Patent ID: 7669305

Claim:
A method for designing at least one dual-mode adapter for use with a ball joint press, the method comprising: selecting a plurality of ball joints for use with the ball joint press, creating an adapter design, wherein the step of creating comprises defining a first variable as an inner diameter (ID) of the adapter design, generating a first data set that includes defining, for each of the plurality of ball joints, a minimum ID (MIN) and a maximum ID (MAX) of the adapter design sufficient to allow the adapter design to work as a push adapter and calculating, for each of the plurality of ball joints, a midpoint (MID) between MIN and MAX, sorting the first data set in ascending order by MID value, defining a second variable representing a quantity of ball joints that are not compatible with the adapter design in a second operational mode, defining a plurality of hypothetical values of the first variable, generating a second data set including a value of the second variable for each hypothetical value of the first variable, utilizing the first data set to determine a design value for the first variable, comprising the steps of: establishing predetermined design criteria, electing a number (1 . . . n) of ball joints, computing an average value (AVE) of MID for the n ball joints, calculating the standard deviation (SDEV) between AVE and the MID of the next ball joint (n+1) in the first data set, dividing the MID of the last ball joint selected by a numerical factor established in the predetermined design criteria to obtain a quotient, and if SDEV is greater than or equal to the quotient, setting the design value to AVE, comparing the design value to the second data set to determine whether or not to change the design value to increase the number of ball joints that will function with the adapter design in the second operational mode, and changing the adapter design value in response to an affirmative determination that the design value should be changed to increase the number of ball joints that will function with the adapter design; and manufacturing the dual-mode adapter according to the adapter design.