Slide tapper for tongue-in-groove flooring

A slide hammer has end blocks of a material that will not damage wooden boards when it is used to tap the boards into place. The slide hammer includes a slide rod or bar and a weighted hammer movable on the slide rod. With one of the end blocks in contact with a board, the hammer is moved into contact with one of the end blocks in a vigorous manner to drive the board into place. The edges of the end blocks are configured so as to allow the unit to be positioned in tight spaces between the boards and any surrounding walls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to slide hammers, and more particularly to 
a slide hammer of special configuration for tapping tongue-in-groove 
boards into place. 
2. Description of Related Art 
The following art defines the present state of this field: 
Gutierrez, U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,900 describes a device for use in the repair 
of automobiles, trucks, farm equipment and other vehicles having sheet 
metal bodies capable of deformation from impact accidents. This device 
includes a main body portion having a first nestable solid section and a 
second tubular receiving section the receiving section being constrictedly 
open at its proximal end. The receiving section being closed on its distal 
end by a closure which is threaded to receive a work head of varying 
configurations, each of which is interchangeable with the other for 
carrying out specific tasks or functions within a specific area of the 
vehicular body. 
Burrola, U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,323 describes an improved multi-purpose impact 
hand tool kit for use by electricians, carpenters or similar tradesperson 
in the building construction industry or other similar industry in 
applications that require the use of an impact type of hand tool for 
driving fastening devices such as concrete nails, threaded or unthreaded 
fastener studs, pins anchor/expansion plugs or similar devices. The 
improved impact hand tool kit conveniently provides for the tradesperson 
an elongated shaft provided with a tool end having exterior threads and a 
threaded bore for attaching male or female threaded attachment ends 
provided on commercially available fastening devices. The improved hand 
tool kit can also be used by the tradesperson in general applications that 
require the use of an impact or non-impact general purpose hand tools such 
as chisels, punches, and screwdrivers. Such impact or non-impact general 
purpose hand tools are specially adapted for use with the elongated shaft 
of the improved impact hand tool kit. The improved impact hand tool kit is 
also provided with simple reducer adapters which will allow the use of 
fastening devices or specially adapted general purpose impact or 
non-impact hand tools having their attachment ends with a reduced thread 
size. The improved impact hand tool kit is provided with features that add 
utility, comfort, durability and safety during its use. 
Cook, U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,321 describes an impact tool in which a 
specifically configured skeletal stiffener is completely and unitarily 
encased in a thick resilient encasement. The part of the skeletal 
stiffener which forms the basis for the striking head of the tool may be 
internally provided with operatively movable and treated particles to 
inhibit any recoil of the head when an object is struck. 
Gue, U.S. Pat. No. 3,568,647 describes an elongated rock-breaking bar 
providing one end with a chisel point and at the opposite end with a 
chisel edge. Intermediate these ends are a pair of longitudinally spaced 
collars between which a hammer member is mounted slidable on the bar. In 
one embodiment the bar is made in two detachable longitudinal sections and 
the hammer member is made in one piece. In another embodiment the bar is 
made in one piece and the hammer member is made in two detachable lateral 
sections. 
Bonnesen, U.S. Pat. No. 2,702,060 describes a handled instrument or tool 
having a blow head. The tool comprises an elongated handle member which 
has large diameter collar inwardly of and adjacent one end thereof. A head 
mounted on the handle member outwardly of the collar. At the end of the 
handle member securing the head against displacement from the handle 
member is an annular bushing of sock absorbing material spacing the handle 
member from the head. The bushing includes shock absorbing flanges 
disposed between the head, collar and head securing means. The other end 
of the handle member has a roughened surface and a hand-grip portion of 
shock absorbing material fixed to the roughened surface. 
White, U.S. Pat. No. 2,010,575 describes a bung-driver or hammer device of 
the type comprising an elongated body affording a hand-grip and having one 
end enlarged to form a hammer-head. The body and head being formed with an 
axial bore and with a coextensive open slot from end to end to permit 
emplacement of the hammer laterally upon a pipe. The device has a 
resilient cushion supported by a metal plate secured removably to the 
hammer-head and having a slot registering with that of the slot and bore 
of the handle body and further characterized by having the 
cushion-supporting plate provided with spaced central projections embedded 
in the body of the cushion, and with marginal abutment projections 
adjacent to the slotted end of the cushion. 
The prior art teaches slide hammers of various types. However, the prior 
art does not teach that a slide hammer may be configured for fitting in 
small and large spaces as required in board laying. The present invention 
fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described 
in the following summary. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use 
which give rise to the objectives described below. 
The present invention provides a slide hammer having end blocks of a 
material that will not damage wooden boards when it is used to tap the 
boards into place. The slide hammer includes a slide rod or bar and a 
weighted hammer movable on the slide rod. With one of the end blocks in 
contact with a board, the hammer is moved into contact with one of the end 
blocks in a vigorous manner to drive the boards into place. The edges of 
the end blocks are configured so as to allow the unit to be positioned in 
tight spaces between the boards and any surrounding walls. 
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a slide hammer 
having advantages not taught by the prior art. 
Another objective is to provide a slide hammer having several side edge 
face lengths so as to be used in a variety of tight fitting situations. 
A further objective is to provide such a slide hammer having a means for 
preventing a finger from being caught between the hammer and the end 
blocks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The above described drawing figures illustrate the invention, an apparatus 
comprising a pair of spaced apart end blocks 10, preferably made of wood, 
resilient plastic, rubberized plastic or other material of a mechanical 
shock absorbing nature, joined by a rigid slide rod 20, preferably of 
aluminum, steel or other rigid structural material, extending therebetween 
and fixedly fastened thereto. The slide rod 20 is preferably fastened to 
the end blocks 10 on each of its ends 22, as shown in FIG. 2, by a nut 24 
threaded onto the end of the slide rod 22, where the nut 24 is fitted 
within a counterbore 12 or blind hole as shown so that the terminal 
surfaces 14 of the end blocks 10 are not obstructed by any protrusion and 
therefore the apparatus may be stood-up on the surface 14 in a corner 
until needed. A hammer body 30, preferably made of a heavy metal such as 
wrought iron or steel, has a mass density greater than the end blocks 10 
and preferably of such magnitude as to enable the apparatus to impart a 
significant amount of energy to the end blocks by striking them with the 
hammer body 30, the hammer body 30 being slidably mounted on the slide rod 
20 so as to be movable between the end blocks 10. Preferably, each of the 
end blocks is generally rectangular in shape so as to provide three 
opposing perimeter planar edges 40, 50, 60, the planar edges laying in 
planes parallel to the slide rod 20. The three planar edges comprise in 
length, a larger one of the planar edges 40, a medial one of the planar 
edges 50 and a smaller one of the planar edges 60. The larger one of the 
planar edges 40 of each of the pair of end blocks 10 is positioned in 
corresponding attitudes relative to the slide rod 20 so that the end 
blocks 10 may be placed onto a surface with the larger one of the planar 
edges 40 of both of the end blocks 10 simultaneously resting in contact 
with the surface as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The medial ones 50 and 
the smaller ones 60 of the planar edges are preferably positioned in 
opposing attitudes relative to the slide rod 20 so that the end blocks 10 
may be placed onto a surface with the medial one of the planar edges 50 of 
one of the end blocks 10 and the smaller one of the planar edges 60 of the 
other of the end blocks 10 simultaneously resting in contact with the 
surface as shown in FIG. 3. 
Preferably, the slide rod 20 further includes a pair of rod sleeves 70, 
each of the rod sleeves being fixed over the slide rod 20 and abutting one 
of the end blocks 10, each said rod sleeve 70 being of such length and 
size as to directly receive blows of the hammer body on a distal annular 
rim 72 of the rod sleeve 70. Preferably, each of the rod sleeves 70 has a 
length sufficient to avoid pinching a finger between the hammer body 30 
and the corresponding end block 10. Further, the hammer body 30 preferably 
provides a series of annular grooves 80 therein for providing improved 
grasping of the hammer body 30. 
In use, the apparatus is generally used to tap the end of a floor board or 
other tongue-in-groove element into place. Such tongue-in-groove 
structures are in widespread use for floor, wall and ceiling coverings as 
well as for exterior construction and many other applications as well. In 
FIG. 2, board 100 is being tapped into board 110 by the apparatus. An 
arrow shown near the hammer body 30 shows the direction in which the 
hammer body 30 is moved, preferably at a rapid rate until the hammer body 
30 collides with the rod sleeve 70 at the left of the illustration in FIG. 
2. The hammer body 30 is moved by hand, and is able to impart its kinetic 
energy to the end block 10 (at left of FIG. 2), which in-turn imparts such 
energy to board 100 driving the tongue 120 of board 110 into the slot of 
board 100. It should be noticed that in FIG. 2, the apparatus is 
positioned in contact with a sub-floor 130. Alternately, when space does 
not permit the entire apparatus to be positioned on the sub-floor, the 
apparatus may be positioned, as shown in FIG. 1, where the hammer body 30 
is moved, as in FIG. 2, from right to left, striking the end block 10 at 
the left, but the impact is transferred through the slide rod 20 to the 
end block 10 at the right so as to drive board 100 into board 110. In 
FIGS. 1 and 2 we see that the larger one of the planer edges 40 of both of 
the end blocks are in contact with the surfaces upon which the apparatus 
is rested. In a further utilization of the structural elements of the 
invention, FIG. 3 shows the means by which the apparatus may be used to 
drive a narrow end 140 of the board 100. In this case enough space is 
available to accommodate the medial one of the planar edges 50. When even 
less space is available for placement of the apparatus onto the sub-floor 
130, the smaller one of the planar edge 60 may be used. This illustrates 
and explains the primary advantages of the apparatus with respect to using 
this tool in its several approaches to laying floor boards, but the same 
approaches may be applied to wall, ceiling, and other board laying 
applications and to other applications where tapping is required. 
While the invention has been described with reference to at least one 
preferred embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in 
the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of 
the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended 
claims.