US 12,226,921 B2
Lockable tool with sliding scale release
Walter Halucha, Montauk, NY (US); James Fang, Parsippany, NJ (US); and J. Reese Weiland, Jr., Riverview, FL (US)
Assigned to LATAMA, LLC, Montauk, NY (US)
Filed by Latama, LLC, Montauk, NY (US)
Filed on Jan. 23, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/100,136.
Application 18/100,136 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/572,711, filed on Jan. 11, 2022, granted, now 12,036,687.
Application 17/572,711 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/689,620, filed on Nov. 20, 2019, granted, now 11,254,021.
Application 16/689,620 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/792,204, filed on Oct. 24, 2017, granted, now 10,569,432.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/436,570, filed on Dec. 20, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2023/0150152 A1, May 18, 2023
Int. Cl. B26B 5/00 (2006.01); B26B 1/04 (2006.01); B26B 1/08 (2006.01)
CPC B26B 1/08 (2013.01) [B26B 1/048 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A lockable tool, comprising:
a frame having a rear proximal position, a front distal position, a forward direction along a longitudinal axis from the rear position to the front position, a length along the longitudinal axis, a width in a width direction perpendicular to the length, and a height along a vertical axis perpendicular to the length and the width;
the frame having a first plate extending along the longitudinal axis from the rear position to the forward position and having an inside surface facing in the width direction, a middle plate parallel to and aligned with the first plate, and a second plate parallel to and aligned with the middle plate, with a gap between the first plate and the middle plate;
a tool having a distal tip and a proximal base, and a biasing mechanism biasing the tool to the extended configuration, the base having a first notch and being coupled to the frame, the tool displaceable between a closed, retracted configuration wherein the tool is retracted within the frame and an open extended configuration wherein the tool is extended outside the frame and the tip points towards the forward direction;
the frame and tool configured to form a selectively releasable locking mechanism having at least one projection selectively and releasably received in the first notch of the tool to lock the tool in the retracted configuration, and to unlock the tool by releasing the projection from the first notch;
the second plate slidably mounted with respect to the middle plate and coupled to the locking mechanism, wherein sliding the second plate along the longitudinal axis with respect to the middle plate moves the projection linearly, in the width direction, out of the first notch to unlock the tool, allowing the biasing mechanism to bias the tool into the extended configuration.