominated by the presence of single-fit tools, e.g., standard wrenches which generally fit one size per wrench, as many are generally needed as compared to adjustable tools that fit different sizes. Indeed, several different size wrenches are typically required for multiple size fasteners. The bulk of the area consumed in a tool bag or tool carry box is commonly wrenches.

The present techniques generally provide for the organization of tools, such as hand-held tools. In an embodiment, as discussed below, a tool rope or wrench rope facilitates removal of multiple wrenches substantially simultaneously to significantly clear the tool box or tool bag while maintaining organization of the removed wrenches. The techniques are applicable in the organization of tools, aid in convenience, and may reduce lost time. The present techniques may be applicable for hand carry tool bags and tool boxes, for example, where an assortment of tools is compact.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a front elevational view of a utility belt having a plurality of tool retainer attached to a flexible belt in accordance with the principles of the invention for organizing a set of tools. The tool retainers are coupled to the belt or base via fasteners, such as rivets or other types of fasteners. The fasteners may be inserted through a hole or an eye of the tool retainers, for example, and the fasteners may be coupled to the surface of the belt or base or through the base. In an embodiment of FIG. 1, the fasteners may be rivets inserted through an eye on the upper portion of the tool retainers, and then through the base. However, it should be noted that in other embodiments, the tool retainers may couple directly to the base without the use of fasteners. For example, the tool retainers may have an upper portion that inserts through the base and secures to the base. The tool retainers may be similar to a shower curtain hook, for example.

The flexible belt or base is generally of an elongated shaped, such as a belt, rope, and so on. In an embodiment, the base may be belt-like in shape, having a length of about 26″, 28″, 30″, 32″, 34″, 36″, 38″, 40″, 43″, 44″, 46″ 48″, etc., and a height of about 2″, 2½″, 3″, 3½″, 4″, 4½″, 5″, etc., more or less, and a thickness of about 1/16″, ⅛″, 3/16″, ¼″, etc. The base can be made of a variety of materials, such as leather, simulated leather, plastic, fabric, nylon, braided nylon, rope, and so forth. In one example, the base is ⅛41 thick of braided nylon. However, other thicknesses and materials may be employed. Moreover, the base may have optional coupling elements at each end such as a buckle or strips of hook and loop fastener material normally referred to as Velcro.

The tool retainers may be a variety of shapes and include various engagement elements to secure and hold tools. Such tools may include wrenches and other tools. The depicted tool retainers may be characterized as hooks, clips, or clasps, for example. However, again, the tool retainers may include various types of holders, such as pockets, pouches, and the like, that couple to the base and hold or secure tools, such as hand-held tools, i.e., wrenches, pliers, etc. In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the tool retainers are clips having a disengaging portion and an indentation. Lastly, as for the portion of the base having the tool retainers, this portion may have a length of approximately 14″, 16″, 18″, 20″, 22″, 24″, 26″, 28″, 32″, 36″, etc., depending, for example, on the overall length of the base, the size of the tool retainers, the size and/or weight of the tools being retained, and so forth.

Continuing with FIG. 1, utility belt 10 includes a belt or base 12 having fastening means 14 such as a buckle assembly, strips of hook and loop fasteners more commonly referred to a Velcro fastener, snap fasteners, etc. attached at its ends. When a buckle assembly is provided, the buckle assembly may includes a latch through which the belt is slidably threaded to allow for changes in length of the belt. The buckle assembly may include a clasp which receives the latch to lock the buckle assembly. One end of the belt may be fastened to the clasp by threading the belt through the clasp and sewing the end of the belt back onto itself.

The belt may be affixed to a padded strip of a material (not shown) which may be attached to the rear of the belt with a flexible adhesive such as an epoxy or by sewing the edges of the belt to the padded strip of material. In an embodiment, the padded strip of material may have a width that is substantially equal to the width of the belt 12 which is about three inches, more of less so that the utility belt can be comfortably worn around the waist of a wearer, such as an automobile mechanic, a boiler repair person, a carpenter, etc.

Also attached to the belt are a plurality of tool holders 16 which are adapted to hold wrenches such as wrenches which include an open end wrench at one end and a box wrench at its other end. The tool holders 16 may be attached to the belt 12 with rivets 16 which may be spaced uniformally around the belt.

In addition to the tool holders 16 which are provided to hold wrenches, the utility belt 10 of the present embodiment may includes at least one tool holding member 20 which can be removably attached to the belt with snaps, hook and loop fastener strips of material, etc. for holding a tool such as a pair of pliers, wire cutters, a screw driver, a tape measure, a flashlight, etc.

In use, tools may be place on the tool retainers of the exemplary tool organizer. In this example, the tool (e.g., a wrench) may be places on the tool retainer by separating or pulling apart the disengaging portion of the retainer to create a gap for inserting or placing the tool into or onto the retainer. The indentation on the retainer is provided to facilitate pulling apart the two halves of the disengaging portion. After placing tools onto the retainers, the tool organizer 10 may be placed into a tool box or tool bag.

Further, prior to placing the tool organizer into a tool box or tool bag, the flexible base may be looped around so that each end of the base meets. The coupling elements, the mating Velcro portions or the buckle may be engaged to form the base as a loop. Thus, a user may carry the tool organizer or wear the tool organizer around the waist, around the shoulder, and the like. The Velcro portions or other coupling elements located at the ends of the base 12 may provide for adjustability of the size of the formed loop of the base to allow the tool organizer to be worn as a belt.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a front elevational view of a wrench keep adapted to be attached to a workman's utility belt in accordance with the principles of the invention. In this illustrated embodiment, the tool holder or tool retainer is in the shape of a clip, clasp, or hook. Depicted are the disengaging portion and the indentation The disengaging portion is sliced or cut through, so that each side of the disengaging portion can be pulled apart or disengaged. In the relaxed state, the faces of the two sides of the disengaging portion meet. As indicated, the indentation may be a cut-out that reduces the width or thickness of the retainer at that given surface or area.

The retainer has an upper portion which may form a hole or eye, and a lower portion that forms a cavity to hold tools. The tool retainer may be constructed of various materials, such as for example plastic, hardened plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic, flexible metal, wood, and so forth. The curved upper portion of the depicted tool retainer may have a width of up to about 1½″, 1¾″, 1⅞″, 2″, 2⅛″, 2¼″, 2, ⅜″, etc. The width or inner diameter of the hole or eye may be about ¼″, ⅜″, ½″, ⅝″, or ¾″ more or less Moreover, it should be appreciated that the shape of the upper portion and eye may be square or rectangular, or another shape, instead of being curved in shape. Additional exemplary dimensions of the depicted retainer include a height of the holder cavity of about 1½″, 1 ¾″, 2″, 2¼″, 2½″, etc. The width of the cavity may be up to about 1¼″, 1½″, 1¾″, 2″, 2¼″, etc. The thickness may be about ⅛″, 3/16″, ¼″, for example. Further, the cross-section may be ⅛″, 3/16″, ¼″, for example.

Continuing with FIG. 2, each tool holder is a single piece formed from a hard plastic having a first opening 22 which is provided for receiving a holding means such as a rivet and a second opening 24 which is provided for holding tool. The second opening 24 consists of a substantially rigid J shaped member 26 which is aligned with a movable second member 28 which includes a notch 30 at its base which allows the end 32 of the second member to swing into the second opening 24 when a force F is applied to the second member. Immediately upon removal of the force F, the second member will spring back to its initial position to contact the end of the first member to form the closed second opening 24.

In an embodiment of the invention, the tool holder may have the following dimensions where A is about 1 and ⅞ of an inch, B has a diameter of about ½ of an inch, the thickness of the hard plastic tool holder is about 3/16 of an inch, the J shaped member and the movable second member may have a round, oval or square cross section of about 3/16 of an inch, the height C of the hard plastic tool holder may be about 3 inches, the height E of the second opening may be about 2 inches, and the width D of the second opening may be about 1 and ¾ of an inch.

The tool retainers (e.g., clips) may be stamped, or molded from plastic or metal, for example. The tool holders or tool retainers may be modified to include the disengaging portion and indentation discussed above. Strips of the base may be formed, for example, by cutting strips from sheets of nylon, braided nylon, plastic, leather, fabric, and so forth. On the other hand, if the base is rope, for example, the base may be formed by cutting lengths of rope.

The retainers are secured to the base. In certain embodiments, holes may be formed in the base to receive a hook portion of the retainers, for example. On the other hand, rivets may be stamped through an eye of the retainers into the base.

In operation, the two sides of the disengaging portion may be pulled apart, so to be able to fit a hole of a wrench, for example, around the lower portion of the retainer. The cut-out or indentation in the lower portion may provide for more flexibility in the lower portion to facilitate the placing of a tool onto the retainer via separating the two sides of the disengaging portion of the lower portion. It should be apparent, however, that other mechanisms may be employed with a clip-like retainer to receive and secure tools. For example, a clasp and/or spring mechanism may be employed.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a front elevational view of the wrench keep assembly of FIG. 1 with a wrench set disposed on the retainers. In this example, the tools disposed on the retainers are wrenches having a close end and an open end, as is common with a standard wrench set. The closed end of the wrenches is placed/slipped onto the retainers via the disengaging portion of the retainers. It should be noted that, if desired, the wrenches may be arranged in order from smaller size to larger size to facilitate access to the desired size wrench. In the illustration, the wrenches are indicated as sized in inches, i.e., for bolts or nuts in English units sizes. However, it should be appreciated that wrenches having metric sizes may also be held and organized via the tool organizer.

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the wrench keep assembly having a sleeve for holding a pair of pliers where FIG. 4A is a top view of the sleeve for holding a pair of pliers; FIG. 4B is a front elevational sectional view of the sleeve of FIG. 4; and FIG. 4C is a cutaway view showing the interior of the sleeve of FIG. 4. The cut-away view of the pliers holder shows an exemplary pliers inserted into the sleeve or holder. The holder may have a pliable filling or lips disposed between the exterior wall and the interior wall of the holder. Materials of the filling or lips may include rubber, plastic, fabric, etc. Moreover, the rear wall mates against the base, and may be coupled to the base via Velcro, paste, thread, stitching, fasteners, and the like. Further, the walls of the sleeve may be plastic, hardened plastic, metal, wood, fabric, and so on. FIG. 4A is a top view of the pliers holder or sleeve. Exemplary dimensions of the holder include a length of 3½″, 4″, 4/12″, etc. FIG. 4c is a cut-away or cross section of the holder. Further dimensions include a height of 1½″, 2″, 2½″, etc., an overall width of 1″, 1½″, 2″, etc., and an interior width of 1/2″, 1″, 1 1/2″, etc. In employment of the pliers holder, a handle of a pliers may be inserted and held between the walls of the sleeve, for example.

Continuing with FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, the tool holder sleeve is removably attached to the belt with snaps, a hook and loop fastener, etc. for holding a pair of pliers, wire cutters, a flashlight, a tape measure, a screwdriver, etc. In the embodiment shown, the tool holder is adapted to hold a pair of pliers. The tool holder 20 may be made of a square or oval sleeve of soft rubber or plastic which may have a strip of hook material on its back surface which is removably attached to a strip of loop material that is located on the front surface of the belt. The interior of the tool holder sleeve includes a plurality of soft rubber or plastic strips of pliable material 34 which are attached to one wall of the sleeve and extent to and contact the opposite wall of the sleeve. Looking at FIG. 4C, in use one of the handles of a pliers is inserted into the sleeve between the side wall of the sleeve and the ends of the strips of pliable material 34 which securely holds the pliers in the sleeve. To use the pliers, the work person simply grasps the free handle of the pliers and, with an upward pull, removes the pliers from the sleeve. In an embodiment of the invention, and looking at FIGS. 4A and 4B, the sleeve may have an outside width D of 1 and ½ inches, a height A of 2 inches, an inside width C of 1 inch, and a thickness of ¼ of an inch. The tool holder 20, when used to hold other tools, will obviously have different shapes and sizes which are adapted to hold that specific tool.

Referring to FIG. 4, the belt may have a length of 45 inches or have various lengths which vary between 28 inches and 45 inches and includes strips of hook and loop material at each end for securing the belt around the waist of a user. The plurality of tool holders attached to the front of the belt, including at least one tool holding member are distributed along the front of the belt for a distance of between 16 and 20 inches, more or less. The belt may have a width of about 3 inches and may be made of braded Nylon having a thickness of about ⅛ of an inch.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, there is shown. a side and front view of a wire spring keeper 36 which has a loop 38 which is adapted to be attached directly to the belt with a rivet which cooperated with the loop 38 for holding a tool in accordance with the principles of the invention.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are entitled.

Claims

1. A tool organizer comprising:

a flexible base;

tool retainers coupled to the base and configured to hold tools, wherein the tools comprise wrenches; and

coupling elements disposed at ends of the flexible base and configured to couple the ends of the flexible base to form a loop of the flexible base.

2. The tool organizer of claim 1, wherein the tool retainers comprise a clip, clasp, or hook, or any combination thereof.

3. The tool organizer of claim 1, wherein the tool retainers comprise a disengaging portion configured to facilitate receiving the tools.

4. The tool organizer of claim 3, wherein the tool retainers comprise an indentation to increase flexibility of the retainer and to further facilitate receiving tools via the disengaging portion.

5. The tool organizer of claim 1, wherein the coupling elements comprise Velcro.

6. The tool organizer of claim 1, wherein the coupling elements comprise a belt buckle.

7. A utility belt for organizing tools comprising:

a flexible strip of material having cooperating fastening means at each end which are adapted to engage each other;

a number of tool holders, each of the tool holder having means for fixing the tool holder to the flexible strip of material;

wherein each tool holder is a single piece of material including:

a first opening located at the top of the tool holder for receiving the means for fixing the tool holder to the flexible strip of material;

a second opening located below the first opening formed by a substantially rigid J shaped member which extends down from one side of the first opening and aligned with a second member which extends down from the other side of the first opening and has a notch at its base which allows the second member to pivot about the notch and swing into the second opening when a force is applied to the second member;

wherein the J shaped member is adapted for holding a tool.

8. The utility belt for organizing tools of claim 7 wherein each tool holder is made of a plastic, hardened plastic. fiber reinforced plastic or a flexible metal.

9. The utility belt for organizing tools of claim 7 wherein the means for fixing the tool holder to the flexible strip of material is a rivet.

10. The utility belt for organizing tools of claim 7 wherein the cooperating fastening means at each end of the flexible strip which are adapted to engage each other is a buckle or hook and loop material.

11. The utility belt for organizing tools of claim 7 wherein a sleeve is removably attached to the flexible material for holding a tool.

12. The utility belt for organizing tools of claim 11 wherein the tool is a pliers.

13. The utility belt for organizing tools of claim 7 wherein the sleeve is made of soft rubber or plastic.

14. The utility belt for organizing tools of claim 7 wherein the interior of the sleeve includes a plurality of soft rubber or plastic strips of pliable material which are attached to one wall of the sleeve and extent to and contact the opposite wall of the sleeve.