Patent Publication Number: US-2022239046-A1

Title: Prong Separator Tool for Truck Trailer Light Receptacle Pins

Description:
This Application claims priority to provisional application No. 63/142,180 filed Jan. 27, 2021, to the extent allowed by law. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a pin separator tool for double-prong male electrical receptacle pins, and in particular to a double-prong spreading apparatus to widen the gap between the male split prongs in a multi-split pin truck trailer electrical system receptacle. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     After a trailer has been connected to a hauling truck tractor, an electrical connection must be made between the electrical system of the trailer and the various lighting circuits of the trailer. The lighting circuits of the trailer typically include clearance markers, license plate lights, tail lights, right and left turn lights, stop or brake lights, auxiliary/ABS lights and a ground return. 
     Mounted to the front of the trailer is a male receptacle assembly  10  ( FIGS. 1, 2 ) that includes a plurality of double-prong electrically conductive spring steel pins  12 , having a gap  14  between each pair of prongs, as shown in  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3B . The gap  14  extends approximately one-half the axial length of each pin  12 . A female plug  16  ( FIG. 3C ) comprises an equal number of tubular sockets  18  lined with an electrical conductive material that engage the outer surfaces of pins  12  when an electrical connection is made between female connector plug  16  and male receptacle assembly  10 . In North America, the male and female connectors are produced in compliance with SAE J560, the U.S. standard describing electrical connections between heavy duty tractor trucks and trailers, which standard includes primary connectors for lighting and auxiliary connections for supplemental functions. It has been determined that split pins are advantageously used in about ninety percent of receptacles used on trailers today since the fact that they can be spread after being used many times allows for longer pin usefulness. The presently disclosed invention provides a relatively fast and efficient way to spread the prongs of a split-pin receptacle. 
     After multiple connections and disconnections between male receptacle assembly  10  and female connector plug  16 , it has been discovered that the dual prongs of split pins  12  come closer together in a resting stage such that the prongs do not properly contact the conductive inner surfaces of sockets  18  of female connector plug  16  upon connection. The surfaces of split pins  12  eventually become closed or nearly closed, and the gap  14  closes causing flickering of lights on the trailer because the prongs of split pins  12  and the walls of sockets  18  are not making sufficient and continued contact to provide an efficient electrical connection. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B , all of the split pins  12  are not of the same diameter. A larger pin  12   a  is a ground pin and has a larger diameter compared to the remaining electrical connector pins  12   b.    
     Today, when a truck operator notices that the trailer lights may be flickering, the truck operator usually uses a screwdriver or pen knife blade in an effort to spread apart the prongs of pins  12  of the male receptacle assembly  10 , resulting in the application of varying and uneven force to the prongs of split pins  12 . On many occasions, this results in one or both of the prongs breaking off, leading to the need to replace the entire male receptacle assembly at a cost of $200 or more. Also, the tip of a pen knife blade may break off between the prongs. Additionally, a shim-type device is available designed to be installed between the male receptacle and the female plug to prevent the plug from wiggling in the receptacle. This device does nothing to separate the prongs of the pins of the male receptacle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a male multi-pin electrical receptacle assembly adapted to be mounted on a tractor trailer. 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the male multi-pin electrical receptacle assembly of 
         FIG. 1 , showing the gaps between the spring steel prongs of the pins. 
         FIG. 3A  is a side perspective detail view of the spring steel prongs of the pins of the male receptacle assembly of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , shown with the pin and prong assembly removed from the male receptacle assembly. 
         FIG. 3B  is a top perspective view of the spring steel pins and prongs of  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 3C  is a front side perspective view of a female connector plug. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-section assembly view of one end of the pin spreader of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross section detail view of a portion of the housing for the prong separator of the embodiment of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6A  is a cross-section detail view of the insert and wedge element of the prong separator of the embodiment of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6B  is an end view of the insert and wedge element of the prong separator of 
         FIG. 4 , taken along line A-A of the embodiment of  FIG. 6A . 
         FIG. 7A  is a top detail view of one embodiment of connector support guide for a quarter inch diameter spring steel pin. 
         FIG. 7B  is a cross section detail view of the connector support guide of  FIG. 7A , taken along line A-A of  FIG. 7A . 
         FIG. 8A  is a top detail view of another embodiment of connector support guide for a three-sixteenth inch diameter spring steel pin. 
         FIG. 8B  is a cross section detail view of the connector support guide of  FIG. 8A , taken along line A-A of  FIG. 8A . 
         FIG. 9  is a top perspective view of a prong separator tool assembly having different sized apertures on either end of the tool. 
         FIG. 10  is a side elevation view of a second embodiment of the metal insert and substantially pointed wedge element of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is an end view of the metal insert and substantially pointed wedge element of  FIG. 10 , taken along line A-A of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a top elevation view of a third embodiment of the shaft of the present disclosure, where the external surface of the shaft has flat surfaces. 
         FIG. 13  is a schematic cross section view of a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure where the housing includes transparent segments on opposite sides of the housing providing an operator&#39;s view of the alignment of the wedge element of  FIGS. 6A and 6B . 
         FIG. 14  is a schematic cross section view of a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure where wedge assembly and/or wedge element are removable and replaceable with regard to the housing. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the first embodiment of the prong separator tool illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a housing  20  has a bore  22  extending from a wall  24  to an opening  26  at one end  28  of the housing. A solid metal insert  30 , such as stainless steel or the like, is tightly secured against movement in bore  22 , and in this embodiment, a substantially pointed wedge element  32  extends linearly across one end  34  of insert  30  as shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . In this embodiment, wedge element  32  is generally triangular in cross section as shown in  FIG. 6A  and the tip of wedge element  32  extends linearly and diametrically across end  34  of insert  30  in a solid tent-like configuration. The opening  26  of bore  22  includes a radiused surface or flange  35  ( FIGS. 4, 5 ) having an inner diameter slightly less than the diameter of opening  26  of housing  20 . 
     The tip of wedge element  32  is not an absolute or sharp point, since an absolute or sharp point would break off due to lack of lateral support at points adjacent the pointed tip. In practical construction, the tip of wedge element  32  may be slightly round or flat, but still be considered pointed for the purposes of the present disclosure. In this specification, the term “substantially pointed wedge element” is used to define the wedge element  32 , illustrated in  FIGS. 4, 6A, 6B, 10, 11, 13 and 14  of the present disclosure to refer to a wedge element that is not absolutely a sharp point. 
     The end  28  of bore  22  adjacent opening  26  has a larger diameter portion  36  than the remaining diameter of bore  22 . For example, and not by way of limitation, bore  22  in a first configuration may have a diameter of . 3750  inches, while end  28  of housing  20  may have a diameter of 0.3940 inches. A guide insert  38  ( FIGS. 4, 7, 8 ) is fixedly located in larger diameter portion  36  of bore  22 . Guide insert  38  includes a bore  40  having, in one example, an inner diameter of . 2570  inches. Bore  40  also includes a counterbore  42  which by way of example could have an inner diameter of . 2650  inches in this configuration. In a second configuration ( FIG. 8 ) guide insert  38 ′ includes bore  40 ′ having, in another example, an inner diameter of 0.1950 inches and a counterbore  42 ′ of 0.2050 inches. The guide inserts  38 ,  38 ′ ( FIGS. 7, 8 ) are made of a malleable material, such as plastic, nylon, or any suitable material or composite material as is known in the art. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , a first housing  20  is attached to one end  46  of a shaft  44 , and a second housing  20 ′ is attached to an opposite end  48  of shaft  44 . In this configuration by way of example and not as a limitation, the guide insert  38  ( FIG. 7 ) in housing  20  has an inner diameter of approximately 0.195 inches, and the guide insert  38 ′ ( FIG. 8 ) in housing  20 ′ has an inner diameter of approximately 0.257 inches. As will be explained below, housing  20  on one end  46  of shaft  44  is configured to spread the spring steel prongs of split pins  12   b  of male receptacle assembly  10 , and housing  20 ′ on the opposite end  48  of shaft  44  is configured to spread the spring steel ground prong of split pin  12   a  of male receptacle assembly  10 . A pair of radially opposed axially-directed alignment lines  52  extend along the outer surface of housings  20 ,  20 ′ to indicate to the user the direction in which the tip of wedge element  32  is extending, thus allowing wedge element  32  of the first embodiment to be aligned with the split opening of pin  12   a  and pins  12 b. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , guide insert  38  has a slightly larger outer diameter than the diameter of opening  26  of radiused surface  35  at end  28  of housing  20 . To install guide insert  38  into bore  22  of housing  20 , the malleable guide insert  38  is heated and then squeezed through radiused surface  35  until the guide insert is seated in larger diameter portion  36  of bore  22 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . Radiused surface  35  then holds guide insert  38  in its proper place in housing  20 . 
     In operation of the first embodiment, once the tractor operator notices that the trailer light system is flickering or is otherwise not fully functioning after male receptacle assembly  10  is connected with female connector plug  16 , the female connector plug  16  is removed from male receptacle assembly  10 . With receptacle cover  50  opened, ( FIGS. 1, 2 ), the operator determines which split pins  12   a,    12   b  have a decreased or no gap  14  between the prongs. If the ground pin  12   a  has a minimal or no gap  14 , housing end  20 ′ is placed in axial alignment over the ground pin. If the other pins  12   b  are observed to have a minimal or no prong gap  14 , housing end  20  is placed in axial alignment over the faulty pins  12   b.    
     Housing  20  or  20 ′ is then axially advanced over the aligned prongs of the faulty split pins  12   a  or  12   b,  one at a time, so the prongs of the pin  12   a  or  12   b  enter opening  26  at end  28  of housing  20 ,  20 ′ and wedge element  32  abuts the space between the tips of the subject prongs. The housing  20  is then rotated slightly if necessary, until the tip of wedge element  32  is aligned with and enters gap  14 . Housing  20 ,  20 ′ is then advanced further until it stops. At this point, wedge element  32  has moved into gap  14 , separating the spring steel leafs of the prongs of split pins  12   a, b  to near or beyond their original position. Once wedge element  32  has reached its maximum point of travel, or has reached the bottom of gap  14 , the gap  14  between the prongs has been laterally resized, and housing  20 ,  20 ′ is withdrawn from the subject pin. 
     This process of repairing the prongs of split pins  12   a, b  is repeated on other spring steel prongs of pins  12   a, b  as necessary. It has been determined that once a pair of prongs of a pin  12   a, b  are separated using the steps mentioned above, the prongs of pins  12   a, b  will remain properly separated in their expanded state for about one year before the process should be repeated. 
     During the above-described process, guide insert  38  prevents over-spreading of the prongs of pins  12   a, b  , thus preventing the prongs from breaking. Further, the prongs of pins  12   a, b  are normally coated with an anti-rusting, anti-corrosion substance, such as zinc chromate, or other substances as are known in the art. Were the guide insert  38  made of metal, or was not present, the coating over the prongs  12   a, b  would be removed during the above-described gap-expanding procedure. 
     As seen in  FIG. 4 , one end of guide insert  38  includes counterbore  42  having a larger diameter than bore  40  of the guide insert. This space is provided to allow the upper tip of a separating prong of a pin  12   a, b  to enter during the separating process, if necessary. 
     A second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , where a conical-shaped substantially pointed wedge element  52  is mounted on end  34  of insert  30 , replacing the linearly extending wedge element  32  of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the outer end of tip  52  must be slightly rounded or flat to prevent breaking of the outer end of tip  52 , as previously explained. The operation of expanding the gap between the prongs of pins  12   a  and  12   b  is the same as described previously regarding the first embodiment when inserting and advancing housings  20 ,  20 ′ over the prongs of pins  12   a  and  12   b.    
     A third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 12 , where the outer surface of shaft  44  has contiguous flat axially-extending surfaces, such as a hexagonal shape in cross section. In this embodiment, were the pin separating tool dropped to the ground, the flat surfaces of shaft  44  would prevent the tool from rolling on the ground and away from the operator. 
     A fourth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 13  where housings  20  and  20 ′ include diametrically opposed translucent windows  54 , each translucent window  54  aligned with the linear extent of wedge element  32  of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, upon inserting housing  20  or  20 ′ over a pin  12   a  or  12   b  as described above, the operator can look through windows  54  to ensure that the linear tip  33  is aligned with the gap  14  formed between the prongs of the respective pin  12   a  or  12   b.    
     A fifth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 14  where one or both of housings  20 ,  21 ′ include a removable and replaceable wedge element assembly  60  comprising a first insert element  62  extending into bore  64  of housing  20 ,  20 ′. In the illustrated embodiment, bore  64  and the outer surface  66  of first insert element  62  are correspondingly threaded at  68 , allowing first insert element  62  to be screwed into bore  64  and held fast (operatively connected) to housing  20 ,  20 ′. Other suitable ways of removably securing first insert element  62  in bore  64 , as are known in the art, may be used in place of threads  68 . 
     First insert element  62  also includes a bore  70  into which a second insert element  72  is inserted. End  74  of second insert element  72  has linear wedge element  32 , or conical wedge element  52 , mounted thereon as described previously. Also as described previously, the outer end of tip  32 ,  52  can be slightly rounded or flat to prevent the outer tip end from breaking. 
     The inner surface of bore  70  and the outer surface of second insert element  72  are correspondingly threaded, as at  76  of  FIG. 14 , to allow second insert element  72  to be removably inserted into and held (operatively connected) in bore  70 . Where first insert element  62  and second insert element  72  are inserted in bores  64  and  70 , respectively, the inner ends  78 ,  82  of each insert element rests on flat bottom surface  80  of bore  64 . 
     First insert element  62  includes an axially extending entrance bore  84  with wedge element  32 ,  52  located at the inner end of entrance bore  84 . As described previously, wedge element  32 ,  50  will enter into the gap  14  ( FIGS. 1, 2, 36 ) and spread apart the prongs of pins  12   a,    12   b  when the entrance bore  84  is advanced over the respective prongs. 
     A portion of the side wall  86  of entrance bore  84  may include a roughened surface portion  88  that will remove any extraneous material such as dirt, metal scrapings, and the like that many have formed on the outer surfaces of pins  12   a  and  12   b  when the tool and housings  20 ,  20 ′ are removed from the respective pins  12   a  or  12   b.    
     Referring to  FIG. 14 , if it becomes necessary to replace a worn wedge element  32 ,  52  from the tool, a suitable wrench or other gripping device is applied to sockets  90  on the outer end  92  of removable wedge assembly  60 . Removable wedge assembly  60  is then rotated until wedge assembly  60  is removed from housing  20 ,  20 ′. Next, a wrench or other suitable device is inserted into socket  94  on the end  96  of second insert element  72 . The wrench is rotated until second insert element  72  is removed from bore  70 . A new second insert element mounting a wedge element  32  or  52  is then screwed into bore  70  of first insert element  62  until the second insert element  72  is located in bore  70  as shown in  FIG. 14 . Then, first insert element  62 , with second insert element  72  installed, is screwed back into bore  64  until first insert element  62  is positioned in bore  64  as shown in  FIG. 14 . The tool is now ready for use as described regarding the previous embodiments. 
     The foregoing description of the illustrated embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The descriptions were selected to best explain the principles of the invention and their practical application to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by the specification, but be defined by the claims set forth below.