Hand Tool Tethering Collar with Frangible Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing retrofit systems for hand tools interfere with their functionality, particularly when securing tools with tethers, as they often obstruct the working end or provide inadequate retention, leading to accidental release and safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A retrofit system comprising a tool collar and tethering tab that allows for secure attachment of a lanyard without obstructing the tool's functionality, featuring a bore and tab structure that provides a snug fit and free rotation, made from materials with specific Shore A hardness ranges for resilience and ease of installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an eyelet is attached to the end of the tool for tethering, then the tool can be secured to a lanyard, but the eyelet obstructs the working end of the tool and interferes with its functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The tool is divided into functional segments: the working end remains unobstructed for its intended purpose, while a separate collar component is added to the non-working end to provide tethering attachment. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its function without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The tethering attachment feature (eyelet) is extracted from the working end of the tool and relocated to the non-working end. This extraction removes the obstruction from the functional area while preserving the tethering capability through the collar assembly.
2Reliability
If a tubular device uses suction force to retain the tool, then the tool can be attached to the tethering device, but the suction force is abruptly relieved when pulling the tool out, causing dangerous accelerating force
Solution Approach 1:
The collar assembly includes a frangible member that acts as a predetermined failure point, cushioning the release process. When the tool is pulled out, the frangible member breaks first, gradually relieving the retention force and preventing dangerous accelerating forces that would occur with abrupt suction release.
Solution Approach 2:
The frangible member is designed to break at a specific force threshold, allowing the system to skip from a retained state to a released state through a controlled intermediate failure point, rather than experiencing abrupt force changes.
3Ease of manufacture
If a rubber stopper is used to attach the tethering device to the tool, then the device can be manually installed, but the stopper can be inadvertently pulled off, causing the tool to become separated from the tethering device
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system transitions from a static rubber stopper to a dynamic collar assembly with a frangible member that can progressively fail. The frangible member provides controlled dynamics during release, breaking at predetermined points rather than being inadvertently removed like a simple stopper.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar assembly uses composite construction with different material properties: the collar body provides structural integrity, while the frangible member uses a material designed for controlled breaking. This composite approach combines easy installation with reliable retention.
4Ease of operation
If the bore of the tool collar has the same cross-sectional area as the tool portion, then the tool collar can be easily inserted, but it provides insufficient snug fit and retention
Solution Approach 1:
The bore cross-sectional area is deliberately made smaller than the tool portion cross-sectional area, creating an interference fit. This parameter change ensures snug fit and reliable retention, while the frangible member compensates for the increased insertion force by providing a controlled failure point.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables secure tethering of hand tools without interfering with their intended use, minimizing entanglement and ensuring reliable retention during use and handling, while allowing for manual installation and preventing accidental release.
Implementation Method 1
the tool collar is made of a resilient material having a Shore A hardness in the range of about 20 to about 50
Implementation Method 2
bore having a cross-sectional area that is less than the cross-sectional area of a first tool portion of the hand tool providing a snug fit
Data Source
AI summary
A retrofit system for tethering a hand tool includes a tool collar having a collar body, a first body end, a second body end, a skirt at the second body end having an outer diameter larger than an outer diameter of the collar body, and a bore extending longitudinally therethrough, and a tethering tab having a first tab opening and a second tab opening transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tethering tab. The tool collar is made of a material having a Shore A hardness in the range of about 20 to about 50. The second tab opening of the tethering tab being spaced from the first tab opening and the first tab opening having a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of the first tool portion providing for free rotation of the tethering tab around the first tool portion.