US2561407A - Wrench shank having springy-arm jaws cammed by slidable threadedsleeve actuated by nut swiveling on shank - Google Patents

Description

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July 24, lvggl iff Patented July 24, 1951 WRENCH JAWS CAMMED BY SLIDABLE THREADED- SLEEVE ACTUATED BY NUT SWIVELING ON SHANK 1 De Reath N.Pa1mer, Painesville, ohio Application March 30, 1948, Serial No. 18,043

1 claim. 1

This invention relates to a wrench and more particularly to a wrench having springy-arm jaws cammed by a sliding threaded sleeve actuated by a nut swiveling on the shank.

It is an object of this invention to provide a wrench of the kind more particularly described hereinafter, formed to provide means whereby a person may reach into positions or locations that are ordinarily difficult to reach and remove or replace threaded nuts or bolts.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein merely for present purposes of illustration, a specific embodiment of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure i is a general transverse longitudinal section taken through said embodiment, showing the wrench jaws in open or expanded position.

Figure 2 is a top plan or forward end elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the jaw contracting tube.

Figure 4 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the operating nut.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the two washers or rings, and

Figure 6 is a side elevation of one of the two ring locking pins.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 'I generally designates the main jaw member, comprising a solid straight shank portion 8, extending axially into a screw driver type handle 8', in which the shank portion is fixed. and a hollow iiared forward portion 9, which is formed with a plurality of longitudinal slots I0, defining between them a plurality, in this instance six, flexible spring jaws I I, which normally occupy divergent positions. The jaws, as shown in Figure 2, are of segmental cross section.

As shown in Figure 1, the forward ends of the spring jaws II are thickened and formed on the inner sides with triangular recesses or seats I2 for conformably seating the corners of hexagon nuts or the hexagon heads of studs. It will be understood that the seats I2 may be formed to seat other than hexagon forms and that the number` of jaws II may be reduced or increased accordingly.

Slidable along the shank 8 and along a part of the flared portion 9 of the main jaw member is the jaw contracting tube or sleeve I4, comprising a cylindrical rear portion I5 having external screw threads I6 and a forwardly flared portion I'I, the cylindrical portion slidably fitting the shank portion 8 and the iiared portion II'I being somewhat shorter than the flared portion 9 of the main jaw member and of smaller diameter, such that upon forward movement of the sleeve I4 the ared portion I'I will engage and contract the spring jaws I I, and upon rearward movement of the sleeve I4 the jaws II will spring back toward normal position.

Means for controllably operating the sleeve I4 while holding the wrench -by the handle 8', consists of a knurled nut I 8, having screw threads I9 engaging the screw threads I 6 on the sleeve I4. The screw threads I9 of the nut I8 terminate in spaced relation to the opposite ends of the nut, as shown in Figure 4, and annular recesses 28, 28 larger in diameter than the threads I9 are formed in the opposite ends of the nut to accommodate washers or rings 2|, 2| which are traversed by pins 22, 22 passing through diametrically paired holes 23, 23 formed in the washers and through the main jaw shank portion 8, as shown in Figure 1, whereby the nut I8 is fixed in a position on the wrench within comfortable reach of the fingers of a hand holding the handle 8. The sleeve I4 has slots 24 opening through its rear end, to clear the pins- 22, 22.

The nut being thereby free to rotate with respect to the shank 8 but not to move ther-ealong, can be rotated in opposite directions so as to feed the sleeve I 4 rearwardly or forwardly and thereby open and close the jaws I I, as may be desired. The sleeve I4 remains in any position to which it is adjusted because of the threaded connection with the swivelling nut I8, there being no extra locking means or exertion of holding force by the operator. Thus, the wrench can firmly grip nuts and bolt heads located in diicult to reach places.

What is claimed is:

A wrench for endwise engagement with a nut, said Wrench comprising a handle, a jaw mem- .ber comprising a shank xed to extend forwardly from said handle, a forwardly ared hollow portion on the forward end of said shank, said flared portion comprising spaced normally laterally outwardly expanded spring jaws conformably engaging the corners of a nut, a sleeve slidably circumposed on said shank and having a forward portion arranged to engage the outside of said -3 jaws and compress said jaws inwardly to grip a nut when said sleeve is moved forwardly along said shank from the rearward starting position in which said jaws are free to occupy their maximum expanded positions, and operating means on said (shank, withinreach of .fingers of a hand holding L.said Tnandlefor movingr Isaid sleeve Torwardly from and return to starting position, said operating means comprising external screw threads on said sleeve, a nut threaded on said screw threads, and means to rotatably mount said nut in spaced relation to Asaid shank, fsaid means comprising rings! `engagiing upper and lower ends of said nut, and pins traversing said rings and said shank and passing through longi.

tudinal slots formed in said sleeve,v whereby said f4A nut, when rotated in either direction, will not move along said shank but will axially move said sleeve.

DE REATH N. PALMER.

REFERENCES CITED "flhe olow'in'g references are -fo 'record in the "le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Nanne. Date y 493;'815 lBingham. Mar. 21, 1893 803,692 'Hill Nov. 7, 1905 883,(168 Chapman Mar. 31, 1908 1,690,018 Y Kerfoot Oct. 30, 1928

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