Patent Grant
12109599
The present disclosure relates to devices for removing surface dents. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to tabs that may be adhered to a dent and pulled upon to remove the dent.
Vehicles, such as automobiles, vessels, aircraft, and the like often have a solid frame surrounded by a thinner body. Such bodies, while generally sturdy and resilient, tend to be deformable. While this makes the bodies suitable for shaping, whether for aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, or aesthetics, this also makes such bodies readily dentable. In particular, such bodies tend to dent upon impact, such as impact with debris, during a collision, or from inclement weather such as hail.
The deformable nature of these bodies makes them suitable to repair by “popping out” or “pulling out” the dents. When particular care is take during this process, dents may be removed or smoothed out without causing any further surface damage. For example, it may be possible to pull out a dent and restore the original shape of a vehicle body without damaging or otherwise requiring painting, which can be time consuming, costly, and prone to leave undesirable visual artifacts, such as when colors used during repair don't exactly match the original, surrounding paint; see, for example, U.S. Patent Publication 20210220889, the contents of which are incorporated herein for all purposes. However, devices and tools currently used to pull out a dent have several drawbacks. In particular, such devices and tools are not well suited to evenly dispersing a pulling force across a dented area. Accordingly, when a dent is pulled out with existing tools, it may result in the outer edges of the dent being pulled out while leaving a depression in the middle of the dent, resembling a volcano shape. If a dent is not pulled out uniformly, it must be pounded back down and the repair process restarted from the beginning. A device that improves the reliability of pulling out a dent on a first attempt would be welcome.
A glue tab for paintless dent repair includes a head portion, a dent lifting portion, and a stem. The stem extends between the dent lifting portion and the head portion. The dent lifting portion includes an affixment portion having a flat bottom surface. The flat bottom surface is configured to be affixed to a dent in a vehicle body. A first perimeter extends along an outer edge of the flat bottom surface. A stepped up portion is located between the stem and the affixment portion. The stepped up portion has a second perimeter which substantially follows the first perimeter. The first perimeter is wider than the second perimeter.
In embodiments, the affixment portion has a first thickness and the stepped up portion has a second thickness. The first and second thicknesses may be substantially similar. In embodiments, a difference in width between the first and second margins remains constant around an entirety of the perimeters of the affixment portion and the stepped up portion. In embodiments, the difference in width is between 0.5 and 3.5 mm. In embodiments, the difference in width is about 1 mm. In embodiments, a planar cross section of the affixment portion is geometrically similar to a planar cross section of the stepped up portion. In embodiments, the head portion is configured to interface with a pulling tool. In embodiments, the head portion comprises a hexagonal top surface. In embodiments, a first end of the stem is generally centered on the stepped up portion and an opposite end of the stem is generally centered on the head portion.
According to embodiments of the invention, a device for removing dents from a vehicle body includes a first lifting surface, a second lifting surface disposed on top of the first lifting surface, and a gripping portion affixed to the second lifting surface. The first lifting surface is configured for attachment to a vehicle body. The second lifting surface is set back from an outside edge of the first lifting surface. The second lifting surface defines a margin around the first lifting surface such that the margin has a constant width.
In embodiments, a neck extends between the second lifting surface and the gripping portion. The neck is narrower than the second lifting surface. In embodiments, the first and second lifting surfaces each define a circular shape. In embodiments, the first and second lifting surfaces each define a shape with three or more sides, where each side has an equal length. In embodiments, the first and second lifting surfaces each define a shape with four or more sides, such that a pair of opposing sides is longer than the remaining sides.
According to embodiments of the disclosure, a glue tab for pulling dents from vehicle bodies includes a head portion and a dent attachment portion. The head portion is configured to interface with a pulling tool. The dent attachment portion has a margin configured to flex when the dent attachment portion is affixed to a dent in the vehicle body and a pulling force is applied the head portion by the pulling tool.
In embodiments, the dent attachment portion has a generally symmetrical planar bottom surface. In embodiments, the dent attachment portion has an elongated planar bottom surface. In embodiments, the dent attachment portion has an elongated stepped up portion disposed above the bottom surface. In embodiments, a neck portion extends vertically between the stepped up portion and the head portion. In embodiments, one or more arms extends downwardly from the neck portion to the elongated stepped up portion along a longitudinal axis of the elongated stepped up portion. In embodiments, the margin is defined by an offset between an outer edge of the bottom surface and an outer edge of the stepped up portion. The margin has a generally fixed width about the entirety of the dent attachment portion.
A feature and advantage of embodiments is a margin of the portion of the glue tab affixed to a dent flexes when pulled. A feature and advantage of embodiments is the glue tab drives force towards the stem when pulled. A feature and advantage of embodiments is the glue tab uniformly lifts a dent when pulled. A feature and advantage is the flexion of the bottom surface of the glue tab prevents a volcano effect from occurring when a dent is lifted. Dents that are not uniformly lifted can have defects, such as raised edges and/or a depressed center, requiring that the partially lifted dent be pounded down and the repair process restarted, wasting time, materials, and effort.
The above summary is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure.
The drawings included in the present application are incorporated into, and form part of, the specification. They illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, along with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. The drawings are only illustrative of certain embodiments and do not limit the disclosure. Embodiments of the invention will be described with respect to the figures, in which like reference numerals denote like elements, and in which:
While the embodiments of the disclosure are amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
Referring to
Head portion 101 may be of various sizes and shapes in order to be received by a pulling tool. Such tools are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,773 and U.S. Patent Publication 20210220889, the contents of which are incorporated herein for all purposes, teachings, and suggestions. In embodiments, head portion 101 may be circular. In embodiments, head portion 101 may be hexagonal. Head portion 101 may have a width 113 that matches a receiving opening in a pulling tool. In embodiments, width 113 is between 8 and 18 mm. In embodiments, width 113 is between 12 and 15 mm. In embodiments, width 113 is about 14 mm. In embodiments, had portion 101 has a height 137 between 5 and 10 mm. In embodiments, height 137 is about 8 mm.
Pulling portion 103 includes a bottom pulling layer 117 and a stepped up pulling layer 119. A margin 121 extends around an outer perimeter of bottom pulling layer 117 between an outside edge 123 and the second pulling layer 119. Bottom pulling layer 117 has a bottom surface 125 configured to receive an adhesive and be adhered to a dent, as discussed in further detail below. In embodiments, bottom surface 125 is generally planar.
Stepped up layer 119 is generally geometrically similar to bottom pulling layer 117. Accordingly, margin 119 has a generally constant width 127 around the outer edge 123 of the bottom pulling 117. In embodiments, margin width 127 is between 0.5 and 3.5 mm. In embodiments, margin width 127 is about 1 mm. In embodiments a thickness 129 of bottom layer 117 is substantially the same as a thickness 131 of stepped up layer 119. In embodiments, thicknesses 129, 131 are each between 0.2 and 1.5 mm. In embodiments, thicknesses 129,131 are each about 0.5 mm. In embodiments, thicknesses 129,131 of bottom layer 117 and stepped up layer 119 may be different. When the thicknesses are varied, it may affect the flexing of the outside edge of pulling portion 103, as discussed in further detail below. In embodiments, layers 117, 119 may have a variety of geometric shapes such as circular, oval, hexagonal, or the like. Bottom layer has width 133. In various embodiments of the glue tab, width 133 may differ such that a user has a choice of glue tabs suited to repairing different sized or shaped dents.
As dents may be formed in a variety of shapes and sizes, it is useful to have a pulling portion in different shapes and sizes.
Glue tabs according to embodiments may be injection molded, blow molded, or made using similar techniques. In embodiments, glue tabs may be made of plastic. In embodiments, glue tabs may be polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene or the like. In embodiments, the head portion is generally very rigid and adapted for receiving a pulling force from a pulling tool without breakage. In embodiments, the neck and pulling portion may be made of the same or similar materials as the head portion. In embodiments, the pulling portion be more flexible than the head portion. Some degree of flexing in the pulling portion when pulling out a dent may be desirable to more uniformly remove the dent. Glue tabs formed from metal, wooden materials, engineered materials, or other like materials as known in the art are not beyond the scope of this disclosure. In embodiments, glue tabs may be formed from combinations of materials. For example, the pulling portion may be plastic while the head portion is metal.
Referring to
The following U.S. patents and U.S. patent publications contain content, aspects, structure, components, and functionalities relating to or applicable to paintless dent repair devices, kits, and methods of use, and are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties for all purposes: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,765,220; 9,889,483; and US20210060633.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and substance without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The embodiments described above are intended to be illustrative and not limiting.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3765220 | Kirspel | Oct 1973 | A |
| 7343773 | Chan | Mar 2008 | B1 |
| 9889483 | Allen | Feb 2018 | B1 |
| 20020035863 | Lowery | Mar 2002 | A1 |
| 20210060633 | White | Mar 2021 | A1 |
| 20210220889 | White et al. | Jul 2021 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1287915 | Mar 2003 | EP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20230398591 A1 | Dec 2023 | US |
