1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to a tool for facilitating removal of conventional valve caps and valve assemblies or cores from pneumatic tire valve stems.
2. Description of the Related Art
A common type of valve to which the present invention pertains is known as the Schrader valve, and consists of a valve stem into which a valve core is threaded. The core includes a poppet valve that is biased closed by a small spring. While the present invention will be described with reference to the Schrader valve, it will be implicitly understood that there are other types of similar valves having valve stems and valve cores to which the present invention will also pertain.
The Schrader valve is primarily used on vehicle tires, including automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles. However, it is also found on a variety of other apparatus such as in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, on various pneumatic shock absorbers, on aircraft, and in many other diverse apparatus.
These valves tend to protrude, and would be easily damaged if not at least minimally protected in may applications. Unfortunately, as a result of the surroundings that are used to protect the valve, the valve is also sometimes relatively difficult to access. One particularly vexing situation is in the case of trucks and semi-trailers where dual wheels are side by side with each other. The outer tire valve stem is generally easy to access, but the inside tire valve stem can be extremely difficult to get access to. As a result, both removing the protective cap and, when needed, removing the valve core including the stem can be difficult or nearly impossible without the aid of a tool.
This problem is not new, and other artisans have attempted to address this problem. Exemplary US patents and published applications, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,165 by Fukuda, entitled “Valve core mounting and dismounting tool”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,967 by Olson, entitled “Method and apparatus for maintaining and servicing a pressurized refrigeration system or the like”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,335 by Lea, entitled “Tire valve removing tool”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,005 by Rivers, entitled “Tire valve remover”; U.S. Pat. No. 1,338,576 by Keys, entitled “Tire-tool”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,839 by Blessing, entitled “Tire tool”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,944,924 by Hayes, entitled “Valve stem puller and valve stem core tool”; 2004/0060157 by Benefield, entitled “Valve stem cap removal tool”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,902 by Seims et al, entitled “Tool for tubeless tire valves”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,735 by Eastridge et al, entitled “Tire tool”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,862,787 by Groves, entitled “Device for installing and removing valve stem cores from tire assemblies”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,214,986 by Kicksee, entitled “Valve stem puller”; U.S. Pat. No. 2,417,360 by Heintzelman, entitled “Valve core remover”; U.S. Pat. No. 2,679,654 by Hosking, entitled “Tire inflating and servicing device”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,677 by Ullman, entitled “Flexible rotary compound tool”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,057 by Berchtold, entitled “High pressure bleed valve tool”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,249 by Lindquist, entitled “Valve core tool with safety bleed”; U.S. Pat. No. 2,123,524 by Colley, entitled “Tire valve tool”; U.S. Pat. No. 2,699,810 by Ferguson, entitled “Tool”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,090 by Fritch, entitled “Valve core changing tool”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,343 by Wadsworth, entitled “Tubeless tire valve stem inserter”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,580 by Story, entitled “Apparatus for installing and removing valve stems”.
In addition to access, another issue confounding persons servicing tires is that the valve cap and valve core are quite small, and are easily dropped, misplaced or lost. A dropped valve core can become contaminated and later malfunction, and a lost valve core can prevent the tire from being restored to useable condition, until a replacement valve core is located.
In addition to the foregoing patents, Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition copyright 1983, is incorporated herein by reference in entirety for the definitions of words and terms used herein.