US3813081A

US3813081A - Carpenter{40 s tool

Info

Publication number: US3813081A
Application number: US00071853A
Authority: US
Inventors: C Alger
Original assignee: OKLAHOMA TOOL AND SUPPLY CO
Current assignee: OKLAHOMA TOOL AND SUPPLY CO
Priority date: 1970-09-14
Filing date: 1970-09-14
Publication date: 1974-05-28
Anticipated expiration: 1991-05-28

Abstract

A carpenter''s tool to be used primarily for pulling nails, wherein the tool is of one-piece construction having an elongated body portion or handle extending in what may be considered a first plane, a first extension on one end of the handle extending at slightly less then 90* from the handle and extending is the same plane as the handle, a second extension on the first extension extending at an angle of between zero and ninety degrees from the first plane, and a wedge-shaped claw portion on the end of the second extension shaped to form a fulcrum at the transition between the claw portion and the second extension, whereby the claw portion may be inserted in virtually unaccessible locations for pulling nails and the desired leverage is provided.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Alger May 28, 1974 CARPENTER S TOOL Carl E. Alger, Oklahoma City, Okla.

[73] Assignee: Oklahoma Tool & Supply Company,

Oklahoma City, Okla.

22 Filed: Sept. 14, 1970 21 Appl. No.: 71,853

[75] Inventor:

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,896,910 7/l959 Cooper et al. 254/l3l FQREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Sweden 254/25 Primary Examiner-Othell M. Simpson Attorney, Agent, or FirmDunlap, Laney, Hessin, Dougherty & Codding [57] ABSTRACT A carpenters tool to be used primarily for pulling nails, wherein the too] is of one-piece construction having an elongated body portion or handle extending in what may be considered a first plane, a first extension on one end of the handle extending at slightly less then 90 from the handle and extending is the same plane as the handle, a second extension on the first extension extending at an angle of between zero and ninety degrees from the first plane, and a wedgeshaped claw portion on the end of the second extension shaped to form a fulcrum at the transition between the claw portion and the second extension, whereby the claw portion may be inserted in virtually unaccessible locations for pulling nails and the desired leverage is provided.

1 Claim, 4/Drawing Figures 1. CARPENTER'S TOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to improvements in carpenters tools, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an improved nail puller.

2. Description of the Prior Art As it is well known in the art of carpentry, it is frequently necessary to pull nails which are virtually unaccessible if it is desired to either save the nails or save the boards being disassembled. Various configurations of nail pullers have been proposed, but none have been found to be universally useable. In all known prior nail pullers, the claw portion is either extended from the handle portion of the puller in such a direction that the claw cannot be inserted in many different tight places, or the carpenter injures his hands in trying to manipulate the puller, or the nail puller does not provide the necessary leverage when the claw portion is engaged under the head of a nail.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of this invention is to provide a carpenters tool including a nail puller by use of which nails in virtually any location can be pulled.

Another object of this invention is to decrease the possibility of carpenters injuring their hands when pulling nails.

A further object of this invention is to provide a nail puller which will provide the necessary leverage for pulling nails from virtually all locations which may be encountered.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is'what may be considered a side-elevational view of a carpenters tool constructed in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 2 is what may be considered a plan or top view of the tool shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view as taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a typical use of the tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT first plane is the plane of the drawing paper in FIG. 2

and would be the plane extending normal to the drawing paper in FIG. 1. The first extension 14 is connected to the handle 12 by a curved section 20 (FIG. 2) in such a manner that the first extension 14 extends in said first plane at an angle of slightly less than 90 from the handle 12. With this arrangement, the portion 21 of the first extension 14 adjacent the second extension 16 will function as a fulcrum in many uses of the tool, as will be further described. Also, the extension 14 should be appreciably shorter than the handle portion 12 As shown in FIG. 3, the second extension 16 is connected to the first extension 14 by a curved section 22 formed in such a manner that .the second extension 16 extends in a second plane at an angle of slightly less than to the first plane. In a preferred embodiment, the second extension 16 extends at an angle of about 79 from the first extension 14.

The claw 18 is formed on the end of the second extension 16 remote from the first extension 14 (FIG. 1). The claw 18 is wedge-shaped toward its terminal end 24 and is formed slightly out of line with the second extension 16 to form a transition area 26 which functions as a fulcrum when the nail puller is in use, as will be described. The usual slot 28 is formed in the terminal end 24 of the claw 18 to receive a nail to be pulled.

The end of the handle 12 opposite the first extension 14 is shaped to form a chisel or wedge-shaped portion 30 for use in prying boards apart, and the like, in the nature of a crow bar. The prying portion 30 is preferrably curved from the first plane referred to above to increase the utility of the tool and provide a surface or area 32 which can be used as a fulcrum in prying boards apart, or the like.

As previously indicated, the tool 10 is of one-piece construction. Also, it should be noted that the handle portion 12, first extension 14 and second extension 16, with the interconnecting

sections

20 and 22, are all preferably formed with an octagonal cross section to facilitate the handling and gripping of the tool by a carpenter.

The tool 10 is primarily used for pulling nails and is particularly useful in pulling nails in virtually unaccessible locations, such as illustrated'in FIG. 4. The situation illustrated in FIG. 4 consists of two parallel boards 34 and 36 arranged in closely spaced relation with the nail 38 to be pulled being located between the boards 34 and 36. The spacing between the boards 34 and 36 may be, for example, only an inch or two wide. With the tool 10, the claw 18 may be easily inserted between the boards 34-and 36 and placed in engagement with the nail 38, with the nail 38 being extended through the slot 28 without the carpenter having to touch either one of the boards 34 or 36. With the tool in the position shown in FIG. 4, the carpenter can pry the nail 38 loose by forcing the free end of the handle 12 outwardly with respect to the boards 34 and 36. In this operation, the fulcrum 26 (FIG. 1) will engage the board 36 and the carpenter will thereby have sufficient leverage for pulling the nail 36 a short distance. When the nail becomes somewhat loose by prying through use of the fulcrum 26, the portion 21 of the extension 14 will come in contact with the board 38 and with a continuing prying action, the nail 33 may be completely removed.

The disposition of the extension 14 at an angle of slightly less than 90 from the handle portion 12 is very beneficial in that only the portion 21 engages the board from which a nail is pulled. Therefore, the remainder of the extension 14 can extend out over the edge of the board and still not crush the edge of the board.

The tool 10 may be constructed of any desired size, depending upon the sizes of nails to be pulled. As an example, when the tool is to be used for pulling nails of 8 penny and 10 penny size, the over-all length of the tool is conveniently 17% inches long and the distance from the side of the handle portion 12 opposite the extension 14 to the side of the claw l8 opposite the handle portion 12 may be 3 /2 inches. The over-all length of the claw 18 between the terminal end 24 of the claw and the fulcrum 26 may be 2 inches, and the combined length of the claw 18 and extension may be 3% inches.

plane;

a first extension on one end of the handle portion having a length less than the length of the handle portion and extending in said first plane at slightly less than a right angle to the handle portion;

a second extension on the end of the first extension remote from the handle portion extension at an angle of approximately 79 from said first plane;

a nail claw formed on the opposite end of the second extension out of line with the second extension to form a fulcrum at the transition between the claw and the second extension, said claw being wedgeshaped toward the terminal end thereof; and

a prying section formed on the opposite end of the handle portion, the prying section being wedgeshaped toward its terminal end and being curved away from said first plane toward its terminal end.

Claims

1. A one-piece carpenter''s tool for use, among other things, in pulling nails, comprising: an elongated handle portion extending in a first plane; a first extension on one end of the handle portion having a length less than the length of the handle portion and extending in said first plane at slightly less than a right angle to the handle portion; a second extension on the end of the first extension remote from the handle portion extension at an angle of approximately 79* from said first plane; a nail claw formed on the opposite end of the second extension out of line with the second extension to form a fulcrum at the transition between the claw and the second extension, said claw being wedge-shaped toward the terminal end thereof; and a prying section formed on the opposite end of the handle portion, the prying section being wedge-shaped toward its terminal end and being curved away from said first plane toward its terminal end.