Abstract:
A system for removing single handle cartridges from housings of faucets and showers comprised of a core puller and a sleeve puller. The core and the sleeve of the cartridge are pulled in two separate steps. The core is pulled by attaching the core puller to the stem of the core with the open end of the core puller placed against the faucet/shower housing. The T-handle of the core puller is turned pulling the core out of the sleeve of the cartridge. The sleeve of the cartridge is then loosened using the sleeve puller which is expansively attached to the sleeve and twisted left and right sharply until the sleeve rotates inside the housing. The sleeve is then pulled by attaching the core puller to the outer end of the sleeve puller and turning the T-handle of the core puller to pull the sleeve puller and sleeve from the housing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to cartridge pullers, in particular to pullers of spool valves which comprise cartridge cores and sleeves and more specifically to pullers of Moen type single handle mixing valve cartridges used in showers and faucets, and a method of use thereof. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Showers and faucets are often fitted with single handle mixing valves which serve to regulate the temperature and flow of water. These valves are commonly referred to as cartridges and fall into the general classification of spool valves which regulate flow and mixture of fluids by use of a slidable and/or rotatable core fitted inside a sleeve. The core and sleeve generally contain apertures through which the fluids flow. The core of the single handle mixing valve contains a thread for the attachment of a handle used to operate the valve. There are several types of single handle mixing valves and one of the most commonly used is manufactured by Moen Incorporated. 
     The Moen cartridge has been on the market for many years and is now manufactured by other companies as well. All of the cartridges manufactured to the Moen single handle mixing valve design are generally referred to as Moen cartridges. In the Moen cartridge, water flow is controlled by moving the core in and out of the sleeve, and temperature is controlled by twisting the core clockwise or counterclockwise. The cartridge is installed in a brass housing located in the body of a faucet or behind the wall of a shower. After installation, a handle is attached to the core to regulate water flow and temperature. 
     Moen cartridges are generally durable and last for many years before replacement is required. During the active life of the cartridge, mineral sediment builds up between the outer wall and O-rings of the cartridge and the inner wall of the brass housing. The sediment creates a rigid bond which freezes the cartridge inside the housing. Removing, or pulling, an old cartridge which is frozen inside a housing is an exceedingly difficult job. No simple and effective tool exists to pull frozen cartridges. One of the key objectives of the present invention is the easy and efficient removal of a Moen cartridge from a plumbing housing even in cases where the cartridge is frozen inside the housing. 
     There are a number of tools considered to be cartridge pullers which are actually designed to pull the core only. The user is often alarmed when the core comes out and leaves the sleeve frozen inside the housing. Without the use of a well designed sleeve puller, a frozen sleeve is impossible for a do-it-yourselfer or handyman to remove. This is especially critical in the case of a shower valve where the water to the dwelling cannot be turned back on until the cartridge is replaced. Some do-it-yourselfers and handymen have resorted to breaking through the shower wall to replace the housing itself. More commonly, a plumber is called for an emergency visit to fix the problem. 
     A tool frequently used to pull a cartridge is one which is supplied by Moen. This tool is a core puller but is often sold as a cartridge puller. The Moen core puller has a cylindrical body with indexing tabs at one end and a T-handle at the opposite end. The indexing tabs serve to center the tool on the housing and locate it against the opposite tabs on the end of the cartridge. A bolt down the centerline of the cylindrical body engages the thread in the core and a large nut threadably attached to the outside of the body presses against the rim of the housing. The T-handle is held stationary and a large wrench is used to advance the nut against the rim of the housing. Sometimes, the entire cartridge is pulled out, but more often just the core is pulled out. This tool is an effective core puller, but can not pull the complete cartridge when the sleeve is frozen inside the housing. 
     Rucker, U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,024 discloses a secondary tool to be added to the Moen tool for pulling the sleeve. Rucker discloses a large custom-design tap which is attached to the end of the Moen tool and used to cut threads into the wall of the sleeve. The tapping process is unfamiliar to most do-it-yourselfers and is difficult to perform. The tapping process also has the problem of creating metal shreds which could easily pass through the holes in the sides of the sleeve and lodge between the sleeve and housing. These metal shreds are likely to cause damage to the wall of the housing during the pulling process. 
     Frozen sleeves generally require a twisting motion to break up the rigid sediment between the sleeve and the wall of the housing. Sharp left-and-right twisting is much superior to direct outward pulling for the removal of the sleeve. The Moen tool with the added tap by Rucker does not have the capability of applying strong left-and-right twisting forces to the sleeve. In the case of a moderately frozen sleeve, pulling hard with this tool will probably strip the threads and leave the sleeve frozen inside the housing. The Rucker sleeve pulling tool is expensive, requires mechanical skills, may cause damage to the housing, and is subject to failure. 
     A tool for pulling both core and sleeve is disclosed by Hseu, U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,556. The Hseu tool uses a cylinder slidably engaged on a threaded rod. A flat handle is threaded onto the rod above the cylinder. On the rod below the cylinder is a thin oval washer and below the washer is a stop which is threaded on near the bottom end of the rod to retain the washer. Below the stop is a thread which engages the thread in the core. The tool is attached to the core and the cylinder is placed against the rim of the housing. The threaded handle is advanced along the rod and presses on the cylinder to create a pulling force on the core. To operate this tool, the cylinder must be held against the rim of the housing, the handle must be turned and the threaded rod must be held to prevent it from turning. The operation of the Hseu tool is awkward and requires significant dexterity. 
     Once the core is removed, the handle and cylinder are removed from the rod and a second tool with a biased magnet to hold the oval washer at an angle is slid onto the rod. This tool is used to push the washer into the sleeve and move it up and down until the washer flatly engages under an internal ledge within the sleeve. The biased magnet is removed and the flat handle and cylinder are reassembled to the rod. Pulling force is then applied as before by holding the cylinder, turning the handle and holding the threaded rod so that it does not turn. In most cases, the strength of this tool will not be sufficient to pull the sleeve. Most likely, the threads on the tool will strip or the oval washer will fail and release the tool. As explained above, frozen sleeves usually require twisting forces to break them free. Direct outward pulling is generally not enough to dislodge a frozen sleeve and often results in a broken tool or damaged plumbing. The Hseu tool can not provide twisting forces. Without this capability, the Hseu tool is not a complete solution to the removal of a Moen cartridge. Furthermore, the Hseu tool is complicated, weak and unreliable. 
     The tool disclosed by Seminario, U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,394, is a better tool for cartridge pulling, but it suffers from a number of problems which are solved by the present invention. Seminario shows a core pulling device which is difficult to use. Seminario suggests that the core be removed by a “relative rotation of the (threaded) rod and the bar” of the tool. This is difficult to accomplish because a cylinder must be held in contact with the rim of the housing and the threaded rod must be prevented from turning while the bar is rotated. This is an awkward operation and is similar to the Hseu tool. 
     The present invention which consists of a core puller, a sleeve puller and a handle, greatly simplifies the process of pulling a core by using a novel and unique combination left-hand/right-hand thread design on the core puller. A left-hand screw with a smaller right-hand screw attached at the leading end and a handle attached at the following end is threaded through the core puller body. Then the right-hand screw is threaded into the right-hand thread in the core. The handle is turned clockwise so that the left-hand screw moves outwardly from the core puller body and at the same time, the right-hand screw tightens into the core. This pulls the core outwardly from the sleeve and continued turning of the handle removes the core completely. 
     The right-hand/left-hand thread design is additionally unique in that it allows the screw to attach rigidly to both the core puller and to the core itself. The resultant rigid coupling between the core puller and the core automatically aligns, centers and supports the core puller on the housing. Turning the handle with one hand is all that is required to remove the core. Both the Hseu and Seminario tools require the operator to hold a sleeve against the rim of the housing, keep a threaded rod from turning and turn a handle all at once in order to pull the core. This is a complicated three-hand procedure which is much inferior to the simple one-hand procedure of the present invention. 
     Once the core is removed, Seminario shows a method of removing the sleeve by gripping the inside of the sleeve with a tubular tool containing expansible knurled segments at one end. The tool is inserted into the frozen sleeve and a conical expander is drawn into the tool to force the knurled areas of the expansible segments into contact with the wall of the sleeve. Unfortunately, with his design only the very tips of the segments make contact with the wall. Seminario uses a tapered pressure ring at the ends of the segments in an attempt to gain more contact with the sleeve. However, the taper does not work as desired. The taper at the end of the tool matches the taper of the conical expander and does little more than securely press the very ends of the segments into the sleeve wall. The reason for this is that the segments are extremely stiff and will not flex with the pressure of the expander. The tool itself is made of hardened steel, the segments are curved circumferentially and the segments have a substantial wall thickness. These factors all make the segments extremely stiff lengthwise. The Seminario segments can not bend to permit the knurled grip to achieve full contact with the sleeve and the majority of the knurled surface has little or no contact with the wall. As a result, only limited twisting force may be applied to the Seminario tool before it slips. Although the Seminario sleeve puller is an improvement over the other prior art references described herein, it remains flawed because it lacks the gripping power needed to quickly and effectively free a frozen sleeve. 
     The problem of inadequate gripping power is overcome in the present invention by using expansible segments featuring two novel and unique innovations. First, the rigid expansible segments are made to be somewhat flexible. This is accomplished in the preferred embodiment by cutting a slot around the circumference of the segments and creating a flexible member on each segment. Second, the pressure ring against which the expander presses is recessed inside the end of the tool. The pressure ring is provided in the preferred embodiment by cutting a recessed step inside the end of the tool directly beneath the knurled grip. This allows the conical expander to exert a more uniform outwardly expansive pressure on the knurled areas of the segments. As a result of this more uniform outwardly expansive pressure, the flexible members on the segments bend and the knurl is pressed flatly against the sleeve. 
     These innovations provide approximately 10 times as much contact area between the knurl and the sleeve as does the Seminario tool. Since gripping power is directly proportional to the area of contact between the knurl and the sleeve, the present invention provides approximately 10 times as much gripping power as the Seminario tool. 
     Finally, it is noted here that even after a sleeve is broken free of the housing by applying sharp twisting forces, a significant percentage of sleeves remain extremely resistant to pulling. This is because the sleeve has four O-rings sealing it to the housing, and in most cases, these O-rings are frozen to the housing. Three of the O-rings are mounted perpendicular to the axis of the sleeve, referred to as the perpendicular O-rings, and one is at an oblique angle, referred to as the oblique O-ring. Twisting the sleeve breaks the oblique O-ring from the housing, but does not free the perpendicular O-rings. The sleeve rotates inside the perpendicular O-rings and they remain bonded to the housing. In these cases, a “final pull” is required to break the perpendicular O-rings from the housing. 
     Although the Seminario tool can apply twisting forces and break the sleeve and the oblique O-ring free from the housing, it does not have a separate provision for performing a final pull in cases where the perpendicular O-rings remain frozen. In these cases, it is up to the operator to pull with enough strength to break the perpendicular O-rings free. Many operators will not be able to do this manually and will need additional help or other tools to finish the job of pulling the sleeve. The Seminario tool is significantly deficient in that it does not provide for a final pull. 
     This deficiency is cured in the present invention by uniquely combining the tasks of the core puller and the sleeve puller by assembling the two separate elements of the cartridge puller into a combined tool to perform a strong final pull. This is accomplished by attaching the core puller to the end of the sleeve puller and pulling the sleeve puller and sleeve together in much the same manner as pulling a core. This task may be accomplished by a worker of average strength and skill. 
     It is estimated that about 10 percent of all Moen cartridges can be completely removed by pulling on the core and removing both the core and sleeve in one piece. In cases where the sleeve remains frozen inside the housing, the difficulty of removing the sleeve varies from moderate to severe. No existing tool provides a sure and simple method of removal in all cases. 
     Consequently, a need exists for a tool which is inexpensive, a tool which is safe and easy to use, a tool which removes both the core and the sleeve of the cartridge, a tool which is fast, a tool which can be used by do-it-yourselfers and a tool which works every time. The present invention accomplishes these objectives. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a tool which is capable of pulling Moen cartridges quickly and easily by a worker of average strength and skill regardless of the age or condition of the cartridge. The tool provides both core pulling and sleeve pulling capabilities. 
     The core puller of the present invention features a novel and unique combination screw containing two screw diameters including a right-hand thread for threading into the core or into the sleeve puller and a left-hand thread for exerting pulling force on the core or on the sleeve puller. 
     The sleeve puller of the present invention features expansible knurled segments similar to the Seminario tool but is much improved to provide superior gripping strength on the sleeve. Innovative and unique improvements include flexible segments and a recessed pressure ring. The sleeve puller also features a left-hand thread for expanding the grip and securing the sleeve puller inside the sleeve and a right-hand threaded hole at the outer end for attaching the core puller whenever a final pull is required. 
     Because of the extreme difficulty of removing the Moen cartridge, any truly successful tool design must provide: 
     (1) a quick and easy method of removing the core without fail every time; 
     (2) an easy and reliable method of removing the sleeve in cases where the sleeve is not removed with the core; 
     (3) a tool which can perform a final pull in cases where O-rings are frozen to the housing; 
     (4) a simple tool that the handyman or homeowner can understand and operate; and 
     (5) a very producible tool that the homeowner can easily afford. 
     The present invention satisfies all of these requirements. 
     OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful cartridge puller for Moen cartridges. Further objectives and advantages of the present invention are to provide: 
     (a) a cartridge puller consisting of a core puller, a sleeve puller and an interchangeable handle; 
     (b) a cartridge puller which is economical to manufacture; 
     (c) a cartridge puller which will pull a cartridge regardless of how firmly it is frozen inside the housing; 
     (d) a cartridge puller which inexperienced workers of average strength and skill may use easily and successfully; 
     (e) a cartridge puller which is durable enough for the professional and inexpensive enough for the handyman or homeowner; 
     (f) a cartridge puller which can perform a final pull in cases where O-rings are frozen to the housing; 
     (g) a cartridge puller which reduces the time and effort for the removal of cartridges and increases productivity; 
     (h) a cartridge puller which overcomes the limitations and disadvantages of cartridge pullers heretofore provided; 
     (i) a core puller which is self-centering on the housing and does not require additional tools to operate; 
     (j) a core puller which is easy to attach to the core and supports itself when so attached; 
     (k) a core puller which can be operated simply and quickly; 
     (l) a sleeve puller having an innovative gripping design which provides superior grip on the sleeve so that it can be twisted left-and-right vigorously to break the sleeve from the housing; 
     (m) a sleeve puller which has an external hex on its body for the attachment of a wrench to apply substantial, sharp twisting forces; 
     (n) a handle which features a novel and unique design allowing it to be exchanged between the core puller and the sleeve puller as needed; 
     (o) a handle which is slidably attached for greater convenience and leverage. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows the three major components of the cartridge puller tool consisting of a handle, a core puller, and a sleeve puller. 
         FIG. 2  shows the preferred embodiment of the interchangeable handle. 
         FIG. 3  shows the preferred embodiment of the core puller in partial section engaged with a core. 
         FIG. 4  shows the preferred embodiment of the sleeve puller. 
         FIG. 5  shows the sleeve puller in partial section engaged with a sleeve. The handle is removed allowing easy access to the external hex and thread on the sleeve puller. 
         FIG. 6  shows the core puller attached to the sleeve puller in preparation for a final pull. 
         FIG. 7  shows a cartridge inside a housing. 
         FIG. 8  shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the sleeve puller engaged with a sleeve. 
         FIG. 9  shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of a prior art sleeve puller engaged with a sleeve. 
         FIG. 10  shows the prior art core puller operation. 
     
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMBERS IN DRAWINGS 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 10 
                 handle 
                 12 
                 shaft 
                 14 
                 O-ring 
               
               
                 16 
                 groove 
                 20 
                 core puller 
                 22 
                 left-hand screw 
               
               
                 24 
                 right-hand screw 
                 26 
                 body 
                 28 
                 left-hand thread 
               
               
                 32 
                 cavity 
                 34 
                 combination screw 
                 36 
                 hole 
               
               
                 38 
                 core 
                 40 
                 snap ring 
                 42 
                 snap ring groove 
               
               
                 46 
                 sleeve 
                 47 
                 perpendicular O-ring 
                 48 
                 housing 
               
               
                 49 
                 oblique O-ring 
                 50 
                 sleeve puller 
                 52 
                 shaft 
               
               
                 53 
                 hole 
                 54 
                 external hex 
                 55 
                 right-hand thread 
               
               
                 56 
                 body 
                 60 
                 left-hand thread 
                 61 
                 left-hand screw 
               
               
                 62 
                 pressure ring 
                 63 
                 groove 
                 64 
                 conical expander 
               
               
                 66 
                 knurled grip 
                 68 
                 grip contact area 
                 70 
                 flexible member 
               
               
                 72 
                 slot 
                 74 
                 segment 
                 80 
                 cartridge 
               
               
                 81 
                 tube 
                 82 
                 bar 
                 83 
                 handle 
               
               
                 84 
                 screw 
                 85 
                 spacer element 
                 90 
                 prior art 
               
               
                 92 
                 segment 
                 93 
                 pressure ring 
                 94 
                 conical expander 
               
               
                 96 
                 grip contact area 
                 98 
                 knurled grip 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 1  shows the three components of the cartridge puller tool which are used in combination to perform the two tasks of core pulling and sleeve pulling required to pull a cartridge. Although the tool is shown as three components, they are designed to work interactively and interdependently to accomplish the single objective of pulling a cartridge. In that sense, the three components together make up a single tool. The tool components are handle  10 , core puller  20 , and sleeve puller  50 . Handle  10  is designed to attach-and-detach quickly and easily to and from core puller  20  and sleeve puller  50  as needed to perform the cartridge pulling task. 
     The preferred embodiment of handle  10  is shown in  FIG. 2  and is composed of shaft  12  having grooves  16  at each end containing removable O-rings  14 . Handle  10  possesses two novel and unique features which reduce cost and add to the overall usefulness of the tool. First, handle  10  is quickly detachable-and-attachable so it may be used by both core puller  20  and sleeve puller  50 . Second, handle  10  can slide back-and-forth on the tool to provide better grip, leverage and access. 
     To make handle  10  easily detachable, grooves  16  are configured such that when O-ring  14  is seated in groove  16 , the top half of O-ring  14  stands above the surface of shaft  12 . As a result, O-ring  14  provides a very secure retainer for handle  10  and cannot be displaced even by pulling strongly on handle  10 . At the same time, O-ring  14  is easily removed by rolling it off of shaft  12  with thumb pressure. This allows handle  10  to be moved quickly from core puller  20  to sleeve puller  50  and visa-versa. 
     Removing handle  10  from the tool also allows better access to the tool shaft and body. This is important for sleeve puller  50  as shown in  FIG. 6  where sleeve puller  50  is assembled together with core puller  20  to perform a final pull on a sleeve having frozen-in O-rings. Here it is shown that handle  10  must be removed from sleeve puller  50  to allow core puller  20  to be attached to right-hand thread  55 . Also,  FIG. 5  shows sleeve puller  50  with handle  10  removed so that a wrench, such as a box wrench, may be easily attached to external hex  54 . The wrench is then used to twist sleeve puller  50  sharply left-and-right to break up sediment holding sleeve  46  inside housing  48 . 
     The second feature of handle  10  is its ability to slide back-and-forth on the tool. The diameter of shaft  12  is slightly smaller than the diameter of transverse hole  36  of core puller  20  and transverse hole  53  of sleeve puller  50 . Handle  10  is free to slide back-and-forth as the tool is used. This adds to the ease of use and effectiveness of the tool. For instance, it makes one-hand operation easier by sliding handle  10  to the right for right hand turning or to the left for left hand turning. In cases where clearance is restricted on one side, handle  10  easily slides out of the way to avoid interference. Also, the slidable handle  10  is easier for the operator to use from an anatomical point of view because it is easier to grip and turn a handle which is fully extended to one side than it is to grip and turn a handle which is in a fixed, centered position. 
       FIG. 3  shows the preferred embodiment of core puller  20  in partial section engaged with core  38 . Core puller  20  is composed of generally cylindrical body  26 , combination screw  34  and handle  10 . Combination screw  34  contains transverse hole  36  at one end for slidably mounting handle  10 , followed by left-hand screw  22  to engage left-hand thread  28  of body  26  followed by right-hand screw  24  to engage core  38 . 
     It was found that core puller  20  automatically aligns, centers and supports itself on housing  48  when screw  24  engages core  38  because of the rigid attachment of screw  22  to body  26 . Therefore, combination screw  34  not only serves as a means to pull core  38 , but also serves to rigidly align, center and support core puller  20 . 
     Once core puller  20  is attached to core  38  as shown in  FIG. 3 , turning handle  10  clockwise tightens right-hand screw  24  into core  38  and at the same time withdraws left-hand screw  22  out of body  26 . Continued turning pulls core  38  out of housing  48  and into cavity  32 . Core  38  turns freely inside sleeve  46  as it is drawn into cavity  32  and, if sleeve  46  is not frozen inside housing  48 , sleeve  46  is drawn out along with core  38 . The cartridge is then withdrawn from housing  48  by pulling handle  10 . It was found that because core puller  20  is automatically aligned, centered and supported, removal of the core is a quick, simple, one-hand operation. Once screw  24  is attached to core  38  and body  26  is advanced along screw  22  to contact housing  48 , turning handle  10  clockwise compresses body  26  against housing  48 . This prevents body  26  from rotating as handle  10  is turned. Handle  10  may then be turned further by one hand to remove core  38 . 
     Neither the Hseu nor Seminario core puller has an attachment which rigidly aligns, centers and supports their tool. The long cylindrical bodies of their tools must be held against the housing with one hand while turning a bar (Seminario) or a handle (Hseu) with the other hand to apply pulling pressure to the core. In addition, their designs require that the screw also be held from turning while the bar or handle is turned. Using their tools is an awkward three-hand operation. This problem is illustrated in  FIG. 10  showing prior art  90  core puller. 
     Specifically,  FIG. 10  shows the mounting and pulling details of the Seminario core puller. The operation of the Hseu tool is similar. In  FIG. 10 , prior art  90  core puller is shown attached to core  38  but has not yet been tightened against housing  48 . Spacer element  85  is slid loosely onto screw  84  and generally slumps into an off-center position as shown by the dotted outline  85   a . As a result, spacer element  85  must be straightened by grasping the tube at positions A 1  and A 2  and sliding it toward housing  48  manually. At the same time, handle  83  must be gripped at positions B 1  and B 2  to keep screw  84  from turning while bar  82  is turned and advanced along screw  84 . Bar  82  is turned by using tube  81  as a crank handle as shown by circular arrow C. 
     The tool is poorly designed from an anatomical point of view because the hand holding the screw at positions B 1  and B 2  gets in the way of the hand turning the crank so the operator must turn, let go, reach over to re-grasp the crank, turn, let go, and repeat. There is much turning, letting go, reaching over and re-grasping until the tool is tightened down. In the mean time, spacer element  85  must be constantly realigned so bar  82  can advance properly. This clumsy operation is significantly inferior to the simple one-hand operation of the present invention previously described. The operation of the Hseu tool is similarly awkward. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 3 , in cases where sleeve  46  is firmly frozen inside housing  48 , pulling strongly on core  38  will cause core  38  to dislodge snap ring  40  from snap ring groove  42 . Core  38  will then come out of sleeve  46  leaving sleeve  46  frozen inside housing  48 . In practice, sleeve  46  is often left frozen inside housing  48 . In these cases, sleeve  46  is removed using sleeve puller  50 . 
     The preferred embodiment of sleeve puller  50  is shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Sleeve puller  50  is composed of generally tubular body  56 , shaft  52  and handle  10 . Shaft  52  has a centered hole at one end containing right-hand thread  55  to engage core puller  20  for a final pull, followed by transverse hole  53  for slidably mounting handle  10 , followed by left-hand screw  61  to engage left-hand thread  60  of body  56 , followed by conical expander  64  at the opposite end to provide pressure against pressure ring  62 . Body  56  has external hex  54  at one end for attaching a wrench and knurled grip  66  at the opposite end for gripping the wall of sleeve  46 . Lengthwise slots  72  are cut at intervals around body  56  dividing the circumference of body  56  into segments  74 . A recessed step is cut inside body  56  at a position located under knurled grip  66  to provide pressure ring  62 . Slots  72  are cut with enough length to allow knurled grip  66  to expand outwardly when conical expander  64  is pulled against pressure ring  62 . 
     It is an object of this invention that knurled grip  66  contact flatly against the wall of sleeve  46  in order to provide the maximum gripping power. Generally, segments  74  are extremely stiff due to their curvature, hardness and thickness. As a result, a flexing means must be added so that segments  74  bend with the application of moderate forces on pressure ring  62 . Such a flexing means for segments  74  is provided by adding one or more grooves  63  around the exterior circumference of body  56  adjacent to knurled grip  66  and at other positions along segments  74  as needed. Groove  63  functions to weaken the walls of segments  74  and create flexible members  70  along the length of segments  74 . This allows segments  74  to bend when outwardly expansive pressure is applied to pressure ring  62 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a cross-sectional view of sleeve puller  50  mounted inside sleeve  46  in preparation for loosening and removing sleeve  46  from housing  48 . As conical expander  64  is tightened, pressure ring  62  is expanded outwardly which forces flexible members  70  to bend and allow knurled grip  66  to be pressed into full, flat contact against the inner surface of sleeve  46 . Recessed pressure ring  62  and flexible segments  74  containing flexible members  70  are design innovations which provide approximately 10 times as much grip contact area as does prior art  90  sleeve puller. 
     To illustrate this increased grip contact area,  FIGS. 8 and 9  show enlarged cross-sectional views of the present invention sleeve puller  50  and prior art  90  sleeve puller as they would look when mounted inside sleeve  46  and fully tightened to grip sleeve  46 . The enlarged section of  FIG. 8  shows knurled grip  66  of the present invention in contact with sleeve  46  as it would be when conical expander  64  is fully tightened against recessed pressure ring  62 . Flexible member  70  is bent and allows knurled grip  66  to press into full contact with the wall of sleeve  46  resulting in full grip contact area  68 . 
       FIG. 9  shows prior art  90  sleeve puller with conical expander  94  fully tightened against pressure ring  93  and pressing segments  92  into contact with sleeve  46 . Pressure ring  93  is tapered and is located at the very end of segments  92 . Seminario indicates that the taper is intended to increase the contact area between knurled grip  98  and the wall of sleeve  46 . In fact, the taper does not work as desired and results in strong contact at the very tips of segments  92  and little or no contact for the rest of knurled grip  98 . Tapered pressure ring  93  is ineffective because segments  92  are extremely stiff and refuse to bend and allow knurled grip  98  to contact sleeve  46  flatly. As discussed earlier, segments  92  are inflexible because they are curved around their circumference, they are made of hardened steel and they are relatively thick. The Seminario tool does not have a flexing means on segments  92  necessary to achieve flat contact with sleeve  46 . As a result, tapered pressure ring  93  separates from conical expander  94  as shown in  FIG. 9  and only the tips of segments  92  contact the wall of sleeve  46 . The fractional grip contact area  96  of prior art  90  sleeve puller provides only about 10 percent of the gripping power of the full grip contact area  68  of the present invention sleeve puller  50 . 
     OPERATION 
     The following describes the steps in using the cartridge puller to remove a cartridge which is firmly frozen inside a housing. 
     Core puller  20  is attached to core  38  by screw  24  centering body  26  automatically on housing  48  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Handle  10  is turned clockwise to press body  26  against housing  48  and withdraw core  38  from sleeve  46 . Sleeve puller  50  is then used to remove sleeve  46 . 
     Sleeve puller  50  is shown in  FIG. 4  with handle  10  attached as it would be for insertion into a frozen sleeve. Sleeve puller  50  is inserted into sleeve  46  and handle  10  is turned clockwise to draw conical expander  64  into body  56  and against pressure ring  62 . Continued turning of handle  10  forces knurled grip  66  into strong, flat contact with sleeve  46  as shown in  FIG. 5 . If desired, handle  10  may be removed as shown in  FIG. 5  to provide easier access to external hex  54 . A wrench is then attached to external hex  54  and sleeve puller  50  is twisted left-and-right sharply and repeatedly to crumble the mineral sediment between sleeve  46  and housing  48 . 
     In some cases, sleeve  46  may then be withdrawn from housing  48 . In other cases, sleeve  46  remains stuck inside housing  48  even though sleeve  46  turns freely inside housing  46 . The reason for this is shown in  FIG. 7  where cartridge  80  is shown to have three perpendicular O-rings  47  and one oblique O-ring  49 . Twisting sleeve  46  frees it and oblique O-ring  49  from housing  48 , but it does not free the three perpendicular O-rings  47 . As noted before, this happens because sleeve  46  rotates inside perpendicular O-rings  47 . 
     In cases where perpendicular O-rings  47  remain frozen to housing  48 , it is still very difficult to remove sleeve  46 . Perpendicular O-rings  47  must be broken free by pulling strongly on sleeve  46 . In these cases, a final pull is accomplished by attaching right-hand screw  24  of core puller  20  to right-hand thread  55  of sleeve puller  50  as shown in  FIG. 6 . As was the case in pulling core  38 , attachment of core puller  20  to sleeve puller  50  aligns, centers and supports core puller  20  on housing  48 . Sleeve puller  50  and sleeve  46  are then pulled out much as core  38  was in a previous step. Handle  10  is turned clockwise which tightens right-hand screw  24  of core puller  20  into right-hand thread  55  of sleeve puller  50  and at the same time tightens conical expander  64  against pressure ring  62 . Continued turning pulls sleeve puller  50  and sleeve  46  completely out of housing  48 . 
     It is clear that the unique combination of tool components consisting of handle  10 , core puller  20  and sleeve puller  50  which are used in combination to preform all the tasks required for cartridge removal is a novel and complete solution to the extremely difficult job of pulling frozen cartridges. This unique cartridge puller quickly and easily pulls cores and sleeves by allowing the operator to combine tool components as needed to remove cores, loosen sleeves and do a final pull. 
     CONCLUSIONS, RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE 
     From the foregoing description it is seen that the present invention provides a very simple, efficient, low cost and reliable method of removing cartridges from housings. 
     While in the foregoing there has been set forth the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated that the details herein given may be varied by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the appended claims. 
     Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than the examples given.