US1494087A - Adjustable wrench - Google Patents

Description

May 13, 1924. 1,494,087

- L. WERLE ADJUSTABLE WRENCH Filed Wit. 1, 1921 7, 0 1' Lz j ig le AC/5 M WWQ L Fatented May 13, T1324.

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1 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LUDWIG WERLE, a citizen of Germany, residing at Chicago,'in the county of Cool; and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable renches, o which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in adjustable wrenches.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide improved means for quickly adjustingthe wrench.

Another object is to provide an improved resilient means for yieldingly holding the shiftable jaw in any desired position on the shank.

Another object is to provide a wrench in which the applied stress normally holding the shiftable jaw in position is augmented by the forces exerted on the said jaw in operating the wrench.

Another object is to generally improve wrenches.

Other, further and more specific objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent, to persons skilled in the art, from a consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a side view of the wrench.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of a fragmentary portion of the wrench.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

In all the views the same reference characters are employed to indicate similar parts.

The shank 5 carries on one end a fixed aw 6 and on one edge a ratchet 7 formed of teeth 8, that preferably incline towards the fixed jaw so that the stresses imparted by the shiftable jaw 9 when the wrench is in use are resisted and tend to fixedly hold. the shiftable jaw in any desired operative position. A holding pawl 10 is mounted within a recess between the side members 1111 which are integral parts of the jaw 9, the said holding pawl being pivoted about a pin 12. The pawl 10 is provided with a plurality of teeth 13 inclined away from the fixed jaw and so shaped and positioned that the teeth are adapted to closely engage the teeth on the shank forming the ratchet 7. The pawl 10 is provided with a finger piece 14, extending rearward in. a direction sub' stantially normal to the axis of the wrench handle or shank. The finger piece 14; terminates with a flattened portion 15 substantially parallel to the edge 16 0f the Wrench. I 1

A spring plate 17 has-one end fixed se curely in an aperture 18 in the pawl 10 and its opposite'end resiliently held against a seat 19 on the lower edge of the shiftable jaw. The plate 17 can be mounted only when the pin'12 is removed so as to permit the pawl 10 to be moved out of the jaw 9. Whenthe spring, plate 17 and the pin 12 are in their respective places the wrench is ready for use. i The spring plate 17 normally holds the pawl 10 in contact with the ratchet 7. The jaw 9 is shifted by pressing on the portion 15, thereby rotating the pawl 10 about the pin 12 to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. In this position the teeth 13 of the pawl 10 completely clear the teeth 8 forming the ratchet 7, thereby permitting the jaw 9, and the pawl 10 mounted thereon, to be moved along the shank to any desired position. Upon release of the pressure against the portion 15 the spring 17 rotates the pawl 10 until the teeth 13 and teeth 8 again engage.

The faces of the teeth adjacent to the fixed jaw are substantially normal to the shank so that the stress existing in the jaw 9 when in use is resisted by the teeth 8 and the jaw 9, thereby firmly held in position, while the wrench is in use. The finger piece 14 extends back sufiiciently to permit the jaw 9 to be released by a finger or thumb of the'o-perators hand and permits operation and manipulation of the wrench by the operator by use of one hand.

The piece 14: may readily be manipulated by pressure of the operators thumb thereagainst, while grasping the shank, so that the shiftable jaw can at the will of the operator be instantly released from its holding position. The spring plate 17 acts to yieldingly hold the shiftable jaw in any position along the shank to which it may be moved.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an adjustable wrench of simple construction, adapted to be operated by one hand which the movable jaw is yieldingly he (1 in any position on the shank relative to the fixed jaw, there being teeth on the shank of the wrench which engage similar teeth mounted on the movable jaw, said teeth being adapted to utilize the force exerted in operating the wrench to augment the forces holding the movable jaw in any position to which it has been moved.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

' l. A wrench comprising a shank having a ratchet rack thereon, a fixed jaw on the shank, a shiftable jaw on the shank provided with an opening therein, a manually operable pawl pivotally mounted in the opening in the shiftable jaw and having teeth to engage the ratchet rack of the shank, said pawl having a finger piece extension rigid therewith and extending therefrom across the shank below the shiftable jaw, and having a free end portion extending substantially parallel with the shank, said pawl and its finger piece extension being in the form of a single memher, and resilient means for yieldingly maintaining the pawl in engagement with the ratchet rack of the shank.

,2. A wrench comprising a shank having a ratchet rack thereon, a fixed jaw on the shank, a shiftable jaw on the shank provided with a recess therein extending to an outer side face thereof, a manually operated pawl pivotally mounted at its upper end in the recess in the shiftable jaw and having teeth to engage the ratchet rack of the shank, said pawl having a recess, a spring plate to yieldingly hold the pawl in engagement with the ratchet rack of the shank, said'spring plate being disposed within the first mentioned recess of the shiftable jaw at the open side of the recess adjacent the outer face of the shiftable jaw and at the outer side of the holding pawl, one end of said spring plate being secured in the said recess of the pawl and the opposite end of the spring plate bearing against a part of the shiftable jaw adjacent the recess therein.

In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my name.

LUDWIG WVERLE.

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