Introduction

Registered Trademarks

Registered trademarks, as the term implies, are words, designs, or images that have been granted trademark status by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office (USPTO). The trademark records maintained by the USPTO are publically available and can be searched in their online database.

In a few cases a company may have claimed that a particular name or phrase is a registered trademark, but no corresponding registration could be located in the USPTO database. Such cases are not listed in Table 1, but are instead included in a later section listing informal trademarks.

Table 1. Registered Trademarks by Company

Company	Mark	First Use		Reg. No.	Notes
Ampco Metals Inc.	Ampco	06/02/1914		0501743
Armstrong Bros. Tool Co.	Armstrong	01/01/1892		0652375
	[Strong-Arm logo]	09/01/1893		0623406
	Strong [Strong-Arm logo]	09/01/1897		0095975
	Armaloy	08/01/1946
Belknap Inc.	Blue Grass [Logo]	12/14/1905		0070312	Used on various tools and hardware
Billings & Spencer Co.	B [Logo]	09/01/1870		0045068	Filed April 4, 1905; Triangle logo
	Life-Time	04/01/1926		0248759	Filed June 29, 1928
Blackhawk Mfg. Co.	Blackhawk	05/31/1919		0424871
	Treasure Chest	03/31/1930		0281766	Referring to sets of tools
	Lock-On	06/30/1930		0522930
Bonney Forge & Tool Works Corp	CV Chrome Vanadium	00/00/0000			Reg. Aug. 11, 1925; Date from catalog
	Bonney Tools	01/01/1935		0088992
	Bon-E-Con Tools	01/12/1953		0597597	Filed Sep. 10, 1953
Bonney Vise & Tool Works Inc.	Bonney	01/01/1876		0068202
Bridgeport Hardware Mfg. Corp.	Bridgeport	01/01/1928		0674925
Champion DeArment Co.	Champion DeArment	01/15/1925		0522034
	Channellock	05/01/1932		0516728
Cornwell Quality Tools Co.	Cornwell	01/01/1920		0747210
	C Cornwell [logo]	03/05/1962		0747209	Cornwell C in circle logo
Crawford Fitting Co.	Swagelok	10/26/1948		0595412	Filed April 20, 1951
Crescent Niagara Corp.	Billings [logo]	04/01/1926		0750104	Filed January 4, 1962
Crescent Tool Co.	Crescent	01/01/1907		0299305
	CTCO [logo]	09/27/1907		0067460	Filed Sepember 30, 1907
	Cee Tee Co	10/01/1913		0097826	Filed March 14, 1914
	Crestoloy	09/27/1930		0284271	Filed October 20, 1930
Daido Corp.	Daido	07/01/1936		0715001	Filed March 14, 1960
	Allenite	01/01/1954		0907510
	Cen-Tech	01/13/1969		0972817
	PROMATE [logo]	05/12/1978		0715001
Diamond Calk Horseshoe Co.	[Horse Shoe logo]	08/01/1908		0168676	Filed March 11, 1921
	Diamond [logo]	01/01/1919		0209074	Filed October 24, 1925
	Diamalloy [logo]	01/01/1931		0585695
Diamond Tool and Horseshoe Co.	Groove-Joint	06/04/1952		0772762	Filed February 4, 1963
Dresser Industries	Kraeuter	02/01/1965		1002227	Filed October 24, 1972
Duro Metal Products Co.	Duro	01/01/1929		0345576
	Duro Chrome	01/13/1931		0285395
	Duro-Chrome	01/13/1931		0570624
	Tools of Progress	07/01/1934		0335056
	Spin-Flex	05/01/1936		0338643
Fleet Tool Corp.	Fleet	08/29/1947		0787776	Filed April 28, 1964
GC Thorsen Inc.	TTC Thorsen Tool [Logo]	12/01/1926			Filed May 31, 1994
H-P Tool Mfg. Corp.	HP Blue Line [logo]	05/17/1961		0789953
	Blue Line	05/17/1961		0789954
Herbrand Corp.	Van Chrome	01/01/1919		0266707
Herbrand, The Bingham- Corp.	Herbrand	11/01/1921		0523089
	Multigrip	04/19/1930		0517113
Husky Wrench Co.	Husky	01/29/1924		0186808	Filed Feb. 9, 1924 by Sigmund Mandl
Indestro Mfg. Co.	Indestro	06/13/1922		0582680
	[wrench design]	12/30/1936		0346439	Streamlined design for wrench handles
	Tools [logo]	01/01/1939		0588070	Inverted triangle used on catalogs and toolboxes
	Select Steel Tools	03/21/1961		0733592
K-D Manufacturing Co.	K-D	04/30/1920		0510572	Filed Sep. 18, 1947
	K-D Tools	01/01/1963		1126339	Filed Feb. 13, 1978
Kelsey Hayes Corp.	Loc-Rite	02/14/1964		0789030
Kraeuter & Company, Inc.	Kraeuter	01/01/1910		0775742	Filed Dec. 10, 1963
Kyoto Tool Co.	KTC [logo]	01/01/1970		1663191	KTC inside a circle
Mechanics Tool and Forge	MAC	01/01/1939		0439367
Montgomery Ward & Co.	Riverside	12/31/1912		0760604	Earliest use for automobile parts and accessories
	Powr-Kraft	07/01/1932		0728250
Moore Drop Forging Co.	M [circle logo]	01/01/1908		0292165	M-Circle logo used on forgings and stampings
Mossberg, Frank Company	M [logo]	11/01/1902		0064165
National Auto Parts Assoc. (NA	Sparta	12/26/1963		0788712	Filed January 29, 1964
New Britain Machine Co.	New Britain	01/01/1895		0631236
	None Better	01/01/1917		0195979
	NB [circle logo]	01/01/1919		0195032	Stylized "NB" inside a circle
	Husky	01/29/1924		0882793	Originally filed by Sigmund Mandl
	Mustang	01/01/1954		0742301
Owatonna Tool Co.	OTC	09/01/1925		0983924
	Grip-O-Matic	01/01/1940		0790292
	Push-Puller	01/01/1940		0779422
P&C Hand Forged Tool Co.	P&C [logo]	01/16/1926		0572863	Filed June 15, 1951
Peck, Stow, & Wilcox Co.	Pexto	06/05/1914		0332786
Pendleton Tool Industries	Clik-Stop	12/30/1957		0670555	Filed March 10, 1958; used on adjustable wrenches
	Bet'R-Grip	08/23/1962		0752917	Filed August 30, 1962
Penens Corp.	Fleet Quality Tools [logo]	08/29/1947		0519190
	Socketeer	06/07/1954		0608272	Filed July 23, 1954
Plomb Tool Co.	Proto	01/23/1948		0530257
Plumb [Fayette R. Plumb Inc.]	Plumb	01/01/1876		0523846
	Plumb [logo]	08/01/1917		0138088	Filed May 27, 1920
Ridge Tool Co.	Ridgid	06/18/1923		0770621
Sears, Roebuck & Co.	Craftsman	10/28/1927		0534259
	Craftsman [underline logo]	01/01/1934		0525092
Sherman-Klove Co.	S-K	12/01/1932		0679222
Snap-On Corp.	Snap-On	01/01/1920		0660530
	Blue Point	09/15/1923		1471176
	Boxocket	12/01/1927		0237970	Filed Feb. 3, 1927; Used on Blue Point wrenches
	Loxocket	01/01/1938		1334023
	Par-X	04/19/1961		0731472
Stevens Walden Inc.	Spintite	09/15/1923		1018387
Symington Wayne Corp.	SK Wayne	01/24/1964		0822615
Thorsen Manufacturing Co.	Thorsen Hot Forged Tools	03/01/1953		0665346	Filed February 11, 1957
	Action Hot Forged Tools	08/01/1957		0735615	Filed May 29, 1961
Thorsen Tool Co.	Thorsen	07/01/1929		1147068	Filed February 7, 1979; Company in Dallas, Texas
	E-Z Twister	05/15/1981		1268522	Filed October 21, 1981
	Thorsen Pro-Line	10/25/1982		1437102	Filed August 8, 1983
Truecraft Tool Co.	Truecraft	12/30/1947		0585763	Assigned to AdvanTech division of Daido Corp.
Truth Tool Co.	Truth	02/27/1923		0164890	Registration date; No first-use date given
United Greenfield Corp.	Vulcan [logo]	01/24/1962		0795106	Registered after acquiring J.H. Williams Co.
Utica Drop Forge & Tool Co.	Utica	12/01/1910		0523494
	Utica [logo]	12/01/1910		0083793	Filed January 16, 1911; Three diamonds logo
Utica Tool Company, Inc.	Bonney	12/01/1945		1112133	Filed December 1, 1976
Vlchek Tool Co.	Vlchek	01/01/1910		0528105
Western Auto Supply Co.	Wizard	05/03/1937		0596370	Filed September 8, 1953
	Westcraft	11/03/1942		0547701	Filed October 2, 1947
Williams [J.H. Williams & Co.]	W [diamond logo]	01/01/1884		0104112	Diamond outline enclosing a "W"
	Vulcan	01/01/1897		0088987
	Williams	01/01/1900		0381837
	Superjustable	05/13/1921		0152551	Filed July 14, 1921
	Williams [underline logo]	11/09/1924		0517355	Williams name underlined by "S"
	Superrench	10/10/1925		0209075
	Supersocket	12/13/1930		0283105
	Superratchet	09/19/1932		0303210
Wright Tool and Forge Co.	Wright	01/01/1928		1022945

Brands and Informal Trademarks

In addition to registered trademarks, many tools are marked with words or stamped images serving as brand names or informal trademarks. In some cases, the maker may have claimed the brand as a trademark, but no corresponding registration could be found in the USPTO trademarks database. It's unclear whether these discrepancies are due to filed but rejected applications, or possibly lost or incomplete trademark records.

Table 2 lists a number of word marks used as brand names or informal trademarks, with notes indicating the particular use.

Table 2. Tool Brands and Informal (Unregistered) Trademarks

Logo Images

Table 3 below shows a number of logo images taken from various tools. In some cases these are also registered trademarks (as noted in the table), but in general the logos are simply informal marks chosen by the manufacturer to identify their tools.

The "shorthand" column is just a fanciful name I've assigned for convenience in referring to the logos; it doesn't necessarily correspond to what the maker would have called it.

Certain logos are identified in the table as "Forge Marks", meaning that they appear as a raised symbol on a forged piece, having been incised into the forging die. These marks were often used on contract manufacturing production to identify the maker.

Some of the table entries indicate that the company or maker for the logo is currently unknown. If you have any information about these logos, please let us know via the "Contact Us" link on any page.

Table 3. Tool Logos with Images by Company

Image	Shorthand	Company	Forge Mark?	Notes
	Strong-Arm	Armstrong Bros. Tool		Registered trademark
	A-Triangle	Armstrong Bros. Tool	Yes	Forge mark used on early tools and contract production
	B-Triangle	Billings & Spencer	Yes	Registered trademark; also used as a forge mark
	Arrowhead	Blackhawk Mfg.		Appears on early tools
	B-Circle	Bonney Forge & Tool Works		Used on contract production
	B-Shield	Bonney Forge & Tool Works	Yes	Forge mark used on earlier tools
	CV-Circle	Bonney Forge & Tool Works		Indicates Chrome-Vanadium alloy steel
	B-Hex	Bonney Forge & Tool Works		Used on Bon-E-Con tools
	BHM-logo	Bridgeport Hardware Mfg.		Appears on contract-manufactured tools
	X-Center	Bridgeport Hardware Mfg.		In center of wrench handles, from patent D97325
	Speeding-Snail	Colchester Lathe		Found on double-open wrench
	H-Circle	Craftsman (Sears & Roebuck)		Craftsman mfg. code for New Britain
	K-Circle	Craftsman (Sears & Roebuck)		Craftsman mfg. code for S-K Tools
	CTCo	Crescent Tool		Registered trademark
	Diamond-Horseshoe	Diamond Calk Horseshoe		Marked on tools
	X-Circle	Duro Metal Products		Stylized "DC" denoting Duro-Chrome
	D-Trapezoid	Duro Metal Products		Stylized "D" used on early Duro sockets
	HP-Shield	H-P Tool Mfg.		Marked on wrenches with "Blue Line"
	H-Shield	Hall, Charles E. Company		"H" in a shield
	H-Diamond	Herbrand	Yes	Forge mark used on contract production
	Fat-H-Circle	Hinsdale Manufacturing
	DIF-Mark	Interstate Drop Forge	Yes	Forge mark on contract production, e.g. Blackhawk ratchets
	JIS-Logo	Japan Institute of Standards		Indicates tool meets JIS requirements
	K-Diamond	Kraeuter & Company		Appears on older Double-Open and "S" wrenches
	L-Keystone	Lakeside
	MH-Circle	McKaig-Hatch
	MW-Logo	Montgomery Ward & Co.
	M-Circle	Moore Drop Forging	Yes	Registered trademark; also used as a forge mark
	M-Diamond	Mossberg, Frank Company		Registered trademark; also registered a similar logo without "shoes" on the "M"
	NB-Circle	New Britain Machine		Registered trademark
	H-Circle-2	New Britain Machine		"H" inside a circle; also used for Craftsman
	OTC-Shield	Owatonna Tool		OTC inside a shield
	P&C-Logo	P&C Hand Forged Tool
	Pexto-Oval	Peck, Stow, & Wilcox		PEXTO inside an oval
	RI-Circle	Rhode Island Tool	Yes	Forge mark noted on older double-open wrenches
	S-K-Diamond	Sherman-Klove
	SW-Circle	Stevens Walden		Used on sockets
	WW-Circle	Stevens Walden		Used on sockets
	CTF-Oval	Unknown		Found on pliers
	Double-M-Circle	Unknown		Found on a triple-open wrench
	3-Diamonds	Utica Drop Forge & Tool		Registered trademark
	V-Shield	Vlchek Tool	Yes	Used as a forge mark; note the small inner "T"
	WMCo	Walden-Worcester		Initials for Walden Mfg. Co.
	W-Diamond	Williams [J.H. Williams & Co.]	Yes	Registered trademark; also used as a forge mark
	JHW-Brooklyn	Williams [J.H. Williams & Co.]		Stamped on face of early tools
	JHW-Forged	Williams [J.H. Williams & Co.]		Stamped on face of early tools

References and Resources

The information in the registered trademarks table was obtained from the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO) "TESS" database at uspto.gov.

The information for the informal trademarks and the images for the logos were drawn from items in my personal collection.

Feedback

If any readers have additional information regarding tool trademarks, please let us know via the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of any page. Your comments and suggestions are welcome as well.