GB2421988A

GB2421988A - A boot seal application tool

Info

Publication number: GB2421988A
Application number: GB0500157A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Hale; Alan Paul Tow
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-01-05
Filing date: 2005-01-05
Publication date: 2006-07-12
Also published as: GB0500157D0

Abstract

An application tool for fitting boot seals 20, gaskets, or similar flexible components comprising of a tapered guiding structure 10 that can be placed with its open end 15 over the intended mounting location of the boot seal 20. The boot seal 20 can be guided from the narrow end of the taper to a point beyond that at which the taper is supported by the component 30. The flexible taper 10 may collapse (see 11 in Fig. 2) so as to minimise any overstretching of the boot seal 20.

Description

Fitting Eguipment For Seals c_kground There are many fields where it is

required to fit or apply a material or component to another item either as a repair or a modification extending from the cosmetic and medical to the use of paint and varnishes. In the majority of these cases the material is a liquid and the container for that liquid has an applicator as an integral part of the design.

There are typically fewer examples of situations were solid objects are applied after an initial assembly process, however the medical field again provides examples of situations where prosthetic items or surgical aids are inserted into or attached to the body, e.g. Surgical Clip Applicator Device, (W003l01311, Monassevitch et al.), wherein the clip to be fitted to the patient was initially supplied mounted to the fitting tool. There are also a substantial number of means of applying tapes for whatever purpose, e.g. A Tape Applicator And Methods Of Applying Tape To A Surface (W()03026993, Kuhn & Slagter) and similarly means br applying labels, Applicator For Labelling Apparatus, (W003024807, Constantine) or markers, Marker Sleeve Applicator Tool, (GB2 197292, Millard).

Looking more particularly at one element of the preferred field of interest for this application there are a number of patents recorded to tools mechanisms or devices to aid the fitting of boot seals, of which three examples are listed below.

Boot Applicator For Universal Joints US2618051 Endicott Boot Seal Mounting Structure For Universal Joint KR1471 38Y 1-Jan Yong-Hee Apparatus For Fitting A Boot To A Universal Joint [JS4564988 Norrod Lutro There exists also at least one method for treating seals to allow easier fitting and then subsequent process to achieve the desired level of sealing; Fitting Method For Boot For Equal Velocity Universal Coupling, JP63 145825, Sato The second area of prior art that is pertinent to this application is that relating to the implementation of a means of applying a component or item wherein the said means is disposable, forms an integral part of the packaging or both. While several exaniples of a medical, sanitary, cosmetic or related nature can be located there has been a paucity of examples relating to means for applying additional, replacement or alternative parts to machines, for example I-land Tool For Storing And Applying 0- Ring Seals, (US4843668, Bondar) describes a tool for fitting 0 rings over threaded components and for supporting additional 0 rings prior to their fitting but does not extend to the inclusion of integral packaging There are many situations where a distinctive protective enclosing or sealing flexible and extensible component may need to be appended to an assembly of parts and the means of access to the appropriate mounting location of the component is restricted by virtue of the design or implementation of the assembly. A particular example of this situation is the fitting or replacement of boot seals or gaiters to constant velocity joints in automotive drivelines. The advent of resilient but highly extensible materials has allowed boot seals to be made that can be fitted to constant velocity joints without the need to separate the components of the joint to thread them through the seal. In order to facilitate the fitting of said boot seals simple aids have been provided typically in the form of hollow rigid cones that allow the boot seal to he fed with or without the aid of suitable lubricant over the cone in its narrower region and slid along the cone thereby being slowly diverged. The open wider end of the cone being placed over the constant velocity joint housing, the seal may be slid off the wider end of the cone directly in the appropriate place on the joint. Such rigid cones do suffer from a number of disadvantages and the invention described below shows how these disadvantages may be overcome.

A Description Of The Invention

A hollow tapering guiding substantially conical structure 10 is shown in sectional view in figure 1. This structure is constructed of a suitable material to allow it to have sufficient rigidity and strength such that, when placed over a constant velocity joint housing 30 and held in close contact therewith 12 it may support a boot seal 20 and resist the compression exerted by the said seal as it is guided from the apex of the conical structure to a point where the compressive three of the extended seal is no longer supported by the internal presence of the constant velocity joint housing.

When moved beyond this point as shown in figure 2 it is allowed and potentially beneficial that the conical structure should no longer be capable of supporting the compressive forces exerted by the seal thereby allowing the conical structure to locally collapse deform or otherwise reduce in size 11 around the body of the constant velocity joint alleviating the need to extend the seal any further than is necessary to correctly locate it over the housing of the constant velocity joint and minimizing the probability of damage to the seal due to such over extension. The wider end of the hollow conical structure 1 5 shall be sufficiently wide to ensure that the seal which may be a standard or common component capable of being applied to many different assemblies shall be capable of being located to the assembly while remaining located on the surface of the cone whether collapsed or otherwise. In CfOSS section the hollow conical structure need not retain the same shape over its entire length nor need it be circular. The sectional form may be related to that of the part to which the fitting tool will be applied during the seal fitting operation.

it is an associated and complementary function of this substantially conical structure that as a consequence of its light weight construction it may serve a secondary role as a part of the packaging of seal to be fitted. In this particular case the conical structure may serve as part or all of the packaging both for the boot seal component and also for the other items such as fitting lubricant, protective grease, fastening means, fitting instructions that may be necessary to ensure correct fitting and operation of the seal. Such a substantially conical structure may also be constructed of materials that supplementary to the requirement for deformation or flexibility are of a disposable nature or may be re-cycled.

While the preferred embodiment of the disposable fitting tool and packaging item for the seal is a circular cone of a flexible plastic with an apex angle in the range 10 to degrees of arc there are other embodiments that may assist the process of fitting the seal. Figure 3 shows such an embodiment wherein the substantially conical surface 10 supports a number of circular hands 13 of constant diameter or counter slope to the main surface of the cone. Such regions serving to allow the seal to be extended over the cone and more easily held at a given size without slipping back along the sloping surface of the conical structure.

A further embodiment shown in figure 4 featuring one or more grooves or recesses 14 in the conical surface. These grooves may serve to ensure an even distribution of lubricant under the seal and may allow the user to gain a better grip on the seal as it is guided along the cone.

It is possible to envisage a number of alternative arrangements that provide both means of trapping and distributing lubricant between the surface of the fitting tool and the seal and that allow easier manipulation of the seal over the conical fitting tool and onto the constant velocity joint. Alternatively the material from which the tapered guiding structure is made or the sliding surface of the structure may be treated or have applied to it a layer that reduce the resistance to sliding.

The choice of materials and manufacturing methods used in the implementation of a such a fitting tool is dependent on the compressive force exerted by the seal, the extent and distribution of areas of contact provided by the assembly providing internal support to the fitting too during operation and to which the seal may be fitted and the temperature and other environmental conditions that are likely to prevail during the fitting operation. Such choice may be performed by one skilled in the art. The surface of the conical fitting tool may support information or images or if the tool is constructed or formed from a substantially or locally transparent material it may enclose or support such inlbrmation or images on a joined or separate component. Said information and images may serve to guide the user of the tool.

There are other circumstances where seals, sleeves, 0-rings or related elastic or extensible components may need to be extended to fit over shafts, linkages or other obstacles. In any of these cases a tapered guiding structure with sufficient strength when internally supported but sufficient flexibility to yield to the external forces of the extended component over those regions of its length where the guiding structure is no longer internally supported by the object onto which the extensible component is intended to be located and variations thereto as described above or as shown in the accompanying figures may be used to simplify the fitting of the component.

Claims

Claims 1. A tapered guiding structure that may be placed with its open or

wider end over an intended mounting location and used to extend a seal, sleeve or related component by pushing the seal sleeve or related component from the narrower end to the wider end of the guiding structure thereby acting as a guide for that component into its intended location characterized in that the guiding structure is designed in such a manner that force required to extend the component acts to collapse or compress the guiding structure when the component has reached the position and size of the intended mounting location.
2. A tapered guiding structure as described in the claim above that may also serve as an item of the packaging of the seal, sleeve or related component.
3. A tapered guiding structure as described in either of the claims above in which the guiding structure is of a disposable nature.
4. A tapered guiding structure as described in any of the claims above in which the guiding structure has paraxial recessed or relieved features constructed in its tapered surface that serve to better channel or distribute lubricants between the seal, sleeve or related component and the guiding structure.
5. A tapered guiding structure as described in any of the claims above in which the guiding structure has regions or bands in its tapered surface that do not taper and onto which the seal sleeve or related component may he located without freely contracting to its relaxed size or shape.
6. Means or fitting extensible items to specific locations by means as described in this application or as shown in the accompanying figures and diagrams.