US1750043A - Chain pipe wrench - Google Patents

Description

March 11, 1930. w. c. KRESS 1,750,043

01mm PIPE WRENCH Filed April 28, 1928 a MIQ 1 i 1 INVENTOR MM 6? M,

By Attorneys,

R Q MLW j provide certain improvements therein.

Patented Mar. 11, 1930 warren STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLARD C. KRESS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGN'OR T0 J. H. WILLIAMS CO., OF

' BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK CHAINIE'IPE wnnnon Application filed April as,

The present invention relates to chain pipe wrenches, and more particularly to wrenches of the double-acting type provided with re versible, interchangeable jaws, and aims to In wrenches of this type the construction and arrangement ofparts is such that by a simple movement of the wrench, a pipe gripped thereby can be turned in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction without removing the chain from about the pipe. According to the present invention I provide the wrench with a handle which is offset at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the jaws, said handle being formed at one end with a cantilever projection and hooks for engaging the detachable end of the chain, and at its opposite endwith means for cooperation with means at the free end of the chain for facilitating the stacking and handling of such wrenches, especially those employing flat link chains. The cooperating means at both the free end of the chain and the handle are preferably latching means, and the chain and handle lengths are so chosen that the latch handle.

can be engaged to hold the chain in a reasonably definite relation along or parallel to the The invention also embodies other features of novelty which will be hereinafter made apparent.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a pipe wrench embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view looking in the direction of the arrows 3 3 of Fig. 1. c Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken substantially along the plane of the line H of Fig. 1. i i

Fig. 5 isa longitudinal section taken sub stantially along the plane of the line 5-5 of Fi 2. l

eferring to the drawings, let A indicate a wrench handle having an oflset portion A at one end thereof, against the opposite faces of which are secured the jaw elements B, B through the mediumof securing bolts 0, C,

j the latter of which also serves as an anchor 1928. Serial No. 273,690.

for one terminal link d of the grip chain D,

the other end of which is provided with a novel link E adapted to detachably engage the free end of the handle A.

The handle A, it will be understood, may be of any preferred length and cross-section, and is herein shown as being of substantially l-shape in cross-section and tapering from its jaw-supporting end to its free end whereat it is formed with aslot a extending inwardly from said end substantially through the median plane of the handle, the function for which slot will presently appear. The offset position A of the handle has opposite fiat faces against which the jaws seat and is provided at its top with hook-like projections F adapted to engage the detachable end of the gripping chain D, and with bolt openings through which the bolts C and C pass. To accommodate the links of the chain when the latter is hooked to the projections F, the handle portion A is provided with a channel G, and to permit free swinging action of the terminal link d of the chain about the bolt C, said handle portion A is formed with a second channel G. The offset portion A of the handle also has a cantilever projection H extending beyond its foremost bolt opening a distance slightly less than the distance between the bolt openings therein for a purpose which will presently appear. a

The jaws B, B are identical in form and each consists of a substantially elliptical element symmetrical inform with respect to both its major and minor axes and provided at both its forward and rear, and top and bottom with gripping faces 6, 5, hence they are interchangeable and reversible in use. Between the front and rear gripping surfaces there is a plain central portion provided with a protrusion or hump b, the function for which will presently'appear; For securing the to the handle they are provided with three bolt holes I symmetrically disposed along their maj or axes with respect to their minor axes, through the rearmost two of which the securing bolts C, C pass. To provide proper seating surfaces for the inner faces of the jaws, they are preferably machined or ground and are provided with bosses J for contact a formed in the free end of the handle.

with the outer surfaces of the handle offset portion A.

In chain wrenches of the type described it will be apparent that either cable or flat chains may be employed. In either case it is desirable when carrying or stacking said wrenches when not in use, that the chains should assume a definite relation along or parallel to the handle so as not to interfere with such carrying or stacking operations. This is particularly true in wrenches employing fiat link chains which are flexible only in one direction and therefore awkward attimes to handle when carrying or stacking the wrenches. To overcome this awkwardness I have devised a novel latching means whereby by a simple movement the free end of the chain may be instantly latched in definite relation substantially parallel to the wrench handle. To accomplish this the chain is preferably made of substantially the same length as the handle, and the terminal link at the free end of the chain modified so as to be readily engageable in the slot a This terminal link E preferably replaces the two unused filler links commonly found at the extremities of flat chains and accomplishes the function of said filler links, and in addition thereto serves as a latching link and also as an improved hand grip for passing the chain around a. pipe and conveniently hookin said chain when substantially all of the e ective chain length is required to encircle the'pipe. To hold said terminal link in latching engagement its free end is preferably formed with an enlargement or boss 6. As will be apparent from an inspection of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the slot a in the end of the handle and the faces of the chain links lie in parallel planes.

In use, when it is desired to turn a pipe in a counter-clockwise direction, the chain is first caused to encircle the pipe and the free portion thereof hooked over the projections F with the pipe in engagement with the forward gripping faces of the jaws. In this position the excess length of chain is either bent back over itself or permitted to rest upon the lower end of the handle, the links of said chain in proximity to the hooks F seating in the channel G. Now if it is desired to reverse the rotation of the pipe, that is, turn it in a clockwise direction, the jaws are shifted with relation to the pipe by a simple movement of the wrench handle, during which movement the jaws ride over the pipe, the plain surfaces and humps 6' between the forward and rear jaws serving to facilitate this shifting movement and limit the slackening of the chain without removing the chain from its hooking engagement. In this latter position the chain. rests against the cantilever projection H, which, in effect, is the equivalent of having the chain anchored at the foremost bolt hole of the jaws, thus giving substantially identical grips, angles, stresses, etc., in turning a pipe either in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. An inspection of Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawings discloses at a glance that the handle A in departing from the offset portion A projects beyond the top rear teeth of the jaws in a manner to protect the hand of a user against laceration by the teeth of said jaws when he engages the chain over the hooks F.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided a chain pipe wrench embodying certain features of novelty, and although I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that changes in the specific details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Vhat I claim is:

1. A pipe wrench comprising a handle having a slot in one end and a flat link chain, one end of which is anchored near the end of the handle other than that having the slot and the other end of the chain being engageable when not in use in said slot in the handle, the slot in the handle and the faces of the chain links lying in parallel planes.

2. A pipe wrench comprising a handle, a chain, hooks on the handle for engaging the detachable end of the chain, a pair of interchangeable, reversible, elongated jaws disposed on opposite sides of the handle, having front and rear gripping faces symmetrically arranged with respect to their minor axes adapted to alternately engage a pipe at will to turn said pipe in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, said jaws having three aligned holes symmetrically disposed with respect to said minor axes, bolts passing through the two rearmost holes securing the jaws to the handle, a cantilever projection on said handle extending forwardly along the line of the holes in. the jaws a distance such that when the detachable end of the chain is engaged over the hooks on the handle, the chain seats upon the end of said cantilever projection and in effect hooks at the foremost bolt holes when the rear gripping faces engage the pipe, and said chain being anchored to the rearmost bolt.

3. A pipe wrench comprising a handle, a chain, hooks on the handle for engaging the detachable end of the chain, a pair of interchangeable, reversible, elongated jaws disposed on opposite sides of the handle, having front and rear gripping faces symmetrically arranged with respect to their major and minor axes adapted to alternately engage a pipe at will, to turn said pipe in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, said jaws having three holes symmetrically disposed along their major axes with respect to said minor axes, bolts passing through the two rearmost holes securing the jaws to the handle, a cantilever projection on said handle extending forwardly along the major axes of the aws a distance such that when the detachable end of the chain is engaged over the hooks on the handle, the chain seats upon the end of said. cantilever projection and in effect hooks at the foremost bolt holes when the rear gripping faces engage the pipe, and said chain being anchored to the rearmost bolt.

4;. A pipe wrench comprising a handle, a chain, hooks on the handle for engaging the detachable end of the chain, a pair of interchangeable, reversible, elongated jaws disposed on opposite sides of the handle having front and rear gripping faces symmetrically disposed with respect to their minor axes adapted to alternately engage a pipe at will to turn said pipe in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, the front and rear gripping surfaces being separated from each other by a plain central portion provided with a protrusion or hump to limit the slackening of chain when shifting from front to rear gripping faces or vice versa in reversing the action of the wrench.

5. A pipe wrench comprising an elongated handle, a chain, one end of which is secured in proximity to one end of said handle, means also in proximityto said end of the handle for detachably engaging the chain at points remote from its secured end, and means on said handle remote from said first mentioned end engageable with the chain when not in use, in proximity to its unsecured end to maintain the chain in a position along the handle.

6. A pipe wrench comprising an elongated handle, a chain, one end of which is secured.

I in proximity to one end of said handle, means also in proximity to said end of the handle for detachably engaging the chain at points remote from its secured'end, and means on the other end of the handle engageable with the unsecured end of the chain when not in use, to maintain the chain in a position along the handle.

7. A pipe wrench comprising an elongated handle, a chain, one end of which is secured in proximity to one end of said handle, means also in proximity to said end of the handle for detachably engaging the chain at points remote from its secured end, and means on the other end of the handle engageable with the unsecured end of the chain when not in use,

to maintain the chain in a position along the handle, said handle and chain being approximately the same length. 8. A pipe wrench comprising an elongated handle, a chain, one end of which is secured in proximity to one end of said handle, means ed to hold the chain when not in use in tion along the handle.

9. A pipe wrench comprising an elongated a posihandle, a chain, one end of which is secured my name.

WILLARD C. KRESS.

also in proximity to said end or" the handle for detachably engaging the chain at points remote from its secured end and cooperating latching means on the other end of the handle and on the unsecured end of the chain adapt-

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