US3606805A - Ratchet-action open-end wrenches - Google Patents

Abstract

A RATCHET-ACTION OPEN-END WRENCH OF SIMPLE AND INEXPENSIVE BUT STRUCTURALLY STRONG CONSTRUCTION HAS A FIRST JAW PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON A HANDLE WITH A SECOND JAW PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE FIRST JAW SO THAT, WHEN THE WRENCH IS ROTATED IN ONE DIRECTION, THE JAWS DRIVINGLY ENGAGE A NUT OR BOLT DISPOSED BETWEEN THE JAWS. WHEN THE WRENCH IS MOVED IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION, THE PIVOTING OF THE FIRST JAW WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST JAW THEREBY INOND JAW TO PIVOT WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST JAW THEREBY INCREASING THE TRANSVERSE SEPARATION BETWEEN THE JAWS AND ALLOWING THE WRENCH TO BE MOVED ABOUT THE NUT IN NONDRIVING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH.

Description

Sept. 21,1911 L. R. DYCK 3,606,805

RA'I'CHET-ACTION OPEN-END wnnucuns Filed July 1, 1969 INVENTOR LLOYD R. DYCK AT ORNEY United States Patent 3,606,805 RATCHET-ACTION OPEN-END WRENCHES Lloyd R. Dyck, 20 Skipton Court, Downsview, Ontario, Canada Filed July 1, 1969, Ser. No. 838,225

' Int. Cl. B25b 13/28 U.S. Cl. 8191B Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ratchet-action open-end wrench of simple and inexpensive but structurally strong construction has a first jaw pivotally mounted on a handle with a second jaw pivotally mounted on the first jaw so that, when the wrench is rotated in one direction, the jaws drivingly engage a nut or bolt disposed between the jaws. When the wrench is moved in the reverse direction, the pivoting of the first jaw with respect to the handle permits the second jaw to pivot with respect to the first jaw thereby increasing the transverse separation between the jaws and allowing the wrench to be moved about the nut in nondriving engagement therewith.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a ratchet-action openend wrench.

Open-end wrenches with fixed spaced apart jaws are well known as are open-end wrenches in which the transverse separation between the jaws can be adjusted for the purpose of allowing such a wrench to accommodate nuts and bolt heads of different sizes. Such wrenches are, however, somewhat awkward to use if there is only limited space around the nut or bolt head for swinging the handle of the wrench. In such circumstances, it is necessary repeatedly to remove the wrench from the nut or bolt head and to replace it therearound for further tightening or untightening of the nut or bolt. Under such circumstances, it is highly beneficial to have a wrench with a ratchet-action.

Prior proposals for ratchet mechanisms suitable for open-end wrenches have, however, all presented certain serious disadvantages. For instance, some of the previously proposed ratchet mechanisms have involved the use of complex and consequently expensive structures. Other previous proposals have included structures having insufficient strength to withstand the substantial stresses sometimes involved in the turning of nuts and bolts.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a ratchet-action open-end wrench which is relatively simple and inexpensive in its construction and yet sufficiently strong to withstand the substantial forces to which it is likely to be subjected during use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention by the provision of a ratchet-action openend wrench which comprises a handle, a first jaw having an inner face and pivotally mounted on said handle and a second jaw having an inner face transversely separated from said inner face of said first jaw and pivotally mounted on said first jaw, said inner faces of said first and second jaws defining an open-ended nut-receiving recess therebetween whereby, on relative rotation of said handle and said jaws, the transverse separation between said inner faces of said first and second jaws varies between first and second limiting values.

In accordance with a preferred feature of the invention, a wrench according thereto is usefully additionally provided with spring means adapted to urge the aforementioned first and second jaws pivotally and transversely towards each other.

In accordance with yet another useful and preferred feature of the invention, the novel wrenches are also usefully constructed so that the second jaw and the handle are provided with opposed surfaces adapted to be moved, on relative rotation of the jaws and the handle, into stresstransmitting engagement with each other, whereby the stresses applied to the second jaw by the first jaw are transmitted to the handle.

In accordance with a specific feature of the invention, a ratchet-action open-end wrench in accordance therewith comprises a handle, a generally U-shaped jaw member pivotally mounted on said handle and having a first leg with an inner face, said handle and said jaw member being provided with opposed surfaces adapted to restrict relative rotation of said first jaw and said handle and to transmit stresses therebetween, and a tongue having an inner face transversely separated from and opposed to said inner face of said first leg of said jaw member, said tongue being pivotally mounted on said jaw member and having an outer surface adapted to engage an opposed surface formed on said handle to transmit stresses between said tongue and said handle whereby, on relative rotation of said handle, said jaw member and said tongue, the transverse separation between said inner face of said first leg of said jaw member and said inner face of said tongue varies between first and second limiting values.

In this typical construction, the aforementioned spring means may usefully comprise a helical compression spring disposed between the aforementioned opposed surfaces of the handle and the jaw member to urge the inner face of the first leg of the jaw member and the inner face of the aforementioned tongue pivotally and transversely towards each other.

A specific structure for ensuring that the stresses applied to the tongue of such a wrench by the first jaw are, in turn, applied to its handle is hereinafter described.

It will be appreciated that, although in the following description of a specific construction for a wrench in accordance with the invention, reference is made to the use of the wrench with a nut, all such references to nuts apply equally to the heads of bolts or, in fact, to any polygonally-headed members which can be rotated using a vvrench.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described merely by way of illustration with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of one embodiment of a ratchet-action open-end wrench in accordance with the invention, with part of the handle omitted and showing the wrench disposed in its driving or gripping position about a nut;

FIG. 2 is an elevation similar to that of FIG. 1 but showing the wrench in its non-driving or slipping position about the nut; and

FIG. 3 is a partial and exploded perspective view of the wrench shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the wrench indicated generally therein at 10 comprises a handle 12 having a generally U-shaped jaw member 14 pivotally mounted thereon by a pivot pin 16.

Referring particularly to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the jaw member 14 has a first leg 18 and a bifurcated second leg 20, both legs 18 and 20 being integrally formed with a partially bifurcated base web 22. Aligned holes 24 are provided through the plates of the bifurcated base web 22 for the pivot pin 16 while a corresponding hole 26 is provided in a head 28 integrally formed with the handle 12. The head 28 of the handle 12 is also provided with a pair of stress-transmitting surfaces 30 and 32 which are disposed at a small angle to each other. The jaw member 14 is provided with a rearwardly directed and substantially fiat surface 34 disposed between the plates of the bifurcated base web 22. Engagement of corresponding portions of this surface 34 with the surfaces 30 and 32 serves to limit the extent of relative pivotal movement of the handle 12 and the jaw member 14 as well as to transmit stresses between the handle 12 and the jaw member 14 as will best be understood by reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The first leg 18 of the jaw member 14 is also provided with an inner nut-engaging surface 36.

The wrench also comprises as an essential component thereof a second jaw constituted by a tongue 38 pivotally mounted on the jaw member 14 by a pivot pin 40. Holes 42 are provided in the plates of the bifurcated base web 22 of the jaw member 14 for receiving the pivot pin 40 and a corresponding hole 44 is provided for the same purpose through a knob 46 integrally formed with the inner end of the tongue 38.

The tongue 38 has an inner surface 48 which is opposed to and transversely separated from the inner surface 36 of the first leg 18 of the jaw member 14 to define an open-ended nut-receiving recess 50 therebetween. The tongue 38 also has an outer surface 52 adapated to engage an inwardly directed surface 54 of an arm 56 integrally formed with the head 28 of the wrench and extending into the bifurcated leg of the jaw member 14.

In accordance with a preferred feature of the invention, the wrench 10 is also provided with spring means constituted by a small helical compression spring 58 disposed between the surface 34 of the jaw member 14 within the bifurcated base web 22 and the opposed surface 32 of the head 28 of the handle 12. This spring 58 which serves to urge surfaces 32 and 34 pivotally apart about the pivot pin 16 is retained in position by being seated in a cylindrical recess 60 extending from the surface 32 into the head 28.

The wrench 10 is constructed in accordance with a preferred feature of the invention in such a way that the stresses which must be withstood, during use of the wrench, by the pivot pin are reduced. For this purpose, the tongue 38 is provided at its outer end with a reduced thickness defined by the aforementioned inner surface 48 and by an outer surface 62 joined to the outer surface 52 by a sloping surface 64. The arm 56 is similarly provided at its outer end with a surface 66 inwardly displaced with respect to the surface 54 and joined thereto by a sloping surface 68, the surfaces 54, 66 and 68 being dimensioned so as to be able to fit together with the surfaces 52, 62 and 64 respectively as shown in FIG. 1. The manner in which the interengagement of these surfaces serves to reduce the stresses which the pivot pin 40 must withstand will be more readily understood after the manner in which the wrench 10 is used has been described.

The use of the wrench 10 will now be described with reference to the unscrewing of a nut 70 from an associated male threaded member (not shown), it being assumed that the nut 70 is provided with a conventional right hand thread. To unscrew the nut, the wrench is first placed around the nut 70 so that the latter is disposed within the recess with the inner surface 36 of the leg 18 of jaw member 14 and the inner surface 48 of the tongue 38 substantially parallel to each other and engaging opposite parallel side edges of the nut 70 as shown in P16. 1.

Movement of the handle 12 in the direction of the arrow 72 (FIG. 1) causes a couple to be applied to the nut 70 to cause the latter to be unscrewed, the forces being transmitted from the handle 12 to the nut 70 by compressive engagement of surfaces 30 and 34 and, through the tongue 38 from the arm 56 to the nut 70. When the handle 12 of the wrench 10 is moved in the opposite direction, i.e. in the direction of the arrow 74 (FIG. 2) so as not to re-tighten the nut 70, i.e. to allow the wrench to slip around the nut 70, the handle 12 pivots about the pivot pin 16. The resultant relative rotation of the handle 12 with respect to the jaw member 14 continues against the action of the spring 58 until surface 32 enters into abutting engagement with the surface 34, after which time the jaw member 14 is also moved in the direction of the arrow 74 on further movement of the handle 12. During such relative rotation of the handle 12 and the jaw member 14, the arm 56 is, however, disengaged from its abutment with the outer surfaces 52, 64 and 62 of the tongue 38 and, as a result of the reactive force exerted on the tongue 38 by the nut 70, the tongue 38 is pivoted outwardly about the pivot pin '40. This relative movement of the jaw member 14 and the tongue 38 effectively in creases the transverse width of the recess 50 until the surface 52 comes into abutment with the surface 66. Since the width of the recess 50 is at this time greater than the diagonal width of the nut 70 between its opposite corners, further movement of the handle 12 in the direction 74 causes the wrench 10 to slip around the nut 70. When it is desired to have the wrench again grip the nut 70, movement of the handle in the direction of the arrow 74 is discontinued. At this instant, the spring 58 serves to urge the surfaces 36 and 48 again into engagement with opposite side surfaces of the nut 70 so that further unscrewing movement in the direction of the arrow 72 can be made.

It will be understood that, if the wrench 10 is to be used for tightening rather than unscrewing a nut 78, it is merely necessary to reverse the position of the wrench with respect to the nut, i.e. to place the wrench so that the leg 18 of the jaw member 14 is on the right-hand side of the nut. Similar considerations apply to the use of the wrench 10 with nuts and bolts having left-hand threads.

Now that the functioning of the wrench 10 has been described, the manner in which the interengagement of the surfaces 64 and 68 serves to restrict the stresses which must be withstood by the pivot pin 40 will be explained. Referring further to FIG. 1 and assuming that the nut 70 is engaged by a male threaded member with a substantial frictional engagement therebetween, as force is applied to the handle 12 in the direction of the arrow 72, a reactive stress is applied by the nut 70 to the leg 18 of the jaw member 14. This stress acts as a rotational couple on the jaw member 14 about the pivot pin 16 urging the pivot pin 40 outwardly, i.e. longitudinally away from the handle 12. This stress is transmitted to the arm 56 through the compressive engagement of surfaces 64 and 68. This engagement in turn prevents too great a stress having to be withstood by the pivot pin 40.

What I claim is:

1. A ratchet-action open-end wrench which comprises a handle, a first jaw having an inner face and pivotally mounted on said handle at a first pivot in proximity to a forward end of said handle, a second jaw having an inner face transversely separated from said inner face of said first jaw, being provided with an outer surface and with a generally forwardly facing surface and being pivotally mounted on said first jaw at a second pivot, said inner faces of said first and second jaws defining an open-ended nut-receiving recess therebetween, and a projection integrally formed with said handle at said forward end thereof and extending forwardly therefrom, said projection including an inner surface for compressive stress-transmitting abutment with said outer surface of said second jaw and a generally rearwardly facing surface for abutment with said generally forwardly facing surface of said second jaw, whereby, on relative rotation of said handle and said jaws, the transverse separation between said inner faces of said first and second jaws varies as said jaws are moved between open and closed positions thereof with said inner surface of said projection and said outer surface of said second jaw disposed in mutual compressive stress-transmitting abutment and with said generally rearwardly facing surface of said projection abutting said generally forwardly facing surface of said second jaw when said jaws are disposed in said closed position thereof.

2. A ratchet-action open-end wrench which comprises a handle, a generally U-shaped jaw member pivotally mounted on said handle at a first pivot in proximity to a forward end of said handle and having a first leg with an inner face, a bifurcated second leg transversely spaced apart from said first leg to define therewith an open-ended nut-receiving recess and a Web interconnecting said first and second legs of said jaw member, said handle and said jaw member being provided with opposed surfaces adapted to restrict relative rotation of said jaw member and said handle and to transmit stresses therebetween, and a tongue having an inner face transversely separated from and opposed to said inner face of said first leg of said jaw member, said tongue being pivotally mounted at a second pivot on said jaw member for movement at least partially in said bifurcated second leg thereof and having an outer surface adapted to engage an opposed surface formed on said handle to transmit stresses between said tongue and said handle whereby, on relative rotation of said handle, said jaw member and said tongue, the transverse separation between said inner face of said first leg of said jaw member and said inner face of said tongue varies between first and second limiting values.

3. A wrench as claimed in claim 2 in which a helical compression spring is disposed between said opposed surfaces of said handle and said jaw member to urge said inner face of said first leg of said jaw member and said inner face of said tongue pivotally and transversely towards each other when said outer surface of said tongue engages said opposed surfaces formed on said handle.

4. A wrench as claimed in claim 2 in which said handle is integrally formed with a projection extending forwardly into said bifurcated second leg for engagement of an inner surface of said projection With said outer surface of said tongue.

5. A wrench as claimed in claim 4 in which said outer surface of said tongue is formed with a generally forwardly facing surface and in which said projection integrally formed with said handle is provided on said inner surface thereof with a generally rearwardly facing surface adapted to be moved, on relative rotation of said handle and said jaw member, into stress-transmitting engagement with said generally forwardly facing surface of said tongue, whereby shear stresses applied to said second pivot are reduced.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,537,838 1/1951 Logan 8l9l3 2,618,996 11/1952 Logan 81--913X 2,704,953 3/1955 Bartlett 8191-3 JAMES L. JONES, JR., Primary Examiner

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