Tool Belt Tool Tote

The present invention relates to the field of carrying or toting devices, and specifically to a tool belt attachment that allows a user to carry or tote a desired tool, such as a cordless drill, hammer, gas drive nail gun, stapler, or the like, that will be used intermittently, thereby freeing the user's hands when he is not using the tool. More particularly, the present invention is an improvement of the Tool Belt Tool Tote described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,451 to the same inventor. The improved tool belt tool tote comprises a belt clip for attachment to a standard belt or workman's tool-belt, a terminal swivel element and a swivel hook element, the improvement being in the manner in which the swivel hook element is connected to the terminal swivel element. In use, a tool supported by the swivel hook element is able to pivot freely from the terminal swivel element in order to maintain its center of gravity such that the tool will remain securely attached to the tool tote and can be rotated 180.degree. from center in either direction thereby remaining easily positionable and accessible to the user.

The prior art is replete with a variety of tool belts which are provided to retain one or more desired tools. Exemplary tool belts are provided with cloth, leather or steel loops which depend from the belt and which serve as tool retainers. Although useful to an extent, tool belts present certain inherent limitation. For example, because cloth is not necessarily a rigid structure, cloth loops may close when not in use, making it difficult for the user to replace the tool into the loop with one hand. Moreover, a loop may tightly constrict about a tool handle as the tool settles into position, thereby making it difficult to remove the tool when it is needed. Similar problems arise with the use of the more rigid leather type loops.

Although there exists tool belts that are equipped with steel hammer holders, these supports are non-adjustable. More significantly, the use of loops for retaining work tools requires that the tool being retained therein remains in a fairly static position; in other words, the tool fails to swivel as the user moves about. This situation can prove dangerous, as for example when the tool is a heavy instrument such as a hammer or has sharp edges, in that the tool may slip out of its loop when the user is climbing a ladder and the hammer head approaches an inverted position, thereby endangering personnel and materials located below.

Despite the teachings of the prior art, a need still exists for a tool toting device which may be attached to a belt or a tool belt that facilitates carrying a desired tool in a safe and convenient manner which frees the user's hands. Such a device should be sufficiently rigid so that the user can store a tool onto it with one hand. Such a device also should permit swiveling of a carried tool so that the tool's center of gravity is not shifted to a dangerous position but rather maintains the tool within the safe control of the user even while climbing about in a work space. Further, such a device should enable the user to easily re-position the tool for comfort, safety and greater accessibility. Finally, such a device should be relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture but be of durable construction.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tool-belt tote device in which the aforementioned problems can be overcome comprising a clip removably detachable to a belt from which depends a swivelable hook element for retaining a desired tool.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tool-belt tote device for retaining a tool which can be removed single-handedly therefrom.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool-belt tote device which permits the user to adjust the position of a retained tool to a position which is comfortable and easily accessible from both the left-hand and right-hand side of the user.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a tool-belt tote device which is economical to manufacture, durable in construction and effective in operation.

Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following specification or may be learned by practice of the invention. To the accomplishment of the above-related objects, this invention may be embodied in the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings merely are illustrative, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.

The present invention will be better understood with reference to the appended drawing sheets, wherein:

FIG. 1A is an exploded view of an alternate embodiment of the distal end of the hook.

FIG. 1 is an exploded side view of the tool belt tool tote of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the tool belt tool tote of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the tool belt tool tote of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a device for supporting and carrying a variety of tools on a belt, and in particular on a standard tool-belt. Referring to the figures, the device comprises a clip 10, a swivel element 20 and a U-shaped hook element 30. Clip 10 is in the form of a C-shaped clip having a front face 10a, a rear face 10b and a rounded top end 10c; the front face 10a terminating into a connecting end 10d having an aperture 11 disposed therein. Swivel element 20 is in the form of an L-shape, having a first end 20a and a second end 20b. First end 20a is provided with an aperture 21 corresponding in size to aperture 11 such that the apertures can be aligned and joined by introducing a suitable fastening means 12 through said apertures 11 and 21. Suitable fastening means include, for example, the use of a semi-tubular rivet of sufficient diameter to be inserted through apertures 11 and 21, a conventional bolt and nut arrangement or providing internally threaded apertures which can be connected by an externally threaded bolt. Preferably, the fastening means is a simple semi-tubular rivet 12 having a diameter slightly less than the diameter of apertures 11 and 21, thereby providing the swivel element 20 with a 360.degree. rotation about the axis of the rivet. The second end 20b of swivel element 20 has a top surface 22a, a bottom surface 22b and is provided with an aperture 23 for attaching the U-shaped hook 30 thereto. U-shaped hook 30 comprises a first externally threaded end 30a and a second distal end 30b. The coupling means to securely attach the U-shaped hook 30 to the swivel element 20 comprise an O-ring 31, an O-ring or nylon washer 32, an internally threaded jam nut 33 and an acorn nut 34. To join the U-shaped hook 30 to the swivel element 20, jam nut 33 threadedly engages first end 30a of hook 30, the O-ring 32 is disposed onto the jam nut and the first end 30a is introduced into the aperture 23 such that the first end 30a extends through the top surface 22a of the swivel element 20. The nylon washer is disposed over the first end and a locking acorn nut 34 is used to threadedly engage the first end. Preferably, glue or similar adhesive is applied to the interior surface of jam nut 33 such that it is permanently affixed to the lower portion of the threaded first end 30a. In this manner, the hook 30 is securely attached to the swivel element, but is capable of rotating 360.degree. about its axis without becoming loose due to the frictional nature of the O-ring and nylon washer arrangement, thereby allowing the hook to be positioned for comfort. The hook material may be fabricated from hard or soft metals, metal alloys, hard plastics, flexible plastics or combinations thereof. Preferably, the hook 30 is composed of a soft aluminum metal or alloy thereof such that it is flexible and will bend under minimum pressure but is capable of being re-bent to its original shape. Capping means in the form of a ball, knob or similar device 36 may be inserted over the second end 30b of the hook. The incorporation of the ball protects the user from contacting the second end 30b of the hook with his hand and prevents undue wear to the device. Preferably, the lower end 30b is knurled and the ball 36 is provided with a recess 37 such that the ball can be pressed onto the second end of the hook. Alternatively, the second end 30b of the hook may be externally threaded and the recess 37 is provided with internally mating threads such that the ball 36 may be readily screwed onto the second end 30b of the hook 30.

The clip 10 can be fastened to a belt, tool belt, tool holster or any other conventional means for carrying tools, simply by inserting the belt, tool belt etc. into the space between the front face 10a and the rear face 10b such that the front face faces outwardly. The clip 10 may be composed of any suitable material conventional to the art, including, for example, hard or soft metals or metal alloys, hard plastics, flexible plastics and combinations thereof, for example, a metal clip having an outer plastic covering. A variety of tools can be hung from the hook 30; once a tool is suspended from the hook 30, the hook automatically adjusts for the tool's center of gravity by the swivelling action of the swivel element 20 about the axis of fastening means 12. In this manner, the tool not only is prevented from falling off of the hook, but also is readily accessible to the tool belt wearer. The tool belt wearer is able to re-position a tool supported by hook 30 simply by rotating the hook along the longitudinal axis of its first end.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited thereto, and that many obvious modifications and variations can be made, and that such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.