Folding hatchet

There is disclosed a folding hand tool comprising a channel member having a head member rotatably attached to one end and a handle device rotatably attached to the other end with a block member attached to the channel member oppositely disposed the head member, the head member being locked in an operating position to the block member by a bolt member passing through the block member and having a hook on one end thereof which engages a receptacle in the head member and is secured therein by tightening a nut member threadably engaged on the other end of the bolt member to hold the head member in a fixed position with respect to the channel member. Alternatively, the head member is locked to the block member by a sliding pin located in a receptacle in the head member and biased to engage a hole in the block member when the head member is rotated into its operating position.

This invention relates to a collapsible hand tool and more particularly to 
a portable hand tool which may be folded to occupy a very small space. 
In the field of folding hand tools, it has been the general practice to 
employ detents of leaf springs as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,989,100 
granted to W. Burdis, et al. to engage a retaining pin on the head of the 
folding tool for cooperative retaining engagement of the head in an 
operating position. Although such elements have served the purpose, they 
have not proved entirely satisfactory under all conditions of service for 
the reasons that considerable difficulty has been experienced in 
preventing the retaining pin on the head from becoming disengaged from the 
leaf spring or detent when force is applied to the hand tool. 
Those concerned with the development of folding hand tools have long 
recognized the need for a mechanism which firmly locks the head member of 
the hand tool into place to withstand the operative forces applied 
thereto. The present invention fulfills this need. 
The general purpose of this invention is to provide a collapsible or 
folding hand tool which embraces all the advantages of simply employed 
coollapsible tools and possess none of the aforedescribed disadvantages. 
To obtain this, the present invention contemplates a unique head 
arrangement attached to a channel shaper holder whereby undesired pivoting 
and rotation during operative application of the head member of the tool 
are avoided. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a folding or 
collapsible hand tool which includes a channel shaped holder having a 
pivotally mounted head member therein adjacent one end thereof and having 
a block member oppositely disposed therefrom with a bolt or pin which 
engages both the head and block members whereby the head member may be 
securely locked into an operating position with respect to the channel 
shaped holder to prevent undesired and inadvertent rotation of the head 
member in the channel member during operative application of the tool. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a form of 
collapsible hand tool construction wherein the head member is pivotally 
mounted with the holder and is fixedly secured therein during operative 
application against accidental rotation relative to the holder, and 
wherein a handle is normally in alignment with the holder and includes 
means for fixedly retaining the aligned relation when in use. 
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable 
clamping mechanism upon the channel shaped holder of a collapsible hand 
tool, adapted for cooperation with the head member of the hand tool when 
the hand tool is in use, but which is easily released to disengage the 
head member to permit folding and collapsing of the head member into the 
channel of the channel-shaped holder. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a folding hand 
tool with a rotating tool member containing a locking pin which engages a 
block member attached to the handle when the tool member is rotated into 
its operating position.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate 
like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown 
in FIG. 1 (which illustrates a preferred embodiment) a channel member or 
base member 9 to which is rotatably attached a handle member 11 by a shaft 
13. A latch member 15 is rotatably attached to handle member 11 by a pin 
17, latch member 15 having a slot or hook 19 which engages a projection 21 
on channel member 9 to lock and fixedly locate handle member 11 in an 
extended position from channel member 9. A head member or hatchet blade 23 
is rotatably attached to channel member 9 by a pin 25. Head member 23 
rotatably slides between sides 27 of channel member 9. Oppositely disposed 
from head member 23 and attached to channel member 9 is a block or support 
member 29 having an elongated hole or opening therethrough through which a 
hook-shaped or latch bolt 31 passes and is secured therein by a nut 33 
threadably engaged to one end thereof, the hook end 35 of bolt 31 being 
located in a recess 37 in head member 23 and engaging a receptacle 39 
located therein. 
Turning now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated the collapsible hand tool of 
FIG. 1 positioned in the folded condition. Handle member 11 has a channel 
therein which engages one side of head member 23, latch member 15 being 
rotatably positioned adjacent handle member 11. Channel member 9 engages 
the other side of the head member 23 such that channel member 9 and handle 
member 11 are oppositely disposed along and enclosing the edges of head 
member 23. 
FIG. 3 illustrates a cross section of the device taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 
1 looking in the direction of the arrows, and shows head member 23 rotated 
about pin 25 into operating position and locked therein by hooked end 35 
of bolt 31 engaging receptacle 39 in recess 37. Bolt 31 passes through an 
elongated opening 41 in block member 29 and has an elongated threaded end 
43 thereon threadably engaging nut 33 which has a shoulder or neck 45 
thereon received into a receptacle or void 47 of block member 29. 
FIG. 4 shows an alternate locking mechanism embodying an "L" shaped block 
member 49 having a toe 51 which mates with a notch or cut-out 53 in a 
rotatable head or tool member 55. Channel member 9 has a slot 57 which 
terminates in a cross-slot 59 which slots are engaged by an extension arm 
61 of a pin (not visible) slideably mounted on head 55 to engage a hole 
(not visible) in toe 51; 
FIG. 5 shows a cut-away portion in section taken along line 5--5 of the 
folding tool of FIG. 4 in the direction of the arrows showing a pin or 
bolt 63 slideably mounted in a receptacle 67 in tool member 55 and biased 
by a spring member 67 to extend therefrom into a hole 65 in toe 51 of 
block member 49. 
FIG. 6, a cut-away portion of head 55 is shown removed from channel member 
9 with pin 63 extending from receptacle 67 into notch 53. Extension arm 61 
extends through a slot 71 in head member 55, slot 71 opening into 
receptacle 67. 
Operation of the invention can best be described by reference to FIG. 3 
wherein head member 23 is rotated into operating position. The hooked end 
of hook or latch bolt 31 is engaged into receptacle 39 located in recess 
37 of head member 23. The hooked or "C" shaped end 35 of bolt 31 fits or 
nests and is protected within recess 37 so as not to protrude or extend 
beyond the edge of head member 23. Bolt 31 is secured in block member 29 
by a nut 33 being tightened along threads 43 until the neck portion 45 
thereof is tightly engaged in receptacle or void 47 in block member 29. 
Thus, hook end 35 of latch bolt 31 is securely engaged in receptacle 39 to 
firmly lock and hold head member 23 in an operative position. If head 
member 23 is the blade of a folding hatchet, as illustrated in the 
drawings, and the blade is used to chop and cut wood, it is firmly and 
rigidly held in operating position even though the blade may be jammed or 
driven solidly into the wood and extreme force is used to remove it 
therefrom. Therefore, the problems of disengagement of a spring or detent 
type clamping mechanism from the hatchet head are overcome. In addition, 
the present invention provides a flat surface on block 29 which can be 
used as a hammer surface for hammering in stakes for tents and the like. 
It should be noted that neck 45 on nut 33 is securely engaged within 
receptacle 47 of block 29 such that when nut 33 is inadvertently struck 
while using block 29 as a hammering surface, threaded end 43 of bolt 31 is 
not bent or sheared. 
Although hook 19 is illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 for clamping latch 
member 15 and handle member 11 to channel member 9, a sliding latch member 
may be utilized whereby longitudinal slots in latch member 15 engage 
projections 21 on channel member 9 and pins 17 slide along similar 
longitudinal slots in the latch member. 
Turning to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the locking mechanism comprises pin or bolt 63 
slideably mounted in head 55 and biased to engage hole 65 in toe 51 of 
block 49. As head 55 is rotated from a folded position, illustrates in 
FIG. 2, into an operating position, illustrated in FIG. 5, extension arm 
61 engages slot 57 which is shaped to force pin 63 against bias spring 69 
into receptacle 67 such that it does not contact toe 51. When head 55 is 
located in its operating position, extension arm 61 is positioned in 
cross-slot 59, thereby releasing pin 63 to slide from receptacle 67 into 
hole 65 in toe 51 in response to the bias of pin 69, locking head 55 in 
its operating position. 
Therefore, it should be readily observable that the present invention 
provides a positive acting and rigid clamping mechanism to secure the 
folding head of a collapsible hand tool in operative position along with a 
block member which may be used as a hammer and includes a latch bolt and a 
nut member which is recessed in the block member to protect it from damage 
during hammering. 
It now should be apparent that the present invention provides a mechanical 
clamping arrangement which may be employed in conjunction with a folding 
or collapsible hand tool for firmly fixing and securing the folding head 
member of the hand tool may occur during use, while providing a block 
surface which may be used as a hammer. 
Although particular components, etc., have been discussed in connection 
with a specific embodiment of a folding hand tool constructed in 
accordance with the teachings of the present invention, others may be 
utilized. Furthermore, it will be understood that although an exemplary 
embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed and discussed, 
other applications and mechanical arrangements are possible and that the 
embodiments disclosed may be subjected to various changes, modifications, 
and substitutions without necessarily departing from the spirit of the 
invention.