Tool for hanging siding or the like

Abstract

A tool for hanging horizontal siding or the like on a wall is disclosed. The tool includes a spike which is driven through a tool head and pivotally depending arm to secure the head to the wall. The board is then slid upwardly between the wall and tool arm. When the board is properly located, an abbreviated hook on the arm engages the board bottom and holds the board in place. After the board is permanently secured in position, the tool is removed by rotating the arm perpendicularly outwardly away from the wall.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to tools, and more particularly concerns a hanger-type tool for temporarily holding building siding or the like in a predetermined position for permanent attachment to an underlying wall structure.

The problem of temporarily holding large horizontal building siding boards or like objects in position against a vertical wall has been a difficult one for professional and amateur construction workers alike. Often, these boards are large, heavy, and cumbersome, yet they must be raised and accurately pre-positioned against an underlying wall surface before they can be nailed or otherwise permanently secured in place on the wall. Often, two workers are required to perform this operation: one worker holds the board while another attaches it to the wall. If the task is attempted by one person, he must accurately pre-position the board, and then free his hands to permanently secure the board in place. Such actions are awkward.

It is accordingly the general object of this invention to provide a tool which will assist in pre-positioning a siding board or like object against a vertical wall surface for subsequent permanent attachment.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide an inexpensive, rugged tool which can be rapidly but temporarily attached to a wall in a predetermined location to hold a siding board against the wall surface while the board is being permanently nailed in place. A related object is to provide such a tool which can be quickly and easily removed from the wall when the siding board has been permanently secured.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a tool which can be used repeatedly without damaging either the tool or the wall itself. A related object is to provide such a tool which carries its own device for securing the tool; the securing device need not be replaced even after repeated tool usage.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings. Throughout the description, like reference numerals refer to like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overall or general perspective view of a typical wall to which siding boards are being attached, and showing the hanger tools being used during the board emplacement and attachment work;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view showing a typical wall surface (in sectional aspect) and the novel hanger tool attached thereto;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view similar to FIG. 2 showing the tool as it appears when a siding board is being moved into place against the wall;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3 showing the wall and tool as they appear when the siding board is located in its attachment position against the wall, the novel hanger tool being partially broken away to show in section one embodiment of internal tool arm construction;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view showing in further detail the tool head and associated parts;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of line 6--6 in FIG. 5 showing in further detail the tool head with a tool spike positioned for partial insertion into an abutting wall;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6 taken substantially in the plane of line 6--6 in FIG. 5 showing the tool head as it appears when part of the tool spike has been driven into the wall;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view similar to FIGS. 6 and 7 taken substantially in the plane of line 6--6 in FIG. 5 showing the tool head as it appears when the arm has been rotated away from the wall; and

FIG. 9 is a top plan view showing in yet further detail the head of the tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment and procedure, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to this embodiment or procedure. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Turning first to FIG. 1, there is shown a typical structure such as a house 10 having a vertical wall 11 to which siding boards 12 and 13 are being attached. Presently, it is common practice to attach these boards 12 and 13 to the wall 11 by nails 14 or other known securing devices located at appropriate spots on the board and wall.

In accordance with the invention, one or more novel tools 20 are provided for positioning a siding board 13 or like workpiece in the location illustrated in phantom lines against a wall 11. To this end, as shown especially in FIGS. 1-4, the tool 20 comprises a mounting head 23 adapted to be secured against the wall 11, an arm 24 and means such as an abbreviated hook or step 25 for retaining the workpiece 13 against the wall 11. To secure the head 23 of the tool 20 to the wall 11, a spike 27 extends through both the head 23 and the arm 24. A pivot pin 26 interconnects the head 23 and arm 24 to permit the arm 24 to rotate about the head 23 in a direction perpendicular to the face of the wall 11, as can be envisioned from reference to FIGS. 2-4. In the embodiment illustrated particularly in FIG. 5, flanges 28 formed on the head 23 cover arm flanges 29. It will be understood, however, that the tool could be modified to permit the arm flanges 29 to extend over the outside of or cover the head flanges 28.

In carrying out various method aspects of the invention, the tool 20 is used in a straightforward manner. To this end, a convenient lateral or horizontal position on the wall is selected for the tool 20, and then the tool is moved vertically up or down to position the step 25 at the spot where it is desired to locate the bottom of the board 13. Next, the tool 20 is mounted on the wall 11. To accomplish this, the tool head 23 is provided with an external face 30 adapted to abut the wall 11; in the illustrated embodiment, this face 30 is spaced apart from an elongated main portion 31 of the arm 24, as illustrated in FIGS. 6-9 inclusive. To temporarily secure the head 23 to the wall 11, the spike 27 is provided with a reduced diameter portion 33 which terminates in a point 34 permitting the spike 27 to be driven part way into the wall. A small hole 35 formed in the external face 30 accommodates passage of the spike reduced diameter portion 33, but surrounding head structure abuttively halts motion of the spike 27 as the spike is pounded or otherwise forced toward and into the wall.

To retain the spike 27 in its illustrated location partially within but extending through the tool head 23 and arm 24, a resilient interconnector 38 is secured at one end about an expanded head 39 of the pin 27, and its other end is secured about the transverse tool pivot pin 26.

After the tool 20 is emplaced upon the wall 11, the siding sheet or board 13 is slide into place, as can be envisioned from sequential reference to FIGS. 2-4. As the siding member 13 is slid upwardly along the wall 11 in the direction indicated by the arrows A in FIGS. 2 and 3 into supported engagement with the tool, the arm 23 is urged to pivot rotatably outwardly in a direction perpendicularly away from the wall 11, as indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 3. This motion is caused by board engagement with guide surfaces 40 on the arm bottom which are here planar and are oriented diagonally to the arm 24.

As the bottom 41 of the board 13 passes the tool arm board support device 25, the arm 24 and board 13 itself are rotated back toward the wall 11 to permit the tool 20 to supportively engage the board 13 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

To properly support the board 13, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the board support or workpiece retaining device 25 includes one or two planar surfaces 42 which extend from the arm 24 in the direction in which the wall-abutting external head face 30 is spaced apart from the arm 24, and which engage the bottom 41 of the workpiece 13. Together with the arm 24, these supportive surfaces 42 assume the configuration of an attenuated or partial hook. As can be envisioned from FIG. 4, the surfaces 42 can slide into or out of engagement with the workpiece bottom 41 by pure pivotal motion of the arm 24 relative to the head 23 and wall 11, since no protrusions extend above the planar surfaces 42.

To space the arm 24 apart from the 11 sufficiently to accommodate the workpiece 13, the workpiece support 25 is provided with a tip or tips 44 adapted to abut the wall 11. It is a feature of the invention that this tip 44 lies in the extended plane of the head external face 30 when the arm is closed or normally oriented against the wall 11, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

It is another feature of the invention that the arm 24 is positively biased or urged toward the wall 11 to retain the workpiece 13 in position. To this end, a biasing device -- here, a spring 46 shown in FIGS. 6-9 inclusive -- is functionally interposed between an internal face 47 of the mounting head 23 and an opposite face 48 of the arm 24. To permanently locate and secure the spring 46 in position, the spring is here wrapped around the connecting pin 26.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the arm 24 is permitted to swing resiliently outwardly to a predetermined limited angular or rotational position, as illustrated in FIG. 3. To this end, the arm 24 is provided with a swing stop abutment 50 which engages the internal head face 47 to limit the outward pivoting motion of the arm 24 relative to the head 23. In the illustrated embodiment, this arm abutment surface 50 is conveniently formed at an angle of substantially 14.5.degree. to the major surfaces of the arm 24, thereby limiting arm pivoting motion to that amount. It will be understood that other angular arm motion limits could be provided, if desired. It will also be understood that if the arm flanges 29 were provided outside the head flanges 28, illustrated in FIG. 9, the abutment surface would be provided on the head, and the abutment surface would be provided on the arm.

Since the wall may be covered with insulation or other soft-surfaced material, the workpiece support surface tips 24 are prevented from being compressively urged into the wall 11 with excessive force. This is accomplished by providing the upper portion of the arm 24 with a regular stop abutment surface 51. Normally, the regular arm abutment stop surface 51 is forced into engagement with the head internal surface 47 by the arm biasing spring 46 to limit inward pivoting motion of the arm 24 relative to the head 23. Again, it will be understood that if the head 23 were to be modified so that its flanges 28 fit over the arm flanges 29, this regular stop abutment would be provided on the head 23, and the abutment stop surface would be provided on the arm 24.

After the workpiece or board 13 has been located, as indicated in FIG. 4, minor fine adjustments of the workpiece position 13 relative to the wall 11 can be made. This is accomplished by temporarily pivoting the tool 20 or 21 about the spike 27 in a plane parallel to the wall 11 to slightly raise or lower the supported siding board 13 and thereby make final adjustment of the siding board position on the wall. The board is then nailed or otherwise secured in place on the wall 11 by the siding installer.

After the workpiece 13 has been firmly secured to the wall 11, the tool 20 is removed. This is accomplished by rotating the arm 24 about the pivot pin 26 on the head 23 to move the arm perpendicularly away from the wall 11 to the predetermined maximum angular position shown in FIG. 3. As described above, such motion forces the arm stop abutment 50 into engagement with the head internal surface 51. Continued rotative pressure is applied to the arm 24 by the tool manipulator; this force, exerted in the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 8, causes the tool to rotate about a second pivot point P in a direction perpendicularly away from the wall and extract the spike 27 from the wall 11 to remove the tool head 23 from its secure position on the wall. After removal, the tool can be repositioned at another location on the wall for receiving and temporarily supporting a subsequent workpiece for emplacement on the wall.

To assist in positioning the spike 27, and moving the tool parts, when necessary, around the spike, the arm 24 is provided with an elongated slot 55, as shown in FIG. 5. One slot end 56 is located, as shown in FIG. 6, to assist in orienting the spike 27 for initial insertion into the wall 11. The slot 55 is extended to provide clearance at a second slot end 57 which is located to permit the arm 24 and head 23 to be rotated, as described above, away from the wall 11 during tool removal without engaging the spike head 39. This construction eliminates bending forces which might otherwise be applied to the spike 27 and damage it during extraction. Further, the slot 55 acts together with the spring 38 and the face hole 35 to retain the spike 27 in a position extending through the head 23 and arm 24, yet permits the spike 27 to move from a rest or normal position through limited translational and rotative positions to the various locations illustrated, and thereby allow the novel tool 20 to function as described.

Claims

The invention is claimed as follows;

1. A tool for positioning a siding board or like workpiece against a wall, comprising a mounting head, an arm pivotally depending from the head, biasing means functionally interposed between said mounting head and said arm to resiliently urge the arm toward the wall, a spike extending through the head and the arm and adapted to secure the head to the wall, spike retaining means for retaining said spike in its position extending through said head and arm, the retaining means including means permitting limited translational motion of the spike relative to the head and arm between predetermined limits, and permitting pivotal motion of the spike relative to the head and arm between predetermined limits, resilient means for urging the spike toward a rest position of pre-defined translational and pivotal location relative to said head and arm, and workpiece retaining means on the arm for retaining the workpiece against the wall.

2. A tool for positioning a siding board or like workpiece against a wall, comprising a mounting head adapted to be spiked against the wall, an arm pivotally depending from the head, a planar workpiece-supportive surface extending from the arm in a direction toward the wall; the tool, when secured against the wall, having its arm spaced from the wall sufficiently to accommodate the workpiece between the arm and the wall for retaining the workpiece against the wall, biasing means interconnecting the mounting head and the arm for biasing the arm toward the wall, a spike extending through the head for spiking the tool to the wall, pivot pin means pivotally interconnecting the mounting head and the arm, resilient interconnector means interconnecting the spike to the pivot pin means for retaining the spike partially within the head, one of said mounting head and arm members being provided with an internal face, and the other of said members being provided with a swing stop abutment pivotable into engagement with said internal face to limit outward pivoting motion of the arm relative to the head as the arm and head are pivoted about a pivot point on the head and wall to remove the tool from the wall, the arm being formed with a bi-ended slot, one slot end being located to position the spike for forcible partial insertion into the wall, and the other slot end being located to provide clearance between the spike and the tool arm and head as the arm and head are pivoted about a point on the wall to pivotally remove the tool from the wall and simultaneously translatably extract the spike by linear motion from the wall.

3. A tool according to claim 2 wherein said biasing means includes locator means connected to the pivot pin means for functionally interposing the biasing means between said head and said arm.