US2015895A - Wrench - Google Patents

Description

L. E. HAGBO Oct. 1, 1935.

WRENCH Filed Jan. 16, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l g ans E.fizg%o M A.

1 4 L I I l l I u I:

A TTORNEY Oct. 1, 1935. L, E, HAG 2,015,895

WRENCH Filed Jan. 16, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,5 INVENTOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTO2 09 0 1! OEY LarsE.

L. E. HAGBO Oct. 1, 1935.

WRENCH Filed Jan. 16, 1933 Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,015,895 WRENCH Lars E. Hagbo, Seattle, Wash. Application January 16, 1933, Serial No. 651,930

Claims. (01. 81-443) My invention relates to wrenches, and includes principles applicable to pipe wrenches as well as to nut wrenches. The present application is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 5 539,297, filed May 22, 1931, and application Serial No. 36,872, filed August 19, 1935 is a continuation of the instant application.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means whereby a movable jaw of a wrench can be secured in any desired position of adjustment, and further, to provide means whereby the movable jaw can be positively locked in any such position.

It is a further object to provide means of the character indicated above, which can be incorporated in wrenches of the general design now in use, and which can be so located in such wrenches that they will not project especially at the sides, where they may be liable to engage with the work, yet where they are readily accessible by a finger of the hand normally holding the wrench for operation.

It is a further object to provide ,a wrench of the general character indicated, in which the re- '25 lease of the movable jaw for opening movement under the influence of a spring acting thereon, and the positive locking of the same in any adjusted position, can be accomplished by a single member. It is also an object to provide means of the character indicated which shall be simple in construction and thoroughly reliable in operation, simple to assemble, and by means of which the wrench can be made lighter than wrenches of corresponding type and size now in use.

It is a further object, in conjunction with. a pipe wrench particularly, to provide simple and reliable means whereby the movable jaw may always be swung, when not in use, to the position of nearest approach to the fixed jaw, or in an alternative form, to a position intermediate the position of closest approach and the farthest distant position.

It is also an object, in conjunction with a pipe wrench, to construct the same in such manner that the very considerable stresses developed in use can be relieved from the pivot about which the-movable jaw swings, and delivered directly from the movable jaw or its immediate support to the handle.

l claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention incorporated in various illustrative types of wrenches.

Figure l is a side elevation, and Figure 2 an edge elevation of a-nut wrench embodying my 6 invention, the handle being omitted.

Figure 3 isv asectional elevation through the same in open position, and Figure 4 is a similar view in the locked operative position.

Figure 5 is a transverse section substantially 10 on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an elevation of my invention incorporated in a pipe wrench, parts being shown in position about to grasp a pipe.

Figure '7 is a sectional elevation of the same 15 Figure 12 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of the nut wrench. My invention is incorporated in its simplest form in the nut wrench, which, as shown, is of the well-known crescent type, comprising a handle IS, a fixed jaw i formed integral therewith, and 30 a movable jaw 2 formed integral with a slide 29 received within a guide l2 in the head of the wrench, this guide extending perpendicularly to the face of the fixed jaw l. A spring 2! received upon a pin l l at one end, and within a cavity 22 guide I2, is a chamber i4 formed in the head of the wrench which may have parallel opposite walls, and one surface at least of this chamber is arranged at an angle to the guide i2, and faces away from the movable law 2. Within 45 this chamber is received a slide-engaging member which is shown as the wedge block 3. This wedge block may engage a surface of the slide 20, and by the wedging action of the slide tending to move "away from the fixed jaw, in conjunction 50 with the inclined surface of the chamber M, the slide may be wedged and held in any position, but in order to insure such engagement between the wedge block and slide as will accomplish this result, I prefer that their engaging surfaces be provided with a series of fine, transverse corrugations, as is best illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. Also, to insure engagement of the wedge block with the slide, I provide spring means to urge the wedge block always towards the slide. These i means, as shown, comprise a spring 3!) surrounding a pin 3!, this pin having a reduced shank 32 and a larger head 33, the head being received in a transverse recess 35 in the wedge block. The spring 3i; bears against a button head 35 on the pin 3 and thus urges the wedge into engagement with the slide. The mounting of the head 33 within its recess 36 and of the pin 3! within its recess is such as will permit limited oscillation of the pin 3!, and the button 35 is so positioned as to be engageable by the thumb of the hand which normally holds the wrench in operative position.

My invention thus far is identical in principle to that disclosed in my application Serial No. 539,297, the only diiference being that in that form, as shown in Figure 12, the wedging member, designated 3" in Figure 12, is substantially triangular in elevation, and instead of the enlarged head 33 there is provided a transverse pin 33 received in a bore in the wedge block 3", and slightlyoscillat'able therein, the end of the pin 3! being threadedly engaged with the cross pin33, as indicated at 34.

Referring again to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, a knurled jaw locking member 4 is provided in position to engage the wedge block 3. This is shown as a nearly circular cam member pivotally mounted at 463 in the head of the wrench. When pressure from the button 35, however, will permit high point 42 of the cam has been turned into engagement with the end of the wedge block and since the wedge block is maintained in engagement with the slide 2!! by means of the spring 33, the locking member when swung into this position will positively lock the wedge block ceed with his workwith the assurance that the jaws of the wrench are positively locked in what ever position they may have been adjusted. Also, as shown, a spring surrounding the pivot ii! may engage the head or casing and the looking member to frictionally hold such member n an adjusted position. Still, whenever adjustment is required, pressure of a finger releases the locking member, another finger releases the wedge, and the jawZ slides fully open under the influence of spring 2!. From this position it is simple to move it to the new operative position, and again to lock it.

In the pipe wrench, shown in Figures 6 to 9 inclusive, an extra part, the saddle 5, is pivotally supported at 5! from the handle I, and therefore is not directly connected to the fixed jaw I, but it is to all intents and purposes a part of the head of the wrench, even though it is a part which is pivotally supported with respect to the handle of the wrench. The guide 2 is formed in this saddle 5, and the slide 20 is slidable therein under the influence of the spring 2! as before. Movement of the slide in this instance is limited by means of a pin 23 in the slide, engageable within a groove !5 of the handle, and it will be noted that in the full open position of the movable jaw the pin 23 is directly over the axis of the pivot 5!, whereby the rocking movement of the movable jaw relative to the handle I0 is not dis- 1 turbed.

In this .pipe wrench the engaging or wedging member 3' is urged toward the slide 20 by a springtiij backed by a removable plug 36. The locking member 3' is received in this instance within a slot 35', formed directly in one side of the wedging member 3, and the point 52, as before, engages a shoulder on the wedging member 3 to hold it in slide-secured position, as illustrated in Figure 7. However, the locking member is provided with an additional point 43 engageable with an end of the slot 31, whereby upon movement of the locking member 5' in a direction opposite to that required to lock the wedging member the latter is moved away from engagement with the slide 2!], as may be seen in Figure 8. Thus the locking member in this form performs the dual functions of locking parts in adjusted position and of releasing them from engagement to permit the movable jaw to slide to the extreme outer limits of its movement, and it is shown in this position in Figure 8.

It is desirable, in wrenches of this type, to provide spring means to hold the jaws swung somewhat away from their position of farthest approach (usually to the position of nearest approach), in order the more easily to close down upon a The means which I have provided for this purpose are valuable in connection with tit particular type of jaw adjusting and locking means, and are valuable also in conjunction with type of pipe wrench. For this purpose I provide in the handle !8 a slot 56 extending substantially longitudinally of the handle (but not in line with the pivot 5!) and in thisslot is received a block 6. By means of a pin 6Q, or any like means, this block is connected to a depending ear 59 of the saddle 5, the pin 61! passing through a transverse slot 55 in the ear as to limit relative movement of the saddle and the 5 handle. The slot 55 is arranged at an angle less than a right angle to a line joining the axes of the pivot pin 5% and the stop pin 68. Consequently the action of a small spring t! on the lock 5 in effect causes the pin 60, working within the slot 58, to slide to the position farthest distant from the pivot pin 5!,or into the position shown in Figure 8, where the movable jaw 2 has been swung about the pivot 5! to the position of closest approach to the fixed jaw l, engage- 6 ment of the saddle and jaw limiting this movement. To engage the wrench with a pipe it is a simple matter to depress the end of the saddle 5 or of the slide 20 with the thumb, and thus to swing the wrench open into the position shown in Figure '7, but upon release, the spring 6! again e- -.h@ to swing towards each other.

In some wrenches means are provided for swinging the movable jaw somewhat away from the position of closest approach, and of main- 7 taining it in a position intermediate that of closest approach of the two jaws and farthest separation of such jaws. I have provided means whereby this result can be accomplished in the modification shown in Figures 10 and 11. In 7 this form the slot 56', corresponding to the slot 58 and receiving the ends of the pin 60, has two branches; that is to say, its opposite ends are disposed at an angle to each other, and each of them is at an angle less than 90 to a line joining the axes of the pins 6!! and El. When parts are in the position shown in Figure 11, the spring 3i tends to urge the pin along the slot 56' to a position farthest distant from the pin 5|, and it would be urged towards the same position if the pin 60 were in the opposite end of the slot 59. The result is that parts tend to remain in anin'termediate position, as shown in Figure 10, with the jaws partly swung open.

In this form (as indeed I might in the preceding form)' I have shown the block 6 as so proportioned, relative to its slot I6, and relative to the slot 55, that upon swinging of the movable jaw into the position of closest approach to the fixed jaw, the block 6 bears at the end of its slot l5, and serves, through the pin 6!! rather than through the pin 5!, to take the longitudinal stresses. Further to strengthen the wrench, in this form as well as in the 'form just previously described, the pivot ear 52 of the saddle is so formed that it bears snugly against the projecting rear side of the fixed jaw l, and this engagement, when the parts are in the operative position of Figure 11, is such that the bearing at 53 serves as a fulcrum, thus relieving the pin 5| of that duty to a large extent, and considerably strengthening the wrench.

It will be observed further that there is no looseness of the slide 20 relative to the saddle 5, and all strains tending to bend the slide are resisted by the long bearing of the same within the saddle, even in the most extended position of parts, as shown in Figures 8 and 11. By the,

arrangement shown and described, the wrench may be made lighter in weight than wrenches of corresponding type and size now in use, partly because of the elimination of large nuts and the like, and partly because of the fact that the parts may be more closely fitted in place, and thereby to support each other better, though of lighter material.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Ina wrench, a head including a fixed j-aw, said head having a guide extending generally perpendicular to the fixed jaw, a movable jaw having a slide received in said guide, spring means urging the movable jaw away from the fixed jaw,

wedging means to secure the slide relative to the head, a spring-held button in the head, positioned for engagement by the thumb of the hand normally holding the wrench, operatively connected to the wedging means to release it, and means engageable with the wedging means when in slide-secured position to positively lock it in such position.

2. In a wrench, a head including a fixed law, said head having a guide extending generally perpendicular to the fixed jaw, and an interior chamber one surface of which is disposed facing the jaw and angularly relative to the guide, a movable jaw having a slide received in said guide, spring means urging the movable jaw and slide away from the fixed jaw and towards the angularly disposed surface, a wedge block disposed in the angle between said surface and the slide, the adjoining faces of the slide and wedge block having a plurality of fine corrugations extending transversely of the direction of movement of the slide, by the intere'ngagement of which the wedge block, under the influence of the spring means,

is forced into engagement with the angled surface to lock the slide against movement away from the fixed jaw, a bolt oscillatably received in the wedge block, the head being bored to permit projection of said bolt in a direction substantially parallel to the guide, to a position for engagement by the thumb of a hand normally grasping the wrench, to release the wedge block.

3. In a wrench, a head including a fixed jaw, said head having a guide extending generally 10 perpendicular to the fixed jaw and a surface disposed facing the jaw and angularly relative to the guide, a movable jaw having a slide received in said guide, spring means urging the movable jaw and slide away from the fixed jaw and towards the angularly disposed surface, a wedge blockdisposed in the angle between said surface and the slide, the adjoining faces of the slide and wedge block having a plurality of fine corrugations extending transversely of the direction of movement of the slide, by the interengagement of which the wedge block, under the influence of the spring means, is forced into engagement with the angled surface to lock the slide against movement away from the fixed jaw, a bolt received in the wedge block, and secured therein by means slightly oscillatable in said wedge block, the head being bored to permit projection of said bolt in a direction substantially parallel to the guide, to a position for engagement by the thumb of a hand normally grasping the wrench, to release the wedge block, and a spring interposed between the head of said bolt and the wrench head, tending to hold the wedge block in the angle between the angled surface and the slide. 85

4. In a wrench, a head including a fixed jaw, said head having a guide extending generally perpendicular to the fixed jaw and a surface disposed facing the jaw and angularly relative to the guide, a movable jaw having a slide received in said guide, spring means urging the movable jaw and slide away from the fixed jaw and towards the angularly disposed surface, a wedge block disposed in the angle between said surface and the slide, the adjoining faces of the slide and 45. wedge block having a plurality of fine corruga tions extending transversely of the direction of movement of the slide, by the interengagement of which the wedge block, under the influence of the spring means, is forced into engagement with the angled surface to lock the slide against movement away from the fixed jaw, a pin received in the wedge block to oscillate upon an axis parallel to the angled surface, a bolt received in said pin, the wedge block and wrench head being bored to permit projection and limited oscillation of the bolt, whereby pressure upon the bolt will release the wedge block.

5. In a wrench, in combination with a head including a fixed jaw, and a movable jaw adapted for motion towards or away from said fixed jaw,

a slide integral with said movable jaw, and guided in said head, said head having an interior chamber, means to hold said movable jaw in any desired position comprising a wedge received in said chamber and engageablebetween the slide and wrench body, means to vary the position of said wedge comprising a bolt connected to'said wedge by means slightly oscillatable with respect tosaid wedge, said bolt extending from the wedge to the surface of the head, and means engageable at will with the wedge to positively lock the same in slide-secured position.

LARS E. HAGBO.

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