Abstract
The present invention is a preventive maintenance system and kit that can prolong the life of the regulators and motors. In performing repairs to automobile power window regulators and motors, it is often the case that the repair is required due to a breakdown of the lubricant. This breakdown can be due to several factors, such as age, temperature, dirt, and salts. The window regulators and motors, without appropriate lubrication, will fail and lead to more costly repairs. A kit has been developed to service the electric windows of an automobile without disassembling the door is presented. The kit provides for access to the door interior and for lubricating the interior parts. The kit and method is designed to lubricate the many window parts in order to extend their life and maintain functionality.
Claims
1. A kit for servicing and lubricating parts of an automatic window opener of an automobile that are inside the door frame without removing the door panel, the kit comprising: a punch assembly; a bit assembly; a lubricant; a lubricant sprayer; and a directional tube.
2. A kit for servicing and lubricating parts of an automatic window opener of an automobile that are inside the door frame without removing the door panel, the kit comprising: a punch assembly; a bit assembly; a striker; and a plug.
3. The kit of claim 2 further comprising: a lubricant; a lubricant sprayer; and a directional tube.
4. A method for using a kit for servicing and lubricating parts of an automatic window opener of an automobile that are inside the door frame without removing the door panel, the method comprising: selecting a point on the end of the automobile door; placing a punch assembly point against the selected point of the door; hitting a striking end of the punch assembly creating a dimple; placing a point of the bit assembly in the dimple; drilling an access hole in the door at the selected point; inserting a directional tube of a lubricant sprayer into the access hole; spraying lubricant into an interior of the door; removing the spray can and directional tube from the access hole; and inserting a plug into the access hole.
5. A method for using a kit for servicing and lubricating parts of an automatic window opener of an automobile that are inside the door frame without removing the door panel, the method comprising: providing a kit comprising a punch assembly, a bit assembly, a striker, a plug, a lubricant, a lubricant sprayer, and a directional tube; selecting a point on the end of the automobile door; placing a punch assembly point against the selected point of the door; hitting a striking end of the punch assembly creating a dimple; placing a point of the bit assembly in the dimple; drilling an access hole in the door at the selected point; inserting a directional tube of a lubricant sprayer into the access hole; spraying lubricant into an interior of the door; removing the spray can and directional tube from the access hole; and inserting a plug into the access hole.
6. A kit for lubricating an automatic window opener located within an automobile door without removing a door panel, the kit comprising: a punch; a punch handle; a punch stop collar; a punch stop pad; a drill bit; a bit stop collar; and a bit stop pad.
7. The kit of claim 6, further comprising: a lubricant; a lubricant sprayer; and a directional tube.
8. The kit of claim 6, further comprising: a striker; and a plug adapted to engage in a hole drilled by said drill bit.
9. The kit of claim 8, further comprising: a lubricant; a lubricant sprayer; and a directional tube.
10. The kit of claim 9, wherein said lubricant is white lithium grease.
11. The kit of claim 8, wherein said striker is between 1 ounce and 2 ounces.
12. A kit for lubricating an automatic window opener located within an automobile door without removing a door panel, the kit comprising: a punch; a punch handle attachable to said punch; a punch stop collar, wherein said stop collar is made from a rigid material; a punch stop pad, wherein said punch stop pad is made from a flexible material; a drill bit; a bit stop collar; a bit stop pad, wherein said bit stop pad is made from a flexible material; wherein said bit stop collar is engaged about said bit and said bit stop pad is engage about said bit and urged against said bit stop collar; and wherein said bit stop pad is attached about said bit leaving enough of said bit exposed to drill through said automobile door without said bit extending into an interior of said door.
13. The kit of claim 12, further comprising: a lubricant; a lubricant sprayer; and a directional tube.
14. The kit of claim 12, further comprising: a striker; and a plug adapted to engage in a hole drilled by said drill bit.
15. The kit of claim 14, further comprising: a lubricant; a lubricant sprayer; and a directional tube.
16. The kit of claim 15, wherein said lubricant is white lithium grease.
17. The kit of claim 14, wherein said striker is between 1 ounce and 2 ounces.
18. A kit for lubricating an automatic window opener located within an automobile door without removing a door panel, the kit comprising: a punch; a punch handle; a punch stop collar; a punch stop pad; a drill bit; a bit stop collar; a bit stop pad; and a plug, adapted to engage in a hole drilled by said drill bit.
19. The kit of claim 18, further comprising: a lubricant; a lubricant sprayer; and a directional tube.
20. The kit of claim 18, further comprising a striker.
21. The kit of claim 20, further comprising: a lubricant; a lubricant sprayer; and a directional tube.
22. The kit of claim 21, wherein said lubricant is white lithium grease.
23. The kit of claim 20, wherein said striker is between 1 ounce and 2 ounces.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the components of the present invention.
(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the plug.
(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the punch assembly.
(4) FIG. 4 is an exploded, perspective view of the punch assembly.
(5) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the striker.
(6) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bit assembly.
(7) FIG. 7 is an exploded, perspective view of the bit assembly.
(8) FIG. 8a is a perspective, shank-end view of a stop pad.
(9) FIG. 8b is a perspective, tip-end view of a stop pad.
(10) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the striker being used with the punch assembly.
(11) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the dimple.
(12) FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the bit assembly attached to a drill.
(13) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the bit assembly being used with a drill.
(14) FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the access hole.
(15) FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the lubricant can with the directional tube inserted into the access hole.
(16) FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the plug being inserted into the access hole.
(17) FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the plug inserted into the access hole.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
(18) Referring to the figures, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the components of the present invention. The service tool kit 10 of the present invention may include one or more of: a punch assembly 30, a bit assembly 50, lubricant (not shown), a lubricant sprayer with a directional tube (not shown), a striker 40, a plug (20), and a hex key (or Allen wrench) 70. The punch assembly 30 is made up of a punch 32, a punch handle 34, a punch stop collar 36, and a stop pad 60. The bit assembly 50 is made up of a drill bit 52, a bit stop collar 54, and a stop pad 60.
(19) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the plug 20. The plug 20 can also be a part of the kit 10. The plug 20 is sized in order to fit into the access hole created by the bit assembly 50. The plug 20 is manufactured to have retention capability such that when it is inserted into the access hole it will not exit the hole without external force being applied. As shown in the figure, one means of retention capability is accomplished with retention wings 22 that are angled so that it is relatively easy to insert the plug 20 into the hole, but once inserted the wings 22 hold the plug 20 in the hole. The plug 20 has an insertion point 23 at a first end 24 with retention means along a shaft 25. At the second end 26 is a larger diameter cap 27. The insertion point 23 of the first end 24 and the shaft 25 are sized to fit in the access hole. The retention means 22, such as the wings or sidebars, are sized larger than the access hole. The wings 22 are slightly flexible and tend to flex in one direction so that the insertion point 23 and shaft 25 of the plug 20 can be pushed into the access hole with the wings 42 flexing to allow their movement through the hole until the cap 27 is urged against the metal of the door. The diameter of the cap 27 is larger than the diameter of the access hole so that the cap 27 covers the hole. The wings 22 resist flexing to allow the removal of the plug 20, thus tending to keep the plug 20 in place in the access hole. The inserted plug 20 helps keep water and debris from entering the interior of the door through the access hole. Additionally, the plug 20 helps give the project they finished look rather than leaving a hole visible in the end of the door. Finally, the plug 20 can be removed by a user who wants to service the automatic window again at a later date. In an anticipated embodiment, the plug 20 is used with an approximately (6.4 mm) diameter hole. The stem or shaft 25 of the plug 20 in this embodiment would have a diameter of approximately 13/16 and the head or cap 27 of the plug 20 would be approximately 0.095-0.540 in diameter. It is anticipated that the plug 20 would generally be manufactured from plastic, or nylon, or other similar synthetic materials.
(20) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the punch assembly 30. The punch assembly 30 is used to mark the point at which the user wants to drill the access hole. The point 53 of a drill bit 52, when the drill is activated, has the tendency to move around, or skip, on surface of metal if it does not start in a recess. The punch assembly 30 forms a large enough dimple to help guide the tip 53 of the drill bit 52 and keep it in place until the drill bit 52 bites into the metal at which time the bit 52 will generally stay in place.
(21) FIG. 4 is an exploded, perspective view of the punch assembly 30. The punch assembly 30 has a punch handle 34 with a first, striking end 35 designed to be hit by the striker 40 or other type of hammer. As shown in the figure, a portion of the first end 35 of the punch handle 34 may be thicker than the remainder of the handle 34 aiding in the user holding the punch assembly 30 while striking it and to provide a larger striking surface. The second end, or receiver, 37 of the punch handle 34 is designed to connect with the punch 32. It is generally anticipated that the receiver 37 will have an aperture sized to receive the second end 38 of the punch 32. However, there are many ways that the punch handle 34 and punch 32 can be connected. Including, it is anticipated that the punch handle 34 and punch 32 may be a single component. The punch 32 has a first end with a point 39 opposite the second end 38. If the connection means of the punch handle 34 and punch 32 is an aperture in the receiver 37, then the second end 38 may have a flattened portion 31 along a portion of the length of the punch 32. The flattened portion 31 allows air to escape when the punch 32 is inserted into the handle 34. The second end 37 of the punch handle 34 may end in a punch point 39, however as shown in the figure the punch 32 and punch point 39 can be a separate piece that is urged into, screwed into, or otherwise engaged with the second end 37 of the punch handle 34. If a separate punch 32 is used then upon multiple uses when the punch point 39 becomes dull, a new punch 32 with a sharper punch point 39 can be employed with the old handle 34.
(22) A punch stop collar 36 has an aperture through which the punch 32 is inserted. The stop collar 36 slides along the length of the punch 32. The stop collar 36 employs a set screw 33 that can be urged against the punch 32 in order to maintain the stop collar 36 at a specific position along the length of the punch 32. The stop collar 36 has a shoulder 80.
(23) The punch assembly 30 also incorporates a stop pad 60. It is generally anticipated that the stop pad 60 will be made from a rubber or rubberlike material. This is so it is less likely to damage or scratch the metal and paint of the automobile door when the punch assembly 30 is employed. The stop pad 60 has an aperture through which the point 39 is inserted. The stop pad 60 is urged against the stop collar shoulder 80. The stop pad 60 insures that when the user strikes the first or striking end 35 of the punch handle 34 that the punch point 39 will only enter the metal of the door a set distance. This ensures that the punch point 39 will not be driven through the metal sheet of the door and into the interior of the door where it could damage door parts or components. The stop pad 60 is generally cylindrical with a larger aperture at one end and a smaller aperture at the opposite end. The smaller aperture creates a ring that can be urged against the stop shoulder at the second and of the punch handle.
(24) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of two embodiments of a striker 40. While it is anticipated that virtually any hammer could be used with the kit, in a first embodiment of the kit a plastic or light synthetic hammer is employed as the striker. It is anticipated that a relatively light hammer would be advisable in order that it be easy to use, effective at creating a dimple with the punch assembly, and be less likely to damage the door if the user accidentally hits the door instead with the striker. While not limiting, in a preferred embodiment the weight range of the striker would be between 1 ounce and 2 ounces.
(25) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bit assembly 50. The bit assembly 50 is used to drill an appropriately sized access hole into the interior of the automobile door. The access hole should be large enough to accept the directional tube used with the lubricant spray can.
(26) FIG. 7 is an exploded, perspective view of the bit assembly 50. The bit assembly 50 has a drill bit 52 as its core component. A stop collar 54 can be attached about the bit tip 53 leaving enough of the bit tip 53 exposed in order to drill through the sheet metal of the automobile door without extending into the interior of the door and possibly hitting and damaging other door components. The stop collar 54 will have an aperture through it sized to fit around the drill bit 52. The stop collar 54 may have a set screw 57 that can be urged against the side of the drill bit 52 and hold the stop collar 54 at a desired distance from the bit tip 53. If not a set screw 57, the stop collar 54 will have some other means to hold the stop collar 54 at the desired position. The bit assembly 50 also incorporates a stop pad 60. It is generally anticipated that the stop pad 60 will be made from a rubber or rubberlike material. This is so it is less likely to damage or scratch the metal and paint of the automobile door when the bit assembly 50 is employed. The stop pad 60 is urged against the stop collar 54 near the bit tip 53. The stop pad 60 insures that when the user activates the drill and drills through the sheet metal of the automobile door that the bit tip will only enter the metal of the door a set distance. This ensures that the bit tip 53 will not drive through the metal sheet of the door and into the interior of the door where it could damage door parts or components. The stop pad 60 is generally cylindrical in shape with a larger aperture at one end and a smaller aperture at the opposite end. The smaller aperture creates a ring that can be urged against the stop collar 54 on the drill bit 52. At the end of the drill bit 52 opposite the drill tip 53 is a connection shaft 55 that can be inserted into a bit receiver of a drill or driver. As is generally known, the drill bit tip 53 and shaft near the tip will have a twisted blade designed to cut into the metal sheet of the door creating an access hole through the door side. The drill bit 52 diameter will be sized in order to allow the lubricant can directional tube to fit through the created access hole. In the embodiment as described in FIG. 2, the diameter of the drill bit would be , however other sizes are anticipated.
(27) FIG. 8a is a perspective, shank-end view of a stop pad 60, while FIG. 8b is a perspective, tip-end view of a stop pad 60. As is shown, the shank end 62 of the stop pad 60 is anticipated to be generally flat with an aperture 64 sized to snugly fit around the drill bit 52 or punch 32. The generally flat surface of the shank end 62 of the stop pad 60 is intended to be urged against the shoulders of the stop collar's 36 and 54. The tip end 66 of the stop and 60 may have a rim 68 that comes to rest against the metal of the door when the punch assembly 30 or bit assembly 50 are used.
(28) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the striker 40 being used with the punch assembly 30. As shown, the striker 40 is used to strike the striking end 35 of the punch assembly 30. The punch tip 39 is driven into the automobile door end only as far as the punch stop 60 will allow it.
(29) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the dimple created using the striker 40 and punch assembly 30. The dimple is relatively small and along the end side of the automobile door. However, it is large enough to provide a guide to anchor the bit assembly 50 when it is used.
(30) FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the bit assembly 50 attached to a drill. As is shown in this figure, the stop collar 54 is attached to the drill bit 52 with the stop pad 60 urged against the collar 59 and only a small length of the drill bit tip 53 extending beyond the stop pad 60.
(31) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the bit assembly 50 being used with a drill. The drill bit tip 53 is placed in the dimple created using the striker 40 and punch assembly 30. As shown in this figure, the drill bit stop 60 will only allow the drill bit tip 53 to extend into the metal of the automobile door a preset length.
(32) FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the access hole.
(33) FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the lubricant can with the directional tube inserted into the access hole. The spray can is used to propel lubricant through the directional tube into the interior of the automobile door. It is anticipated that the directional tube will be flexible thus allowing the user to direct the lubricant into all areas of the door interior.
(34) FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the plug 20 being inserted into the access hole. Once the lubricant is delivered, the directional tube can be removed and the plug 20 inserted. As described, the wings 22 or other retention means 22 tend to prevent accidental removal of the plug 20 after it is urged against the door.
(35) FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the plug 20 inserted into the access hole. The engaged plug 20 is relatively inconspicuous and does not interfere with the door operation. However, it does restrict access to the interior of the door to moisture, dirt, and other debris. A user can remove the plug 20 for further servicing at a later time.
(36) Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limited sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the inventions will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon the reference to the description of the invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.
