Patent
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the revolutionary
Patent
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The Pan Pillow® was the brainchild of Allan Mayhew a 16 year veteran with the Alberta Motor Association Edmonton fleet The Edmonton fleet consists of over 30 tow trucks and has a staff of over 90 operators. Having completed 30,000+ calls in his career with the AMA, he has been one of the fortunate few who have never had an oil pan damage claim in all this time. After hearing of some very costly oil pan damage claims on the fleet, Allan finally made the decision to take a concept that was in his mind for several years and build an actual working prototype. The concept was to develop an inflatable device that would be durable enough to withstand the punishment of every day use, yet flexible enough to be packed up & stored in a small space. |
The first prototype was derived from a modified kayak seat made from the same material inflatable boats are manufactured from. The air intake was modified to accommodate a standard tire valve stem, and added protection was added from the same product used as rubber bumpers on Zodiac boats, glued to the top and bottom. Initial testing proved very successful but there were some issues with fitting the Pan Pillow able to tight spaces as the ends would not compress small enough and long-term durability and manufacturing cost was also in question.
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The second generation was made from sheet rubber of various thicknesses. The ends were sealed closed with an industrial strength adhesive, and pop riveted closed between two aluminium bars. A valve stem was added and legs were attached to the bottom, which would straddle the wheel lift tubing on either side of the center pivot point. He manufactured 10 different prototypes of various lengths and diameter and fleet put these prototypes to the test. Once again durability was an issue so it was time to look for high strength rubber tubing.
Having found a company to manufacturer a higher strength tube, the third generation as born. From a 10-foot length of tube, 11 prototypes were made. At this point he had also found a stronger method of riveting the Pan Pillow closed, which proved far superior. Now the issue was how to attach the leg to the tubing and still have a solid seal. Further testing proved that the industrial strength rivets compressed around the rubber membrane was strong enough to make a proper seal. The only problem was what material was should be used to mount the legs. Initial pricing proved stainless steel was too costly so he turned too plastic. Plastic turned out to be a bust and after further research he was able to find a manufacturer to make an inexpensive leg mount out of aluminum. Draining the Pan Pillow with one valve stem was too time consuming so a second valve stem without a valve was added.
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After some review of the video research it became obvious that a safety attachment was needed, so the aluminum bars on each end was extended to accommodate a bungee strap from the front to the back on either side as you see in the middle picture. After further discussion with the fleet a simpler and more effective safety attachment was developed using a cable and clip attachment. This was the final touch needed and currently in use today. The Pan Pillow was designed to be simple and the end product in picture three is the design being used to date.
Enjoy the product. If you have any questions or comments please contact us at info@panpillow.com
The Pan Pillow® is Manufactured and distributed by
Pillow Protection Corporation
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Updated February 23, 2010
