Abstract:
A multiple legged nail ( 100 ) whose legs ( 11 ) are shaped with slopes ( 13 ) which ensure that when inserted into a panel, such as a wood or plaster panel, the legs ( 11 ) will bend outwards in order to achieve good grip of the panel, while keeping the head ( 16 ) of the nail at the desired angle with the panel, and a multiple legged nail insertion device ( 200 ), which includes a handle ( 24 ), a cylindrical guide ( 23 ), and an internal hammer, and which enables the insertion of multiple legged nail ( 100 ), with ease and precision, and without incurring any damage to it. Optionally the multiple legged nail ( 100 ) has a shoulder disc ( 14 ) having two planes to which the legs are attached on the first plane, in which the shoulder disc ( 14 ) is conical on the second plane. A plurality of such nails may optionally support a plate ( 1000 ), for example by being inserted through holes in said plate.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to nails, more particularly, to a multiple legged nail and to a multiple legged nail insertion device. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Panels made of various materials such as wood or plaster, (AKA drywall) are commonly used for various purposes such as building structures. Often such panels need to be connected to each other, and one of the common ways of doing this is by means of nails. Furthermore, there is also a need to hang various objects such as pictures, cabinets, and shelves and to connect various items to such panels, for example paper notes. Other than nails, thumbtacks and screws, screwed into dowel anchors inserted into drill holes in walls, also serve for these purposes. 
         [0003]    The internal structure of plaster panels and panels that are not uniform in structure, such as fibrous wood panels, often cause nails to shift from the desired direction when being inserted. 
         [0004]      FIG. 1   a  of the prior art is a side view schematic illustration of the standard practice of inserting a nail into a wood panel, with the nail held in one hand and a hammer to hit the head of the nail held in the other hand.  FIG. 1   b  of the prior art depicts how a regular nail might bend due to a slight deviation of the axis of force from the hit by the hammer with regard to the nail&#39;s axis. 
         [0005]    When the material into which the nail is inserted is too soft, e.g. chipboard or plaster, the nail&#39;s grip in that material is very loose. This may be the case also when a screw is screwed into a soft material. Dowel anchors may solve this problem in case of plaster, for example, but on the expense of higher handling complexity. It also does not provide a complete, strong solution. 
         [0006]    When a nail is inserted into a plate bundle the plates tend to detach over time. When such plates are connected by means of a screw the screw length is selected such that its tip would be within the last plate. An insufficiently long screw wouldn&#39;t attach to the last layer, as depicted in  FIG. 1   c , while a screw that is too long protrudes out from the last layer, as depicted in  FIG. 1   d.    
         [0007]    There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have a new nail and an insertion device to replace nails, screws and thumbtacks that are presently in use without requiring any special skills of the user, and without facing the above list of drawbacks. 
         [0008]    The prior art does not teach or suggest such a solution. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    A multiple legged nail and multiple legged nail system according to at least some embodiments of the present invention includes a multiple legged nail, with the shape of the legs ensuring that when inserted into a panel such as a wood or plaster panel, in which the legs optionally bend outwards, inwards, or a combination of inwards and outwards. 
         [0010]    A good grip of the board is thus achieved while keeping the nail at the desired angle relative to the panel. 
         [0011]    The multiple legged nail insertion device enables insertion of the multiple legged nail with ease and precision, and without incurring damage to the nail. 
         [0012]    The nail and insertion device ensure perpendicular insertion of the multiple legged nail insertion to a plate without bending of the nail before and during the insertion. A tight grip is ensured even if the plate or wall is made of a soft material or of multiple layers. The nail&#39;s length is not critical even in case of a plate bundle because any excess length can be easily bent backward toward the back side of the last plate, an operation that would also enhance the grip strength of the nail. 
         [0013]    Additional details and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1   a  of the prior art is a side view schematic illustration of the standard practice of inserting a nail into a wood panel. 
           [0016]      FIG. 1   b  of the prior art depicts how a regular nail might bend due to a slight deviation of the axis of force from the hit by the hammer with regard to the nail&#39;s axis. 
           [0017]      FIG. 1   c  of the prior art depicts a case of a multiple layer plate or board where the last layer is not attached to the other layers when the screw length is too short. 
           [0018]      FIG. 1   d  of the prior art depicts a case of a multiple layer plate or board where a screw that is too long protrudes from the last layer. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2   a  is a lower isometric view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail and multiple legged nail insertion device system, according to the present invention 
           [0020]      FIG. 2   b  is an upper isometric view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail and multiple legged nail insertion device system, according to the present invention upon which the section plane  7   a - 7   a  is marked. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3   a  is an upper isometric view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail, according to the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3   b  is a bottom view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail, according to the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3   c  is a side view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail, according to the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 3   d  is a top view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail, according to the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 3   e  is a side view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of two legs, according to the present invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 4   a  is a bottom view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a handle, according to the present invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 4   b  is a part of cross sectional view  7   a - 7   a  illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of the handle, according to the present invention. 
           [0028]      FIG. 5   a  is a bottom view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a cylindrical guide, according to the present invention. 
           [0029]      FIG. 5   b  is a part of cross sectional view  7   a - 7   a  illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of the cylindrical guide, according to the present invention. 
           [0030]      FIG. 5   c  is an upper isometric view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of the cylindrical guide, according to the present invention. 
           [0031]      FIG. 6   a  is a bottom view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of an internal hammer, according to the present invention. 
           [0032]      FIG. 6   b  is a part of cross sectional view  7   a - 7   a  illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of the internal hammer, according to the present invention. 
           [0033]      FIG. 6   c  is an upper isometric view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of the internal hammer, according to the present invention. 
           [0034]      FIG. 7   a  is a cross sectional view  7   a - 7   a  illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail and multiple legged nail insertion device system, according to the present invention, upon which detail A is marked in a circle, and detail B is marked in an oval. 
           [0035]      FIG. 8  illustrates an option for bending the protruding leg tips of multiple legged nail back. 
           [0036]      FIG. 9  illustrates another optional embodiment of a multiple legged nail according to the present invention for use with a plate or other support. 
           [0037]      FIG. 10  shows the nail of  FIG. 9  in an exemplary, illustrative use thereof. 
           [0038]      FIG. 11  shows a cross-section of the nail of  FIG. 9  in an exemplary, illustrative use thereof. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0039]    The principles and operation of a multiple legged nail and of a multiple legged nail system according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description. 
         [0040]    Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. 
         [0041]    Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The materials, dimensions, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting. 
         [0042]    The following list is a legend of the numbering of the application illustrations:
         11  leg     11   o  leg outer side     11   i  leg inner side     12  leg tip     13  leg slope     14  shoulder disc     14   a  cut cone     15  neck     16  head     17  hole     18  jag     22  internal hammer     22   a  peripheral gradation     22   b  outer flexible cylinder     22   c  peripheral teeth     23  cylindrical guide     24  handle     24   a  first peripheral niche     24   b  second peripheral niche     25  auxiliary rigid shim     30  plate     100  multiple legged nail     200  multiple legged nail insertion device     300  multiple legged nail and multiple legged nail insertion device system       
 
         [0067]    Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 2   a  is a lower isometric view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail and multiple legged nail insertion device system  300 , according to the present invention. 
         [0068]    The present illustration shows a multiple legged nail  100 , shown partially within a multiple legged nail insertion device  200 . 
         [0069]      FIG. 2   b  is an upper isometric view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail and multiple legged nail insertion device system  300 , according to the present invention, upon which the section plane  7   a - 7   a  is marked. 
         [0070]    The present illustration shows a multiple legged nail  100 , which is partially within a multiple legged nail insertion device  200 . 
         [0071]      FIG. 3   a  is an upper isometric view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail  100 , according to the present invention. 
         [0072]    The multiple legged nail  100  can be a single unit composed of materials such as plastic, soft metal, or a combination thereof, or any other material which enables leg  11  to bend when being inserted into a board, as will be described in the following description of  FIG. 3   e . Legs  11  may optionally be finished with any type of finishing surface and/or material, including but not limited to polished, roughened, knurled or any suitable coating. 
         [0073]    All the legs  11  protrude from one side of a shoulder disc  14 . On the other side of the shoulder disc  14 , as shown in the present illustration, is optional neck  15  at the end of which is optional head  16 , a structure which enables hanging a load upon the multiple legged nail  100 . The multiple legged nail  100  also has the ability to withstand pulling forces, for example, it can hold a rectangle that has a cantilever beam sticking out from it. 
         [0074]    The shoulder disc  14  also serves as the part of the multiple legged nail  100  which is hit by hammer ( 22 ) when performing insertion. When the purpose of multiple legged nail  100  is to connect panels or any such similar purpose, and when there is no need to hang a load upon it, a multiple legged nail  100  without neck  15  and head  16  can be used. 
         [0075]    Head  16  can conform in shape and dimensions to a certain purpose, for example, head  16  can be smaller than a certain triangle that is often found in the back of pictures for hanging. 
         [0076]      FIG. 3   b  is a bottom view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail  100 , according to the present invention. The present illustration shows a multiple legged nail  100  with five legs  11  all disposed upon the same circle, upon which they are equally distributed. This illustration does not in any way limit the present invention to a multiple legged nail  100  of necessarily five legs, as various numbers of legs are optionally used as long as at least a plurality of legs is used. For example, optionally at least two, preferably at least three, more preferably at least four and most preferably at least five legs are present. 
         [0077]    The present illustration shows five holes  17 . These holes are meant to simplify the mold used in the manufacturing process of multiple legged nail  100 , since the extraction from the mold is only in two opposite directions and there are no undercuts, thus no need for a third and fourth direction of extraction of the mold. In cases in which multiple legged nail  100  is manufactured using a different method, there may be no holes  17 , or a different number of holes  17  for example according to the number of legs 
         [0078]      FIG. 3   c  is a side view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail  100 , according to the present invention. Each leg  11  has a pointed leg tip  12  which enables easy penetration into panels, and an adjacent leg slope  13  on the leg&#39;s inner side  11   i . Shoulder disc  14  has a thickness dimension marked in the present illustration as d 3 . 
         [0079]      FIG. 3   d  is a top view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail  100 , according to the present invention. 
         [0080]    The present illustration shows five jags  18 , on the perimeter of head  16 . Jags  18  are designated to hold something so it will not slip off (for example the rope in the back of a picture). Jags  18 , in their shape and quantity, are one possible embodiment of many for the shape of the perimeter of head  16 . 
         [0081]      FIG. 3   e  is a side view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of legs  11 , according to the present invention. The upper part of the illustration shows leg  11  in its original form prior to being inserted into the board, while the middle part of the illustration shows leg  11  which has been deformed when inserted into the board. The deformation is bending towards the leg&#39;s outer side  11   o . This is a desired bend achieved as a result of a force component activated on the leg&#39;s inner side  11   i  in the area of leg slope  13  by plate  30 . 
         [0082]    The lower part of the illustration shows leg  11  of a multiple legged nail  100  in its final bending state after being inserted into plate  30  (not shown in this part of the illustration). 
         [0083]    Bending of leg  11  can be achieved in other directions, and particularly inwards, by manufacturing it with other suitable slopes. 
         [0084]      FIG. 4   a  is a bottom view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of handle  24 , according to the present invention. 
         [0085]      FIG. 4   b  is a part of cross sectional view  7   a - 7   a  illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of the handle  24 , according to the present invention. 
         [0086]    Handle  24  has an external shape designed for convenient holding in a person&#39;s hand. In the case described in the present illustration, the shape resembles that of a mushroom, which helps to prevent the user&#39;s fingers from being hit by the internal hammer ( 22 ). 
         [0087]    Handle  24  optionally and preferably comprises an external cylinder of the multiple legged nail insertion device  200 , and it includes first peripheral niche  24   a  which corresponds in shape and dimensions to the shape and dimensions of the cylindrical guide ( 23 ), not shown in the present illustration. In addition, handle  24  also includes a second peripheral niche  24   b , whose length is d 5 . 
         [0088]      FIG. 5   a  is a bottom view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of cylindrical guide  23 , according to the present invention. 
         [0089]      FIG. 5   b  is a part of cross sectional view  7   a - 7   a  illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of cylindrical guide  23 , according to the present invention. 
         [0090]    The overall length of cylindrical guide  23  is d 1  and its external shape and dimensions preferably correspond to the shape and dimensions of the handle  24 . 
         [0091]      FIG. 5   c  is an upper isometric view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of the cylindrical guide  23 , according to the present invention. 
         [0092]      FIG. 6   a  is a bottom view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of internal hammer  22 , according to the present invention. 
         [0093]      FIG. 6   b  is a part of cross sectional view  7   a - 7   a  illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of the internal hammer  22 , according to the present invention. Its right hand part, as shown in the present illustration, preferably has a constant external radius for its entire length, from the right end to the peripheral gradation  22   a . Its length is d 2 , and it serves during the insertion of multiple legged nail  100  to conduct the necessary force from the shoulder disc ( 14 ) of the multiple legged nail  100 . On the other side, the left hand side as shown in the present illustration, of the internal hammer  22 , is outer cylinder  22   b , at whose right end, as shown in the present illustration, is a peripheral tooth  22   c , to engage with the second peripheral niche ( 24   b ), and thus enable the limited linear movement of the internal hammer ( 22 ) relative to handle  24  whose length is equal to d 5 . 
         [0094]      FIG. 6   c  is a upper isometric view illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of the internal hammer  22 , according to the present invention. 
         [0095]      FIG. 7   a  is a cross sectional view  7   a - 7   a  illustration of an illustrative, exemplary embodiment of a multiple legged nail and multiple legged nail insertion device system  300 , according to the present invention. 
         [0096]    The illustration marks detail A in a circle, which is magnified in the circle on  FIG. 7   b , and detail B in an oval, which is magnified in the circle on  FIG. 7   c , according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0097]    The present illustration shows a multiple legged nail  100 , partially within a multiple legged nail insertion device  200 , while its legs  11  protrude from the multiple legged nail insertion device  200 . 
         [0098]    Multiple legged nail insertion device  200  also includes handle  24 , which is preferably cylindrical and comprises an external casing, in which is the internal hammer  22 , which is partially within cylindrical guide  23  and which can move within in linear movement. 
         [0099]    The view shown in the present illustration shows that the internal hammer  22  is preferably limited in movement to the right by the contact of its peripheral gradation  22   a  at the end of cylindrical guide  23 . 
         [0100]    The handle  24  can be made of soft material, such as rubber, while the cylindrical guide  23  and the internal hammer  22  are made of rigid materials, and are inserted in to handle  24  with force. 
         [0101]      FIG. 7   b  is a magnified detail A in a circle, according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. The formal structure and particularly the dimension ratios of the handle  24 , the cylindrical guide  23 , and the internal hammer  22  ensure that the right end, as shown in the view of the present illustration, of the internal hammer  22  cannot be in close proximity to the right end, as shown in the present illustration, of the handle  24 , as its diameter is smaller than d 3 , thus ensuring that the internal hammer  22  will not crush the shoulder disc  14  of the multiple legged nail  100  when there is contact between the shoulder disc  14  and the board into which it is inserted, at the end of the insertion process. 
         [0102]      FIG. 7   c  is a magnified detail B in an oval, according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. The present illustration shows one possible structure of various possibilities for the formal structure of the shoulder disc  14 . In this case, its right part, as shown in the present illustration, has a niche in the shape of cut cone  14   a.    
         [0103]    The purpose of the cut cone  14   a  is to conceal any gap between the nail and the wall that may have been formed in cases such as insertion at a slight angle or the wall is not completely straight. 
         [0104]      FIG. 8  illustrates a case where nail legs  11  are longer than the thickness of plate  30  into which multiple legged nail  100  is inserted. Multiple plates are depicted in the drawing as a general case. The protruding leg tips can be easily bent backward toward the rear surface of the plate bundle by either directly hitting them with a standard hammer or by using an auxiliary rigid shim  25  as a mediator between the hammer and the leg tips. This bending of the leg tips obviates the need for an accurate matching of the leg length and the plate thickness. The described bending also increase the strength of the resulting connection between the plates. 
         [0105]    Rigid shim  25  may optionally have for example a square or a round shape, is optionally and preferably approximately a few mm in thickness and is optionally made of any rigid material—for example and without limitation, metal, wood or plastic. 
         [0106]      FIG. 9  illustrates another optional embodiment of a multiple legged nail according to the present invention with a conical head (shoulder disc). As shown, a multiple legged nail  900  optionally and preferably features a shoulder disc  902 , to which a plurality of legs  11  are attached as previously described. Shoulder disc  902  preferably features a supporting surface  904 , for example for being inserted through a plate or other support. Shoulder disc  902  may optionally be conical as shown. 
         [0107]      FIG. 10  shows the nail of  FIG. 9  in an exemplary, illustrative use thereof. As shown a plurality of multiple legged nails  900  are preferably inserted through a plate  1000 . Although four such multiple legged nails  900  are shown as being inserted through plate  1000 , optionally any number of such nails  900  may be so inserted (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, or more and so forth, optionally and preferably according to the load to be supported). Nails  900  are inserted through plate  1000  into a wall  1002  as previously described. Plate  1000  is shown in this non-limiting example as preferably supporting a bracket  1004 , which in turn may optionally support any type of heavy load  1006 . 
         [0108]      FIG. 11  shows a cross-section of the nail of  FIG. 9  in an exemplary, illustrative use thereof. As shown, a plurality of nails  900  are inserted through plate  1000  into wall  1002  as previously described. An arrow  1100  shows the direction of the load force. 
         [0109]    Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. 
         [0110]    It is specifically noteworthy that the shape and dimensions of the various components of the multiple legged nail ( 100 ) can be made to conform specifically for various designations, such as varying weights to be supported, composing materials, and the width of plate ( 30 ), into which it is supposed to be inserted. Thus, the number of legs ( 11 ), their length, and the shapes and dimensions of the neck ( 15 ) and the head ( 16 ) can be changed as necessary.