10021results about "Multi-purpose tools" patented technology

The invention relates to a hand tool for use with attachments. The hand tools of the invention may be used with attachments with various speed and torque requirements. Preferred hand tools comprise a body with a brushless DC motor and means. which control the energisation of the motor. In use the brushless DC motor of the preferred hand tool is electrically supplied to drive a power output means connected to said motor. Another preferred hand tool comprises a body with a motor contained therein, a void space between an internal surface of the body and at least a part of the motor, a fluid inlet port provided and a fluid outlet port provided in or on the body, and ducting means which provides a channel for fluid supplied via the fluid inlet port to and from the void space and then on to the fluid outlet port.

A multipurpose tool for gripping an object and determining an orientation of a surface comprises a first arm with a jaw at one end and a grip at an opposite end and a second arm pivotally connected to the first arm about a pivot point. The second arm also has a jaw at one end and a grip at the opposite end. The grips are moveable between an open position for opening the jaws and a closed position for closing the jaws. At least one level vial is mounted on at least one of said arms such that the arm may be placed into engagement with the surface for determining the orientation of the surface.

The present invention provides a tablet computer and a docking station assembly. This docking station comprises a docking assembly for positioning with three degrees of freedom and having a data connector for mechanically supporting and interfacing with the tablet computer. A support member couples the docking assembly to an expansion base. The base includes a number of ports for interfacing with a variety of peripheral devices or power supplies. These varieties of ports mount to a printed circuit board contained within the expansion base. A flexible printed circuit (FPC) combines the signal pathways for the variety of ports, allowing the signal pathways to travel from the printed circuit board and to the data connector. The tablet computing device has a plurality of contact or touch points positioned on the right and left edges of the tablet to facilitate aligning the tablet to the docking assembly in either a landscape or portrait mode.

A vehicle tracking system includes a wheel containing sensor circuitry capable of sensing various types of conditions, such as wheel rotation, wheel vibration caused by skidding, and specific electromagnetic and / or magnetic signals indicative of particular wheel locations. The sensor circuitry is coupled to an RF transceiver, which may but need not be included within the wheel. The wheel may also include a brake mechanism. In one embodiment, the wheels are placed on shopping carts and are used to collect and monitor shopping cart status and location data via a wireless network. The collected data may be used for various purposes, such as locking the wheel of an exiting cart if the customer has not paid, estimating numbers of queued carts, stopping wheel skid events that occur during mechanized cart retrieval, store planning, and providing location-based messaging to customers.

A navigation system uses a dead reckoning method to estimate an object's present position relative to one or more prior positions. In some embodiments, the dead reckoning method determines a change in position from the object's heading and speed during an elapsed time interval. In embodiments suitable for use with wheeled objects, the dead reckoning method determines the change in position by measuring the heading and the amount of wheel rotation. Some or all of the components of the navigation system may be disposed within a wheel, such as a wheel of a shopping cart.

To suppress fluctuation in the threshold voltage of a transistor, to reduce the number of connections of a display panel and a driver IC, to achieve reduction in power consumption of a display device, and to achieve increase in size and high definition of the display device. A gate electrode of a transistor which easily deteriorates is connected to a wiring to which a high potential is supplied through a first switching transistor and a wiring to which a low potential is supplied through a second switching transistor; a clock signal is input to a gate electrode of the first switching transistor; and an inverted clock signal is input to a gate electrode of the second switching transistor. Thus, the high potential and the low potential are alternately applied to the gate electrode of the transistor which easily deteriorates.

To suppress fluctuation in the threshold voltage of a transistor, to reduce the number of connections of a display panel and a driver IC, to achieve reduction in power consumption of a display device, and to achieve increase in size and high definition of the display device. A gate electrode of a transistor which easily deteriorates is connected to a wiring to which a high potential is supplied through a first switching transistor and a wiring to which a low potential is supplied through a second switching transistor; a clock signal is input to a gate electrode of the first switching transistor; and an inverted clock signal is input to a gate electrode of the second switching transistor. Thus, the high potential and the low potential are alternately applied to the gate electrode of the transistor which easily deteriorates.

A tilter assembly is provided for positioning an electronic device such as a flat panel display. The tilter assembly includes a tilter shaft holder having an opening aligned along an axis and a shaft received within the opening. The shaft is rotatable about the axis, and may be coupled to a support. The tilter shaft holder is coupled to the electronic device. The tilter assembly also includes a torsion spring device in operative association with the shaft to provide a bias or counterbalance to the electronic device, thereby preventing undesired rotation about the axis.

A holder for portable electronic devices is provided. The holder seats the portable electronic device upon a tray, and secures the device in such position preferably via a compression fit where the walls of the tray engage against and hold the edges of the device. The holder further provides a user the ability to adaptably position the display of the device relative to vertical or horizontal surfaces through use of a mounting assembly and support assembly that are connected to the back side of the tray.

A support system includes a plurality of support members and a plurality of cross members. The support system is adapted to fit within an access device for insertion into a space between adjacent vertebrae. A plurality of hinges connects each cross member to at least one support member. The support system is movable between a first state and a second state. In the first state, the support system is substantially linear. In the second state, the support system is configurable into one of several geometric shapes. A number of strings may be attached to the support members for transitioning the support system from the first state to the second state.

An overhead garage door (10) includes a plurality of panels (11) each carrying rollers (12) which ride in a track assembly (15). The track assembly (15) includes a generally vertically positionable component (16), a generally horizontally positionable component (17), and an arcuate transitional component (18) positioned between the vertical component (16) and the horizontal component (17). The vertical component (16) is generally U-shaped in end profile having a base portion (22) with branches (20, 21) extending from the edges thereof. The vertical component (16) is provided with a plurality of spaced separating systems (25), each of which includes a web (26) extending across the base portion (22) and the slots (28, 29) in the branches (20, 21). A selected portion of the length of the vertical component (16) may be removed by inserting a tool in the slots (28, 29) of one of the separating systems (25) and twisting it to break the webs (30, 31) adjacent to the slots (28, 29). Then by bending that portion on the web (26), it will breakaway to provide a vertical component (16) of the desired length.

A wireless ad hoc pico network is formed by eyewear and other devices such as a computer, a bracelet and a telephone having similar transceivers mounted on them. Master slave relationships are configurable. Other devices, such as a radio, a CD player, a hand held global positioning satellite system and a heart rate monitor, having similar transceivers, can also be connected with the transceiver of the eyewear. The transceivers operate on globally available, unlicensed radio band, 2.45 gigahertz (GHz) and conforms to the Bluetooth standard. The power consumption of Bluetooth enabled devices is less than three percent of the power consumption of a mobile phone. The eyewear includes a frame and connected to the frame are two temples. Temples are connected to frame via hinges. Temples have a male portion of a connector incorporated in them. Female portion of the connector is made integral with the hinges. When the male portion is inserted in the female portion the temple is attached to the frame. The temples can be removed by pulling the connector apart, and a temple with different apparatus within it can be inserted in place of the removed temples. The temple may have co-molded within its body, an apparatus such as an audio device, a camera, a speaker, and a microphone, and a display device such as liquid crystal or an alarm. In another embodiment, eyewear constitutes a distance alarm to monitor the movement of, for example, a child. A device in form of, for example, a bracelet is worn by the child. The transceivers in the eyewear and the bracelet form a small-range wireless network, i.e., piconet, wherein the eyewear and the bracelet communicate using signals conforming to the Bluetooth technology. The transceiver in the eyewear is configured to generate an alarm when the bracelet exceeds a predetermined distance from eyewear.

According to the present invention there is provided a snap in locking cable connector with a cylindrical housing having an entry end aperture and an exit end aperture. The entry end aperture can accept the snap-in spring steel adapter of U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,933 as well as the exit end peripheral spring steel locking ring described in this patent to provide a connector that allows rapid and simplified installation of armored cable into a junction or circuit box. The cylindrical housing includes an annular groove or ridge about the inner periphery thereof in the area of the entry end for retention of the spring steel adapter. An electrical cable connector of this type that relies upon frictional or interference fit for retention of the spring steel adapter is also described. Retention of the spring steel adapter with a screw, rivet or similar fastener is also described.

An interface apparatus includes a base element, an interface element, and an attachment mechanism for attaching the interface element to the base element. The attachment mechanism is pivotable within a plurality of degrees of freedom. The interface element is an extensible member which is, in two of its embodiments, pivotally mounted so as to be rotatably adjustable about a pivot point with respect to a primary member. The primary member may be a base member or another display member. These members may be computer keyboards or displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), audio speakers, or the like such as are used in desk top or lap top computers and terminals.

A method for controlling a door, comprising the steps of storing energy during a manual opening of a door, sensing an object within a doorway, selectively applying a force derived from the stored energy, to close the door, based on the sensing of an object in the doorway. The closure is preferably controlled by an electronic control. A door closing device comprising an energy storage device for storing energy during door opening and releasing the stored energy to subsequently close the door, a damping system for damping a closure of the door, a sensor for detecting an object within a doorway, having an output, a controllable device for selectively restraining the energy storage device from closing the door, and a control system for controlling the controllable device based on the output.

A hinge includes a first connector, a casing, a bush and a second connector. The first connector includes a post and a beam extended from the post. The post can be connected to a portion of a laptop computer. The casing is non-rotationally mounted on the beam. The bush is disposed non-rotationally in the casing. The second connector includes a shaft and a plate extended from the shaft. The shaft is rotationally inserted in the bush. The plate can be connected to another portion of the laptop computer.

A power generation system for wheeled objects comprises a generator mechanically coupled to one or more of the object's wheels to convert wheel rotational energy into electrical energy. The power generation system may comprise an electrical storage device configured to store the electrical power produced by the generator. Power from the generator and / or the electrical storage device can be used to provide power to other electrical systems in or on the object. In certain embodiments, the electrical storage device comprises a bank of high-capacity capacitors connected in series. Some embodiments use a control circuit, for example, to regulate the charging and discharging of the capacitor bank and to provide suitable voltages for other systems. The power generation system may be disposed within an object's wheel, such as a wheel of a shopping cart.

A snap in locking cable connector is composed of two mating pieces that snap together and provide a connector for armored or metal clad electrical conducts. One piece includes a die cast member including a smooth outer cylindrical section having an inner diameter that may accommodate a spring steel adaptor with flanges to hold the spring steel adaptor in place. The spring steel adaptor is used in conjunction with an electrical junction box to fix the location of the locking cable connector with respect to the junction box. Another piece includes a spring steel locking ring provided to receive an armored cable and lock into the die cast member. The spring steel locking ring has tangs allowing unidirectional insertion into the die cast member and restricting withdrawal motion from the die cast member. The spring steel locking ring also includes oppositely directed tangs to permit reception of the armored cable in one direction and restrict its movement in the reverse direction.

Disclosed herein is a sliding / hinge apparatus for sliding / rotating type mobile terminals, which can be slid and rotated from a body housing of the sliding / rotating type mobile terminal. The sliding / rotating type mobile terminal includes a body housing and a slide housing slidably mounted on the body housing. The apparatus comprises first and second hinge frames mounted in the body housing by means of screws, first and second plates, one or more slide bars, and a coupling unit inserted through the center parts of the first and second hinge frames so that the first and second hinge frames are rotatably coupled with each other while being opposite to each other.

This application discloses a relatively thin flexible anchor sheet for installation under carpets or other decorative coverings and a covering module composed of a pre-attached decorative covering and anchor sheet which can be assembled by overlapping hook and loop attachment to an additional covering module to create a complete floor covering of carpet, tile, stone or other material and without substantial attachment to a floor.

An improved ergonomically efficient tool having two adjustable and lockable bends allowing the handle to be bent to selected angles at each bend. An alternate embodiment includes a telescoping feature between the two bends allowing the handle length to be adjusted to the height of a user. The two bends and the telescoping feature cooperate to minimize a user's need to stoop over to use the tool and make it easier and more ergonomically efficient to use. A coupling feature in a further embodiment allows multiple tool heads to be easily attached to the bendable handle.

A snap in locking cable connector is composed of two mating pieces that snap together and provide a connector for armored or metal clad electrical conductors. One piece includes a member including a smooth outer cylindrical section having an inner diameter that may accommodate a spring steel adaptor with flanges to hold the spring steel adaptor in place. The spring steel adaptor is used in conjunction with an electrical junction box to fix the location of the locking cable connector with respect to the junction box. Another piece includes a spring steel locking ring provided to receive an armored cable and lock into the member. The spring steel locking ring has tangs allowing unidirectional insertion into the member and restricting withdrawal motion from the member. The spring steel locking ring also includes oppositely directed tangs to permit reception of the armored cable in one direction and restrict its movement in the reverse direction.