US3095769A

US3095769A - Ratchet wrench

Info

Publication number: US3095769A
Application number: US13517A
Authority: US
Inventors: Abraham S Weinstein
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-03-08
Filing date: 1960-03-08
Publication date: 1963-07-02
Anticipated expiration: 1980-07-02

Description

y 1963 V A. s. WEINSTEIN 3,095,769

RATCHET WRENCH Filed March 8, 1960 INVENTOR.

ABRAHAM S. WEINSTEIN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,095,769 RATCHET WRENCH Abraham S. Weinstein, 15 Garrison R'ohd, Brookline, Mass. Filed Mar. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 13,517 r 4 Claims. (Cl. 81-97) The present invention relates to a ratchet wrench. It is an object of the present invention to provide a ratchet wrench having a combination of fixed and adjustable jaws whereby a portion of the wrench may be used as a conventional ratchet wrench and another portion of the wrench may be used as a nonra-tchable wrench with two portions so interrelated as to permit an object being tightened or loosened to be moved from one portion to the other with facility.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a simple, durable, compact, inexpensive wrench which is easy to use and which will permit a very substantial and rigid gripping of a nut or other similar object. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ratchet wrench,

FIG. 2 is an exploded view in perspective of the ratchet wrench,

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the ratchet wrench showing the position of the moveable jaw when the wrench is turned in one direction and taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view substantially the same as FIG. 3 but showing the position of the moveable jaw when the wrench is turned in a direction opposite to that of the direction illustrated in FIG. 3, and,

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the wrench taken substantially along the same line as 3-3 in FIG. 1 but with a nut omitted.

The casing 1 comprises a handle 2 and head 3. The casing 1 may be formed of two pieces of metal including a main portion generally illustrated at 4 and a covering plate 5 which covers a recess 6 in the head of the main portion 4. The covering plate 5 is secured to the main portion 4 by a plurality of screws 25. The head 3 is formed with

opposite jaws

7 and 8. These

jaws

7 and 8 have opposed parallel gripping surfaces respectively 9 and 10. An enlarged transversely extending opening 11 is formed in the casing at the inner end of the

jaws

7 and 8. The recess 6 defined between the main portion 4 and the covering plate 5 borders the opening 11 and is continuous with it. The recess 6 occupies substantially the entire head. A portion of the opening may be bordered by an arcuate wall 51. It is formed with a main portion 15 having side walls 16 which extend rearwardly from the inner edges of the surfaces 9 and and in a direction generally parallel to the outer edges of the head to a rearward slot 17. The rearwardly extending slot 17 is positioned generally longitudinally of the handle 2. Positioned within the recess 6 is a moveable jaw 20 which is secured and pivotally supported on a pin 21. The pin 21 in turn is journalled between the inner walls of the main portion 4 and the covering plate 5. This jaw 20 is generally C-sh-aped in configuration with the pin 21 projecting through the jaw at one free end of the 'C-shaped jaw. The other end of the 'C-shaped jaw 20 has a flat inner surface 27. This surface 27 is adapted to be pivoted slightly into opening 11 just beyond surface 9 when there is no nut in the wrench as illustrated in FIG. 5. When a nut is inserted the surface 27 moves back into alignment with surface 9. The leg 29 of the C-shaped moveable jaw also projects slightly beyond the inner 3,095,769 Patented July 2, 1963 curved edges 30 which partially defines the opening 11 (FIG. 2) when the leg 29 is aligned with surface 9. The jaw 20 is tensioned towards this aligned position by a helical spring 35 which is positioned within the slot 17 with one end of the spring 35 projecting out of the slot 17 into engagement with a tongue 36' integrally formed on the outer edge of the jaw 20.

In using this wrench for tightening a nut 40, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, movement of the wrench in the direction as indicated by the arrow 41 with the nut 40 engaged by the moveable jaw 20", will cause a tightening of the jaw 20 against the nut. The nut will be partially engaged by the jaw 20 and partially engaged by the fixed surface 10. Ratcheting movement in the opposite direction indicated by arrow 50 (FIG. 4) causes the moveable jaw 20- to pivot against the tension of the spring 35, thereby pivoting the surface 27 with respect to the surface 10 into an open position. If desired, a gripping engagement may be obtained by rotation in either direction when the nut 40 is moved into engagement with the wrench between the

fixed surfaces

9 and 10. overlapping of the

surfaces

9 and 27 since the surface 9 is formed in part by the side edges of the casing with the surface 27 interposed therebetween.

Pin 21 is positioned normal to and opposite surface 27 so that nut 40 when engaged by the surface 27 will be directly between surface 27 and pin 21. This permits a tightening or binding of the jaw on the nut as it is turned.

Pivotal movement of leg 29 is limited by sidewall 16 so that the surface 27 under influence of spring 35 will project only slightly beyond the gripping surface 9. Thus, when a nut 40 is inserted between the jaws, there is slight tension on the nut due to the pressure of spring 35. This tension may be adjusted so that the wrench will remain in engagement with the nut 40 in overhead work or in other work in which the operator may let go of the wrench for a short period of time.

What is claimed is:

1. A ratchet wrench comprising a casing having a head and handle, said head having a pair of jaws with fixed opposed parallel surfaces, means forming an opening transversely through said head adjacent the inner edges of said surfaces with said opening having transverse measurements greater than the distance between said surfaces, means forming a recess within said head bordering and continuous with said opening, a C-shaped jaw positioned within said recess with a pair of opposed legs with one leg having a flattened inner surface, means pivotally supporting said C-shaped jaw within said recess on an axis passing through said other leg with said flattened inner surface of said one leg adapted to be pivoted into coplanar alignment with one of said parallel surfaces and with said one leg partially projecting from said recess into said opening, and spring means engaging said G-shaped jaw and tensioning said one leg toward the other of said parallel surfaces.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said spring means comprise a helical spring coplanar with said O- shaped jaw and projecting into said recess with one end engaging a tongue integral with said C-shaped jaw.

3. A ratchet wrench comprising a casing having a head and handle with said head 'having opposite side walls with means securing said sidewalls together in spaced relation, said sidewalls defining a pair of opposed jaws and an opening extending transversely through said head adjacent the inner ends of said jaws and a recess adjacent and continuous with said opening having opposite sides defined by said sidewalls, means forming facing parallel fixed surfaces on said jaws spaced apart less than the transverse dimensions of said opening, a

It will be noted that there is an C-shaped jaw positioned within said recess with a pair of opposed legs positioned one on either side of said opening, one leg having a flattened inner surface, means pivotally supporting said C-shaped jaw on an axis passing through the other leg with said flattened inner surface of said one leg adapted to be pivoted into coplanar alignment with one of said parallel surfaces and with said one leg partially projecting from said recess into said opening, and spring means engaging said C-shaped jaw and tensioning said one leg toward the other of said parallel surfaces.

4. A ratchet wrench having a casing with a pair of opposed parallel jaws having fixed parallel facing surfaces, means forming an enlarged transverse opening adjacent said surfaces, a C-shaped jaw having a pair of legs with one leg having an engaging face, means pivotally supporting and securing said jaw at a pivot point in said other leg and with said engaging face adapted to be coplanarly aligned with one of said surfaces and simultaneously partially project into said opening and means normally tensioning said leg into said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 770,574 Halstead et al Sept. 20, 1904 1,320,668 Askman Nov. 4, 1919 1,732,000 Calognori Oct. 15, 1929 2,026,516 Chesnut et al. Jan. 7, 1936 2,584,353 Keiser Feb. 5, 1952 2,700,315 Hermanson Jan. 25, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 125 Great Britain Jan. 2, 1909

Claims

1. A RATCHET WRENCH COMPRISING A CASING HAVING A HEAD AND HANDLE, SAID HEAD HAVING A PAIR OF JAWS WITH FIXED OPPOSED PARALLEL SURFACES, MEANS FORMING AN OPENING TRANSVERSELY THROUGH SAID HEAD ADJACENT THE INNER EDGES OF SAID SURFACES WITH SAID OPENING HAVING TRANSVERSE MEASUREMENTS GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SURFACES, MEANS FORMING A RECESS WITHIN SAID HEAD BORDERING AND CONTINUOUS WITH SAID OPENING, A C-SHAPED JAW POSITIONED WITHIN SAID RECESS WITH A PAIR OF OPPOSED LEGS WITH ONE LEG HAVING A FLATTENED INNER SURFACE, MEANS PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID C-SHAPED JAW WITHIN SAID RECESS ON AN AXIS PASSING THROUGH SAID OTHER LEG WITH SAID FLATTENED INNER SURFACE OF SAID ONE LEG ADAPTED TO BE PIVOTED INTO COPLANAR ALIGNMENT WITH ONE OF SAID PARALLEL SURFACES AND WITH SAID ONE LEG PARTIALLY PROJECTING FROM SAID RECESS INTO SAID OPENING, AND SPRING MEANS ENGAGING SAID C-SHAPED JAW AND TENSIONING SAID ONE LEG TOWARD THE OTHER OF SAID PARALLEL SURFACES.