Fastener-Free Belt Clip for Power Tools
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power tools are cumbersome and dangerous to set aside, especially on elevated surfaces or when maneuvering with other workpieces, and existing belt clips require fasteners for attachment, making them inconvenient to reposition or remove.
Innovation Solution
A belt clip design that couples to a power tool without fasteners, using a monolithic body with interlocking projections and recesses to secure the clip to the tool housing, allowing it to be easily attached and detached, and features a gap for tool belt accommodation with a resilient design to fit various belt sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a belt clip is attached to a power tool using fasteners, then the attachment is secure and reliable, but the device complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring additional tools for attachment and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical fastener system (screws, clips, or adhesives requiring tools) with a friction-fit mechanism. The belt clip body is shaped to receive the power tool housing with interference fit, allowing secure attachment through friction forces alone. This eliminates the need for fasteners and tool-based attachment, enabling simple hand-operated insertion and removal while maintaining reliable connection.
2Ease of operation
If a belt clip is designed with a monolithic body and friction-fit mechanism, then ease of operation improves for attachment and removal, but device complexity increases due to precision manufacturing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs friction-fit attachment where the critical parameter is the friction force between the belt clip body and power tool housing. By carefully controlling the dimensional parameters of the friction surfaces (diameter, length, surface finish), the design achieves secure attachment without complex mechanisms. The monolithic body simplifies the structure by eliminating separate fastener components, trading some manufacturing precision requirements for reduced part count and assembly complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the belt clip second member is spaced apart from the power tool exterior, then adaptability improves for various belt sizes, but the structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the belt clip with the second member spaced apart from the power tool exterior to create a flexible gap that can accommodate tool belts of various thicknesses and configurations. This spacing creates a dynamic adaptation capability where the clip can flex and adjust to different belt sizes. The resilient nature of the spaced configuration allows the structure to deform elastically within acceptable limits, maintaining structural integrity while providing versatility for different belt dimensions.
Data Source
AI summary
A belt clip for use with a power tool. The power tool includes a tool housing, a battery receptacle positioned adjacent the tool housing, and a battery selectively received within the battery receptacle. The belt clip includes a body with a first member that has a first portion and a connecting portion. The first portion is received in a complementary groove on an interior surface of the battery receptacle, and the connecting portion is substantially perpendicular to the first portion and is configured to extend between the battery receptacle and the battery. The body also includes a second member that is coupled to the first member. The second member is configured to be spaced apart from an exterior of the power tool.