GB2207077A

GB2207077A - Manipulator for headed pin

Info

Publication number: GB2207077A
Application number: GB08812378A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William Thomas Hills
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-05-29
Filing date: 1988-05-25
Publication date: 1989-01-25
Anticipated expiration: 2008-05-25
Also published as: GB2207077B; GB8712635D0; GB8812378D0

Abstract

A hand tool (10) for the remote manipulation of a headed pin fastening, e.g. a drawing pin (25), said tool (10) comprising an elongate cylindrical rod (11) of the order of 1 m in length and a tool head (15) mounted at one end thereof. The tool head (15) comprises a generally cup-shaped member into which said one end of the elongate rod is received, the end wall (17) being spaced from an adjacent radial end face (14) of the rod and having a generally sector-shaped or a generally keyhole-shaped aperture (21) extending inwardly from part of the periphery. The perimeter wall (16) is apertured to provide a sideways entrance (19) to receive a pin head (22), the said sideways entrance (19) being wider than the said aperture (21). Optionally, a permanent iron magnet (12) of disc-like form is provided at or adjacent to said end face (14) to provide for magnetic retention of a headed pin fastener (25) of magnetisable material. <IMAGE>

Description

TOOLS This invention relates to tools and in particular to hand tools for use with fastenings comprising a headed pin, e.g.

so-called drawing pins or thumb tacks.

Headed pins, e.g. drawing pins or thumb tacks, which have a head part and a pin part are invariably inserted into a board, wall, ceiling or other structure by manually pushing with the thumb or forefinger directly onto the head part and so as to force the pin part into the structure for frictional retention by the structure. To remove the headed pin from its attachment to the structure, a finger-nail is inserted behind the head part and the pin part levered out of the structure. Problems arise where the headed pin is to be manipulated (i.e. inserted into the structure or removed from the structure) at a location to which access is difficult, e.g. when, say, the headed pin is to attach or remove an article (e.g. a paper Xmas decoration) to or from a room's ceiling.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a hand tool for the remote manipulation of a headed pin fastening, said tool comprising an elongate rod at least 1 ft (0.3m) approximately in length and a tool head mounted at one end of the elongate rod, wherein said tool head comprises an end plate spaced from an adjacent end face of the rod, the end plate has an aperture extending inwardly of the plate from part of its periphery, and wherein a sideways entrance for a pin head is provided into the space between the end plate and the adjacent end face of the rod, the said entrance and the said part of the plate's periphery adjoining one another.

Preferably said elongate rod is at least 2 ft (0.6m) approximately in length.

Advantageously the elongate rod is of the order of 1 m in length.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a hand tool for the remote manipulation of a headed pin fastening, said tool comprising an elongate rod and a tool head mounted at one end of the elongate rod, wherein said tool head comprises a generally cup-shaped member into which said one end of the elongate rod is received, the bight wall of said cup-shaped member being spaced from an adjacent end face of the rod and forming an end plate having an aperture extending inwardly of the plate from part of its periphery, and wherein the perimeter wall of said cup-shaped member is apertured to provide a sideways entrance for a pin head into the space between the end plate and the adjacent end face of the rod, the said sideways entrance adjoining, and extending widthwise over a greater distance than the width of, the said aperture at said part of the plate's periphery Preferably (and according to either aspect of this invention) said aperture reduces progressively in width as it extends inwardly from the said part of the plate's periphery, and is closed in the vicinity of the centre of the said end plate.

Preferably the said sideways entrance (which advantageously may be of generally slot-like form) extends widthwise of the tool beyond each end of said aperture at said part of the plate's periphery.

Preferably, magnet means (e.g. a permanent iron magnet) is provided at or adjacent to said end face to provide for magnetic retention of a headed pin fastener of magnetisable material disposed with its head in said space.

Preferably the end plate is of disc-like form and said aperture is provided by a substantially sector-shaped cutout in the disc-shaped end plate. Alternatively said aperture is provided by a substantially keyhole-shaped cutout in the disc-shaped end plate.

According to yet another aspect of this invention there is provided a method of remotely manipulating a headed pin fastener utilising a hand tool according to either one of the aforesaid aspects of this invention, wherein the head of the fastener is inserted via said entrance into the said space and such that the pin of the fastener extends through the aperture in said end plate, and wherein the fastener is remotely manipulated, by hand, from the other end of said elongate rod selectively to insert the pin into a structure or to withdraw the pin from a structure.

By way of non-limiting example, one embodiment of this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing of which Figure 1 is a partly-sectioned side elevation of a hand tool according to this invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of the hand tool of Fig. 1, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tool head shown in Figs 1 and 2.

The illustrated hand tool 10 comprises an elongate wooden rod 11 of circular cross-section and, for example, approximately 1m long. A permanent "bar" magnet 1 of disclike form (with axially directed poles) is mounted on one end of the rod 11 with one radial face 13 of the magnet in surfacial contact with the adjacent radial end face 14 of the rod. A cap member 15 is fitted on this rod end such that its cylindrical wall 16 tightly grips both the exterior of the rod and the perimeter of the disc-like magnet 12 (thereby holding the two together), and such that the radial wall 17 of the cap member is parallel to and axially spaced from the opposite radial face 18 of the magnet 12. The axial dimension of this space 20 is slightly greater than the height or thickness of the headed part of a conventional drawing pin or thumb tack.

The radial end wall of cap member 15 is provided with a sector-shaped or alternatively a keyhole-shaped aperture 21 leading inwardly from part of the end wall's periphery and reducing progressively in width as it approaches the centre of. the wall 17, the aperture being closed in the vicinity of this centre. The said part of the end wall periphery is centrally disposed between the ends of a transversely directed, slot-like opening 19 which is provided in the cylindrical wall 16 of the cap member 15. This slot-like opening has a straight line length (between its shorter dimension ends) that is at least as great as the diameter of the head of a conventional drawing pin or thumb tack. The slot-like opening has a height dimension longitudinally of the rod (i.e. the length of said shorter ends) equal to the height of the space 20 between the magnet's radial face 18 and end wall 17.

In use, the head 22 of the fastener 25 is inserted via the entrance provided by slot-like opening 19 into the space 20 between wall 17 and face 18 of the magnet 12, and such that the pin 23 of the fastener extends through the aperture 21 in the end wall 17. If (as is usual) the fastener 25 is composed of any ferrous or otherwise magnetisable material, it will be held in position by the magnet 12 and thereby restrained from falling out of opening 19 during manipulation of the tool 10. The fastener is then remotely manipulated, by hand, from the other end of elongate rod 11 selectively either to insert the pin 23 into a structure (not shown) or to withdraw the pin from a structure.

It will be appreciated that the length of the rod can be greater or less than 1 m but, in general, it is expected that for remote manipulation the rod should be at least 1 ft (0.3m) or preferably 2 ft (0.6m) approximately in length. It will also be appreciated that the rod can be of other than circular cross-section; and that the magnet 12 may be omitted. It will be further appreciated that the aperture 21 and the sideways entrance 19 can each be of shapes and/or relative positions other than those illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention claimed.

Claims

1. A hand tool for the remote manipulation of a headed pin fastening, said tool comprising an elongate rod at least 1 ft (0.3m) approximately in length and a tool head mounted at one end of the elongate rod, wherein said tool head comprises an end plate spaced from an adjacent end face of the rod, the end plate has an aperture extending inwardly of the plate from part of its periphery, and wherein a sideways entrance for a pin head is provided into the space between the end plate and the adjacent end face of the rod, the said entrance and the said part of the plate's periphery adjoining one another.

2. A hand tool according to Claim 1, wherein said elongate rod is at least 2 ft (0.6m) approximately in length.

3. A hand tool according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said elongate rod is of the order of 1 m in length.

4. A hand tool for the remote manipulation of a headed pin fastening, said tool comprising an elongate rod and a tool head mounted at one end of the elongate rod, wherein said tool head comprises a generally cup-shaped member into which said one end of the elongate rod is received, the bight wall of said cup-shaped member being spaced from an adjacent end face of the rod and forming an end plate having an aperture extending inwardly of the plate from part of its periphery, and wherein the perimeter wall of said cup-shaped member is apertured to provide a sideways entrance for a pin head into the space between the end plate and the adjacent end face of the rod, the said sideways entrance adjoining, and extending widthwise over a greater distance than the width of, the said aperture at said part of the plate's periphery.

5. A hand tool according to any preceding Claim, wherein said aperture reduces progressively in width as it extends inwardly from the said part of the plate's periphery, and is closed in the vicinity of the centre of said end plate.

6. A hand tool according to Claim 5, wherein the end plate is of disc-like form and the said aperture is provided by a substantially sector-shaped cut-out in the disc-shaped end plate.

7. A hand tool according to Claim 5, wherein the end plate is of disc-like form and the said aperture is provided by a substantially keyhole-shaped cut-out in the disc-shaped end plate.

8. A hand tool according to Claim 4 or to any one of Claims 5 to 7 when dependent from Claim 4, wherein the said sideways entrance extends widthwise beyond each end of said aperture at said part of the plate's periphery.

9. A hand tool according to Claim 4 or to Claim 8 or to any one of Claims 5 to 7 when dependent from Claim 4, wherein the said sideways entrance is of generally slot-like form.

10. A hand tool according to any preceding Claim, wherein magnet means is provided at or adjacent to said end face to provide for magnetic retention of a headed pin fastener of magnetisable material disposed with its head in said space.

11. A hand tool according to Claim 10, wherein said magnet means comprises a permanent iron magnet.

12. A hand tool substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

13. A method of remotely manipulating a headed pin fastener utilising a hand tool according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the head of the fastener is inserted via said entrance into the said space and such that the pin of the fastener extends through the aperture in said end plate, and wherein the fastener is remotely manipulated, by hand, from the other end of said elongate rod selectively to insert the pin into a structure or to withdraw the pin from a structure.

14. A method according to Claim 13 and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanyng drawings.