NZ196305A - Alignment cap for ring spanner - Google Patents

Description

196305 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION AFTER PROVISIONAL NO: 196305 DATED; 19 February 1981 IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SPANNERS I, MAXIM FREDERICUS G3XCKENTURM, a New Zealand citizen of 8 Scmerfield Street, Ellerslie, Auckland, New Zealand, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 196305 This invention relates to spanners and in particular set spanners.

Set spanners incorporate nut engaging heads which conventionally are of an open-ended formation or a ring formation, such spanners generally being referred to as open-ended spanners and ring spanners 5 respectively. With a ring spanner an engaged nut is entered into the head thereof from one or other of the openings of the head. An open-ended spanner can be either similarly mounted or a nut can be entered into the head through the end opening thereof.

In position either form of set spanner can dislodge frcm a nut this 10 being particularly so with excessive loading and/or awkward position-ings. In such situations there can be a tendency for a spanner to become misaligned in particular as to not sit true on the engaged flats of a nut and as a result the spanner can slip off the nut.

The intention of this invention is to provide a set spanner with a 15 head which will facilitate maintaining alignment of the spanner on a nut or similar work piece. It is envisaged that this will reduce accidental disengagement of the spanner therefrom and thus be beneficial.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a set 20 spanner characterised by a head thereof including a capping which incorporates an aperture therethrough, the capping extending over one lateral opening of the head substantially co-planar to the side face 196305 of the body of the head defining that lateral opening as to form an annular shoulder substantially reducing the size of that opening, the centre of the aperture being disposed cannon to the operational axis of articulation of the spanner head.

According to a second aspect of this invention there is provided a detachable capping for a conventional set spanner head consisting of a cup shaped body canprising an end wall integral with and disposed normal to an annular shaped wall extending pheripherally thereabout,the end wall incorporating an aperture therethrough about which the pheripheral wall is centred, the pheripheral wall incorporating a cutout in the free edge thereof whereby the capping can be clipped over a set spanner head with the shank of the spanner located through the cut-out to dispose the end wall substantially co-planar to a side face of the body of the spanner head defining a lateral opening to the head as to form an annular shoulder substantially reducing the size of that opening, the centre of the aperture being disposed common to the operational axis of articulation of the spanner head.

In further describing the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure'1 is'an underside (relative to the elevation of Figure 2) view of a ring spanner head, and Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a ring spanner head, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of the invention being a detachable capping for a set spanner head. In the drawings 196305 and specification the same numbers are used for the same or corresponding parts and features of the various forms of the invention.

Referring in particular to Figures 1 and 2, in a first embodiment a spanner 3 with a ring formation head 5 has a capping 6a characterising 5 this invention permanently fixed, such as by welding 7 thereto. It will be appreciated that a capping 6a could form an integral part or section of a spanner in its original production.

The head 5 is of conventional form except as hereinafter characteristically described. Capping 6a is in the form of an annular disc 10 having a central aperture 1Q and is mounted to the head 5 by seating on the face of the body of the head defining one of the lateral openings 8 to the head. Thus the capping 6a is disposed substantially co-planar to that opening 8 as to form an annular shoulder 9 which substantially reduces the size, that is the mean or effective 15 diameter, of that opening 8 of the head 5.

The extent of the projection of shoulder 9 across opening 8 is preferably ccmriensurate to the wall thickness of a nut of appropriate size for engagement by the head of the spanner.

Thus, in use, the spanner head 5 is mounted to a nut in conventional 20 manner by the original sized opening 8b of the head 5 such, that a projecting end of a stud or bolt upon which the nut is engaged extends as a reasonably close fit up through the aperture 10 of the capping 6a. The close fit of the aperture 10 about the stud together with 196305 the annular wall 9 of the capping 5 resting on the face of the nut will tend to facilitate maintaining alignment of the spanner on the nut.

In a second embodiment (not depicted) an open-ended spanner head is similarly formed with a capping. Such a structure tends to limit the 5 mounting accessibility of the head to a nut necessitating application of the head more in the manner of a ring spanner head otherwise the structure and operation /substantial ly equivalent to that for a ring spanner.

In a modified embodiment of the invention a capping 6b is provided as 10 a detachable element. Preferably the capping 6b is moulded frcm suitable plastics or similar material of sufficient resiliency to be snap-fitted over a conventional set spanner head, be it a ring spanner or an open-ended spanner.

Referring in particular to Figure 3, the detachable capping 6b includes 15 an end 11 with an annular pheripheral wall 12 thereabout, wall 12 extending normal to the plane of end 11. An aperture 10 is provided through the end 11, the wall 12 being disposed concentrically about the aperture 10. In use end 11 forms shoulder 9, the cavity of capping 6a being sized to accommodate a particular sized spanner head therein with the end wall 11 disposed substantially co-planar to a lateral opening 8 Jl, of a I spanner.

A recess 13 is formed in the annular /12, the recess 13 preferably incorporating a reduced neck formation, such as depicted in Figure 3,to 196305 provide a snap-fit as hereinafter described, In use the capping 6b is placed over an appropriately sized spanner head such that a shank of the spanner locates through the recess 13 of the wall 12, in so doing the wall 12 extending about the wall of the head and the edges 5 of wall 12 defining recess 13 snap-fitting down the sides of the shank of the spanner.

In similar manner to the first form of the invention the capping 6b thus extends substantially co-planar over one of the lateral openings 8 of the spanner head to form an annular shoulder 9 reducing the size 1Q of that opening. The aperture 10 is appropriately sized and centred as aforesaid on the operational axis of articulation of the head to thus facilitate maintaining alignment.

Claims (7)

196305 - 7 - WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A set spanner characterised by a head thereof including a capping which incorporates an aperture therethrough, the capping extending over one lateral opening of the head substantially co-planar to the side face of the body of the head defining that lateral opening 5 as to form an annular shoulder substantially reducing the size of that opening, the centre of the aperture being disposed acntnon to the operational axis of articulation of the spanner head,

2. A set spanner as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the shoulder protrudes across the opening an amount commensurate to the wall thickness 10 of a nut of appropriate size for engagement by the head of the spanner.

3. A detachable capping for a set spanner head consisting of a cup shaped body corprising an end wall integral with and disposed normal to an annular shaped wall extending pheripherally thereabout, the end wall incorporating an aperture therethrough about which the pheripheral 15 wall is centred, the pheripheral wall incorporating a cut-out in the free edge thereof whereby the capping can be clipped over a set spanner head with the shank of the spanner located through the cut-out to dispose the end wall substantially co-planar to a side face of the body of the spanner head defining a lateral opening to the head as to form an 20 annular shoulder substantially reducing the size of that opening, the centre of the aperture being disposed conron to the operational axis of articulation of the spanner head. - 8 -

4. A detachable capping for a set spanner head as claimed in Claim 3 wherein when mounted to the spanner head the shoulder protrudes across the opening of the spanner an amount cctmnensurate to the wall thickness of a nut of appropriate size for engagement by the head of 5 the spanner.

5. A detachable capping for a set spanner head as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4 moulded from a plastics material and wherein the out-out is of a reduced neck formation.

6. A set spanner substantially as herein described with reference 10 to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A detachable capping for a set spanner head substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.