US2910902A

US2910902A - Open end slidable jaw-face wrench

Info

Publication number: US2910902A
Application number: US714203A
Authority: US
Inventors: Akers David
Original assignee: COLUMBIA PRODUCTS Inc
Current assignee: COLUMBIA PRODUCTS Inc
Priority date: 1958-02-10
Filing date: 1958-02-10
Publication date: 1959-11-03
Anticipated expiration: 1976-11-03

Description

Nov. 3, 1959 D. AKERS 2,910,902

OPEN END SLIDABLE JAW- FACE WRENCH Filed Feb. 10, 1958 FIG. 3 FIG. 4

FIG. 5

INVENTOR.

' r DAVlD AKERS United States Patent 2,910,902 OPEN END SLIDABLE JAW-FACE WRENCH David Akers, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Columbia frolucts, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Mary- Application February 10, 1958, Serial No. 714,203

2 Claims. (Cl. 81-179) because of their ready engagement with a bolt head or nut and the ease with which they can be engaged as aforesaid in such cases where only limited space is available for positioning the wrench upon the nut or bolt head. Such Wrenches, however, require suflicient space to afford an arc of movement of the wrench handle through approximately 180" or more in order to obtain any appreciable speed of operation. The box type ratchet wrench, however, even though limited in application because of space requirements for engagement with a nut or bolt head, provides for greater speed of operation where limited space is available to swing the wrench handle.

A ratchet type open ended wrench would therefore provide an ideal combination of'ready engagement with a nut or bolt head regardless of space limitation and speed of operation regardless of the limitations of arc of rota tion of the wrench handle. In the present invention these objectives are readily obtained at a minimum of expense by a simple modification of a conventional 'design of open end wrench.

One object of the invention is to convert an open end wrench of conventional design into a ratchet type wrench with a minimum of machining effort.

Another object of the invention is to provide such conventional open end wrench with a spring loaded reciprocating member which provides rotation of a nut when turned in one direction and deflects inwardly of the wrench head for rotation thereof relative to the nut as the wrench handle is turned in the opposite direction.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a reciprocating member which may be mounted in the conventional wrench head by drilling a single opening.

Referring now to the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows in an enlarged plan view a wrench of the invention, having a portion of one of the wrench jaws broken away to show details of construction;

Fig. 2 shows a similar view of only the wrench head with the reciprocating member inwardly displaced to permit the wrench head to rotate relative to the nut engaged thereby;

Fig. 3 shows a partial section taken on lines III--III of the Wrench of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 shows the reciprocating member; and

Fig. 5 shows a simplified retainer for the reciprocating member of Fig. 4.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the conventional open ended wrench comprises a handle portion 1 having at one end a head portion comprised of spaced

jaws

2 and 3, at the opposite end of the handle portion is a box type jaw 4. The spaced

jaws

2 and 3 of such conventional wrench have nut engaging parallel faces 5 and 6. On the rear of the wrench head portion is drilled a suitable circular opening 7 whose axis is preferably parallel to the face 6 of jaw 3 and spaced slightly 2,910,902 Patented Nov. 3, 1959 away from face 6 so that the periphery of opening 7 extends slightly inwardly of the face 6 and also outwardly thereof towards the face 5. The inner ends of jaw faces 5 and 6 are connected by an arcuate surface 8. The opening 7 extends through surface 8 between said jaw faces and inwardly of face 6 to provide a shoulder 9.

Within the opening 7 is disposed the reciprocating member 10 which comprises a cylindrical base portion 11 and an outwardly extending portion 12 of reduced thickness. The portion 12 has a flat face 13 disposed against face 6 of jaw 3 and an opposite flattened face 14. The face 14 for a portion of its length is parallel to jaw faces 5 and 6, and terminates at its outer end in a smooth curve 15 tapering between the

faces

13 and 14 of the reciprocating member 10. The remaining diametrically opposite faces of portion 12 form a continuation of the faces of the base 11 as at 16. Within the base 11 is a suitable opening 7 for reception of one end of a helical spring 17. The opposite end of spring 17 projects from the base 11 and engages a short cylindrical screw 18 closing the outer face of opening 7. The length and strength of spring 17 is such that it will positively displace the member 10 outwardly until the shoulder 9a thereof engages the shoulder 9 of the wrench head jaw 3, as shown in Fig. 3,but is readily compressible when pressure is applied to the curved tapering surface 15 of the member 10.

The construction and application of the reciprocating member 10 to the wrench head provides for rigidity of the member 10 inextended position and substantially excludes dirt from the opening 7 with long life to the spring 17. By maintaining but a few thousandths clearance between the diameter of opening 7 and the diameter of cylindrical portion 11 of the member 10, this member moves freely into and out of extended position. The flat face 12 of member 10 is parallel to jaw face 6 and has full bearing thereon when under compression from a tightening nut. The arcuate faces 16 of member 10 provide full cylindrical bearing on the inner periphery of opening 7 preventing lateral displacement of member 10 when disposed inwardly of opening 7. Hence the probabilities of getting moisture and dirt into the spring 17 are very remote. The thickness of portion 12 of member 10 is such to provide ample clearance between jaw face 5 and face 14 of member 10 to readily engage the nut of a size across the flats thereof for which the wrench is intended. In the inner portion of face 14 of member 10 which is parallel with wrench face 5 grips the nut when the wrench is rotated in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 1 preventing accidental inward displacement of member 10. The arcuate surface 8 between the wrench jaw faces 5 and 6 provides for free rotation of the wrench relative to the nut, when the wrench is swung in the direction of arrow B of Fig. 2. During this latter movement, the normal clearance between jaw face 5 and face 14 of member 10 combines with the tapering curved surface 12 of member 10 to deflect member 10 inwardly of the jaw 3. The cylindrical surface engagement of member 10 with the periphery of opening 7 prevents lateral displacement or cocking of the member 10 in opening 7 which would interfere with the intended ready reciprocal movement of member 10.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that a conventional open ended wrench can be readily and economically converted into a ratchet type wrench. Thus a conventional open ended wrench of say size can be readily converted to a ratchet size wrench, merely by boring the opening 7 in one jaw thereof and inserting the member 10. The outer end of opening 7 would of course need to be tapped to receive screw 18. The mem ber 10 can be readily formed from round bar stock at low cost. The helical coil spring 17 of suitable size can be readily purchased. By counter boring the base 11 of member a longer and more sensitive spring 17 can be used.

It will also be obvious from the foregoing description that the invention is equally adaptable to an open end wrench having fixed jaws as to one in which one of the jaws is adjustable.

Having thus described the invention in the present best contemplated form, it will be understood that some detail modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art, which can be made without departing from the invention disclosed. It is to be understood therefore that such detail disclosure has been made by way of illustration and not limitation except as made necessary by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An open end wrench comprising a handle having a head at one end, spaced rigid jaws extending outwardly from said head, said jaws having confronting parallel fiat faces adapted for reception and engagement with the flat faces of a nut disposed therebetween, an arcuate surface connecting the inner ends of said jaw faces forming the front face of said head, a circular opening extending through said head from the back face thereof and through said front face adjacent one of said jaw faces, the axis of said opening being parallel to the associated jaw face and outwardly thereof so that portion of the periphery of said opening lies inwardly of said associated jaw face forming therewith a shoulder, a generally cylindrical slidable member insertable in said opening from the back of said head and having a cylindrical base portion disposed 'within said opening and aflattened end portion projecting therefrom between said jaw faces, one face of said flattened end portion being parallel with and riding upon the adjacent jaw face in forming with the base portion a shoulder engaging the shoulder of the said jaw face for retaining the slidable member within said opening, the opposite face of said flattened end portion having an inner portion substantially parallel with the opposite jaw face and an outer portion curving smoothly from said inner portion to the adjacent jaw face, said slidable memher base being counter-bored to receive a coil compression spring, a compression spring within said counter bore and projecting below the same to adjacent the back face of the wrench head, and a screw-threaded member closing the said circular opening at the back face of the wrench head, said screw-threaded member when in position applying an initial compressive force on said spring.

2. In an open end wrench having a handle and a head at one end of the handle, the combination of spaced rigid jaws extending outwardly from the front face of the wrench head, opposing fiat inner faces on said jaws being adapted to receive a nut between them, said head having a circular opening extending from the back face thereof between said jaws in overlapping relation to one said jaw so as to partially block said opening, a slidable member of general cylindrical form having a cylindrical base portion disposed within the opening in overlapping relation to the adjacent jaw and a flattened end portion projecting from the head opening between said jaws, said flattened end portion having a flat face parallel to and slidably engaging the adjacent jaw face and a diametrically opposite face disposed inwardly from the periphery of the base, the lower portion of said latter face being parallel with the opposite jaw face for engagement with the flat face of a nut and the upper portion of said face tapering smoothly to the adjacent opposite flattened face of the slidable member, a closure for said circular head opening and a compression spring extending between said slidable member and closure member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 879,155 Ellis Feb. 18, 1908 1,308,440 Morrison July 1, 1919 1,898,388 Parker Feb. 21, 1933 2,592,781 Yavner Apr. 15, 1952 2,646,711 Yavner July 28, 1953 2,721,493 Bergland Oct. 25, 1955 2,795,160 Blasdell June 11, 1957