Abstract:
A hammer with a conventional open V-claw that has an aperture in the arm of the V-claw small enough so as not to interfere with the standard operation of the hammer and large enough to accept bodies of nails. When a nail body is exposed and cannot be pulled by the conventional V-claw, the body of the nail can be moved into and gripped by the aperture in the claw. When the hammer is then moved in a conventional nail removing motion, pressure is put on two sides of the nail allowing the hammer to firmly grip the body of the nail and then pull the nail out with ease. In some instances, the nail will be grasped using both the claw aperture and a hook extending from a side of the hammer.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/556,696, filed Mar. 29, 2004, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for pulling nails, particularly clawed hammers.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Many attempts have been made to provide methods and apparatus that facilitate nail removal. Examples can be found in the following issued U.S. Patents, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: U.S. Pat. Nos. 559,049, 30,786, 724,542, 1,117,465, 1,425,369, 1,535,685, 1,792,437, 2,557,045, 3,885,772, 3,963,215, 4,482,132, 4,533,116, 4,561,635, 4,561,635, 4,776,568, 5,060,911, 5,002,257, 5,622,352, 5,674,002, and 6,032,927.  
         [0004]     Unfortunately, prior attempts to provide methods and apparatus that facilitate nail removal have not provided a solution that is optimal for all situations. In particular, they have not provided a clawed hammer that provides the functionality and ease of use of the methods and apparatus described herein.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention is directed to a clawed hammer that provides all the functionally generally provided by such a hammer, but that also include a mechanism for gripping a nail that: (a) does not significantly add to the size or weight of the hammer; (b) does not unnecessarily complicate formation of the head of the hammer; (c) utilizes the leverage available from the existing claw; (d) provides at least two points of contact with the nail along a line extending radially from an axis about which the hammer is being rotated to pull a nail; and/or (e) has two, and possibly three, nail pulling modes that can all be used without excessive movement of hammer.  
         [0006]     In an exemplary embodiment, the invention is a hammer with a conventional open V-claw that has an aperture in the arm of the V-claw small enough so as not to interfere with the standard operation of the hammer and large enough to accept bodies of nails. When a nail body is exposed and cannot be pulled by the conventional V-claw, the body of the nail can be moved into and gripped by the aperture in the claw. When the hammer is then moved in a conventional nail removing motion, pressure is put on two sides of the nail allowing the hammer to firmly grip the body of the nail and then pull the nail out with ease. In some instances, the nail will be grasped using both the claw aperture and a hook extending from a side of the hammer.  
         [0007]     In another exemplary embodiment, the invention is a hammer including a claw having first and second arms separated by an open first end of a channel and coupled together adjacent a closed second end of the channel. The hammer comprises a first aperture extending into or through the first or second arm, the aperture being positioned near the first end of the channel, and the aperture being shaped and positioned to have a first nail contacting point and a second nail contacting point along a line perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the hammer.  
         [0008]     In still another exemplary embodiment, the invention is a clawed hammer for use in removing a nail comprising a first nail contacting surface, a second nail contacting surface, and a third nail contacting surface. The first, second, and third contacting surfaces are positioned to simultaneously extend through or be within half a nail&#39;s body diameter of an imaginary reference plane. An air gap separates the first and second contacting surfaces; and an air gap separates the third contacting surface from a point midway between the first and second contacting surfaces.  
         [0009]     In some embodiments, the invention is a standard claw hammer head mounted on one end of a handle. The hammerhead may be a standard size with a round striking surface used for hammering nails and may or may not have a V-claw used for removing and pulling out nails. The hammer of the present invention includes apertures in the hammer claws, which are positioned to apply pressure to the nail in two directions. The apertures in the center of the V-claws can capture nails in the same way. The apertures in the V-claws can be a part of any hammer and can be located on the inside, the outside or in the center of the V-claws. And these apertures in the claws can be numerous and located high or low in the claw. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     The exact nature of this invention, as well as the objects and advantages thereof, will become readily apparent from consideration of the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a partial perspective view of a hammer in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a detail view of a notch type nail receiving aperture of the hammer of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 2A  is a detail view of a second notch type nail receiving aperture of the hammer of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a detail view of a hole type nail receiving aperture of the hammer of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a partial cutaway bottom view of the hammer of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a partial cutaway side view of the hammer of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a partial cutaway side view of the hammer of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a partial perspective view of a hammer in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is a partial perspective view of a hammer in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is a partial perspective view of a hammer in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 10  is a partial perspective view of a hammer in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 11  is a partial perspective view of a hammer in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the invention.  
         [0023]      FIG. 12  is a rear view of a first alternative hammerhead configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0024]      FIG. 13  is a rear view of a second alternative hammerhead configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 14  is a rear view of a third alternative hammerhead configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0026]      FIG. 15  is a rear view of a fourth alternative hammerhead configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0027]      FIG. 16  is a rear view of a fifth alternative hammerhead configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0028]      FIG. 17  is a rear view of a sixth alternative hammerhead configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0029]      FIG. 18  is a rear view of a seventh alternative hammerhead configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0030]      FIG. 19  is a rear view of an eighth alternative hammerhead configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0031]      FIG. 20  is a rear view of a ninth alternative hammerhead configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0032]      FIG. 24  is a partial perspective view of a hammer in accordance with an eighth embodiment of the invention positioned to remove a nail from a block of wood in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.  
         [0033]      FIG. 25  is a partial perspective view of the hammer of  FIG. 24  rotated to begin removal of a nail.  
         [0034]      FIG. 26  is a partial perspective view of the hammer of  FIG. 24  rotated to complete removal of a nail.  
         [0035]      FIG. 27  is a partial perspective view of a hammer in accordance with a ninth embodiment of the invention.  
         [0036]      FIG. 28  is a partial view of the hammer of  FIG. 27 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 29  is a partial view of the hammer of  FIG. 27  positioned to remove a nail from a block of wood in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.  
         [0038]      FIG. 30  is a partial perspective view of the hammer of  FIG. 27  rotated to begin removal of a nail.  
         [0039]      FIG. 31  is a partial perspective view of the hammer of  FIG. 27  rotated to complete removal of a nail. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0040]     Reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that these embodiments are not intended to limit the invention. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.  
         [0041]     In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the important aspects of the present invention.  
         [0042]     The present invention is directed to a clawed hammer that provides all the functionally generally provided by such a hammer, but that also include a mechanism for gripping a nail that: (a) does not significantly add to the size or weight of the hammer; (b) does not unnecessarily complicate formation of the head of the hammer; (c) utilizes the leverage available from the existing claw; (d) provides at least two points of contact with the nail along a line extending radially from an axis about which the hammer is being rotated to pull a nail; and/or (e) has two, and possibly three, nail pulling modes that can all be used without excessive movement of hammer.  
         [0043]     In at least some embodiments, such a hammer will be suitable for use on a large range of nail sizes, and thus will be useable on nails from at least 2 penny size to 16 penny size, and possibly from 2 penny size to 75 penny size. In other embodiments, such a hammer may be limited to a smaller range of sizes such as any group of 2-7 adjacent sizes within the aforesaid ranges. Although described in relation to a claw hammer, and shown in relation to a particular type of clawed hammer, the methods and apparatus described herein can be incorporated into any claw hammer, and may also be used on other clawed apparatus that can be modified to include the features described herein.  
         [0044]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a hammer  10  includes a head  11  and a handle  13 . The head  11  includes a nail striking surface  15 , and a claw  17 . The claw  17  includes a first arm  19  and a second arm  21  separated by an open first end of a V-shaped channel  23  and coupled together adjacent a closed second end of the channel  23 . The arm  19  includes a first aperture  27 , and the arm  21  includes a second aperture  25  and a third aperture  26  where the apertures  25 ,  26 , and  27  are positioned near the open end of the channel  23 . The head  11  also includes upwardly opening hooks  29  and  31  positioned on and extending outward from opposite sides of the hammer. The hammer  10  is used to remove a nail (such as nail  9  of  FIGS. 2, 2A , and  3 ) in a manner similar to that for the hammers  610 ,  710 , and  810  described later, and shown in  FIGS. 21-23 ,  24 - 26 , and  27 - 31  which illustrate the removal of a nail  9  from a block of wood  7 .  
         [0045]     For clarity, various portions of the hammer will be described as if the hammer had a particular orientation with the head being up, the handle down, and the nail striking surface forward. In such instances the nail striking surface is the “front” of the hammer, and the claw side of the hammer is the “rear” of the hammer. The head  11  forms the “top” portion of the hammer, and the handle the “bottom portion”. The hooks  29  and  31  extend from the “left” and “right” sides of the hammer.  
         [0046]     Also for clarity, although the handle need not be cylindrical, various portions of the hammer may be described in relation to a vertical centerline of the hammer which is an imaginary line extending vertically from a center point of a cross sectional area of a portion of the hammer head receiving the handle, and in some instances extending through a point on an opposite end of the handle. In  FIG. 1 , the line CV is the vertical centerline. Also for clarity, although the handle need not have symmetrical left and right sides, various portions of the hammer may be described in relation to a horizontal centerline of the hammer which is an imaginary line extending perpendicular to the vertical center line from a point where the vertical center line extends from the top of the hammer, and lying in a plane that includes the vertical center line and passes through the closed end of the channel separating the arms of the claw of the hammer. For a V-shaped channel, the plane including the horizontal and vertical center lines extends through the point of the V-shaped notch. In  FIG. 1 , the line CH is the horizontal centerline. Furthermore, although the hammer may be both rotated and translated during nail removal, various portions of the hammer may be described in relation to a line referred to as the axis of rotation of the hammer where the axis of rotation is a line perpendicular to both the vertical centerline and the horizontal centerline. In  FIG. 1 , line A 1  is the line referred to herein as the axis of rotation of the hammer. The line A 1  actually is the axis of rotation at least momentarily when it is tangent to a surface from which a nail is being removed.  
         [0047]     In  FIG. 1 , the vertical centerline CV, the horizontal centerline CH, and the axis of rotation A 1  form perpendicular axes while lines CV and CH lie in a plane separating left and right sides of the hammer, lines CV and A 1  lie in a plane separating front and rear sides of the hammer, and the A 1  and CH lines lie in a plane tangent to the top of the hammer which is the point PC on the hammer at which the lines CV, CH, and A 1  intersect.  
         [0048]     As shown in  FIGS. 2, 2A , and  3 , the apertures  25 ,  26 , and  27  are each shaped and positioned to have a first nail contacting point P 1  and a second nail contacting point P 2  along a line L 1  perpendicular to the axis of rotation A 1  of the hammer. The aperture  25  is a hole extending vertically through the claw arm  21 , the aperture  27  is a notch extending from the channel  23  into the claw arm  19 , and the aperture  26  is a notch extending from the right, exterior, side of the claw arm  21  into the claw arm  21 .  
         [0049]     The apertures  25 ,  26  and  27  are near the open end of the channel  23  in that they are positioned closer to that end than to the closed end. Moreover, to provide better leverage, the apertures  25 ,  26  and  27  are positioned as near the rear of the hammer head as is possible without undesirably weakening either of the claw arms  19  and  21 . As such, for at least one aperture and possible both apertures, the distance D 3  along the top surface of the hammer from the vertical centerline (where it extends out of the top of the hammer at point PC) to the first nail contacting point P 1  and the distance DT along the top surface of the hammer from the vertical centerline to a point on the end of the claw arm is preferably at least 0.5, more preferably at least 0.6, and most preferably at least 0.75. It is also preferred that, for at least one aperture and possible two or all three apertures, the distance D 4  from the vertical centerline CV of the hammer to the second nail contacting point P 2  and the distance DT from the vertical centerline CV to a point on the end of the claw arm is preferably at least 0.5, more preferably at least 0.6, and most preferably at least 0.75. The distances DT, D 3 , and D 4  are illustrated in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0050]     To reduce the chance of a nail slipping while being removed, it is preferred that both the horizontal distance between each hook (at least at a point of contact with a nail) and the vertical centerline, and the vertical distance between each hook (at least at a point of contact with a nail) and the horizontal centerline (i.e. the top of the hammer) be greater or lesser than the horizontal distance between the first and/or second nail contacting point and the vertical centerline and/or the vertical distance between the first and/or second nail contacting point and the horizontal centerline (i.e. the top of the hammer). This is illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 6  where D 2  does not equal D 1 , and D 6  does not equal D 5 . In some embodiments D 2  will be less than D 1  while in others it will be greater than D 1 . Similarly, in some embodiments D 6  will be less than D 5  while in others it will be greater than D 5 .  
         [0051]     In some instances the head  11  may be a unitary cast metal head wherein in others it may be a head formed by milling a cast head. In other instances, it may be formed by some other process, and/or may be an assembly of unitary pieces such as a head having hooks  29  and  31  welded or adhesively bonded to the rest of the head  11 . The head  11  and/or it components may advantageously be formed from steel. However, other embodiments may have a head and/or head components formed from some other material or combination of materials. Similarly, the handle  13  may comprise any reasonable size or shape, may be a single piece or an assembly of pieces, and/or may comprise a single material or a combination of materials. In many instances, using a wood, metal, or fiberglass handle may prove advantageous.  
         [0052]     In preferred embodiments the head  11 , handle  13 , and nail striking surface  15  are all sized and dimensioned similarly to previously known hammers.  
         [0053]     In some instances, a claw arm may be reinforced adjacent an aperture, and/or a surface of the aperture may be shaped, textured, or treated to facilitate use of the aperture to grip a nail and/or to prevent failure of a claw arm during nail removal.  
         [0054]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 7-11 , various embodiments may include any combination of claw apertures and hooks. As such, the embodiments of  FIGS. 7-9  include both hooks and apertures. The embodiment of  FIG. 10  includes apertures but not hooks, and the embodiment of  FIG. 11  includes hooks but not apertures. The elements of the embodiments of  FIGS. 7-11  have numbers that match those of the elements of the hammer of  FIG. 1  in regard to the last two digits of the reference numbers. As such, the embodiments  110 ,  210 ,  310 ,  410 , and  510  include: heads  111 ,  211 ,  313 ,  411 ,  511 , and  611 ; handles  213 ,  313 ,  413 ,  513 , and  613 ; nail striking surfaces  215 ,  315 ,  415 ,  515 , and  615 ; claws  217 ,  317 ,  417 ,  517 , and  617 ; arms  219 ,  319 ,  419 ,  519 , and  619  and  221 ,  321 ,  421 ,  521 , and  621 ; V-shaped channels  223 ,  323 ,  423 ,  523 , and  623 ; apertures  225 ,  325 ,  425 , and  525 , and  227 ,  327 ,  427 , and  527 ; and hooks  229 ,  329 ,  529 , and  629 , and  231 ,  331 ,  531 , and  631 .  
         [0055]     Moreover, the position number and size of apertures in the claw arms may vary between embodiments as illustrated by  FIGS. 7-11  and also illustrated by  FIGS. 12-20 . For embodiments having multiple claw arm apertures, it may be advantageous to have those apertures be sized differently to facilitate removal of different sized nails. In other instances it may be advantageous to have apertures of equal sizes on both sides of the channel separating the arms to permit movement of the handle to the left or right to be used to remove a nail without causing the nail to slip out of an aperture.  
         [0056]      FIGS. 12-20  provide a rear view of some contemplated hammerhead configurations where alternate embodiments  10 ′ of the hammer  10  are shown. The alternate embodiment hammers  10 ′ each include a head  11 ′ a handle  13 ′, a nail striking surface  15 ′, arms  19 ′ and  21 ′, V-shaped channel  23 ′, and left and right arm apertures  27 ′ and  25 ′. In  FIG. 12 , left and right U-shaped apertures extending from the channel  23 ′ are provided having different widths W 1  and W 2  such that the aperture  27 ′ is suitable for use with smaller nails than the aperture  25 ′. In  FIG. 13 , the aperture  27 ′ itself comprises a two separate widths W 3  and W 4  such that the portion of the aperture furthest from the channel  23 ′ is more advantageously used with smaller nails than the portion adjacent to the channel  23 ′. In  FIG. 14 , the apertures  27 ′ and  25 ′ have rounded closed ends and tapering sides. As such, they each can accommodate a range of nail sizes. In  FIG. 15 , apertures  25 ′ and  27 ′ extend into the arms  21 ′ and  23 ′ from the left and right sides of the hammer rather than from the channel  23 ′. In  FIG. 16 , smaller width apertures  25 ′ and  27 ′ extend into the arms from the channel  23 ′, while larger width apertures extend from the left and right sides of the hammer. In some instances the inner apertures may be equally sized as may be the outer apertures, while in other instances combinations of apertures having different width may be used. In  FIG. 17 , the apertures  25 ′ and  27 ′ and slanted entry channels that terminate in rounded feet to facilitate sliding a nail through the entry channel and grasping it with a rounded foot. In  FIG. 18 , the apertures  25 ′ and  27 ′ comprise holes extending completely through the arms  19 ′ and  21 ′ FIGS. 19 and 20  each show alternative arrangements of apertures where the apertures comprise a plurality of widths and lengths.  
         [0057]     Referring to  FIGS. 21-23 , a nail  9  in a block of wood  7  is slid into the aperture notch  625  which was cut into the arm  621  of the arms  621  and  619  of the body  611  of the hammer  610 . As illustrated, the nail  9  can be pulled from a board  7  like a regular nail. Pressure on the front and back of the nail  9  allows the arm  621  to grip the nail  9  close to the point where the nail  9  extends out of the wood  7 . It should be noted that the notch  625  can be positioned to remove the nail  9  without having to move the hammer off of the nail  9 . As such, if the V-shaped channel is initially used to pull the nail  9 , switching to the notch  625  to grasp the nail only requires moving the hammer a distance which is less than the length of the V-shaped channel. Also in  FIG. 21-23  is aperture  627 .  
         [0058]     Referring to  FIGS. 24-26 , a nail  9  in a block of wood  7  is slid into the aperture hole  725  which was drilled into a claw arm  721  of the body  711  of the hammer  710 . As illustrated, the nail  9  can be pulled from a board  7  like a regular nail. Pressure on the front and back of the nail  9  allows the arm  721  to grip the nail  9  close to the point where the nail  9  extends out of the wood  7 . Also in  FIG. 24-26  are arm  719  and aperture  727 .  
         [0059]     Referring to  FIGS. 27-31 , a hook/nail trap  829  on the side of the body  811  of the hammer  810  can grip the nail  9  forcing the sides of the V-shaped channel  823  to grip the nail  9  and pull it out of the wood  7 . The hooks  829  and  831  point upward so ad to point downward when used to remove the nail  9 , i.e. when the hammer  810  is inverted. Longer nails can be grasped by one of the hooks  829  and  8310  and forced in a direction at least partially across the centerline of the channel  823 , forcing the sides of the channel  823  to grip the nail at a point on its body without use of a nail head. Having the hooks  829  and  831  extend out from the sides of the head  811  allow a portion of the nail  9  to pass along the side of the handle  813 . This prevents the handle  813  from preventing longer nails from being pulled which might occur if the hook  829  extended from the rear of the head  811  in the same direction as the channel  823 .