HAMMER HOLDER

Abstract

A hammer holder having a support member for attachment to a belt, garment, tool bag or nail pouch of a hammer user. The hammer holder includes a U shaped chamber integrated with the support member and provides support for the hammer head and for the hammer handle in an upright vertical position when the support member is connected to a belt or a user. The chamber is large enough to contain the head of the hammer and includes stop means which prevents the head of the hammer from passing through the chamber or out the top of the chamber. A clip is attached to the support member for receiving the vertically oriented handle of the hammer and a movable gate member pivotally attached to the support member permits the hammer handle to move into the clip and spring back to prevent the handle from moving out of the clip.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a tool holder and more specifically to a holder for a hammer that is adapted to be attached to a worker's belt, garment, tool bag or nail pouch, a holder which, when located on a worker's utility belt, can hold a hammer captive whether the worker is jumping, knelling or bending or even when the holder is upside down or subjected to heavy motion, a holder into which a hammer can be inserted into and removed from with one hand and, because the hammer is in its upright position, it is ready for use by the worker immediately upon removal.

2. Description of Related Art

Carpenters and tradesmen often use a utility belt to hold their various tools, one of which is usually a claw hammer which is located in a metal loop attached to the worker's belt. In use, when a worker requires the use of another tool, he/she will place the hammer in the loop on his/her utility belt. To do this, the hammer is initially turned upside down with the handle being below the hammer head. Then, holding the loop with one hand and the head of the hammer with the other hand, the worker inserts the end of the handle into the loop and allows it to move down until the head of the hammer rests on the loop. To now reuse the hammer, a right handed worker must first grasp the hammer head with his/her right hand, pull the hammer up and out of the loop and, while still holding the head of the hammer in his/her right hand, transfer the hammer to his/'her left hand so he/she can moves his/her right hand to the end of the hammer to again use the hammer. Another disadvantage of the prior art hammer holder is that the downwardly hanging handle of the hammer bangs against a user's thigh, knee and/or knee cap as the user walks, bends and/or jumps which can cause bruses and injuries while the user is working. Clearly, prior art hammer holders require awkward hand movements to insert and remove a hammer from a belt mounted hammer holder and can cause injuries to the user's leg while working on a job.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,072 by Jones there is disclosed a hammer holder that includes two spaced apart J shaped members where the upturned ends of the J shaped members are adapted to receive the head of a hammer and the handle or the hammer hangs down between the two J shaped members.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,264 by Redzisz there is disclosed a holder for a hammer where the head of the hammer rests on top of a loop and the handle of the hammer hangs down from the loop. The loop has a movable bridge member which allows the handle of the hammer to open the bridge member and pass through the loop when the handle is pivoted upward and presses against the bridge member.

What is needed is a holder for a hammer which does not require awkward hand movements to place a hammer into or remove a hammer from the holder, a holder which can be attached to a utility belt worn by a worker, attached to a worker's garment, attached to the side of a tool bag or to a nail pouch, a holder which, when located on a worker's utility belt, can hold a hammer captive whether the worker is jumping, knelling or bending or even when the holder is upside down or subjected to heavy motion without banging against and injuring the user's thigh, knee and/or knee cap.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a principal aspect, the present invention comprises a hammer holder which may be used in combination with a tool belt, a garment, a tool bag, a nail pouch, etc. for holding a hammer in its upright position. The hammer holder comprises a support member which can be made of plastic and formed to provide an open ended chamber for receiving the head of a hammer and a clip for holding the hammer handle in an upright position where the hammer is ready for use immediately upon removal. The chamber together with the handle holding clip locks the hammer to the holder and prevents the hammer from moving out of the holder. The hammer can be inserted into and removed from the holder with one hand and, because it is in its upright position when removed, the user does not have to use two hands to reorient the hammer to its upright position in order to start hammering.

Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved hammer holder for holding a hammer which can be easily removed from the holder.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved holder for a hammer which can be used in combination with a tool belt, a tool bag, a nail pouch, a garment worn by a worker, etc..

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved holder for a hammer which allows a worker to insert a hammer into the holder and remove the hammer from the holder with one hand.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder for a hammer that holds the hammer in an upright position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder for a hammer that can protect a user from harm caused by the claw of a claw hammer.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved hammer holder for a utility belt or the like which is inexpensive to manufacture and is of rugged construction.

These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed a hammer holder comprising:

a support member including means of attaching the support member to a belt, garment, tool bag or nail pouch of a hammer user,

a chamber integrated with the support member and so oriented relative thereto that the chamber extends away from the support member and provides support for the hammer head and for the hammer handle in an upright vertical position when the support member is connected to a belt or a garment;

said chamber being large enough to contain the head of the hammer;

stop means coupled to the chamber to prevent the head of the hammer to pass through the chamber;

a clip attached to the support member for receiving the handle of the hammer; and

a movable gate member coupled to the support member oriented to move downwardly to permit the passage of the hammer handle into the clip and spring back to prevent the handle from moving out of the clip.

The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention and that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claim, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elements are given similar reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a claw hammer locked in place in an upright position in a holder in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hammer holder of FIG. 1 without the claw hammer;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the hammer holder with the hammer shown in phantom in accordance with the principles of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the hammer holder attached to a nail pouch which is, in turn, attached to a utility belt in accordance with the principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of a claw hammer locked in place in an upright position in a tool holder 10 in accordance with the principles of the invention. The hammer holder 10 can be made from a single piece of material 12 such as leather, heavy canvas, plastic, etc., where the preferred material is a plastic of resinous material.

The holder has a support member or rear section 14, a bottom section 16, and a front section 18. The rear section includes at its top a fold over tab 20 that can bend about a scored fold line 22 and includes two openings which, when the tab is folded backward and rests against the back of the rear section, are aligned with two openings in the rear section. The openings are provided for receiving rivets or screws for attaching the holder to a utility belt, a worker's garment, a side of a tool bag, a nail pouch, etc.

The bottom section 16, which is a continuation of the rear section 14, is bent outward along a fold line to form an angle of about 90 degrees with the rear section. The front section 18 is a continuation of the bottom section 16 and is bent upward along a fold line to form an angle of about 90 degrees. A Web member 36, which is a continuation of the front section, is bent along a fold line toward the rear section 14. Web member is attached to the rear section with an adhesive, rivets, etc. The lower portion of the rear section, together with the bottom section, the front section and the web member form a chamber 34 for receiving the head of a hammer such as a claw hammer. It is here noted that the various parts of the chamber can hold the hammer head captive in all directions except for moving into or out of the chamber via the end 38 as indicated by the double arrow line A-A.

The hammer holder has a front end 24 and a back end 26. The front end 24 of the front section 18 is flared outward to facilitate entry of the hammer head into the chamber by providing a funnel shaped opening. The web member 34, in addition to preventing the head of a hammer from moving up out of the chamber, also helps to hold the front section substantially parallel to the rear section 14.

Located at the top of the rear section and having a width of one inch more or less is a hammer handle holding clip 28 with a flared end 30. The upper and lower edges 40 of the handle holding clip can include spring rod members or additional material which allows the clip to be urged to an open position to receive a hammer handle and spring back to hold the handle captive. Located immediately below the handle holding clip is a flexible gate member 32 which is attached to the rear section 14 with a living hinge. The entire structure including the flexible gate member is molded in one piece, the resinous material being selected so that by making the gate structure sufficiently thin, the gate structure will provide its own resiliency. The gate structure is molded to pivot about a living hinge and at an angle relative to the rear section with sufficient resiliency that the gate structure will not move from its closed position without sufficient lateral force by a user's thumb or finger pressing to move the gate inwardly toward the rear section.

Gate member 32 has a leading edge that has a generous radius and a trailing edge that is substantially straight. The living hinge maintains gate 32 at an angle of between 15 degrees and 45 degrees with the rear section. The generous radius at the leading edge allows the handle of a hammer to urge the gate to pivot downward as the handle is pushed into the clip. Once the handle is located within the handle holding clip, the gate flips up and locks the handle in position within the clip.

At this time the hammer including its handle is held captive inside the holder. Thus, the handle can not injure a user by banging against a user's thigh, knee and/or knee cap. Chamber 16 prevents the hammer from moving up, down, sideways and through the opening at the front of the hammer. The handle holding clip prevents the hammer from moving out of the chamber at the claw end of the hammer. To remove the hammer from the holder a workman, using his thumb or a finger, pushes the gate towards the rear section. As the gate moves toward the rear section, it moves downward and releases the hammer handle. The workman then, with the same hand, pulls the handle out of the clip. As the hammer is pulled out of the clip the hammer head follows and is pulled out of the chamber, a one hand operation.

The holder for the hammer can be made for left or right handed users and, when used with a utility belt, can be located on the users left or right side. To insert a hammer into the holder, while holding a hammer at the top of the handle, a user simply swings the head of the hammer into the chamber 34 and then pushes the handle into the clip 28.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a perspective view of the hammer holder of FIG. 1 without the claw hammer. FIG. 3 is a front view of the hammer holder with the hammer shown in phantom ; and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the hammer holder attached to a nail pouch which is, in turn, attached to a utility belt.

The hammer holder disclosed does not require awkward hand movements to place a hammer into or remove a hammer from the holder, it can be attached to a utility belt, a worker's garment, the side of a tool bag or to a nail pouch. The holder, when located on a worker's utility belt, can hold a hammer captive whether the worker is jumping, kneeling or bending or even when the holder is upside down or subjected to heavy motion. In addition, the hammer can be inserted into and removed from the holder with one hand and, because it is in its upright position when removed, the user does not have to use two hands to reorient the hammer to its upright position in order to start hammering.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes of the form and details of the apparatus illustrated and in the operation may be done by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A hammer holder comprising:

a support member including means of attaching the support member to a belt, garment, tool bag or nail pouch of a hammer user,

a chamber integrated with the support member and so oriented relative thereto that the chamber extends away from the support member and provides support for the hammer head and for the hammer handle in an upright vertical position when the support member is connected to a belt or a garment;

said chamber being large enough to contain the head of the hammer;

stop means coupled to the chamber to prevent the head of the hammer to pass through the chamber;

a clip attached to the support member for receiving the handle of the hammer; and

a movable gate member coupled to the support member oriented to move downwardly to permit the passage of the hammer handle into the clip and spring back to prevent the handle from moving out of the clip.

2. The hammer holder of claim 1 wherein the movable gate member is coupled to the support member with a living hinge.

3. The hammer holder of claim 2 wherein the gate pivots in a generally vertical attitude when the support member is disposed in a generally vertical attitude.

4. The hammer holder of claim 1 wherein the chamber for containing the head of the hammer is a U shaped channel at the lower end of the support member.

5. The hammer holder of claim 4 wherein said U shaped channel has a first opening at one end for allowing the head of the hammer to enter the U shaped channel and a second opening at the second end of the U shaped channel.

6. The hammer holder of claim 5 wherein the stop means is located near the second end of the U shaped channel to prevent the head of the hammer from exiting the channel through the second end of the channel.

7. The hammer holder of claim 5 wherein said stop means is located near the second end of the U shaped channel and across the top of the channel to prevent the head of the hammer from moving out of the U shaped channel through the open top.

8. The hammer holder of claim 5 wherein said stop means is located across the top and near the second end of the U shaped channel to prevent the head of the hammer from exiting the channel through the second end and from moving out of the channel through the open top.

9. The hammer holder of claim 8 wherein said stop means is a member that is located on top of the U shaped channel.

10. The hammer holder of claim 9 wherein said member is a strip of material that is located across the top of the U shaped channel and is attached to the two legs of the U shaped channel.

11. The hammer holder of claim 1 wherein at least the support member is made of molded resinous material.

12. The hammer holder of claim 1 wherein the entire hammer holder is molded in a unitary structure.

13. The hammer holder of claim 1 in which the entire structure including the movable gate is molded in one piece, the resinous material being selected so that by making the movable gate sufficiently thin, the movable gate will provide its own resiliency and the movable gate is molded in its closed position with sufficient resilience that it will not move from closed position without sufficient lateral force by a user's thumb or finger.