US1444793A - Wrench - Google Patents

Description

T. KELLER- WRENCH Feb. 13, 1923. y '1,444,793

Filed Feb. 23, 1922 ffm/w15 AELL Eff.

Patented Feb. 13, i923.

Uit-lith@ STATES FTENF FFEQE.

WRENCH.

Application fried February es, i922. seriai No. l538,568.

To all whom t may concern.' f

Be it known that I, THOMAS Knmiuir, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of-Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full. clear, and exact description of the invention7 such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a wrench of well known form 'having a fixed and a movable jaw and in which the handle portion, which is usually integral with the fixed jaw, extends at an acute angle to both the operative faces of the jaws and to the line of movement of the movable aw. Such wrenches are provided with adjusting means for moving the movable jaw and there is usually some play or lost motion between the movable jaw and the fixed parts of the wrench.,

The movement or vibration of the movable j aw7 due to this lost'motion,I results in a change of position of said movable Thus, when the wrench is picked up and laid down several times by a workman the movable jaw will have made an appreciable movement and will have to be re-adjusted.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide such a wrench with simple and efficient means for preventing the play or movement of the movable jaw except when caused by the adjusting means.

It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide the movable jaw at its inner end with a yielding and slidable device tending to hold it firmly in position.

rlhese and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views, and in which,

Fig. l is a view showing the Operative parts of the wrench in central longitudinal section and showing the handle in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the. wrench, as seen from the left of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l, shown on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, a well known and much used type of wrench is illustrated comprising a handle member l having integral therewith a head portion 2, which head portion comprises a fixed jaw 3. rlhev head portion 2 hasv formed therein a transversely extending channel t which is semicylindrical in shape and has extending from its upper poi'tionja slot having parallel side walls. A movable jaw 6 is provided and has its inner or lower portion formed to fit the semi-cylindrical channel 4l and also formed with a contracted narrow portion moving in the slot 5. The sides of the aw members are usually rounded, as shown, and the slot 5 is extended to form an undercut portion of the fixed jaw 3 into which projects an exten-ded part A7. of themovable j aw 6. The bottom or inner portion of the movable aw Gis provided with rack teeth which are adapted to be engaged by the threads of. a cylindrical threaded member 8 disposed in a recess formed in the head 2 and ournaled on a pin -9 threaded into the. head at its inner end and provided with a slot at its outer end'by which it may be removed, this pin occupying a recess formed in the head 2.

With the construction described, the jaw 6 tends to fulcrum about the screw 8 and have a slight play in the head 2. To prevent this, the inner part of the jaw )6 is provided on its surface adjacent the bottom of the chan-nel 4 with a. small cylindrical recess in which are .disposed ra compression spring l0 and a4 ball 11. The latter is pressed out against the bottom of channel 4L and the spring 10 thus acts to keep the inner part of the movable jaw 6 pressed upwardly in contact with the top o-f the channel 4. When the movable jaw 6 is adjusted by the screw 8 the ball moves along the bottom of the shell 4; with substantially no friction.

lW ith the described structure, as previously stated, the jaw 6 will remain firmly in its adjusted position. wrench will thus not result in vibration and movement of said jaw so as to cause repeated adjustments thereof. The spring 10 and ball ll act in the manner described to keep the outer portion of the jaw 6 in its farthest position from jaw 3. The wrench is thus always held with its jaws `in the wide open position to which they have been adjusted. This is a desirable result of the elimination of the loose movement of the movable aw.

si `V 1,444,793

It is thus seen that applicant has provided a very simple and efficient improvement on this type or' wrench and one that will add greatly to the utility thereof. rFhe applicant has had much experience with t-his type of wrench and the present improvef ment has been found to have great utility and eiiiciency in actual practice.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in the matter shown and kdescribed and set forth in the appended claims.

7l/iat is claimed is:

l. A wrench having a handle portion and a head portion rigidl therewith comprising;- a fixed aw, the operative face oi' which makes an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of said handle portion, said head portion having a channel formed therein extending substantially normal to the Jrace ot the fixed aw, a movable aw having a, portion shaped to Substantially tit said channel to slide therein, said movable jaw havinga recess formed in its 'inner portion in the surface adjacent the bottom oit said channel, a spring` pressed ball in said recess adapted to bear on the bottom oi saidchannel and hold the inner part of said movable aw pressed outwardly against the top of said recess to prevent vibration of Said movable jaw, and mea-ns for adjusting said movable jaw.

2. A wrench comprising' a handle havingl a head portion atene end carrying a lixed jaw thereon, said jaw having a lface extending at an acute angle to the center line or' said handle, thechannel in said head extending normal to said xed jaw, a movable jaw having` a portion fitting in and movable in said channeland having rack teeth on its inner side, a spring-pressed ball in said movable `iaw engaging the bottom of said channel, and means in said head portion engaging said threads to tra-verse the movable jaw.

3. rThe structure set forth in claim l, said channel having a narrow extension at its outer side having parallel walls, said extension projecting under said fixed to form an undercut recess therein, and said movable jaw having its inner side projecting into said undercut recess.

4i. The combination with a wrench having a iixed and movable jaw with a handle extendingi'rom rthe ixed'jaw, said movable aw having teeth moving adjacent a sui-tace in said fixed jaw, said .fixed jaw having a portion above said surface against which the movable jaw may engage, means engaging said tee-th to move said jaw, said movable jaw having a recess adjacentthe inner end of the portion moving` adjacent said surface, and a spring pressed member in said recess engaging and moving on said surface to holdv the kmovable jaw against lost motion and creeping.

5. A wrench comprising a handle portion witha head portion and a fixed outer jaw rigid therewith, said head having a groove therein extending substantially nor-` mal to .the face of said fixed i,aw, and a movable jaw slidable in said groove, teeth on said movable jaw adjacent the bottom of said groove, means in said head engaging said teeth, saidlast mentioned jaw having a recess therein, and afspring pressed member disposed in said recess adjacent the inner side of the j aw to engage the bottom oil said groove and to hold said movable jaw in position to prevent lost motion and'creeping thereof.

In testimony whereof l ai'iix in signature.

THOMAS ELLER.

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