WO2005058556A1

WO2005058556A1 - Hanging bracket

Info

Publication number: WO2005058556A1
Application number: PCT/AU2004/001770
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Haynes
Original assignee: David Haynes
Priority date: 2003-12-17
Filing date: 2004-12-17
Publication date: 2005-06-30

Abstract

A hanging bracket (1) for attaching to a tool, the bracket (1) comprising a hook (5) member having a closed end joining two spaced part legs (10) & (12), and an attachment on a first leg for reliasably attaching the bracket (1) to a tool; wherein in use when the bracket (1) is attached to the tool the hook (5) member can be placed over a surface to suspend the tool from the surface.

Description

HANGING BRACKET

FIELD OF THE INVENTION:

The present invention relates to a bracket for hanging a tool from an article such as a beam or a nogging.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION:

Power tools, such as electric drills and nail guns, which automate conventional manual processes have a number of benefits to workers in construction industries. The advantages of these tools include increased productivity and workload capacity, as well as a reduction in work fatigue and a reduction in the rate of injury including repetitive strain injuries. These tools are typically expensive to buy and to repair. Tool wear and damage is a significant issue as it can create an additional expense and can at worst lead to down time as a tool is repaired. Owners of such tools tend to take special care in maintaining, storing and using the tools.

In the building industry cordless nail guns are commonly used for constructing timber framework. Cordless nail guns use a compressed gas system to drive the nail. The compressed gas is supplied via a gas cartridge that is attached to the nail gun. Some models of cordless nail guns use a linear internal combustion motor which is controlled electronically. To manage the heat generated by the motor the nail gun is provided with an electric fan.

Obviously, dust and dirt particles can damage the mechanisms within the nail gun. The gun housing is sealed

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU and the air drawn in by the fan is filtered. In spite of this, dust and dirt find their way into the gun housing.

Over the years nail guns have become smaller and lighter. The Paslode cordless framing and finishing nailers are provided with a small wire belt hook so that a worker can temporarily store the gun on their belt when the gun is not required and not on the ground where the gun is a hazard and attracts more dirt and dust. However, while these particular guns only weigh approximately 3kg, in practice they are not comfortable to wear on the belt and users rarely hang them off their belt preferring instead to place them on the ground.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

According to the invention, there is provided a hanging bracket for attaching to a tool, the bracket comprising a hook member having a closed end joining two spaced part legs, and an attachment on a first leg for releasably attaching the bracket to a tool; wherein in use when the bracket is attached to the tool the hook member can be placed over a surface to suspend the tool from the surface.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a hanging bracket for attaching to a tool, the tool having a U-shaped wire loop from which the tool maybe suspended, the bracket comprising a hook member having a closed end joining two spaced apart legs, and an attachment on a first leg for a releasably attaching the bracket to the tool, wherein the attachment has a rectangular flange spaced from the first leg such that, in use, the flange is inserted between the U-shaped wire loop and the hanging bracket is rotated through approximately 90° to secure the bracket to the tool.

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS;

In order that the invention may be more easily understood, embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1: is a front perspective view of a hanging bracket according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 : is an under perspective view of the hanging bracket shown in figure 1; Figure 3 : is a side view of the hanging bracket shown in figure 1; FFiigguurree 44:: is a front perspective view of a hanging bracket according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 : is an under perspective view of the hanging bracket shown in figure 4; Figure 6 : is a side view of the hanging bracket shown in figure 4; Figure 7 : is a side view of a cordless nail gun with a wire belt hook; Figure 8 : illustrates a first step of the hanging bracket of figure 1 being inserted into a belt hook; Figure 9 : is an enlarged view of the hanging bracket and belt hook in figure 8; Figure 10 : illustrates a second step of the hanging bracket of figure 8 being attached to the belt hook; Figure 11: illustrates the hanging bracket attached to the belt hook in the fixed position; and FFiigguurree 1122:: illustrates a nail gun suspended from a beam by way of a hanging bracket of the present invention.

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU DETAILED DESCRIPTION:

The drawings show a hanging bracket 1 that is adapted to be attached to the belt hook of a nail gun such that the nail gun can be suspended from noggings, beams, rafters, and other horizontal, or even inclined, supports. In practice, builders rarely hang a nail gun from the tool belt. Instead, the nail guns are placed on the floor where they become an obstacle and attract dust and dirt. The present bracket provides the option of hanging the nail gun on beams, which are prevalent on a building site.

Figures 1 to 3 show views of a hanging bracket 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention whereas Figures 4 to 6 show a second embodiment of the hanging bracket 1.

The hanging bracket 1 is a ^wU"-shaped hook 5 which has a flat rectangular cross-section. The hook 5 has a curved portion 11 and two legs on either side thereof. A short leg 10 of the bracket hook 5 has a connector 20 to releasably fasten the hanging bracket 1 to a tool. Thus, when the bracket 1 is attached to the tool the short leg 10 is adjacent the tool. A long leg 12 is joined at the other end of the curved portion 11 to the short leg 10.

The connector 20 is designed to engage a belt hook 55 on a nail gun 50. Figure 7 illustrates a typical belt hook on a Paslode nail gun. The engagement between the connector 20 and the belt hook 55 operates in a similar manner to a bayonet fitting. That is, the connector 20 is inserted into the belt hook 55 and turned through 90° to "lock" the hanging- bracket 1 to the nail gun 50.

A gusset 40 is provided within the curved portion 11 of bracket hook 5. The gusset 40 gives the bracket hook 5

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU increased strength. Additionally, the gusset 40 provides a flat surface from which the bracket, and in turn the nail gun, can be suspended giving stability to nail gun 50 when the hanging bracket 1 is placed over a beam.

With the hanging bracket 1 attached to a nail gun 50, legs 10, 12 of the bracket hook 5 are placed on either side of a beam. The gusset 40 of the hanging bracket 1 rests on the top surface of the beam. The long leg 12 provides counter support and prevents the hook 5 from rotating and sliding off the beam.

To effect the bayonet fitting arrangement, the connector 20 has a rectangular flange 25 spaced from the bracket hook 5 by a spacer 30. The rectangular flange is positioned to extend in length across leg 10. The rectangular flange 25 is dimensioned such that the length of the short side is less than the width of the parallel portions 60 of the belt hook 55 (see Figure 7) thereby allowing flange 25 to be inserted between parallel portions 60. The length of the long sides of flange 25 is greater than the width of the parallel portions 60 of the belt hook 55 to prevent escape of the flange 25 from belt hook 55 when attached.

The spacer 30 has an approximately elliptical shape with flat sections, or detents, 35 which inhibit unintentional releasing of the hanging bracket 1 once it has been attached to a tool. The flat sections of the elliptical spacer 30 are aligned with the short sides of the rectangular flange 25.

The depth of the spacer 30 is sufficient to capture the belt hook between short leg 12 and flange 25, and to also allow the bracket 1 to be rotated relative to the belt hook 55. This combination of features provides an effective means for releasably fastening the hanging

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU bracket 1 to the belt hook 55.

The bracket hook 5 can vary in width, however it should be capable of placement on standard rafter, flooring and wall beams. The spacing between the legs 10, 12 can vary, and for rafters, for example, this spacing would be approximately 55mm.

Figures 4 to 6 illustrate a second embodiment of the hanging bracket 1. The second embodiment is substantially the same as the embodiment described with respect to figures 1 to 3, however the gusset 40 in this second embodiment has steps 45, 46. Aside from providing strength, steps 45, 46 provide an additional range of stability because the steps 45, 46 are designed to receive different beam widths. For example, the first steps 45 on the gusset can accommodate beams up to 45mm wide spanning between steps 45. The second steps 46 can accommodate beams up to 35mm wide because the distance between second steps 46 is less than that between first steps 45.

Figures 8 to 11 illustrate the method of connecting the hanging bracket 1 to a nail gun 50. The rectangular flange 25 is passed through the parallel portions 60 of the belt hook 55 (figures 8 and 9) by aligning the long sides of flange 25 parallel with portions 60. The hanging bracket 1 is then rotated through 90° such that the bracket hook 5 is oriented in a substantially similar direction to belt hook 55 and effectively replacing the belt hook with a larger and more useful hook open in the upright direction of the nail gun 50 (figures 10 and 11) . At this point the rectangular flange 25 has been rotated such that the long sides are perpendicular to the portions 60 of belt hook 55. The hanging bracket 1 is thus brought into a fixed position.

As the hanging bracket 1 is rotated the parallel portions

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU 60 of the belt hook 55 are forced apart due to the elliptical shape of the spacer 30. The flat sections 35 force the belt hook 55 to expand slightly as the hanging bracket 1 rotates into the fixed position thereby creating a strong engagement between the connector 20 and belt hook 55. Unintentional removal of the hanging bracket 1 from the nail gun 50 is inhibited.

Figure 12 illustrates a hanging bracket 1 attached to a nail gun 50 which is suspended from a beam by way of bracket 1. The bracket hook 5 of the hanging bracket 1 is placed over the beam and gusset 40, whether or not stepped. Gusset 40 along with long leg 12 stabilise the hanging bracket over the beam, nogging, etc.

The hanging' bracket 1 can be made of any appropriate material, including metals, plastics and composite materials such as carbon fibre. The hanging bracket 1 illustrated in the figures 8 to 12 is a single component made of injected moulded nylon.

The hooked shaped nature of the hanging bracket lends the bracket, and in particular long leg 12, a degree of resilience . The bracket can therefore accommodate variations in beam widths and is capable of suspending the nail gun off a flat horizontal surface, and not necessarily a beam. The flex between the opposing legs of the bracket allow the bracket to support the weight of a tool on the shorter leg and anchor the weight on a flat surface by the longer leg.

The spacing between the legs of the hanging bracket is sufficiently wide to span a nogging, or similar beam, which is generally 90mm wide. The hanging bracket may be produced in a range of different spans to suit suspending a tool off particularly sized beams. For example, one version of the hanging bracket may have a maximum leg span

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU of 45mm, which is suitable for spanning rafters and similarly wide beams. A larger version of the bracket may have a leg span of 90mm, which is suitable for spanning noggings. However a smaller version of the hanging bracket may still be used to suspend a tool off a nogging, or a wide flat surface wider than 45mm, because the resilience of the longer leg 12 provides sufficient support when placed on a surface.

While it is not possible to suspend a tool using a hanging bracket off a vertical beam or surface, it is possible to hang the tool by a hanging bracket off an inclined surface, such as a rafter, and, of course, a horizontal surface.

The present hanging bracket provides a simple and quick means of attaching and detaching a hanging bracket from a tool. The clip and twist motion of attaching the hanging bracket securely locks to the tool without the need for nuts and bolts, and other time consuming means of attachment. The stepped gusset in one particular embodiment provides stability when hanging a tool, which stability is contributed to by the resilience of the hook. The hanging bracket is a simple and compact accessory that can be easily stored in the tool casing and simply fitted when required.

It is understood that the present hanging bracket can be attached to a pneumatic nail gun with a cord as well as to a cordless nail gun. It is also understood that while the preferred embodiments of the hanging bracket are designed to be attached to the belt hook of a nail gun, the hanging bracket may be designed for connection to another part of the nail gun depending on the design of that nail gun and appropriate placement of the hanging bracket thereon.

In the preceding description of the invention and in the

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU claims except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A hanging bracket for attaching to a tool, the bracket comprising a hook member having a closed end joining two spaced part legs, and an attachment on a first leg for releasably attaching the bracket to a tool; wherein in use when the bracket is attached to the tool the hook member can be placed over a surface to suspend the tool from the surface.

2. The hanging bracket claimed in claim 1 wherein the hook member is resilient.

3. The hanging bracket claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the closed end of the hook member is a curved portion joining the two legs.

4. The hanging bracket claimed in claim 3 wherein a gusset is provided in the curved portion to provide a flat surface against which the hanging bracket is suspended.

5. The hanging bracket claimed in claim 4 wherein the gusset is stepped to hang the bracket off varying widths of surfaces.

6. The hanging bracket claimed in anyone of the preceding claims wherein the hook member has a flat rectangular cross-section.

7. The hanging bracket claimed in anyone of the preceding claims wherein the attachment is a flange spaced outwardly from the first leg by a spacer.

8. The hanging bracket claimed in claim 7 wherein the flange is rectangular and one pair of opposite sides of the rectangle are longer than the other pair of opposite sides.

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU

9. The hanging bracket claimed in claim 8 wherein the rectangular flange is oriented with the shorter opposite sides parallel to the direction of extension of the first leg.

10. The hanging bracket claimed in claim 7 wherein the spacer is substantially elliptical in shape and wherein the ends of the elliptical spacer are cut-off flat sections.

11. The hanging bracket claimed on anyone of the preceding claims wherein the spacing between the two legs is between 35mm and 90mm.

12. A method of attaching the hanging bracket claimed in any one of the preceding claims to a tool, the tool having a U-shaped wire loop from which the tool can be suspended, the method including inserting an attachment between parallel wires of the U-shaped wire loop and rotating the hanging bracket through approximately 90° to secure the hanging bracket to the tool.

13. A hanging bracket for attaching to a tool, the tool having a U-shaped wire loop from which the tool maybe suspended, the bracket comprising a hook member having a closed end joining two spaced apart legs, and an attachment on a first leg for a releasably attaching the bracket to the tool, wherein the attachment has a rectangular flange spaced from the first leg such that, in use, the flange is inserted between the U-shaped wire loop and the hanging bracket is rotated through approximately 90° to secure the bracket to the tool.

14. The hanging bracket claimed in claim 13 wherein the rectangular flange is spaced from the first leg by a spacer having a maximum width that is slightly greater

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU than the distance between parallel wires of the U-shaped wire loop.

15. The hanging bracket claimed in claim 14 wherein the spacer is elliptically shape.

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/AU