US3659485A

US3659485A - Adjustable open end ratchet wrench

Info

Publication number: US3659485A
Application number: US69021A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert Roth
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-09-02
Filing date: 1970-09-02
Publication date: 1972-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-02

Abstract

An adjustable open end ratchet wrench having one jaw member pivotally attached to a handle and a second jaw member slidably received by the handle juxtaposed the pivotal jaw member; the sliding jaw member being spring-biased out of the handle and into a closing relationship with the fixed jaw member; an incremental adjusting mechanism coupled between the handle and the sliding jaw whereby when the handle is rotated in one direction, the adjusting mechanism latches and locks the slidable jaw with respect to the fixed jaw and when rotated in another direction, releases allowing the slidable jaw to be forced inward against the spring biasing means for ratcheting around a nut being tightened or loosened.

Description

[ 51 May 2, 1972 [541 ADJUSTABLE OPEN END RATCHET WRENCH [72] Inventor: Albert Roth, 6248 Rockhurst Drive, San

Diego, Calif. 92120 [22] Filed: Sept. 2, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 69,021

1,082,601 12/1913 McCarthy ..8l/l35 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 603,595 H1926 France ..8 H134 Primary Examiner-James L. Jones, Jr. Attorney- Richard K. MacNeill [57] ABSTRACT An adjustable open end ratchet wrench having one jaw member pivotally attached to a handle and a second jaw member sliclably received by the handle juxtaposed the pivotal jaw member; the sliding jaw member being spring-biased out of the handle and into a closing relationship with the fixed jaw member; an incremental adjusting mechanism coupled between the handle and the sliding jaw whereby when the handle is rotated in one direction, the adjusting mechanism latches and locks the slidable jaw with respect to the fixed jaw and when rotated in another direction, releases allowing the slidable jaw to be forced inward against the spring biasing means for ratcheting around a nut being tightened or loosened.

9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMM 2 I972 $659,485

IN VliN'l OR A LBERT ROTH 1 ADJUSTABLE OPEN END RATCHET WRENCH BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an open end ratchet wrench and more particularly to an open end ratchet wrench which is self-adjusting.

According to the invention, an 'open end self-adjusting ratchet wrench is provided having first and second jaws surrounded and carried by a handle portion. One of the jaws is pivotally attached to the handle portion and terminates in a raised protruding portion which protrudes outside the handle. The second jaw, slidable jaw, is slidably received by the handle portion juxtaposed the fixed or pivotal jaw and is spring-biased out of the handle, i.e., toward the closure of the jaws and away from the closed edge of the handle. In one embodiment, a locking pin is provided on the handle portion cooperating with the plurality of notches in the slidable jaw which maintains a locked position when rotated in one direction and a ratcheting or unlatched position when rotated in the other direction. In the preferred embodiment, a member having a saw-toothed surface on one end and a raised hump on the other end is carried by the handle portion. The saw-toothed surface cooperates with a similar saw-toothed surface comprising the internal closed portion of the handle, whereas, the raised hump cooperates with a single recess in the slidable jaw such that when the hump engages the recess in the slidable jaw, a compression spring forces the slidable jaw into closure upon a nut held between the two jaws, carrying with it the aforementioned member which ratchets to a position determined by the size of the nut, but permitting the jaws to ratchet when desired by disengaging the hump in the member from the recess in the slidable jaw. A further feature would lie in a means for setting the overall relationship between one of the jaws and the handle for calibrating the various incrementally sized changes offered by the latching mechanism.

An object of the present invention is the provision of an open end ratchet wrench which is adjustable.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an open end ratchet wrench which is self-adjusting.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an open end ratchet wrench which is incrementally adjustable.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of an open end ratchet wrench which is incrementally adjustable and can be calibrated.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an open end ratchet wrench which is inexpensive to manufacture and extremely convenient in use.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an open end ratchet wrench which can be locked to any incremental or calibrated position.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an open end ratchet wrench fitted with a nut rest which permits the jaws of the wrench to remain centered on the nut.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figs thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of still another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an adjustment feature which can be added to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the embodiment of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the embodiment of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to FIG. 1, an adjustable open end ratchet wrench is shown generally at 11 having a pivotal jaw member 12 and a slidable jaw member 13. Pivotal jaw member 12 is pivotally attached to handle 14 at pivot pin 16. Slidable jaw member 13 is slidably received by handle 14 and coupled to handle 14 via compression spring 17. Slidable jaw member 13 has a plurality of recesses 18 dimensioned for cooperation with a ratchet pin 19 carried by a set of notches 25 in the handle and held in place by wire spring 21 and handle portion 14. Release pin 22 is slidably carried by handle'portion 14 and is in physical contact with slidable jaw 13. Nut rest 23 is rotatably press fit on jaw member 12. Pivotal jaw member 12 has a raised portion 15 which raises out of handle portion 14. Handle portion 14 carries a lock press 24.

Referring to FIG. 2, a second embodiment is shown generally at 26 having a pivotal jaw 27 and a slidable jaw 28. Pivotal jaw 27 is carried by pivot pin 29 in handle portion 31. Handle portion 31 carries a ratchet member 32 held in place by a leaf spring 33. Ratchet member 32 is dimensioned for reception by recesses 34 in slidable jaw 28. Spring member 36 is carried by pivotal jaw 27 and slidable jaw 28 biasing slidable jaw 28 to the left for a closure of the jaws. Release pin 37 is carried by handle member 31 and is in physical contact with slidable jaw member 28.

Referring to FIG. 3, an open end ratchet wrench is shown at 41 having pivotal jaw 42 coupled to a handle portion 43 by pivot pin 44. Slidable jaw 46 is slidably received by handle member 43 and coupled thereto via compression spring 47 which biases slidable jaw 46 toward a closure with pivotal jaw 42. Saw-toothed member 48 is carried by handle member 43 and has a saw-toothed surface cooperating with a saw-toothed surface 49 on the internal portion of the handle and a raised hump portion 50 which cooperates with a recess in the slidable jaw 46.

Referring to FIG. 4, slidable jaw 52 is shown juxtaposed pivotal jaw 53 and is carried within handle portion 54. A rotatable disc 56, carrying a hinge pin 55 offset from the center, is carried by the handle 54 so that rotating the disc moves the hinge pin for setting the relative positions of the slidable jaw portion 52 and pivotal jaw portion 53.

Referring to FIG. 5, ratchet member 32 is shown from FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 6, saw-toothed member 48 is shown from FIG. 3.

OPERATION Referring back to FIG. 1, it can be seen that ratchet pin 19 is not engaging recesses 18, hence, compression spring 17 will exert a force on slidable jaw member 13 forcing it against pivotal jaw 23. At the time a nut is to be loosened, for example, necessitating the rotation of the wrench in a counterclock-wise direction, release pin 22 would be depressed slightly and slidable jaw 13 pulled into handle portion 14 against biasing spring 17. When the nut is between pivotal jaw 12 and slidable jaw 13, release pin 22 is released allowing compression spring 17 to bias slidable jaw 13 back toward pivotal jaw 23 loosely holding the nut in place. At this time, handle portion 14 is gripped along with protruding portion 15 of pivotal jaw 12 and ratchet pin 19 will fit within a recess 18 of slidable jaw 13 holding the two jaws in a locked position with respect to each other. It is pointed out, that when protruded portion 15 is urged into handle portion 14, the two jaws and handle portion 14 rotate in opposite directions around pivot pin 16 forcing ratchet pin 19 within one of the recesses 18 depending upon the size of the nut. As the wrench is rotated in a counterclock-wise direction, the ratchet pin 19 will be held within one of the recesses 18. However, when the wrench is to be rotated in a clock-wise direction, the grip on the handle is released allowing the compression spring 17 to force the slidable jaw away from the ratchet pin 19 so that the notch in said slidable jaw will disengage from the ratchet pin allowing the slidable jaw 13 to be urged against the tension of spring 17 which, in turn, allows a ratcheting around the nut being loosened. The slot in handle 14, from which ratchet pin 19 protrudes, allows for an adjustment of the wrench to odd sizes which reduces the number of recesses 18 by half; i.e., if recesses 18 represent a difference in size of 1/16 of an inch, the slot would shift the entire scale by 1/32 of an inch.

FIG. 2 illustrates a variant in that a spring 36 now biases slidable jaw 28 to the left. The pivotal jaw 27 has been reduced in length with the protruding portion removed. In this embodiment, it is no longer essential to release a protruding portion of the pivotal jaw since the rotational torque against the jaws serves to engage and disengage ratchet pin 32 from recesses 34. The remaining parts are substantially identical to those in FIG. 1. 7

Referring to FIG; 3, the ratchet pin 19 of FIG. 1 has been replaced by a saw-toothed surface 48 of a saw-toothed member which cooperates with a saw-toothed surface 49 of slidable jaw 46.' This allows for a greater bearing surface, as well as a more positive ratcheting action due to the nature of the mating saw-toothed surfaces.

Referring to FIG. 4, an adjustment between handle 54 and pivotal jaw 53 is provided which lineraly displaces the two jaws through an eccentric cam 57 in cooperation with hinge pin 55. This will allow for a universal fine adjustment between jaws 52 and 53 which was not possible through the slot in cooperation with ratchet pin 19 of FIG 1, for example.

Referring to FIG. 5, the ratchet pin member 32 of FIG. 2 is shown in perspective which can be a stamped part.

Referring to FIG. 6, the saw-toothed member 48 of FIG. 3 is illustrated which again can be a stamped part.

It should be understood of course that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:

1. An adjustable open end ratchet wrench comprising:

a handle member;

a pivotal jaw pivotally connected to and received by said handle member;

A slidable jaw slidably received by said handle member juxtaposed said pivotal jaw;

spring biasing means coupled between said slidable jaw and said handle member and said pivotal jaw for biasing said slidable jaw out of said handle member; 7

A plurality of recesses in one surface of said slidable jaw; and

a ratchet means coupled to said handle member and including at least one protrusion for cooperation with said plurality of recesses in said slidable jaw.

2. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein:

said spring biasing means comprises a compression spring coupled between said handle member and said slidable jaw.

3. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein:

said spring biasing means comprises a coil spring coupled between said slidable jaw and said pivotal jaw.

4. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein:

said ratchet means includes a ratchet pin for cooperation with said plurality of recesses.

5. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein:

said plurality of recesses comprises a saw-toothed surface and said ratchet means comprises a saw-toothed surface.

6. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein:

said pivotal jaw and said handle member are pivotally con nected via an eccentric cam.

7. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein:

said at least one protrusion 1s adjustable for changing the overall scale between said pivotal jaw and said slidable jaw.

8. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 and further including:

a nut rest rotatably carried by one of said pivotal and slidable jaws.

9. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of Claim 1 and further including:

locking means coupled between said handle member and one of said pivotal and slidable jaws for locking said jaws in a desired position.

i It i i

Claims

1. An adjustable open end ratchet wrench comprising: a handle member; a pivotal jaw pivotally connected to and received by said handle member; A slidable jaw slidably received by said handle member juxtaposed said pivotal jaw; spring biasing means coupled between said slidable jaw and said handle member and said pivotal jaw for biasing said slidable jaw out of said handle member; A plurality of recesses in one surface of said slidable jaw; and a ratchet means coupled to said handle member and including at least one protrusion for cooperation with said plurality of recesses in said slidable jaw.

2. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein: said spring biasing means comprises a compression spring coupled between said handle member and said slidable Jaw.

3. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein: said spring biasing means comprises a coil spring coupled between said slidable jaw and said pivotal jaw.

4. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein: said ratchet means includes a ratchet pin for cooperation with said plurality of recesses.

5. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein: said plurality of recesses comprises a saw-toothed surface and said ratchet means comprises a saw-toothed surface.

6. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein: said pivotal jaw and said handle member are pivotally connected via an eccentric cam.

7. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 wherein: said at least one protrusion is adjustable for changing the overall scale between said pivotal jaw and said slidable jaw.

8. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of claim 1 and further including: a nut rest rotatably carried by one of said pivotal and slidable jaws.

9. The adjustable open end ratchet wrench of Claim 1 and further including: locking means coupled between said handle member and one of said pivotal and slidable jaws for locking said jaws in a desired position.