A note on what this is: everything below comes from a U.S. patent that the USPTO granted on Oct. 20, 2026. A patent is not a product announcement. The company has not confirmed a product based on it, and there is no release date, price or brand name attached to it. Companies patent many ideas that never reach store shelves.
Beyond Milwaukee, Stanley Black & Decker and Bosch, the USPTO’s Oct. 20, 2026 grants included several more tool patents worth a look. Here is a quick rundown of seven of them, based on what each patent itself describes and claims.
MAKITA CORPORATION: a gearbox with three or more speeds (U.S. Patent No. 12,766,691)
This patent covers a power tool with a motor, an output part in front of the motor, and a speed-reducing mechanism with three or more gear-shift stages. A gear-shifting control moves through three or more speed positions, one for each stage.
Claim 1 focuses on how the shifter holds its position. A protruding portion engages grooves at each speed position, and the holding force at the middle position is larger than at the two end positions, because the middle groove’s inclined inner surfaces are set at a larger angle than the end grooves’.
- Patent: U.S. Patent No. 12,766,691 (B2), granted Oct. 20, 2026 (full USPTO PDF)
- Assignee (as printed): MAKITA CORPORATION, Anjo (JP)
- Inventors: Shizuki Okajima and Takao Kuroyanagi
- Filed: Apr. 28, 2025
Our opinion
What We Think They’re Making
We think this could end up in a drill/driver-type tool, since the output sits in front of the motor and the patent is classed with drilling tools, though claim 1 just says “power tool.” It could fit one of Makita’s cordless platforms, but the patent doesn’t say which. Contractors who drill large holes, mix materials or drive long fasteners might like having a third gear.
This is our opinion, not a product announcement. The patent does not confirm a product, brand, price or release date.
More on the company: Makita Power Tools.
Techtronic Cordless GP: a battery-powered hydraulic jack (U.S. Patent No. 12,767,503)
Titled “Hydraulic Jack Having a DC Power Supply,” this patent describes a hydraulic jack whose housing holds a reservoir, a motor, a pump assembly and a lift assembly. A power supply portion on the housing removably receives a power supply, which the patent says slides onto a mount on one side of the housing, with a clamp around the mount.
The motor drives the pump, which sends hydraulic fluid from the reservoir to extend the lift assembly. Claim 1 describes a multi-stage lift assembly, and the abstract describes a three-stage version in which the first stage extends in one manner and the second and third stages extend in another. The patent does not say which brand, if any, would sell it.
- Patent: U.S. Patent No. 12,767,503 (B2), granted Oct. 20, 2026 (full USPTO PDF)
- Title on the patent: Hydraulic Jack Having a DC Power Supply
- Assignee: Techtronic Cordless GP, Anderson, SC (US)
- Inventors: Benjamin G. Politte, Alyssa T. Gaull, Shane A. Wood, Carl N. Chandler, Frederick B. Hidle, Joshua P. Collins and Michael K. Saporsky
- Filed: Oct. 13, 2023
Our opinion
What We Think They’re Making
We think this could become a battery-powered hydraulic jack that runs on the same slide-on tool batteries as other cordless tools. The patent doesn’t say which brand, if any, this is for. DIY mechanics, tire and roadside techs, farmers, and anyone tired of pumping a jack handle might find it useful.
This is our opinion, not a product announcement. The patent does not confirm a product, brand, price or release date.
Techtronic Cordless GP: a motorized dispenser with a cutting edge (U.S. Patent No. 12,766,547)
Titled “Motor Operated Dispensing Device With Cutting Blade,” this patent describes a dispenser for viscous material in a cartridge, with a main housing, a front support, a rear plunger assembly, and a motor and gear assembly. The rear plunger assembly includes a plunger plate in a plunger housing above a cutting edge, and the assembly can rotate about an axis parallel to the elongate member that joins it to the front support.
According to claim 1, as the motor moves the front support and the rear plunger assembly toward each other, the cutting edge is urged against an edge of the cartridge while the plunger plate is driven against the cartridge to push the material out. The patent does not say which brand, if any, would sell it.
- Patent: U.S. Patent No. 12,766,547 (B2), granted Oct. 20, 2026 (full USPTO PDF)
- Title on the patent: Motor Operated Dispensing Device With Cutting Blade
- Assignee: Techtronic Cordless GP, Anderson, SC (US)
- Inventors: Kwok Ting Mok
- Filed: Aug. 13, 2024
Our opinion
What We Think They’re Making
We think this could become a cordless caulk or adhesive gun with a cutting edge on the plunger end. The patent doesn’t name a brand. Remodelers, painters, glaziers and plumbers who run a lot of tubes in a day could be the main users.
This is our opinion, not a product announcement. The patent does not confirm a product, brand, price or release date.
Apex Brands, Inc.: a roll-over resistant tape measure blade (U.S. Patent No. 12,768,631)
Titled “Reinforced Roll-Over Resistant Measuring Tape,” this patent describes a tape blade made of a cupped metal strip with a second, cupped reinforcement strip applied along its longitudinal centerline, with the two concave faces directed toward each other.
Claim 1 adds a lateral retention assembly that keeps the reinforcement strip from moving sideways while letting it slide lengthwise relative to the main strip. In claim 1, that assembly is a polymeric overlay encapsulating the reinforcement strip.
- Patent: U.S. Patent No. 12,768,631 (B2), granted Oct. 20, 2026 (full USPTO PDF)
- Title on the patent: Reinforced Roll-Over Resistant Measuring Tape
- Assignee (as printed): Apex Brands, Inc., Apex, NC (US)
- Inventors: Riley Owen Jernigan
- Filed: Aug. 25, 2022 (PCT filing date)
Our opinion
What We Think They’re Making
We think this could become a tape measure with better standout, the distance the blade can reach before it buckles, from the reinforcement strip. The patent doesn’t name a brand or product line. Carpenters, framers, electricians and anyone who measures across open spans alone might notice the difference.
This is our opinion, not a product announcement. The patent does not confirm a product, brand, price or release date.
Positec Power Tools (Suzhou) Co., LTD.: a self-moving device with an arm and working heads (U.S. Patent No. 12,766,698)
Titled “Self-Moving Device and Automatic Working System Thereof,” this patent describes a self-moving device with a movement mechanism, a working module below the body, and a connecting arm that carries one of several working heads for different tasks outside the body.
Claim 1 includes a safety detection module that checks whether the working head is in a safe working environment, and a controller that adjusts the head’s working voltage, current or power based on the result. Claim 2 lists infrared, ultrasonic or image detection modules as options.
- Patent: U.S. Patent No. 12,766,698 (B2), granted Oct. 20, 2026 (full USPTO PDF)
- Title on the patent: Self-Moving Device and Automatic Working System Thereof
- Assignee (as printed): Positec Power Tools (Suzhou) Co., LTD., Suzhou (CN)
- Inventors: Ka Tat Kelvin Wong and Fengli Zhao
- Filed: Oct. 9, 2023
Our opinion
What We Think They’re Making
We think this could become a robotic lawn mower with an arm that swaps in other yard tools, such as a trimming or clearing head. The patent doesn’t name a brand or product line. Homeowners who already use a robot mower, and landscapers who want one machine to handle more than mowing, seem like the likely audience.
This is our opinion, not a product announcement. The patent does not confirm a product, brand, price or release date.
J. Wagner GmbH: an HVLP sprayer fan that idles (U.S. Patent No. 12,766,532)
Titled “Method for Controlling a Fan on a Spray Device, and Spray Device,” this patent covers a high volume low pressure (HVLP) paint-spray device. When spraying is interrupted with the device on, the fan motor stays energized, at least temporarily, at reduced power rather than full working power.
Claim 1 describes an at least two-stage trigger switch. A light pull, with the paint valve still closed, brings the fan to an idling speed (or to working speed). A stronger pull opens the paint valve and brings the fan up to working speed for spraying.
- Patent: U.S. Patent No. 12,766,532 (B2), granted Oct. 20, 2026 (full USPTO PDF)
- Title on the patent: Method for Controlling a Fan on a Spray Device, and Spray Device
- Assignee (as printed): J. Wagner GmbH, Markdorf (DE)
- Inventors: Tino Ritter and Lukas Neuhaus
- Filed: Nov. 28, 2022 (PCT filing date)
Our opinion
What We Think They’re Making
We think this could become a feature on a Wagner HVLP paint sprayer, keeping the turbine at an idle between passes instead of at full power, though the patent doesn’t name a product. DIY painters, furniture refinishers and cabinet painters who stop and start often might like a quieter sprayer that’s ready to go.
This is our opinion, not a product announcement. The patent does not confirm a product, brand, price or release date.
Kyocera Senco Industrial Tools, Inc.: a lifter drive for a gas-spring fastener tool (U.S. Patent No. 12,766,684)
Titled “Lifter Main Drive Subassembly for a Fastener Driving Tool,” this patent describes a fastener driving tool that uses pressurized gas in a storage chamber to drive a piston and driver. Claim 1 says the gas is not vented to atmosphere each cycle but re-used for many cycles.
The abstract describes a lifter main drive with at least one motor, a common lifter/motor shaft that feeds a compact strain-wave gearbox, and a lifter with protrusions that engage the driver during the lifting stroke. The shaft runs roughly crosswise to the driver’s travel, and its axis lines up with the lifter’s axis of rotation.
- Patent: U.S. Patent No. 12,766,684 (B2), granted Oct. 20, 2026 (full USPTO PDF)
- Title on the patent: Lifter Main Drive Subassembly for a Fastener Driving Tool
- Assignee (as printed): Kyocera Senco Industrial Tools, Inc., Cincinnati, OH (US)
- Inventors: Christopher D. Klein and Ryan W.R. McGhee
- Filed: Sep. 29, 2025
- Claims: 9
Our opinion
What We Think They’re Making
We think this could become a cordless nailer that uses a sealed gas spring, since the patent describes re-using the same pressurized gas for many cycles. It could fit one of Senco’s cordless nailer lines, but the patent doesn’t say which. Framers, sheathing crews and trim carpenters who want a cordless nailer without gas cartridges could be the target users.
This is our opinion, not a product announcement. The patent does not confirm a product, brand, price or release date.
More on the company: Senco Tools.
What it all means
All seven are granted U.S. patents, not product announcements. None of them comes with a confirmed product, price or release date.
Related Reading on Tools In Action
- Up on Stands in Seconds: The Zendex RakJak 2-Ton Air Jack
- Wagner Flexio 3000 Review
- SENCO FinishPro16XP Nailer Review
- Husqvarna Automower 430XH Review
FAQ
Are any of these confirmed products?
No. They are U.S. patents granted on Oct. 20, 2026. A patent does not confirm a product, price or release date.
What does the Makita patent cover?
U.S. Patent No. 12,766,691, assigned to MAKITA CORPORATION, covers a power tool with a speed-reducing mechanism of three or more gear-shift stages and a shift control whose holding force is larger at the middle position than at the end positions.
Who owns the hydraulic jack and dispenser patents?
Both U.S. Patent No. 12,767,503 and U.S. Patent No. 12,766,547 are assigned to Techtronic Cordless GP, Anderson, SC. Neither patent names a brand.
What does the Wagner patent do?
U.S. Patent No. 12,766,532, assigned to J. Wagner GmbH, keeps the fan motor of an HVLP paint-spray device running at reduced power during pauses in spraying, using a two-stage trigger.
What does the Apex Brands tape patent add?
U.S. Patent No. 12,768,631 adds a cupped reinforcement strip along the blade’s centerline, held laterally by a polymeric overlay but free to slide lengthwise.
What could these patents become?
In our opinion, they could become products like a three-speed drill/driver-type tool, a battery hydraulic jack, a cordless caulk gun, a sturdier tape measure, a multi-task robot mower, a quieter HVLP sprayer and a gas-spring nailer. None of that is confirmed by the patents.