US3286561A

US3286561A - Adjustable wrench

Info

Publication number: US3286561A
Application number: US538310A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward M Norman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-03-29
Filing date: 1966-03-29
Publication date: 1966-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 1983-11-22

Description

United States Patent 3,286,561 ADJUSTABLE WRENCH Edward M. Norman, 112 Main St., Mount Morris, N.Y. Filed Mar. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 538,310 8 Claims. (Cl. 81-130) This invention is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 422,656 filed December 31, 1964 for Wrench and relates to an adjustable hand wrench for use by mechanics and the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a wrench which can, within the limits of its capacity, be adjusted to different sizes of nuts, heads or other Workpieces.

Another object is to provide such an adjustable wrench in which the jaws can be separated to a wide degree as compared with conventional adjustable wrenches.

Another object is to provide a wrench which can be so adjusted quickly and easily.

Another object is to provide means preventing the accidental separation of parts of the wrench while not interfering with such separation for the purpose of adjustment. 7

Another object is to provide such a wrench which is so designed as to resist tendencies to distort the wrench under heavy pressures.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a wrench which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and eflicient in operation.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a wrench embodying my invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged transverse section taken generally on line 22, FIG. 1. FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sections taken generally on the correspondingly numbered lines, FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section taken generally on line 5-5, FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the parts of the wrench other than the main body thereof, namely, the movable jaw and its associated movable detent parts.

While the features of the invention can be adapted to different types of wrench, it is shown as having a main body 10 in the form of a handle 11 of conventional shape and an integral head 12 at one end of this body from which an integral fixed jaw 13 of the wrench protrudes, this jaw having a fiat working face 14 facing the longitudinal center line of the main body 10. The head 12 is also provided with a fiat end face 15 on its side remote from the handle 11, this face being perpendicular to and merging with the inner or base end of the working face 14 of the fixed jaw 13.

A deep slot or pocket 16 extends from this face 15 into the head 12 toward the handle 11, one end face 18 of this pocket forming a continuation of the working face 14 of the fixed jaw 13 and the opposite end face 19 of this pocket being arranged on the opposite side of the head 12. Each longitudinal side of this pocket 16 extends perpendicularly to the working face 14 and is formed to provide a series of

parallel ridges

20, 20a of uniform cross sectioned size and shape which extend from the end face 15 of the head 12 short of the bottom of the pocket 16. These

ridges

20, 20a are of saw-tooth form in cross section each having an abrupt face 22, 22a parallel with the working face 14 of the fixed jaw 13, and an

angular face

23, 23a connecting the outer edge of each

ridge

20, 20a with the base of the abrupt face 22, 22a of the next succeeding ridge. The distinction between the

ridges

20 and 20a on opposite sides of the pocket 16 is that the abrupt faces 22 face toward the end face 18 which forms a continuation of the working face 3,286,561 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 14 of the fixed jaw 13 of the wrench, whereas the abrupt faces 22a face in the opposite direction.

The movable jaw 25 of the wrench has a working face 26 parallel with and opposing the working face 14 of the fixed jaw 13 and also an extension 28 adapted to fit into the deep pocket or recess 16. This extension 28 is of less width than the jaw 25 so as to provide shoulders 29 at opposite sides which fit the end face 15 of the head 12 of the wrench. The extension 28 is provided with an inner end 30 which is of smaller extent, lengthwise of the line of adjustment of the movable head 25, to provide one end face 31 which is offset from the working face 26 of the adjustable head 25 and an opposite parallel end face 32 which is offset toward this face 31. The opposite sides of the extension 28, between its

end faces

31 and 32 are formed to provide

ridges

33, 33a which mate with and slidingly fit into the recesses between the

ridges

20, 20a in the head of the wrench. Thus the

ridges

33, 33a are provided with

abrupt faces

34, 34a which mate, respectively, with the abrupt faces 22, 22a and the

ridges

33, 33a are provided with angularly disposed faces 35, 35a which mate, respectively, with the

faces

23, 23a of the

ridges

20, 20a in the head of the wrench.

Detent means are provided for preventing the accidental displacement of the jaw 25 from the head 12 of the Wrench in any adjusted position thereof, these detent means being shown as follows:

The numeral 40 represents a bore through the inner end 30 of the extension 28 of the wrench head 25 perpendicular to its working face 26, this bore receiving a pivot pin 41 the ends of which project from the

faces

31 and 32. The numeral 42 represents a swinging U-shaped detent having legs 43 arranged alongside the

faces

31, 32 and journalled at the ends on the pivot pin 41. The cross part 44 of this U-shaped detent has one side 45 which is of obtuse angular form with reference to the adjacent side of the legs 43 so as to form a crotch 46 adapted to engage the inner ends of one of the series of

ridges

20 or 20a, these ridges stopping short of the bottom of the deep recess or pocket 16, as previously described, for this purpose. This crotch 46 is biased into engagement with these ridges 20 by a double ended wire spring 50. This spring has a central loop 51 which fits around the corresponding end of the pivot pin 41 and has one end 52 which projects into a bore 53 provided in the movable jaw 25. The opposite end 54 is fitted in a notch 55 in the face 56 of the cross part 44 of the U-shaped detent 42 opposite from its angular face 45.

In use, the movable jaw 25 is removed from the body 10 of the wrench by simply pulling it out parallel with the

ridges

20, 20a and completely detaching it from the wrench head 12, the angular face 45 of the U-shaped detent 42 riding over the inner corners of the ridges 20 so as to move the U-shaped detent 42 toward the center of the wrench head in permitting such withdrawal. However, the pressure of the spring 50 is sufficient to bias the U-shaped detent 42 into engagement with the corners of these ridges 20 at the bottom of the pocket 16 with sufficient force to prevent accidental detachment of the movable jaw 25 from the head 12.

The movable jaw 25 is then positioned at the required distance from the working face 14 of the fixed jaw 13 and its

ridges

33, 33a are lined up with the recesses among the

ridges

20, 20a of the wrench head 12 and the movable jaw pushed into these recesses by moving it parallel with the fixed working face 14 toward the handle 11. When the fixed head bottoms by engagement of its shoulders 29 with the head end face 15, the crotch 46 of its U-shaped detent 42 comes into engagement with the inboard corners of the corresponding ridges 20, and this crotch is biased and in engagement therewith by the spring 50 with sufiicient force to prevent the movable head 25 from accidentally sliding out of the deep pocket 16 in swinging the wrench in normal usage or inverting it.

I claim:

1. An adjustable wrench comprising a body forming a handle, a head at one end of said body and a first jaw protruding from said head and having a working face adapted to engage one side of a workpiece, said head being provided in line with and starting adjacent the base of said working face, with a deep pocket having a series of straight parallel ridges of uniform cross sectional size and shape arranged generally parallel with said working face along at least one side of said pocket which extends perpendicularly to said working face, an adjustable jaw having a working face, and an extension fixed to said adjustable jaw to project generally parallel with its said working face into said pocket, said extension having a series of straight parallel ridges of uniform cross sectional size and shape and mating to slidingly fit among the said ridges of said pocket, said pocket being of greater extent, in a direction perpendicular to said working face of said first jaw, than said extension as that by slidingly engaging the ridges of said extension into different ridges of said pocket said working face of said adjustable jaw can be placed at different adjusted distances from said working face of said first jaw.

2. An adjustable wrench as set forth in claim 1 wherein said extension is of smaller cross sectional size, parallel to said working face of said first jaw, than said adjustable jaw, thereby to provide a shoulder on said adjustable jaw seating against an end face of said head to limit the movement of said extension into said pocket.

3. An adjustable wrench as set forth in claim 1 wherein said ridges are of saw-tooth form in cross section each having one abrupt face generally parallel with said working face of said first jaw and an angular face extending from the outer edge of its abrupt face to the base of the abrupt face of the next succeeding ridge 4. An adjustable wrench as set forth in claim 3 wherein two such series of ridges are provided on opposite sides of said pocket and on opposite sides of said extension and wherein the abrupt faces of the ridges on one side of said pocket face toward the working face of said first jaw and the abrupt faces of the ridges on the other side of said pocket face away from the working face of said first jaw.

5. An adjustable wrench as set forth in claim 1 wherein two such series of ridges are provided on opposite sides of said pocket and on opposite sides of said extension.

6. An adjustable wrench as set forth in claim 1 additionally including spring loaded detent means between said extension and head yieldingly retaining said extension in said pocket.

7. An adjustable wrench as set forth in claim 6 wherein said ridges in said side of said pocket terminate short of the bottom of the pocket and wherein said detent means include a member mounted on said extension in position to engage the inner ends of said ridges in said side of said pocket and spring means urging said detent member into engagement therewith.

8. An adjustable wrench as set forth in claim 7 wherein said detent member is U-shaped with its legs pivotally connected to the sides of said extension facing toward and away from said working face of said first jaw to swing about an axis generally perpendicular thereto and with its cross part swinging across the end of said extension opposing the bottom of said pocket, and wherein said spring means is interposed between said U-shaped detent member and said extension and urges it toward said inner ends of said ridges in the side of said pocket.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,276,678 8/1918 Moore 81134 1,383,672 7/1921 Stolakiss 8l147 X 464,004 8/1923 Kelley 81130 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

M. S. MEHR, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. AN ADJUSTABLE WRENCH COMPRISING A BODY FORMING A HANDLE, A HEAD AT ONE END OF SAID BODY AND A FIRST JAW PROTRUDING FROM SAID HEAD AND HAVING A WORKING FACE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE ONE SIDE OF WORKPIECE, SAID HEAD BEING PROVIDED IN LINE WITH AND STARTING ADJACENT THE BASE OF SAID WORKING FACE, WITH A DEEP POCKET HAVING A SERIES OF STRAIGHT PARALLEL RIDGES OF UNIFORM CROSS SECTIONAL SIZE AND SHAPE ARRANGED GENERALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID WORKING FACE ALONG AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF SAID POCKET WHICH EXTENDS PERPENDICULARLY TO SAID WORKING FACE, AND ADJUSTABLE JAW HAVING A WORKING FACE, AND AN EXTENSION FIXED TO SAID ADJUSTABLE JAW TO PROJECT GENERALLY PARALLEL WITH ITS SAID WORKING FACE INTO SAID PROCKET, SAID EXTENSION HAVING A SERIES OF STRAIGHT PARALLEL RIDGES OF UNIFORM CROSS SECTIONAL SIZE AND SHAPE AND MATING TO SLIDINGLY FIT AMONG THE SAID RIDGES OF SAID POCKET, SAID POCKET BEING OF GREATER EXTENT, IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO SAID WORKING FACE OF SAID FIRST JAW, THAN SAID EXTENSION AS THAT BY SLIDINGLY ENGAGING THE RIDGES OF SAID EXTENSION INTO DIFFERENT RIDGES OF SAID PROCKET SAID WORKING FACE OF SAID ADJUSTABLE JAW CAN BE PLACED AT DIFFERENT ADJUSTED DISTANCES FROM SAID WORKING FACE OF SAID FIRST JAW.