Patent Grant
8113488
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to hammers and hammer heads that may be used to extract nails or other fasteners. In particular, the present invention is directed to a hammer or hammer head having a frontal extractor.
2. Description of Related Art
Most conventional hammers are of either the straight rip-claw type or the curved-claw type. Both types are used for nail extraction. These claw hammers have a striking head or poll on the front of the hammer head, and a nail-removing claw located at the back of the hammer head opposite the striking head. Claw hammers are used for various household purposes and in the construction industry, such as for framing and finishing work, as well as for ripping and other demolition work. Of course, these uses are merely identified for example purposes; hammers may be used in other applications for various other purposes.
One significant limitation of conventional claw hammers is that they cannot be used to extract nails easily or quickly. This is largely due to the fact that once the nail is extracted a distance of about one inch, leverage is substantially reduced. In particular, as the nail is extracted using the conventional claw hammer, the fulcrum point moves away from the nail, thereby effectively decreasing the leverage and effectively increasing the required force that must be exerted by the user of the hammer to further extract the nail. This disadvantage or limitation of the conventional claw hammer is especially problematic when the nails are designed to be difficult to extract. For instance, large nails, glue-coated nails, or nails having ribbed shanks may be very difficult to extract and may therefore require exertion of substantial force by the user to do so.
Other limitations of the conventional claw hammer relate to the extraction of relatively long nails, or nails that have already been partially removed from a surface. Due to the geometry of the conventional claw in relation to the striking portion of the hammer head, complete extraction is often impeded. In addition, if the nail to be extracted is especially long, extraction using a conventional claw may also severely bend the nail so that complete extraction is further impeded. To extract such long nails, it is often necessary for a carpenter to use a special nail-pulling tool in addition to the hammer, or to find a block of wood or other object to place underneath the head of the hammer to raise the hammer so as to reestablish the fulcrum point above the surface for greater leverage.
Various solutions have been proposed to try to overcome the above described limitations of conventional claw hammers. In particular, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,279,876, 5,441,236, 5,249,776, 5,060,911, 4,998,996, 4,533,116, 4,422,620, 2,657,903, and 2,589,046 all disclose claw hammers in which the positioning of the fulcrum is enhanced or otherwise made adjustable to provide adequate leverage to facilitate nail extraction, especially of long nails. In this regard, these proposed hammers provide a movable mechanism that extends outwardly from the top of the hammer that provides an elevated fulcrum point to allow the extraction of long nails. The proposed solutions, however, utilize various moving parts that increase the cost and decrease the durability of the hammers. In addition, in many proposed implementations, the hammers must be manually adjusted to provide for the extended fulcrum, which makes the use of the hammers with such features cumbersome, inconvenient, and time-consuming. A moveable, extensible fulcrum also decreases the stability of the hammers, and along with the wear and breakage of the fulcrum mechanism inevitably occasioned by the conventional striking and ripping uses of the hammers, creates a substantial risk of injury to the user.
Other solutions have also been proposed to try to overcome the above limitations of conventional claw hammers. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,239,719, 1,535,685, 1,425,369, and 559,049 all disclose hammers having multiple claws to allow engagement and extraction of long nails and nails that extend from a surface at various lengths. Such proposed claw hammers, however, still fail to address the leverage limitation caused by the movement of the fulcrum away from the nail. The various proposed solutions fail to solve the inefficiencies associated with extraction by conventional means, and in turn create separate problems that engender either additional inefficiencies, such as breakage, instability, time waste, exhaustion, and potential injury, or various interferences with the full functioning of the conventional claw hammer.
Still another limitation of the conventional claw hammer is that due to the positioning of the claw on the hammer head, the user must reverse his grip and/or turn the hammer around to use the claw. This impedes work efficiency in situations where nails must be driven and extracted quickly on a continuous basis. For instance, weaker nails such as aluminum, brass, or galvanized nails tend to bend when being driven into harder woods or surfaces. Of course, these bent nails must be removed so that a replacement nail may be inserted instead. Each extraction and insertion of another replacement nail would entail reversing the rip and/or turning the claw hammer around twice. U.S. Pat. No. 1,252,903 discloses a lathing hatchet having a claw positioned below a hammer poll on the same side of the hatchet. The lathing hatchet of the '903 reference cannot be used like a conventional hammer, however, because a claw is not provided opposite to the hammer poll. Moreover, the claw of the disclosed lathing hatchet fails to provide sufficient leverage to accomplish efficient or complete extraction of most nails. In particular, long nails and nails that extend from a surface at various lengths cannot be easily extracted using the disclosed lathing hatchet. Furthermore, to extract most nails, the disclosed lathing hatchet requires substantial repositioning in order to engage nails with means separate from the claw, and also anticipates the use of additional means, such as a block of wood, in order to complete extraction. In this regard, the disclosed lathing hatchet admits of inefficiencies similar to those inherent in the proposed solutions to the problems associated with using the conventional claw hammer as a nail extractor.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. D438,082 discloses an ornamental design for a hammer with a provision for holding a nail in place so that the nail may be initially driven into a surface without the user having to hold the nail with the other hand. The nail appears to be held in place by a set screw that engages the shank of the nail. The use of this holding feature is cumbersome, however, because it requires tightening and loosening of the set screw each time the user desires to use the holding feature.
Therefore, in view of the above, an unfulfilled need still exists for an improved hammer that avoids the above described limitations of the conventional and prior art hammers. In particular, an unfulfilled need still exists for an improved hammer that facilitates the extraction of nails, that permits the full functioning of the hammer as a hammer, and that provides additional functionality and features enhancing the utility of the hammer.
In view of the above, one advantage of the present invention is in providing a hammer that facilitates extraction of nails from surfaces.
Another advantage of the present invention is in providing a hammer that maintains the fulcrum point of the hammer substantially constant so that effort required to extract the nail is not increased as the nail is extracted.
Still another advantage of the present invention is in providing a hammer that allows extraction of nails without reversing grip or turning the hammer around.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is in providing a hammer that facilitates extraction of long nails.
A further advantage of the present invention is in providing a hammer that facilitates proper positioning of commonly sized wood beams by facilitating twisting thereof.
Still another advantage of the present invention is in providing a hammer that facilitates the initial driving of a nail into a surface.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is in providing a hammer that increases efficiency of nail extraction and that provides enhanced utility, while also permitting the hammer to be used in the conventional manner.
These and other advantages and features are attained by a hammer that includes a handle with a first end, a hammer head secured to the first end of the handle, the hammer head having a striking head at one end, the striking head having a striking surface thereon, a first frontal extractor extending from the striking head, and a second frontal extractor disposed between the handle and the striking head.
In accordance with one embodiment, the first frontal extractor extends from the striking head at a distal end thereof adjacent to the striking surface. Preferably, the second frontal extractor is shorter in length than the first frontal extractor. The hammer may include a groove that extends through the first and second frontal extractors, and at least one slot positioned between the first and second frontal extractors. The slot is sized to allow a head of a nail to be supported therein so that the nail is cantilevered substantially perpendicular relative to the striking surface. In one example implementation, the slot may be dimensioned approximately between 1/16 to ⅛ inch in width, for example, approximately 3/32 inch in width.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the slot of the hammer is bounded by webbing at ends thereof. Preferably, the webbing is integrally formed with the first and second frontal extractors, and connects the frontal extractors together.
In accordance with another embodiment, the first frontal extractor extends from the striking head substantially parallel to the handle, and is spaced approximately 1⅝ inches from the handle. In another embodiment, the second frontal extractor extends substantially parallel to the handle, and is spaced approximately 1¼ inches from the handle.
In other embodiments of the hammer, the first frontal extractor and/or the second frontal extractor may be magnetized to allow a nail to be supported therein so that the nail is cantilevered substantially perpendicular relative to the striking surface. In addition, the first frontal extractor may include tips at a distal end thereof that are angled to facilitate engagement with the nail to be extracted. In this regard, the tips may be angled with a curvature.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a hammer head is also provided having various features noted.
These and other advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
As will be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art, a hammer and a hammer head in accordance with the present invention overcome the previously noted disadvantages of the prior art hammers. In particular, the present invention facilitates extraction of nails, and enhances the user's reach so that nails in elevated locations may be extracted. In addition, the hammer and the hammer head in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention also facilitate insertion of a nail and facilitate rotation of a beam. In this regard, whereas the various figures discussed below show a complete hammer that includes a handle integrally formed with the hammer head, it should be apparent that the present invention also encompasses a hammer head that may readily be attached to a separate handle to thereby form a hammer. Therefore, the various features of the present invention as described herein below are applicable to both hammers as well as hammer heads.
Referring again to
The hammer 10 in accordance with the illustrated embodiment is also provided with an interface section 30 that diagonally spans between the underside of the striking head 20 and the front side of the handle 14 of the hammer 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the diagonal orientation of the interface 30 results in webbing 31 between the interface section 30 and the hammer head 12 and the handle 14 as shown. The interface section 30 is provided with first, second, and third frontal extractors 32, 34, and 36, respectively. In this regard, the frontal extractors 32, 34, and 36 are formed on the interface section 30 by cavities or slots 33, 35, and 37, respectively.
The slots 33, 35, and 37 formed on the interface section 30 are preferably sized to allow the heads of nails or other fasteners to be engaged by the frontal extractors 32, 34, and 36 for the purpose of extraction. In this regard, surface 38 (indicated by dashed line) in the interface section 30 defines a contact surface of a groove for restricting movement of the nail or other fastener as it is extracted. In addition, the frontal extractors 32, 34, and 36 are sequentially positioned along the interface section 30 to facilitate extraction of nails or other fasteners that protrude from a surface, such as a wall or a beam, at different lengths. In addition, the sequential positioning of the frontal extractors 32, 34, and 36 allows progressive leveraging to facilitate extraction of long nails or other fasteners.
In contrast to nail extraction using the conventional claw 24 as described above with respect to
This reduction in effort greatly enhances the utility of the hammer 10 in accordance with the present invention by minimizing fatigue for end users such as carpenters and framers who must extract many dozens of nails and other fasteners on a daily basis. In addition, the hammer 10 of the present invention further allows extraction of nails that could otherwise not be removed using conventional claw extractors.
In addition, extraction of long nails or fasteners is also facilitated by the sequential positioning of the frontal extractors 32, 34, and 36 on the interface section 30 of the hammer 10. In particular, in cases where the nail 2 is especially long or protrudes far from the surface 6, proper positioning and leveraging of the hammer 10 may not be easily attained when the head 4 of the nail 2 is engaged in the first frontal extractor 32. In such an instance, the second frontal extractor 34, which is positioned along the interface section 30 to receive longer protruding nails, may be used. In the illustrated embodiment, the interface section 30 is further provided with a third frontal extractor 36 to receive even longer protruding nails.
Moreover, the sequential positioning of the frontal extractors 32, 34, and 36 on the interface section 30 facilitates extraction of long nails by allowing the user to partially extract the nail 2 from the surface 6 by using the first frontal extractor 32, and then, by using the second frontal extractor 34 and/or the third frontal extractor 36 to fully extract the remaining portion of nail 2. This eliminates the need for bolstering the position of the hammer head 12 by using a wooden block as is conventionally done in the field by carpenters, or the need for a complex mechanism as attempted in the prior art.
In this regard, the above discussed embodiment of the present invention provides a novel method of extracting nails or other fasteners from a surface. In particular, referring to
Then, the nail 2 is disengaged from the first frontal extractor 32 and engaged by the second frontal extractor 34 that is positioned toward the front of the hammer 10 between the first frontal extractor 32 and the handle 14. The handle 14 is again rotated about the striking surface 22 to further extract the nail 2 from the surface. Depending on the length of the nail 2, the above steps may be sufficient to fully extract the nail 2 from the surface 6. However, to the extent that the above steps do not fully extract the nail, the nail 2 is disengaged from the second frontal extractor 34 and engaged by the third frontal extractor 36 that is positioned toward the front of the hammer 10 between the second frontal extractor 34 and the handle 14. The handle 14 is again rotated about the striking surface 22 to fully extract the nail 2 from the surface 6.
Further benefits of utilizing the hammer 10 in accordance with the present invention are also shown in
In contrast, as clearly shown in
The hammer 10 may be manufactured in any conventional manner using steel and/or other appropriate materials. In this regard, interface section 30 with the frontal extractors provided thereon, may be integrally formed with the hammer head 12 and/or the handle 14. Alternatively, the interface section 30 may be manufactured separately from the hammer 10, and subsequently attached to the hammer head 12 and/or the handle 14 by welding or by any other appropriate manner to provide secure attachment thereof. In this regard, the interface section and the frontal extractors in accordance with the present invention may be implemented as a separate component that may be retrofitted to existing conventional hammers. For instance, the interface section and the frontal extractors mechanically secured using mechanisms such as clamps and/or fasteners including bolts, screws, pins, etc. In addition, although in the illustrated embodiment the interface section 30 is attached to the hammer head 12 and the handle 14 of the hammer 10, the interface section 30 may be cantilevered in other embodiments.
The hammer 110 in accordance with the illustrated embodiment also includes an interface section 130 that diagonally spans between the underside of the striking head 120 and the front side of the handle 114 of the hammer 110. In this regard, in the illustrated embodiment, the diagonal orientation of the interface section 130 results in an opening 131 being formed between the interface section 130 and the hammer head 112 as shown. The opening 131 serves to conserve manufacturing material and to permit adaptation to weight and balance considerations.
Like the previously described embodiment, interface section 130 is provided with first, second, and third frontal extractors 132, 134, and 136, respectively. In this regard, the frontal extractors 132, 134, and 136 are formed on the interface section 130 by slots 133, 135, and 137, respectively, that are sized to allow the heads of nails or other fasteners to be engaged. As previously described, surface 138 (indicated by dashed line) in the interface section 130 defines a contact surface of a groove that extends through the slots 133, 135, and 137 for restricting movement of the nail or other fastener as it is extracted. The hammer 110 may be utilized in substantially the same manner as hammer 10 described previously with respect to
The hammer 210 also includes an interface section 230 that diagonally spans between the underside of the striking head 220 and the front side of the handle 214 and having an opening 231. Like the previously described embodiment, interface section 230 is provided with first, second, and third frontal extractors 232, 234, and 236, respectively, that may be used in the previously described manner to extract nails or other fasteners from a surface. The frontal extractors 232, 234, and 236 are formed on the interface section 230 by slots 233, 235, and 237, respectively, surface 238 defining a contact surface of a groove that extends through the slots.
As shown by the illustration of
Of course, whereas
In contrast with the previously described embodiments, the interface section 330 of hammer 310 is cantilevered and attached to the handle 314 of the hammer 310. The illustrated embodiment allows the interface section 330 and the frontal extractors provided thereon to be formed together with the handle 314 of the hammer 310. This may be especially advantageous in implementations where the hammer head is formed as a separate piece from the handle and then is attached together to provide a complete hammer. Again, it should be noted that whereas three frontal extractors are illustrated in the present embodiment, other embodiments may be provided with different number of extractors.
In addition, the hammer 410 is provided with an interface section 430 that is attached to the striking head 420. In contrast to the previous embodiments described above with respect to
Referring again to
In particular, as shown in
In the above regard, the handle 414 of the hammer 410 and the first frontal extractor 432 may be spaced approximately 1⅝ inches from each other to allow engagement and twisting of conventional “two by four” wood beams. The handle 414 of the hammer 410 and the second frontal extractor 434 may be spaced approximately 1¼ inches from each other to allow engagement and twisting of commonly used wood beams. Of course, it should be noted that the above described dimensions are merely provided as examples that add further utility and value to the hammer 410 as compared to conventional hammers.
It should be noted that whereas two frontal extractors 432 and 434 are shown with respect to the embodiment of
Moreover, although the frontal extractors of
In the illustrated embodiment, the slot 533 that forms the first frontal extractor 532 on the interface section 530 is sized to engage the head 505 of the nail 503 to thereby support the nail 503 in a substantially cantilevered position shown in
Instead of the above method of retaining the nail 503 in the slot 533, or in addition thereto, the interface section 530, the first frontal extractor 532, and/or the second frontal extractor 534 may be magnetized so as to allow supporting of a nail in a substantially cantilevered position as shown. Since most nails and fasteners are made of steel, they can be supported in position by magnetic force thereon. Of course, this feature may also be readily incorporated into the embodiments of the present invention described above with respect to
In particular, the hammer 610 includes a head 612 with a body 613 that is attached to a first end of handle 614, the head 612 extending substantially perpendicular to the handle 614. The head 612 of the hammer 610 includes the body 613, a striking head 620 positioned at one end of the head 612, and a conventional claw 624 at the opposing end. The striking head 620 includes a striking surface 622 positioned at the distal end thereof. In addition, as most clearly shown in the rear perspective view of
Referring to
The webbing 635 is most clearly shown in the rear perspective view of
Of course, the slot 633 is sufficiently sized in the transverse and longitudinal directions of the head 612 to receive a nail head therein during extraction. In this regard, the slot 633 may be dimensioned to be between 1/16 to ⅛ inch in width (in the longitudinal direction of the head 612) so as to allow engagement of heads of most commonly used nails. Preferably, the slot 633 is dimensioned to be approximately 3/32 inch in width so as to allow engagement of nail heads of varying thicknesses.
The hammer 610 is used in substantially the same manner as the hammer 410 discussed above. In this regard, the protruding nail head is initially engaged by sliding the nail head between the first frontal extractors 632 and into the slot 633 so that the first frontal extractors 632 is between the head of the nail and the wood surface in which the nail is embedded. Thus, the head of the nail is positioned close to the striking head 620 to increase leverage in comparison to prior art hammers. The handle of the hammer 610 is then rotated so that the head 612 pivots about the striking face 622 with the striking face 622 serving as the fulcrum point, thereby pivoting the frontal extractors upward and pulling on the nail head to extract the nail. The hammer 610 can then be disengage from the nail head, and repositioned with the shank of the partially extracted nail within the groove 640 so that the nail head is now engaged by the second frontal extractor 634. Rotating the handle of the hammer 610 again further extracts the nail by causing the second frontal extractors 634 to pull on the head of the nail.
The provision of the webbing region 635 between the first frontal extractors 632 and the second frontal extractors 634 has been found to significantly increase the extraction load capacity and durability of both the first and second frontal extractors. In particular; the webbing region 635 aids in distributing the load stresses exerted on the frontal extractors during the extraction process. For instance, if the first frontal extractors 632 are being used to extract the nail, the forces exerted on the first frontal extractors 632 are partially distributed to the second frontal extractors 634 through the webbing 635 that connects the first and second frontal extractors. Likewise, if the second frontal extractors 634 are being used to extract the nail, the forces exerted on the second frontal extractors 634 are partially distributed to the first frontal extractors 632 through the webbing 635. Correspondingly, a much higher force can be exerted to extract nails with minimal concern for the load stress bearing capacity of the frontal extractors. It should also be evident that the durability of both the first and second frontal extractors are also significantly increased since the stresses exerted on each of the frontal extractors are effectively reduced.
Furthermore, as shown in the frontal view of
As previously noted, the hammer and hammer head in accordance with the present invention may be manufactured in any conventional manner using steel and/or other appropriate materials. The described interface section with the frontal extractors thereon may be integrally formed with the hammer head and/or the handle, or alternatively, be manufactured separately and subsequently attached by welding or by any other appropriate manner. This allows the interface section and the frontal extractors in accordance with the present invention to be implemented as a separate component that is retrofitted to existing conventional hammers.
While various embodiments in accordance with the present invention have been shown and described, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto. The present invention may be changed, modified and further applied by those skilled in the art. In addition, as initially noted, the present invention may also be readily applied to hammer heads that are then assembled together with a handle to provide a complete hammer. Therefore, this invention is not limited to the detail shown and described previously, but also includes all such changes and modifications.
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/225,464, filed Aug. 22, 2002, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/317,119, filed Sep. 6, 2001.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 10225464 | Aug 2002 | US |
| Child | 11392946 | US |
