US1767441A - Wrench - Google Patents

Description

June 24, 1930.l

WRENCH Filed Feb. 19, 1930 v VENTOR L.y E. ENDslEY 1,767,441

Patented .lune 24, 1930 ,o

' ics WRENCH i Application filed February 19, l930.` Serial No. 429,582;l

My invention relates more particularly to one-piece wrenches that are so formed as to permit a ratchet-like movement of the wrench during the operation of turning a nut. j l

VOne object of my invention is to provide a one-piece ratchet Awrench wherein there are no sharp corners or angles, thereby rendering the wrench less liable to develop 1Q cracks in suoli corners or angles during heattreating thereof, and making Iit easier to forge or otherwise forni the wrench than would be the case if ithad sharp corners and the metal had to be caused to enter Another object of my invention is to provide a wrench wherein while one jawthereof has teeth or serrations, such teeth, instead of being angular or sharp, are rounded to thereby provide for a suflicient gripping of a nut, and at the saine time avoiding sharp angles wherein cracks would tend to develop during heattreatrnent of the wrench.

Another object of my invention is to provide a wrench having a short, substantially flat, jaw and itsother jaw curved in such manner that the flat j aw will normally have extended contact with the side of a nut when the nut is being turned by the wrench, withscout reducing the length of contact by the flat jaw on the side of the nut.

Still another object of my invenionis to provide a wrench of suoli ferm that duringk ratchet-like movement thereof, it may be ymoved in a plane that is angularlylisposed or inclined with respect to the plane of the lnut being operated upon.

One form` of wrench embodying` my invention is shown in the accompanying drawling, wherein Figure l is a plan view of a wrench and the nut in cooperative relation, and Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the wrench.

The wrench comprises the usual handle portion 2 and jaw portions Sand a, the handle being partially broken away. The shorter jaw 3 has its nut-engaging surface provided with ribs or teeth 5 that Aare disposed in a common plane so'that they will normally be 4engaged against the side cfa .nut during a turning operation. The teeth l instead of being sharpened as is usual in antl-slipping devices of this character are rounded or cylindrical, the .radius of curvature of the teeth being such that, While they rv55 i will exert adequate gripping action upon the side ofthe nut when turning force is applied to the Wrench, are nevertheless not subject to cracking, through changes,l in temperature during heat-treatment of the wrench. Again, in the formingl of the wrench, the rounded surfaces can be morev conveniently and accurately formedfthan could loe sharp or angular ribs. f

The jaws has its nut-engaging portion rounded or cylindrical as indicated at 6. ThisV curvature of the larger jawnot only [permits the toothed portion 5 of the to lie snugly against .the sidev of the nut .as shown in full lines, butv facilitates movenient of the wrench' to dotted line position i for the purpose of effecting a new grip on i the nut. The jaw 4 is hollowed or recessed as indicated at 7 in order to permit the wrench to bemoved with ajratchet-like motion into' position for engaging thenutto turn the same.

The surfacefcontinues along a curved `line until itrrnerges with the inner wall 8 of the nut-receiving recess. `The wall` 8 is ,80 also curved anda curved surface 9 connects the surface 8 and the `nut-e'ngaging portion of the jaw 3, to provide clearance for Vthe corners of thef nut during retractive movement of thewrench. K Y 1,85

`The curved surfaces at the ends of the wall' 8 result in a stronger `wrench and,v one which is not so [likely to crackin service as would the case if the ends of thesur- `face 8 terminated in angles lor corners atc-.90 the bases, of the jaws?, and s, vand furthermore, cracks lor fissinesarev not likely to be formed atsuch points through 'changes of temperature `during heattreatment.

. The curvatureV of the 'surface 8 is suclrnS` that it serves as a guiee or `caniming surface, as shown 1n the dotted line position of the wrench, to` facilitate turning 'of the lwrench toward and past its dotted line The surface 8 is also of convex form in a direction transversely thereof, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, so that the wrench may be tilted with respect to the plane of the nut during operation, as when the nut is so located that the wrench cannot be operated in the same plane as the nut, or in case the operator accidentally tilts the wrench out of parallelism with the plane of the nut.

If the surface 8 is flat or straight in its transverse dimension, tilting the wrench results in lifting the short jaw oli' the nut a considerable distance, and decreases the length of contact of the short jaw, as shown by the dot and dash lines 10 in Fig. 2. lt is evident that by decreasing the length of contact of the short jaw, the area of contact between the nut and the jaw is lessened to such an extent that turning stresses will be centralized on the nut.

On the other hand, in my form of wrench, the transversely convex surface 8 permits considerable tilting movement of the wrench withY an increase in the length of the jaw contact, as shown by the dotted lines ll in Fig. 2. j

Obviously, the area of contact between the nut and the short jaw remains substantially constant for a considerable degree of tilting movement out of parallelism with the plane of the nut, thereby permitting turning movement of the nut by an angularly positioned wrench without possibility of damage to the nut.

In Fig. 2,`the short jaw 3 is shown in full lines to more clearly indicate the normal position and extent of contact thereof with the side of a nut.

The surface 8 may also serve, when the wrench is in full line position, to take some of the thrust resulting from turning of trie Wrench in a counter-'clockwise direction, thns yrelieving the nose 6 of the jaw 4- of some strain and reducing tendency of such nose portion to slide on the side of the nut during the turning thereof by the wrench.

`All points of contact of the wrench with the nut, when force is applied to the wrench to turn the nut, are at locations removed from the corner of the nut, as shown for example at 5, 6 and S. Danger of damaging the corner of the nuts so that they become rounded and useless is therefore avoided.

I claim as my invention 1. A. wrench for polygonal nuts comprisingoppositely-disposed jaw portions deining two sides of a nutereceiving recess, and a surface constituting the inner wall of said recess, the said surface being of convex form in a direction transversely "thereof, one of said jaws being greater in length than onehalf the length of the said inner wall, and

`in length than one-half the length of the said inner wall, and the other jaw being less than one-half the length of the inneil wall.

3. A wrench for polygonal nuts, co1nprising oppositelylisposed jaw portions defining two sides of a nut-receiving recess, one of said jaws being substantially flat, and a wrench surface constituting the inner wall of the recess, the said surface normally constituting the inner wall of the recess, thev said surface normally having contact with a nut and being of such form that upon til*- ing movement of the wrench transversely of the plane of the nut, the length ofarea of contact between the said Hat jaw and the nut will not be materially shortened, one of said jaws being greater in'length than one-half the length of the said inner wall, and the other jaw being less than one-half the'lcngth of the inner wall. L

4. A wrench for polygonal nuts comprising oppositely-disposed jaw portions definingtwo sides of a nut-receiving recess and a wrench surface constituting the inner wall of a recess, the said surface normally having contact with a nut and being of such forni that upon tilting movement of the wrench transversely of the plane of the nut, the distance between the said inner wall and the outermost point of the nut at which one of said jaws engages the nut will not be materially shortened, one of said jaws being greater in length than one-half tire length of the said inner wall, and the other jaw being less than one-half the length of the inner wall.

In testimony whereof I, the said LOUIS E. ENnsLnY, have hereunto set my hand.

LOUS E. ENDSLEY.

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