AU609330B1 - Adjustable spanner - Google Patents

Description

W L THOMSON

ASSOCIATES

*TO: THE COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS 19 3 an, t arnci APPLICANT: CHUNG-HSING CHANG c

NUMBER:

1 0 9.

FILING DATE: FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Patents Act 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INVENTION ENTITLED: ADJUSTABLE SPANNER

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The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: ADJUSTABLE SPANNER ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An adjustable spanner includes a handle having a mounting end having a pressure edge and a thinned portion, a movable piece having a multi-angular surface capable of coloperating with the pressure edge to grip therebetween a tubular article and an engaging portion which by means of a pivoting medium is slidably and 4 pivotably mounted on the thinned portion, and a 0 00 S' 10 positioning elastic piece having a first end fixed to o the handle and a second opposite end engaging with the o*00 I movable piece.

2 S 01A 3 I f 7- ADJUSTABLE SPANNER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a spanner, and more particularly to an adjustable spanner.

Different kinds of spanners are required to respectively screw on and off different threaded connecting pieces, eg a bolt and a tube joint..... etc.

Different sizes of spanners of the same kind are also required to screw on and off different sizes of 10 threaded connecting pieces of the same kind. It goes without saying that such situation is troublesome and @090 inconvenient for a user.

*00000 0 0 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION *900 o It is therefore en object of the present invention to provide an adjustable spanner capable of screwing on and off different kinds of threaded connecting pieces o° o having a size ranged within a limited scope in order to e reduce the tool cost and to obtain an operating *0*00* convenience for the user.

S 20 According to the present invention, an adjustable r spanner comprising: Aa handle having a mounting end which includes an upper nose portion having a pressure edqe, and a lower thinned portion defining at a bottom of said nose portion a first wall and a second wall inclined with respect to said first wall; LIa movable piece having an upper gripping portion S02 0 N'T i having an inward multi angular surface capable of co*operating with said pressure edge to grip therebetween a tubular article, and a lower engaging portion which is slidably and pivotably mounted on said thinned portion and includes a groove having therein a plurality of indentations and a side wall capable of abutting with either one of said first and second walls; and o' a pivot capable of selectively passing through one :o 10 of said indentations to pivotably mount together said S o 0.0 lower engaging portion and said thinned portion in a e 0 manner that when said side wall abuts with said second wall, said multi*angular surface and said pressure edge are ready to clamp therebetween said tubular article; when said movable piece is pivoted with respect to said handle, the size of a space formed between said 0 pressure edge and said multi4angular surface is accordingly adjusted; and when said side wall abuts 0 0 against said first wall, said engaging portion is 20 slidable on said thinned portion to allow said pivot to be positioned in any one of said indentations.

The present invention may best be understood through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of an adjustable spanner according to the

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i-j •a o o a b a oa a as 0 0 a i 0 a 0 a a a o a a a o o a a aoa a paa a 0 a a00 o a a a 0 a a a *~uo *a present invention; Fig. 2 is an exploded view showing an adjustable spanner in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front view schematically showing an adjustable spanner in Fig. 1 in use; Fig. 4 is a front view showing the relevant part of a further preferred embodiment of an adjustable spanner according to the present invention; and Fig. 5 is an exploded view showing an additional 10 preferred embodiment of an adjustable spanner according to the present invention; Fig. 6 is a schematically front view showing an adjustable spanner in Figc. 5; and Fig. 7 is a sectional view, taken along line I*I in Fig. 5, showing a movable piece for an adjustable spanner in Fig. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to Figs. 1 2, an adjustable spanner 10 according to the present invention includes a handle 20, a movable piece 40 and a biasing member Handle 20 includes a shank portion 21 and a mounting end which includes an upper nose portion 22 having a toothed pressure edge 23 and a lower thinned portion 24 respectively defining at nose portion 22 and shank portion 21 two parallel first walls 25, 26 and two parallel second walls 27, 28 respectively inclined with respect to first walls 25, 26. Thinned portion 24

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includes a central elongated hole 31 and two widened sides 29, 30 in order to increase its strength.

Movable piece 40 includes an upper gripping portion 41 and a lower engaging portion 42 having a groove 47 defining therein 4 continuous arcuate indentations 48, 49, 50, 51 and two side walls 54, respectively capable of flushly engaging with first walls 25, 26 or second walls 27, 28. Gripping portion 41 includes an inward toothed multiangular surface 10 having 3 continuous sides 43, 44, 45 with sides 43, 44 o Sand sides 44, 45 both including an angle of about 120 o 0 'degrees. A pivot, being a specially machined bolt 52 in the present embodiment, is capable of selectively passing through one of indentations 48951 and passing o through elongated hole 31 to be threaded by a nut 53 on its free end in order to pivotably and slidably mount together lower engaging portion 42 and thinned portion o 24 in the manner such that when side wall 54 flushly engages with second wall 27, toothed sides 43, 44, 8 and toothed pressure edge 23 are capable of coioperating with each other to clamp a tubular Sarticle, eg a nut or a threaded tube joint. Movable piece 40 can pivot about the bolt 52 relative to the handle and thus the size of the space formed between pressure edge 23 and sides 43, 44, 45 can vary to cope with tubular articles of slightly different sizes.

When side wall 54 abuts against first wall 25, engaging *i portion 42 is slidable on thinned portion 24 to allow the pivot to be positioned in any one of indentations 48*51.

The biasing member 60 is a strip of spring material and includes a first end 61 riveted to shank portion 21 and a second 90 degreertwisted end 62 having an engaging section 63 engaging with side wall 55 of movable piece 40 to urge side wall 54 against second wall 27 unless there is an external force applied to 10 movable piece 0 0 As shown in Fig. 3, if the present spanner 10 is a 0 0 0 to rotate a hexagonal nut 1, engaging portion 42 is o slid on thinned portion 24 to position the pivoting bolt 52 in indentation 50. After slightly clockwise 040 15 pivoting movable piece 40 in order to locate nut 1 among sides 43, 44, 45 and pressure edge 23, the clockwise rotation of shank portion 21 will respectively induce at sides 43, 44, 45 and pressure 0 edge 23 clamping forces upon nut 1 to automatically 20 tightly clamp the nut 1 in order that nut 1 can be rotated clockwise by the spanner 10. If the size of the space formed among pressure edge 23 and sides 43, 44, 45 is to be adjusted, movable piece 40 is pivoted -t clockwise along bolt 52 with respect to handle 20 until side wall 54 abuts against first wall 25, engaging portion 42 is slidable on thinned portion 24 so the 4 pivoting bolt 52 is positioned in the desired one of i ~L the indentations 48i51 and side wall 54 will match against second wall 27 again if the foreign force applied to movable piece 40 is released by the provision of biasing member As shown in Fig. 4, the multieangular surface of gripping portion 41 can only include two continuous toothed sides 43, 44 including an angle of also about 120 degrees in order that sides 43, 44 and pressure edge 23 can clamp thereamong a nut 2 having a relatively large size.

e o S0 *As shown in Figs. 597 showing a further preferred 0o 00 Sembodiment of the present adjustable spanner, the "ooo° biasing member 60 can be torsional spring which includes a body portion 64 received in a circular 15 recess 65 provided around elongated hole 31, a first 600 0 o 0 0 0 e* 0 0 I 20 free end 66 is retainedly fixed in a slit 67 communicating with recess 65, and a second free end 68 urging against a side wall 71 defining one side of a rectangular recess 70 communicating with groove 47 so that side wall 54 is always urged against second wall 27 unless there is an external force applied to movable piece 40. It can be seen that handle 20 and movable piece 40 can be differently shaped as shown without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

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Claims (9)

1. An adjustable spanner comprising: a handle having a mounting end which includes an upper nose portion having a pressure edge, and a lower thinned portion defining at a bottom of said nose portion a first wall and a second wall inclined with respect to said first wall; a movable piece having an upper gripping portion having an inward multiiangular surface capable of 10 coioperating with said pressure edge to grip therebetween a tubular article, and a lower engaging E t portion which is slidably and pivotably mounted on said Ec thinned portion and includes a groove having therein a plurality of indentations and a side wall capable of 15 abutting with either one of said first and second walls; and a pivot capable of selectively passing through one of said indentations to pivotably mount together said L 44 Slower engaging portion and said thinned portion in a 20 manner that when said side wall abuts with said second wall, said multisangular surface and said pressure edge are ready to clamp therebetween said tubular article; tt.when said movable piece is pivoted with respect to said handle, the size of a space formed between said pressure edge and said multi*angular surface is accordingly adjusted; and when said side wall abuts against said first wall, said engaging portion is 08 I It 14 14ft I: IFC I; Iff I i I I II I IIIIII 1. I I 1 45) slidable on said thinned portion to allow said pivot to be positioned in any one of said indentations.

2. An adjustable spanner according to Claim 1 wherein said pressure edge and said multi*angular surface are toothed.

3. An adjustable spanner according to Claim i, further comprising a biasing member having a first end fixed to said handle and a second opposite end engaging with said movable piece to urge said side wall against said second wall.

4. An adjustable spanner according to Claim 3 wherein said biasing member is a strip of spring material.

An adjustable spanner according to Claim 3 wherein said biasing member is a torsional spring having two 15 free ends forming said first and second end.

6. An adjustable spanner according to Claim 5 wherein said thinned portion includes a circular recess for receiving therein a body portion of said torsional spring. 20

7. An adjustable spanner according to Claim 6 wherein said thinned portion further includes a slit communicating with said circular recess for retainingly fixing therein said first end.

8. An adjustable spanner according to Claim 7 wherein said lower engaging portion further includes a rectangular recess communicating with said groove in which a side wall defining said rectangular recess engages With said second end.

9. An adjustable spanner substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. CHUNG*HSING CHANG DATED: 17 JAN 91 0 00 ITo