US1080463A - Wrench. - Google Patents

Description

A. L'AITLNEN WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILLI MMI 3.19l3.

1,080,468. Patented Dec 2,1913.

A i Y s UUUUUU :d ""u y 5MM/toc wit/Mense@ rL l www hmmm? ABEL LAITINEN, OF NORTHLAND, MINNESOTA.

WRENCH.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

Application iled March 3, 1913. Serial No. 751,783.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Anni, LArrINEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Northland, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVi'enclies; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tools, and more 4especially to wrenches having a sliding adjustment; and the object of the same is to produce la wrench whose outer or movable jaw is automatically closed by a spring when a worm is thrown out of engagement with a rack bar by the movement of a button standing in contact with the thumb of the operator, whereas the worm automatically rengages the rack bar :when the thumb is removed from said button. This object is carried out by constructing the wrench in the mannerhereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view through this wrench complete, showing its outer or movable jaw retracted into engagement with a nut. Figs. 2,3 and 4 are cross sections on the lines 2 2, 3 3, and 1 4 respectively of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective' detail of the cam member which is carried bythe" button. Fig. 6 is a perspective detail of the hook memberl which carries the worm.

In the drawings is shown an inner jaw I having a tubular shank T in which slides the shank S of an cuter jaw O, which shank has teeth along one edge constituting a rack R.

engaged by a worm lV which is connected with the inner jaw in a manner-yet `to be described; and the letter N designates a nut to be gripped between the outer and inner jaws as shown. These details are common to wrenches of many types, and no claim for novelty thereon is made herein. l

Coming now to the present invention, the inner end of the tubular shank T is by preference closed by a block 1 which is held in place by any suitable means such as a screw V2, and connected with this block as by a cross pin 3 passing through it is a rod et which projects along the bore of the tubular shank T and has a head 5 at its outer end. Coiled on this rod is an expansive spring 6 located within a spring chamber 7 in the shank S of the outer jaw O, which shank is of a size to slide within the bore of the tubular shank T of the inner jaw I as shown, and the spring 6 rests against a partition wall 8 across the inner end of said chamber 7, while the rod 1 projects loosely through a hole 9 in said wall as seen in Fig. 1. VThe result of this construction is that the expansion of the spring 6 normallydraws the shank S and outer jaw 0 downward with respect to the inner jaw I as seen in Fig. 1, so that any article of work such as the nut N therein illustrated will be clamped between said jaws when the spring is permitted to act. As above stated, oneedge, here the front edge, of the shank S is provided with a series of teeth constituting the rack R, with which is adapted to be engaged the worm W having spiral threads 10 around it.

The shank of the inner jaw I, while made tiibular at T to receive the shank S yof the outer jaw O, is by preference made rather heavy and solid along one side of the shank excepting fora recess 11 to contain the following instrumentalities: Pivoted at 12 in the outer end of said recess is the extremity of a' hook 13 best seen in Fig. 6, the body of this hook being pressed normally inward by means of a Spring 14 whose tension Inay be regulated by a screw 15, the shank of the hook carrying the worm Il' which is rotatably mounted thereon, and the bill 16 of the hook projecting inward toward the rack It. Engaging said bill is a cam member 17 best seen in Fig. 5, whose outer end or head is provided with a. nose 18 which engages the hook beyond its bill while the cam face 19 engages the tip of said bill as seen in.

Fig. 1. Depending from the head 20 ot' the cam and by preference formed integral therewith, is a shank 21.r which projects into a tubular recess 11 near the inner end of the handle or shankzof the inner jaw I, and with this shank 21 is engaged an expansive spring 22 which rests in said recess. The numeral 23 designates a button, preferably having a screw-,threaded shank Q1 which projects through a slot 25 in the inner member I and is engagedwith the head '20 of said cam. The parts are so proportioned and connected thatLthey will stand normally as seen in Fig. 1, and by preference they are entirely of metal although the exact details this reti-acts the cam 17 so that its face, en

gaging the bill 1G of the hook 13, swings the latter' outward around its pivot l, and

with it moves the worm XV; the threads 10 are thus disengaged from the rack l, and the operator with his other hand grasps the outer jaw O and drawsy it outward until it can span the work N, when he releases it; the expansive force of the spring G then presses upon the wall 8-at the inner end of the chamber 7 in the shank S, and the latter with the outer jaw O moves downward it the parts stand as seen in Fig. 1; and the result is that the work N is grasped between the two jaws? 'Now the operator removes his thumb from 'the button 23, when the expansive force of the spring 22 moves said button and the cam 17 outward, with the result that the cam face 19 ceases to hold the hook in its abnormal position and the spring 14 swings said hook back to the tulllined position in Fig. 1 so that the threads 10 of the worm l/V engage the rack R; after which the operator can grasp the worm be tween the thumb and tinger of his left hand and rotate it until the jaws are in quite close contact with the work N. The latter is then turned in either direction, and 'it itbe necessary for the operator lto remove the jaws from the work and take a new bite thereon, he can do so wit-hout iiear that the outer aw will move with relation to the inner aw, because they are now held in locked relationby the worm and rack as seen in Fig. 1. Having finished this use of the wrench, the operator places his thumb again on the button 23 and draws it downward, Awith the result that the worm is thrown outward to the dotted-lined position7 and the spring 6 immediately acts to draw the shank S and outer jaw inward and the parts of this wrench assume their closed position so that it may be stored in small compass.

This is the preferred construction of my improved wrench. However, it is quite obvious that the chamber-7, spring 6, and part-s connected therewith might be entirely omitted-the only result being that the outer jaw would have to be moved in both directions by hand at a. time when the button was retracted so that the worm was swung outward, or it could ybe moved in both directions at other times by turning the worm between the thumb vand finger as above described. If. the head of the cam be shaped ras shown in Fig. 5, it is also quite possible to omit the spring 14, because the impulse of the spring Q2 movinggaid head outward would cause its vheel 2G" to engage the back 27 otl the hook 13 and press the latter inward. ln this event, however, I would ldoubtless maire said heel a little longer than illustrated. 0n the other hand, it is 'quite 1possible to omit the spring 22 entirely, in which case the spring 111 would doubtless be made a little stronger and the cam slot ot' a little steeper pitch so that the expansion of said spring and the inward movement of the bill 1G of the hook would cause the downward movement ot' said cam and the button. Nevertheless, l have described the preferred construction of my device, and reserve tlV right to make such changes in and elaboi tions thereof as come within the spirit or the present invention.

ii'hat is claimed as new is:

1. .ln a wrench, the combination with the inner and outer jaws, one of them provided with a rack, and a worm whose threads are adapted to engage the teeth of said rack; of a hook whose shank is pivoted at one eX- trem'ity within a recess in the handle-member of one aw and on whose body said worm is rotatably mounted, a cam slidably mounted in this handleanember and with its face engaging the bill of said hook, an expansive spring pressing said cam vin a direction to swing the hook and worm inward, and means tor retracting the cam-head in opposition to the tendency ofthis spring.

2. ln a wrench, the combination with the inner and outer jaws, one of them provided with a rack and the other with a worm whose threads are adapted to engage the teeth of said rack; of a hook on whose'body said worin rotatably mounted, a spring pressing said body in a' direction to throw 'the threads of the worm normally into engagement with said rack, a cam engaging the bill et said hook, a spring pressing said cam normally in a direction to move the hook and worm inward, and abutton connected with the cam and extending to the exterior ot'A said member, v

3. ln a wrench, the combination with the inner and outer jaws, one of them being tuluilar andthe other having a shank slid-A ing therein and provided with a rack, and a worm whose threads are adapted to engage the teeth of said raclr; of a hook whose shank pivoted at one extremity within a recess in the tubular handle-inember and onv whose body said worin is rotatably mounted, cam slidably' mounted in this handle--member and with" its iace engaging the bill of said hook, a shank depending from the head of' the cam into a recess within this handlemember, any expansive spring pressing said shanlrin a direction to' cause the cam face to swing the hook and worm inward, and means 'for retracting the cam-head in opposition to the tendency of this spring.

4. In a wrench, the combination with the inner and outer jaws, one of them being tubular and the other having a shank sliding therein. and provided with a rack, and a worm whose threads are adapted to engage the teeth of said rack; of a hook Whose shank is pivoted -at one extremity within a recess in said tubular-member and on whose body said .worm is rotatably mounted,V a spring pressing said body in a direction to throw the threads of the worm normally into engagement with said rack, a cam slid'- ably mounted 1n tlns member with its face engaging the bill of said hook, a spring therein and provided with a rack, and a worm whose threads are adapted to engage the teeth of said rack; of a hook whose shank is pivoted at one extremity within a recess in the tubular-member and on whose body said worm is rotatably mounted, a springswinging said hook normally inward, a cam lnovably connected with the wrenchhandle with its face engaging the, bill of said hook, a spring tending to move this cam normally in a direction to assist the first-mentioned spring and swing the hook inward, and means for reti-acting said cam in opposition to the last-named spring.

ln testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ABEL LITINEU. Witnesses:

FRANCIS R. CoLToN, P. J. MORRISON.

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