Abstract:
A fire-fighting tool that is useful for penetrating building structures includes a shaft, a building penetration implement on a distal end of the shaft. The penetration implement includes a first jaw fixed to the shaft and a second jaw that is moveable relative to the first jaw to facilitate gripping of objects between the jaws. A lever at the distal end of the shaft is mechanically linked to the moveable jaw to facilitate remote operation of the gripping jaws. The fixed jaw also includes sharply pointed prongs for prying or sawing building materials.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/232,263 entitled FIRE-FIGHTING TOOL, filed Sep. 14, 2000, by John F. Beaudrie, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to hand tools, and more particularly fire-fighting tools for penetrating building structures to provide an opening to allow access to a fire. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     During the course of fighting a fire it is often desirable to penetrate building structures, such as exterior walls, interior walls, ceilings and roofs, to gain access to the fire. For example, it is often desirable to remove building siding, plywood, and the like from an exterior wall of a building to create an opening in the exterior wall so that water can be sprayed into the building through the opening or penetration in the building wall. 
     Heretofore, firefighters have in general used tools comprising a sharply pointed hook at the end of a long pole for tearing down building siding, plywood, and the like. Typically, this tool is used to tear or pull down siding or the like by engaging the pointed end of the hook with an upper edge of the siding or other building material and pulling downwardly to pry or tear the building material from the building. Often, it is possible to pry the upper edge of material away from the building while the lower edge of the material remains fixed to the building. When this occurs, it is sometimes extremely difficult to remove the material from the building because the hook portion of the tool only slides along a surface of the material and is incapable of engaging an edge of the material. On these occasions, it would be highly desirable to be able to grasp an edge of the material and pull it away from the building wall. However, the tools conventionally employed by firefighters for providing a building penetration are not capable of grasping an edge of a sheet of building material. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention overcomes the problems associated with conventional fire-fighting tools used for penetrating building structures to provide an opening to allow access to a fire. Such problems are overcome by providing a tool that includes at least one pointed projection for prying and/or tearing building materials from a wall or other building structure, and a gripping device for grasping an edge of the material. This allows a firefighter to use a single tool for hooking materials and for grasping materials, wherein only a slight adjustment of the position of the head of the tool is required to switch from utilization of the hooking implement to utilization of the gripping implement. 
     The fire-fighting tool of this invention includes an elongate shaft and a building penetration implement attached to a distal end of the elongate shaft, wherein the building penetration implement includes a pair of jaws that are movable with respect to each other for releasably gripping an object, the jaws having opposing toothed surfaces for biting into an object gripped between the jaws, and at least one sharply pointed prong that extends from an edge of a first of the jaws that is opposite of the toothed surface of the first jaw. 
     These and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmented elevational view of a fire-fighting tool according to the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     An embodiment of the fire-fighting tool  10 , of this invention is illustrated in FIG.  1 . Fire-fighting tool  10  includes an elongate shaft  20 , a building penetration implement  30  attached to a distal end of elongate shaft  20 , and a handle section  40  located at the opposite, proximal end of shaft  20 . Elongate shaft  20  may be provided in various lengths, depending on the application. For example, a suitable shaft length for interior applications may be about six feet, whereas a suitable length for exterior applications may be about 10 or 12 feet. However, longer or shorter shafts may be used if desired. 
     Building penetration implement  30  of the illustrated embodiment includes a fixed jaw  32  that is fixed to a distal end of shaft  20 , and a jaw  34  that is movable with respect to fixed jaw  32 . In the illustrated embodiment, movable jaw  34  can be translated and rotated between an open position as indicated by the dashed lines, and a closed position as indicated by the solid lines. In the illustrated embodiment, movable jaw  34  includes a guide slot  35  which guides movement of jaw  34  between the open and closed positions. More specifically, the edges of slot  35  bear against a pivot or bearing point  56  as jaw  34  is moved between the open and closed positions. However, it should be understood that the invention may also encompass an arrangement wherein a movable jaw is movable between an open position and a closed position via translational movement alone or via rotational movement alone. Further, the invention may also encompass fire-fighting tools wherein both jaws are movable with respect to the shaft. 
     Handle section  40  includes an actuator lever (shown by solid lines when the jaws are in the closed position and shown by dashed lines when the jaws are in the open position). Lever  42  is hinged to shaft  20  at a location proximate the proximal end of shaft  20  to allow pivoting of lever  42  about an axle  44 . 
     Lever  42  is mechanically linked with movable jaw  34  to allow movement of jaw  34  with respect to jaw  32  by manipulation of lever  42 . In the illustrated embodiment, a cable  50  is threaded through shaft  20  and connects an end  46  of lever  42  with an end  58  of jaw  34  to provide a linkage that effects operation of jaw  34  for gripping and releasing objects when lever  42  is operated. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, at least a portion of the cable  50  (which could be made of steel) may be replaced with an electrically non-conductive rod  52  to prevent an electrical current from passing from the jaws to the handle through cable  50 . A suitable rod may be made from synthetic resinous plastic material, such as Delrin® material. Other mechanical linking devices, such as a push rod linkage or the like, may be used, including linkages comprising gear and rotating shaft arrangements. 
     A lever lock  47  may be provided to engage a notch  48  in handle  40  to lock handle  40  in a position corresponding with a closed, gripping position of jaws  32  and  34 , whereby a firefighter may concentrate efforts on pulling down a gripped object without having to apply pressure on handle  40 . Lever lock  47  may be a ring or hook pivotally connected to shaft  20 , and may be spring biased into the illustrated position so that the distal end of lever lock  47  slides along the rounded forward edge of handle  40  and snaps into notch  48  when lever  40  is rotated into the illustrated position corresponding with the closed position of jaws  32  and  34 . This allows locking of the jaws in a closed position without manipulation of lever lock  47 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, movable jaw  34  is biased in an open position (indicated by the dashed lines) by a coil spring  33 . The end of coil spring  33  that is located on the inside of the coil is fixed to fixed jaw  32  and the other end at the outside of coil spring  33  may be hooked into a slot on movable jaw  34 . Although the illustrated tool  10  is provided with a spring  33  for biasing jaw  34  in an open position, it will be understood that alternative linkage mechanisms may be utilized in which a biasing spring is unnecessary. Further, as an alternative, the mechanical linkage between lever  42  and movable jaw  34  can be reconfigured so that operation of lever  42  is against a spring that biases jaw  34  in the closed position rather than the open position. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, fixed jaw  32  includes a plurality of sharply pointed prongs  36 ,  37  and  38  which can be used for engaging the edge of building material and prying the material loose from the building structure. Each of prongs  36 ,  37  and  38  projects outwardly away from jaw  32  and is angled slightly toward handle  40  of tool  10 . A single prong may be used if desired, however, it is often desirable to provide a variety of different sized prongs and prongs which allow engagement with the building material at different angles. Further, middle prong  37  can act as a fulcrum in those cases where the material being pried from the building is engaged by distal prong  36 , and proximal prong  38  can serve as a fulcrum when the building material is engaged by center prong  37 . Prongs  37  and  38  may be used as a saw to cut downwardly through drywall or other building materials. A suitable distance from the distal tip of jaw  32  to the tip of prong  36  is from about 3 to about 4 inches (e.g., 3½), from about 3 to about 4 inches (e.g., 3½) from the tip of prong  36  to the tip of prong  37 , and from about 1½ to about 2 inches from the tip of prong  37  to the tip of prong  38 . 
     Fixed jaw  32  includes a toothed surface  60  that opposes a toothed surface  62  on movable jaw  34 . The opposing toothed surfaces are capable of biting into an object to facilitate a firm grip on an object grasped between the fixed jaw  32  and the movable jaw  34 . 
     A variety of materials are suitable for fabricating tool  10 . However, strength, heat resistance, durability, and fire resistance are highly desirable properties for a fire-fighting tool. Suitable components for fire-fighting tool  10  may be fabricated from steel or other metals or alloys. Jaws  32  and  34  may, for example, be made of 16 gauge steel flat stock. This provides the desired strength, durability, heat resistance and fire resistance, while avoiding undesirable excessive weight or expense. The parts of jaw  32  are preferably cold riveted together with ends of rivets  70  rolled down to avoid protruding fasteners. 
     Steel wire cutting blades  72  and  74  may be attached to jaws  32  and  34 , respectively, to facilitate cutting of electrical wires, phone lines, etc. 
     The rounded forward edges of jaws  32  and  34  may have serrated sections  76  and  77  to provide a ripping and/or tearing function that facilitates penetration of drywall or other building materials. 
     Typically, tool  10  will be used by first engaging a top edge of a building material, such as plank of building siding, with one of prongs  36 ,  37  or  38  and pulling downwardly, to rip the material from the building. Thereafter, if necessary, an exposed edge of the material may be grasped between jaws  32  and  34  by appropriate positioning of tool  10  and manipulation of handle  42 . 
     The above description is considered that of the preferred embodiments only. Modifications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the doctrine of equivalents.