초록 ▼

A quick connect assembly provides a male portion with a pair of arms defining teeth on their outer surface, and a female portion having a sleeve, defining inward facing teeth corresponding to the outward facing teeth of the male portion. Insertion of a handle upon which the male portion has been sec

A quick connect assembly provides a male portion with a pair of arms defining teeth on their outer surface, and a female portion having a sleeve, defining inward facing teeth corresponding to the outward facing teeth of the male portion. Insertion of a handle upon which the male portion has been secured into the female portion will cause the teeth of the male portion to engage the teeth of the female portion, securing the handle in its desired location.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A quick connect apparatus for a tool, the tool having a tool portion and an elongated handle, the quick connect apparatus comprising:a male component, including:a top end;a bottom end;an elongated central portion between the top end and the bottom end;a pair of resilient arms extending upward and

1. A quick connect apparatus for a tool, the tool having a tool portion and an elongated handle, the quick connect apparatus comprising:a male component, including:a top end;a bottom end;an elongated central portion between the top end and the bottom end;a pair of resilient arms extending upward and outward from the bottom end, the arms defining a plurality of outwardly facing teeth;the male component being structured for mounting on the elongated handle; anda female component, including a socket defining a handle-receiving portion and a male component receiving portion, the handle-receiving portion being dimensioned and configured to receive the handle and to permit the handle to pass into the lowermost portion of the socket, the male component receiving portion being dimensioned and configured to receive the male component, the male component receiving portion having a pair of opposing walls defining a plurality of inwardly facing teeth thereon, the inwardly facing teeth being dimensioned and configured to engage the outwardly facing teeth and to thereby resist removal of the male connector from the socket, the socket being structured for securing to the tool portion. 2. The quick connect apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the male component receiving portion of the socket further defines an opening dimensioned and configured to permit insertion of a tool for pushing the arms away from the inwardly facing teeth, permitting removal of the male connector from the female connector. 3. The quick connect apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the socket further defines an aperture dimensioned and configured to permit insertion of a bolt or screw therethrough and into the handle. 4. The quick connect apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:the bottom end and top end of the male component each define a tapered surface; andthe male component receiving portion of the female component defines a pair of angled surfaces dimensioned and configured to abut the angled surfaces defined on the male component. 5. The quick connect apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the angled surfaces defined on the male component and the angled surfaces defined within the female component have substantially the same angle with respect to vertical. 6. The quick connect apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the male component includes a hole dimensioned and configured to receive a bolt or screw defined within its top end and within its bottom end. 7. The quick connect apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the male component includes a bottom face having a concave shape when viewed from either the top or the bottom. 8. A tool, comprising:a tool portion;an elongated handle;a quick connect apparatus, comprising:a male component, including:a top end;a bottom end;an elongated central portion between the top end and the bottom end;a pair of resilient arms extending upward and outward from the bottom end, the arms defining a plurality of outwardly facing teeth;the male component being structured for mounting on the elongated handle; anda female component, including a socket defining a handle-receiving portion and a male component receiving portion, the handle-receiving portion being dimensioned and configured to receive the handle and to permit the handle to pass into the lowermost portion of the socket, the male component receiving portion being dimensioned and configured to receive the male component, the male component receiving portion having a pair of opposing walls defining a plurality of inwardly facing teeth thereon, the inwardly facing teeth being dimensioned and configured to engage the outwardly facing teeth and to thereby resist removal of the male connector from the socket, the socket being structured for securing to the tool portion. 9. The tool according to claim 8, wherein the male component receiving portion of the socket further defines an opening dimensioned and configured to permit insertion of a tool for pushing the arms away from the inwardly facing teeth, permitting removal of the male connector from the female connector. 10. The tool according to claim 8, wherein the socket further defines an aperture dimensioned and configured to permit insertion of a bolt or screw therethrough and into the handle. 11. The tool according to claim 8, wherein:the bottom end and top end of the male component each define a tapered surface; andthe male component receiving portion of the female component defines a pair of angled surfaces dimensioned and configured to abut the angled surfaces defined on the male component. 12. The tool according to claim 11, wherein the angled surfaces defined on the male component and the angled surfaces defined within the female component have substantially the same angle with respect to vertical. 13. The tool according to claim 8, wherein the male component includes a hole dimensioned and configured to receive a bolt or screw defined within its top end and within its bottom end. 14. The tool according to claim 8, wherein the male component includes a bottom face having a concave shape when viewed from either the top or the bottom. 15. The tool according to claim 8, wherein the tool is a shovel. 16. A method of assembling a tool, the tool having a tool portion and an elongated handle, the method comprising;providing a quick connect apparatus, the quick connect apparatus comprising:a male component, including:a top end;a bottom end;an elongated central portion between the top end and the bottom end;a pair of resilient arms extending upward and outward from the bottom end, the arms defining a plurality of outwardly facing teeth;the male component being structured for mounting on the elongated handle; anda female component, including a socket defining a handle-receiving portion and a male component receiving portion, the handle-receiving portion being dimensioned and configured to receive the handle, the male component receiving portion being dimensioned and configured to receive the male component, the male component receiving portion having a pair of opposing walls defining a plurality of inwardly facing teeth thereon, the inwardly facing teeth being dimensioned and configured to engage the outwardly facing teeth and to thereby resist removal of the male connector from the socket, the socket being structured for securing to the tool portionsecuring the male component to the elongated handle;securing the female component to the tool portion;inserting the handle into the socket, thereby securing the handle within the socket through the engagement of the outwardly facing teeth with the inwardly facing teeth. 17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising securing the handle within the socket using a bolt or screw passing through an aperture defined within the socket. 18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the female component includes a flange for securing to the tool portion. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the female component is secured to the tool portion by welding the flange to the tool portion. 20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising providing mating angled surfaces defined within the top and bottom of the male component and the male component receiving portion of the female component, dimensioned and configured to bias the handle rearward within the socket as the handle is pushed downward into the socket.