Patent Publication Number: US-9884418-B2

Title: Disassembly tool kit for replacing vehicular decorative plates

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a tool for disassembling vehicular decorative plates or strips, particularly to a disassembly tool kit unlikely to harm the edges or surfaces of vehicular decorative plates or strips. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     For smooth and integral surface and convenient maintenance, a decorative plate or strip is normally assembled to a vehicle in a press-fit way screwlessly. Thereby, the decorative plate or strip can be directly mounted on a lamp holder, a front bumper, a rear bumper, an exterior or interior surface of a front or rear door. Via the press-fit engagement, a decorative plate or strip can be perfectly secured to a vehicle and is hard to drop off. While disassembling a decorative plate or strip, the maintenance worker uses a flat screwdriver, which resembles a thin plate, to dig up the decorative plate or strip. 
     In traditional operation of replacing a decorative plate or strip, the maintenance worker inserts the tip of a flat screwdriver into the gap between the vehicular surface and the decorative plate or strip and then applies force to gradually dig out the decorative plate or strip. If the flat screwdriver is made of metallic material, it almost inevitably harms the baking varnish or wooden plate of the vehicle. In order to avoid harming the surface of a vehicle, the industry has gradually adopted the disassembly tools made of hard plastic material. 
     While the maintenance worker disassembles decorative plates or strips mounted on different regions of a vehicle, the spaces of the different regions will apply different constraints to the operation of digging out the decorative plates or strips. Therefore, the maintenance worker needs different types (shapes) of disassembly tools to dig up the decorative plates or strips on different regions. However, multiple disassembly tools cost more money and occupy more space, inconvenient to collect and hard to carry about. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a disassembly tool kit where different disassembly tools can be installed selectively to disassemble decorative plates or strips on different regions. 
     The present invention proposes a disassembly tool kit for replacing vehicular decorative plates or strips, which comprises a handle and at least one replaceable tool. The handle includes a handheld end and a handle-side engagement end far away from the handheld end. The handle-side engagement end includes a first fixing element and a first locking element. The replaceable tool includes a tool-side engagement end corresponding to the handle-side engagement end and a working end far away from the tool-side engagement end. The working end includes a decorative-plate disassembly element. The tool-side engagement end includes a second fixing element corresponding to the first fixing element and a second locking element corresponding to the first locking element. The first locking element is firmly engaged with the second locking element. 
     Via the firm press-fit engagement of the first and second fixing elements and the locking effect of the first and second locking elements, the replaceable tool can be installed in the handle. The user may select an appropriate replaceable tool according to the decorative plate or strip, which is to be disassembled, and install the replaceable tool in the handle to satisfy requirement of usage. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view schematically showing a disassembly tool kit for vehicular decorative plates or strips according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view schematically showing a disassembly tool kit for vehicular decorative plates or strips according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view schematically showing a disassembly tool kit for vehicular decorative plates or strips according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view schematically showing a disassembly tool kit for vehicular decorative plates or strips according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view schematically showing a disassembly tool kit for vehicular decorative plates or strips according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view schematically showing a disassembly tool kit for vehicular decorative plates or strips according to a further embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The technical contents of the present invention will be described in cooperation with drawings below. 
     Refer to  FIGS. 1-3 . The disassembly tool kit for replacing vehicular decorative plates of the present invention comprises a handle  10  and at least one replaceable tool  20 . The handle  10  includes a handheld end  11  and a handle-side engagement end  12  far away from the handheld end  11 . The handle-side engagement end  12  includes a first fixing element  13  and a first locking element  14 . The replaceable tool  20  includes a tool-side engagement end  22  corresponding to the handle-side engagement end  12  and a working end  21  far away from the tool-side engagement end  22 . The working end  21  includes a decorative-plate disassembly element  30 . The tool-side engagement end  22  includes a second fixing element  23  corresponding to the first fixing element  13  and a second locking element  24  corresponding to the first locking element  14 . The second fixing element  23  is firmly engaged with first fixing element  13 . 
     In one embodiment, the first fixing element  13  is a positioning hole  131 ; the second fixing element  23  is a positioning pillar  231  corresponding to the positioning hole  131 . In order to reduce weight and save material, a recess  232  is formed in the inner area of the positioning pillar  231 . The positioning pillar  231  is firmly inserted into the positioning hole  131 . Via the firm engagement of the positioning pillar  231  and the positioning hole  131 , the replaceable tool  20  assembled to the handle  10  would not shake. 
     The locking effect of the first locking element  14  and the second locking element  24  can prevent the replaceable tool  20  from loosening after the replaceable tool  20  has been assembled to the handle  10 . In one embodiment, the second locking element  24  includes two elastic press-fit bars  241  respectively disposed at two sides; the first locking element  14  includes two press-fit slots  141  corresponding to the elastic press-fit bars  241 ; the elastic press-fit bars  241  are press-fitted into the press-fit slots  141  to achieve a locking effect. The two press-fit slots  141  further include two arc notches  142  respectively formed on two sides of the handle  10 . Through the arc notches  142 , the user may press the two elastic press-fit bars  241  to unlock the press-fit engagement of the two elastic press-fit bars  241  and the two press-fit slots  141 . Therefore, the user can easily disengage the replaceable tool  20  from the handle  10 . 
     In order to let the user press the two elastic press-fit bars  241  comfortably, the two elastic press-fit bars  241  respectively include two elliptic fasteners  242  protruding from the arc notches  142 . The elliptic fasteners  242  can prevent the fingers of the user from being scratched and reduce the discomfort in using them. Each of the two elliptic fasteners  242  includes a central opening  243  to reduce weight and increase flexibility. 
     In order to provide a hanging-up function, a through-hole  111  is formed in the handheld end  11 . The edges of the handheld end  11  are chamfered into round corners to increase comfort in usage. 
     Refer to  FIGS. 4-6 . The manufacturer may provide the user with the replaceable tools  20  respectively having different types of decorative-plate disassembly elements  30 , such as the decorative-plate disassembly elements  30 A,  30 B and  30 C, to let the user select a required one from them. Then, the user installs the corresponding replaceable tool  20  in the handle  10  to complete replacement and undertake operation. 
     Via the positioning hole of the first fixing element and the positioning pillar of the second fixing element, the replaceable tool is securely assembled to the handle without shaking. Via the first locking element and the second locking element, the replaceable tool is firmly locked to the handle without detachment. The user may select a desired decorative-plate disassembly element and assemble the corresponding replaceable tool to the handle to satisfy requirement in usage.