USOO8616098B1 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 8,616,098 B1 ROSOW (45) Date of Patent: Dec. 31, 2013 (54) HANDLE FOR TOOLS 6,502,314 B1* 1/2003 McCatty ......................... 30,340 D476,535 S * 7/2003 Garon ............ D7/649 6,662,406 B2 * 12/2003 Shonfeld et al. ... ... 16.f431 (75) Inventor: Alice Rosow, Brooklyn, NY (US) D498,130 S * 1 1/2004 Tomchak et al. .. D8/107 D515,393 S * 2/2006 Lin ................ D8/107 (73) Assignee: Mystic Apparel LLC, New York City, D515,905 S * 2/2006 Chen ... D8/107 NY (US) D522,342 S * 6/2006 Kwan . D8/107 7,284,300 B1 * 10/2007 Bruns ... ... 16,430 7,578,731 B1* 8/2009 M 452,103 (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 7,621,023 B2 * 1 1/2009 E. ... 16,430 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 D614,010 S * 4/2010 Hyp ........ D8/107 U.S.C. 154(b) by 216 days. D625,572 S * 10/2010 Hoertnagl . ... D8, 45 7,828,305 B2 * 1 1/2010 Meyers et al. 80.87021 7,836,557 B2 * 1 1/2010 Baker ............................. 16,430 (21) Appl. No.: 13/183,066 7,930,804 B2 * 4/2011 Cornfield ........................ 16,430 7.976,100 B2 * 7/2011 Chen et al. 297,183.6 (22) Filed: Jul. 14, 2011 7.976,365 B1* 7/2011 King ................................. 452/6 8,006,351 B2* 8/2011 Baker ... ... 16,430 (51) Int. Cl. 2005, 0138777 A1* 6, 2005 Cornfield ........................ 16,430 B25G I/O (2006.01) (Continued) (52) U.S. Cl. USPC ............................................... 81/489, 16430 Primary Examiner - David BThomas (58) Field of Classification Search (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Andrew S. Langsam; Pryor USPC ......................... 81/480; 16/430; D8/107,313 Cashman LLP See application file for complete search history. (57) ABSTRACT (56) References Cited A handle for a garden tool, a kitchen utensil, a hardware tool, an implement, device, preferably cookware and/or a pot or U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS pan comprises a soft, resilient material formed into three ck horizontally-extending (to the longitudinal axis of the handle) ES ck 387: SN . O3: finger troughs. A slight recess for a fourth finger, and a thumb D236579 S : 9/1975 ViOSk D7649 rest, located on the bottom and top, respectively, extend along D33,171 S 11, 1992 Berthet .... D7,395 the longitudinal axis of the handle. The thumb rest is at least D355,831 S * 2/1995 Hull et al. D8/107 partially Superimposed over the fourth (or pointer) finger 5,692,265 A : 12, 1997 Daluy. ... 16,430 recess and is at least partially forward or distal to the end of BAR: s ck ;38. style 1933 the handle as the troughs and the fourth or pointer finger 6,009,600 A * /2000 Egeland et al. ... 16436 recess of the handle. The soft material (polypropylene and/or D426,136 S * 6/2000 Yu ................ D8/107 thermoplastic rubber) for the handle along with the finger D427,030 S * 6/2000 Wen ............. ... D8.1 troughs and the thumb rest allow the handle to be comfortable E.39 s : $38: Swell et al. 1876; in use, very easy to control the item to which the handle is 6.419,601 B1* 7/2002 kner . 473/552 attached, and still allows for heat insulation between the item D463,244 S 9/2002 Chen. ... Ds/107 to which the handle is attached and the user's hand. D465,397 S * 1 1/2002 Chen ... ... D8, 107 D466,390 S * 12/2002 Hung ............................. D8/107 16 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets 105 OO US 8,616,098 B1 Page 2 (56) References Cited 2008. O163463 A1* T/2008 Hulden ........................... 16,430 2009,0183343 A1* T/2009 Baker ... ... 16,430 U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 2011/0203426 A1* 8, 2011 Cornfield .. ... 81,489 2012/01 10787 A1* 5, 2012 Quiggins et al. ................ 16,430 2005/0241111 A1* 1 1/2005 Prokop ........................... 16,430 2007/0101547 A1* 5/2007 Egeland .......................... 16,430 * cited by examiner U.S. Patent Dec. 31, 2013 Sheet 1 of 4 US 8,616,098 B1 U.S. Patent Dec. 31, 2013 Sheet 2 of 4 US 8,616,098 B1 20 /Y 105 105 24 OO 22 FIG2 FIG 3 U.S. Patent Dec. 31, 2013 Sheet 3 of 4 US 8,616,098 B1 O 105 115 100 OO FIG 4 FIG5 U.S. Patent Dec. 31, 2013 Sheet 4 of 4 US 8,616,098 B1 FIG 8 US 8,616,098 B1 1. 2 HANDLE FOR TOOLS superimposed over the slight recess for the fourth finger. The thumb rest is also in the shape of a slight curved recess and FIELD OF THE INVENTION extends along and in the general direction of the longitudinal axis of the handle and provides a resting point, a leverage The present invention relates to an ergonomic handle or a asserting point, and a cantilever point for the thumb of the handle component for use in connection with an array of tools users hand. The new handle is an improvement over the (garden, hardware, kitchen, etc.) and other tools and imple handles of the prior art and results in a far easier to use, more ments but is primarily intended for use as the handle for a comfortable, longer usable, and lightweight and heat insulat cooking utensiland/or a vessel, like a pot or pan. The new and ing handle than prior art handles. inventive handle is made in a basic cylindrical form, of diam 10 The handle of the present invention is particularly useful eter which can be easily held within one's hand. Preferably, and useable in connection with kitchen utensils, pots, pans, the bottom of the handle is provided with spaced finger and, yet, it can be used, too, to great advantage in connection troughs for three or four of the five fingers of a hand and is with a wheelbarrow handle, poles for use in painting ceilings, provided with a fifth, thumb finger trough or location garden tools, e.g., rakes, hoes, electric trimmers, etc and opposed, i.e., on the top side of the handle, i.e., opposed to the 15 hardware items with handles. first three or four finger troughs (on the bottom of the handle) to allow the user to hold and balance, with ease and dexterity, DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART the tool, cooking utensil, pot or pan provided with the handle. Preferably, the new handle is made of a resilient, yet sturdy Handles have been provided to a wide variety of products material so that the gripping of the same by the users hand is to enable and facilitate the use of the same by one or more comfortable even for long periods of time. Preferably the hands of the user. The handles are generally cylindrical and of material is a combination of polypropylene (a plastic) and a small enough diameter that the user's hand wraps around the thermoplastic rubber (natural or man made). The TPR, handle such that a strong grip can hold the handle with little whether natural or synthetic, has a long coiled polymer chain. difficulty. Handles are provided, for example, to pots and For putting the material to best use-to get good strength, age, 25 pans, kitchen utensils, hardware tools, garden tools, wheel oil, oxidation resistance, the rubber can be mixed with a barrows, poles for use with paint rollers, etc. These handles Vulcanising chemical, which will crosslink the polymeric are generally cylindrical, sometimes formed of heat resistant chains. On heating the TPR composition, like the polypropy material (Surely in the case of kitchen utensils, pots and pans) lene, the plastic/rubber flows like a plastic which can be made and sometimes even formed with one or more cross-wise or to fill a mold. The present invention, a handle for a tool, 30 angular troughs for providing location-holding areas for the implement, utensil, etc. can be an add-on handle which slips fingers of the holding hand. However, when the handles are over a prior-provided handle or the handle provided herein used for long periods of time, the handle becomes uncomfort can be new to the product and integrated into the same as the able, can be hard to precisely control and can even become too original handle. hot to easily and comfortably handle (in connection with food The thumb trough or rest, on the top of the handle and 35 pots and pansfutensils). Yet, dexterity and “feel are impor opposed to the troughs for the three or four of the otherfingers tant with the use of handles for many implements. of the hand, provides a convenient and easy balance point and It is an object of the present invention to provide a handle, cantilever, again, ensuring that the user has control and com capable of being installed onto and/or integrated into the fort in using the device to which the handle is attached. This holder for kitchen utensil, any tool, a pot or a pan, etc. which can be important in using kitchen utensils, pots and pans 40 handle is very comfortable and easy to use and which allows which often require movement of the pan and its material for the ease ofuse and precise control over the device to which (food) with respect to a plate, flipping of the food stuff, etc. the handle(s) is attached. It is a further object of the present The material for the handle is preferably heat resistant, too. invention to provide a handle which is heat insulative and, yet, The grip of one's hand on the handle for long periods of time has a soft and cushioned feel so that long periods of use can will not cause unnecessary heat from the metal pot or pan to 45 occur without discomfort.