GB1576982A - Nail - Google Patents

Description

(54) NAIL (54) NAIL (71) We, FRIEDR. TRURNIT O.H.G.

of 16 Rahmedestrasse, 5990 Altena, Federal Republic of Germany; a German company do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to a headed nail of the type which has a head at one end and an intermediate head located on the shank of the nail. Nails of this general type are known and are used for securing insulating panels made of a number of plies of wood which are glued together to roof beams. Such securing is effected by means of nails which must pass through an insulating material layer. However, it is necessary to prevent the insulating layer from being damaged by hammer blows.One such nail is known which has a head portion at one of its ends and an intermediate head portion which is coaxial with the shank of the nail and surrounds it.

The spacing between the two heads corresponds substantially to the thickness of the insulating layer. When driving such a nail into the insulating panel, the tip of the nail penetrates the insulating layer, the plywood panel and then the roof beam. When completely driven in, the intermediate head portion abuts against the ply panel. Further driving in of the nail is not possible. At such time, the end head portion of the nail is flush with the outer surface of the insulating layer.

The manufacture of such nails is, however, costly. Providing the intermediate head portion on a metal nail necessitates considerable capital expenditure. Moreover, the shank section of the nail is often deformed when the intermediate head portion is formed.

Moreover, the production of nails having differing spacings between the two head portions utilising the same nail-making apparatus is almost impossible. Since, in practice, the insulation layers are not of uniform thickness, numerous different sizes of nail are required, and the inability to produce different sizes of nails economically is a considerable disadvantage.

The present invention seeks to provide a headed nail of the above-mentioned general type which does not suffer from these disadvantages.

According to the present invention, there is provided a nail having an end head portion, a tip portion and a shank portion connecting said head and tip portions wherein the shank portion is provided with at least one enlargement increasing the effective diameter thereof, at least one disc being supported against said enlargement such that the enlargement is located between the disc and the head portion, the shank portion being roughened or notched between the disc and the tip portion so that the disc is captively retained on the shank portion.

Preferably, the at least one enlargement is in the form of a laterally projecting cam or projection pressed out from the shank of the nail.

It has been found relatively simple to produce projections or cams on the shank of the nail, at any desired spacing from the end head portion by utilising clamping or squeezing jaws. These projections or cams are used as abutment surfaces for the discs fitted over the shaft.

These discs must be prevented from slipping towards the tip. This is attained in a simple manner by slightly roughening or notching the shank of the nail. The disc or discs thus supported against the projections takes over the function of the intermediate head of known nails. Irrespective of the length of shank of the nail, projections may be formed on the shank thereof at any desired spacing from the end head portion of the nail by using simple tools. In such a manner, a variety of different sizes of nail may be produced utilising a single nail making device.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a nail in accordance with the present invention Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a plan view of a disc member forming part of a nail in accordance with the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view through a panel affixed to a beam by means of a nail as shown in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 1 to 3, there is shown a wire nail 1 having an end head portion 12, a shank portion 11 and a tip portion 13. At pre-selected spacing from the head portion 12 laterally extending cams or projections 14 are formed on the shank 11. From the tip 13 end of the nail, a disc 2 having a central bore 21 is slipped onto the shaft 11. The diameter of the bore 21 is so selected that there is minimal clearance between the disc 2 and the shank 11. The disc 2 is slid onto the shank 11 until it abuts against the projections 14. The shank 11 is roughened or notched in the region 15, below the disc 2, to prevent the disc from slipping downwards accidentally.

Fig. 4 shows an insulating panel secured by such a nail 1, for example, to a roof beam 5.

The spacing between the head portion 12 of the nail 1 and the disc 2 corresponds to the thickness of the insulating layer 3 of the panel. When the nail is initially driven into the panel, it merely creates a hole 31 in the insulating layer 3 of a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the disc 2. The remaining structure of the insulating layer is not damaged by the nail. When the tip 13 of the nail has penetrated sufficiently into the securing beam 5, after having penetrated the plywood panel 4, the disc 2 will be in abutment against the surface of ths plywood panel 4 adjacent the layer 3 and the end head portion 12 will be lying substantially flush with the outer surface of the insulating material layer 3.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A nail having an end head portion, a tip portion and a shank portion connecting said head and tip portions wherein the shank portion is provided with at least one enlargement increasing the effective diameter thereof, at least one disc being supported against said enlargement such that the enlargement is located between the disc and the head portion, the shank portion being roughened or notched between the disc and the tip portion so that the disc is captively retained on the shank portion.

2. A nail as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one enlargement is in the form of a laterally projecting cam or projection pressed out from the shank of the nail.

3. A nail constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (3)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. notching the shank of the nail. The disc or discs thus supported against the projections takes over the function of the intermediate head of known nails. Irrespective of the length of shank of the nail, projections may be formed on the shank thereof at any desired spacing from the end head portion of the nail by using simple tools. In such a manner, a variety of different sizes of nail may be produced utilising a single nail making device. The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a nail in accordance with the present invention Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a plan view of a disc member forming part of a nail in accordance with the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view through a panel affixed to a beam by means of a nail as shown in Fig. 1. In Figs. 1 to 3, there is shown a wire nail 1 having an end head portion 12, a shank portion 11 and a tip portion 13. At pre-selected spacing from the head portion 12 laterally extending cams or projections 14 are formed on the shank 11. From the tip 13 end of the nail, a disc 2 having a central bore 21 is slipped onto the shaft 11. The diameter of the bore 21 is so selected that there is minimal clearance between the disc 2 and the shank 11. The disc 2 is slid onto the shank 11 until it abuts against the projections 14. The shank 11 is roughened or notched in the region 15, below the disc 2, to prevent the disc from slipping downwards accidentally. Fig. 4 shows an insulating panel secured by such a nail 1, for example, to a roof beam 5. The spacing between the head portion 12 of the nail 1 and the disc 2 corresponds to the thickness of the insulating layer 3 of the panel. When the nail is initially driven into the panel, it merely creates a hole 31 in the insulating layer 3 of a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the disc 2. The remaining structure of the insulating layer is not damaged by the nail. When the tip 13 of the nail has penetrated sufficiently into the securing beam 5, after having penetrated the plywood panel 4, the disc 2 will be in abutment against the surface of ths plywood panel 4 adjacent the layer 3 and the end head portion 12 will be lying substantially flush with the outer surface of the insulating material layer 3. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A nail having an end head portion, a tip portion and a shank portion connecting said head and tip portions wherein the shank portion is provided with at least one enlargement increasing the effective diameter thereof, at least one disc being supported against said enlargement such that the enlargement is located between the disc and the head portion, the shank portion being roughened or notched between the disc and the tip portion so that the disc is captively retained on the shank portion.

2. A nail as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one enlargement is in the form of a laterally projecting cam or projection pressed out from the shank of the nail.

3. A nail constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.