US Patent:
20060163412, Jul 27, 2006
Inventors:
Tadeusz Szarkowski - Chicago IL, US
Donald Zito - Fox River Grove IL, US
Michael MacKin - Chicago IL, US
Assignee:
WOODHEAD INDUSTRIES, INC. - Deerfield IL
International Classification:
B65H 75/48
Abstract:
A safety device for hand tools includes a casing having a first clasp secured to the casing for mounting to the tool. A second clasp is mounted to a retractable cable connected to a constant tension cable reel mounted within the casing: The cable is payed out of and retracted into the bottom of the housing in its normal use position, and the second clasp is attached to a fixed support or “lock point” located below the normal working height of the tool. In use, when the tool is held by a worker and the housing is upright, a lock plate is disengaged from a ratchet plate fixed to the retractable reel so the tool is freely moveable relative to the lock point and easily maneuvered. If the tool is dropped, the reel retracts the cable as the tool begins to fall. The device is inverted as it falls below the lock point. As the device turns over, the lock plate shifts under gravity, and the weight of the tool places the cable in tension and tries to counter-rotate the hub, thus causing the lock plate to rapidly engage the ratchet plate and lock the reel, preventing further cable pay out and securing the tool before it strikes the floor or ground.