US2487281A

US2487281A - Toggle actuated wrench with hydraulic control

Info

Publication number: US2487281A
Application number: US772055A
Authority: US
Inventors: Steckelberg Glenn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-09-04
Filing date: 1947-09-04
Publication date: 1949-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 1966-11-08

Description

Nov. 8, 1949 G. STECKELBERG 2,487,281

TOGGLE ACTUATED'WRENCH WITH HYDRAULIC CONTROL File'd Sept. 4, 1947 IN V EN TOR.

Glenn Steclrelberg Patented Nov. 8, 1949 goGGLE ACTUATED WRENCH 'WITH HYDRAULIC CONTROL GlennSteckelberg, Chamberlain, S. Dak.

Application September 4, 1947, Serial No. 772,055,

3 Claims.

known wrenches of this type hadto be adjusted for locking the work with hands removed by means of manipulating a screw or' the like.

One object of thegpresent invention is the provision of a device of the character described which is locked automatically, by means of a valve con-trolled fluid pump; so'that no manipulationof a screw orthe like will be necessary.

' Another object of the-presentinvention is the provision of a device of the character described which makes it possible torobtain a variation of the pressure of the gripping jaws on the work, so that "this tool'can" be'used for different types of material and work.

Still another object of 'the present invention .isz'the provision of a devicev of the character described which is. comparatively light: inv weight, and free from protruding parts suchras-lclumsy adjustment screws or the like, so that this new and improved tool can be handled easily and conveniently. g

further object of the present invention is the. provision of adevice ofthe character described which is simple in construction and'i'nexpensive to manufacture, so that it can be sold at a very reasonable price, but which is sturdy, durable, and well adapted to withstand the rough usage to which devices of this type frequently are subjected.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a fractional sectional view on the 2 line l-I of Figure 20f a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation, fractionally in longitudinal section on the line 22 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In th drawing (Fig. 2") the numeral 1 denotes an entire wrench made in accordance with the present invention, having gripping jaws 3"and'4 which are secured to, or formed as units with, the members 2 and 5. The latter are pivoted to one another at 6, and a handle I is pivoted to the member 5 at 8. The member 2 is formed as 'a unit with the handle I3, and a link9 is pivoted to the other handle l at In and is extended through a slot l3 into the handle Hi. The rear portion of the handle l3 is formed preferably by a longitudinal cylinder 29, which is secured to the handle I3' by means of welding or'the like, or formed as a unit therewith, and which is subdivided by a wall [8 into a cylindrical receptacle [4' and a pump cylinder. In the latter is slidable a piston I1, whose piston rod i6 is extended through a stufiing box I5 and provided with a cross-head l2 that is pivoted to the link 9 at H.

The wall i8 is provided with a perforation '21 an'd with a radialbore l9 which meets the perforation 21, and in which is slidable a valve 20'. The latter is held normally by a spri'ng 21 in such a position that the perforation 2! is open, as may be seen in- Fig. 2, the spring 2! being interposed between the head 22 and the outer, upper side of the cylinder 29.

Within the receptacle Hi there is slidable a piston 24 and cup 25, and a spring 26 is interposed between these slidable parts and the head 28 of the cylindrical receptacle 29.

The handle I is provided with a leaf sprin 30 and with a threaded bolt 3|, which is extended through the spring 30 and is provided with an ad- J'ustment nut 32. A fluid, such as oil or the like,

is contained in the cylinder 29 between the pistons I1 and 24.

When the handles 1 and I3 are spread apart, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the valve 20 is being held open by the spring 2|. While the handles are being moved from the position shown in full lines to that shown in dash-and-dotted lines in Figure 2, the piston I! is moved by the ward the head 28. When the handle 1 has reached the position shown in dash-and-dotted lines in Fig. 2, the spring 30 will depress the valve 20, so that no fluid can pass through the perforation 21. According to the adjustment of the spring 30, by means of the parts 3| and 32, the spring 30 will depress the valve 20 sooner or later, so that the pressure of the jaws 3 and 4 on the work can be varied by means of this adjustment of the spring 30. Once the perforation 21 is closed by the valve 20, the parts 5, l, 9, l6 and I! cannot move any longer, so that the jaws 3 and 4 are locked to the work. In order to release the work, one lifts the spring 30, so that the valve 20 will open the perforation 21; then the spring 26 will press the piston 24 toward the wall [8 and the fluid will pass through the perforation El, so that the piston I! will move away from the wall l8, thus causing an opening of the jaws 3 and 4.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

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

1. The combination, in a wrench which consists of a pair of handles and two gripping jaws working on a pivot and being adapted to be closed upon pressing the handles together, of a piston pump mounted within one of said handles and having its piston linked to the other handle, with a normally open valve controlling the passage of the fluid from said pump to a cylindrical receptacle, and an adjustable leaf spring being provided at said last mentioned handle and adapted for closing the valve when said handles have been 'moved relative to one another into a position in which the gripping jaws are closed, a spring biased piston being con- I tained within said cylindrical receptacle for forcing the fluid back into the pump after said valve has been re-opened.

2. In a wrench which consists of a pair of handles and two gripping jaws working on a pivot and being adapted to be closed upon pressing the handles together, a longitudinal cylinder being secured to and formed as the rear portion of one of said handles and being subdivided by a perforated wall into a pump cylinder portion and a cylindrical receptacle, a pump piston movable within the pump cylinder portion being linked to the other handle, a valveextended into said longitudinal cylinder and into said wall being normally open and adapted for closing temporarily the perforation in said wall, an adjustable leaf spring being provided at said last mentioned handle and adapted for closing the valve when said handles have been moved relative to one another into a position in which the gripping jaws are closed, and a spring biased piston being contained within said cylindrical receptacle for forcing the fluid back into the pump after said valve has been re-opened.

3. In a wrench which consists of a pair of handles and two gripping jaws working on a pivot and being adapted to be closed upon pressing the handles together, a longitudinal cylinder being secured to and formed as the rear portion of one of said handles and being subdivided into a pump cylinder portion and a cylindrical receptacle by means of a wall which is provided with a perforation and a radial bore that meets said perforation, a piston movable within the pump cylinder portion being linked to the other handle, a valve extended into said longitudinal cylinder and slidable in the radial bore of said wall being normally held by resilient means in such a position that it leaves open the perforation in said wall, adjustable resilient means being provided on the last mentioned handle and adapted for pressing said valve into the perforation of said wall when said handles have been moved relative to one another into a position in which the gripping jaws are closed, a piston being slidable within said cylindrical receptacle, and a spring being interposed between said last mentioned piston and the outer extremity of the receptacle, said spring tending to press the piston towards said wall.

GLENN STECKELBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 491,222 Pellet Feb. 7, 1893 1,271,365 Reynolds, Jr. July 2, 1918 1,837,645 Baash et al. Dec. 22, 1931 2,341,489 Tornborg Feb. 8, 1944