Patent Application
20180200898
This invention relates generally to a hammer tacker, and, more specifically, to a cutting implement adapted to be used with a conventional hammer tacker.
A conventional hammer tacker is used for driving staples into a work piece. Generally, a hammer tacker comprises a body and a staple magazine attached to the body for holding the staples. Hammer tackers may also include a handle for gripping same such that a “hammering” action dispenses the staples, as opposed to squeezing a lever, as is the case for lever-operated staplers. Hammer tackers are commonly used to tack down construction materials such as insulating materials, sheet materials, roofing paper and the like. An example of a typical hammer tacker is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,147.
Often the construction materials, in particular, when being attached to corners and the like, require cutting to fit in the particular space. Conventional utility knives are usually used for cutting the material. However, use of such conventional knives require the tacker operator to put down the tacker and pick up the knife for cutting. Hammer tackers having a cutter positioned on the opposite end from where the staples are dispensed are known in it art (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,761 and U.S. Publication No. 2006/0253996). However, the disadvantage of these hammer tackers is that the hammer tacker must be rotated in order to access the cutting portion, which may result in dropping the tacker.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,823,592 discloses a hammer tacker having a cutter attached to the top of a conventional hammer tacker. However, the blade is positioned on a side extension and therefore projects at an angle relative to the tacker body. Because of such side extension, it may cover the field of visibility during operation and may prevent the operator from operating the hammer tacker in an inside corner, around windows and doors, etc.
The present invention provides a cutting implement for use with a conventional hammer tacker and a hammer tacker having such a cutting implement.
In one aspect, a cutting implement is provided for attaching to a hammer tacker, comprising:
In one embodiment, the elongated plate is attached to the elongated top surface by means of a fastener. Examples of fasteners useful for attaching the elongated plate to the elongated top surface of the hammer tacker are screws, bolts, nails, nuts, pins, clips, rivets, rods, and other such anchors. In another embodiment, the elongated plate is attached to the elongated top surface of the hammer tacker by means of glue such as epoxy glue, cyanoacrylate adhesives, and the like. In another embodiment, the elongated plate is attached to the elongated top surface of the hammer tacker by welding, brazing, soldering, and the like.
In one embodiment, the side walls have inwardly overturned side edges to hold the cutting blade securely.
In another aspect, a hammer tacker and cutting apparatus is provided, comprising:
Drawings are included for the purpose of illustrating certain aspects of the invention. Such drawings and the description thereof are intended to facilitate understanding and should not be considered limiting of the invention. Drawings are included, in which:
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments contemplated by the inventor. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a comprehensive understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
The various components of one embodiment of a cutting implement of the present invention are shown in
Actuator (11), as shown in
As shown in
Actuator (11), and blade (4) attached thereto, is sized to freely slide back and forth in slot (14) formed by plates (2) and the overturned edges (12) serve to retain the actuator (11) and blade (4) while still allowing the actuator and blade to move forwards and backwards to extend or retract blade (4). It is understood that other actuators that can move a cutting blade forwards and backwards could also be used in the present invention. When blade (4) is moved forward past the raised lip (8) of elongated plate (2), the raised lip (8) helps fix the blade in position so that the blade is secure enough to cut the building material.
Cutting implement (20) is fixed to the elongated top surface (22) of the hammer tacker (16) by any means known in the art, such as gluing, welding, screwing, etc. To allow the cutting implement (20) to be fixed to the elongated top surface (22), as well as to improve the aesthetics of the tool, certain structural changes may need to be made to an existing hammer tacker tool.
In one embodiment of a hammer tacker useful in the present invention, which is shown in
As shown in
In another embodiment, instead of using any screws, two holes can be drilled into the sides of the stapling portion of a tacker hammer the weight can be welded to the body of the stapling portion through these holes. In another embodiment, spot-welding can be used in two spots on each of the sides of the body of the stapling portion, or on the top, or in other places. The spot-welding requires a very exact fit of the weight with the inner structure of the body of the stapling portion.
In one embodiment, hammer tacker (16) may further comprise a pair of small, upright wing members (1) attached to the top of the stapling head (19) which provide protection to the blade (4) in case the user hits anything with the top of the stapling head; this may occur by accident or may be done intentionally. If the upright wing members (1) were not present and the user inadvertently struck any object, such as a wall, with the top of the stapling head (19) a segment of the blade (4) may break off or, what would be worse, the overturned edges (12) may get bent, warped or damaged and have a severe impairment on the functionality of the cutting implement (20).
As can be seen more clearly in the top views in
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to those embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular, such as by use of the article “a” or “an” is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more”. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout the disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be encompassed by the elements of the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. For US patent properties, it is noted that no claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 USC 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or “step for”.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62447808 | Jan 2017 | US |
