US718501A

US718501A - Wrench or spanner.

Info

Publication number: US718501A
Application number: US11853802A
Authority: US
Inventors: John Henry Morgan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1902-08-05
Filing date: 1902-08-05
Publication date: 1903-01-13
Anticipated expiration: 1920-01-13

Description

PATENTED JAN. 13

J. H. MORGAN. WRENCH OR SPANNER.

APPLICATION TILED AUG. 5, 1902.

2 mum's-431mm 1.

IN VEIWORS.

F/CZJ.

WIN/8858.-

Arron/Vim,

PATENTED JAN. 13

J. H. MORGAN. WRENCH OR SPANNBR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

F/a/o. F/0.//.

Maw (m7 a ATTORNEYS.

THE NORRIS PETERS ca, Puoruurna. wnumawm D Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HENRY MORGAN, OF I'IARROGATE, ENGLAND.

WRENCH OR SPANNER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,501, dated January 13, 1903.

Application filed August 5,1902. Serial No. 118,588. (No model.)

To 00% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY MORGAN, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Harrogate, in the county of York, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches or Spanners, (for which I have made application for a patent in Great Britain, No. 8,641, dated April 14, 1902,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of an improved wrench or spanner which is primarily intended for use in connection with cycles.

Adjustable wrenches or spanners as hitherto constructed arein several respects defective. Among the prominent defects of these wrenches or spanners is the tendency of the movable jaw to shift slightly after adjustment and for the movable jaw to open out, thus preventing a firm grip on the nut being obtained. Moreover, the adj ustment-screw ordinarily used becomes frequently jammed, is sometimes difficult to operate, and requires to be frequently oiled.

My invention is intended to remedy these defects and at the same time to produce a wrench or spanner of simple construction which can be produced at a low price. I at the same time produce a wrench or spanner which is as rigid as the so-called fixed spanner and obviates the inherent defects of this type of wrench, inasmuch as my wrench or spanner is capable of fine adjustment and of turning all sizes of nuts.

According to my invention I make a wrench or spanner in three easily-detachable parts, two of which are adjustable with respect to one another, while the third part serves as a means for retaining the other two parts in their adjusted positions and for consolidating the parts of the wrench or spanner.

The accompanying sheets of drawings illustrate my invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates the complete spanner, the jaws being closed. Figs. 2 and 3 are views of the adj ustable parts of the wrench or spanner. Fig. 4: is an elevation, partly in section, of the sleeve. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of Fig. 1, taken along the line A B. Fig. 6 is a section taken along the line E F, Fig. 1; and Fig. 7 is a similar section showing a different form of cross-section of stems and sleeve. Fig. 8 is a plan in section taken along the line C I), Fig. 1. Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are views showing part of my improvements applied to a wrench or spanner provided with only one pair ofjaws; and Figs. l2, l3, and 14 are similar views showing part of myimprovements applied to a pipe-wrench.

In the difierent views similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

aaarethe twostems orshanks of the wrench or spanner, which are provided on their faces with a suitable number of uniformly-spaced ratchet or other teeth or-projections b. The ratchet-teeth or projections on the one stem, a, correspond to and are adapted to engage with the teeth on the other stem, at, as indicated in Fig. 5.

c is a long sleeve which snugly fits on the exterior of the combined stems a a and may, if desired, be provided at suitable parts with holes 0 in order to facilitate the placing of the sleeve on the combined stems and its removal therefrom and also to allow the escape of any dirt or the like which might otherwise cause the sleeve to adhere to the combined stems. I prefer to make the sleeve 0 of at least the same length as the stem or shank carrying the lower jaw or jaws. The stems or shanks a a are preferably made of such a shape in cross-section that when placed together face to face they form a contour other than circular in cross-section, so as to prevent the rotation of the sleeve 0 on the combined stems a a.

In the embodiments of my invention illustrated by the accompanying drawings I have shown in particular in Fig. 6 a sleeve 0 of internal oval shape snugly fittinga pair of stems of combined corresponding cross-section, as this is the simplest and possibly the best crosssection; but it is obvious that the cross-section of the combined stems and the shape of the interior of the sleeve may be of square,

rectangular, polygonal, or other suitable con-- tour. For instance, the said cross-section and contour may assume the shape shown in Fig. 7.

d d are the jaws of the wrench or spanner, which are preferably formed in one with the stems or shanks a a. In the preferred form of my invention (illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 8 of the accompanying drawings) each stem or shank is provided with a pair of jaws (l d and d d, and when this particular arrangement of duplex jaws is employed the difference in the distance or space between the pair of jaws on the one side of the wrench or spanner and the distance or space between the jaws on the other side of the wrench or spanner is so arranged that it is equal to onehalf of the pitch of the ratchet or other teeth on the inner faces of the stems or shanks. Thus if the pitch of the ratchet-teeth or the like on the stems or shanks is one-sixteenth of an inch the difference in the distances or spaces between the pairs of jaws cl (1 and (Z d on opposite sides of the wrench or spanner will be one thirty-second of an inch. This difference is shown in Fig. 1, which illustrates the wrench or spanner in its closed position.

I have found that with the above-menti0n ed pitch of teeth and difference in the spaces between the jaws on opposite sides of the wrench or spanner I am enabled to obtain adjustments for the jaws which suffice for all practical purposes, and I produce a wrench or spanner which while as rigid as the ordinary so-called fixed wrench or spanner is capable of turning all sizes of nuts.

Although I have specified above one particular pitch of ratchet-teeth equal to onesixteenth of an inch, quite as good a result may be obtained if the pitch of teeth is made smaller.

In order to give additional rigidity to the parts of the wrench or spanner, I form in the upper part of the stem or shank carrying the lower jaw or jaws a recess or guide 6, shaped to correspond in crosssection to the upper rectangular portion f of the stem or shank carrying the upper jaw or jaws, and the remaining portion of this stem (shown semi-oval in cross-section in Fig. 6 and of a slightly-different cross-section in Fig. 7 of the accompanying drawings) is made of the same width as the said rectangular portion f, so that the said guide or recess still acts as an additional means for insuring the rigidity of the wrench or spanner when the jaws thereof have been adjusted to grip a nut the distance between opposite faces of which is greater than the length of said rectangular portion of the stem or shank. The above-described arrangement of recess or guide and rectangular portion of the stem also facilitates the rapidity of adjustment of the wrench or spanner, as the upper stem while being slipped over the lower stem is kept parallel thereto, and the two stems or shanks are then ready to be inclosed by the sleeve.

In lieu of providing each stem or shank with two jaws, one on each side of the stem, I may provide each stem or shank with only one jaw, as illustrated in the modification shown by Figs. 9, 10, and 11.

It is obvious that the jaws of the wrench may be set at an angle andaprovided with teeth or serrations, so as to constitute a pipewrench, as illustrated by Figs. 12, 13, and 14c.

The lower ends of the stems or shanks, especially when the wrench or spanner is intended for use with cycles, may be adapted to form useful tools-such, for instance, as a tool or device for facilitating the removal of the covers of pneumatic tires, a screw-driver, or a fixed wrench or spanner, the jaws of which may be stepped or otherwise formed, so as to be used with more than one size of nut. As the sleeve is preferably formed of a length at least equal to the length of the stem or shank carrying the lower jaw or jaws, the addition of these tools to the stems or shanks will not detract from the appearance of the wrench or spanner when being used for gripping and turning nuts or other objects. In the accompanying drawings I have shown the end of one stem formed as a screw-driver g and the end of the other stem as a tool h for facilitating the removal of the cover of a pneumatic tire. The jaw or jaws at the end of the stems or shanks afford a ready means for gripping these separate tools, and I prefer to make the exterior of the jaws as smooth as possible.

To adjust the wrench to a nut, the sleeve is slipped off the combined stems. One stem is held between the thumb and first finger of the left hand, and its jaw is brought against one face of the nut. The other stem is then held by the thumb and first finger of the right hand,is placed on the lowerstem, and is canted slightly on its rear end and is pushed forward until its jaw comes in contact with the opposite side of the nut. The raised end of the upper stem is then allowed to fall, the two stems are grasped between the thumb and first finger of the left hand, and the sleeve is slipped on the two stems. Owing to the fact that the sleeve snugly fits the combined stems with only sufficient clearance to permit of the sleeve being easily placed on and removed from the combined stem, the sleeve will without provision remain thereon, as there is no tendency when turning a nut or other object for the sleeve to move in the direction of its length. The use of ratchet-teeth on the inner faces of the stems is preferable, as it permits of the above-described canting and pushing action; but it will be readily understood that other teeth of different shape-for instance, V-shaped teethmigl1t be used and the upper stem lifted away from and dropped onto the lower stem.

I wish it to be understood that I do not bind myself to the exact details of my invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as they can be considerably varied.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wrench or spanner the combination of two parts each consisting of a stem or shank provided at its upper end with a jaw or jaws and provided on its inner face with a set of IIO uniformly spaced teeth or projections, the teeth or projections on the one stem or shankt corresponding to the teeth or projections on the other stem or shank, and a third part consisting of a long non-rotatable sleeve adapted to be slipped onto and snugly fit the combined stems or shanks throughout the whole or major portion of their length, substantially as described.

2. In a Wrench or spanner the combination of two parts each consisting of a stem or shank provided at its upper end with a pair of jaws and provided on its inner face with a set of uniformly-spaced teeth or projections, the teeth on the one stem or shank corresponding to the teeth or projections on the other stem or shank and the difference in the distance or space between opposite jaws on the one side of the wrench or spanner and the distance or space between opposite jaws on the other side of the wrench or spanner being one-half of the pitch of the teeth or projections on the inner faces of the stems or shanks, and a third part consisting of a non-rotatable sleeve adapted to he slipped onto and to snugly fit the combined stems or shanks for the whole or major portion of their length, substantially as described.

3. In a Wrench or spanner the combinationof two stems or shanks of semi-oval cross-section each provided at its upper end with jaws arranged on opposite sides of the axis of the stem or shank and provided on its inner face with uniformly-spaced ratchet-teeth, the upper part of the stem or shank carrying the lower set of jaws being provided with a rectangular recess or guide of the same width as JOHN HENRY MORGAN.

Witnesses:

RD. B. NIOHOLLS, FRED HAMMOND.