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US-12618548-B1 - Dent repair light

US12618548B1US 12618548 B1US12618548 B1US 12618548B1US-12618548-B1

Abstract

The present invention is a dent repair light with a lamp used to illuminate even minor dent distortions in a vehicle body so a technician can identify and repair the dent. The dent repair light may include a support base with at least two suction cups positioned apart from one another and being movably mounted to the support base. The suction cups may be pivotally mounted to the support base by a vertical axis and a horizontal axis. A power supply may be pivotally mounted to the support base. The power supply may be connected to the lamp by way of a flexible arm, thus offering adjustable support of the lamp relative to the support base. The flexible arm may also support a wire providing electrical communication between the power supply and the lamp. The suction cups mounted apart from one another and movably mounted to the support base may allow for the support base to securely support the dent repair light on a vehicle body without causing any damage to the vehicle body.

Inventors

  • Steven Hopf

Assignees

  • Steven Hopf

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20250130

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A dent repair light, comprising: a lamp including a light source and a light housing supporting the light source; a support base including a base crossbar with two suction cups distally positioned from one another and each of the two suction cups movably mounted to the base crossbar about a respective horizontal axis, enabling rotation of each suction cup around their respective horizontal axis, the base crossbar also supporting a power supply in electrical communication with the lamp; and a flexible arm movably mounted to the light housing and connected to the power supply, whereby the flexible arm provides adjustable structural support to the lamp, the flexible arm also providing support for the electrical communication between the power supply and the lamp.
  2. 2 . The dent repair light according to claim 1 , wherein the two suction cups are movably mounted to the base crossbar about a respective vertical axis enabling full rotation of each suction cup about their respective vertical axis.
  3. 3 . The dent repair light according to claim 1 , further comprising two cup screw knobs, wherein each of the two suction cups are adjustably secured to the base crossbar about their respective horizontal axis by way of their respective cup screw knob.
  4. 4 . The dent repair light according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply is movably coupled to the base crossbar.
  5. 5 . The dent repair light according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply is pivotally coupled to the base crossbar, thereby allowing the power supply to change angular orientation relative to the base crossbar.
  6. 6 . The dent repair light according to claim 5 , further comprising a main screw knob fastening the power supply to the base crossbar, the main screw knob providing a frictional force between the power supply and the base crossbar to releasably secure the power supply to the base crossbar at different positions.
  7. 7 . The dent repair light according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply is comprised of a battery receiver and a battery pack.
  8. 8 . The dent repair light according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible arm is comprised of a plurality of individual segments fit together allowing more than one degree of freedom of movement between each adjacent segment.
  9. 9 . The dent repair light according to claim 8 , wherein each segment of the flexible arm includes a joint that allows three degrees of freedom of movement between each adjacent segment.
  10. 10 . The dent repair light according to claim 9 , wherein the joint that allows for three degrees of freedom is a ball and socket joint.
  11. 11 . The dent repair light according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible arm houses a wire connection between the power supply and the lamp.
  12. 12 . The dent repair light according to claim 11 , wherein the wire includes a slip ring between the lamp and the power supply to allow the wire to rotate freely without excessively twisting the wire when the lamp rotates with respect to the power supply.
  13. 13 . The dent repair light according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical communication between the power supply and the lamp is a wire wrapped around the flexible arm.
  14. 14 . The dent repair light according to claim 13 , wherein the wire wrapped around the flexible arm is a coiled wire.
  15. 15 . The dent repair light according to claim 1 , further comprising a lamp stop on the light housing and a lamp elbow stop on a distal end of the flexible arm, whereby the lamp stop limits the degree of rotation of the lamp relative to the flexible arm, thus limiting the movement of the lamp relative to the power supply to prevent excess twisting of a wire used as the electrical communication between the lamp and the power supply.
  16. 16 . The dent repair light according to claim 1 , wherein a distal end of the flexible arm is joined to the light housing by way of a ball and socket joint providing three degrees of freedom of movement between the lamp and the flexible arm.
  17. 17 . A vehicle dent repair light comprising: a lamp including a light source and a light housing supporting the light source; a support base including two suction cups distally positioned from one another and each of the two suction cups movably mounted to the support base, each about a respective horizontal axis and a respective vertical axis, each of the suction cups providing movement about their respective horizontal axis and full rotation about their respective vertical axis, the support base also including a power supply in electrical communication with the lamp; and a flexible arm movably mounted to the light housing and connected to the power supply, whereby the flexible arm provides adjustable structural support to the lamp, the flexible arm also providing support for the electrical communication between the power supply and the lamp.
  18. 18 . The dent repair light according to claim 17 , wherein the support base is further comprised of a base crossbar that supports the two suction cups and is movably coupled to the power supply, thereby enabling rotation of the power supply relative to the suction cups.
  19. 19 . The dent repair light according to claim 18 , further comprising a main screw knob fastening the power supply to the base crossbar, the main screw knob providing a frictional force between the power supply and the base crossbar to releasably secure the power supply to the base crossbar at different angular orientations.
  20. 20 . The dent repair light according to claim 17 , further comprising two cup screw knobs, wherein each of the two suction cups are adjustably secured to the base crossbar about their respective horizontal axis by way of their respective cup screw knob.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to utility lights and more specifically to lights used in vehicle dent repair to identify and evaluate dents in a vehicle body. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Paintless dent removal or “PDR” is a system that allows a skilled technician the ability to remove dents in automobile bodies without the need to replace the part or even repaint the part after repair. It is easy to see how this provides a significant cost savings to the body shop, and thereby to the vehicle owner and the insurance company. To evaluate the damage and the extent of the damage to a portion of the vehicle body, the lighting is critical. A light directed from one angle may reveal surface inconsistencies where from another angle, it may not. Before a technician can begin to work to remove a dent in the vehicle body, the location, shape, and depth of the dent must first be ascertained. In some cases, it is desirable to secure a light source adjacent to the surface of the vehicle being worked on to cast the optimal shadows to evaluate the dent. This may mean support for the light may be desired to be placed directly on the vehicle body. It is understood that the purpose of the dent removal process is to bring the physical appearance of the body of the vehicle back to as close to a new condition as possible. Therefore, it is imperative that the PDR technician does not do any damage to the surface of the vehicle body as a result of securing the light to the vehicle body. To complicate matters even more, any fastening system used to temporarily secure the light to the vehicle body must be rigidly secured to the vehicle body as the PDR process may be very physical. The PDR technician commonly must physically manipulate the dent out of the vehicle body by way of muscle power transferred through a variety of specialized tools. This process may cause bumping and shaking of the vehicle body. Anything temporarily secured to the vehicle body that shakes loose, may fall damaging the light, the vehicle body, or both. Damaging the light is undesirable. Damaging the vehicle body is unacceptable as the sole purpose of the actions of the PDR technician is to repair damage, not cause new damage. Magnets could be used to secure the vehicle body. Though possible, limitations include the material used to manufacture any portion of the vehicle body the technician wishes to use as a support for the light frame. The process of removing the magnet when it is desired to move the light source may also be problematic. Only ferrimagnetic metals attract magnets. If the vehicle body is not manufactured from iron, steel, cobalt, nickel or manganese, the magnet will not be attracted to the vehicle body. If the body is made of aluminum or some types of stainless steel, magnets will not stick to the body. In some cases, a trim piece, or a bumper, may be the preferred location to support the light though the work done is on a hood or quarter panel nearby. The trim piece may be made of plastic, which is also not attracted by magnets. This inconsistency in materials may make magnets less than optimal as a supporting system. A more desirable system may be using suction cups. Suction cups work by providing a partial vacuum between the suction cup and the surface to which it is attached. The surface must be relatively smooth. This is usually the case for a vehicle body and PDR work. If the body of the vehicle is mangled, then the part will be replaced, not suitable for a PDR repair of the part. The negative pressure provided by the vacuum provided by the suction cup may be minimal in that the pressure is multiplied by the surface area covered by the suction cup to give the total force the suction cup provides. A small two-inch diameter suction cup has a surface area of 3.1416 square inches. A four-inch diameter suction cup has a surface area of over 12.5 square inches. So, a 10-psi vacuum with a four-inch suction cup provides 125 pounds of holding force. To remove the suction cup, the user need only vent the suction cup to equalize the pressure, and the holding force virtually instantly drops to zero. A problem with suction cups is in order to create and maintain a seal with a surface, the material of the suction cup must be pliable. A pliable suction cup means anything that is supported by one suction cup will tend to flex and bend, due to the pliable nature of the suction cup material. So, a light support that has a light cantilevered out from the support base that is mounted by a single suction cup, will likely cause the light portion to move around even though the suction cup is holding the light support securely in one location on the vehicle body. The purpose of the light system is to locate the light in one set location and maintain that relative to the vehicle body. A solution to this problem may be to use two suction cups that are displaced from one another. This creates a large support base that greatly reduces