Abstract:
A wire routing tool includes a guiding tip, a malleable shaft having a first end operatively connected to said guiding tip and a second end, and a guiding head having a first end operatively connected to said second end of said malleable shaft and a second end including a connector.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field 
         [0002]    The present disclosure relates generally to hand tools, and more particularly, to the operation and use of a hand tool configured to route wire through substantially inaccessible spaces such as behind dashboards or under the lining of a vehicle&#39;s interior. 
         [0003]    2. Background 
         [0004]    Traditionally, car audio installation technicians and enthusiasts struggle with routing the necessary cables to their appropriate destination when installing the many aftermarket components manufactured in the industry. This struggle may arise due to the relatively tight space constraints that one is to work within while installing or troubleshooting these components. At present, one of ordinary skill in the art must be immensely creative in fashioning a tool that would allow them to route a wire through a dashboard&#39;s many crevices, harnesses, and other obstacles. As such, there is a need in the art for a tool that would easily allow one to attach the needed cable at one end of a tool, use the tool to route over and under the various obstacles, and pull through the cable in order to readily connect it to the appropriate component. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    One aspect of a wire routing tool is disclosed. A wire routing tool includes a guiding tip, a malleable shaft having a first end operatively connected to said guiding tip and a second end, and a guiding head having a first end operatively connected to said second end of said malleable shaft and a second end including a connector. 
         [0006]    Another aspect of a wire routing tool is disclosed. A wire routing tool includes a malleable shaft having first and second opposite said first end, means, located at said first end of said malleable shaft, for guiding said malleable shaft, and means, located at said second end of said malleable shaft, for supporting a connector. 
         [0007]    One aspect of a method for routing wire through a substantially inaccessible space with a wire routing tool is also disclosed. The method includes acquiring a wire routing tool having a guiding tip, a malleable shaft having a first end operatively connected to said guiding tip and a second end, and a guiding head having a first end operatively connected to said second end of said malleable shaft and a second end including a connector, connecting a wire to said connector, routing said wire through said substantially inaccessible space by guiding said guiding tip through a first opening in said substantially inaccessible space, and pulling said guiding tip from a second opening in said substantially inaccessible space. 
         [0008]    These, as well as other objects, features and benefits will now become clear from a review of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments and the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    Aspects of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates the conventional use of a wire routing tool when used to route cables through a vehicle&#39;s dashboard; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a wire routing tool; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a top elevational view of the guiding head portion of the wire routing tool; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a wire routing tool with illumination; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a wire routing tool wherein the guiding head portion has a hollow. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings are intended as a description of various embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  illustrates the use of a wire routing tool when used to route cables through a vehicle&#39;s dashboard. The wire routing tool  200  (see  FIG. 2 ) may be used to guide wire  108  as illustrated. The wire  108  is connected to the guiding head  106  of the wire routing tool  200 . Due to the malleable and flexible nature of the shaft  104 , a user is able to manipulate the wire routing tool  200  to conform with endless variations of foreseeable obstacles. Though the shaft  104  is capable of being flexed and manipulated into a temporarily rigid structure before inserting the guiding point  102 , upon insertion into the substantially inaccessible cavity, the shaft  104  remains flexible enough so as to allow a user to pull the shaft  104  through with relative ease. Once the wire routing tool  200  has been substantially pulled through the largely inaccessible cavity, the guiding head  106  will have cleared the opening enough to allow a user to manually disconnect the wire  108 . Upon disconnecting the wire  108  from the guiding head  106 , a user is able to connect the now pre-routed wire  108  onto the respective component. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a wire routing tool. The wire routing tool  200  may be comprised of three joined portions: the guiding point  102 , the shaft  104 , and the guiding head  106 . The guiding head  106  bears structural features that allow for the temporary connection of the wire  108  to be routed. For example, the guiding head  106  may have one or more RCA connectors  202  or jacks for plugging in a cable with RCA-type plugs. Thus, a user wishing to route a cable through a substantially inaccessible space will plug the wire  108  they choose to route into the RCA connectors  202  and use the wire routing tool  200  to guide the cable through the space until the guiding point  102  or the shaft  104  are accessible enough to be pulled through manually. 
         [0018]    In addition, the guiding head  106  may also have an aperture  204  that allows a user to insert a small gauge wire that may need to be routed. One of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that the size of the aperture  204  is only limited by the size of the guiding head  106 . The larger the aperture  204 , the larger gauge wire that one would be able to insert into the aperture  204 . The term aperture may be construed as hole, opening, orifice, or any other means so as to allow small gauge wire to pass through the aperture. Generally, the guiding head  106  may readily incorporate an aperture  204  that will accept wire with a gauge of greater than 8 AWG (American Wire Gauge) without substantially reducing the effectiveness that the guiding head  106  may have in navigating through obstacles. 
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a top elevational view of the guiding head portion of the wire routing tool. The guiding head  106 , as illustrated, may have the ability to route two different type of wire: an RCA-type wire  108 , typically utilized to connect audio and video components, and a small gauge wire  302 . One attempting to route the RCA-type wire  108  may simply connect the RCA male ends into the one or more RCA connectors  202  and then use the wire routing tool  200  with connected wire  108  to route through the substantially inaccessible space. Although not depicted, one of ordinary skill in the art may reinforce the wire  108  and RCA connector  202  connection by using tape. This may minimize the ability of the wire  108  becoming inadvertently disconnected from the RCA connector  202  while attempting to route. 
         [0020]    Likewise, one may want to route small gauge wire that does not have RCA-type connector ends, in which case the user may insert the small gauge wire  302  through the aperture  204  on the guiding head  106 . The user may then tie a knot at the end of the wire  302  so as to prevent the wire from slipping out of the aperture  204 . Although tying a knot at the end of the wire  302  may prevent it from unintentionally slipping out of the aperture  204 , one of ordinary skill in the art may just as easily use tape or other similar adhesive in lieu of tying a knot in order to accomplish the same thing. 
         [0021]    Once the user has successfully routed the entire wire routing tool  200  through the substantially inaccessible space, the user may manually disconnect the wire  108  from the connector  202  and connect the newly routed wire  108  to the audio or video device to be installed. Similarly, the user may manually untie or cut the knotted portion of the small gauge wire  302 , remove from the aperture  204  and connect the newly routed small gauge wire  302  to the respective device. 
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a wire routing tool with illumination. In this representative embodiment an LED (light emitting diode)  402  may be incorporated onto he guiding head  102  for lighting the routing path. Although an on/off switch may be placed anywhere on the wire routing tool  200 , for ease of placement and in order to maintain its relatively smooth contours, one of ordinary skill in the art may integrate the illuminating circuitry into the wire routing tool  200  by placing the on/off switch  406  on the guiding head  106 . The illuminating circuitry may obtain its power from a battery  404  that may be installed in the guiding head  106 . In addition, the illuminating circuitry may extend about the length of the shaft  104 , through the guiding tip  102 , and arrive at the LED  402  so as to allow the on/off switch  406  to control the power to the LED  402 . Although this embodiment illustrates the use of an LED as the illuminating source, one of ordinary skill in the art may just as easily replace it with an incandescent lamp, a fluorescent light, a high-intensity discharge lamp, or any other similar illumination device. 
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a wire routing tool wherein the guiding head portion has a void for receiving a cable end connector. As an alternative embodiment to the above, the guiding head  106  may be replaced with a guiding head  502 . The guiding head  502  has a void  504  that substantially mimics the outline of an RCA connector end. The guiding head  502  allows a user to insert a wire  108  having an RCA connector end into the void  504  without having to user the previously mentioned connectors  202 . Subsequent to inserting the wire  108  jack into the void  504 , a user is able to route through the substantially inaccessible space as previously explained. 
         [0024]    While the specification describes particular embodiments of the present invention, those of ordinary skill can devise variations of the present invention without departing from the inventive concept. Also, the previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments described herein. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”