Plumbing part installation and removal tool

Claim 2

A plumbing tool comprising: an elongated solid core element having a stud end, an intermediate cylindrical section bearing external right-hand threads, and an outwardly flared opposite end that increases in diameter with distance from said intermediate threaded cylindrical section, a hollow, annular barrel element that is shorter than said core member and which has an interior surface, one end of which has internal right-hand threads defined thereon and another end of which has a radially inwardly directed lip defined thereon, and an annular radially inwardly facing groove is defined in said interior barrel surface between said internal threads and said lip, and a plurality of wedge elements each having a proximal end with a radially outwardly projecting tang formed thereon and a distal end having an arcuate, concave, radially inwardly facing surface, and said wedge elements are disposed about said core element in angular displacement from each other with all of their tangs engaged in said groove and captured between said barrel element and said core element by said annular lip so that said wedge elements are restrained from longitudinal movement relative to send barrel element, and whereby said distal ends of said wedge elements are coupled to said lip for limited radial rotational movement relative thereto.

Claim 3

A plumbing tool according to claim 1 wherein said distal ends of each of said wedge elements have convex outwardly facing arcuate surfaces and each of said wedge elements has an arcuate cross-sectional configuration.

Claim 4

A plumbing tool according to claim 2 wherein each of said wedge elements has an arcuate groove defined in its outwardly facing surface to receive said lip therein at its proximal end.

Claim 5

A plumbing tool according to claim 1 wherein said stud end of said core element has gripping tool engagement flats defined thereon and said barrel element has an exterior surface with gripping tool flats defined thereon.

Claim 6

A plumbing tool according to claim 4 wherein said barrel element has an exterior surface and six gripping tool flats of equal dimensions are defined about the circumference of said exterior surface of said barrel element.

Claim 7

A plumbing tool according to claim 1 wherein the radial thickness of said distal ends of said wedge elements decreases with increasing distance from said proximal ends.

Claim 8

A plumbing tool according to claim 1 comprising a total of three of said wedge elements as aforesaid.

Claim 9

A plumbing tool according to claim 1 wherein said outwardly flared opposite end of said core element has a frustoconical shape.

Claim 10

A plumbing tool comprising: a solid core member formed with a part-engaging end section, a cylindrical intermediate section with external right-hand threads defined thereon, and a stud section having a maximum cross-sectional dimension no greater than the diameter of said cylindrical section and wherein the diameter of said part-engaging section increases from said intermediate section with distance from said stud section, a hollow barrel member shorter then said core member and having a core-engaging end with a radial inner surface having internal right-hand threads defined thereon, wherein said core-engaging end is threadably engaged with said threaded section of said core, and an opposite wedge-engaging end with a radial inner surface having a radially inwardly projecting annular lip at its extremity and a channel formed in said radial inner surface of said wedge-engaging end located between said lip and said core-engaging end, and a plurality of elongated wedge members disposed in angular displacement from each other about said core member and each of said wedge members has a hooked proximal end that extends radially outwardly and is captured in said channel by said lip between said core member and said barrel member and a distal end.

Claim 11

A plumbing tool comprising: a solid core member formed with a part-engaging end section, a cylindrical intermediate section with external right-hand threads defined thereon, and a stud section having a maximum cross-sectional dimension no greater than the diameter of said cylindrical section and wherein the diameter of said part-engaging section increases from said intermediate section with distance from said stud section, a hollow barrel member shorter then said core member and having a core-engaging end with a radial inner surface having internal right-hand threads defined thereon, wherein said core-engaging end is threadably engaged with said threaded section of said core, and an opposite wedge-engaging end with a radial inner surface having a radially inwardly projecting annular lip at its extremity and a channel formed in said radial inner surface of said wedge-engaging end located between said lip and said core-engaging end, and a plurality of elongated wedge members disposed in angular displacement from each other about said core member and each of said wedge members has a hooked proximal end that extends radially outwardly and is captured in said channel by said lip between said core member and said barrel member and a distal end.

Claim 12

A plumbing tool according to claim 9 wherein said distal end of said wedge member has an arcuate, concave radially inwardly facing surface and is tapered in thickness so that the thickness of said distal end decreases with distance from said proximal end.

Claim 13

A plumbing tool according to claim 9 wherein said barrel member has an exterior surface with gripping tool engaging flats defined thereon.

Claim 14

A plumbing tool according to claim 9 wherein each of said wedge members has the neck formed at said proximal end and an outer convex surface with a radially outwardly facing groove defined at said neck to receive said lip of said barrel member.

Claim 15

A plumbing tool according to claim 9 wherein said part-engaging end section of said core member has a frustoconical shape.

Claim 16

A plumbing tool comprising: an elongated core member formed with an externally threaded cylindrical section having opposing ends and right-hand threads defined thereon, a longitudinally projecting gripping stud at one of said ends of said cylindrical section, and a longitudinally projecting frustoconical section at said other of said ends of said cylindrical section, wherein the diameter of said frustoconical section increases with distance from said cylindrical section, a barrel member shorter then said core member and having an external surface for engagement by a gripping tool and having one end with internal right-hand threads defined thereon that are engaged with said external right-hand threads of said cylindrical section of said core member and another end with a radially interior wall surface defining a radially inwardly projecting annular lip at its extremity and a radial channel located between said lip and said internal right-hand threads, and a plurality of elongated wedge members each having an arcuate cross section and each having a proximal end with a radially outwardly projecting hook thereon and a tapered distal end that decreases in thickness with distance from said proximal end and which has a concave surface facing said elongated core member, and said wedge members are disposed about said core member in angular displacement from each other with said hooks of said wedge members all projecting into said channel so that said proximal ends of said wedge members are all captured by said annular lip between said barrel member and said core member and are restrained from longitudinal movement relative to said barrel member by said lip while said distal ends of said wedge members extend longitudinally beyond said barrel member and alongside said frustoconical section of said core member.

Claim 17

A plumbing tool comprising: an elongated core member formed with an externally threaded cylindrical section having opposing ends and right-hand threads defined thereon, a longitudinally projecting gripping stud at one of said ends of said cylindrical section, and a longitudinally projecting frustoconical section at said other of said ends of said cylindrical section, wherein the diameter of said frustoconical section increases with distance from said cylindrical section, a barrel member shorter then said core member and having an external surface for engagement by a gripping tool and having one end with internal right-hand threads defined thereon that are engaged with said external right-hand threads of said cylindrical section of said core member and another end with a radially interior wall surface defining a radially inwardly projecting annular lip at its extremity and a radial channel located between said lip and said internal right-hand threads, and a plurality of elongated wedge members each having an arcuate cross section and each having a proximal end with a radially outwardly projecting hook thereon and a tapered distal end that decreases in thickness with distance from said proximal end and which has a concave surface facing said elongated core member, and said wedge members are disposed about said core member in angular displacement from each other with said hooks of said wedge members all projecting into said channel so that said proximal ends of said wedge members are all captured by said annular lip between said barrel member and said core member and are restrained from longitudinal movement relative to said barrel member by said lip while said distal ends of said wedge members extend longitudinally beyond said barrel member and alongside said frustoconical section of said core member.

Claim 18

A tool according to claim 14 further comprising three of said wedge members as aforesaid.

Claim 19

A tool according to claim 15 wherein each of said wedge members is formed with a neck of reduced thickness at said proximal end and said neck has an outwardly facing depression and said lip projects radially inwardly into said outwardly facing depressions at said necks of all of said wedge members.