GB2058633A

GB2058633A - Adjustable spanner

Info

Publication number: GB2058633A
Application number: GB8012692A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Matsuzaka Iron Works Inc
Current assignee: Matsuzaka Iron Works Inc
Priority date: 1979-09-20
Filing date: 1980-04-17
Publication date: 1981-04-15
Also published as: FR2465565A1; DE3014436C2; DE3014436A1; ATA217380A; GB2058633B; CA1125551A; IT1130116B; AU5708180A; AT371758B; IT8067582A0

Abstract

An adjustable spanner comprises a body 1 with a handle portion 1'. A pair of jaw receiving guide grooves 5, 6 are formed in a head 3 of the body 1 and jaw members 7, 8 are slidably received in the guide grooves 5, 6. A rotating member 11 is mounted in an opening 4 in the body and the jaw members 7, 8 and the rotating member are connected together by means of an interlocking actuating rod 12 which simultaneously opens and closes both the jaw members 7, 8 in response to the rotation of the rotating member 11. The rod has lateral projections 13 engaging in jaw grooves 9, 10. The rod may be connected to the jaws by links. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Spanner This invention relates to adjustable spanners for use in turning nuts for example on water closets and basins or drain conduits formed of materials such as ceramics.

For this purpose, ring spanners, open ended spanners, or adjustable pipe wrenches have usually been used. However, ring spanners and open ended spanners have the disadvantage that the distance between the bite surfaces is constant and cannot be adjusted and pipe wrenches present the problems firstly that in all of these wrenches, since one stationary jaw member is integrally formed at the front end of a handle portion and the other jaw member is mounted at the front end of the handle portion for moving towards and away from the stationary jaw member, the opening and closing of the bite surfaces on the two jaw members cannot be rapidly performed; secondly that when the opening between the two jaw members is made great, the resulting wrench inevitably becomes a large sized device; thirdly that since the pipe wrench has a greater thickness in the jaw portion than in the handle portion, the manipulation of the wrench is not easy in a limited space and fourthly that since the bite surfaces are saw-toothed, the bite surfaces tend to inflict damage on the nuts to which they are applied.

The aim of the present invention is to provide an adjustable spanner which can effectively overcome the disadvantages inherent in the conventional spanners and wrenches described above.

According to this invention, an adjustable spanner comprises a body having a head at one end and a handle portion at the other end, the head being provided with a pair of guide grooves, a pair of jaw members one slidably received in each of the guide grooves, a rotatable member rotatably mounted in the body between the head and the handle portion and an interlocking actuating member movably mounted in the body and interconnecting the rotatably member and the jaw members, the actuating member being operative to open or close the jaw members simultaneously in response to rotation of the rotating member.

As both the jaw members move simultaneously, the gap between the bite surfaces of the jaw member can be rapidly adjusted. It is also possible to make the spanner compact and with a simple mechanism, but so that it can provide a large opening between the bite surfaces.

The spanner can also be made compact so that it can be used in a limited space.

An example of a spanner in accordance with the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of the spanner with a portion thereof broken away; Figure 2 is a side elevational view in partial section of the spanner shown in Figure 1 showing the spanner with a portion thereof broken away; and, Figure 3 is a side elevational view of said spanner with a portion thereof broken away and showing the spanner in use.

The present invention will be now described referring to the accompanying drawings in which one preferred embodiment of the same is illustrated.

In Figs. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a fiat body which integrally includes a handle portion 1' at one end, an intermediate portion 2 and a head 3 at the other end. The intermediate portion 2 its provided with a roller or rotating member receiving window opening 4 which extends transversely of the longitudinal axis of the body 1 and through the thickness of the body intermediate portion 2 and an elongated interlocking member receiving groove 4' extending in the longitudinal direction of the body 1 by a predetermined distance from the opening 4 to both the left and right side thereof. By this, the elongated groove 4' intersects the window opening 4 at right angles and extends on the opposite sides of the window opening.Reference numeral 5 denotes a first jaw receiving guide groove provided in one major surface (the surface facing the viewer of Fig. 1 ) of the head 3 and extending at 450 with respect to the axis of the body 1. Similarly, a second jaw receiving groove 6 is provided in the other or reverse major surface of the head 3 extending at the same angle as the first jaw receiving groove 5 with respect to the axis of the body 1 and at right angles to the first groove 5.

The guide grooves 5, 6 are in communication with each other in their center portions 5a, 6a.

The elongated flat plate-like guide portions 7', 8' of first and second jaw members 7, 8 having a thickness less than that of the body 1 are slidably received in the first and second guide grooves 5, 6, respectively. The opposing or inner surfaces of the flat plate-like guide portions 7', 8' are provided with elongated engaging grooves 9, 10, respectively, which have the coincident axes. The leading or free ends of the jaw members 7, 8 are provided with jaw portions 7", 8", respectively, which have the same thickness as the guide portions 7', 8', but are somewhat offset with respect to the guide portions 7', 8', respectively (Fig. 2).The jaw portions 7", 8" have smooth bjte faces 7a, 8a on the opposing inner surfaces, respectively and the jaw members 7, 8 are mounted in the body 1 so that one major surfaces (the reverse surface as seen in Fig. 1 ) of the jaw portions 7", 8" lie on the plane where one major surface (the reverse surface as seen in Fig. 1) of the body 1 lies. A knurled roller 11 is rotatably received in the window opening 4 and has a diameter substantially equal to the thickness of the body 1 whereby the roller scarcely projects beyond the opposite major surfaces of the body 1.

Disposed within the portion of the elongated groove 4' and positioned between the jaw members 7, 8 and the roller 11 is an interlocking member 12 which moves towards or away from the jaw members 7, 8 in the axial direction of the body 1 in response to the rotation of the roller 11 in one or the other direction to thereby simultaneously open or close the jaw members 7, 8. That is, in the illustrated embodiment, the interlocking member 12 is in the form of a short rod and has a flattened or outwardly bulged head 4a at the leading end and a pair of engaging projections 13, 13 extending from the opposite surfaces of the head 4a. The follower 12 further includes a male-threaded portion 13' at the rear end. The short rod 12 is mounted in the groove 4' with the male-threaded portion 13' meshing with a threaded hole of the roller 11.The engaging projections 13, 13 engage in the mating engaging grooves 9, 10 formed in the guide portions 7', 8' of the jaw members 7, 8, respectively. As the knurled roller 11 is manually rotated in one or the other direction, the short rod or interlocking member 12 moves within the groove 4' towards or away from the jaw members 7, 8 in response to the rotation of the roller with the projections 13, 13 engaging in the grooves 9, 10 to thereby simultaneously open or close the jaw members 7, 8. In Figs. 1 and 2, reference numeral 14 denotes a cover which surrounds the head 3 and the intermediate portion 2 of the body 1 to prevent the jaw members 7, 8, interlocking member 12 and roller 11 from coming off the body 1 and has an opening 14' where the knurled roller 11 is exposed.Reference numeral 1 5 denotes fasteners which secure the covers 14 to the body 1 and reference numerals 16, 1 7 denote recesses formed in the opposing inner surfaces of the guide portions 7', 8' of the jaw members 7, 8, respectively and the recesses 16, 1 7 define a clearance therebetween to receive the flattened head 4a of the short rod or interlocking member 12 so as to prevent the rotation of the member 12 about its own axis.

With the above-mentioned construction and arrangement of the parts of the spanner of the invention, in use, when the body 1 is gripped at the handle portion 1' by one hand of a user and the knurled roller 11 mounted in the window opening 4 is rotated by fingers of the user's hand, for example, in one or the other direction, the bite surfaces 7a, 8a can be further opened or closed from the open position as shown in Fig. 1 in which the bite surfaces are spaced from each other by a distance. That is, when the roller 11 is rotated in one direction, the short rod or interlocking member 12 advances towards the head 3 of the body 1 because of the threaded engagement between the knurled roller 11 and the malethreaded portion 13' of the short rod 12.

Therefore, the jaw members 7, 8 the guide portions 7', 8' of which are slidably received in the guide grooves 5, 6, respectively, are forced to advance within the associated grooves at an angle with respect to the axis of the body 1 because the jaw members are pushed by the projections 13, 13 at the leading end of the short rod 12 engaging in the grooves 9, 10 formed in the opposing inner surfaces of the guide portions 7', 8', respectively, whereby the smooth bite surfaces 7a, 8a on the jaw portions 7", 8" are rapidly opened. When the bite surfaces 7a, 8a on the jaw portions 7", 8" are spaced or opened by a distance suitable for engaging two diametrically opposite faces b of the head of a nut, the rotation of the roller 11 is ceased and the bite surfaces 7a, 8a of the jaw members 7, 8 are caused to grip the nut head therebetween.Thereafter, the spanner body 1 is rotated to fasten or release the nut in the same manner as followed in the conventional spanners.

On the other hand, when it is desired to close or reduce the space between the bite surfaces 7a, 8a on the jaw members 7, 8, it is only necessary to rotate the roller 11 in the reverse or other direction. The maximum opening between the bite portions 7a, 8a is determined by the length of the engaging grooves 9, 1 0. The present invention is featured by the fact that since the bite surfaces 7a, 8a are smooth, the bite portions can easily fit on the nut head without inflicting any damage on the nut, that when the roller 11 is rotated in one or the other direction, since the pair of jaw members 7, 8 are caused to slide simultaneously within the guide grooves 5, 6, respectively, through the interlocking member 12 which then moves in the axial direction of the body 1 whereby the jaw members are opened or closed, the bite surfaces 7a, 8a are opened or closed rapidly and smoothly, that since the roller 11 and the interlocking member 12 are mounted within the body 1, the spanner is compact and easy to manipulate and the opening between the bite surfaces 7a, 8a can be made great and that since the body 1 is flat and the jaw members 7, 8 have a thickness less than that of the body 1 with one major surfaces of the jaw members lying substantially on the same plane as one major surface of the body, the spanner can be easily manipulated even in a limited space as shown in Fig. 3.In the illustrated embodiment, although the guide portions 7', 8' of the jaw members 7, 8 are shown as extending at an angle to each other, it is also possible that the guide portions 7', 8' and guide grooves 5, 6 are provided so as to extend at right angles to the axis of the body 1 and the guide portions 7', 8' are disposed so as to lie one upon another on a common axis and the engaging grooves 9, 10 formed in the guide portions are disposed at an angle to each other. Also, in the illustrated embodiment, although as the interlocking member 12, the short rod provided with the male-threaded portion 13' and engaging projections 13, 1 3 is employed and the engaging projections 13, 13 engage in the mating grooves 9, 10, such arrangement is not absolutely necessary.

Alternatively, the short rod having the malethreaded portion and the guide portions 7', 8' may be connected together by means of link rods for simultaneously opening and closing the jaw members 7, 8.

As clear from the foregoing description of one preferred embodiment of the present invention, according to the present invention, the opening and closing between the bite surfaces can be rapidly adjusted and the bite surfaces can grip the nut without inflicting any damage on the nut. Also there is the advantage that the spanner is compact and easily manipulated even in a limited space.

Furthermore, the spanner has a very practicai value as a spanner for turning nuts for

Claims

1. An adjustable spanner comprising a body having a head at one end and a handle portion at the other end, the head being provided with a pair of guide grooves, a pair of jaw members one slidably received in each of the guide grooves, a rotatable member rotatably mounted in the body between the head and the handle portion and an interlocking actuating member movably mounted in the body and interconnecting the rotatable member and the jaw members, the actuating member being operative to open or close the jaw members simultaneously in response to rotation of the rotating member.

2. A spanner according to claim 1, in which the pair of guide grooves extend at an engle to each other in the head.

3. A spanner according to claim 1, in which the pair of guide grooves both extend substantially at right angles to a longitudinal axis of said body and register with each other.

4. A spanner according to claim 2, in which the jaw members include guide portions slidabiy received in the guide grooves and adjacent inner surfaces of the guide portions have grooves which have parallel axes.

5. A spanner according to claim 3, in which said jaw members include guide portions slidably received in said guide grooves and adjacent inner surfaces of said guide portions have grooves which extend at an angle to each other.

6. A spanner according to claim 4 or claim 5, in which the interlocking actuating member comprises a screw threaded rod, which is screwed through the rotatable member and extends in the longitudinal direction of said body, and a pair of engaging projections formed at the front end of the rod at the head end of the body and engaging in the grooves in the adjacent inner surfaces of the guide portions.

7. A spanner according to claim 2 in which the jaw members include guide portions slidably received in the guide grooves and the interlocking actuating member comprises a screw threaded rod screwed into the rotatable member and extending in the longtiudinal direction of the body and links interconnecting the front end of the rod and the guide portions.

8. A spanner according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the body is flat in cross-section, the jaw members having a thickness less than the thickness of the body and flat bite surfaces, and the jaw members having outer surfaces which are substantially co-planar with the flat faces of the body.

9. A spanner according to claim 1, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.