US2811062A - Plier type cap wrench with adjustable jaws - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 29, 1957 J. w. ROBERTSON PLIER TYPE CAP WRENCH wm-x ADJUSTABLE JAWS Filed March 28, 1955 James W. Robertson INVENTOR.

9 BY aim WWII} MAW United States Patent PLIER TYPE CAP WRENCH WITH ADJUSTABLE JAWS James W. Robertson, Burlington, N. C.

Application March 28, 1955, Serial No. 496,990

1 Claim. (Cl. 813.44)

This invention relates to the class of tools and more particularly to a novel wrench for use in removing caps and closures from containers.

The primary object of the present invention resides in the provision of a device which is capable of adjustment so as to be adapted for opening screwed closures of various sizes.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of means for resiliently holding the tool in its adjusted position thereby preventing accidental disengagement of the serrated edges of the tool fro-m the closure which is being removed.

The construction of this invention features the utilization of a cap wrench including a connecting member having slots therein to which one arm is pivotally attached and another arm is adjustably secured by means of a pin engageable in one of the slots. A spring pressed plunger is carried by the arm adjustably mounted on the connecting member in such manner as to hold the pin within its selected slot.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in the provision of a cap Wrench that is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and highly efiicient in use.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this cap wrench, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cap wrench comprising the present invention shown in use;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the cap wrench with parts thereof being shown in section for detail;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional detail view as taken along the plane of line 33 in Figure 2 and illustrating the construction of the plunger and recess in which it is mounted; and

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view as taken along the plane of line 44 in Figure 3 and illustrating the construction of the bifurcated portion of the adjustable arm and illustrating the grooves in the furcations of the bifurcated portions.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral generally designates the tool comprising the present invention which is adapted to be utilized in removing screw closures such as caps 12 from containers, such as a jar or bottle 14.

The tool 10 includes an arm 16 having a handle portion 18 and a serrated medial portion 20 forming teeth for gripping the closure 12. The end 22 of the arm 16 is bifurcated, and a pin 24 extends through the bifurcations and through an end of a central connecting member 26 to pivot the arm 16 to the central connecting member 26. The central connecting member 26 may be arcuate in shape so as to, in connection with the arm 16 and the arm 28, embrace the cap 12. The central connecting member 26 has a plurality of spaced angulated slots 30 therein in which a pin 32 extending between the furcations 34 and 36 of the bifurcated ends 38 of the arm 28 is adapted to extend. The pin 32, when engaged in one of the slots 30, forms a pivotal connection between the connecting member 26 and the arm 28. A plunger 40 is mounted within grooves 42 and 44 in the furcations 34 and 36 and is also engageable within the recess 46 formed in the arm 28 in alignment with the grooves 42 and 44. Mounted in the recess 46 and resiliently yieldingly engaging the end wall 48 of the recess and the plunger 40 is a coil spring 50 which serves to press the plunger 40 outwardly and into engagement with the connecting member 26 to thus force the connecting member to such a position that the pin 32 is engaged and resiliently held in engagement in a selected one of the slots 30. The arm 28 has a medial portion which is serrated, as at 52, to form gripping teeth also engageable in opposition to the gripping teeth 20 with the closure or cap 12.

The operation of this invention is quite simple. The arm 28 is positioned so that the pin 32 is engageable within one of the slots 30 corresponding to the diameter of the cap or closure 12 and then, grasping the two handle portions, including the handle portion 18 of the arm 16 and the handle portion 54 of the arm 28, the pressure applied will cause the gripping teeth 20 and 52 to grasp the closure so that the closure may be rotated relative to the container, such as a bottle ,or jar to which the screw closure 12 is fastened.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A Wrench for removing screw closures comprising a pair of elongated arms each having a serrated closure gripping portion medial the ends thereof, a curved connecting member adapted to partially embrace a closure, one of said pair of arms being pivoted to said connecting member, the other of said arms having a bifurcated end receiving said connecting member, said connecting member having spaced locking slots therein, a pin extending between the furcations of said bifurcated end selectively receivable in said slots, said pin having a longitudinal axis extending between said furcations, said other arm having a recess therein, a spring in said recess, a plunger movably urged by said spring to engage said connecting member for holding said pin in a selected one of said slots, said furcations having opposed grooves therein in alignment with said recess, said recess and said grooves having a common axis, said plunger being slidable in said grooves, said longitudinal axis of said pin intersecting said common axis of said recess and said grooves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 284,933 Wilbur Sept. 11, 1883 1,182,567 Ipsen May 9, 1916 2,072,360 Eaton Mar. 2, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS 734,397 France Aug. 1, 1932

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