Patent Application
20220250591
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The disclosure relates to jacking devices and more particularly pertains to a new jacking device for automatically jacking a vehicle to change a tire. Additionally, a cart is provided for transporting the tire when the tire is removed from the vehicle. The jacking device facilitates the vehicle to be jacked without requiring a driver to manually jack the vehicle.
The prior art relates to jacking devices including a vehicle jacking device that includes pneumatic jacks that are attached to a bottom of a vehicle for jacking the vehicle. The prior art discloses a variety of vehicle jacking device that each includes hydraulic jacks that are attached to a bottom of a vehicle for jacking the vehicle. In no instance does the prior art disclose hydraulic jacks that are mounted to a vehicle and a cart for carrying a tire for the vehicle.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a plurality of lifting units that is each coupled to a bottom side of a vehicle. Each of the lifting units is actuatable into an extended position to lift a respective tire upwardly from the support surface. A pump is coupled to the vehicle and each of the lifting units is fluidly coupled to the pump. The pump urges a hydraulic fluid into or out of the hydraulic piston of a respective one of the lifting units when the pump is actuated into a lifting condition or a lowering condition. A control is positioned within the vehicle to actuate the pump to urge the hydraulic fluid into a respective one of the lifting units based upon the driver's preference.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each of the lifting units 12 comprises a hydraulic piston 22 and a housing 24. The housing 24 is coupled to the bottom side 14 of the vehicle 16 and the housing 24 has a lower side 26. The hydraulic piston 22 associated with a respective lifting unit 12 extends downwardly out of the lower side 26 of the housing 24 of the associated lifting unit when the associated lifting unit is actuated into the lowered position. Conversely, the hydraulic piston 22 associated with a respective lifting unit 12 is retracted into the lower side 26 of the housing 24 of the associated lifting unit when the associated lifting unit is actuated into the retracted position.
As is most clearly shown in
A pump 36 is coupled to the vehicle 16 and each of the lifting units 12 is fluidly coupled to the pump 36. The pump 36 urges the hydraulic fluid 31 into the telescopic sections 28 of a respective one of the lifting units 12 when the pump 36 is actuated into a lifting condition. Conversely, the pump 36 urges the hydraulic fluid 31 outwardly from the telescopic sections 28 of a respective one of the lifting units 12 when the pump 36 is actuated into a lowering condition. The pump 36 has a plurality of output ports 38 and the pump 36 urges the hydraulic fluid 31 outwardly from a selected one of the output ports 38 when the pump 36 is turned on. The pump 36 may comprise an electric hydraulic pump or the like. A plurality of conduits 40 is provided and each of the conduits 40 is fluidly coupled between a respective one of the output ports 38 on the pump 36 and the hydraulic piston 22 of a respective one of the lifting units 12. In this way the hydraulic fluid 31 is routed into or out of the hydraulic piston 22 of the lifting units 12.
A control 42 is positioned within the vehicle 16 such that the control 42 is accessible to a driver of the vehicle 16. The control 42 is in communication with the pump 36 and the control 42 actuates the pump 36 to urge the hydraulic fluid 31 into a respective one of the lifting units 12 based upon the driver's preference. The control 42 is electrically coupled to the pump 36 and the control 42 includes a plurality of up buttons 44 and the control 42 includes a plurality of down buttons 46. Each of the up buttons 44 is assigned to a respective one of the output ports 38 on the pump 36, and each of the down buttons 46 is assigned to a respective one of the output ports 38 on the pump 36. The pump 36 urges the hydraulic fluid 31 outwardly through a respective output port 28 unit when the down button 46 assigned to the respective output port 38 is depressed. Conversely, the pump 36 urges the hydraulic fluid 31 inwardly through a respective output port 28 when the up button 44 assigned to the respective output port is depressed. The control 42 is electrically coupled to a power source 47 comprising an electrical system of the vehicle 16.
As is most clearly shown in
A cart 48 is positionable beneath a respective one of the tires 18 on the vehicle 16 when the respective tire 18 is lifted. In this way the cart 48 assists the driver with moving the respective tire 18 when the respective tire 18 is removed from the vehicle 16. The cart 48 has a concavely arcuate depression 50 integrated therein to conform to curvature of the respective tire 18 when the respective tire 18 is positioned in the concavely arcuate depression 50. Additionally, the cart 48 includes a plurality of rollers 52 that each rolls along the support surface 20 for transporting the respective tire 18. The concavely arcuate depression 50 may be textured to inhibit the respective tire 18 from slipping in the concavely arcuate depression 50.
In use, a respective one of the down buttons 46 on the control 42 is depressed to actuate the respective lifting unit 12 into the lowered position. In this way the tire 18 that is positioned adjacent to the respective lifting unit 12 is lifted from the support surface 20 to facilitate the tire 18 to be removed. Additionally, the cart 48 is positioned beneath the tire 18 prior to removing the tire 18. In this way the cart 48 can support the weight of the tire 18 to make transporting the tire 18 easier. The up button 44 that is associated with the respective lifting unit 12 is depressed to actuate the respective lifting unit 12 into the retracted position to lower the vehicle 16 onto the support surface 20. In this way the driver can change any tire 18 on the vehicle 16 without the need to manually jack the vehicle 16.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, 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 an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure 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 disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
