A triphammer nutcracker for use in fracturing the shells of various nuts of differing sizes and shell textures is disclosed. An operating handle is raised and lowered in a pumplike manner to provide access to a cracking chamber wherein the nut to be cracked is placed, to slide a shield completely around the cracking chamber, and to retract and release a spring biased hammer which strikes a pestle with sufficient force to drive the pestle toward the mortar thereby cracking the nut held therebetween. The broken shell fragments fall into a catch basin and any remaining shell and the nut meat fall into the catch basin as the next operating cycle is started. The nutcracker is structured in a manner such that the hammer will not be released to crack the nut until the shield is in place to enclose the cracking chamber thereby preventing flying nut fragments.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed generally to a nutcracker. More 
particularly, the present invention is directed to a hand operated 
nutcracker of the mortar and pestle type. Most specifically, the present 
invention is directed to a triphammer actuated mortar and pestle 
nutcracker usable to crack nuts of varying sizes with shells of varying 
textures. A hand lever portion of the nutcracker is initially raised in a 
pumplike stroke to separate the mortar and pestle so that a nut in its 
shell can be placed in a cracking chamber formed between the mortar and 
pestle. Lowering of the handle moves the mortar and pestle together to 
firmly engage the nut; closes a shield over cracking chamber; retracts a 
spring biased triphammer; and then releases the hammer which contacts the 
pestle with sufficient force to break the nut shell without fracturing the 
nut meat. The broken shell fragments fall into a catch basin or storage 
chamber and any remaining pieces of shell and the nut meat fall into the 
catch basin as the handle is raised to initiate a subsequent cycle of 
operation. The force exerted on the pestle by the triphammer is quickly 
and easily adjusted to accomodate for the size and toughness of the nut 
shell being cracked. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
The use of mortar and pestle type nutcrackers is known generally in the art 
as may be seen in the following U.S. Pat. application Nos.; 1,555,518; 
2,783,802; 3,477,487; 3,524,486; 3,621,898; 3,841,212; and 3,858,501. 
While these patents are not meant to be a complete listing of mortar and 
pestle or hammer and anvil types of nutcrackers, they are exemplary of the 
various nutcrackers known in the art. All operate on the general principle 
of placing a nut which is to be cracked between two supports that are then 
urged together to fracture the nut shell. While these and other 
nutcrackers presently available perform their intended function of 
cracking the shell of the nut, they have various drawbacks which render 
them less than completely satisfactory. 
The nutcrackers which are presently available are often difficult to hold 
in place during use. Some require the use of a clamp for securement to a 
working surface such as a table and others must be permanently attached to 
the working surface so that they are not portable. These prior devices are 
also often complicated to operate and require various pushing, pulling and 
twisting motions of the operator. Thus, they can be difficult and may even 
be dangerous to use. 
After the prior art nutcrackers have been secured in place and are being 
operated in a manner which often requires the use of both hands, they 
frequently create a danger of flying shell and nut meat fragments which 
could possibly injure the eye of the user and also create a problem of 
litter as the shell and meat fragments are thrown out by the impact. 
Similarly, as the movable elements are separated, the shell and meat 
fragments fall out onto the working surface and create further litter. 
It is often not possible to adjust the striking force in the prior art 
nutcrackers to that the nut shell is either struck with too little force 
to break the shell or is struck with so much force that not only is the 
shell broken but the meat is also broken into a number of little pieces 
which are not as appealing as unbroken nut meat. 
A further drawback of presently available nutcrackers is their slowness of 
operation. The hand operated devices cannot be rapidly cycled and the 
power operated devices, which are usually driven by an electric motor, are 
likewise slow in operation and are treated more as a novelty than as an 
operative, functional device. Thus, the presently available devices do not 
operate rapidly enough to render them satisfactory. 
While all the presently available nutcrackers of the type generally similar 
to the subject invention do crack nuts, they are often difficult to secure 
and operate, do not completely prevent flying shell fragments and litter, 
are not adjustable in response to differing shell sizes and toughness, 
require complex operating assemblies and are time consuming and difficult 
to use. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a nutcracker which is 
simple to use. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a nutcracker which 
accomplishes the cracking operation by raising and lowering a hand lever. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a nutcracker which 
is readily adjustable to satisfactorily crack nuts of varying sizes and 
shell textures. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a nutcracker in 
which the cracking chamber is completely enclosed during the cracking 
operation. 
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a nutcracker 
which does not require any means of anchoring or securing the unit to a 
work surface. 
As will be set forth in greater detail in the description of the preferred 
embodiment, the triphammer nutcracker in accordance with the present 
invention is operated by the simple motion of raising and lowering a 
handle in a pump-like manner. As the handle is raised, the mortar and a 
sliding cover shield are moved to allow a nut to be placed in the cracking 
chamber. Once the nut has been placed in position, the handle is lowered 
thus initially causing the mortar and pestle to grasp the nut. Further 
lowering of the handle moves the sliding shield into place about the 
cracking chamber and retracts a spring biased triphammer. As the handle is 
completely lowered, the hammer is released and strikes the pestle with 
sufficient force to break the nut shell without damaging the nut meat. The 
shell fragments fall into a catch basin into which the nut meat also falls 
as the handle is raised to start the next cracking cycle. 
The triphammer nutcracker assembly and base in accordance with the present 
invention sits on a support which carries the catch basin for the broken 
shells and nut meat. This base is preferably provided with resilient pads 
or feet so that it can be placed on a work surface such as a table. Since 
the pump type handle is easily raised and lowered, the nutcracker will 
remain in place without the use of special clamps or securement means. 
The cracking chamber is completely shielded before the triphammer is 
released so that when the nut shell is broken, any shell fragment will be 
retained within the cracking chamber and will fall into the catch basin. 
Similarly, as the mortar and pestle are separated to start a new cycle, 
the nut cracked in the previous cycle will fall into the catch base. The 
sliding shield thus reduces litter and also prevents any possible damage 
which might be caused by flying shell fragments. 
The force applied to the nut in the cracking chamber is quickly adjustable 
by two separate means to insure that only the force required to break the 
shell and not so much force that the nut meat will be broken is applied. 
One adjusting means varies the spring force applied to the triphammer 
while the second adjusting means limits the movement of the pestle. 
Together these adjustments allow the application of only that amount of 
force required to crack and break the nut shell without destroying the nut 
meat. 
The triphammer nutcracker in accordance with the present invention is easy 
to operate, has adjusting means to vary the cracking force, is safe and 
clean since shell fragments are not allowed to fly about, is fast and 
efficient, and is generally more convenient and functional than prior art 
devices.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring initially to FIG. 1, there may be seen generally at 2 a base for 
triphammer nutcracker in accordance with the present invention. Base 2 is 
generally rectangular and is comprised of spaced side walls 8, a first end 
wall 5, a second end wall 6, and spaced transverse cross-bars 12 and 14. 
Extending upwardly from side walls 8 intermediate end wall 6 and cross-bar 
12 are a pair of clevis arms 4 and 4' whose function will be discussed 
hereinafter. 
Turning now to FIG. 2, there may be seen, generally at 3, the triphammer 
nutcracker in accordance with the present invention secured on base 2. 
Triphammer nutcracker 3 is comprised generally of three component groups; 
a handle and actuating arm group A; a triphammer assembly B; and a mortar, 
pestle and shield assembly C. Triphammer nutcracker 3 is secured to base 2 
by positioning an outer casing 28 of the triphammer group B in 
correspondingly shaped semi-circular recesses 10 and 10' in end wall 6 and 
intermediate cross bar 12, respectively of base 2. Complimentarily shaped 
caps 30 and 32 are placed over the outer casing 28 and are held by 
suitable means such as screws (not shown) which are threaded into tapped 
holes 34 in end wall 6 and cross-bar 12. 
A hammer head 36 is securely affixed to one end of a working barrel 38 
which telescopes within outer casing 28. A coil compression spring 40 is 
carried within working barrel 38 and outer casing 28 and operates to bias 
hammer head 36 and barrel 38 out of casing 28. The spring force is readily 
adjustable by the use of a tension adjusting rod 42 which is positioned 
within spring 40. Rod 42 includes a flanged head 44 which engages the end 
of compression spring 40 opposite the hammer head 36 end. Flanged head 44 
includes a recess 45 which receives a first end of a tension adjusting 
screw 46 that is threaded through a tapped end plug 48 carried at the 
outer end of outer casing 28. A knurled head 49 is provided on the second 
end of tension adjusting screw 46 whereby compression of spring 40 can be 
readily adjusted by rotation of head 49. 
A pair of clevis plates 56 are secured to clevis arms 4 and 4' by a 
suitable hinge pin 62 which passes through holes in plates 56 and clevis 
arms 4 and 4'. Clevis plates 56 are spaced from each other and pass 
downwardly at one end on either side of outer casing 28. An operating 
lever handle 58 is secured between the two clevis plates and may carry a 
suitable hand grip 60 at its free end. Securement of handle 58 to clevis 
plates 56 may be accomplished in any suitable manner such as by screws, 
bolts or rivets, shown generally at 59. 
A pawl head 50 which carries a downwardly extending pawl tip 51 at a first 
end, is carried between first ends of generally L-shaped pawl rods 52. The 
second ends of pawl rods 52 are joined to the free ends of clevis plates 
56 by a hinge pin 54. These pawl rods also straddle outer casing 28 of the 
triphammer assembly B and move as the handle 58 is raised and lowered. A 
torsion spring 64 is placed around hinge pin 54 with its free end being 
retained in a notch 65 in the second end of pawl rods 52. The second end 
53 of pawl head 50 is an inclined camming surface, as may be seen in FIG. 
2 and engages a camming pin 116 carried on the top of cap 32. Briefly, in 
operation as handle 58 is raised, pawl rods 52 move to the right, as seen 
in FIG. 2 until pawl tip 51 engages a recess in hammer head 36. When 
handle 58 is lowered, pawl rods 52 move the hammer head 36 and working 
barrel 38 to the left compressing spring 40. Camming surface 53 of pawl 
head 50 slides up camming pin 116, and the pawl head 50 is raised to 
release the hammer head 36 so that head 36 will move rapidly to the right 
under the influence of spring 40. 
As may also be seen in FIG. 2, a pitman bar 66 is also carries at a first 
end by hinge pin 54 between clevis plates 56. The second end of pitman bar 
66 is secured to shield slide block arms 68, which extend to the left from 
a body portion of slide block 70, by hinge pin 72. This slide block 70 can 
be seen more clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4 and, as shown most clearly in FIG. 
4, carries a lower plate 74 and an upper plate 76. These plates 74 and 76, 
in combination with slide block 70 define a generally grooved slide block 
which slides on spaced inwardly extending slide block track fins or ribs 
26 and 26'. Fins 26 and 26', as may be seen most clearly in FIG. 1, extend 
inwardly from the side walls 8 of base 2 generally between cross-bars 12 
and 14. Hence, as handle 58 is raised, pitman bar 66 causes slide block 70 
to move to the right and to return to the left as handle 58 is lowered. 
The cooperation of lower and upper plates 74 and 76 with fins 26 allows 
slide block 70 to move solely in a rectilinear manner. 
A pair of push rods 80 extend from sliding block 70 through holes 20 and 
20' in cross-bar 14 and are secured to mortar and shield assembly C, as 
may be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. Upper plate 76 of sliding block 70 carries 
rolled sleeves 78 and 78' at its outer ends. First ends of push rods 80 
pass through these sleeves and are secured thereto by suitable nuts 81 
which engage threads provided on push rods 80. The second ends of push 
rods 80 are retained in closed ended sleeves 82 which may be seen in FIGS. 
3 and 5. These sleeves are formed by rolling the lower edges of a sliding 
shield 84 which, as is shown most clearly in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5 is 
slideably carries by mortar 90. Sliding shield 84 further includes an 
outer flange 86 at its leading edge with a resilient bonnet 88 being 
secured in flange 86 and extending to the left of sliding shield 84, as 
seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
As is seen most clearly in FIG. 2, mortar 90 has a conical recess 91 in its 
face portion and this recess cooperates with a similar recess 105 in 
pestle 106 to hold a nut 107 which is to be cracked by the triphammer 
nutcracker of the present invention. Sliding shield 84 and resilient 
bonnet 88 surround the cracking chamber 109 defined as the space between 
the mortar 90 and pestle 106. During cracking of the nut, the sliding 
shield 84 and resilient bonnet completely enclose the cracking chamber 109 
to prevent any shell or nut meat fragments from being thrown about. 
Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 5, sliding shield 84 is attached to mortar 
90 by a pair of coil springs 92 which are secured at a first end to 
shackles 94 formed on flange 86 and at a second end to pins 96 which 
extend outwardly from mortar 90, as shown most clearly in FIG. 5. Sliding 
shield 84 is further provided with elongated slots 104 that cooperate with 
pins 96 to allow sliding shield 84 to move linearly along mortar 90 
without rotating. 
Mortar 90 further carries a generally U-shaped plate 98 on its lower 
surface, as may be seen in FIG. 5. U-shaped plate 98 also includes 
downwardly and outwardly extending plates 102 which, as may be seen most 
clearly in FIG. 5 define grooves that engage mortar slide fins 24 and 24' 
that extend inwardly from side walls 8 of base 2 in a manner similar to 
fins 26. Thus mortar 90 can slide in a rectilinear manner as operating 
lever 58 is raised and lowered through the cooperation of clevis plates 
56, pitman bar 66, slide block 70, and push rods 80. 
Returning again to FIG. 2, pestle 106 is carried at a first end of a pestle 
drive rod 110 which is, in turn, slideably positioned within aperture 18 
that extends through cross-bar 14. Pestle drive rod 110 carries a pestle 
drive disc 112 at its second end on the opposite side of cross-bar 18. A 
shock absorbing washer 114 is placed between pestle drive disc 112 and 
cross-bar 18. The face of hammer 36 which strikes pestle drive disc 112 is 
preferably covered with a somewhat resilient end cap 118 which prevents 
marring of the face of hammer 36 or pestle drive disc 112 and which also 
reduces the noise of impact when hammer head 36 strikes pestle drive disk 
112. A pestle adjusting screw 108 is threaded through cross-bar 14 and 
contacts the rear surface of pestle 106 so that the spacing of pestle 106 
and mortar 90 from each other can be adjusted to accomodate for various 
sized nuts. 
A combination support, catch basin, and storage case for the triphammer 
nutcracker of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6 generally at 120. 
Support 120 is generally a rectangular box having resilient support pads 
or feet 122 at the lower four corners so that support 120 can be placed on 
any level surface such as a table where it will remain in place and will 
not mar the surface. A cover portion 124 of the support 120 is removeably 
attached to the support 120 and is provided with an opening 130 which 
underlies the cracking chamber 109 when the triphammer nutcracker 3 is 
placed on support 120. Shell fragments and nut meat fall through opening 
130 where they are stored until the cover 124 is removed. A generally 
U-shaped cut-out 126 is provided at a first end of cover 124 and a dowel 
pin socket 132 is located in the end wall of support 120 adjacent U-shaped 
cut-out 126. A stabilizing lug 134 extends upwardly from cover 124 
adjacent its end opposite U-shaped cut-out 126 and cooperates with the 
adjacent end wall of support 120 to provide a frame seat 128. The 
nutcracker 3 and base 2 are secured to support 120 by initially placing 
end wall 5 of base 2 into U-shaped cut-out 126 and sliding base 2 until a 
dowel pin 22 on base 2 is received in socket 132. Base end wall 6 can then 
be lowered into frame seat 128 and is held by stabilizing lug 134. When 
the triphammer nutcracker 3 is not being used, the tension adjusting screw 
46 can be removed to reduce overall length and to relieve the tension on 
spring 40. The nutcracker can then be placed within support 120 and cover 
124 can be replaced to provide a neat and compact unit for storage. 
In operation, triphammer nutcracker 3 is placed on support 120 and hand 
grip 60 is grasped. Lever 58 is raised in a pump-like fashion. Upward 
motion of lever 58 causes pawl rods 52 to move to the right, as seen in 
FIG. 2 until pawl tip 51 drops behind hammer head 36 into the provided 
recess. Simultaneously, pitman bar 66 moves to the right and causes 
sliding block 70 to slide to the right along fins 26 and 26'. This 
movement of sliding block 70 causes push rods 80 to also move to the right 
thereby sliding shield 84 to the right until pins 96 on mortar 90 seat in 
ends of slots 104 in shield 84. Shield 84 and mortar 90 continue to move 
to the right as mortar 90 slides on fins 24 and 24'. At this point when 
handle 58 has been fully raised, a nut can be placed in cracking chamber 
109 and is held in place between the cone shaped recesses 91 and 105 in 
mortar 90 and pestle 106, respectively. The space between the mortar and 
pestle can be adjusted by turning pestle adjusting screw 108. Upward 
travel of handle 58 is stopped when sliding block 70 abuts the wall of 
cross bar 14. Handle 58 can now be lowered thereby moving sliding block 70 
to the left. This initially moves mortar 90 to the left to firmly grasp 
the nut. Further lowering of handle 58 pulls sliding shield 84 and 
resilient bonnet 88 to the left against the tension of springs 92 to cover 
the cracking chamber 109 and to bias the mortar 90 against the nut. This 
spring force also ensures that pestle 106 is drawn against pestle 
adjusting screw 108 and forces pestle drive disc 112 away from the wall of 
cross-bar 14. At the same time, the pawl rods 52 are also moving to the 
left to retract working barrel 38 into outer casing 28 thus compressing 
spring 40 and moving the hammer 36 away from pestle drive disc 112. As 
handle 58 is fully lowered to the position shown in FIG. 2, such downward 
handle travel being limited by stop pin 56', the camming surface 53 on 
pawl head 50 is raised by camming pin 116 to release the hammer 36 which 
is projected by spring 40 into contact with pestle drive disc 112 to drive 
pestle 106 to the right so that the shell of nut 107 will be broken. Any 
broken nut shell fragments fall through the bottom of base 2 and through 
opening 130 in cover 124 into the catch basin formed by support 120. As 
the handle 58 is raised to start another cycle, the nut meat and any 
remaining shell is released from between mortar 90 and pestle 106 and also 
falls into the catch basin. Another nut can now be placed in cracking 
chamber 109 and the cycle repeated. It should be noted that the lengths of 
the pawl rods 52 and the pitman bar 66 are selected so that the hammer 26 
cannot be released from its retracted position until the sliding shield 84 
and the resilient bonnet 88 are completely enclosing the cracking chamber 
109. This prevents shell fragments from flying about and further reduces 
the possibility of the operator placing his fingers in the cracking 
chamber 109 during cracking of the nut. 
As was previously alluded to, the force imparted to pestle 106 by hammer 36 
can be varied by movement of tension adjusting screw 46. This adjustable 
striking force is desirable since the texture and thickness of the nut 
shell varies with the type of nut and it is desirable to impart only that 
force required to break the nut shell while not fragmenting the nut meat. 
Pestle adjusting screw 108 also can be used to adjust the position of the 
pestle 106 and hence the distance that the hammer 26 will travel before 
striking pestle drive disc 112. These two adjusting means allow the 
triphammer nutcracker in accordance with the present invention to be 
adjusted for satisfactory operation with a wide variety of nuts of 
differing sizes and textures. 
While a preferred embodiment of a triphammer nutcracker in accordance with 
the present invention has been fully and completely described hereinabove, 
it will be obvious to one of skill in the art that a number of changes in, 
for example, the materials used, the specific shapes of the mortar, 
sliding shield and pestle; the types of springs used; the specific shape 
of the handle; and the like could be made without departing from the true 
spirit and scope of the invention and that the invention is to be limited 
only by the following claims.