US2554410A - Resilient strip jar cap wrench - Google Patents

Description

May 22, 1951 J. E. HoRToN RESILIENT STRIP JAR CAR WRENCH Filed June l, 1948 Fig. 3.

Inventor John E. Hor/on Patented May 22, 1951 UNITE@ STATES ifATE-NT EFHCE RESILIEN T STRIP JAR CAP WRENCH .lohn E. Horton, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application 'June 1, 1948, Serial No. 30,222

2 Claims. l

This invention relates to new and useful irnprovernents in wrenches especially adapted to remove screw-caps and like covers from jars, bottles or similar receptacles and to securely screw suchv caps or covers upon the receptacles for which they are intended. f

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple nonmetallic wrench -of the aforementioned character that is so designed as to be quickly and readily applied about a cap or cover to tightly grip the same, and which. is applicable for caps and covers of various shapes or diameters.

sAnother object of the present invention is to vprovide a wrench for opening and closing the tops of jars and the like that is constructed of a steam, water, chemical and age resistant flexible rubber-like compound which incorporates a strip of strong and durable, flexible canvas of the same strength and highquality as 'that used in power belting, and which will be permanently molded into the back of the wrench so as to become an integral or unitary part thereof, thus adding great strength and preventing the breaking and splitting of the wrench, which often occurs to wrenches made of resilient or rubber material only. Such an inclusion of a reinforcing element of the foregoing characteristics, increases the durability and strength of the present wrench permitting the same to be used more effectively J and eiiiciently for removing caps or covers from receptacles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an all size flexible wrench which includes novel and improved finger engaging recesses on its outer face that are carefully and accurately spaced to receive the fingers of the user, thus enabling any number of the holes or recesses to be used as fulcrums and the fingers used as levers to provide an extremely powerful, non-slipping grip on any cover, so that it may be opened or closed frequently without damage to the cover, and the jars or receptacles can then be used indefinitely.

Heretofore resilient jar wrenches have been made of a continuous rounded section of a material having a predetermined size so that the same will be applicable for Mason type jars. When such wrenches are used for opening the caps or closures for many small receptacles, the I wrench must be collapsed thus folding the sides of the wrench close together, unduly stressing the same and causing the same to break or split.

Accordingly, the present wrench has been designed to eliminate the foregoing undesirable occurrences by providing an endless or substantially endless wrench since the elongated strip forming the same is provided with eyelets at its ends into which is incorporated a free running metal ring to allow for instant zero contraction, thus the ends of the wrench can be'brought very closely together any number of times with no stress whatever on the wrench itself.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a flexible wrench that is small and compact in structure, strong and reliable in use, neat and attractive in appearance, economical to manufacture, and otherwise carefully designed and well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the `accompanying vdrawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the present invention, and with parts thereof broken away and shown in sections for the purpose of illustration,

and showing in dotted lines the said wrench applied to a jar cover of medium size;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the present invention taken substantially on the plane of section line 2-2 of Figure 1; and,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the present invention showing the holding ring removed therefrom.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral lll represents an elongated, substantially rectangular strip of exible steam water, chemical and age resistant rubber-like material that is sectioned or cut from a length or roll of such material to reduce to a minimum the amount of material wasted during the construction or manufacture of the present invention.

Fixed to the outer face of strip Il) and pressure molded into strip Ill, so as to become a permanent integral part thereof, is an elongated backing l2 of very strong, durable, exible canvas that will reinforce the strip l!! to give durability thereto and which will prevent the latter from breaking, splitting or tearing in use. This backing l2 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced nger receiving openings I4 that oppose concave recesses I5 provided in the outer face of strip l0.

Integrally formed with the inner face of the strip l0 is a plurality of longitudinally spaced,

transversely extending parallel gripping teeth or ribs I8 for engaging the outer surface of a jar cover, cap or the like 20.

'I'he ends 22 and 24 of the strip I0 and backing I2, are respectively provided With openings 26 that Vxedly engage reinforcing sleeves 28 that slidably receive a holding ring 30. This holding ring 30 is employed for retaining the ends of the strip I0 and the backing I2 relative to each other so that the present wrench will be substantially in the form of a loop or continuous band, as shown best in Figure 1 of the drawings.

In practical use of the present invention, the same is slipped over the top 20 so that the teeth I8 will engage the outer circumference of the top or cover 20, A user grips the body portions of the present invention in one hand and inserts his fingers into Ythe appropriate openings I4 and recesses I6, whereby the top may be rotated or turned to be applied to or removed from a bottle, jar or the like.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the device Ywill be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A universal wrench for removing and replacing tops and covers of receptacles by hand pressure comprising a strip of resilient material having a toothed inner surface, a heavy flexible canvas backing permanently embedded in the outer surface of the strip, a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings in said backing, a plurality of nger receiving recesses provided in the outer surface of the strip registering with the openings in said backing, metal eyelets permanently embedded at the ends of said strip, and a strong metal ring free running through the eyelets to provide the means for connecting the ends ofthe strip to each other, and to allow for instant zero contraction or instant maximum expansion of said wrench.

2. A device for removing or replacing tops on receptacles comprising a strip of resilient material having a toothed inner surface, a exible backing fixed to the outer surface of the strip, a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings provided in said backing, a plurality of iinger receiving recesses provided in the outer surface of the strip registering with the openings in said backing, and means for connecting the ends of the strip to each other.

JOHN E. HORTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS n 'Australia of 1934

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