GB2577163A - Spanner - Google Patents

Abstract

The spanner 10 includes a body portion having an opening 20 for engaging a fastener and a square aperture 80 for engaging a drive mechanism. The opening comprises a first pair of parallel opposing faces 30, 40 extending inwardly from an open end and a second pair of flat faces 50, 60 extending directly away from the first faces and terminating together at a corner 90 at a closed end. The body portion is a planar section with flat, parallel, front and rear faces. The body is substantially symmetric about the line from the centre of the square aperture to the corner between the second pair of flat faces. The distance between the first pair of faces may be sized to accommodate a standard compression nut of a gas fitting. The opening may accommodate a hexagonal fastener. The aperture may accommodate a standard ratchet drive. A method of manufacturing the spanner includes providing a blank of parallel-sided sheet material and cutting a circumferential profile of the spanner from the blank. The profile including an opening for engaging a fastener and a square aperture for a drive mechanism. A kit of parts includes spanners with different dimensions and a drive tool.

Description

(56) Documents Cited:

CN 201333677 Y

US 5931063 A

US 20040099100 A1

USH1689

CN 002422091 Y

US 4774862 A (71) Applicant(s):

Regent Gas Limited

Regent House, Kendal Avenue, Acton, London, W3 OXA, United Kingdom (72) Inventor(s):

Sam White

Neil Smith

Andrew O'Sullivan

Amy Grant (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:

Downing IP Ltd

Grosvenor House, 7 Horseshoe Crescent, BEACONSFIELD, Buckinghamshire, HP9 1LJ, United Kingdom (58) Field of Search:

INT CL B25B

Other: WPI, EPODOC (54) Title of the Invention: Spanner Abstract Title: Flat spanner (57) The spanner 10 includes a body portion having an opening 20 for engaging a fastener and a square aperture 80 for engaging a drive mechanism. The opening comprises a first pair of parallel opposing faces 30, 40 extending inwardly from an open end and a second pair of flat faces 50, 60 extending directly away from the first faces and terminating together at a corner 90 at a closed end. The body portion is a planar section with flat, parallel, front and rear faces. The body is substantially symmetric about the line from the centre of the square aperture to the corner between the second pair of flat faces. The distance between the first pair of faces may be sized to accommodate a standard compression nut of a gas fitting. The opening may accommodate a hexagonal fastener. The aperture may accommodate a standard ratchet drive. A method of manufacturing the spanner includes providing a blank of parallel-sided sheet material and cutting a circumferential profile of the spanner from the blank. The profile including an opening for engaging a fastener and a square aperture for a drive mechanism. A kit of parts includes spanners with different dimensions and a drive tool.

At least one drawing originally filed was informal and the print reproduced here is taken from a later filed formal copy.

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-1Spanner

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to tools, and particularly to spanners or wrenches. It seeks to provide a spanner that is suitable for (amongst other tasks) the particular requirements of installing a gas meter.

BACKGROUND ART

A variety of types of spanners, also known as wrenches, are available for use in a variety of applications. Spanners are typically tools with a shaped opening or jaw for gripping a nut or a bolt head, and a handle to provide leverage to allow the nut or bolt head to be turned. The jaws may be open to allow them to be placed around the nut or bolt head from one side, or may be in a ring formation which allows a greater level of grip on the nut or bolt head but requires the spanner to be placed over the head of the nut or bolt. Generally, larger nuts and bolts are used in contexts where greater forces are involved; these need to be tightened to higher levels of torque, so spanners of larger sizes are longer and more substantial in order to exert the necessary force.

Spanners are typically forged, to produce a tool having high strength. The handle is sometimes detachable and usable across a range of differently-sized spanner heads.

An alternative tool for manipulating nut and bolt heads is the socket set - typically comprising a range of differently-sized sockets. These are generally cylindrical and have a socket or similar formation at one end that fits a specific size of nut or bolt head, and a socket

-2(etc) at the opposite end which fits a standard-size formation on a handle. Thus, the same handle can be fitted with a range of sockets as required. The handle often includes a ratchet mechanism to assist in turning the socket. Other elements can be included in the socket set such as extensions and universal joints, to allow access to more difficult-to-reach locations.

The choice of tool is usually dictated by the degree of torque required and the available space for use of the tool. Socket sets and ring spanners require access above the nut or bolt head, so are unsuitable if there is little clearance, or if the nut is located around an elongate element such as a rod or pipe, for example.

A crowsfoot spanner is a known type of spanner having a short open ended head and no handle, but a standard drive recess for attaching driving elements from a socket set or similar. These allow the spanner to be driven from above or below, for example, by attaching an extension to the spanner head and a ratchet drive to the extension. This type of spanner is chosen over a conventional open or ring spanner when there are significant space limitations that make turning a standard drive handle arrangement impossible. For example, they can be used to engage a nut which is around a pipe or rod and which is located at the base of a recess, thus precluding both an open spanner and a socket. To assist in providing a proper grip, crowsfoot spanners often have engagement surfaces that correspond to that of a ring spanner, but with an aperture to allow the spanner head to be fitted over the pipe. Other forms of crowsfoot spanner have elongate parallel opposed engagement surfaces leading to a rounded base.

Gas meters are used for regulating the supply of gas fuel to a domestic or commercial building or unit. Their principal purpose is to measure the total amount of gas that has been supplied to the building, therefore they include a metering mechanism through which the gas supply is routed. Generally, gas meters are in the form of an approximately cuboid box with a display on a front face showing the metered reading, and an inlet and an outlet port on the top face. Pipework from the mains gas supply is connected to the inlet, and pipework leading to the building's gas equipment is connected to the outlet. Both connections are via standardised pipe fittings that involve a nut around the pipe that is tightened onto the fitting.

US7140275B1 shows a C spanner for assisting plumbers with assembly and disassembly of kitchen and bathroom taps, which are usually in hard to reach areas. The torques and fitting sizes involved will be will be substantially lower than is required for gas

-3meter installation, allowing the design to be optimised to very inconvenient areas and confined spaces (such as behind a basin or under a bath) by creating a highly asymmetric design which can reach around a corner. It thus applies the force at a different angle, as can be seen by the location of the drive hole in relation to the spanner opening and with different force distribution on the nut. This results in the C part of the spanner applying the force to a nut via its corners and hence with greater risk of slippage or damage to the nut, limiting its applicability to smaller hexagonal nuts of steel only. Accordingly, this is not suitable for gas meter installation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The applicable British Standard for the pipe fittings for gas meters is BS746;2014 -gas meter unions and adaptors. In BS746 unions and adaptors, the seal is made via a rubber washer, which if over tightened with conventional larger tools could be damaged or over compressed. This generally leads to gas leaks later in the life of the meter installation. Also, standard BS746 nuts are of brass, which is unconventional for most nuts of this size and softer than steel. We have identified a need for more delicate tooling than is usually used for heavy industry, to avoid damage to the brass nuts themselves. However, the nut around the pipe is necessarily a large size as it needs to surround the pipe, which, in turn, needs to allow an adequate gas flow rate. A typical size is in the range of 30-90mm, so the spanners that are able to engage with such nuts are usually correspondingly large and hence able to exert a large torque on the nut with relatively little effort.

Further, the meter is often located in a recess within a wall or other structure, to provide a degree of environmental protection, or in a cupboard under a stairwell, or a small storeroom. In such locations, the available access for rigid longer tools is poor and limits the range of movement of a spanner used to tighten the compression fitting. Access is also required to be in the plane of the compression nut, however, allowing use of a normal spanner.

The present invention therefore provides a spanner comprising a body portion having an opening for engaging a fastener and a square aperture for engaging a drive mechanism, wherein, the opening comprises a first pair of parallel opposing faces extending inwardly from an open end and a second pair of flat faces extending directly away from the first faces and terminating together at a corner at a closed end, the body portion being a planar section with

-4flat, parallel front and rear faces, and is substantially symmetric about the line from the centre of the square aperture to the corner between the second pair of flat faces.

The second pair of flat faces extending directly away from the first faces and terminating together at a corner at a closed end provides faces against which the flats of the compression nut to be tightened or loosen may engage to effectively transmit torque without causing damage or modification to the compression nut or its corners.

Preferably, the distance between the first pair of faces is sized to accommodate a standard compression nut of a gas fitting, such as a nut made to BS746:2014.

The substantially symmetrical profile of the spanner allows use on hexagonal or octagonal nuts (both are permitted by BS746:2014), as the main force is then applied across the flats of the nut. This allows significantly greater torque to be applied to both nut shapes with less risk of damage to the nut whether it is of steel or brass. The symmetrical nature of the spanner can be defined as the body portion being substantially rotationally symmetric about a 180-degree rotation around the line (i.e. the line from the centre of the square aperture to the corner between the second pair of flat faces), and/or as the body portion being substantially mirror-symmetric about a plane perpendicular to the body portion which intersects with the line.

The second pair of faces may be arranged relative the first pair of faces for the opening to accommodate a hexagonal shaped fastener.

For ease of use, particularly where a gas meter is installed in a confined space, a peripheral face of the body adjacent the opening tapers inward toward the opening. This tapering allows a user to more easily guide a compression nut into the opening of the spanner.

The square aperture may be a double or triple square. Preferably, the square aperture is sized to accommodate a standard ratchet drive.

The spanner is preferably provided as part of a kit. This may include a range of other spanners of different sizes, preferably also sized to accommodate other standard compression nuts for gas fittings. It may alternatively, or in addition, include one or more drive tools. The drive tool may comprise a flex joint. A particular preference is for the drive tool to comprise a ratchet drive, which both provides a break in the angle of the tool, allowing it to be used in

-5a smaller space, and also to turn in several stages without having to re-site the spanner frequently on the nut as would be the usual and time consuming method with a recessed installation.

The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a spanner, comprising the steps of providing a blank of a parallel-sided sheet of material, cutting a circumferential profile of the spanner from the blank of material, the circumferential profile including; an opening for engaging a fastener, and a square aperture for engaging a drive mechanism, wherein, the opening comprises a first pair of parallel opposing faces at an open end, and a second pair of faces extending directly away from the first faces and terminating together at a corner at a closed end, wherein the profile is substantially symmetric about the line from the centre of the square aperture to the corner between the second pair of flat faces.

Preferably, the spanner is comprised of metal. The metal may be steel. Steel has high tensile strength and is of low cost, and can be treated to further enhance desirable material properties such as strength and corrosion resistance.

Preferably, the circumferential profile of the spanner is formed using a waterjet cutter. The waterjet may be pure water or a liquid containing an abrasive for cutting through harder materials. The cutting method is selected so that spanner material properties need not be compromised.

Preferably, a plurality of spanners are cut from the sheet of material. This allows for a more efficient manufacturing process and allows the manufacturer to manage material wastage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying figures in which;

Figure 1 shows a gas meter installed in situ;

Figure 2 shows a cross section through A-A of Figure 1 revealing the gas meter of Figure 1 in plan view;

Figure 3 shows a plan view of a spanner according to the present invention;

-6Figure 4 shows the spanner of Figure 3 from one side;

Figure 5 shows a cutting pattern for making a plurality of spanners; and

Figure 6 shows a set of spanners in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to figure 1, a gas meter 10 is shown installed in a typical setting. In the present exemplary embodiment, the gas meter 10 occupies a recess in an outer wall of a domestic dwelling or commercial premises so that the mains gas supply piping 15 from the gas supply network may be more easily connected to the gas meter at inlet 20. It is often preferable that the gas meter is positioned on an external face of the outer wall, to allow agents or employees of the gas supply company to read a display 45 from the exterior of the domestic dwelling without the need for access to the interior of the building.

An outer housing of gas meter 10 obscures the volumetric flow rate measuring equipment housed therein. Typically, supply piping 15 feeds gas from the mains piping to a domestic, commercial or industrial building via gas meter 10. A first BS746:2014 compression nut 25 attaches supply piping 15 to the inlet port 20 of gas meter 10. A second BS746:2014 compression nut 40 attaches pipework 30 to outlet 35 of gas meter 10, the pipework 30 leading to gas powered appliances within the domestic, commercial or industrial building.

The cross sectional view of Figure 2 shows a plan view of the space in which a gas meter 10 is typically installed. As can be seen from Figure 1, the first compression nut 25 is located between the body of gas meter 10 and supply piping 15. In order to access and turn the first and/or second compression nuts 25, 40 a tool must be inserted between the supply piping 15 and/or pipework 30 and the compression nut 25, 40 to be tightened. The space in which any handle or drive may be rotated in order to loosen or tighten the compression nut 15, 40 is restricted by the arrangement ofthe supply piping 15 and/or pipework 30 as well as the aperture in which the gas meter 10 is installed and the body ofthe gas meter 10.

Figures 3 and 4 show a plan view and a side view of an exemplary spanner 10 in accordance with the present invention. Spanner 10 has a body with an opening 20 at a first end. The opening 20 is defined by a first pair of faces 30, 40 extending inwardly and parallel to one another to define a straight and symmetrical path for receiving a nut or bolt head. A

-7second pair of faces 50, 60 extend further inward from first faces 30, 40 to further define opening 20 as a pair of fixed jaws. Opening 20, terminates at corner 70 formed by the second pair of faces.

The substantially symmetrical profile of the spanner allows use on hexagonal or octagonal nuts, as the main force is then applied across the flats of the nut. This allows significantly greater torque to be applied to both nut shapes with less risk of damage to the nut (whether it is of steel or brass). By substantially symmetric, we mean that the operative parts of the spanner head are arranged in a symmetric manner, i.e. those that engage with the nut and those that engage with the ratchet. An asymmetry in the outer profile of the spanner, away from the operative parts, would not affect the manner in which the spanner operates and would thus be insubstantial.

When viewed in plan, the peripheral edge 100 at the first end of spanner 10 tapers inward toward the first pair of faces 30, 40 to guide, or rather so as not to hinder, insertion between the fixed jaws of the nut or bolt head to be tightened or loosened. The exterior periphery 90 of spanner 10 outlying the first pair 30, 40 and second pair 50, 60 of faces extends away from peripheral edge, curving inward toward a distal end opposite the first end. The resulting shape of the spanner 10 ensures that sufficient material is provided around the opening 20 to provide the requisite material strength and dimensional stability in use.

Toward the distal end, spanner 10 further comprises a tab 85 in which an aperture 80 is provided for accommodating a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism may be a ratchet handle, a crank handle, a torque wrench or any other suitable known driver of a known configuration, including those with or without flex joints for additional angular flexibility.

The spanner 10 of the present embodiment has an opening 20 size of 30mm, sized to cooperate with hexagonal components with an across-flats distance of 30mm. Spanner 10 has a substantially flat profile with a thickness of 8mm, and is cut from steel sheet. Sheet of between 6 and 10mm is generally suitable. In contrast to known spanners, spanner 10 is formed by waterjet cutting, a manufacturing method suitable for cutting high strength alloys. Water jet cutting allows metals to be cut without changing the inherent structure of the material substrate and minimises the effect of heat on the material microstructure. Other forms of cutting a steel sheet may be used as an alternative. Figure 5 shows a cutting pattern for a steel sheet allowing several such spanners to be cut in a single process. Figure 5 shows

-8several identical spanners being cut from the same sheet, but other arrangements are possible. For example, low volume manufacture of spanner sets may be more economic if several sizes of spanner are cut from the same sheet.

The spanner 10 may form part of a kit or set 120, as shown in Figure 6. Spanner 10 is one of several standard metric sized spanners provided in a range of sizes selected for suitability in installing gas pipework or similar. In alternative embodiments, spanner 10 may be sized in imperial units, or a combination of metric and imperial. Each of spanners 10,130, 140, 150, 160 is comprised of the same features as exemplary spanner 10 of figure 3, each providing a different sized opening for cooperation with either smaller and larger standard sized hexagonal nut or bolt heads, typically 30 - 86mm. When provided with larger openings, spanner 160 may appear to be substantially y-shaped in section.

Drive handle 180 is provided as a part of the kit or set 120. The drive handle 180 shown in Figure 6 comprises a gripping portion 190 for manual retention and manipulation in use. Gripping portion 190 is attached to an elongate portion 200 providing a moment arm for applying torque to the nut or bolt to be tightened or loosened. The elongate portion 200 terminates in a lateral portion 210 at nearly 90 degrees to the axis of the elongate portion 200. At the distal end of lateral portion 210 opposite from gripping portion 190 is an engagement portion 220 for engaging with the aperture 80 of spanner 30. The engagement portion 220 is shaped for cooperation in a male-female relationship with aperture 80. In the present embodiment, engagement portion 220 is arranged as a standard ¹/2 socket drive.

As illustrated, the aperture 80 for engaging with a drive tool has a shape formed by two concentric squares, offset by a 45° rotation. The square shapes are sized to receive a standard drive such as a ¹/2 or 3/8 drive, or possibly a ΙΑ drive. Thus, the drive tool (e.g. the drive handle 180 or ratchet drive) can be fitted in a range of positions for greater convenience. Other square-based shapes for the aperture 80 are possible, provided they are compatible with the drive tool(s) that are available or provided. For example, a simple square profile can be used, especially if great strength is required.

Kit or set 120 is also supplied with adapter 170 for manipulating the internal surface of a standard gas pipework 30 and supply piping 15. Adapter 170 is shaped to cooperate with the internal surface of a standard gas pipework 30 and supply piping 15. Adapter 170 has an octagonal outer profile for creating friction against the circular internal cross section of

-9standard gas pipework 30 and supply piping 15, and a drive aperture for cooperation with engagement portion 220 of drive handle 180. A ratchet drive may be included.

The kit 120 as a whole is retained within a carry case 230 having resilient recesses into which each of the elements of the kit fit, in a generally known manner. The case has a 5 lid 240 that can be closed to retain the kit 120 elements in place, and handles 250, 260 to allow it to be transported conveniently. Latches 270 allow the lid 240 to be secured in a closed position.

It will of course be understood that many variations may be made to the abovedescribed embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Although 10 described in the context of a domestic dwelling, the invention is suitable for the installation of gas meters in commercial premises or any other situation in which supply of a metered gas supply is required.

Claims (18)

1. A spanner comprising a body portion having an opening for engaging a fastener and a square aperture for engaging a drive mechanism, wherein;

the opening comprises a first pair of parallel opposing faces extending inwardly from an open end, a second pair of flat faces extending directly away from the first faces and terminating together at a corner at a closed end, and the body portion is a planar section with flat, parallel front and rear faces, and is substantially symmetric about the line from the centre of the square aperture to the corner between the second pair of flat faces.

2. A spanner according to any preceding claim, wherein the distance between the first pair of faces is sized to accommodate a standard compression nut of a gas fitting.

3. A spanner according to claim 2 in which the compression nut is as set out in BS746:2014.

4. A spanner according to any preceding claim, wherein the second pair of faces is arranged relative the first pair of faces for the opening to accommodate a hexagonal shaped fastener.

5. A spanner according to any preceding claim, wherein the body portion is substantially rotationally symmetric about a 180-degree rotation around the line.

6. A spanner according to any preceding claim, wherein the body portion is substantially mirror-symmetric about a plane perpendicular to the body portion which intersects with the line.

7. A spanner according to any preceding claim, wherein a peripheral face of the body adjacent the opening tapers inward toward the opening.

8. A spanner according to any preceding claim, wherein the aperture is a double or triple square.

9. A spanner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the aperture is sized to accommodate a standard ratchet drive.

10. A kit of parts comprising a plurality of spanners, each according to any one of claims 1 to 9, of different dimensions.

11. A kit of parts comprising a spanner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and a drive tool.

12. A kit of parts according to claim 11, wherein the drive tool comprises a flex joint.

13. A kit of parts according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the drive tool comprises a ratchet drive.

14. A method of manufacturing a spanner, comprising the steps of providing a blank of a parallel-sided sheet of material, cutting a circumferential profile ofthe spanner from the blank of material, the circumferential profile including;

i. an opening for engaging a fastener, and ii. a square aperture for engaging a drive mechanism, iii. wherein, the opening comprises a first pair of parallel opposing faces at an open end, and a second pair of faces extending directly away from the first faces and terminating together at a corner at a closed end wherein the profile is substantially symmetric about the line from the centre ofthe square aperture to the corner between the second pair of flat faces.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the spanner is comprised of metal.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the metal is steel.

17. A method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the circumferential profile ofthe spanner is formed using a waterjet cutter.

18. A method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein a plurality of spanners are cut from the sheet of material.

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Application No: GB1910252.4