Wall Wire Puller With Sliding Weight for Small Access Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for installing wires, strings, raceways, and tubing behind walls are inadequate, as they often require large holes that can compromise fire or sound ratings, and existing tools like fishing rods and magnetic devices are inefficient or damaging.
Innovation Solution
A puller system comprising a cylindrical weight and a tubular body, where the weight slides within the body to transfer momentum to a tip, allowing the system to hammer through insulation materials with minimal hole size, using a manually operated or motorized mechanism to facilitate linear penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional fishing rods or magnetic devices are used to pull wires through walls, then wire installation can be achieved, but the hole size must be large enough to accommodate the tool length and maneuverability, compromising fire and sound ratings
Solution Approach 1:
The tool is divided into two functional components: a long tubular body that provides the necessary length to reach through walls and access insulation material, and a separate cylindrical weight that can be drawn up and dropped independently to deliver impact forces. This segmentation allows the tool to achieve penetration capability without requiring the entire assembly to pass through the wall opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from linear insertion (fishing rods) to vertical drop motion (hammering weight). By utilizing the vertical dimension and gravity, the tool delivers impact forces along its length without requiring the operator to manually thrust or rotate the entire tool through the wall opening, thereby reducing the required hole size.
2Length of moving object
If long fishing rods are used to reach insulation material behind walls, then penetration capability is improved, but the tools become too long to carry in tool kits or belts and cannot move through walls in a predictable linear manner
Solution Approach 1:
The tool separates the long tubular body (which remains stationary or is inserted only partially through the wall) from the cylindrical weight (which travels the full length). This allows the long component to be supported by the wall opening rather than carried entirely through it, improving portability and control.
Solution Approach 2:
The string or cord acts as an intermediary to transmit the drawing force from the operator to the cylindrical weight, and subsequently to transfer the impact force to the tubular body. This intermediary mechanism enables precise control of the long tool without requiring direct manual manipulation of its entire length.
3Ease of operation
If magnetic devices are used to pull wires through walls, then installation can be achieved, but they can scratch walls or fail to work through double thick dry wall
Solution Approach 1:
The repeated dropping of the cylindrical weight creates impact vibrations that propagate through the tubular body and into the insulation material. This mechanical vibration helps the tool penetrate through double thick dry wall and insulation without requiring excessive force that could damage the wall surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the magnetic field-based mechanism with a mechanical impact-based mechanism. The cylindrical weight delivers kinetic energy through the tubular body to penetrate insulation material, eliminating the limitations of magnetic devices while avoiding wall surface scratching.
4Ease of operation
If large holes are cut in walls to accommodate existing wire installation tools, then wire installation can be accomplished, but fire and sound ratings are compromised and repair costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tool's segmented design allows only the necessary tip portion of the tubular body to be inserted through the wall opening, rather than requiring the entire tool length to pass through. This minimizes the hole size needed, preserving wall integrity and ratings.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylindrical weight, drawn up and then released, uses its own weight and the stored elastic energy in the stretched string to deliver impact forces automatically. This self-powered mechanism eliminates the need for manual thrusting or complex motorized systems, reducing the required access opening size.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and minimally invasive installation of wires and tubing through walls with reduced damage to insulation, allowing for smaller and easier-to-repair holes, improving upon the limitations of existing tools.
Implementation Method 1
the cylindrical weight travels downward towards the distal end of the tubular body and impacts the tip such that momentum of the downward travelling cylindrical weight is transferred to the tip, thereby driving the tubular body downward through the material
Implementation Method 2
the cylindrical weight travels downward towards the distal end of the tubular body and impacts the tip
Implementation Method 3
the cylindrical weight travels downward towards the distal end of the tubular body and impacts the tip
Data Source
AI summary
A system for pulling wire behind a wall is provided. One embodiment comprises a cylindrical weight defined by an outside diameter and a first length, and a tubular body with a hollow cavity defined by an inside diameter that is greater than the outside diameter of the cylindrical weight and a second length that is greater than the first length. A distal end of the tubular body includes a tip configured to penetrate a material that is behind the wall, wherein when oriented in a vertical position behind the wall, and wherein in response to drawing the cylindrical weight upward through the tubular body and then releasing the cylindrical weight, the cylindrical weight travels downward towards the distal end of the tubular body and impacts the tip such that momentum of the downward travelling cylindrical weight is transferred to the tip, thereby driving the tubular body downward through the material.