US-12623334-B2 - Apparatus with hand grip and method for mounting hand grip

Abstract

An apparatus having a handle with a mounted hand grip is described. A first end wall surface of the hand grip is tapered from a base surface to a top surface of the hand grip. A second end wall surface of the hand grip is tapered from the base surface to the top surface of the hand grip. A first end wall of the recess engages the first end wall surface of the hand grip and prevents movement of the first end wall surface away from the base surface of the recess. A second end wall of the recess engages the second end wall surface of the hand grip and prevents movement of the first end wall surface away from the base surface of the recess.

Inventors

• Ross Carl

Assignees

• TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20221221

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A method of adding a hand grip to a tool, the method comprising: placing the hand grip in a recess of a handle of the tool, wherein: the hand grip comprises a hand grip base, a hand grip top opposite the hand grip base, a hand grip first end wall, and a hand grip second end wall, and the hand grip first end wall and the hand grip second end wall taper inwardly from the hand grip base to the hand grip top such that the hand grip base is wider than the hand grip top; and deforming a first handle portion such that the first handle portion reduces an opening of the recess, directly engages the hand grip first end wall, and impedes removal of the hand grip from the recess.
2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , comprising deforming a second handle portion such that the second handle portion reduces the opening of the recess, directly engages the hand grip second end wall, and impedes removal of the hand grip from the recess.
3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , comprising inserting a rib extending from a surface of the recess into a channel in the hand grip base.
4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , comprising inserting a rib extending from the hand grip base into a channel in a surface of the recess.
5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , comprising inserting first projections extending from a surface of the recess into first depressions in the hand grip base.
6. 6 . The method of claim 5 , comprising inserting second projections extending from the hand grip base into second depressions in the surface of the recess.
7. 7 . The method of claim 1 , comprising inserting projections extending from the hand grip base into depressions in a surface of the recess.
8. 8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein: the hand grip base is convex, and the method comprises inserting the hand grip base into a concave surface of the recess.
9. 9 . A tool, comprising: a handle coupled to the tool, the handle comprising: one or more lateral surfaces that extend between a first end of the handle and a second end of the handle; and a first recess in a first lateral surface of the one or more lateral surfaces, wherein a first recess base of the first recess is wider than a first recess opening into the first recess; and a first hand grip mounted in the first recess, the first hand grip comprising a first hand grip base and a first hand grip top opposite the first hand grip base, wherein: the first hand grip base is wider than the first recess opening, the first hand grip top is narrower than the first recess opening, the first hand grip top defines a first portion of a handle outer surface of the handle that a user grasps to operate the tool, and the first recess comprises end walls that are formed inward to directly engage tapered end walls of the first hand grip and impede removal of the first hand grip from the first recess.
10. 10 . The tool of claim 9 , wherein: first end walls of the first recess taper inwardly from the first recess base to the first recess opening, and the first end walls contact the first hand grip and impede removal of the first hand grip from the first recess.
11. 11 . The tool of claim 9 , wherein: the first hand grip comprises a channel in the first hand grip base, and the first recess comprises a rib extending from the first recess base and into the channel of the first hand grip base.
12. 12 . The tool of claim 9 , wherein: the first recess comprises a channel in the first recess base, and the first hand grip comprises a rib extending from the first hand grip base and into the channel in the first recess base.
13. 13 . The tool of claim 9 , wherein: the first hand grip comprises first depressions in the first hand grip base, and the first recess comprises first projections extending from the first recess base and into the first depressions of the first hand grip base.
14. 14 . The tool of claim 13 , wherein: the first recess comprises second depressions in the first recess base, and the first hand grip comprises second projections extending from the first hand grip base and into the second depressions in the first recess base.
15. 15 . The tool of claim 9 , wherein: the first recess comprises depressions in the first recess base, and the first hand grip comprises projections extending from the first hand grip base and into the depressions in the first recess base.
16. 16 . The tool of claim 9 , wherein: the first recess base is concave, and the first recess base is convex and engages the first recess base.
17. 17 . The tool of claim 9 , wherein the handle includes: a second recess in a second lateral surface of the one or more lateral surfaces that is opposite the first lateral surface, and a second hand grip mounted in the second recess.
18. 18 . The tool of claim 17 , wherein: second end walls of the second recess taper inwardly from a second recess base to a second recess opening, and the second end walls contact the second hand grip and impede removal of the second hand grip from the second recess.
19. 19 . The tool of claim 17 , wherein: a second hand grip base of the second hand grip engages a second recess base of the second recess, and a second hand grip top of the second hand grip defines a second portion of the handle outer surface that is opposite the first portion of the handle outer surface.
20. 20 . The tool of claim 19 , wherein: the first recess base is substantially parallel to the second recess base, the handle includes a tang that traverses the first recess and the second recess, and the tang is sandwiched between the first hand grip and the second hand grip.

Description

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/822,149, filed Mar. 18, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/980,369, filed Dec. 28, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,596,694. The aforementioned documents are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION Various embodiments relate to hand grips, tools having hand grips, and mounting hand grips to tools. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many tools such a hand tools, power tools, cutlery, etc., provide handles which a user of the implement may grasp in order to hold and manipulate the tool. Such tools may be formed from metal or other hard materials. Such tools may further include handles, hand grips, or both that are formed from softer materials such as wood, plastic, rubber, etc., which users may find more suitable for grasping and gripping than the hard materials used to form the tool. Since the handles, grips, or both are formed from a different material than the tool, the handles and grips must be joined or otherwise affixed to the tool. To this end, a tool may include a tang to which a handle or grip is affixed. For example, hand grips may be placed on each face of the tang such that the tang is sandwiched between the hand grips. Rivets, screws, or other fasteners may pass through an outer face of one hand grip, through the tang, and through the outer face of the other hand grip. In this manner, the fasteners affix the hand grips to the tool via its tang. Limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches should become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with aspects of the embodiments set forth in the remainder of the present application. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Methods of mounting hand grips to a handle and handles with such hand grips are substantially shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, and are set forth more completely in the claims. Advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS For clarity of illustration, exemplary elements illustrated in the figures may not necessarily be drawn to scale. In this regard, for example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements to provide clarity. Furthermore, where considered appropriate, reference labels have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. FIG. 1 depicts a hand grip and handle in accordance with one embodiment. FIGS. 2-4 depict a process of mounting a hand grip to a handle in accordance with one embodiment. FIG. 5 depicts a hand grip and handle in accordance with another embodiment. FIG. 6 depicts a hand grip and handle in accordance with a further embodiment. FIG. 7 depicts a hand grip and handle in accordance with yet another embodiment. FIG. 8 depicts a hand grip and handle in accordance with yet further embodiment. FIG. 9 depicts a hand grip and handle in accordance with yet further embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Aspects of the present invention are generally related to hand grips and handles and more specifically to handles with mounted hand grips and methods for mounting hand grips into such handles. The following description focuses upon a manner of mounting hand grips to a handle of a tool such as a knife, hammer, screw driver, etc. However, various aspects of the disclosed measurement devices may be applicable to a wide range of handheld implements such as power tools, gardening tools, cutlery, etc. Referring now to FIG. 1, a hand grip 10 and handle 40 are shown prior to mounting the hand grip 10 to the handle 40. The hand grip 10 may be formed from various different materials such as wood, plastic, rubber, etc., which users may find more suitable for grasping and gripping than the hard materials used to form the handle 40. Mounting such a softer hand grip 10 to the hard handle 40 may make using the associated implement (e.g., hand tool) more pleasing to the user. To this end, the hand grip 10 may comprise a base surface 12, a top surface 14 opposite the base surface, a first end surface 16, a second end surface 18 opposite the first end surface, and a first lateral surface 22, and second lateral surface 24 opposite the first lateral surface 22. The base and top surfaces 12, 14 are generally planar and parallel to each other. Similarly, the first and second lateral surfaces 22, 24 are generally planar and parallel to each other. The first and second end surfaces 16, 18 are likewise generally planar. However, unlike the lateral surfaces 22, 24, the end surfaces 16, 18 are not parallel to each other but are angled inwardly such that the hand grip 10 is tapered from the base surface 12 toward the top surface 14. As such, a le