Patent Application
20130047694
1. Field
The present invention generally relates to the removal of dents from dented surfaces.
2. Background
Vehicle repair technicians are constantly seeking ways to more efficiently and effectively remove dents from the bodies and fenders of such vehicles. Traditionally, such repairs are carried out by striking the indented portion of the body or fender with a hammer or mallet while bracing the opposite side of the dent with a dolly to prevent denting in the opposite direction.
This traditional method has drawbacks, however. Body curvatures can often create complications based on a dent's location, either because the size of the target hit point is small or because the dent is in a tight space that allows little room for error. Moreover, a hammer or mallet's swinging action invariably creates difficulties because swinging a hammer or mallet often leads to errors in making direct and consistent contact with the target hit point.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Described herein is technology for, among other things, removing a dent from a dented surface. The technology includes an automated hammering device positioned on a first side of the dent, and a dolly positioned on a second side of the dent. The automated hammering device repeatedly and automatically strikes the dent, thereby restoring proper curvature to the dented surface
A better appreciation of the advantages, features and properties of the system and method disclosed below will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth the manner in which the invention may be employed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of embodiments of the invention:
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Furthermore, in the detailed description of the present invention, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention.
A dolly 9 is positioned on the side of the dented surface 10 opposite the automated hammering device 1, to restore the proper curvature to the dented surface 10 and to eliminate the possibility of the automated hammering device 1 creating new dents in the surface 10 in the opposite direction. Moreover, the dolly 9 is sized for holding in one hand, and the sides of the dolly 9 may be concave and/or coated in a material to facilitate gripping. It should be appreciated that the dented surface 10 as shown in
The automated hammering device 1 further comprises a nozzle portion 3, which is capable of receiving the stem 4 of the striking member 7, with the stem 4 being sized to fit into the nozzle portion 3. In one embodiment, the nozzle portion 3 contains a magnet and the stem 4 contains ferromagnetic material, so that the stem 4 is held in place when inserted into the nozzle portion 3 of the automated hammering device 1. In another embodiment, the striking member 7 may be replaceable, for example, with the stem 4 and nozzle portion 3 each being threaded so that one may be screwed into the other.
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
