# Patent

## Title
Pipe separator

## Abstract

A pipe separator for separating pipes at a pipe joint includes an elongate shaft and an engagement portion. The engagement portion is configured to be mounted adjacent to a pipe joint. A force is applied to the pipe separator to separate the pipes at the joint without damaging the pipes.

## Background
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/220,345, filed on Aug. 29, 2011, entitled PIPE SEPARATOR, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by specific reference.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of tools used for assembly of pipes and pipe systems, such as complex sprinkler pipe systems. Specifically, the present invention relates to a device for separating a pipe assembly.
2. The Relevant Technology
When assembling a system of pipes, such as PVC sprinkler pipes, it is often desirable to temporarily couple two lengths of pipe together, and then check the positioning of the pipes to ensure the pipes fit properly before they are permanently affixed. However, once the pipes are temporary coupled, they tend to become stuck together, even in the absence of an affixing agent (e.g., pipe glue).
This problem can be partially attributable to the low tolerance between the outer diameter of the male end of the first pipe and the inner diameter of the female end of the second pipe. Additionally, when disengaging pipes from an assembly, the tangential force exerted must be sufficient to overcome the static coefficient of friction. When pipes are initially coupled together, the tangential force required to keep the pipes sliding relative to each other is low because the pipes are already in motion as the surfaces of the pipe contact each other. Therefore, the tangential force exerted when coupling the pipes together must only be sufficient to overcome the sliding coefficient of friction. However, after the pipes are coupled together, a much larger tangential force is required to disengage the pipes from each other because the static coefficient of friction is typically much greater than the sliding coefficient of friction. Because the tangential force required to disengage the pipes from each other is so large, it is often difficult to disengage a temporarily coupled pipe by hand.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pipe separator for separating one pipe from another pipe at a pipe joint interface, the pipe joint being formed by a male portion fitted within a female portion. The pipe separator includes an elongate shaft for grasping by a user in order to hold the pipe separator adjacent to the pipe joint. Additionally, the shaft has a gripping portion which can be made out of a cushioning material. The pipe separator also has an engagement portion linked to the elongate shaft. The engagement portion has a bottom mounting surface and a side surface. The engagement portion is configured to be mounted on the male end of a pipe, adjacent to a pipe joint, such that the bottom mounting surface contacts the male end of the pipe, and such that the side surface of the engagement portion contacts the rim of the female portion of the pipe joint.
A further embodiment of the invention relates to a pipe separating kit that includes a shaft having a gripping portion, wherein the gripping portion is made of a cushioning material and multiple engagement portions that are selectively attachable to the shaft. The engagement portions of the pipe separating kit are configured to be mounted to the male end of a pipe, adjacent to a pipe joint, such that the side surface of the engagement portion contacts the rim of the female portion of the pipe joint.
The invention also includes a method of separating a pipe from a pipe joint, the method involving a pipe separator comprising: (i) a shaft having a gripping portion, wherein the gripping portion is made of a cushioning material, and (ii) an engagement portion that is configured to be mounted on the male end of a pipe, adjacent to a pipe joint, such that the side surface of the engagement portion contacts the rim of the female portion of the pipe joint. This method further includes steps of mounting the pipe separator to the male end of a pipe in a location directly adjacent to the rim of the female portion of a pipe joint, and applying a force sufficient to disengage the pipe from the joint. Thus, the pipe separator can be conveniently used to separate pipes without damage them.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only illustrated embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an exemplary pipe separator according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the assembled exemplary pipe separator in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a view of a pipe separator of the present invention showing engagement portions that can be interchangeably attached to the shaft of the pipe separator to allow the pipe separator to feature engagement portions of differing sizes.
FIG. 5 is another embodiment of the present invention showing a gripping portion of the pipe separator in the form of a second engagement portion at the end opposite the interchangeable engagement portion.
FIG. 5A is an additional embodiment of the present inventions showing a pipe separator with selectively interchangeable engagement portions at either end of the elongate shaft.
FIG. 6A is a functional representation of the pipe separator of FIG. 1 depicting the engagement portion thereof engaging the outer diameter of the male portion of the pipe joint in a location directly adjacent to the rim of the female portion of the pipe joint.
FIG. 6B depicts a force being applied to the side of the engaged pipe separator (depicted in FIG. 6A) in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the pipe.
FIG. 6C is a depiction of two pieces of pipe being separated from each other as a force is applied to a side of the engaged pipe separator, further depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention relates to a pipe separator for separating one pipe from another pipe at a pipe joint interface where the joint being separated is formed by a male portion of one pipe fitted within a female portion of a second pipe. The pipe separator includes an elongate shaft which can be grasped by a user in order to hold the pipe separator adjacent to the pipe joint interface. The elongate shaft is also fitted with a gripping portion which can be made out of a cushioning material. The cushioning material for the gripping portion can be composed of any number of materials including, but not limited to, rubber, leather, or soft plastic.
The pipe separator also has an engagement portion linked to the elongate shaft. The engagement portion of the pipe separator has a bottom mounting surface and opposing side surfaces. The engagement portion is configured to be mounted on the male end of a pipe, adjacent to a pipe joint, such that the bottom mounting surface of the engagement portion contacts the male end of the pipe, and such that one side surface of the engagement portion contacts the rim of the female portion of the pipe joint. The engagement portion can be further selected from a group of engagement portions which vary in size according to the outer diameter of the male portion of the pipe that is to be separated. This configuration enables the user to interchangeably mount engagement portions of differing size to the elongate shaft according to the diameter of pipe that is to be separated.
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an exemplary pipe separator 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Pipe separator 10 comprises: a shaft 12, a gripping portion at the upper end 14, a receiving portion at the lower end 16, an engagement portion 18 that is selectively attachable to receiving portion 16, and couplers 20 and 22.
In an exemplary embodiment, the gripping portion at the upper end 14 of the elongate shaft 12 can be made of shock absorbing rubber material. This material is suitable for the gripping portion because it provides a non-slip surface when grasped by the hand of a user and dissipates any vibrations which may travel along the elongate shaft when a force is applied to side surface of the engagement portion during separation of the pipes.
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the assembled exemplary pipe separator 10 in FIG. 1. Additionally, FIG. 2 shows assembly of the exploded pipe separator in FIG. 1 with the engagement portion attached to the elongated shaft at the receiving portion. FIG. 2 also provides a view of one of the side surfaces of the engagement portion of the pipe separator which is configured to contact the rim of the female portion of the pipe joint assembly. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of FIG. 2. Like FIG. 2, FIG. 3 also shows an assembled view of pipe separator 10.
FIG. 4 is a view of a pipe separating kit of the present invention showing engagement portions 18, 30, 32, 34, and 36 that are selectively replaceable. The selectively replaceable engagement portions are further configured to be interchangeably attached to the shaft 12 of the pipe separator at the receiving portion 16 to allow the pipe separator to feature engagement portions of differing sizes. The engagement portions 18, 30, 32, 34, and 36 are manufactured with inner diameters of progressively increasing size to allow the pipe separator to be mounted to the male end of pipes of varying sizes. In this design, the inner diameter of the engagement portion is large enough to allow the male pipe that is to be separated to fit inside the engagement portion of the pipe separator, but not so large that the female portion of the pipe joint assembly would also fit within its inner diameter.
Thus, the inner diameter of each engagement portion is larger than the outer diameter of the male joint portion and smaller than the outer diameter of the female joint portion. Constraining the diameter of the selected engagement portion in this manner allows the pipe separator to fit over the male portion of the pipe joint assembly, while ensuring that a side surface of the engagement portion makes contact with the rim of the female portion of the pipe joint assembly when the pipe separator is engaged with the pipe joint assembly.
In an exemplary embodiment, the engagement portions 18, 30, 32, 34, and 36 are manufactured such that the inner diameter of the engagement portions are sized to accept 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, and 2.0 inch pipes made out of polyvinyl chloride. FIG. 5 is another embodiment of a pipe separator 10a, pipe separator 10a having an upper end 14a in the form of a second engagement portion, which is at the end opposite the interchangeable engagement portion 18. In this embodiment, the second engagement portion has a fixed inner diameter and is permanently affixed to the elongate shaft. The inner diameter of second engagement portion can be selected to be mounted on the outer diameter of the pipe used most prevalently by the user so that engagement portion does not need to be switched out each time the user desires to separate a pipe from a pipe joint interface.
FIG. 5A is an alternative embodiment of the present inventions where the second engagement portion at the upper end 14a is selectively replaceable, similar to the selectively replaceable engagement portion of FIG. 4. This alternative configuration, with interchangeable engagement portions at both ends of the pipe separator 10a, allows a user to select two different engagement portions as needed by the user.
FIG. 6A is a functional representation of the pipe separator 10 of FIG. 1 depicting a pipe separator having an elongate shaft 12, the elongate shaft having an upper gripping portion 14, and an engagement portion 18. The pipe joint shown in FIG. 6A is an example of a pipe joint for use with separator 10, however, a pipe separator 10 can be used on a variety of different joints.
FIG. 6A further shows the engagement portion 18 of the pipe separator being mounted onto the outer diameter of the male portion 40 of the pipe joint 41 in a mounting location 42 directly adjacent to the rim 44 of the female portion 46 of the pipe joint. As mentioned previously, the inner diameter of the engagement portion 18 is selected to ensure that the male portion 40 of the pipe joint assembly 41 fits within the engagement portion, but is small enough so that a side surface of the engagement portion still contacts the rim 44 of the female portion 46 of the pipe joint 41.
FIG. 6B depicts a force 50 being applied to a side of the engaged pipe separator 10 in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the pipe assembly 52, the force being applied by striking the pipe separator with a hammer 54, for example. While the force in this embodiment is applied by striking the pipe separator 10 with a hammer 54, other embodiments are also envisioned where the force could be applied to the pipe separator 10 by a metal pipe, a wrench, or any another tool. Alternatively, a force could be applied by merely sliding the engaged pipe separator 10 laterally along the length of the pipe, towards the pipe joint, until the pipe separator 10 contacts the rim of the female portion 46 of the pipe joint assembly 52. The sliding force applied in this manner should be sufficient to disengage the pipes from the pipe joint assembly 52. Finally, rather than a striking force, other embodiments could include applying either a prying or a pushing force to the pipe separator in order to separate the pipes. Thus, in one embodiment, the force is applied by pressing the pipe separator against the joint. In another embodiment, the force is applied by prying the pipe separator against the joint. In yet another embodiment, applying the force further comprises (i) sliding the pipe separator laterally along the length of the pipe towards the pipe joint; and (ii) contacting the rim of the female portion of the pipe joint with a force sufficient to disengage the pipe from the pipe joint. These are various examples of applying the separating force to separate the joint wherein the force to separate the joint is applied by moving the pipe separator against the rim of the female portion of the pipe joint with sufficient force to separate the joint.
FIG. 6C is a depiction of two pieces of pipe 56 and 58 being separated from each other as a force 60 is applied, in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the pipe, to a side of the engaged pipe separator 10 (further depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B). As the force 60 is applied to the pipe separator 10, the force 60 is transferred through the pipe separator to the rim 44 of the female portion 46 of the pipe assembly 52. As the force is transferred to the female portion 46 of the pipe joint assembly 52 the pipe separator 10 and the female portion 46 of the pipe continue in motion, away from the male portion 40 of the pipe joint assembly 52, while the male portion 40 remains in place. This motion causes the female portion 46 and the male portion 40 of the pipe joint assembly 52 to become separated. In an additional embodiment, the force 60 is applied directly to the engagement portion 18 rather than to the end of the shaft 12 opposite the gripping portion 14.
One embodiment of the present invention envisions the pipes to be separated being made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), however, the pipes could be made from any material commonly used to manufacture pipes. The pipe assembly 52 to be separated can be selected from the group of pipes consisting of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, or 4 inch pipe, for example, although a variety of different sizes of pipe can be separated with pipe separator 10.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

## Claims

1. A pipe separating kit comprising:
a shaft having a gripping portion and a receiving portion; and
a plurality of interchangeable engagement portions that are selectively, interchangeably attachable to the receiving portion of the shaft, wherein the plurality of interchangeable engagement portions are each configured to be mounted to respective male portions of different sized pipes, adjacent to a pipe joint formed by a respective male portion fitted within a respective female portion, such that a bottom mounting surface of each engagement portion contacts the respective male portion of the pipe and a side surface of each engagement portion contacts a rim of the respective female portion of the pipe joint, and wherein an inner diameter of a first of the plurality of interchangeable engagement portions is larger than an inner diameter of a second of the plurality of interchangeable engagement portions.

2. A pipe separating kit as in claim 1, wherein the gripping portion comprises a cushioning material, wherein the cushioning material comprises rubber, leather, or plastic.

3. A pipe separating kit, comprising:
a shaft having a gripping portion at an upper end thereof and a receiving portion at a lower end thereof; and
first and second engagement portions that are selectively, interchangeably mountable to the receiving portion, wherein the first engagement portion has an inner diameter that is larger than an inner diameter of the second engagement portion; and
one or more couplers for selectively, interchangeably attaching the first or the second engagement portion to the receiving portion of the elongate shaft.

4. A pipe separating kit as in claim 1, further comprising one or more couplers for selectively attaching one of the plurality of interchangeable engagement portions to the receiving portion of the shaft.

5. A pipe separating kit as in claim 1, wherein the first of the plurality of interchangeable engagement portions has an inner diameter that is greater than a width of the first of the plurality of interchangeable engagement portions and the second of the plurality of interchangeable engagement portions has an inner diameter that is less than or equal to a width of the second of the plurality of interchangeable engagement portions.

6. A pipe separating kit as in claim 3, wherein the plurality of interchangeable engagement portions includes:
a first selectively attachable engagement portion, wherein the first selectively attachable engagement portion has an inner diameter that is smaller than a width of the first engagement portion; and
a second selectively attachable engagement portion, wherein the second selectively attachable engagement portion has an inner diameter that is greater than or equal to a width of the second engagement portion.

7. A pipe separator kit as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second engagement portions has a fixed inner diameter.

8. A pipe separator kit as in claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of at least one of the first and second engagement portions is larger than or equal to a width of said at least one of the first and second engagement portions.

9. A pipe separator kit as in claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of at least one of the first and second engagement portions is smaller than a width of said at least one of the first and second engagement portions.

10. A pipe separator kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the gripping portion is disposed at an upper end of the shaft and the receiving portion is disposed at a lower end of the shaft.

11. A pipe separator kit as in claim 10, wherein at least one of the plurality of interchangeable engagement portions is selectively, interchangeably attachable to the upper end of the shaft.

12. A pipe separator kit as in claim 10, wherein the upper end of the shaft comprises an additional engagement portion.

13. A pipe separator kit as in claim 12, wherein the additional engagement portion has a fixed inner diameter.

14. A pipe separator kit as in claim 1, further comprising a striking surface, the striking surface being positioned on a side of the shaft or on a side of at least one of the plurality of interchangeable engagement portions, the striking surface being configured to receive a striking force.

15. A pipe separating kit as in claim 3, further comprising a striking surface, the striking surface being positioned on a side of the shaft or a side of at least one of the first and second engagement portions, the striking surface being configured to receive a striking force.

16. A pipe separator kit as in claim 3, wherein the gripping portion comprises a cushioning material, the cushioning material comprising rubber, leather, or plastic.

17. A pipe separating kit as in claim 3, wherein the upper end of the shaft comprises an additional engagement portion.

18. A pipe separating kit as in claim 3, wherein at least one of the first and second engagement portions is selectively, interchangeably attachable to the upper end of the shaft.

19. A pipe separating kit as in claim 3, wherein the inner diameter of at least one of the first and second engagement portions is smaller than a width of said at least one of the first and second engagement portions.

20. A pipe separating kit as in claim 3, wherein the inner diameter of at least one of the first and second engagement portions is larger than or equal to a width of said at least one of the first and second engagement portions.