Anchorage pair wins U.S. patent for chevron-toothed tool jaws

Two Anchorage residents now hold a federal patent covering pliers and wrenches built with a chevron-toothed jaw, a surface the inventors say resists slipping on rounded or irregular workpieces. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Patent No. 12,734,645 B2 on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, to Phillip Bellamy and Kevin Shelver, both of Anchorage. The patent names no company as owner, and the record does not say whether any tool has been built.

The patent covers what the inventors call a chevron jaw: teeth that project inward from both edges of the gripping surface and meet at the center, forming a V shape, rather than running straight across in the conventional horizontal pattern. Its three independent claims, the ones that stand alone, require that those opposing projections connect at the jaw's central portion and that each have a cross-sectional profile with one side vertical to the gripping surface. Claimed configurations include slip-joint pliers, slide-adjustable pliers, locking pliers and adjustable pipe wrenches. The pattern may appear on one jaw or both.

The filing says the teeth "can provide the precision necessary for secure engagement with smooth or irregular surfaces" and can also reduce slipping. It adds that its discussion of advantages is "illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting."

The application was filed May 14, 2025, as a continuation-in-part of design application Ser. No. 29/983,529, filed Jan. 10, 2025, which issued as Des. 1,081,301. A continuation-in-part adds new material to an earlier application while keeping its filing date. The utility patent contains 20 claims across seven drawing sheets; its term is extended by 104 days under 35 U.S.C. 154(b), which compensates for patent office delays.

The grant does not settle whether the chevron geometry outperforms existing designs. Channellock Inc. holds a 2025 patent, No. 12,280,481, on slip-joint pliers with cross-hatch pyramidal teeth that it says develop a high torque grip on seized cylindrical workpieces. Gripping-surface performance requirements are set separately, under ASME B107.500.

Everything above comes from the patent record; neither inventor is quoted.