US3570289A - Body working tool - Google Patents

Abstract

A BODY WORKING TOOL FOR REPAIRING DENTS IN VEHICULAR BODIES. THE TOOL INCLUDES AN ELONGATED BODY PORTION HAVING ONE END ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE VEHICLE IN THE AREA TO BE REPAIRED AND HAVING GRIPPING MEANS ON ITS OPPOSED END. STOP MEMBERS ARE CARRIED ADJACENT TWO OPPOSED ENDS OF THE BODY MEMBER AND A WEIGHTED IMPACT MEMBER IS SLIDINGLY RECEIVED ON THE BODY ITSELF AND ADAPTED TO BE SLID ALONG THE BODY INTO AND OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE RESPECTIVE STOP MEMBERS. THE FORCE OF HE IMPACT MEMBER STRIKING THE STOP MEMBERS WILL EITHER DEPRESS THE AREA OF THE VEHICLE BODY TO WHICH THE TOOL IS ATTACHED OR PULL IT OUTWARDLY DEPENDING UPON THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE IMPACT MEMBER.

Description

March 16, 1971 L, SMYERS 3,570,289

BODY WORKING TOOL Filed Jan. 23, 1969 INVENTOR. STEVEN L. SMYERS BY j/w nau. v

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,570,289 BODY WORKING TOOL Steven L. Smyers, 1670 Faye Road, Akron, Ohio 44306 Filed Jan. 23, 1969, Ser. No. 793,394 Int. Cl. B21j 13/02 US. Cl. 72-479 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A body working tool for repairing dents in vehicular bodies. The tool includes an elongated body portion having one end adapted to be secured to the vehicle in the area to be repaired and having gripping means on its opposed end. Stop members are carried adjacent two opposed ends of the body member and a weighted impact member is slidingly received on the body itself and adapted to be slid along the body into and out of contact with the respective stop members. The force of the impact member striking the stop members will either depress the area of the vehicle body to which the tool is attached or pull it outwardly depending upon the direction of movement of the impact member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention generally relates to tools which are used for repairing the bodies of vehicles such as automobiles and trucks and primarily relates to the practice of removing dents from a damaged surface so as to return the vehicle body to its original smooth condition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART The following prior art is known to applicant: Trachsel, US. Pat. 2,256,130; Johnson et al., US. Pat. 2,597,103; Zinke, US. Pat. 2,620,011; Zinke, US, Pat. 2,718,25 3; and Marquardt, US. Pat. 3,088,513.

The operation of these prior art references differs considerably from applicants device. Thus, Trachsel shows a plier or gripping-type of arrangement while Johnson utilizes a threaded member to apply pressure to the damaged area. Both of the patents to Zinke show jack-type dent removing elements and Marquardt utilizes a wrench and a screw arrangement to deform the body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has been discovered that a new, improved and economical yet effective body repair tool can be provided by utilization of the simple impact means described herein.

It has been further discovered that by providing an elongated body one end of which can be attached to the vehicle body in the damaged area and the other end of which carries a gripping member, that the tool can easily be attached to the area to be repaired.

It has also been discovered that by providing stop members on the opposed ends of the tool and further providing a slidable weighted member which can be driven into contact with either of the stop members that the force of the impact will deform the area being repaired either by driving the localized area, to which the tool is attached, inwardly or pulling it outwardly depending upon the direction in which the weighted member is moved.

Accordingly, production of an improved body working tool of the character described becomes the principal object of this invention with other objects thereof becoming more apparent upon a reading of the following brief specification, considered and interpreted in view of the accompanying drawings.

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tool shown in conjunction with a conventional fender of an automobile.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the lines 22 of FIG. 1 and showing the tool attached to the area being repaired.

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view showing modified means for attaching the tool to the area being repaired.

Turning first then to FIG. 1, it will be noted that the tool itself, generally indicated by the numeral 10, includes an elongated body member 11, stop member 12 and gripping member 15.

Considering next then the inboard end 11a of the tool in greater detail and referring particularly to FIG. 2, it will be seen that this end 11a of body 11 has a threaded area 11b thereon. Threadingly secured to end 11a is stop and closure member 12 which, in turn, has an undercut area 12a and a through opening 13 for purposes which will be described in greater detail below.

Received within the undercut area 12a of stop and closure member 12 is the head of a metal screw 14 with the body of this screw projecting through aperture 13 of member 12 for attachment to the fender F of the vehicle as will subsequently be described in greater detail.

Turning next then to the outboard end 1112 of the tool body 11 it will be noted that a handle 15 is secured thereto with this handle being of any desired material such as rubber or plastic and either bonded by some adhesive to the tool body 11 or press fit over the end relying upon its natural resiliency to secure it in place. Handle 15 also has an enlarged end 15a which serves as a stop member with regard to impact member 20 as will be described more fully below. Handle 15 also carries a protective member 16 which, in the form of the invention shown, consists of a ring 1611 and a pair of opposed radially extending spokes 16b, 16b. It should be understood here that the spokes 16b could be of any desired shape and member 16 could also be of any number, e.g., four, six etc. This member is adapted to he slipped over handle 15 as is clearly shown in the drawings and serves to protect the hand of the user from contact with impact member 20.

Turning next then to the impact member 20, it will be noted that the same is carried on the tool 11 and has a through central aperture 20a which enables the same to be slid along the body in the direction of arrow 30 either toward or away from the vehicle. Impact member 20 is a weighted member with the particular weight involved being a matter of choice. This member also has an undercut area 21 with the internal diameter thereof being slightly greater than the external diameter of the stop and closure member 12 for purposes which will be described below.

In use or operation of the improved body working tool, it will be first assumed that the damaged area D of the fender F has a small hole drilled therein. Screw 14 can be inserted through this hole and tightened into place by screwing the stop and closure member 12 down against the fender F as is clearly shown in FIG. 2. By virtue of the fact that the head of the screw 14 is carried in the undercut area 12a of member 12, it is believed that a tight fit can be obtained in this fashion since the end 11a of the body 11 will be forced against the head of the screw thereby insuring that the tool is firmly secured to the vehicle body.

The user will then grasp the handle 15 and, assuming that the area to be repaired has a generally concave structure such as shown in FIG. 2, the impact member 20 will be vigorously slid along body 11 until it contacts stop member 15a of handle 15. The force of this impact will have a tendency to pull the damaged area of the fender F outwardly or to the left of FIG. 2, for example, and the operation can be repeated until such time as the damaged area has been brought into co-planar relationship with the remainder of the fender. It is then merely necessary to unscrew member 12 and screw 14, fill the hole that had been drilled into the fender and refinish the fender in conventional fashion.

In an instance in which the damaged area is bulged outwardly or has a generally convex configuration with regard to the surrounding area of the vehicle body, it will be merely necessary to slide impact member 20 to the right of FIG. 2 for example and again the force of the impact striking the body will tend to deform the damaged area to bring it into co-planar relationship with the surrounding area of the vehicle body. In this regard, the undercut area 21 on impact member 20 permits the impact member to clear the stop and closure member 12 to obtain the desired results.

In this instance as well, once the damaged area has been returned to co-planar relationship with regard to the surrounding area of the vehicle body, it is merely necessary to disengage closure member 12 and screw 14, fill the hole which has been drilled in the fender F and refinish the surface.

FIG. 3 illustrates a possible modification of the means for attaching the tool to the vehicle and has particular utility where the user Wishes to avoid drilling a hole in the vehicle. In this form of the invention end 11:: of tool body 11 is provided with threads 11b as in FIGS. 1 and 2. Instead of screw 14, however, suction cup attachment means 40 are provided. These means include nut 42 and suction cup 41 which is molded or bonded to nut 42. Nut 42 is internally threaded and can be secured to tool body 11 With cup 41 being secured to the vehicle.

Alternatively, cup 41 can be glued to the vehicle body or the attachment means can be dispensed with and the end 11a of the tool body could be soldered to the vehicle.

It should be noted that while the preferred form of the invention illustrated discloses a cylindrical body 11 and a complemental through aperture in the impact member 20 that if desired, the body 11 could be square in cross section, for example, while still embodying the principles of the invention.

Similarly and while the impact member has been described as being a Weighted member, no specific weight has been recited since this would be a matter of choice which is dictated by the overall size of the tool in question.

Also, no specific material has been described with regard to the handle and the same can be of rubber, plastic or any suitable material which will enable the user to securely hold the tool during operation.

There has been disclosed therefore, a greatly simplified and economical body working tool which can be readily transported from place to place by the user and can be quickly and easily attached to and detached from the vehicle body.

It should also be noted here that while the invention has generally been described with relation to repairing the body of a vehicle such as an automobile or a truck that the tool has utility in removing dents or bulges from any planar surface and the invention is not intended to be limited to automotive uses although, for purposes of illustration, automotive use has been described.

While a full and complete description of the invention has been set forth in accordance with the dictates of the patent statutes, it is to be understood that modifications can be resorted to without departing from the spirit hereof or the scope of the appended claims,

What I claim is:

1. A tool for repairing metal surfaces comprising:

(A) an elongate, one piece body having.

(1) a first end and (2) a second, threaded end; (B) a first stop and closure member having (1) an internally threaded undercut area adapted to engage said second end of said body and 2) a through aperture in its base; (C) a threaded extension having l) a head and (2) an elongate threaded shank (3) with said head being disposed between and in frictional contact with said second end of said body and the bottom of said undercut area of said first stop and closure member When said member is engaged with said body and with said shank projecting through said aperture in said stop and closure member;

(D) a handle secured to said first end of said body and having an integral radially enlarged second stop member on one end thereof;

(E) a protective member telescoped on said handle and resting against said second stop member; and (F) annular impact means slidably carried on said body between said first stop and closure member and said second stop member and being movable into and out of contact with said members; said impact means having an undercut portion of a dimension slightly greater than said stop and closive member.

2. A tool for repairing metal surfaces, comprising:

(A) an elongate body having (1) a first end and (2) a second threaded end;

(B) attachment means releasably attached to said second end of said body and including (1) a threaded nut and 2) a suction cup secured thereto;

(C) a handle secured to said first end of said body and having an integral radially enlarged stop member on one end thereof; and

(D) impact means carried on said body between said nut and said stop member and being movable into and out of contact with said stop member and said nut; said impact means having an undercut portion of a dimension slightly greater than said threaded nut and;

(E) a protective member telescoped on said handle and resting against said stop member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,662,538 3/1928 Richmond 173-91 3,113,478 12/1963 Hall 72-705X 3,030,837 4/1962 Chartier 72-705X 2,934,984 5/1960 Woodman 72-705X 3,381,763 5/1968 Matson 173-91 2,941,429 6/1960 Mason 72-705X 2,791,926 5/1957 Guyton 173-91X CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner A. L. HAVIS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X3. 72-705; 173-91

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