Abstract:
A vehicle door opening tool used to unlock a vehicle door from outside the vehicle. It is made from a rod with an angle bend off center toward the handle. The handle is made with its plane perpendicular to a plane passing through the angle bend and the axis of the rod. A hock is formed at an end opposite the handle for use with the inside door latch to open the vehicle door.

Description:
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to a tool for opening a locked vehicle door and to the method of making the tool. 
       2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
       [0002]    Tools for opening locked vehicle doors are well known and have been in use for a long time. They run the range from a simple bent coat hanger to highly specialized tools such as those formed for a specific vehicle type and model year. The most often experience is the use of a tools designed for insertion into the door of the vehicle and interface with the internal locking mechanism to unlock the door. While some hand tools are intended to be inserted into the vehicle door interior, others are intended to be used inside the vehicle to operate the door latch from the passenger&#39;s compartment, as would the passenger have. 
       3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A rod, most commonly with a circular, oval, elliptical, or polygon, cross section, used to open a locked door must be strong enough to be inserted in a narrow opening made between the vehicle door and the vehicle door jam and engage a locking mechanism and deliver sufficient force to unlock the door. Depending upon the type of locking mechanism, the force may be exerted left, right, up, or down, or in or out, relative to the vehicle door. This usually requires the rod to be of a material, such as steel, that can withstand such forces and to be of a sufficient thickness so as not to permanently deform in use. At the same time, the tool must be flexible to allow flexure of the tool and responsive movement of the operative tip of the tool about a radius sufficient to maneuver the tool in the enclosed and limited space of the vehicle interior. 
         [0004]    Optimum use of the tool in the hands of a human operator, requires an ergonomic grip, that permits the operator to grip the tool and comfortably maneuver the tip toward and away from the door latch controls, exerting pushing or pulling forces, and to turn or rotate the operative tip, about the axis of the tool, as may be necessary to rotate the vehicle door latch. 
         [0005]    At the opposite end from the handle, the tip of the tool may be shaped in a right angle bend forming a hook. To enhance the frictional grip of the tool on a door latch handle, and prevent the tool tip from slipping from the door latch or damaging the door latch when force is applied, a covering may be applied to the hook at the tool tip. 
         [0006]    In a preferred embodiment, the invention is directed to a tool for use in unlocking a vehicle door. The tool is formed from a rod with an off center angle bend, a tip formed into a hooking mechanism a handle used to hold and manipulate the tool. 
         [0007]    As shown for a preferred embodiment, the tool is a made from a unitary rod with a electrostatically applied coating, fixed by heat curing, as would be known to those skilled in the art. 
         [0008]    As disclosed in a preferred embodiment, at a first end, the rod is bent or shaped into a handle with a space for hand insertion and gripping. At a second end opposite to the first end, the rod tip is bent or made in the shape of a hook. To achieve the best ergonomic positioning of the hook, the plane of the handle opening is made facing the hook at the tip second end of the tool and perpendicular to the plane passing through the angle bend, as described below, and the axis of the rod. 
         [0009]    The rod is constructed with an angle bend at a distance displaced from its midpoint, as measured proximately from the handle at the first end to the tip at the second end and with the angle bend located between the angle bend and the handle at the first end. 
         [0010]    What is disclosed is a hand tool for opening a locked vehicle from a position outside the vehicle, comprising, a rod including a first end and a second end; said rod including an axis and a midpoint on said axis and spaced proximately equally from said first end and said second end; said rod including an angle bend disposed on said axis between said midpoint and said first end and dividing said rod into a first part and a second part; d. said first end on said first part, including a handle and said second end on said second part including a tip. 
         [0011]    Disclosed is the hand tool wherein, e. said handle includes an opening; f. said handle opening defining a plane lying substantially perpendicular to a plane intersecting said axis and said angle bend. 
         [0012]    Disclosed is the hand tool, wherein, g. said tip includes a door latch tool, and wherein, h. said door latch tool is a hook; and wherein, h. said hook has a first part aligned with said axis and said hook has a second part extending from said axis at an angle to said axis. 
         [0013]    Disclosed is the hand tool, wherein, j. said hook angle and said hook second part, is substantially in said plane intersecting said axis and said angle bend; including k. a hook cover; and l. said cover is mounted on said hook first part and said hook second part and extends to a point on said first part displaced from said hook angle. 
         [0014]    Disclosed is the hand tool, wherein, m. said cover is frictionally engaged with said rod and said cover has a soft surface, relative to said rod surface. wherein, 
         [0015]    said rod is wire rod approximately between 0.20 and 0.22; wherein said angle bend is substantially between 15 and 30 degrees; and wherein the ratio of the length of said first part to the length of said second part is between 3:4 to 1:3. 
         [0016]    Disclosed is a method of making a hand tool for opening a locked vehicle from a position outside the vehicle, comprising the steps of, a. at a location displaced from a rod midpoint, making an angle bend, separating said rod into a first part and a second part and with said second part length longer relative to the length of said first part; b. at a first end of said first part opposite said angle bend, forming a handle with the plane of said handle perpendicular to a plane passing through said angle bend and the longitudinal axis of said first part and said second part. 
         [0017]    Disclosed is the method of making a hand tool including the steps of c. at a second end of said second part, forming a hook in said rod; and the step of placing a cover over said hook; d. at a second end of said second part, forming a hook in said rod; e. forming a cover from an elastomer material; and f. inserting said hook into said cover to cover said hook and at least a part of said second part. 
         [0018]    Disclosed is the method of making a hand tool including the step of coating said rod. 
         [0019]    Disclosed is the method of making a hand tool wherein said step of separating said rod into a first part and a second part includes the step of separating into a first part with a length relative to said second part length by an ratio in a range of 1:3 to 3:4; wherein said step of making an angle bend includes the step of making said angle bend in a range between 15 degrees to 30 degrees; and wherein said step of making an angle bend includes the step of making said angle bend in a range between 15 degrees to 30 degrees. 
         [0020]    These, and other features of the invention are described in the following and in Detailed Description of the Invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a perspective schematic view of the Vehicle Door Opening Tool. 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a detailed schematic view of the tool tip at the end of the tool opposite to the handle. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    The vehicle door opening tool is shown generally in  FIG. 1  by numeral  11 . In a preferred embodiment, its body  13  is a metal wire rod stock between 0.210 and 0.220, as would be known by those skilled in the art, and substantially in a circular cross section, As would be apparent to those skilled in the art, the cross section of the tool  11  may be varied or it may be made from material other than a rod, without departing from the disclosed principles of the invention. 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the tool body  13  has a first part  17  and a second part  15 , separated by an angle bend  19 . A first longitudinal axis  38  is partially shown for the second part  15 , terminating at angle bend  19 . A second longitudinal axis  42  is partially shown for the first part  17 , terminating at angle bend  19 . The angle bend  19  is shown by arc  39  extending between longitudinal axis  38  on second part  15  and longitudinal axis  42  on first part  17 . Opposite the angle bend  19 , and at a first end  18 , of the first part  17  of the tool body  13 , a handle  21  is formed. The handle  21  is made with its plane  23  substantially perpendicular with a plane  37 , intersecting the longitudinal axis  38 , the angle bend  19  and the longitudinal axis  41  of the tool body  13 . Arc  39  lies in the plane  37 . 
         [0025]    The angle bend  19 , as shown for a preferred embodiment, is in a range of an included angel  39 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , of 15 to 30 degrees. The location of the angle bend  19  along the length of the rod may vary from a point displaced from the rod  13  mid point  16  with the first part  17  shorter than said second part  15  by a ratio in a range from approximately 1:2 to about 3:4, and which may be varied about without departing from the disclosed inventive principles, as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of first part  17  to second part  15 , is approximately 2:3 and the angle bend is approximately 30 degrees. 
         [0026]    Opposite the angle bend  19 , at second end  25  of the second part  15 , is tool tip  27 . The tool tip is in the shape of a hook  29 , shown in phantom inside too tip cover  31 . 
         [0027]    A detail of the hook  29  at the second end  25  of the tool  13 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , with a partial view of second part  15 . The hook  29  at the second end  25 , is shown in phantom inside the tool tip cover  31 . The material of the cover  31 , may be an elastomer material, into which the tool tip end  32  may be inserted and the tool tip end slipped over the hook  29  to the full length of its internal cavity of the tool tip cover  31 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0028]    The elastomer material of the tip cover  31 , when stretched, exerts a counter force directed against the tool hook  29 , holding it in place against any forces directed against it when the tool is in use and serves to hold the tip cover  31 , in place. The elastomer material of the cover  31  is made softer or with a surface hardness less than the hardness of the rod,  13  preventing any damage caused to the door latch controls, by the harder surfaces of the rod material of the tool  13 . At the same time, the relatively softer cover tip cover  31 , provides a higher coefficient of friction, a larger surface area than the surface of area of the rod used to form the tool body  13 , and relatively improved frictional contact with the door latch. 
         [0029]    The vehicle door opening tool  13 , in a preferred embodiment, may be bent into the desired shape as shown and described herein, and coated with an electrostatically applied coated which is cured in place, for example by heat treatment. 
         [0030]    The positioning of the handle  21  shown with the plane  23  of the handle perpendicular to plane  37 , permits a tool operator to grip the tool, with better control over the movement of the tip  27  and hook  29 , in three axes of rotation. In use, as would be known to those skilled in the art a wedge or block may be inserted between the vehicle door frame and the door, preferably close to the top of the door and toward the side opposite the door hinge. In this way the greater flexibility of the door may be used to advantage. The hand tool is inserted tip down into the interior of the locked vehicle and proximate the door latch handles or controls, on the driver or passenger side. 
         [0031]    An advantage of the invention as shown in a preferred embodiment, is the length of the radial arm formed in the hand tool between the tip  25  at the second end  25  of the tool  13  and the angle bend  19 , relative to the radial arm formed in the hand tool between the angle bend  19  and the handle  23 . As would be apparent to those skilled in the art, movement of the handle in a radial direction about a point proximate the angle bend  19 , will be amplified by a larger movement of the tip  27  at the second end  25 , proportionately, with respect to the ratio of the length of the first part and second part, as described above. 
         [0032]    As would be apparent to those skilled in the art, the material of the tool body  13  and its cross section may be varied, without departing from the disclosed inventive principles. The coating of the tool body  13  may be varied, without departing from the disclosed inventive principles. The shape of the tip  27  may be varied, as may be useful for any configuration of door latch handles. The tip cover  31  may varied by varying the elastic quality or its length or the length of its internal cavity shown in phantom in  FIG. 2 , without departing from the disclosed inventive principles.