Patent Application
20210245347
The present invention relates to an automobile repair device. More specifically, the present invention provides an axle removal tool that comprises a sliding hammer that slides along a shaft to dislodge a Constant Velocity (“CV”) axle on an automobile.
In order for an individual to drive an automobile, the automobile must be able to transfer the combustion power that is produced from an engine to the automobile wheels. The combustion power that is produced from the engine is converted to momentum by the automobile's transmission. That momentum is transferred to the CV axle as a torque force. The torque allows the CV axle to rotate the wheels that move the automobile. While the automobile is moving, the CV axle accommodates for the vertical motion of suspension that the automobile experiences when the wheels are driven over different contours of the ground surface.
Over the life of the automobile, there can be high amount of wear that the CV axle experiences. When there is wear that occurs on the CV axle, the CV axle can become damaged or defective. Moreover, the high torque force and stress from the suspension motion that the CV axle experiences contributes to the wear that occurs over time. When the CV axles are damaged, it makes it difficult to properly operate the automobile. When the CV axles are completely broken and defective, the automobile is inoperable. The damage to the CV axle can appear inside the CV joint cup. The CV joint cup houses the CV joint bearings. If a CV axle is damaged or defective, the CV joint cup must be replaced with a new CV joint cup for the automobile to regain its proper function.
Removing the CV joint cup from the automobile can be a difficult process. Due to the position and orientation of the CV joint cup the person that is removing it can be in an inconvenient position. In such a position, getting the proper grasp of the axle to remove it is futile. Moreover, the CV joint cup can also be tightly secured within the transmission or the differential. When the CV joint cup is stuck to the transmission or differential, that will make it even more difficult for the individual to remove the CV joint cup from the automobile. Additionally, incorrectly removing the CV joint cup can cause damage to the automobile's transmission. If the transmission becomes damaged, then that can exacerbate the issue with removing the CV joint cup and greatly increasing the time and cost to repair the automobile.
Current methods for removing a damaged or broken CV axle require the individual performing the repair to use either a strong torque wrench or a socket wrench to loosen and remove the CV joint cup. However, due to the amount of grease or other lubricant that is on the CV joint cup for when it is in use, it can be difficult to have the wrench grasp the CV joint cup in order to properly remove the CV joint cup from the automobile. Additionally, the socket wrench may not have the appropriately sized socket to break loose the CV joint cup. Without the proper tools available to the individual attempting to remove a damaged CV axle, the chances increase that their attempt to repair leads to further damage to the automobile.
Therefore, there is a defined need amongst the known prior art references for an automotive repair tool that properly removes a damaged or broken CV joint cup from an automobile without causing further damage to the automobile's transmission or the differential.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of axle removal tools now present in the known art, the present invention provides a new axle removal tool wherein a tubular collar is secured to the damaged or broken axle and a sliding hammer provides the axle removal tool the force necessary to dislodge the damaged or broken axle from an automobile.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an axle removal tool that assists the user in removing a damaged or broken axle from an automobile without causing damage to other parts of the automobile. A plurality of threaded friction retainers secures a tubular collar to the axle's joint cup. The tubular collar is configured to have a diameter that can be positioned over and around an axle joint cup. When the tubular collar is in the correct position, the user can tighten the connection between the axle removal tool and the damaged or broken axle by tightening the plurality of threaded friction retainers. The plurality of threaded friction retainers is adjustable to accommodate for varying axles that are different in size depending on the type of automobile. On the ends of each threaded friction retainers there is a hexagonal bolt head that can allow the user to further tighten the threaded friction retainers connection by engaging a wrench, a screwdriver, or similar hardware tool to rotate the threaded friction retainers.
Another aspect of the present invention is a sliding hammer. The sliding hammer is slidably connected to a shaft. By way of a horizontal member and a pair of vertical supports, the shaft is connected to the tubular collar. The sliding hammer can move up and down the shaft from the horizontal member to a striking surface affixed to the end of the shaft. When the user is attempting to remove a damaged or broken axle, it can require a lot of force to properly dislodge the axle from the automobile without causing any further damage to the automobile's transmission or differential. When connected to the axle removal tool, use of the sliding hammer will create the necessary force to dislodge the damaged or broken axle from the automobile. The user will forcibly slide the sliding hammer along the shaft from the horizontal member to the striking surface. When the sliding hammer contacts the striking surface, the force created will dislodge the damaged or broken axle. Depending on the force applied by the user, it could take more than one slide of the sliding hammer to completely dislodge the axle.
Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.
Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the axle removal tool. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed is the axle removal tool with a sliding hammer. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be limiting in any respect.
Each vertical support 103 has two ends, a tubular collar end and a horizontal member end. The tubular collar end of the pair of vertical supports 103 are disposed on opposing ends of the top side of the tubular collar 102. The horizontal member 107 connect the pair of vertical supports 103. The horizontal member 107 is disposed on the horizontal member end of the pair of vertical supports 103.
The shaft 105 is perpendicularly disposed to the center of the horizontal member 107. The shaft 107 extends vertically from the horizontal member 107. The sliding hammer 104 comprises a cylindrical body with two opposing ends. A channel goes through the center of the cylindrical body from a first end of the cylindrical body to a second end of the cylindrical body of the sliding hammer 104. The sliding hammer 104 is slidably connected to the shaft 105. The shaft 105 goes through the channel by way of the two opposing ends so that the sliding hammer 104 can operably move up and down the shaft 105. A striking surface 106 is operably connected to the end of the shaft 105 opposite from the horizontal member 107. The axel removal tool 101 is configured such that a user can slide the sliding hammer 104 along the shaft 105 and strike the striking surface 106. The striking surface 106 is configured to prevent the sliding hammer 104 from being detached from the shaft 105.
It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/975,384 filed on Feb. 12, 2020. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62975384 | Feb 2020 | US |
