US1376295A - Wrench - Google Patents

Description

M. SMITH. WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZI. 1920.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

UNITED STATES FRED M. SMITH, OF TAFT, CALIFORNIA.

WRENCH.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

Application led May 21, 1920. Serial No. 383,049.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED M. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ta t, in the county of Kern, State ot (Jaliifornia, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Wrenches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a 1full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. -Ijffj rl`his invention relates to wrenches, and more especially to the sliding adjustments thereof including a shank grip; and the primary object of the invention is to produce a wrench oi this type whose aws are adjusted by swinging the handle and locked in adjusted position by a pawl urged forward by a spring but capable oi being retracted by hand when the lingers or the glove may be very dirty or greasy and no delicate operation can be performed. The need for such a wrench is often i'elt by workwhose calling keeps their hands dirty, and occasions sometimes require the use ot wrench quickly so that no time is afforded in which to cleanse the hands. Moreover, wrenches are often used when the weather is extremely cold and the hands are numb. Finally, from a mechanical view-point the tool is improved by the omission of tine parts which require careful making and delicate handling.

One feature ot' the invention is the means for adjusting the movable jaw with relation to the tixed jaw by swinging the handle, and pawl-and-ratchet mechanism for locking the handle after it has been swung, so that subsequent movement of the handle turns the nut or other object which stands between the jaws.

Another feature ot the invention is the means for filling out one jaw by the application to its face of blocks or liners, thereby adapting the wrench to nuts of various sizes while yet retaining the use of the mechanism for adjusting the movable jaw as described above.

Details are set forth below and shown in the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of this entire wrench, the toothed sector and rack being indicated in dotted lines. I Y

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the head of the wrench and the fixed jaw.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the movable jaw, including a liner ready to be attached thereto.

The handle 1 of this wrench is preferablyr in cross section, and is fixed in or attached to the upper end of the handle, or may be formed as a continuation thereof, and at its upper end it carries a sector 4 provided with teeth 5 on its edge struck around a center through which passes a main pivot 6. On the shank slides a collar 7 preferably milled on its outer face so that it may be grasped reliably between greasy lingers, and urged normally toward the main pivot by a spring 8, and the outer end of this collar carries ratchet teeth 9 on both sides of the shank, whereby this element becomes a pawl as will be explained below.

The head 10 is a relatively flat casting thicker than the shank 3 and made up ot two spaced wings 11 connected across their upper edges by a top plate 12 and separated by a space or channel 13 into which extends the upper end of the shank and its sector 4, and the wings are provided with alined holes 16 `for the passage of the main pivot or bolt 6, beneath and around which their edges are struck on curves producing sectors provided with ratchet teeth 19 to be enga ed by thev teeth 9 on the collar or pawl. ising rigidly from andpreferably formed as a part ci the head is the fixed jaw 17 whose face is herein shown as milled or serrated,- and as slightly dished at one point as at 18.

Slidably mounted between the wings and under the top plate 12 is a bar 22 having a rack of teeth 25 along its lower edge to engage those on the toothed sector 4, and upstanding from one cnd of this bar is a movable jaw 27 whose tace is provided with a longitudinal dove-tailed groove 2S. W'hile the bar is guided between the top plate and the toothed sector, it is preferred to further guide it by means of a pin 20 passing transversely through the bar and with its ends movable in slots 21 through the wings ll-thus constituting means for guiding the jaw 27 in its .movements and for preventing its entire displacement from the head. As shown in Fig. 3, a face plate or liner 23 is provided, its forward side being milled or serrated and its rear side carrying a dove-tailed tongue 24 to 'lit the groove 28. 7vVith each wrench are furnished several of these liners of various thicknesses, and they may be stored inthe hollow handle and may be applied selectively to the face of one of the jaws. l/Vhile itY is the movable aw herein shown and described as carrying the liner, it is clear that the latter might be applied to the other jaw or possibly to both jaws without departing` from the spirit oi2 the invention, and in fact it would be possible to apply these liners to the jaw e1"- any wrench which provided with a proper groove to reieive them. The purpose of dishing one jaw as shown at 1S is to permit the wrench to be used for pipe worlr and on rods that are not angular.

In the use of this wrench, let us assume that its parts are set so that when they standV as Vseien in Fig. Yl` the jaw faces vare one inch apart. Manifest-ly they will slip over a one-inch nut and the shank can b moved to the left to tighten it, or the wrench reversed and the shank moved to the right to loosen the nut. To apply the jaws to a larger nut, the shank mustlirst be swung tothe right which rocks the sector l on the main pivot and slides the barV 22 and movable jaw 27 to the left. :in other words, thisv opens the as the kpawl and ratchet mechanism permits, and

thenpwhen the jaws are applied to the nut and the shank moved to the lett the nut s,

i tightened gV or by reversing` the wrench the nut can be loosened as is understood. To

apply the wrench to a nut smaller than one inch, the pawl must be disengaged from the ratchet with one hand moved to the lett. This draws the jaw faces together, and when they have grasped the nut the pawl is released and continued movement to the left tightens the nut; or the wrench can be reversed or rnoved oppo sitely 4to release the nut. lt is obvious, therefore, that the jaws will aline with the shank only when applied to a one inch nut, and the whole head will stand with its jaw opening;` at an angleto the shank iii' the nut be larger or smaller. As this is not always desirable, provision is made Jfor avoidingit by use of the liners. Y

Assuming that the parts were so set that, with a half inch'liner in place, the jaw faces stood one inch apart in F ig. l. To grasp a and the shankV nut smaller than an'inch, a thiclier .liner must he substituted (as, in fact, it might have been done as described above but to grasp a nut larger than an inch the haltV inch liner may new he replaced by a thinner one.V And yet, even when the liners are used there is the same possibility for adjusting the av.' faces by swinging` the handle. Y

Finally, when it is desired to turn a nut which has become strich whose corners are worn, or when it is desired to turn a round piece of wort:` it hecornes necessary to make use of the shank grip. Either et the different means L'or adjlisting` the jaw faces to the work may be employed, but now the pawl is held out of engagement with the ratchet so that envi` et the shank to the lett exerts first a tendency to further contract the jaws on theY work, and then Va tendency to turn the latter to the rightQor to the left when the wrench is reversed. Y

ln'none of these operations is line adjustment by the hngers necessari/1.Y rlfhe change of liners can be effected by 'dirty or greasy hands andthe cellar 7 can be retracted also by dirty hands, while its spring Slinoves it automatically into Y tion when the pa .sp ci the thumh and iinger is withdrawn. A

l/lfhat claimed as new i. ln a wrench, the combi? ation with a shank hr-.ving` a toothed sector around its tor is struck, a collar slidable on said shankand havi pay-fl teeth on its outer end, and a spring,` unsjin;1 said collar outward; of a head including` spaced wings deiininfrl a channel inclosing said sector, the wings being mounted on said main pivot and provided with ratchet sectors to be engaged by said pawl teeth, a rigid jaw carried by said head, and a jaw movable toward and from said rigid jaw and having a bar slidable thi ugh the head and pro Yied with a toothed rack engaging); said toothed sector.

ln testimony ivl reo'f l ailix my si gnature in the presence et' two witnesses.

FRED M. Sli/llTl-l.

l/Vitnesses Y e J. li. HANNAH, f GERALD JnNNrNes.

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