Abstract:
A multifunction tool that allows a user to remove hinge pins and adjust hinges during the installation and removal of hinged doors. In the preferred embodiment, the tool has a hinge pin bit and an anvil extending perpendicularly from opposite sides of the first end of the tool. The second end of the tool includes a slot extending along the tool&#39;s centerline. In an alternate embodiment, the tool incorporates an anvil extending from each side of the tool, and a hinge pin bit extending from each side of the tool. The hinge pin bits have different sizes so that the tool can be used on door hinges with different size hinge pins.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates to a multi-function hand tool used during the installation and removal of hinged doors in order to remove the pintle from a door hinge.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Many different techniques and tools may be used for removing door hinge pins. The most common method involves using the head of a screwdriver to force the hinge pin upwardly, and a pair of pliers to grasp the head of the pin and extract the pin from the knuckle elements of the door hinge. While this method is simple, it requires at least three separate tools; namely, a hammer, a screwdriver and pliers. Also, the head of the screwdriver may be damaged so that it is no longer usable to drive screws. Additionally the use of a screwdriver can also result in damaged woodwork if the head of the screwdriver skips off the hinge pin during the hinge removal process. Additionally, due the awkward angle at which the screwdriver is held, the user may strike his or her hand with the hammer when attempting to strike the screwdriver.  
         [0003]     The prior art also includes various specialty tools for the removal of door hinge pins. However, these tool are generally overly complex and therefore more expensive to produce than the current invention, or overly simple and consequently less versatile than the current invention.  
         [0004]     The need exists for an effective and efficient tool that allows a user to remove hinge pins and adjust door hinges easily and conveniently. The current invention is an inexpensive multifunction tool that provides the user with the means to perform a variety of basic functions associated with door installation and removal.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The current invention has multiple advantages over the pliers-and-screwdriver process described above. The most apparent advantage is that the invention allows a user to remove a door hinge pin with two tools; namely, a hammer and the tool of the invention. The elongated design of the invention allows a user to reach tight corner areas and decreases the tendency of a user to angle the head portion of the tool during the hinge removal process, which decreases the chance that the tool will skip off the hinge pin and damage the surrounding woodwork. Additionally, the pry-bar design of the tool allows a user to fully extract the pintle or hinge pin once it has been broken free from the hinge plates. Similarly, during the door installation process, the bit portion of the current invention allows a user to align the holes in the separate hinge knuckles before the door is lifted in position and the pin is inserted. This allows the user to confirm that the hinge pin will slide all the way into both hinges before the door is moved into place.  
         [0006]     The present invention comprises a hinge pin removal and adjustment tool. The tool has a body with a planar first side and an oppositely disposed planar second side. The tool also has a first end and an oppositely disposed second end. An elongated cylindrical anvil with a planar striking surface projects perpendicularly from the first side of the tool. A hinge pin bit extends perpendicularly from the second side of the tool. The hinge pin bit is located preferably coaxially with the anvil. A slot extends through the body of the tool from the first side to the second side of the tool and from the first end of the tool towards the second end of the tool. Striking the planar anvil striking surface causes the hinge pin bit to impart force to a hinge pin for dislodging the hinge pin from a door hinge.  
         [0007]     The present invention also comprises a hinge pin removal and adjustment tool that includes two hinge pin bits. The tool has a body with a planar first side and an oppositely disposed planar second side. The tool also has a first end and an oppositely disposed second end. A first elongated anvil and a first hinge pin bit extend perpendicularly from the first side of the tool. The first hinge pin bit has a length that is at least the length of the first anvil. A second elongated anvil projects perpendicularly to the second side of the tool body. The second anvil is coaxially aligned with the first anvil. A second hinge pin bit also extends perpendicularly from the second side and is coaxially aligned with the first hinge pin bit. The second hinge pin bit has a diameter less than the diameter of the first hinge pin bit. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the first embodiment.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the first embodiment.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the first embodiment with portions shown in phantom.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of the first embodiment with portions shown in phantom.  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is an elevational view of the first embodiment with portions shown in phantom.  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is an elevational view of the first embodiment with portions shown in phantom.  
         [0015]      FIG. 8  is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 9  is a top plan view of the alternative embodiment.  
         [0017]      FIG. 10  is a bottom plan view of the second embodiment.  
         [0018]      FIG. 11  is an elevational view of the second embodiment with portions shown in phantom.  
         [0019]      FIG. 12  is an elevational view of the second embodiment with portions shown in phantom.  
         [0020]      FIG. 13  is an end elevational view of the second embodiment with portions shown in phantom.  
         [0021]      FIG. 14  is an end elevational view of the second embodiment with portions shown in phantom. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0022]     As best shown in  FIGS. 1-7 , a first embodiment of the invention comprises a tool  10  with an elongated body  12  having planar upper  14  and lower  16  sides. An elongated cylindrical anvil  18  with a planar striking surface  19  extends from the upper side  14  of tool  10  adjacent to first end  20  of the tool  10 . A hinge pin bit  22  extends from the lower side  16  of the tool  10 . Preferably, the anvil  18  is coaxially aligned with the bit  22 , although it is merely necessary that the anvil  18  and hinge pin bit  22  extend in parallel in order to effect efficient transfer of force applied to anvil  18 . The second end  24  of the tool  10  includes a hinge pin extractor slot  26  and a utility aperture  28 . The slot  26  may be used to pry out and remove a pintle or hinge pin once the hinge pin bit  22  dislodges the hinge pin from the hinge. The utility aperture  28  can be used to suspend the tool  10  from a support, or as a connection point for a belt clip or carrying lanyard. Ends  24  and  20  are rounded in order to be able to allow the tool to access tight areas that sometimes are found when removing a pintle, such as when a door is adjacent a perpendicular wall.  
         [0023]     The hinge pin bit  22  has a length exceeding the length of the anvil  18 , whereas the anvil  18  has a diameter exceeding the diameter of hinge pin bit  22 . Preferably the hinge pin bit  22  has a diameter somewhat less than the diameter of a standard pintle opening, such as 3/16 inch, in order to permit the hinge pin bit  22  to engage the pintle and be moved longitudinally through the openings in the hinge plate. The dimensions and shape of the anvil  18  and hinge pin bit  22  may be altered depending upon the needs of a user. For example, the anvil  18  may also be square, rectangular, triangular, etc. The slot  16  preferably has a rounded internal end to conform to a pintle and has a width less than the diameter of anvil  18  but greater than the diameter of hinge pin bit  22 .  
         [0024]     The body  12  of the tool  10  has an elongate shape. The tool  10  is comprised of tempered and/or cold rolled steel. However, as described above with regard to other tool  10  components, the dimensions of the body  12  may vary as required, and the tool  10  may be comprised of any rigid material including other metals, plastic, fiberglass, composites and the like. Similarly, the hinge pin bit  22  and anvil  18  may be comprised of a first material, such as a metal, and the body may be comprised of a second material, such as a plastic. Further, one or all of the components may also be comprised of a first material encased in a second material, such as a metal encased in a plastic. Other construction material configurations should also be considered within the scope of the invention.  
         [0025]     I prefer that the striking surface  19  be planar or flat in order to minimize the possibility of the hammer striking the anvil  18  and bouncing so as to engage the door, doorframe, or like adjacent component. The hammer typically will have a flat striking surface, with the result that two flat or planar surfaces, one from the hammer and one from the anvil  18 , will engage in order to cause force to be applied to hinge pin bit  22  and ultimately to the pintle for dislodging the pintle. Moreover, maximum force transfer occurs when two flat surfaces engage, rather than one being flat and the other being contoured.  
         [0026]     Preferably the anvil  18  and hinge pin bit  22  are secured to body  12  by welding, brazing or the like. I prefer that the anvil  18  and hinge pin bit  22  be positioned intermediate opposite side edges of tool  10 , so that the tool  10  has sufficient width to be held and manipulated during use.  
         [0027]     As best shown in  FIGS. 1-7 , in operation, a user positions the hinge pin bit  22  in longitudinal alignment with a door hinge pin. If the hinge pin cannot be removed by directly manually applying pressure to the hinge pin with the tool  10 , a hammer or other blunt object is used to strike the anvil  18  on the planar striking surface  19 . The force from the hammer is communicated through the anvil  18  to the hinge pin bit  22 . The hinge pin bit  22  forces the door hinge pin to move, usually upwardly, within the door hinge knuckles. Once the head of the pintle has been sufficiently displaced from the hinge, the user then positions the head of the hinge pin within the channel  26  at the second end  24  of the tool  10 , and applies pressure to force the hinge pin out of the knuckles of the door hinge. The tool may also be used to bend and align the hinge pin knuckles, as required.  
         [0028]     As best shown in  FIG. 8-14 , in an alternate embodiment, the tool  110  is comprised of an elongated body  112  with planar upper  114  and lower  116  sides. A first elongated cylindrical anvil  118  and a first hinge pin bit  120  extend from the upper side  114  of the tool  110  at the first end  122  of the tool  110 . A second anvil  124  and second hinge pin bit  126  extend from the lower side  116  of the tool  110 . The first anvil  118  is coaxially aligned with the second anvil  124 , and the first hinge pin bit  120  is coaxially aligned with the second hinge pin bit  126 . The alternate embodiment also includes a utility aperture  128  for carrying or suspending the tool  110 , and a hinge pin extractor slot  130  for grasping the hinge pin head and extracting the hinge pin.  
         [0029]     As best shown in  FIG. 11 , first anvil  118  has a length exceeding the length of adjacent hinge pin bit  120  and also has a diameter exceeding the hinge pin bit  120  diameter. Correspondingly, second anvil  124  has a length and a diameter exceeding the length and diameter of adjacent hinge pin bit  126 . The hinge pin bit  120  has a length and diameter exceeding the length and diameter of hinge pin bit  126 . Likewise, anvil  118  has a length and diameter exceeding the length and diameter of anvil  124 . The materials comprising the tool  110  and the dimensions of tool body  112  and the slot  130  are essentially the same as described in the preferred embodiment. As also indicated above, the dimensions of the components in the alternate embodiment may be modified depending on the needs of the user. I include two anvils and hinge pin bits with tool  110  in order to accommodate a wider range of diameters of pintles.  
         [0030]     The tool  110  disclosed in the alternate embodiment gives a user the option of selecting from two available bit sizes. Because the anvil  118  has a length exceeding the length of hinge pin bit  120 , the likelihood of striking hinge pin bit  120  when hinge pin bit  126  is to be used to remove a pintle is substantially reduced. Correspondingly, again due to length differences, hinge pin bit  126  is not likely to be damaged when anvil  124  is struck with a hammer during use of hinge pin bit  120 . The length differences thus permit maximum striking force to be applied to the anvil, while minimizing the possibility of damaging the adjacent hinge pin bit. Additionally, the design of the tool  110  disclosed in the alternate embodiment includes anvils  118 ,  124  that are spaced away from the end of the tool  110  that includes the hinge pin bits  120 ,  126 . This design gives a user an additional margin of safety to prevent damage to the walls or woodwork associated with the hinge in the event that the hammer skips or glances off the anvil  118 ,  124  during the pin removal process.  
         [0031]     In operation, the tool  110  functions similarly to tool  10 . As best shown in  FIGS. 8-14 , a user positions the first  120  or second  126  hinge pin bit adjacent to a door hinge pin. If the hinge pin cannot be removed by manually applying pressure directly to the hinge pin with the tool  110 , a hammer or other blunt object is used to strike either the first  118  or second  124  anvil on the anvil&#39;s planar striking surface  119 ,  125 . The force from the hammer is communicated through the anvil  118 ,  124  to the hinge pin bit  120 ,  126 . The hinge pin bit  120 ,  126  forces the door hinge pin to move, usually upwardly, within the door hinge knuckles. The user may then position the head of the hinge pin within the channel  130  at the second end  132  of the tool  110 , and apply pressure to force the hinge pin out of the knuckles of the door hinge. As noted above, the tool disclosed in the alternate embodiment may also be used for other functions associated with the installation and removal of a door.  
         [0032]     For the foregoing reasons it is clear that the invention provides an efficient and effective tool for removing door hinge pins and adjusting door hinges. The current invention may be modified and customized as required. Although the materials of construction are generally described, they may include a variety of compositions consistent with the functions of the invention.  
         [0033]     It is understood that while various preferred designs have been used to describe this invention, the invention is not limited to the illustrated and described features. Modifications, usages and/or adaptations following the general principles disclosed herein are included in the present invention, including such departures that come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains. The present invention is intended to encompass all such departures having the central features set forth above, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, and which fall within the scope of the appended claims.