Leverage enhancement attachment for lever tools

Abstract

A compression strength attachment block has a tension strength attachment loop pivotally attached to the block. The loop hooks around a lever tool adjacent to a working end for enhanced attack angle and increased leverage in fastener extraction, prying, and lifting work. Magnets on a tool attachment face assist in aligning and holding the block to the lever tool. End magnets hold fasteners after extraction or before insertion. Recesses in the block contain or retain other working tools.

Claims

1. A leverage enhancement attachment for any of a wide variety of lever tools to produce a variable increased angle of attack and greater leverage, the attachment comprising: a rigid leverage enhancement attachment block comprising a tool contacting face substantially conformable to the shape of a lever tool Support contacting surface for attachment thereto, an attachment block lever support contacting face opposite to and spaced apart from the tool contacting face for variable angled contact with an external lever support surface, two substantially flat opposing side faces extending between the tool contacting face and the attachment block lever support contacting face, an attaching loop having ends pivotally connected to the two side faces adjacent to the tool contacting face, the attaching loop adapted for slipping over a working end of a lever element on any of a variety of lever tools, the attaching loop attached to pivot through a sufficiently wide angular range adapted to position the loop into engagement with a portion of the lever tool to rigidly secure the attachment block to the lever tool during use, the leverage enhancement attachment adapted to provide a variable steeper angle of attack of the working end of the lever tool and create a more distant lever support from the work surface to increase the leverage force of the lever tool to enable greater ease and greater force applied than that afforded by the lever tool alone; and further comprising two end faces orthogonal to the tool contacting face at two ends of the side faces and a least one magnet attached to each of the end faces adjacent to the tool contacting face for use with a fastener extracting lever tool to grip metal fasteners as they are extracted and keep them held by the at least one magnet after extraction.

2. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the attachment block lever support contacting face comprises a multiplicity of adjacent variably angled flat surfaces adapted to enable the lever enhancement attachment block to engage the external lever support surface at a variety of angles for varying the attack angle of the attached level tool and to variably increase the leverage force.

3. The attachment of claim 1 further comprising at least one magnet attached to the tool contacting face to stabilize and further secure the connection of the attachment block to the lever tool.

4. The attachment of claim 3 wherein the tool contacting face is substantially flat and the at least one attached magnet is adapted for removably attaching the attachment block to a metal tool chest for storage and transport.

5. The attachment claim 1 wherein the at least one magnet on one of the end faces is adapted for holding a pail in place with the attachment block resting on a work surface for pounding in the nail with one-handed use of the hammer and hooking a claw end of the hammer into the attachment loop for extracting a nail.

6. The attachment of claim 5 further comprising a vertical recess on the at least one of the end faces adapted for working in conjunction with the at least one magnet for holding the nail in place.

7. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the attachment block is fabricated from any of a variety of rigid materials taken from the list of rigid materials including metal, hard rubber, molded rigid synthetic material, nylon, and wood.

8. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the loop is attached to a center portion of each of the two sides adjacent to the tool contacting surface, the loop adapted to be rotatable the loop being of sufficient length to accommodate a variety of lever tools inserted therein, the loop being fabricated of any of a variety of non-stretch materials taken from the list of non-stretch materials including a strip of non-stretch flexible material, an adjustable belt of non-stretch material, a rigid rod bent into a loop, a metal rod of rectangular cross-section bent into a rectangular configuration, a metal rod of circular cross-section bent into a rectangular configuration, and a non-stretch synthetic material molded in a loop or extruded and bent into a loop.

9. The attachment of claim 1 further comprising indicia on at least one of the two sides of the attachment block adapted for advertising or instructional purposes.

10. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the leverage enhancement attachment is adapted to be attached to any of a variety of lever tools taken from a list of lever tools including claw hammers, crowbars, cat paws, flat pry bars, screwdriver pry bars, ripping bars, multifunction bars, wrecking bars, handy bars, wonder bars, RSC bars, and multi-function tools having a lever tool.

11. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the leverage enhancement attachment is adapted to be removably attached to a fastener extracting lever tool adapted for extraction of any of a variety of fasteners taken from a list of fasteners including screws, staples, nails, spikes, bolts, pins, tacks, butterfly clips, wall anchors, embedded wire, and attached indicia.

12. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the leverage enhancement block is configured with at least one recessed storage compartment adapted to receive any of a variety of work accessories taken from the list of work accessories including a lighting device, a laser level, a bubble level, a nail/fastener finder, a tape measure, a pencil, a pencil sharpener, and an electronic transmitter/receiver, driver bits, tacks, and blades.

13. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the leverage enhancement block of the present invention is configured with at least one recess adapted to receive any of a variety of work accessories installed therein taken from the list of work accessories including a lighting device, a laser level, a bubble level, a nail/fastener finder, a tape measure, a pencil, a pencil sharpener, and an electronic transmitter/receiver.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) These and other details of the present invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are furnished only by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention, and in which drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the leverage enhancement attachment of the present invention attached to a claw hammer pulling out a nail showing the block against a vertical board and the loop hooked over the hammer adjacent to the claw portion;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the leverage enhancement attachment of the present invention showing a bottom lever support contacting face having three approximately equal angled flat surfaces on the block and a top metal rod rectangular attaching loop;

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the leverage enhancement attachment of the present invention showing a bottom lever support contacting face having one long flat middle surface and two small angled flat end surfaces on the block and a top metal rod rectangular attaching loop;

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the leverage enhancement attachment of the present invention showing a bottom elongated curved lever support contacting face on the block and a top metal rod rectangular attaching loop;

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the leverage enhancement attachment of the present invention showing a bottom circular curved lever support contacting face on the block and a top metal rod rectangular attaching loop;

(7) FIG. 6 is an elevational end view of the block of FIG. 2 showing the interior receiving opening and two ends of the attaching loop inserted in the opening in dashed lines;

(8) FIG. 7 is an elevational end view of the block of FIG. 3 showing the interior receiving opening and two ends of a curved attaching loop inserted in the opening in dashed lines;

(9) FIG. 8 is an elevational end view of the block of FIG. 3 showing the interior receiving opening in dashed lines and a high tensile strength adjustable belt attaching loop inserted through the opening;

(10) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the block of FIG. 2 showing two magnets attached to the flat tool contacting face, one magnet attached to an end face and a curved top attaching loop fabricated from a rectangular metal rod;

(11) FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the leverage enhancement attachment of the present invention attached to a claw hammer pulling out a nail showing the block of FIG. 2 against a horizontal board and the loop hooked over the hammer adjacent to the claw portion;

(12) FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the leverage enhancement attachment of the present invention attached to a leverage bar at a flat lever end showing the circular curved block of FIG. 5 against a horizontal board and the loop hooked over the leverage bar adjacent to the flat lever end shown elevating a door or vertical element;

(13) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the block of FIG. 9 showing two magnets attached to the flat tool contacting face, one magnet attached to an end face and a curved top attaching loop fabricated from a circular metal rod showing the end face magnet of the block holding a nail in place on a wooden horizontal surface bearing a bulleye indicia for use in a one-handed therapeutic exercise of pounding in a nail accurately followed by slipping the claw end of the hammer through the loop of the block to extract the nail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(14) In FIGS. 1-12, the present invention comprises a leverage enhancement attachment 20 for any of a wide variety of lever tools 30A and 30B to produce a variable increased angle of attack and greater leverage.

(15) A high-compression strength leverage enhancement attachment block 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D comprises a tool contacting face 28 substantially conformable to the shape of a lever tool 30A, 30B support contacting surface 38 for attachment thereto. An attachment block lever support contacting face 22 opposite to and spaced apart from the tool contacting face 28 for variable angled contact with an external lever support surface 40.

(16) Two substantially flat opposing side faces 24 extend between the tool contacting face 28 and the attachment block lever support contacting face 22. An attaching loop 29A, 29B, 29C, 29D having ends pivotally connect to the two side faces 24 adjacent to the tool contacting face 28.

(17) In FIGS. 1, 10, and 11, the attaching loop 29A is adapted for slipping over a working end 31 and 32 of a lever element on any of a variety of lever tools 30A and 30B. The attaching loop is attached to pivot through a sufficiently wide angular range adapted to position the loop 31 and 32 into engagement with a portion of the lever tool 30A and 30B to rigidly secure the attachment block 21A and 21D to the lever tool during use. The leverage enhancement attachment 20 is adapted to provide a variable steeper angle of attack of the working end of the lever tool and create a more distant lever support from the work surface to increase the leverage force of the lever tool to enable greater ease and greater force applied than that afforded by the lever tool alone.

(18) The attachment block lever support contacting face 22 may comprise a multiplicity of adjacent variably angled flat surfaces, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 9, 10 and 12 to enable the lever enhancement attachment block to engage the external lever support surface at a variety of angles for varying the attack angle of the attached lever tool and to variably increase the leverage force. The attachment block lever support contacting face 22 may alternately comprise a curved surface, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 11 to enable the lever enhancement attachment block to engage the external lever support surface at a full range of variable angles for varying the attack angle of the attached lever tool and to variably increase the leverage force.

(19) In FIGS. 1, 9, and 12, at least one magnet 27 is attached to or embedded in the tool contacting face 28 to stabilize and further secure the connection of the attachment block to the lever tool. When the tool contacting face 28 is substantially flat, the at least one attached magnet 27 is further adapted for removably attaching the attachment block to a metal tool chest for storage and transport.

(20) The attachment block 21A further comprises two end faces 26 orthogonal to the tool contacting face 28 at two ends of the side faces 24 and at least one magnet 27 attached to each of the end faces 26 adjacent to the tool contacting face 28 for use with a fastener extracting lever tool, such as a claw hammer 30A or any type of lever bar 30B having a fastener extraction claw 31, to grip metal fasteners 41 as they are extracted and keep them held by the at least one magnet 27 after extraction.

(21) In FIG. 12, the magnet 27 on one of the end faces 26 works in conjunction with a vertical recess 18 adapted for holding a nail 41 in place with the attachment block 21A resting on a work surface 40 for pounding in the nail 41 with one-handed use of the hammer 30A and hooking a claw end of the hammer into the attachment loop for extracting a nail 41, as shown in FIG. 10. The block 21A holding a nail 41 in place on the wooden horizontal surface 40 bearing a bulleye indicia 42 may be used in a one-handed therapeutic exercise of pounding in a nail accurately followed by the nail extraction.

(22) The attachment block 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D may be fabricated from any of a variety of high-compression strength materials taken from the list of high-compression materials including metal, hard rubber, molded high-compression synthetic material, nylon, or wood.

(23) The loop 29A, 29B, 29C is attached to a center portion of each of the two sides adjacent to the tool contacting surface. The attachment loop is adapted to be rotatable and the loop is of sufficient length to accommodate a variety of lever tools 30A and 30B inserted therein. The loop may be fabricated of any of a variety of strong tensile non-stretch materials taken from the list of strong tensile non-stretch materials including a strip of strong tensile non-stretch flexible material, an adjustable belt of strong non-stretch material as shown in FIG. 8, a rigid rod bent into a loop, a metal rod of rectangular cross-section bent into a rectangular configuration, a metal rod of circular cross-section bent into a rectangular configuration, or a strong tensile strength synthetic material molded in a loop or extruded and bent into a loop.

(24) In FIG. 1, the attachment block 21A further comprises indicia 23 on at least one of the two sides 24 of the attachment block adapted for advertising or instructional purposes.

(25) The leverage enhancement attachment 20 of the present invention may be attached to any of a variety of lever tools taken from a list of lever tools including claw hammers, crowbars, cat paws, flat pry bars, screwdriver pry bars, ripping bars, multifunction bars, wrecking bars, handy bars, wonder bars, RSC bars, and multi-function tools having a lever tool.

(26) The leverage enhancement attachment 20 may be removably attached to a fastener extracting lever tool adapted for extraction of any of a variety of fasteners taken from a list of fasteners including screws, staples, nails, spikes, bolts, pins, tacks, butterfly clips, wall anchors, embedded wire, and attached indicia.

(27) In FIG. 1, the leverage enhancement block 20 of the present invention is configured with at least one recessed attachment or storage compartment 25 adapted to receive any of a variety of work accessories taken from the list of work accessories including a lighting device, a laser level, a bubble level, a nail/fastener finder, a tape measure, a pencil, a pencil sharpener, and an electronic transmitter/receiver, driver bits, tacks, and blades.

(28) In use, the leverage enhancement attachment 20 of the present invention instantly attaches to any of a wide variety of lever tools to increase the attack angle and leverage of the lever tools for use in extracting fasteners, prying apart components, lifting work pieces, holding work pieces in place while installing, or any other job requiring a lever tool.

(29) It is understood that the preceding description is given merely by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention and that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.