Vehicle Body Dent Puller

Abstract

The present invention may include a base with at least two legs movably mounted to the base, wherein the at least two legs may support the base on a workpiece. A vertical body may be provided that may be rotatably coupled to the base. A pull shaft assembly may be provided with a lifting sleeve on a top end and a tab receiver on a bottom end, such that a portion of the pull shaft assembly may be housed by the vertical body and the base, to provide for guided linear displacement of the pull shaft assembly relative to the vertical body. A handle may be pivotally mounted to the vertical body. The handle may include a lifting cam which may articulate with the pull shaft assembly such that displacement of the handle may cause a displacement of the pull shaft assembly. The result may be a substantially vertically oriented body and handle which may be grasped by a user in a more natural position to transfer force more efficiently from the user to displace the pull shaft assembly, which may remove a dent in the workpiece.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to tools used to remove dents in vehicle bodies and specifically to dent removal tools used for paintless dent removal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Paintless dent removal or “PDR” is a system that allows a skilled technician the ability to remove dents in automobile bodies without the need to replace the part or even repaint the part after repair. It is easy to see how this provides a significant cost savings to the body shop, and thereby to the vehicle owner and the insurance company. A series of specialized tools are used by PDR technicians.

One such PDR tool is a hand puller. This uses the grip strength of the technician to literally pull a dent out of the vehicle body. To do this a part called a “glue tab” is commonly used, which may be glued to the vehicle body surface in the dent. A puller may then be used to pull the dent away from the surface of the vehicle body, thus removing the dent. If the glue tab does not pull free from the vehicle body during this process, a solvent, such as alcohol, may be applied to the tab to deteriorate the bonding force of the glue. The glue tab may then be removed without a trace of it being used.

It is apparent that only small dents can be pulled using the grip strength of a person. It is true that multiple tabs and pulls can be made on any dent, but the process is still limited by the work provided by the grip of a single person. In order to optimize the use of the grip strength of the technician, the wrist angle and position may be critical. A person with their arm contorted in an awkward position will not be able to generate as much grip force compared to a person with their wrist being relatively straight in all dimensions relative to the technician's hand position.

Many existing devices, as shown in FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b, noted as “prior art”, use a lever that includes side arms 20. These side arms 20 typically include a stationary arm 22 and a pivoting arm 24. A tab receiver 26 may be attached to a shaft 28 such that in this view, vertical movement of the pivoting arm 24 displaces the shaft 28 and tab receiver 26 upward. If a glue tab 30 is positioned in the tab receiver 26, this may provide a force to pull on a dent that may be near the flue tab 30.

The issue is car bodies are not a set height such as the top of a desk where the user can easily position themselves relative to the side arms 20 to gain maximal grip force. Most of the time, the technician will have their eye next to the body surface to best see any deformation of the vehicle body. The technician may then move the puller to the optimal position and actuate the puller. The less time the technician spends moving their body, the more efficient they are. Pullers that have handles extending on the side may require the user to move their body a great deal every time the puller is used. Also, in some cases due to the potentially complex surface shape and positioning of the dent, a puller with side handles may be difficult if not impossible to use due to other structures such as doors, fenders and other structures that may extend from the body surface.

It should, therefore, be appreciated that there is a need for a more ergonomically efficient hand dent puller. Specifically, one that has the stationary arm as part of the body and the pivoting arm moves toward that vertical stationary arm. The present invention fulfills this need and others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may include a base with at least two legs movably mounted to the base, wherein the at least two legs may support the base on a workpiece. A vertical body may be provided that may be rotatably coupled to the base. A pull shaft assembly with a lifting sleeve on a top end and a tab receiver on a bottom end may be provided, such that a portion of the pull shaft assembly may be housed by the vertical body and the base, to provide for guided linear displacement of the pull shaft assembly relative to the vertical body.

A handle may be pivotally coupled to the vertical body, the handle may include a lifting cam with an arcuate surface. The lifting cam may be in mechanical communication with the lifting sleeve, whereby when the handle is rotated with respect to the vertical body, the tab receiver of the pull shaft assembly may be moved away from the workpiece by way of the lifting cam displacing the lifting sleeve.

The legs of the present invention may be adjustably positioned on a beam, which may be secured to the base. The beam may likewise be fixed to the base and extend from the base on at least two sides of the base. The beam may be comprised to at least two beams, each of the at least two beams being releasably secured to the base.

The vertical body may include a detent ball assembly, the ball of the detent ball assembly may be releasably received by one of a plurality of annularly arranged holes in the base, thereby allowing the vertical body to be rotated with respect to the base and releasably indexed in a plurality of positions. The lifting sleeve of the pull shaft assembly may include a flange on one end of the lifting sleeve, wherein the arcuate surface of the lifting cam may be a wear surface which articulates with the flange of the lifting sleeve. The wear surface may include an arcuate portion. The wear surface may also include a rounded tip which may articulate with a center portion of the flange when the pull shaft assembly is at its highest position. The lifting cam may be a two-pronged cam defining an open portion between the two prongs, wherein a portion of the pull shaft assembly may be positioned in this open portion between the two prongs.

The pull shaft assembly may further include a screw knob with a threaded portion and a shaft base with a mating threaded portion to the screw knob, whereby rotation of the screw knob relative to the shaft base alters the overall length of the pull shaft assembly. The pull shaft assembly may further include a compression spring positioned between the tab receiver and the base, thereby the spring may bias the tab receiver away from the base.

The invention may also include a locking mechanism mechanically communicating with the vertical body and the handle, whereby when the locking mechanism is engaged, the handle may be secured in a set position relative to the vertical body. The locking mechanism may also include a locking arm with a notch, the locking arm may be pivotally coupled to the vertical body and the notch may be receiving a pin on the handle. The locking mechanism may also include a locking arm with a slot, the locking arm may be coupled to the vertical body and the handle. The locking mechanism may further comprising a screw knob being received by the slot, whereby the screw knob may provide a frictional force to the locking arm to secure the handle in a position relative to the vertical body.

The invention may also include a foot on each of the at least two legs, the foot may include a flat surface for supporting the dent puller on the workpiece. The connection of the foot to the leg may be closer to a first edge of the foot than it is to an opposite edge of the foot, thereby making the foot asymmetrical relative to the leg. In addition, each of the at least two legs may include a spherical portion on a distal end of each leg. Each foot may include a spherical cavity adapted to be received by the spherical portion of each of the at least two legs, thereby providing a ball and socket joint with three degrees of freedom of movement between each mated foot and leg.

For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have been described herein. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages can be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments and drawings, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment(s) disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1a is a right front view of a traditional puller with side arms found in the prior art.

FIG. 1b is a right front view of the traditional puller as presented in FIG. 1a, here including a glue tab.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a vertical puller presented in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is section view of the vertical puller as presented in FIG. 2 cut along line 3-3 in FIG. 2, the section view showing an internal mechanism of the puller.

FIG. 4 is a detail view of the lifting cam and the lifting sleeve of FIG. 3, the detail cut along line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5a is a right front view of the vertical puller of FIG. 2 shown here with the handle in an extended position, alternative support legs and a glue pull tab shown in phantom.

FIG. 5b is a detail view of the lifting cam, lifting sleeve and a portion of the pull shaft assembly of FIG. 5 cut along line 5-5.

FIG. 6 is a right rear view of the vertical puller as presented in FIG. 5, with the handle actuated, thereby pulling the glue pull tab upward.

FIG. 7 is a right-side detail view of an upper portion of vertical puller shown in FIG. 6, showing the lifting cam and lifting sleeve in more detail.

FIG. 8 is a side view of an upper portion of the lifting cam and handle assembly, removed from the rest of the vertical puller, as shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a pull shaft assembly of the vertical puller presented in FIG. 2.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a pull shaft support base as presented in FIG. 2.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the pull shaft support base as presented in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a left front view of the vertical puller as presented in FIG. 5, here with a cut away showing the vertical body being rotated with respect to the pull shaft support base and an indexing system including a detent ball.

FIG. 13 is a left front view of a vertical puller with an alternative pull shaft support base and a locking mechanism for the handle.

FIG. 14 is a left front view of a vertical puller with an adjustable locking system and the handle in an actuated position.

FIG. 15 is a left front view of the vertical puller as presented in FIG. 14, here with the handle in an extended position.

FIG. 16 is a left front view of the vertical puller as presented in FIG. 15, here with off-centered feet, such that one dimension of the foot is not in the center of the leg.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the illustrative drawings and particularly to FIGS. 2-4, there is shown a vehicle body dent puller 32 produced in accordance with the present invention. The dent puller 32 may include a vertical body 34 with a lower end 36 rotatably coupled to a base 38. The base 38 may support a beam 40, which as in this embodiment, may include two individual beams 40, each being releasably secured to the base 38 by screw knobs 42. As is shown in a later embodiment, the beams 40 may be rigidly secured to the base 38. By providing the beams 40 to be removable from the base 38, the disassembled version of the dent puller 32 can fit in a smaller package and therefore save shipping and storage costs.

A pair of leg assemblies 44 may be provided, wherein each leg assembly 44 may be releasably secured to one of the beams 40. In this embodiment, the leg assemblies 44 may be movably mounted on the beam 40, such that the position of each leg assembly 44 may be individually determined as a distance away from the vertical body 34. The position of the leg assembly 44 may then be secured to the beam 40 by a locking knob 46.

Each leg assembly 44 may include a leg 48 and a foot 50. Each foot 50 may include a substantially flat portion 52 that may be positioned away from the leg 48. This substantially flat portion 52 may be positioned on a workpiece, such as the surface of a vehicle body. The large surface area of the substantially flat portion 52, way act to distribute any force applied to the workpiece that is generated by the dent puller 32. When dealing with a potentially complex surface, such as a vehicle body, and a dent randomly provided in that already complex surface, it may be desirable to individually adjust the width of the leg assemblies 44 to optimize the support of the dent puller 32 relative to the dent and the vertical body 34.

The vertical body 34 may house a pull shaft assembly 54. The pull shaft assembly 54 may include a tab receiver 56 on a first end and a screw knob 58 on an opposite end. The details of operation of the pull shaft assembly 54 will be explained in more detail below.

Finally, a handle 60 may be provided with a lifting cam 62 on one end of the handle 60. This is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 4 through FIG. 6. A lifting sleeve 64 may be positioned on the pull shaft assembly 54, near the screw knob 58. The lifting sleeve 64 may include a cylindrical portion 66 with a flange 68 on a lower portion of the lifting sleeve 64. The lifting sleeve 64 may be received by a threaded portion 70 of the screw knob 58, and be positioned adjacent to the screw knob 58 as shown. In this orientation, the lifting cam 62 of the handle 60 may articulate with the flange 68 of the lifting sleeve 64.

In FIGS. 5-6, the handle 60 is shown in an extended position in FIG. 5 and in an actuated position in FIG. 6. The cut away of the vertical body 34 in both figures illustrates how the lifting cam 62 may be positioned against the flange 68 of the lifting sleeve 64. When the handle 60 is actuated (moved toward the vertical body 34) the lifting cam 62 may rotate upward, pushing the lifting sleeve 64 upward and thereby elevating the spring shaft assembly 34. This may cause the tab receiver 56 to elevate along with any glue tab 72 that may be adhered to a workpiece. This action may be used to apply a vertical force to pull a dent out of a workpiece, such as the body of a vehicle.

The lifting cam 62 may include a pair of prongs 74 defining an open space between the pair of prongs 74. This open space may allow access to a portion of the pull shaft assembly 54. By doing so, the pull shaft assembly 54 may have a symmetrical lifting force provided by each of the prongs 74 of the lifting cam. This may provide a balanced load on the lifting shaft 54 to cause it to elevate with minimal friction lost to any elements of the vertical body 34 used to guide the motion of the pull shaft assembly 54. The more efficient this system is, the less energy loss to friction. This reduction in friction will enable more of the force provided by the user's grip to move the handle 60 toward the vertical body 34 will be transferred to the desired task of elevating the glue tab 72 to remove a dent.

A detail of the lifting system is shown in more detail in FIGS. 7-9. The screw knob 58 may be positioned at a top end of the pull shaft assembly 54, with a tab receiver 56 at a bottom end of the pull shaft assembly 54. A lifting sleeve 64 may include a flange 68. The lifting sleeve 64 may be positioned adjacent to the screw knob 58 with the flange 68 of the lifting sleeve 64 positioned away from the screw knob 58.

The screw knob 58 may include a grip portion 76 and a threaded portion 70. The lifting sleeve 64 may be received by the threaded portion 70 of the screw knob 58, thereby providing a substantially collinear coupling of the lifting sleeve 64 and the screw knob 58. The threaded portion 70 of the screw knob 58 may be received by a mating threaded portion of a shaft base 78. Thereby, the overall length of the pull shaft assembly 54 may be adjusted by screwing the screw knob 58 further into or out of the shaft base 78. The tab receiver 56 may be adapted to receive the glue tab (not shown here) by way of a tab recess 80 in the tab receiver 56. A compression spring 82 may be provided on the shaft base 78 and positioned adjacent to the tab receiver 56.

The pull shaft assembly 54 may be received by the vertical body 34. The handle 60, including the lifting cam 62, may be pivotally coupled to the vertical body 34 about the handle pivot 84, by way of a screw 86. The lifting cam 62 may include a wear surface 87. The wear surface 87 may include an arcuate portion 88 and a rounded tip 90 on a far end of the wear surface 87. The wear surface 87 may be adapted to articulate with the flange 68 of the lifting sleeve 64. The presence of the flange 68 as being of a greater diameter than the rest of the lifting sleeve 64 may provide a greater surface area of contact between the wear surface 87 of the lifting cam 62 and the lifting sleeve 64.

An amount of force is applied to the lifting sleeve 64 by way of the lifting cam 62 in the process of driving the pull shaft assembly 54 upward when the handle 60 is actuated toward the vertical body 34. The greater the surface area of contact between the lifting cam 62 and the lifting sleeve 64, the lower the pressure will be between these two parts. The lower the pressure, the less material wear may be provided, thereby increasing the functional life of the dent puller 32. The presence of the flange 68 increases this surface area of contact, but it is understood that similar results may be obtained by making the entire lifting sleeve 64 the diameter of the flange 68. The presence of the flange 68 with a larger diameter than the rest of the lifting sleeve 64 provides a reduced amount of material in the lifting sleeve 64 while allowing the larger surface contact area to mate with the wear surface 87 of the lifting cam 62.

As the handle 60 is actuated toward the vertical body 34, the lifting cam 62 may rotate upward, pushing up against the flange 68 of the lifting sleeve 64. To provide a more even displacement of the pull shaft assembly 54 with a controlled actuation of the handle 60, the arcuate portion 88 of the wear surface 87 of the lifting cam 62 may provide a more consistent perpendicular distance from a contact point of the lifting cam 62 and the lifting sleeve 64 to the handle pivot 84. By doing this, the relationship between the angular displacement of the handle 60 and the vertical displacement of the pull shaft assembly 54 may be controlled to optimize the force applied by a user to the actuate the handle 60 to the force required to lift the pull shaft assembly 54 and pull a dent from a workpiece. The applicant has determined this optimal arcuate portion 88 to have a radius of approximately 1.36 inches.

In keeping with the desire for mechanical efficiency, on a far end of the lifting cam 62 a rounded tip 90 may be provided. When the lifting cam 62 is at its most elevated position, the rounded tip 90 may be proximate to a center portion 92 of the flange 68. This location may provide a more balanced application of force to the flange 68 and therefore the pull shaft assembly 54, minimizing any side load to the pull shaft assembly 54, which may otherwise result in friction, which may reduce the efficiency of the transfer of work by the user as applied to the handle 60 to be transferred to elevating the pull shaft assembly 54. As noted, the present invention relies solely on the grip strength of the user to pull the dent from the workpiece. Any energy lost in the transfer of force from the handle 60 to elevate the pull shaft assembly 54 may reduce the effectiveness of the dent puller 32.

The support base 38 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 10-11. The support base 38 may include a body extension 94 extending from one end of the support base 38. The body extension 94 may be adapted to be received by the lower end 36 of the vertical body 34 (FIG. 2). This may allow for the vertical body 34 to rotate with respect to the support base 38 about a common central axis of the vertical body 34 and the body extension 94. The support base 38 may also include a side receiver 96, preferably one side receiver 96 on each side of the support base 38. The side receiver 96 may be adapted to receive the beam 40 (FIG. 2) to support a leg assembly 44. The screw knobs 42 may be used to releasably secure the beams 40 to the support base 38. By making the beams 40 removable from the support base 38, the dent puller 32 may take up less space for shipping and storage. Though this feature may not be critical to the novelty of the invention, it is considered an advantage over the prior art.

Referring to FIG. 12, another embodiment of the dent puller 32 is presented. In this embodiment the vertical body 34 is shown to be rotatably coupled to the support base 38. A pair of fixed support legs 98, each including a beam 40′ fixed to their respective leg 48′. In this embodiment, the legs 40′ are fixed to their respective beam 40′ as opposed to being movably coupled as in earlier embodiments (FIG. 2). Though in many cases more adjustments are preferred, each adjustment may require time to make the adjustment, which may be time the technician is not removing a dent. As such, it may be desirable to have some fixed support legs 98, where the length of the beams 40′ may vary. In that case, the technician may choose the set he plans to use for multiple dents and have them set without the need for adjustment.

FIG. 12 also shows a detent ball assembly 100 received by a lock cylinder 102, which may be secured to the vertical body 34. The detent ball assembly 100 may include a detent ball biased toward the body extension 94 of the support base 38. The body extension 94 may include an annular recess 104 and a plurality of holes 106 positioned to be able to be received by the detent ball of the detent ball assembly 100. Thereby, the vertical body 34 may be inserted over the body extension 94 and the detent ball of the detent ball assembly 100 may be received into the annular recess 104 of the support base 38. This may allow the vertical body 34 to rotate with respect to the support base 38 with the detent ball in the annular recess 104 helping to position the vertical body 34 in a stable position relative to the support base 38. The plurality of holes 106 may allow the vertical body 34 to be rotated with respect to the support base 38 and index in a rotated position due to the ball of the detent ball assembly 100 being received by one of the plurality of holes 106 in the body extension 94 of the support base 38. This may allow the user to rotate and “click” the vertical body 34 into a comfortable position, providing enough support to hold the vertical body 34 in place relative to the support base 38 and yet also rotate the vertical body 34 in a different position as needed and “click” into that new position.

In some cases, it may be desirable to apply a load to the workpiece by actuating the handle 60 and maintain the force on the workpiece. When that is done, the technician would rather not be tied to holding the handle 60 in place. In some cases, the technician may be needed to perform an additional function to the workpiece, such as tapping the workpiece with a tool to help the dent release. In that situation, it may be difficult for the technician to hold the handle 60 and perform another task at the same time. To solve this problem, the applicant has provided a locking system 108 as presented in FIGS. 13-15.

Referring to FIG. 13, the locking system 108 may include a locking arm 110 that may be pivotally mounted to the vertical body 34. The locking arm 110 may include one or more notches 112, which may be received by a handle pin 114, which may be secured to the handle 60. When the handle 60 is actuated toward the vertical body 34, one of the notches 112 may receive the handle pin 114, thus holding the handle 60 in a set position relative to the vertical body 34 and therefore holding the tab receiver 56 in an elevated position.

An infinitely adjustable embodiment of the locking system 108 is shown in FIGS. 14-15. Here the locking arm 110 may include a slot 116 which may be received by a screw knob 118 that may be releasably secured to the vertical body 34. The locking arm 110 may be pivotally coupled to the handle 60 such that movement of the handle 60 relative to the vertical body 34 results in a change in the orientation of the slot 116 relative to the screw knob 118. This may allow the user to move the handle 60 in any position desired relative to the vertical body 34 and tighten the screw knob 118 so that a sufficient frictional force is applied by the screw knob 118 to the locking arm 110 by forcing it against the side of the vertical body 34. It is shown here that there are two locking arms 110, one on each side of the vertical body 34, and likewise two screw knobs 118. This is considered optimal even if only one screw knob 118 is used to secure the locking arm 110, and therefore the handle 60, in a set location. If there are two screw knobs 118 available to the user, the user has a choice of which screw knob 118 to use. Also, if both screw knobs 118 are needed to be used at the same time, they can both be used.

With reference to FIG. 16, an alternative embodiment to the foot 50 is shown. Here an off-center foot 50′ is shown, one on each of the two legs 48. The legs 48 may be movably mounted on the beams 40 of a rigid support base 38. The rigid support base 38 may include a beam 40 extending from each side of a base tube 120, wherein the beams 40 may be rigidly mounted to the base tube 120.

The off-centered foot 50′ is illustrated by the overall width of the off-centered foot 50′ being designated by the dimension (x) and the dimension of a near side of the off-centered foot 50′ to the center of the attached to the leg 48 is designated by the dimension (y). The relative dimensions of y/x may be less than ½, as is graphically depicted in this figure. The advantage to this configuration is that with the connection of the off-centered foot 50′ to the leg 48 being a ball and socket joint, the off-centered foot 50′ may rotate 360° about a long axis of the leg 48. Therefore, not only may the legs 48 be adjusted to a desired position along the beam 40, if it is desired to move the support of the off-centered foot 50′ slightly closer to the vertical body 34 or away from the vertical body 34, the user may simply rotate the off-centered foot 50′ around to meet that need. This may be faster and therefore more efficient than taking the time to unlock the leg 48, move it along the beam 40 and secure it in a new position.

The foregoing detailed description of the present invention is provided for purpose of illustration, and it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the embodiments shown. The embodiments may provide different capabilities and benefits, depending on the configuration used to implement key features of the invention.

Claims

1. A dent puller, comprising: a base including at least two legs movably mounted to the base, wherein the at least two legs support the base on a workpiece;a vertical body rotatably coupled to the base;a pull shaft assembly with a lifting sleeve on a top end and a tab receiver on a bottom end, a portion of the pull shaft assembly housed by the vertical body and the base to provide for guided linear displacement of the pull shaft assembly relative to the vertical body; anda handle pivotally coupled to the vertical body, the handle including a lifting cam including an arcuate surface, the lifting cam in mechanical communication with the lifting sleeve, whereby when the handle is rotated with respect to the vertical body, the tab receiver of the pull shaft assembly is moved away from the workpiece by way of the lifting cam displacing the lifting sleeve.

2. The dent puller of claim 1, wherein the at least two legs are adjustably positioned on a beam, the beam being secured to the base.

3. The dent puller of claim 2, wherein the beam is fixed to the base and extends from the base on at least two sides of the base.

4. The dent puller of claim 2, wherein the beam is comprised to at least two beams, each of the at least two beams being releasably secured to the base.

5. The dent puller of claim 1, wherein the vertical body includes a detent ball assembly, the ball of the detent ball assembly being releasably received by one of a plurality of annularly arranged holes in the base, thereby allowing the vertical body to be rotated with respect to the base and releasably indexed in a plurality of positions.

6. The dent puller of claim 1, wherein the lifting sleeve of the pull shaft assembly includes a flange on one end of the lifting sleeve.

7. The dent puller of claim 6, wherein the arcuate surface of the lifting cam is a wear surface which articulates with the flange of the lifting sleeve.

8. The dent puller of claim 7, wherein the wear surface includes an arcuate portion.

9. The dent puller of claim 6, wherein the wear surface includes a rounded tip which articulates with a center portion of the flange when the pull shaft assembly is at its highest position.

10. The dent puller of claim 1, wherein the lifting cam is a two-pronged cam defining an open portion between the two prongs.

11. The dent puller of claim 10, wherein a portion of the pull shaft assembly is positioned in the open portion between the two prongs.

12. The dent puller of claim 1, wherein the pull shaft assembly further includes a screw knob with a threaded portion and a shaft base with a mating threaded portion to the screw knob, whereby rotation of the screw knob relative to the shaft base alters the overall length of the pull shaft assembly.

13. The dent puller of claim 1, wherein the pull shaft assembly further comprises a compression spring positioned between the tab receiver and the base, thereby biasing the tab receiver away from the base.

14. The dent puller of claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism mechanically communicating with the vertical body and the handle, whereby when the locking mechanism is engaged, the handle is secured in a set position relative to the vertical body.

15. The dent puller of claim 14, wherein the locking mechanism includes a locking arm with a notch, the locking arm pivotally coupled to the vertical body and the notch receiving a pin on the handle.

16. The dent puller of claim 14, wherein the locking mechanism includes a locking arm with a slot, the locking arm coupled to the vertical body and the handle, the locking mechanism further comprising a screw knob being received by the slot, whereby the screw knob provides a frictional force to the locking arm to secure the handle in a position relative to the vertical body.

17. The dent puller of claim 1, further comprising a foot on each of the at least two legs, the foot including a flat surface for supporting the dent puller on the workpiece.

18. The dent puller of claim 17, wherein the connection of the foot to the leg is closer to a first edge of the foot than it is to an opposite edge of the foot.

19. The dent puller of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two legs include a spherical portion on a distal end.

20. The dent puller of claim 19, further comprising a foot including a spherical cavity adapted to be received by the spherical portion of each of the at least two legs, thereby providing three degrees of freedom of movement between each foot and leg.