US2685218A

US2685218A - Toggle-actuated, plier type wrench

Info

Publication number: US2685218A
Application number: US305537A
Authority: US
Inventors: Burns Bruce
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1952-08-21
Filing date: 1952-08-21
Publication date: 1954-08-03
Anticipated expiration: 1971-08-03

Description

Aug. 3, 1954 B. BURNS TOGGLE-ACTUATED, PLIER4 TYPE WRENCH Filed Aug. 2l, 1952 @y 01d, QAM/L Patented ug. 3, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE TOGGLE-ACTUATED, PLIER TYPE WRENCH Bruce Burns, Yucca Valley, Calif. Application August 21, 1952, Serial No. 305,537

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to wrenches and especially to wrenches which may be locked on the article to which they are applied.

Wrenches of the type in which it is intended that my invention be embodied are generally known as toggle wrenches or vise wrenches. Such wrenches of this type as are in use at the present time generally comprise and include a non-movable jaw and a relatively movable jaw vuntil it is dislodged therefrom through the medium of a handle pivoted to said movable jaw. Since it is possible to over-adjust the movable jaw, it frequently is very dicult to dislodge said jaw from clamping contact with an object after it has once been clamped thereupon in an overadjusted condition. Due to this peculiar characteristic of prior art wrenches, it is frequently necessary to apply as much force in the process of opening such Wrenches to release the movable jaw from an object as is necessary in initially clamping the movable jaw against the object.

The closing and clamping operation is performed by gripping a pair of handles and forcing them toward one another in much the same manner as the handles of a pair of ordinary pliers are manipulated. In such a situation the hand works in a position of maximum advantage and can apply great closing force with little conscious physical strain. The user of the wrench can thus close and lock an over-adjusted tool inadvertently or without being aware of the degree of over-adjustment. In the opening or releasing operation, however, when it is necessary to force the handles apart, one hand works in an unnatural position and at a disadvantage. It will be observed frequently that a wrench may be closed and locked on the work with one hand and without apparent expenditure of undue force, but when a similar force is required for release, both hands must be used. Such wrenches are frequently used in confined spaces and it is necessary to place the hands holding the handles of the wrench in such confined spaces and apply the releasing force. The consequent sudden release of the movable jaw frequently results in the abrasion of the hands of the user of the wrench upon adjacent objects.

CJI

It is, therefore, a primary object of my invention to provide an improvement in wrenches of the vise wrench type which will lessen the probability of their being over-adjusted in the rst instance when originally gripping the wrench and will enable them to be more readily released than has been possible with prior art wrenches.

It is another object of my invention to provide an improvement in vise wrenches which can be readily incorporated in already existing wrenches of this type and which can be easily and cheaply manufactured.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a vise wrench which will provide to the user thereof a greater mechanical advantage in unlocking the movable jaw of the wrench from an object than is provided in other wrenches of the same type.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be evident from the following specification and the accompanying drawing, which is for the purpose of illustration only, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical, elevational view, partially in section, of a wrench embodying the improvement which is the subject matter of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical, elevational view, partially in section, showing the manner in which a Wrench, embodying the improvement which is the subject of my invention, may be released from an object on which it is clamped; and

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the broken line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

My invention can be readily applied to a type of wrench now in wide use and which was in public use prior to my conception of the invention herein. This old type of wrench will be rst described for the purpose of explaining the manner in which my improvement modies the action of prior art wrenches.

The words stationary and movable are used herein merely for identification and for the purpose of illustrating the manner in which one portion of a vise wrench constructed in accordance with my invention acts in relationship to another portion. As a matter of fact, the whole wrench is readily movable.

The words upper, lower, upwardly, downwardly, and other words denoting position, are used herein merely for convenience in identification and denote the positions of parts in the drawing. In actual use, of course, the Wrench may be moved into any desired orientation in relation to the user or to the center of the earth.

Vise wrenches as now generally manufactured and sold consist of a stationary member |I formed from a metal sheet bent into a channel section and having a stationary jaw i2 welded or otherwise fixed to the upper end thereof. The stationary member II extends downwardly and has a threaded socket I4 in the lower end thereof in which an adjusting bolt or screw I5 is threaded. The screw I5 has a knurled head i3 by which it can be readily turned by the fingers of the user.

A first pivot pin I3 passes through the stationary member H and has disposed thereupon a movable member 2|, preferably formed of a casting or forging, which bears a movable jaw 22 at its upper end which is adapted to be moved with the movable member 2i to cooperate with the stationary jaw I2 in clamping an object I8.

A generally triangular extension 23 formed inv tegrally with the movable member 2i and being thin enough to extend into the channel in the stationary member I I permits the engagement of the movable member 2| by the first pivot pin |3. The movable member 2| is thus enabled to pivot around the center of the first pivot pin I3 which passes through the lower inner corner of the triangular extension 23.

A second pivot pin 24 passes through the lower, outer corner of the generally triangular extension 23 of the movable member 2|. A tension spring 25 is hooked at its upper end in a. hole 23 in the generally triangular extension 23 of the movable member 2| and at its lower end to a projection 21 formed integrally with and extending downwardly into the channel of the stationary member II.

Pivoted on the second pivot pin 2d is a locking handle 3| which is also formed of sheet metal into a channel section, the upper end of the locking handle 3| being bifurcated to extend upon each side of the generally triangular extension 23 and to engage the pivot pin 2.4. A third pivot pin 32 extends through the locking handle 3| and engages the upper end of a toggle link 33. The lower end of the toggle link 33 is pivoted on a fourth pivot pin 35 which passes through a pivot block 36 pivoted on or resting against the adjusting screw l5 to permit the positioning of the lower end of the toggle link 33 by the adjusting screw I5 and thus facilitate the longitudinal translation of the toggle link 33 within the channel of the stationary member I I.

The operation of the prior art vise wrench described above is as follows: the wrench is grasped in the hand of the user with the end 33 of the handle 3| about an inch away from its closed position and the adjusting screw I5 is rotated to move the fourth pivot pin 35 and its associated block 3S up or down within the channel of the stationary member until the movable jaw 22 and the non-movable jaw I2 can be brought into contact with the surface of a workpiece or object I8 which it is desired to grip. When the movable jaw 22 has been so adjusted against the surface of the workpiece I8 that both the movable jaw and the non-movable jaw I2 are firmly positioned against the workpiece, the movable jaw 22 is firmly clamped upon the workpiece I8 by moving the end 33 of the locking handle 3| toward the stationary member II and thus shifting the center of the third pivot pin 32 a little to the right of a line 31-31 which joins the centers of the second pivot pin 24 and the fourth pivot pin 35, as best shown in Fig. 1. Ordinarily, as best seen in Fig. 2 of the drawing, when the movable jaw 22 is not clamped against the surface of an object, the center of the third pivot pin 32 will lie slightly to the left of the line 31-31. The amount of movement permitted to the third pivot pin 32 as it is urged by the locking handle 3| to the right of the line 31-31 is controlled by a stop 38 formed integrally with the toggle link 33 whose abutment on the inside of the locking handle 3| stops the movement of the locking handle 3| in respect to the movement of the toggle link 33 and thus prevents the further movement to the right of the third pivot pin 32.

The handle 3| and its associated toggle link 33 thus constitute a toggle linkage and it will be readily understood that, as the third pivot pin 32 has its center moved to the right past the line 31-31 into its locked position, the toggle linkage constituted by the handle 3| and its associated link 33 can exert a theoretically infinite leverage between the locking handle 3| and the movable jaw 22. After the third pivot pin 32 passes to the right of the line 31-31, the :toggle linkage is locked, that is, the pressure exerted by the workpiece I8 on the movable jaw 22 tends to hold the third pivot pin 32 in its over-center position. This pressure may well be so great, in fact, that when the release of the jaw 22 from the object i8 is attempted by moving the end 34 of the locking handle 3| away from the stationary member |I, as great a force must be applied to the locking handle 3| as was originally necessary to lock the movable jaw 22 against the object I8. It is frequently very difficult to apply the force necessary to release the wrench from the object I8,

especially where the wrench is being utilized in a relatively inaccessible position. Then, too, when the wrench is being utilized in close quarters, the sudden release of the jaw 22 from the object I8 against which it is clamped frequently results in the abrasion of the hands of the user of the wrench upon the surrounding objects,

It should be borne in mind that the toggle linkage can be set so that the workpiece may be firmly gripped by the user clamping the fingers of one hand about the end 34 of the locking handle 3| and the stationary member I l and squeezing the locking handle 3| in the direction of the stationary member Thus, it is frequently possible to lock the wrench upon the object I8 in confined spaces where two hands could be used only with great difficulty. It is the object of the improvement hereinafter to be described to provide means for readily releasing the toggle even when the wrench is in such an awkward position. It should be understood that the wrench, as above described, is in public use and was in such use prior to my conception of the improvement which is the subject matter of my invention and which will be now described.

The remedy for the above difficulties, which is the subject of this application, is to provide an adjusting screw 40 which is threaded in the locking handle 3| and which projects inwardly and engages the stop 38. This screw 40 controls the degree to which the toggle formed by the toggle link 33 and the upper part of the handle 3| may be set As the wrench is closed, the pivot pin 32 is forced toward and across a straight line between the

pivot pins

24 and 35. It is only after the pivot pin 32 has crossed this line that the toggle is locked and force must be applied to the handle 3| to open the wrench. The amount of force which must be so supplied is proportional to the distance the pivot pin 32 moves over this Iacs'a'ai 5 line. 'I'his distance is controlled by the position of the inner end of said screw 40, the further the screw projects inwardly from the inner side of the handle 3|, the shorter the distance the pivot pin 32 moves over the line and the easier the wrench can be opened.

It should be further borne in mind that by the proper use of the two adjusting screws I5, which are employed in the present art wrenches, and screw driver actuated screw 49, the improvement of my present invention, it will be extremely unlikely that the jaws will ever be clamped too tightly upon a workpiece. Should screw d prolect too far inwardly toward stop 38 of link 83, the jaws will have a tendency to spring open from the locked position. The user then by a slight turn of screw 40 away from stop 38 will nd that the jaws will probably lock on the workpiece and further the jaws will be readily released with a minimum of force which can be applied with one hand to the movable handle 3 I. Should th-e user wish to employ the wrench for temporary clamping, in much the same manner as he would an ordinary pair of pliers, he need merely ad- Vance the screw Ail a few turns creating an unstable condition in the toggle.

When it is desired to release the movable jaws 22 from the surface of the object I8 upon which the wrench is clamped, the user may turn the screw Il inwardly, by means of a screw driver, should the wrench have been clamped too tightly on the object I8 due to an over-adjustment of screw I5.

I thus provide by my invention an improvement in wrenches of the vise wrench type which permits such wrenches to be readily and easily removed from objects upon which they have been clamped. By the provision of my improvement, the user of the wrench is afforded a much greater mechanical advantage in releasing the wrench from an object upon which itl has been clamped than he is afforded when initially clamping the wrench upon an object. Therefore, the user of the wrench is always assured that he may remove it from an object upon which it has been clamped with greater ease than he clamps the wrench lil 6 initially upon the object. Of course, the improvements which I have described above may be readily embodied in already existing wrenches and therefore will permit the improvement of the actuation of such wrenches at a moderate cost to the owner and user thereof.

Although I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be appreciated that other elements may be substituted for the particular elements shown herein without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I, therefore, do not intend to be limited to the specic construction shown, but desire to be afforded the full scope of the following claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a toggle mechanism, the combination of: a stationary handle; a toggle member pivoted on a first pin carried by said stationary handle; a movable handle pivoted at its upper end on a second pin to said toggle member; a link pivotally connected at its upper end to a third pin located on said movable handle, and pivotally engaged to a fourth pin at its lower end, said fourth pin being engaged to the upper end of a rst adjustable screw threaded in the lower end of said stationary handle; a second adjustable screw threaded in said movable handle in such a position that it coacts with a stop located intermediate the ends of said link limiting the position of said link to control the ultimate position of said link relative to said movable handle, said second adjusting screw having a tool-receiving means and being recessed in said movable handle so as to present a continual smooth surface on said movable handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,201,918 Petersen May 21, 1940 2,280,005 Petersen Apr. 14, 1942 2,299,454 Borchers Oct. 20, 1942 2,312,947 Westman Mar. 2, 1943 2,514,130 Jones July 4, 1950 2,589,511 Redmon Mar. 18, 1952