Abstract:
A screwdriver includes a handle which defines a longitudinal axis and a shank mounted to the handle. The shank extends axially along said longitudinal axis and defines an engagement end opposite said handle. An impact element is mounted to the handle. The impact element defines a hitting surface wherein the hitting surface extends at least ½″ from the handle.

Description:
[0001]    This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/191,630, filed Sep. 10, 2008, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    a) Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a screwdriver, and more particularly to a screwdriver equipped with an integral hammer-like hitting surface surface. 
         [0004]    b) Description of the Prior Art 
         [0005]    Conventional screwdrivers generally include a metal shank secured to a handle at one end and shaped to form an engagement end. As is well known, the engagement end is sized and shaped to fit particular size mating fastener, such as a Phillips head screw, a slotted-type screw, a Tome head, a square-drive head, a hex-drive head, or other. 
         [0006]    The handle can be made from wood, metal or plastic, but today&#39;s screwdrivers generally include plastic handles that are molded about the shaft during their manufacture, or provided with a bore into which the shaft is press-fit. 
         [0007]    History has shown that it is often beneficial to combine a screwdriver and a hammer together as a single tool and it is well known to provide a conventional screwdriver with an integral hammering surface. The resulting combined tool allows a user to quickly tap in a fastener to start it into a work surface and then use the screwdriver portion to continue to drive in the fastener. Carrying a heavy hammer is cumbersome for many simple jobs done around the house. Screwdrivers with some functionality to operate as a hammer are known. Some of these prior art screwdriver/hammer combination tools include an impact rod and spring configuration to exert a load to seat a fastener. Unfortunately, these types of combination tools are relatively complicated and expensive. Another common type of prior art screwdriver includes a metal shank that extends through the handle to provide a contact surface at an opposing end of the handle. This contact surface is intended to be struck with a hammer so that an impact force can be effectively transmitted through the shank to the engagement end and thereby used as necessary at a work surface. These prior art screwdrivers are relatively difficult to manufacture because they require that the contact surface be formed integrally with the shank. 
         [0008]    Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a screwdriver with a hammer surface which is simple in construction, easy to manufacture and functional. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The screwdriver of the present invention provides a hammer surface for tapping objects into place in addition to providing the functionality of a conventional screwdriver. 
         [0010]    The present invention includes a handle, a shank and an impact element. The striking member is partially embedded into the rear end of the handle of the screwdriver. A hitting surface of the striking member is exposed on at least one side of the impact element. The impact element can be permanently secured to the handle or selectively removable from the handle. A further embodiment includes an impact element that in itself includes a hard main part and a softer attached part, attached thereto. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
         [0011]    The various features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a general perspective assembly view of a screwdriver in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, showing details of an impact element apart from a handle of the screwdriver; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a general perspective view of the screwdriver of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the impact element secured to the handle of the screwdriver; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an impact element, showing details of a projection, according to a second embodiment of the invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a perspective assembly view of a screwdriver according to a third embodiment of the invention, showing details of a combination shank and impact element; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a general perspective assembly view of a screwdriver in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, showing details of an impact element having a “soft” component and a hard component, the impact element being shown apart from a handle of the screwdriver and the soft component being shown apart from the hard component; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a general perspective view of the screwdriver of  FIG. 5 , in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention, showing details of an impact element having a “soft” component secured to the hard component, the impact element being shown apart from a handle of the screwdriver, 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a photograph showing the present invention being used as a hammer wherein the impact element is tapping a metal component into a wooden frame; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a photograph showing the present invention being used as a screwdriver wherein an engagement tip of the screwdriver is driving a screw into sheetrock. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a screwdriver assembly  10  is shown, according to a first embodiment of the invention, including a handle  12 , and a shank  14 . Shank  14  is preferably made from a hardened steel, but may be made from any appropriate material depending on the intended application. Shank  14  is also preferably treated to prevent corrosion. Such treatments can include chrome plating, nickel plating, or galvanizing, or painting, or coating with a rubber material. Regardless, shank  14  includes a forward fastener-engagement tip  15  and a rearward anchoring end (hidden from view in the figures). As is well known, anchoring end of shank  14  is secured into handle  12 , as explained below. 
         [0021]    The fastener-engagement tip  15  is sized and shaped to fit particular size mating fastener, such as a Phillips head screw, a slotted-type screw, a Torx® head, a square-drive head, a hex-drive head, or other. The engagement structure of the tip is usually formed by a grinding process, but any appropriate process may be employed. Tip  15  may alternately include well known structure for selectively receiving and holding a separate driver head bit (not shown) which in turn includes the appropriate engagement structure. 
         [0022]    Although handle  12  may be made from wood, plastic, metal or even a high-durometer rubber, a tough appropriate plastic is preferred, such as PVC, or cellulose acetate. As is well known in the art, if the handle is made from plastic or rubber, it can be molded around shank  14  using an appropriate overlay molding technique. The anchoring end of shank  14  typically includes a roughened surface and/or a projection  17  (see  FIG. 4 ) so that the shank will bond well with handle  12  as it molds itself therearound. 
         [0023]    Alternatively, as is also well known in the art, handle  12  may be molded separately and thereafter provided with a bore into which the anchoring end of shank  14  may be pressed into locking frictional engagement. 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , handle  12  further includes a forward flange  26  sized and shaped to provide a finger purchase to the user during use of the tool. Handle  12  may include various other shapes and recesses to provide grip or ergonomic support for the user during the tool&#39;s use. Such shapes and recesses would be formed into handle  12  during the molding process. Handle  12  further includes a threaded bore  18  located at the rearward end (opposite the shank  14 ). Threaded bore  18  is sized and shaped to receive an impact element  20 , described below. Threaded bore  18  may be formed integrally during the molding of handle  12  or formed during secondary drilling and tapping operations performed after handle  12  has already been molded. 
         [0025]    As introduced above and according to the first embodiment of the invention, impact element  20  is attached to a rear end of handle  12 . Impact element  20  may be made from a metal, such as bronze, brass, or steel, or even hard rubber or plastic, depending on the particular application intended. However, Applicant intends to use impact element  20  as a hammering surface for tapping in small nails, brads and other metal components into wood or sheetrock. Therefore, to aid in this task, impact element  20  is preferably made from a hardened steel and is preferably as dense as possible (i.e., high-density steel and also high in volume). The heavier the impact element  20  is (and the heavier the combined weight of the shank and the handle), the more effective the tool will be functioning as a hammer. 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , impact element  20  includes a hitting surface  22  and a threaded portion  24 . Threads  24  are sized and shaped to mate with the threads of threaded bore  18  of handle  12 , described above. Impact element  20  can be made using any conventional techniques, such as drop-forged to a basic shape and thereafter ground and milled to final shape and finally tapped to form threads  24  and heat treated, as necessary to properly harden the steel. Alternatively, impact element  20  can be made by cutting rod stock to length, ground and milled, and tapped and heat treated. Other techniques can be employed as well, as would be understood by those skilled in the art. 
         [0027]    After handle  12  and impact element  20  are made, the two parts are combined merely by mating threads  24  of impact element  20  with the threads of threaded bore  18  of handle  12  and tightened. As shown in  FIG. 2 , when impact element  20  is fully tight within threaded bore  18  of handle  12 , threads  24  of impact element  20  are such that a portion (preferably about ½″) of impact element  20  remains projected beyond the rearmost end of handle  12 . This projected portion of impact element  20  is now accessible and can be conveniently used as a hammer to effectively tap in small nails, brads and other metal components into wood and sheetrock. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a second embodiment of the invention is shown. Although handle  12  and impact element  20  is shown and described above as being secured to handle  12  using threads  24  and threaded bore  18 , impact element can alternatively be provided with at least one gripping projection  25  in place of threads  24  so that impact element can be molded directly into the rear end of handle  12  during the molding of handle  12 . Handle  12  is not shown in  FIG. 3 , but it is understood that conventional molding techniques can be used to form plastic handle  12  around impact element  20  in such a manner that allows the molten plastic can formed around and anchor to projection  25 , thereby holding impact element in place. It is noted that as in the first embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and described above, impact element  20  is molded in place within handle  12  so that at least ½″ of impact element  20  extends beyond the rear end of handle  12  and can be used as a hammer. 
         [0029]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a third embodiment of the invention is shown wherein impact element  20  is molded or formed integrally with shank  14  to form a combination shank  30 . The combination shank  30  can be formed by using known techniques such as drop-forging, or milling, turning, and grinding to create the different features required. Thereafter, combination shank  30  can be either molded within handle  12  during the molding process of handle  12 , as described above, or pressed into a bore formed within an already molded handle  12 , as is known by those in the art. The press-fit process can also be useful to secure non-moldable handles to the combination shanks  30 . 
         [0030]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a forth embodiment of the invention is shown wherein a impact element  40  is shown including two parts of different materials, a main part  42  which is preferably made from metal, such as bronze, brass, or steel and includes a hard impact surface  43 , and an attached part  44  which is made from a softer material, such as plastic, high-durometer rubber (hard rubber), or leather and includes a soft impact surface  45 . As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , main part  42  includes a threaded portion  46 , and as in the first embodiment of this invention, threaded portion  46  is sized to selectively mate with the threads of threaded bore  18  of handle  12 . Main part  42  further includes an integrally formed projection  48  which includes a snap-and-lock element  50 . According to this embodiment, attached part  44  includes a bore  52  which is sized and shaped to snap onto projection  48  and engage with element  50  in such a manner that secures attached part to main part  42 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . Both main part  42  and attached part  44  are generally cylindrical in shape and include a diameter which is less than the diameter of threaded portion  46 . This allows impact element  40  to be selectively secured to threaded bore  18  of handle  12  so that either hard impact surface  43  or soft impact surface  45  can be positioned outside handle  12 . This allows the user to select an appropriate impact surface (soft or hard) depending on the desired application. A hard impact surface being useful for hitting small nails and brads into wood or sheetrock while a soft impact surface may be useful for tapping fragile materials into alignment, for example glass or finished wooden frames—materials that you don&#39;t want to become marred. 
         [0031]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a photograph shows the hand of a user holding screwdriver assembly  10  in such a manner that faces impact element towards a work surface (which is a wooden frame). The user is moving the screwdriver assembly  10  in a striking motion like a hammer so that impact element impacts a metal component and the weight of the screwdriver assembly  10  transfers kinetic energy to driving the metal component into the wooden frame. 
         [0032]      FIG. 8  also includes a photograph, but know the user is holding the screwdriver assembly  10  in such a manner that allows it to be used as a conventional screwdriver wherein engagement tip  15  engages the head of a screw (in this case, a Phillips drive), and the handle  12  can then be rotated in a conventional manner to impart torque from the user&#39;s muscles to rotate and drive the screw into the sheetrock wall. 
         [0033]    That the foregoing description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense is thus made apparent. A worker of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.