GB2507166A

GB2507166A - Safety cover for chain having tube, lid, and hook

Info

Publication number: GB2507166A
Application number: GB201315119A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tom O'brien
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-08-24
Filing date: 2013-08-23
Publication date: 2014-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 2033-08-23
Also published as: GB2507166B; IE20130250A1; IE86696B1; GB201315119D0

Abstract

Safety cover 10, 16 for a chain (18, figure 6) having hollow tube 10 with open top 12, and removable lid 16 having hook 20 for suspending chain 18. Lid 16 may be removably attachable to bracket 30 in order to vertically suspend tube 10. Tube 10 may be translucent to allow chain 18 to be externally visible. Strap 34 may be fixed at an upper end to lid 16 and at a lower end to tube 10 for sliding longitudinal movement. Permanent magnet 38 may be embedded in or fixed to tube 10 allowing mounting to a ferromagnetic surface.

Description

A Safety Cover for a Chain

Field of the invention

This invention relates to a safety cover for a chain, especially but not necessarily a closed loop chainsaw chain.

Background of the invention

Improper transport or storage of chainsaw chains can lead to chains becoming blunt, clogged or damaged, which can lead to kickback. Also, sharp chains left lying around or hanging loose can lead to injury.

Sumniarv of the invention According to the present invention there is provided a safety cover for a chain, the cover comprising a hollow tube having an open top, a removable lid closing the open top, and a hook on the underside of the lid to allow a chain to be suspended from the hook within the tube.

By hook we mean a hook proper or any suspension device which will allow a chain to be releasably suspended from the underside of the lid. Also, expressions of orientation such as top, bottom, upper, lower, vertical, etc., refer to the orientation of the cover when it is mounted vertically, as shown in the drawings.

The safety cover may further comprise a bracket for fixing to a wall, the lid being removably attachable to the bracket so that the hollow tube can be suspended substantially vertically below the bracket.

Preferably the hollow tube is at least partially translucent to allow a chain suspended within the tube to be visible externally of the tube.

The safety cover may also have a strap having an upper end fixed to the lid and a lower end mounted to the tube for sliding longitudinal movement relative thereto, the lower end of the strap being retained at all times in contact with the tube.

In addition, the safety cover may comprise a permanent magnet embedded in or fixed to the tube to allow the tube to be mounted to a ferromagnetic surface.

The invention further provides a safety cover as specified above and a chain suspended in the tube.

Brief description of the drawings

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an front perspective view of an embodiment of a cover for a chainsaw chain according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows the view of Figure 1 with a lid separated from the cover to show the chainsaw chain suspended from the lid.

Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the cover.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a lower portion of the cover as shown in Figure 3, illustrating the connection between a carry strap and the cover.

Figure 5 is the view of Figure 4 with the end of the strap disconnected.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross-section through the cover of Figure 1, showing the chainsaw chain suspended therein.

Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the top end of the cover of Figure 6, with the chain in place.

Figure 8 is the view of Figure 7 with the chain removed.

Figure 9 shows a side elevation of the cover magnetically connected to a chainsaw cover.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the arrangement shown in Figure 9.

Figure 11 shows an enlarged view of an upper end of the cover.

Detailed description of the drawings

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, a safety cover for a chainsaw chain 18 comprises a hollow cylindrical tube 10 having an open top 12 and a closed bottom 14. The open top 12 is closed by a removable lid 16. The tube 10 and lid 16 are moulded from a rigid plastics material, and at least a part of the tube may be transparent so that a chain stored within the safety cover is visible externally. The tube 10 and/or lid 16 may be produced from any other suitable material, for example aluminium, stainless steel, etc. The lid 16 is fitted to the open top 12 by a conventional bayonet-type push-and-twist fitting. It will of course be understood that the tube 10 may be of any other cross sectional shape, for example square, rectangular, elliptical, etc. It will also be appreciated that the lid 16 may be secured to the tube 10 in any suitable manner, and may have a locking mechanism (not shown) provided in order to secure the lid 16 in place with greater security.

A hook 20 is mounted on the underside of the lid 16 to allow the chain 18 to be suspended from the hook 20 within the tube 10. In the embodiment illustrated the lid has a downward extension 22 to which the hook 20 is secured, by means of a swivelling or rotating eye 24 from which the hook 20 is suspended, and a fixed eye 26 mounted to the extension 22. The eyes 24, 26 are looped through one another, with the hook 20 being freely rotatable about a vertical axis. The hook 20 may of course be secured to the lid 16 in any other suitable fashion, in particular allowing the hook to be rotatable relative to the lid 16. The hook 20 incorporates a tab 28 which may be depressed in conventional fashion to open the hook 20 in order to allow a chain to be quickly and easily secured to or removed from the hook 20.

The safety cover may also have an associated right-angle bracket 30 for fixing to a wall or similar support surface. The top of the lid 16 is removably attachable to the bracket 30 by inserting the bracket 30 into a corresponding recess 32 formed in the lid 16,so that the hollow tube 10 can be suspended substantially vertically below the bracket 30. In use this allows the combined tube 10 and lid 16 to be secured to the bracket 30 via the lid 16, and the tube 10 then rotated relative to the lid 16 to disengage the tube 10 from the lid 16. The tube 10 can then be drawn downwardly from about the chain 18, which is hanging vertically from the lid 16 via the hook 20, providing a user access to the chain 18 while leaving the users two hands free, for example to repair, lubricate, or otherwise service the chain 18.

The cover further comprises a flexible strap 34 connected between the lid 16 and the tube 10, which strap 34 serves to both tether the lid 16 to the tube 10 to prevent the lid 16 from being misplaced, while also providing a means of carrying the safety cover, for example over the shoulder or the like.

The strap 34 may take any suitable form, and in one preferred arrangement is approximately double the length of the tube 10 and has a pair of free ends, one secured on either side of the interface between the tube 10 and lid 16. The strap is then doubled over on itself and the mid point of the strap releasably secured at a position at or adjacent the closed or bottom end of the tube 10, in the embodiment illustrated by means of a releasable buckle or coupling 36 which may be separated from the tube 10. In this configuration the strap 34 can be used as a basic handle to carry the safety cover. However if the mid point of the strap is disconnected from the tube 10 by releasing the coupling 36, with the two free ends remaining secured to the lid 16 and tube 10 respectively, the full length of the strap 34 will then be available for use as a shoulder strap for carrying the safety cover.

The safety cover also preferably comprises one or more permanent magnets embedded in or fixed to the tube 10 to allow the tube to be mounted to a ferromagnetic surface such as the steel interior of a vehicle cab or any other suitable location. In the embodiment illustrated the safety cover comprises a pair of magnets 38, one located adjacent either end of the tube 10. Figures 9 and 10 illustrated the magnets 38 being used to releasably secure the safety cover to a steel chainsaw guard or cover, which thus ensures that the safety cover will remain with the related chainsaw at all times.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein which may be modified or varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

Claims 1. A safety cover for a chain, the cover comprising a hollow tube having an open top, a removable lid closing the open top, and a hook on the underside of the lid to allow a chain to be suspended from the hook within the tube.
2. A safety cover according to claim I comprising a bracket for fixing to a wall, the lid being removably attachable to the bracket so that the hollow tube can be suspended substantially vertically below the bracket.
3. A safety cover according to claim 1 or 2 in which the hollow tube is at least partially translucent to allow a chain suspended within the tube to be visible externally of the tube.
4. A safety cover according to any preceding claim comprising a strap having an upper end fixed to the lid and a lower end mounted to the tube for sliding longitudinal movement relative thereto, the lower end of the strap being retained at all times in contact with the tube.
5. A safety cover according to any preceding claim comprising a permanent magnet embedded in or fixed to the tube to allow the tube to be mounted to a ferromagnetic surface.
6. A safety cover according to any of claims 1 to 5 and a chain suspended in the tube.