US2731866A - Erickson - Google Patents

Description

L. ERICKSON Jan. 24, 1956 READILY REPOSITIONABLE SLIDABLE JAW WRENCH Filed Aug. 18, 1952 BYZ/ 4/ A'TmR/l/Eys' United States Patent READILY REPOSITIGNABLE SLIDABLE JAW RENCH Leonard Erickson, Grand Rapids, Minn.

Application August 18, 1952, Serial No. 304,965 4 Claims. (Cl. 81-53) This invention relates to quick-action wrenches for turning nuts, fittings or other elements having pairs of diametrically arranged flatted surfaces for gripping.

It is an object of my present invention to provide an may be quickly turned for tightening or loosening through reciprocating swinging movement of the wrench handle in much the manner of application of torque to a ratchet wrench.

and rugged wrench may be produced at low cost, which will enable an operator to by fast, reciprocating swinging actions, tighten or loosen a nut or other object to be turned.

throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing my invention applied portion mounted in the head of the wrench upon a stub shaft 15. The head Portion 12 is recessed as at 12a t accommodate the screw gear and at least one of the ide tast s. of head por ion 12 is cut away as shown in Fig. 1 to expose the knurled spiral edge of the gear to facilitate hand or finger application of torque thereto to facili at djustment of h j 13. All of the parts descr bed to this point are of conventional construction n C es ent wren he and conseq ntly, no more detailed desc intiq is th ugh nec ssary- The adjustable jaw 13 of the wrench is provided at its inner edge with a relatively short gripping surface 13a extending from the outer extremity of the jaw inwardly an being @ppQse o th g ipping surface a at the nature which will withstand hard wear of flexing.

gripping surface.

The novel operation and cooperative functioning of the essential elements of my improved wrench is illustrated Figs. 1 to 3. In Fig. l, the in dotted. lines is position, as shown, through to the full line position of Fig. 1 firmly engaged upon opposite nut. In the application oftorque,

having been turned from th approximately 45 where the wrench is edges of the square ing and resisting this thrust movement and sudden disengagement, of the nut. In the positional rela- Fig. 2, it will be with the slight forward and longitudinal thrust component exerted thereon brings the wrench into the relationship with the nut illustrated in Fig. 3. Here it will be seen that a corner and marginal portion of the nut is now fully accommodated in the recess 13b while the outer end of spring 16 is engaging against one of the corners of the nut at the same time the adjacent lower corner of the nut is disposed within the recess just inwardly of the shoulder 13c. Slight additional upward swinging of the wrench from the position shown in Fig. 3 through guiding pressure supplied by spring 16 causes the gripping surfaces 10a and 13a to be aligned with two of the flatted surfaces of the nut and the wrench naturally assumes its new torque-applying position with the nut then positioned squarely against and between the gripping surfaces 10a and 13a.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the drawings, it will be seen that the successive stages of the operation are almost automatically brought about by the upward or counterclockwise swinging of the wrench from the position shown in Fig. 1. It is natural in swinging the wrench to impart slight forward longitudinal thrust in the swinging movement so that actually in operation my a wrench may be swingably reciprocated upon a nut without exercise of care as to precise engagement of the nut or piece turned, to produce in such reciprocations, a step by step turning of the piece either for tightening or loosening purposes.

When a nut is to be loosened (assuming the thread to be a right hand thread) the wrench is reversed or turned upside down from the position shown in the drawings and disposed with the gripping surface 13a engaging the top flatted surface of the nut.

In Fig. my invention is illustrated as applied to a conventional type of monkey Wrench, the lower portion of the handle being broken away. The monkey wrench has an elongated handle 18 provided with the longitudinally extending, diminished square post 18a projecting therefrom upon the outer end of which is rigidly afiixed the upper stationary jaw 19. This jaw as shown has a straight inner edge 19a which at its forward portion constitutes a gripping surface. The lower jaw 20 is slidably but nonrotatively mounted upon post 18a having a squared bore 2001 which slidably engages said post. Adjustment of jaw 20 is effected in conventional manner by a screw 21 which has threaded engagement with a tapped socket extending longitudinally of the handle and formed in the head portion of jaw 20. Screw 21 at its lower extremity is journaled in a bearing 18a provided by handle 18 and adjacent said lower extremity a knurled collar 21a is affixed to facilitate turning of the adjustment screw.

The adjustment jaw 20 at its inner or upper longitudinal edge is provided with a relatively short gripping surface 20b extending from the outer extremity of the jaw inwardly for a short distance and opposed in substantially parallel relationship to the gripping surface 19a of the fixed jaw. Immediately thereafter at the interior edge of jaw 20 a relatively deep, curved recess Me is formed of similar shape to the recess 13b in the form of the invention first described, said recess defining a corner, shoulder or fulcrum 20d at the rear end of the gripping surface. A leaf spring 22 of high resiliency and substantially identical in all respects with the spring 16 of the Crescent wrench first described, is anhcored at its lower end in the intermediate portion of jaw 20 where the recess 20c is formed having its free outer end curved slightly and disposed normally somewhat above and somewhat rearwardly of the shoulder 20d.

The function and operation of the cooperating parts of the wrench shown in Fig. 5 is precisely similar to the function of the corresponding or similar parts of the wrench shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

I From the foregoing description, it Will be seen that I have provided a simple, highly eflicient, quick-action wrench adapted to apply torque to and turn a nut or simi- A as lar element in quick, successive stages and through reciproeating swinging of the handle in the manner of a ratchet wrench. My structure adds exceedingly little expense to the cost of conventional adjustable wrenches now in use; provides a more rugged and durable structure than ratchet wrenches in use and is adapted to accommodate nuts or fittings of various types and varying in diametrical dimensions within range of adjustment of conventional wrenches now in use.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A quick-action wrench comprising a stationary jaw and an adjustable jaw, said jaws having rigid opposing gripping surfaces at the inner edges thereof, a handle con nected with said jaws for applying torque to a nut or other object to he turned, one of said jaws having formed along its inner edge, contiguous to and inwardly of its said gripping surface, an open recessed portion adapted to accommodate at least the marginal portion of a nut or other object to be turned and a single, resilient, yieldable element anchored in said recessed portion of said last mentioned jaw and extending inwardly therefrom in the direction of said opposed jaw and adapted to engage the rear portion of a nut and to yieldingly resist displacement of the wrench in a direction to accommodate a portion of the nut in said recess whereby a nut may be turned through an are by swinging of said handle and then with the reverse swinging movement of said handle and simultaneous slight outward longitudinal thrust thereof in opposition to said resilient element, the wrench may be swung relative to said nut with said recess accommodating a portion of said nut and brought into a new torqueapplying position with said gripping surfaces then operatively engaging said nut.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein said resilient, yieldable element comprises a leaf spring anchored in said recessed portion of one of said jaws and normally extending generally towards the gripping surface of the opposite jaw in a position behind and above the gripping surface of the jaw wherein it is anchored.

3. A quick action wrench comprising a stationary jaw provided with a gripping surface at its inner edge, a handle structure rigidly connected with said stationary jaw, an adjustable jaw non-rotatively connected with said handle structure and having at its inner edge, a relatively short gripping surface opposed to the gripping surface of said stationary jaw and having contiguous to and inwardly of said gripping surface a deeply recessed, open portion adapted to accommodate at least the marginal portion of a nut or other object to be turned and a resilient element anchored in the recessed portion of said adjustable jaw and extending inwardly therefrom in the direction of said opposed jaw and having a free end disposed normally in a position above and inwardly of the gripping surface of said adjustable jaw and adapted to engage the rear portion of a nut and to yieldingly resist displacement of the wrench to accommodate a portion of the nut in said recess whereby with said recessed portion, said cooperative gripping surfaces may be engaged with opposite sides of a nut, the nut turned through an are by swinging of said handle and then with a reverse swinging movement of said handle and simultaneous outward longitudal thrust thereof in opposition to the resistance of said resilient element, the wrench may be swung relative to said nut with said recess accommodating a portion of said nut and brought into a new torque-applying position with said gripping surfaces then engaging two different opposite edges of said nut.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3 wherein said recess defines with the inner end of the gripping surface of said adjustable jaw, a shoulder operating as a fulcrum between a flatted surface of a nut or the like and said adjustable jaw when the wrench is swung backwardly for engagement in a new torque-applying position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Worden July 14, 1903 Aube Apr. 6,1915 Dobbins Dec. 14, 1920 IVIHH Oct. 20, 1925 10 De Graw Oct. 9, 1945 Watson May 10, 1949 Yavner Apr. 15, 1952 McComb Mar. 3, 1953 Mize et a1. Apr. 21, 1953 Murphy Oct. 13, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1908 Sweden May 27, 1941

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