Abstract:
A tire spoon holder is provided. The tire spoon holder may include: a first and second handle; a first and second jaw, each jaw connected to at least one of the handles wherein the jaws are configured to come together when the handles are moved toward each other; and a loop attached to at least one jaw or handle. A method of attaching a tire spoon to a wheel rim may be provided. The method may include: attaching a tire spoon holder to a wheel rim; slipping a tire spoon through a loop in the tire spoon holder; and inserting a flat portion of the tire spoon between a tire and the wheel rim.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to tools used for removing tires from wheel rims. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tire spoon holder. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Manual removal of tires from wheel rims has always been a challenging job. With the advent of new tire technology, including high performance tires and low profile tires that have tire side walls that are stiffer and are much shorter than they have historically been. Tire side walls are becoming increasingly stiff making what was always a challenging job even more challenging. 
         [0003]    Tire spoons have long been used to assist in removing and installing tires and the wheel rims. Tire spoons are often long steel rods having a flat section on one end or, in some instances, either end. 
         [0004]    Often, two tire spoons are used. In the first step, the mechanic will get one spoon inserted between the tire and rim and use that spoon to pry the tire edge over the rim. The mechanic will attempt to hold this first spoon in place while working and inserting a second spoon. Manipulating the second spoon often requires the use of two hands so in order to keep the first spoon in place the mechanic will often have to use a knee or legs in some fashion. Due to the awkwardness of a single mechanic attempting to operate two tire spoons, it is not usual for the first spoon to slip out of the mechanic&#39;s grasp thereby creating an undesirable situation. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide a method and/or an apparatus that can anchor or hold the first spoon in place and thereby allowing a mechanic to have his attention at operating the second tire spoon to remove the tire from the wheel rim. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in one aspect an apparatus is provided that in some embodiments provides a method and apparatus that will hold a first tire spoon in place. Once the first tire spoon is held in place, the mechanic may apply his attention to the operation of the second tire spoon without having to hold the first tire spoon at the same time. 
         [0007]    In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a tire spoon holder is provided. The tire spoon holder may include: a first and second handle; a first and second jaw, each jaw connected to at least one of the handles wherein the jaws are configured to come together when the handles are moved toward each other; and a loop attached to at least one jaw or handle. 
         [0008]    In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method of attaching a tire spoon to a wheel rim may be provided. The method may include: attaching a tire spoon holder to a wheel rim; slipping a tire spoon through a loop in the tire spoon holder; and inserting a flat portion of the tire spoon between a tire and the wheel rim. 
         [0009]    In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a tire spoon holder is provided. The tire spoon holder may include: means for gripping; means for clamping wherein the means for clamping are configured to clamp when the means for gripping is closed; and means for attaching a tire spoon to the tire spoon holder. 
         [0010]    There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
         [0011]    In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0012]    As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a tire spoon holder according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a tire spoon holder in accordance with an embodiment of the invention holding a tire spoon in place. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a tire spoon holder holding a tire spoon in place where the tire spoon has been inserted between the tire and the wheel rim. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating steps used in operation of the tire spoon holder. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a tire spoon holder that will clamp to a wheel rim and provide a structure for a mechanic to secure a tire spoon to a wheel rim when the flat end of the tire spoon has been inserted between a wheel rim and a tire. The tire spoon holder will allow a mechanic to secure a first tire spoon to a wheel rim and tire and operate a second tire spoon without having to constantly hold the first tire spoon. 
         [0018]    An embodiment in accordance with the invention, is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The tire spoon holder  10  is illustrated. The tire spoon holder  10  may, in some embodiments of the invention, include a modified set of vice grip pliers  12 . The tire spoon holder  10  may include jaws  14  and a tire spoon holding structure  16 . 
         [0019]    The tire spoon holder  10  may include a lower handle  18  and upper handle  20 . The lower handle  18  may include an adjusting knob  22 . The tire spoon holder  10  may include a locking structure  24 . The tire spoon holder  10  may also include a lower jaw  26 . The lower jaw  26  may, in some embodiments, include a curved lower jaw plate  28 . The curved lower jaw plate  28  may be wider that the lower jaw  26  and curved in order to provide a better grip on a wheel rim which will be explained and illustrated in reference to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  below. 
         [0020]    The tire spoon holder  10  may also include an upper jaw  30 . The upper jaw  30  may include a curved upper jaw plate  32 . The curved upper jaw plate  32  may be wider than the upper jaw  30  and curved in order to provide a better surface for gripping a wheel rim as described and illustrated further below. 
         [0021]    In some embodiments in accordance with the invention, either the upper jaw  30 , the upper jaw curved plate  32  and/or the lower jaw  26  and lower jaw curved plate  28  may be coated with a resilient material. The resilient coating may reduce the likelihood of marring the finish on a wheel rim. In some embodiments in accordance with the invention, the resilient material may be or include rubber. 
         [0022]    In some embodiments in accordance with the invention, the jaws  14  (with the exception of the curved lower jaw plate  28  and the curved upper jaw plate  32 ), the lower handle  18 , the upper handle  20 , the adjusting jaw  22  and the locking structure  24  operate in a manner similar to typical vice grip pliers  12 . Typical vice grip pliers  12  are well known. As such their parts, subparts and operation of these features will not be described in further detail as these features are well known in the art. 
         [0023]    In some embodiments of the invention, the upper jaw  30  may be dimensioned to have additional material in order to attach the tire spoon holding structure  16 . Tire spoon holding structure  16  may include loop  34  and loop  36 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the loops  34  and  36  are located adjacent to each other. In some embodiments in accordance with the invention, the tire spoon holding structure  16  may include only a single loop. In other embodiments, multiple loops as illustrated may be used. The loops,  34  and  36 , may be open loops as illustrated in the figures or in other embodiments of the invention closed loops may also be used. 
         [0024]    While the tire spoon holder  10  may have two adjacent loops  34  and  36 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1  typically only one loop  34  or loop  36  may be preferred for use by a mechanic at a time. In some instances mechanics who may be right-handed or left-handed may prefer one loop over the other. Thus, the use of two loops  34  and  36  in a manner illustrated in  FIG. 1  they make tire spoon holder  10  more user friendly for both left-handed and right-handed mechanics. 
         [0025]    In some embodiments in accordance with the invention, the tire spoon holder  10  including the vice grip plier portion  12 , the jaws  14  and the tire spoon holding structure  16  may be made of steel. An exception to this, may include the resilient material or rubber coating on the curved lower jaw plate  28 , the curved upper jaw plate  32  and the lower jaw  26  and upper jaw  30 . In some embodiments of the invention, not all of the upper jaw  30 , lower jaw  26 , curved law jaw  28  and curved upper jaw  32  may be rubber but only some of these features may be coated. 
         [0026]    The tire spoon holding structure  16  is attached to the tire spoon holder pin by an attaching mechanism  38 . The attaching mechanism  38  may include a hole  40  in the tire spoon holder and the upper jaw  30  and a pin  42  that passes through the hole  40  and the tire spoon holder pulling structure  16  and the upper jaw  30 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 2  illustrates a tire spoon holder  10  attached to a tire rim  44 . A tire spoon holder  10  has a smaller or thinner lower jaw  26  and lacks the curved lower jaw plate  28  shown in  FIG. 1 . However, in some applications and it may be desirable to have the curved lower jaw plate  28 , as shown in  FIG. 1  to better attach to the rim  44 . 
         [0028]    A tire spoon  46  is illustrated extending through the loop  34  of a tire spoon holder  10 . The tire spoon holder  10  is shown with the lower handle  18  moved toward the upper handle  20 , thereby tightening the jaws  14 . The adjusting knob  22  has been adjusted so that position of the jaws  14  are locked and the tire spoon holder  10  is locked to the tire rim  44 . The tire  48  is shown removed from the tire rim  44  in order to better illustrate how the jaws  14  are locked onto the tire rim  44 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the tire spoon holder  10  has a thickened upper jaw  50  which permits the tire spoon holder  10  to better attach to the tire rim  44 . However, in other embodiments as shown in  FIG. 1  rather than a thickened upper jaw  50  a curved upper jaw plate  32  may also be employed. 
         [0029]      FIG. 3  illustrates the tire spoon holder  10  attached to the tire rim  44 . A tire spoon  46  is extending through the loop  34  of the tire spoon holder  10 . The wheel  52  includes a tire rim  44  and the tire  48 . A flat end of the  54  of the tire spoon  46  is shown to be located in between the tire rim  44  and the side wall  56  of the tire  48 . The tire spoon  46  is manipulated so that it extends between the tire rim  44  and side wall  56  of the tire  48  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Then the tire spoon holder  10  may be attached to the tire spoon  46  by fitting the loop  34  or  36  over the back end of the tire spoon  46 . The tire spoon holder  10  may then be slid along the tire spoon  46  to a desired position. The tire spoon holder  10  may be then be clamped or attached to the tire rim  44  as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0030]    In some embodiments, a second tire spoon may then be used by a mechanic to move the tire  48  off of a tire rim  44 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 4  illustrates steps that may be used by a mechanic to use the attachment holder to remove a tire from a tire rim. The steps illustrated in  FIG. 4  may not necessarily be done in the order described, they can be done in any suitable order. 
         [0032]    At step S 10  a mechanic may insert a tire spoon between a tire and the wheel rim. At step S 20  be the mechanic may insert the tire spoon into a loop on the tire spoon holder. At step S 30  the mechanic may attach the spoon holder to a wheel rim. At step S 40  the mechanic may insert a second tire spoon between the tire and the wheel rim. At step S 50  the mechanic may work the tire off of the wheel rim with its second tire spoon. 
         [0033]    The above-described method may provide some advantages in that once the first tire spoon is located between the tire rim and the tire and has been attached to a tire spoon holder and the tire spoon holder is attached to the wheel rim the first tire spoon may be held in place and provide an opening for the mechanic to easily insert the second tire spoon between the tire and the wheel rim and work the tire off of the wheel rim. In some embodiments of the invention, attaching the tire spoon holder to wheel rim, may include adjusting the adjusting knob so the jaws will lock onto the wheel rim. 
         [0034]    The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.