Abstract:
A multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power puller tool with a hook rod that slides in the bore of a handle, and a weighted head at an end of the handle. The weighted head provides momentum to the hooked end for yanking free stuck objects, such as a truck&#39;s fifth wheel pin. The slidable rod also allows the tool to be locked in extended or collapsed positions. The invention also allows interchangeable hook rods to be used, so that the tool may be adapted to different purposes, such as grabbing and pulling eyelets of truck load covers, or pulling chains.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION (35 U.S.C. § 119(e)) 
   This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) from provisional patent Application No. 60/575,274, filed May 28, 2004. The 60/575,274 Application is incorporated herein by reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a trucker&#39;s multi-purpose tool, and more specifically to a truck fifth wheel pin puller tool which may also be adapted for use as a tarp and chain grabber and puller and as a tire thumper. 
   DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART 
   Several patents show truck fifth wheel pin puller tools. Design Pat. No. Des. 311,312 (“the &#39;312 design patent”), issued on Oct. 16, 1990, entitled “Combined Fifth Wheel Pin Puller and Tire Knocker”, shows what claims to be an ornamental design for such a trucker&#39;s tool. The design has a cylindrical head, an elongated rod, a paddle extending out from the rod, and a crook. Although not discussed in this design patent, truckers will recognize that the crook is for hooking onto and pulling out the fifth wheel pin and the head is for thumping tires to check for excessively low pressure. The fifth wheel pin pulling function may be seen more fully in FIG. 7 of Design Pat. No. Des. 330,494 (“the &#39;494 design patent”), issued on Oct. 27, 1992, entitled “Fifth Wheel Pin Puller”. The &#39;494 patent, and another design patent by the same inventor, Design Pat. No. Des. 333,603 (“the &#39;603 patent”), entitled “Fifth Wheel Pin Puller”, show extendable pin pullers. Another design patent by the same inventor of the &#39;312 design patent shows a “Combined Fifth Wheel Pin Puller and Tire Knocker For Tractor Trailer Hitch Assemblies”, shows what claims to be another ornamental design for such a tool. See Design Pat. No. Des. 311,482 (“the &#39;482 design patent”), issued on Oct. 23, 1990. From the drawings of the &#39;482 design patent, the tool has a crook at one end of the rod for grabbing a truck&#39;s fifth wheel pin, a transverse, cylindrically-shaped head for pulling the pin and thumping tires, and a spring-mounted sleeve over the rod. 
   The prior art patents show what are claimed to be ornamental designs for fifth wheel pin pullers. These designs do not address the utilitarian problems involved. Often, a fifth wheel pin will become stuck and will be very difficult to remove. The prior art does not address this problem. Truckers cannot carry every conceivable tool they may need, so multi-purpose tools are important. The &#39;312 and &#39;482 design patents provide fifth wheel pin pullers combined with tire thumpers, but the pin crook will not work for many of the other pulling needs of a trucker. For example, truckers often need to pull canvas covers over a truck load. The covers have eyelets for securing them over the cargo. The crook of the &#39;312 and &#39;482 design patents is too difficult to get into an eyelet and too difficult to remove from an eyelet. The acute angle hook of the &#39;494 and &#39;603 design patents is more suitable for this cover pulling function, but will tend to come out of the fifth wheel pin as the trucker prepares to yank on it to remove the pin. Both the crook and acute angle hook designs of the design patents identified above work less well than a right angle bend for certain other functions commonly performed by truckers, such as pulling chains. What is needed is a multi-purpose tool design that will provide interchangeable hooks to perform different functions. Another problem with the prior art is that a long pin puller is difficult to store. The &#39;494 and &#39;603 designs provide a collapsible rod, but the design will not allow different hooks to be used. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power puller tool that will use a weighted head on a sliding handle rod to provide momentum for pulling fifth wheel pins. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power puller tool with interchangeable hooks for different functions, such as pulling a fifth wheel pin with a crook, inserting an acute angle hook into an eyelet to pull a cover over a load, and grabbing a chain with a right angle bend. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power puller tool that can be collapsed and locked in a shorter length for storage. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power puller tool with a tire thumper. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power tool of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power tool of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  shows three views of the head portion of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  shows three views of the handle portion of the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  shows three views of the lock nut portion of the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  shows two views of the wedge lock portion of the present invention. 
       FIG. 7  shows an alternative embodiment of the hook portion of the present invention. 
       FIG. 8  shows an another alternative embodiment of the hook portion of the present invention. 
       FIG. 9  shows two views of the nut portion of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   LISTING OF REFERENCE NUMBERS  
   
       
       
         
             10  Multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power-puller tool 
             11  Hook rod 
             11 ′ First alternative embodiment of hook rod 
             11 ″ Second alternative embodiment of hook rod 
             12  hook 
             12 ′ First alternative embodiment of hook 
             12 ″ Second alternative embodiment of hook 
             13  threaded end of rod 
             14  Lock nut at threaded end of handle 
             15  Wedge lock 
             16  Nut at threaded end of rod 
             17  Handle 
             18  Threaded end of handle 
             19  Head end of handle 
             20  Head 
             21  Receiving bore of head 
             22  Chamfer at ends of head 
             23  Knurling about head 
             24  Cylinder bore of handle 
             25  Knurling about handle 
             26  Small bore in lock nut for rod 
             27  Large bore in lock nut for handle 
             28  Threading in large bore of lock nut 
             29  Gripping portion of lock nut 
             30  Tapered end of lock nut 
             31  Knurling about gripping portion of lock nut 
             32  Tapered end of wedge lock 
             33  Bore of wedge lock 
             34  Middle portion of wedge lock 
             35  Base portion of wedge lock 
             36  Split in wedge lock 
             37  Threading of nut 
             38  Fixed washer portion of nut 
             39  Piston wall portion of fixed washer 
             40  Hammer face of head 
         
       
     
  
     FIG. 1  shows the multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power-puller tool  10  of the present invention. The tool  10  is formed of a handle  17  with cylindrical bore ( 24  as seen in  FIG. 3 ), in which a hook rod  11  slides. A solid steel cylindrical head  20  has a face  40  for thumping truck tires to determine whether they have too little pressure. A handle  17  is attached to the head  20 , and a lock nut  14  can hold the rod  11  in position. A hook  12  at the end of the rod  11  can be used for several tasks, such as grabbing fifth wheel pin, the eyelet of a cover, or a chain. The hook shown in  FIGS. 1 and 8  is a crook  12 ″, which is suitable for grabbing a fifth wheel pin. The crook will not let go of the fifth wheel pin when the trucker prepares to yank the pin, which is a problem with the acute angle hook design shown in the &#39;494 and &#39;603 design patents. Alternatively, the hook shown in  FIG. 2  is an acute angle hook  12 , which is suitable for grabbing and pulling covers over a truck load. Alternatively, the hook shown in  FIG. 7  is a right angle hook  12 ′, which is suitable for miscellaneous pulling tasks, such as grabbing and pulling chain a cross a truck bed or from under a truck. 
     FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power-puller tool  10  of the present invention. The solid steel cylindrical head  20  has a bore  21  to receive an end  19  of the handle  17 . The end  19  may then be welded to the head  20 , or connected to the head  20  in any other suitable way, such as by threads or a pin. A lock nut  14  at the open end  18  of the handle  17  allows the rod  11  to slide in the handle  17 . The lock nut  14  may be threaded ( 28 , as seen in  FIG. 5 ), so as to be screwed onto a threaded end  18  of the handle  17 . A wedge lock  15  in the lock nut  14  will lock the rod  11  in place. A nut  16  at an end  13  of the rod  11  will stop the rod  11  against the wedge lock  15  and keep the rod  15  from sliding out. The nut  16  may be threaded onto the end  13  of the rod  11 . 
   It will be understood from the drawings that the hook rod  11  may slide within the cylindrical bore ( 24 , as seen in  FIG. 4 ) of the handle  17 , and the nut  16  at the end of the rod  11  will stop against the wedge lock  15 . The weight of the head  20 , which is preferable made of sold steel, may be used to provide substantial momentum in pulling any object grabbed by the hook  12 . For example, a truck&#39;s fifth wheel pin will often wear or become rusty and hard to pull out. The crook  12 ″ may be inserted in the fifth wheel pin and the trucker can yank the head  20  and handle  17  until the wedge lock  15  rams against the rod nut  16 , thereby exerting significant force upon the pin to pull it free. 
     FIG. 3  shows detail of the design of the head  20 . In alternative embodiments, the head  20  can have knurling  23  to aid gripping. The head  20  has a flat face  40 , like that of a hammer, for thumping truck tires to determine whether they are low in pressure, a common trucker practice that requires a heavy hammer-like tool. Chamfering  22  about the face  40  eliminates sharp edges, which could be harmful to the trucker or the tire. 
     FIG. 4  shows detail of the handle  17 . From this figure it will be seen that the handle  17  has a cylindrical bore  24 . The head end  19  can be machined down to fit into a bore ( 21 , as seen in  FIG. 2 ) of the head  20 , which may have a slightly smaller dimension than the outside of the handle  17 . Knurling  25  about the handle  17  can provide additional grip. 
     FIG. 5  shows detail of the lock nut  14 . The larger opening  27  will receive the handle  17  and may have internal threads  28  to receive external threads at the end  18  of the handle  17 . A smaller opening  26  at the other end of the lock nut  14  is a bore that will allow the rod  11  to slide in the handle  17 . The lock nut  14  is tapered  30  to receive the wedge lock  15 , as described below. In a preferred embodiment, the gripping portion  29  of the lock nut  14  may have knurling  31  to aid gripping.  FIG. 6  shows detail of the wedge lock  15 , which fits in the lock nut  14 . The wedge lock  15  has a bore  33  in which the rod  11  may slide or be gripped. The middle portion  34  of the wedge lock  15  is received in the larger opening  27  of the lock nut, and the taper  32  of the wedge lock  15  fits against the taper  30  of the lock nut  14 . A radial split  36  in the wedge lock  15  allows it to be squeezed by the taper  30  of the lock nut  14 , exerting substantial pressure at the bore  33  against the rod  11 , thereby locking the rod in place. This locking feature is useful for locking the tool  10  in an extended position or in a collapsed position. For example, to use the acute angle hook  12  to grab an eyelet of a cover on top of a trailer, it is necessary to lock the rod  11  in an extended position, so that it will not slide back under the force of gravity when lifted vertically. Or, when storing the tool  10 , it is useful to lock it in a collapsed position. 
     FIGS. 7 and 8  show alternative embodiments of the hook rod  11 ′ or  11 ″. As described above, hook rod  11 ′ has a right angle hook  12 ′, which is suitable for reaching and pulling objects, such as chain, without hooking them. Also as described above, hook rod  11 ″ has a crook  12 ″, which is especially suitable for grabbing and pulling a fifth wheel pin. Also described above, is the acute angle hook ( 12 , as seen in  FIG. 2 ), which is especially useful for grabbing and pulling an eyelet of a cover. It will be appreciated that the interchangeability of the hook rod  11 , as disclosed herein, allows other hook  12  designs to be used with this tool  11 . 
     FIG. 9  shows detail of the nut  16  which keeps the rod  11  in the handle  17 . The nut  16  has internal threads  37  for screwing onto an end  13  of the hook rod  11 . In a preferred embodiment, a fixed washer  38  has an edge  39  that acts like a piston to ride in and help locate the rod  11  in the cylindrical bore  24  of the handle  17 . 
   The drawings and description set forth here represent only some embodiments of the invention. After considering these, skilled persons will understand that there are many ways to make a multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power puller tool according to the principles disclosed. The inventor contemplates that the use of alternative structures, which result in a multi-purpose trucker&#39;s power puller tool using the principles disclosed and the invention claimed, will be within the scope of the claims.