Abstract:
A vehicle lift jack is provided. The jack may include: a frame; a lifting arm attached to the frame; a saddle attached to an end of the lifting arm; and a video camera attached to the jack and oriented to capture video footage of an area proximate to the saddle. A method of lifting a vehicle using a jack may be provided. The method may include: positioning the jack under the vehicle; capturing an image of the vehicle; viewing the image; determining the jack is in a desired position with respect to the vehicle; and raising the vehicle with the jack.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to jacks used to lift vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a jack having a video camera associated with it to assist in positioning the jack. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Vehicles such as cars and trucks require regularly scheduled maintenance. Many of the components that require maintenance or repair are located under the vehicle. In order to access these components, the vehicle is often lifted off of the ground in order to allow a technician to get under the vehicle to access the components. The jacks used to lift the vehicles are often hydraulic in order to generate the force required to lift the vehicle. 
         [0003]    In some instances, the entire vehicle may not be lifted off the ground but only a portion of the vehicle such as the front or rear of the vehicle. In some instances, just one of the corners of the vehicles may be lifted off the ground. Because vehicles are made of several sensitive components, the vehicle jack must be placed in an appropriate manner in order to only contact a component such as the frame or other components of the vehicle that can withstand the forces of the jack lifting the vehicle. 
         [0004]    Thus, a technician when desiring to lift all or part of a vehicle must take care to ensure that the vehicle and the jack are appropriately located with respect to each other before attempting to raise the vehicle. In order to ensure that the jack and the vehicle are aligned in a desired manner, the technicians often must bend down and look under the vehicle in order to see how the vehicle and the jack are positioned with respect to each other. 
         [0005]    In some instances, it may be difficult to verify the relative positions of the vehicle and the jack due to the fact that it may be dark under the vehicle and it may be awkward for the technician to bend down and get a good view of the relative positions of the jack and vehicle. In some instances, the technician&#39;s vision may be obstructed by portions of the vehicle. 
         [0006]    In instances where there technician is using a portable service jack, if the jack and the vehicle are not properly positioned with respect to each other, the technician will simply move the jack to another location or adjust the location of the jack. However, these minor adjustments of the location of the jack still require that the technician bend down and look under the vehicle to ensure the jack is in the correct location. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method or apparatus that can assist the technician in ensuring that the jack is properly located with respect to the vehicle. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by some embodiments in accordance with the present invention, wherein in one aspect an apparatus is provided that in some embodiments a method or apparatus is provided to assist an operator in positioning a jack with respect to a vehicle. 
         [0008]    In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle lift jack is provided. The jack may include: a frame; a lifting arm attached to the frame; a saddle attached to an end of the lifting arm; and a video camera attached to the jack and oriented to capture video footage of an area proximate to the saddle. 
         [0009]    In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle lift jack may be provided. The vehicle jack may include: a frame; a lifting arm attached to the frame; a saddle attached to an end of the lifting arm; and a means for capturing an image attached to the jack and oriented to capture an image of an area proximate to the saddle. 
         [0010]    In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, A method of lifting a vehicle using a jack may be provided. The method may include: positioning the jack under the vehicle; capturing an image of the vehicle; viewing the image; determining the jack is in a desired position with respect to the vehicle; and raising the vehicle with the jack. 
         [0011]    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. 
         [0012]    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. 
         [0013]    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 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a vehicle jack and a video recorder in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of another embodiment including a vehicle jack and a video recorder. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view a video scope in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is another embodiment of a video scope connected to a computer in accordance of an embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    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 jack having a video scope monitor to provide an image for the operator to determine if a jack is in a desired position with respect to a vehicle. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is perspective view of a jack  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Many aspects of the jack  10  are common among typical service jacks commonly available with the exception of the addition of the video camera  26  and the associated parts which will be described in detail. Because most of the mechanical aspects of the jack  10  are generally known they will only be described briefly and will not be described in detail. 
         [0020]    An example of a jack  10  that may be modified and used is sold as the Floor Boss™ and listed in the OTC catalogue from SPX Service Solutions at 655 Eisenhower Drive Owatonna, Minn. as part no. 1525. The jack  10  includes a frame  12  and a handle  14 . Wheels  16  are attached to the frame  12  which allow the jack  10  to be moved. Often, the jack  10  is moved by an operator by manipulating the handle  14 . The jack  10  includes a lifting mechanism  18  which, in some embodiments, maybe a hydraulic mechanism. In other embodiments, the lifting mechanism  18  maybe mechanical. 
         [0021]    The lifting mechanism  18  includes a lifting arm  20 . At one end of the lifting arm  20  is a saddle  22 . The saddle  22  is the portion of the jack  10  that contacts the vehicle (not shown) as the lifting arm  20  is raised in some embodiments of the invention. The saddle  22  may include castlagated sides  24 . However, other embodiments of the invention may include a saddle  22  that may or may not include castlagated sides  24 . The lifting mechanism  18  maybe actuated by moving the handle  14  as is well known in the art. 
         [0022]    The jack  10  includes a video camera  26 . The video camera  26  is attached to the jack  10  by a video camera mount  28 . In some embodiments of the invention, the video camera mount  28  maybe a permanent type mount that allows the video camera  26  to be mounted or bolted by fasteners to the jack  10 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the video camera mount  28  is attached to the lifting arm  20 . However, in other embodiments of the invention, the video camera mount  28  maybe attached to other features of the jack  10 , such as the frame  12  or any other suitable part of the jack  10 . 
         [0023]    The video camera  26  is oriented so that it will capture an image proximate to the saddle  22 . In some instances, the video camera  26  will capture at least part of or, in some instances, all of the saddle  22 . By viewing the saddle  22  and a portion of the vehicle, an operator can determine if the jack  10  is in a desirable position before the operator actuates the lifting mechanism  18 . 
         [0024]    In some embodiments the operator may partially lift the lifting mechanism  18  so that the lifting arm  20  is just below an undercarriage of a vehicle and wait to do the final actuation of lifting mechanism  18  until after the operator has confirmed that the saddle  22  is in a desired location. 
         [0025]    In another embodiments of the invention, the camera mount  28  maybe a flexible mount  28 . A flexible mount  28  will permit the operator or technician to adjust a position of the video camera  26  in order to capture whatever images the technician is interested in viewing. 
         [0026]    In the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 , the video camera  26  includes a video camera cord  30 . The video camera cord  30  will attach the video camera  26  to a device which will allow the operator to view the images captured by the video camera  26  and will be discussed further later below. 
         [0027]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of another embodiment in accordance with the invention. The jack  10  shown in  FIG. 2  is similar to the jack  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . However, the location of the video camera  26  is different. The video camera  26  is located in a bottom portion of the saddle  22 . The video camera  26  is oriented to substantially point straight up such that the video camera  26  captures an image of what is immediately above the saddle  22 . The video camera  26  is located behind a camera protector plate  32 . The camera protector plate  32  maybe made of a transparent material such as fiberglass, Plexiglas or any other transparent type of material that will provide protection to the video camera  26 . 
         [0028]    As evident from  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , one of ordinary skill and art can determine that the location of the video camera  26  is not critical to the invention and several embodiments in accordance with the invention may have the video camera  26  located at different locations on the jack  10 . However, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the video camera  26  is oriented so that it will capture footage of an image of where the saddle  22  will contact the undercarriage of the vehicle so that the operator can ensure that the jack  10  is engaging the correct portion of the undercarriage of the vehicle. 
         [0029]      FIG. 3  is an example of a video scope  34  that maybe used in accordance with the invention. The video scope  34  shown in  FIG. 3  is commonly available on the market. 
         [0030]    For example the video scope  34  may be used that is sold under the OTC brand and identified in the OTC catalogue as part no. 3880 printed by SPX Service Solutions at 655 Eisenhower Drive, Owatonna, Minn. Other video scopes may also be used in accordance with the invention. 
         [0031]    The video scope  34  may include a screen  26  which shows the images captured by the video camera  26 . The video camera  26  is connected to the screen  36  by a cord  30 . The video scope  34  includes a hand held unit  38  with controls  40  to operate the screen  36 . The controls  40  may include a zoom in or zoom out feature as well as an on/off feature. The control,  40  may also control the video camera  26  and/or screen  36  to operate under low light or normal conditions and may adjust the focus or any other features of the camera  26  that are desired to be adjusted in order to clarify the image displayed on the screen  36 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of a camera system  41  that maybe mounted onto a jack  10  in accordance to another embodiment of the invention. The camera  26  includes a reflector  34  so that the lens portion of the camera  26  does not directly point at the feature to be captured. However, the reflector  42  allows the image desired to recorded to be presented to the video camera  26 . Such an embodiment maybe useful when the features of the undercarriage of the vehicle to be recorded are in a difficult to locate position, or are obstructed by portions of the vehicle. 
         [0033]    The reflector  42  maybe attached to the video camera  26  by a reflector clip  44 . Other reflectors  42  maybe switched out to provide various fields of view or other images to be reflected to the video camera  26 . 
         [0034]    As shown, the video camera  26  is connect to a computer  46 . The computer  46  may include a screen  36 . The computer  46  may save the images received by signal from the camera  26 . While the embodiments shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  show a video camera cord  30  connecting the video camera  26  to the screen  36 , one with ordinary skill and the art will appreciate that some embodiments of the invention the video camera  26  may transmit by a wireless connection to the hand held unit  38  shown is  FIG. 3  or to the computer  46  as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0035]    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.