In the automotive industry, fluid lines in the form of flexible pipes or hoses are used to convey fluids such as air, coolant, oil and fuel from one vehicle component to another. During servicing of a vehicle it may be necessary to disconnect or cut a fluid line, in which case fluid could leak from an opening in the fluid line unless manually sealed by a technician.
Depending on the nature of the fluid line and the fluid leaking therefrom, technicians may simply allow the fluid to drain from within the fluid line into a collection container (eg. pan), or temporarily seal the opening in the fluid line by way of a closure such as a plug, or temporarily close off a flexible fluid line by way of a hose clamp (pinch-off pliers) or by kinking the line.
One disadvantage of known pinch-off pliers is that an operator must use both hands when operating the pliers. In particular, the locking mechanism of known pliers are not user friendly and require two hands to position. Also, the release of the locking mechanism requires two hands.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds