Pounding, Prying, And Screwing Hand Tool And Method Of Use

A pounding, prying, and screwing hand tool for setting a screw and creating a dimple therearound includes a hammerhead, which is attached to a first end of a handle. A screw bit is attached to, or is selectively attachable to, a second end of the handle so that the screw bit extends axially from the handle. The handle can be grasped in a hand of a user, positioning the user to set a respective screw into a sheet of drywall using the screw bit and to selectively impart a dimple into the sheet of drywall by pounding the screw using a rounded face of the hammerhead.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to multipurpose hand tools and more particularly pertains to a new multipurpose hand tool for setting a screw and creating a dimple therearound. The present invention discloses a multipurpose hand tool comprising a handle having a hammerhead attached to one end and a screw bit to the other.

The prior art relates to multipurpose hand tools, which may comprise multipurpose hammers, such as hammers having modified claws for punching out knock-out plugs of electrical boxes and hammers with pick in place of their claws and having nail claws and prying claws attached to distal ends of their handles. The prior art does not teach a multipurpose hand tool comprising a handle having a hammerhead attached to one end and a screw bit to the other.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a hammerhead, which is attached to a first end of a handle. A screw bit is attached to, or is selectively attachable to, a second end of the handle so that the screw bit extends axially from the handle. The handle is configured to be grasped in a hand of a user, positioning the user to selectively pound and to pry using the hammerhead and to selectively set a respective screw using the screw bit.

Another embodiment of the disclosure include a method of setting a screw and dimpling a sheet of drywall. The method comprises provision steps, which entail providing a pounding, prying, and screwing hand tool, according to the disclosure above, and a sheet of drywall having at least one screw requiring setting and around which a dimple is required for receiving joint compound. Operational steps of the method are setting the screw using the screw bit and imparting a dimple into the sheet of drywall using a rounded face of the hammerhead.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As best illustrated inFIGS.1through9, the pounding, prying, and screwing hand tool10generally comprises a hammerhead12, which is attached to a first end14of a handle16. The hammerhead12comprises a claw18, which is opposingly positioned relative to a rounded face20. The handle16is configured to be grasped in the hand of the user, positioning the user to selectively dimple a sheet of drywall22, using the rounded face20, and to remove fasteners, such as nails and screws, by prying with the claw18. The hammerhead12in this respect is similar to prior art hammerheads of what are known as drywall hammers.

As shown inFIG.1, a screw bit24is attached to, or is selectively attachable to, a second end26of the handle16so that the screw bit24extends axially from the handle16. The present invention also anticipates the screw bit24being selectively extensible from the second end26of the handle16. Most usefully for setting a screw28in a sheet of drywall22, the screw bit24comprises a Phillips head76. The handle16is configured to be grasped in a hand of a user, positioning the user to selectively pound and to pry, using the hammerhead12, and to selectively set a respective screw28using the screw bit24.

Sheets of drywall22typically are installed using rotary tools, which are intended to drive a screw28through a sheet of drywall22and into a substrate, usually a wood stud, concurrently with creation of a dimple32around a head30of the screw28. Inspection of the hung sheet of drywall22often will reveal screws28that are not properly set, which can arise due to an improper torque setting for the rotary tool, variations in substrate density, and the like. Correcting an improperly set screw28then requires a user to use a screwdriver to set the screw28and a drywall hammer to impress a dimple32into the sheet of drywall22around the head30of the screw28. The pounding, prying, and screwing hand tool10allows the user to both set the screw28and to create the dimple32, thereby increasing efficiency.

As shown inFIG.6, the screw bit24comprises a bit section34and a coupling section36, with the bit section34being complementary to the respective screw28. A coupler38, which is complementary to the coupling section36of the screw bit24, is attached to the second end26of the handle16. The coupler38is positioned to selectively couple to the coupling section36to removably attach the screw bit24to the handle16.

As shown inFIG.5, the coupler38comprises a tube40, which is attached to the handle16and which is positioned in a channel42that extends into the handle16. The tube40may be adhesively attached to the handle16, or attached by other attachment means, such as, but not limited to, by means of external threading on the tube40, captive fasteners, and the like. The tube40has an inner surface44with a hexagonal cross-sectional profile46, which is complementary to the coupling section36of the screw bit24. The present invention also anticipates the inner surface44have a square cross-sectional profile, or the like. The coupling section36of the screw bit24can be inserted into the tube40to attach the screw bit24to the handle16, with attachment being enhanced by the coupler38being magnetic and the screw bit24being paramagnetic.

As the pounding, prying, and screwing hand tool10is used in pounding and prying, attachment of the screw bit24to the handle16by robust means is desirable. However, it also is desirable to have an ability to replace the screw bit24when it is worn down due to use. One such robust means includes a segment48of the tube40extending from the handle16, with a portion50of the segment48distal from the handle16being externally threaded. An O-ring52is attached to and positioned in a collar54proximate to a first side56of the collar54. The collar54is internally threaded and thus is complementary to the portion50of the segment48of the tube40. The portion50of the segment48is threadedly insertable into a second side58of the collar54to compress the O-ring52between the collar54and the screw bit24, thereby removably attaching the screw bit24to the tube40.

The pounding, prying, and screwing hand tool10enables a method of setting a screw and dimpling a sheet of drywall60. The method60comprises a first provision step62, which entails providing a pounding, prying, and screwing hand tool, according to the specification above. A second provision step64of the method60is providing a sheet of drywall22having at least one screw28requiring setting and around which a dimple32is required for receiving joint compound. A first operational step66of the method60is grasping the handle16in a hand. A second operational step68and a third operational step70entail inserting the screw bit24into the screw28and rotating the handle16to set the screw28, respectively. A fourth operational step72and a fifth operational step74entail reversing a grip upon the handle16and swinging the handle16so that the rounded face20strikes the screw28to impart a dimple32into the sheet of drywall22, respectively.