Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
lZ~737
2.
F I ELD OF `I NVENT I ON
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THIS INVENTION relates to a hammer assembly
particularly adapted to drive tent pegs, or other
elongate members made fr~m bent lengths o~ steel or the
like, into an operative position in the ground.
ACI(GROUND TO THE INVENTI ON
The driving of a bent spring steel tent peg
into a~ operative position in the ground, where a
conve~tional hammer is employed, is not an easy
operation.. Vnless the bend of the tent peg is struck
squarely, the hammer head can tend to slide or slip on
the spring steel, and, in so doing, create a dangerous
situation or, at least, an uncomfortable one where
shock waves are sent up the arm of the person driving
the tent peg into position.
It is the object of this invention to provide
a tent peg installation device which will obviate the
disadvantage described above.
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1~?9737
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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In accordance with this invention there is
provided a tent peg installation device comprising an
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anvil member having a recess therein for accommodating
the bend of a bent spring steel type of tent peg, or
other bent elongate member, means for releasably
closing the recess to releasably retain said bend
therein, and a striker head associated with the anvil
member, and adapted to co-operate with hammer means for
applying a percussive force to the anvil member.
Further features of the invention provide for
the hammer means to be attached to the tent peg
installation device, for the hammer means to comprise
an axially slidable hammer member held captive on a
guide rod fixed to the.anvil member; for the anvil
member ~o.have-recesses shaped~to accommodate two ox
more differently shaped or dimensioned bent portions of
tent pegs or the like; and for the guide rod to be
positioned with its axis substanl:ially collinear with,
in the operative condition, the axis of l:he limb of a
tent peg or the like to be percussively driven into
position in the ground.
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1~2~737
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Preferably the anvil member is of a
plate-like construction in hnich a ~roove is defined to
receive, in relatively snug ~cnner, the bent zane of a
tent peg or the .like, in use, and the means for
retaining the tent peg in such recess or groove is
conveniently a pivotally mounted plate movable in its
own plane to selectively cover or expose the groove or
recess.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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In order that the invention may be more fully
understood one embodiment of the invention will now be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings
in whii_h :-
FIG. 1 illustrates, in isometric view, a tent
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~~: peg installation dev`ice according to the
invention; and,
FIG. 2 illustrates the device .in an operative
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~ condition in side elevation.
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1~29737
DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFEREI~CE TO THE DRAWINGS
In this embodiment of the invention the tentpeg installation device comprises an anvil member 1
carried at one end of a guide roc 2 on which is axially
slidable a hammer member 3 which has a central bore
receiving the guide rod therethrough.
A stop 4 is provided at the free end of the
guide rod to prevent the hammer member from sliding off
the rod and t:he hammer member is provided with radially
extending operating handles 5 whereby it can be slid up
and down the guide rod. The anvil member 1 has, at
its end attached to the guide rod, a striker head 6 for
co-operation with the hammer member and against which
the latter can impinge in use.
~ le anvil member itself is composed of a
heavy plate 7 lying in a plane which includes the axis
of the guide rod, and, indeed, in use, the axis of a
co-operating tent peg indicated by numeral 9.
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The plate 7 has a first groove 10 therein
which passes through a radiused acute angle 11, as
illustrated, so as to accommodate a complementarily
shaped corner 12 of the tent peg 9.
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~'~Z9737
The groove is arranged such that the axis of
the limb 13 of a tent peg to be driven into an
operative position is substantially co-axial with the
axis of the guid~ rod 2.
Into the samé face of the anvil plate is cut
a second groove 14 shaped to conform to the
configuration of the hooked end 15 of a tent wall
anchor 16. The second groove is arranged such that
the shank 17 of the wall anchor will be parallel to the
axis of the guide rod but somewhat offset laterally
therefrom simply by reason of physical accommodation of
the two grooves in the anvil plate.
Pivotally mounted to the face 18 of the anvil
plate in which the grooves are cut, is a cover plate 19
arranged to be swung between two positions, one in
which it covers the grooves in order to ~aintain any
tent peg or wall anchor in operative position in its
associated groove (as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1
and in Fig. 2) or a second position, in which the
grooves are open to allow for lateral introduction of
the corresponding part of the tent peg or wall anchor
(as shown in Fig. 1 in solid lines).
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9t737
Finally there is proviced on the anvil plate
a hook formation 20 at the end thereof remote from the
attachment to the guide rod.
In use, for exam~le, for drivins a tent ~eg
into an operative position, the tent peg is located in
the above described orientation in its appropriate
groove in the anvil plate, and the cover plate is moved
to a closed position. Lipped lu~s 23 are provided at
the edges of the plate to ensure that it is located
properly over the grooves. A handle 21 is provided at
the free end of the guide rod to facilitate
manipulation of the installation device which, with the
tent peg in position, is manipulated to orientate the
generally horizontal limb 22 of the peg into a roughly
horizontal position with the limb 13 to be installed in
the ground in an inclined position as illustrated in
~ig. 2.
The hammer member is then slid up and down
the guide rod to impart percussive blows to the striker
head of the anvil member and, thereby, drive the
inclined limb of the tent peg into the g:round.
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lZZ9'737
Once the tent peg has been driven into its
required position, which can be easily achieved in
consequence of the construction of the hammer assembly,
the cover plate is simply rotated to expose the grooves
and the installation device can be moved laterally away
from the installed tent peg.
In order to facilitate the removal of a tent
peg or wall anchor subsequent to its being required for
use, the hook formation can simply be engaged under the
bend of the tent peg and percussive blows used in the
opposite directlon against an end stop 4 on the free
end of the guide rod.
A similar procedure is employed in order to
install a wall anchor peg with the hook formation
thereof simply being located in its appropriate groove
in the anvil plate. A wall anchor can be removed in
exactly the same manner as removal of a tent peg with
the aid of the hook formation on the anvil plate.
It will be understood that numerous
variations may be made to the above described
embodiment of the invention without departing from tne
scope hereof. In particular, the guide rod and
iZ~9~737
g.
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hammer member need not be made as a perr,anent part of
the assembly but could be detacheble therefrom.
Furthermore, a quide rod is not strictly necessary and
the scope of the invention is intended to extend to an
anvil member with which a separate manually operated
hammer is to co-operate in use.
Also, the anvil member could take a number of
various diff,erent forms and could, indeed, be composed
of a pair of hinged members interconnected by a hinge
pin, the axis of which could extend in any required
direction in a plane including the axis of the tent peg
in usle. A striker head on the anvil would, however,
be necessary.
The invention therefore provides an extremely
8imple yet highly effective installation device which
can be used for percussively driving any bent steel
articles such as spring steel tent pegs, tent wall
anchors or other similarly manufactured articles having
an elongate shank.
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