AU2007237301B2 - Hammer - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 28/5/91 Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Marcus David Lakey Actual Inventor Marcus David Lakey Address for service is: WRAY & ASSOCIATES Level 4, The Quadrant 1 William Street Perth, WA 6000 Attorney code: WR Invention Title: Hammer The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 1 -2 Hammer Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hammer. 5 Background Art The following discussion of the background art is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. The discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to is or was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application. 10 Hammers are among the earliest known tools and have been used for the application of localised impact loads. In the application of floor coverings, such as wooden floorboards or paving bricks, hammers are used to align the floor covering. Such a hammer ideally is required to have a resilient and partially shock absorbing head, in order that in use the head does not chip, crack, dent or 15 otherwise damage the floor covering by application of excessive localised force. In the application of wooden floor covering, it may also be necessary to use a hammer having a substantially non-deformable head to apply a concentrated pressure to nails in order to drive the nails into the floor substrate. These applications require workers to have both types of hammer. 20 The aim of the present invention is to provide a hammer that has utility in these situations, or at least provide a useful alternative to existing hammers. Disclosure of the Invention The present invention resides in a hammer having an elongate handle being 25 adapted at a first end to be engaged by the hand of the operator and at the second end being provided with a head, the head having a body and a pair of -3 substantially planar faces in opposed relation, the area of one face being substantially greater than the other face, Preferably, the head being arranged on the elongate handle such that the opposed faces have, at their most distal extent from the handle, their respective peripheries being mutually aligned with the 5 portion of the head's body most distal from the handle and the remainder of the respective faces extending inwardly toward the handle. Preferably, the first end of the elongate handle is provided with a grip. Preferably, the face having the greater area is formed of a resilient and partially shock absorbing material such as rubber or synthetic rubber. 10 Preferably, the face having the lesser area is formed of a substantially non deformable material such as steel. Preferably, the elongate handle is substantially perpendicular to the line formed between the most distal extent of the respective faces from the handle. Preferably, the surface between the opposed planar faces is substantially straight. 15 Preferably, the face having the greater area is has an outer surface that is curved. Preferably, the face having the greater area is moulded or otherwise adhered to the head. Preferably, the face having the greater area is tapered to the body of the head. In one embodiment the taper may be a fillet radius. 20 Preferably, the body of the head is provided with a mounting structure configured to cooperate with the face having greater area such that the material of the face having greater area can be securely affixed to the head.

-4 In one embodiment, the mounting structure is configured as a post extending away from the face having the lesser area and provided with protrusions extending outwardly. In an alternative embodiment, the mounting structure is configured as a plurality 5 of posts extending away from the face having the lesser area and provided with a coil arrangement along the length of the posts, the posts being further provided with a member connecting their respective ends. in an alternative embodiment, the mounting structure is configured as a plurality of posts divergingly extending from the face having the lesser area. Preferably, 10 the diverging posts are provided with outwardly extending protrusions. An alternative embodiment resides in a hammer having a handle and two heads presenting from opposite sides of an intermediately positioned handle, wherein one head is resilient and the other head is non-deformable. The invention will be more fully understood in light of the following description of 15 several specific embodiments. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a hammer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 20 Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the hammer of figure 2. Figure 3 is a side view of the hammer; Figure 4 is a top view of the hammer; Figure 5 is a rear view of the hammer Figure 6 is a front view of the hammer; -5 Figure 7 is a side view of the hammer head showing a mounting structure for the resilient portion of the head; Figure 8 is a side view of the hammer head showing an alternative mounting structure for the resilient portion of the head: and 5 Figure 9 is a side view of the hammer head showing a further alternative mounting structure for the resilient portion of the head; Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments Throughout the specification and claims, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as comprisess" or "comprising", will be 10 understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. Figures 1 to 6 show a hammer (8) having an elongate handle (10) and a first head (16) and a second head (17). The handle (10) is configured at its first end (12) to be gripped by the hand of a user. The handle (10) can be provided with a 15 grip (24) at the first end (12) to assist the grasp of the user thereto. The second end (14) of the handle (10) is shaped for attachment of the first and second heads (16 and 17). The first head (16) is substantially cylindrical and formed of steel material such that it is substantially non-deformable. The first head (16) extends substantially 20 perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the elongate handle (10). The first head (16) includes at its outermost end a substantially planar first end face (22). The second head (17) is also substantially cylindrical. The second head (17) is made from a resilient material and also extends substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the handle (10) in an opposite direction to the first head 25 (16). The second head (17) includes at its outermost end a substantially planar first end face (22). The second head (17) has a bigger diameter than the first head (16) and thus the second end face (20) has a larger area than the first end face (22). The first end face (22) and the second end face (20) are substantially parallel and present their respective faces in opposite directions.

-6 The end of the second head (17) adjacent the handle (10) is shaped to provide a smooth join there between. The handle (10) is configured to fittingly engage the heads (16 and 17) with the heads being correspondingly configured to provide a permanent join. 5 Referring to Figures 3, 5 and 6, the portion (29) of the first end face (22) most distal from the handle first end (12) and the portion (31) of the second end face (20) most distal from the handle end (12) are aligned with each other relative to a perpendicular of the longitudinal axis of the handle (10). The first and second end faces (22 and 20) then extend from the respective distal portions (29 and 31) 10 generally toward the first end (12) of the handle (10). In use, the non-deformable steel first head (16) is provided to apply a concentrated force to objects such as nails in order to drive the nails into the floor substrate. Equally, the resilient second head (22) .is provided to be used on delicate materials such as wooden floorboards, paving bricks and aluminium in 15 order to reduce the possibility of chipping, cracking, denting or otherwise damaging the material. The alignment of the distal portions (29 and 31) provides for easy sighting of the target surface to be struck by the hammer's end face (22 or 20), regardless of whether the first head (16) or second head (17) is selected to impact the target surface. 20 The faces (20 and 22) are generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle. Small variations to the alignment of the faces, such as an inclination toward the first end (12) of the elongate handle (10) may be useful in some circumstances. In an alternative embodiment the second end face (20) of the second head (17) can be provided with a convex curved profile. The edges of the end face (20) is 25 further provided with a fillet radius. In use, this fillet radius reduces the stress concentrations otherwise caused by improper alignment of the hammer's face with the target surface, reducing the likelihood of damage to the target surface. Referring to Figure 7, the second head (17) can be provided with an internal mounting structure (34). In this embodiment, the internal mounting structure (34) 30 comprises a post (36) extending from the handle and being provided with -7 outwardly diverging protrusions (38). The post (36) and protrusions (38) cooperate to provide a secure mounting for the material of the second head (17). The material of the second head (17) can be moulded and/or adhered to the structure (34) and/or elongate handle (10) to provide a robust construction. 5 The surface (50) between the first head (16) and the second head (17) is substantially straight. In an alternative embodiment shown in Figure 8, the internal mounting structure (34) comprises two posts (36) extending away from the handle (10). The posts (36) are provided with a coil arrangement (40) along their length and are further 10 provided with a member (42) connecting their respective ends. In this embodiment the coil arrangement (40) provides a large surface area and may provide impact absorption properties for affixing the material of the second head (17). As with the previous embodiment, the material of the second head (17) can be moulded and/or adhered to the structure (34) and/or elongate handle (10) to 15 provide a robust construction. A further embodiment is shown in Figure 9, having an internal mounting structure (34) comprising posts (36) that diverge away fmm the handle (10). Each of the diverging posts (36) are provided with outwardly extending protrusions (38). The diverging posts provide a geometry that resists the lateral separation of the 20 second head (17) assisting in the provision of a secure mounting for the material of the greater area face (20). As in the previous two embodiments, the material of the second head (17) may be further moulded and/or adhered to the head (16) and/or elongate handle (10) to provide a robust construction. In use, the appropriate face may be chosen according to the material to be 25 struck. Typically the first head (16) would be used on nails or other applications where relatively high pressures are needed to be delivered by the hammer blow and non-deformable face. The first head (16) would typically be constructed of metal such as steel.

-8 The second head (17) may be used on more delicate objects such as timber, aluminium, plastic, brick, ceramic or any other material. The second head (17) would typically be constructed of rubber or synthetic rubber. In another embodiment the head can present as a single piece mounted to the 5 handle, the single head having a first non-deformable face and a second resilient face. In a further embodiment the handle and the head are formed of a single piece formed of either resilient or non-deformable material. The second face can then be made from a complementary material and mounted to the head, such that the 10 resultant hammer has two opposed faces of differing material.

Claims (15)

1. A hammer having an elongate handle being adapted at a first end to be engaged by the hand of the operator and at the second end being provided with a head, the head having a body and a pair of substantially 5 planar faces in opposed relation, the area of one face being substantially greater than the other face, the head being arranged on the elongate handle such that the opposed faces have, at their most distal extent from the handle, their respective peripheries being mutually aligned with the portion of the head's body most distal from the handle and the remainder 10 of the respective faces extending inwardly toward the handle.

2. A hammer according to claim 1 wherein the first end of the elongate handle is provided with a grip.

3. A hammer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the face having the greater area is formed of a resilient and partially shock 15 absorbing material such as rubber or synthetic rubber.

4. A hammer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the face having the lesser area is formed of a substantially non-deformable material such as steel.

5. A hammer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the 20 elongate handle is substantially perpendicular to the line formed between the most distal extent of the respective faces from the handle.

6. A hammer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the surface between the opposed planar faces is substantially straight.

7. A hammer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the 25 face having the greater area is has an outer surface that is curved. -10

8. A hammer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the face having the greater area is moulded or otherwise adhered to the head.

9. A hammer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the face having the greater area is tapered to the body of the head. 5

10. A hammer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the taper may be a fillet radius.

11. A hammer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the body of the head is provided with a mounting structure configured to cooperate with the face having greater area such that the material of the 10 face having greater area can be securely affixed to the head.

12. A hammer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the mounting structure is configured as a post extending away from the face having the lesser area and provided with protrusions extending outwardly.

13. A hammer according to any of claims 1 to 10 wherein the mounting 15 structure is configured as a plurality of posts extending away from the face having the lesser area and provided with a coil arrangement along the length of the posts, the posts being further provided with a member connecting their respective ends.

14. A hammer according to any of claims 1 to 10 wherein the mounting 20 structure is configured as a plurality of members divergingly extending from the face having the lesser area. Preferably, the diverging members are provided with outwardly extending protrusions.

15. A hammer substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.