US2983173A - Open-end, slidable jaw face wrench - Google Patents

Description

May 9, 1961 E. v. BUXTON, JR

OPEN-END, SLIDABLE JAW FACE WRENCH Filed Dec. 3, 1958 FIG.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY- United States Patent "ice 2,933,113 ormv-ENn, s rnAnLr. JAWHFA'CE WRENCH Earl Van Buxton, In, Rte. 3, Box 249, Opelika, Ala; Filed Dec. 3,1958, 561'. No. 777,968 1 Claim. 01. 81- 179) A further object consists in providing the wrench with a mouth having a fixed jaw and a confronting slidable jaw face, together with a rear end wall" The confronting gripping surfaces and the rear wallare provided with coacting transverse notches or grooves constructed and arranged to receive the corners and sides of a polygonalshape nut ora square nut by providing a maximum of twelve gripping surfaces.v By reason of this novel arrangement, means are provided for insuring the efficientoperation of the wrench which permit its use in a narrow or restricted space where normally it is diflicult to operate a wrench. Additionally, the structure provides means for operatively connecting the wrench to the nut to rotate I the. latter when it is positioned outwardlyi towards the forwardpart of the mouth as well: as when the. nut is positioned all the way into .the wrench and with the rear wall of themouth;

A further object consists in'slidablyconnecting the movable jaw face to a dovetail rib that 'confr on ts the fixed jaw. "The slidable'jaw face is normally maintained in its inward position adjacent the rear wall of the mouth by a compression spring which is housedinlthe head of the wrench adjacent the handle thereof, so as to allow the wrench to be..of.relatively small size and in which the housing forthe .compressiomsp'ring'lis recessed or drilled in such 'a manner thatitdoes notzweaken'ione side of the wrench and positions the .spring in' the thick and strong part of the .head, with the result that the "wrench is not appreciably weakeneddue to theformation of the Spring housing.-

Other objects andadvantages of theinvention come apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying'claim and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, in which is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an open-end slidable jaw face wrench, constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, with parts in section, of the head portion of the open-end wrench;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the head portion of the wrench;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view taken substantially along line 4-4 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the spring assembly.

in .engagement 1 Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates the handle of an open-end wrench which has at one end an enlarged curved head 11 provided with a cen-' trally disposed mouth or nut-receiving recess 12. The mouth 12 on one side thereof has a fixed jaw 13 provided with a transverse-notch or groove 14 intermediate (Fig. 4). A slidable or movable jaw face 17 shown of substantially wedge-shape, has the bottom 18 provided centrally with a channel or groove 19 of substantially the same configuration as the rib 16 so as to be longitudinally slidable onthe latter when the parts are assembled. On'

opposite sides of the rib 16 are longitudinally extending flat top surfaces 29-(Fig. 4). The slidable jaw face 17 has an inner gripping surface 20'provided with a trans-' verse notch or groove 21 positioned intermediate the length of the jaw face 17. The rear wall '22 of the mouth 12 is formed with a straight side 23 disposed substantially at right anglesto the gripping face 24 of the fixed jaw 13 and which terminates in a substantially V-shape enlarged notch 25 having a short, inclined side 26 and a longer, inclined side 27 that intersect on opposite sides ofthe head 11 with the wedge or V-shape slot 28 that constitute continuations of the flat top surfaces 29 and which extend inwardly beyond the rear end wall 22. The reduced tapered inner end portions 17 of the movable jaw face 17, when thelatter is in its innermost position within the mouth 12, frictionally engages with a wedging action the adjacent sides of the V-shape slots or grooves sleeve orferrule 3211, that in turn adjustably receives an externally threaded bolt 32. The housing 30 has a trans-- verse web 30- through which extends the bolt 32 so as to provide an adjustable connection of 'the bolt with the sleeve 32a in order to control or regulate the tension of the coil spring 31. 'The spring 31'has;an outer coil portion-33 which may terminate in an elongated straight end portion' 34 of such length as to extend forwardly' through a central longitudinally extending groove 35 in .the top of the rib 16 (Fig.4) and terminates in an inwardly projecting hooked end- 36 that is embedded or" fixedin a recess 37 (Fig. 2) in the front end of the mov able jaw-face 17 when. the parts are assembled; The mouth 12 of the'wrench is of any suitable size'soas to recive a=polygonal-shape nut, boltor the like, such" as the hexagonal nut'38 which has the straight sides 39 conne'cted by the corners 40 and of such- 'size as slidably to fit 1 within 'the mouth 'IZ -inthe'head 11 of the wrench."

that the nut is moved all the way into the mouth and assumes the position as shown in Fig. 2. It will be noted that in this position the flat sides 39 of the nut overlap the transverse grooves 14 and 21 of the jaws, and a corner 40 and its adjacent sides fit within the groove 25.

' Assuming the nut 38 has right-handed threads, it will be seen that upon the rotation of the same by the wrench in the direction of the arrow 41 (Fig. 2), or in a clockwise direction, the nut will be tightened to its connected memher and the slidable jaw face 17 will be maintained in a fixed inward position due to the frictional engagement of the spaced tapered inner end portions 17' which now engage the sides of the V-shape slots or grooves 28. Conversely, when the pressure is released from the handle 10 and the wrench turned counterclockwise in the direction of the mouth 12, thus allowing the jaws 13 and 17 to' slip over and outwardly ofthe notches 14- and 21, so that thernovablejaw face under the tension of the spring 31 may be returned to its normalinnermost position within 4 the mouth 12 (Fig. 2) to continue either the threading of hand, the recessing and drilling of the housing 30, in which is positioned the tension spring 31, is done in such mani'. the jaws, as contrasted to the prior teaching in the art the nut. to a connecting member or the removal of the v same therefrom.

Thus, it will be seen that by-moving-or swinging the handle 10 of the wrench back and forth, a continuous rotationis imparted to-the nut which allows the wrench to be turned continuously without removal of the nut or bolt from the wrench. Moreover, the spring 31 serves, 1

to maintain the movable jaw face 17 in its innermost po-' sion, as shown in Fig. 2, with the result that when the handle 10 is turned away from the jaw face 17, the latter slides out of the mouth 12 a limited distance, allowing the wrench to turn, and when this pressure is released,

the spring 27 which has been expanded, functions to re-- turn the movable jaw face to itsnormal innermost posiof 15 relative to the top surfaces 29 on opposite sides of the grooves 16, so as to insure efiicient openationof the wrenchwhen securing a bolt 38 to a connecting member or removing the same therefrom. This angular inclination of the gripping face with the surfaces 29, tends to insure not only a binding engagement of the nut 38 with the jaws but also freedom of engagement of the sides of the nut with the jaws so as to facilitate the eflicient, operation of the wrench. The polygonal nut or bolt 38 has a clearance with the adjacent walls of the mouth 12 of to so as to provide a suflicient angle. to make the movable jaw 17 slip easier and lock,

tighter when the wrench is in operation.

It will be observed that the transverse, notches 14, 21,

and coact with the side walls of the mouth 12 to pro-' vide a multi-sided gripping surface so that the wrench can be operated in a very restricted or narrow space without in any way impairing, its 'etficiency. Moreover, the dovetail connection of the movable jaw face with the head and the housing of the spring 31 provides means for constructing or making a relatively small size wrench and one that may be efficiently used in small or restricted areas.

In this connection, it might be noted that wrenches of this general type, as previously made, are rather bulky or heavy and only capable of use with very large nuts in readily accessible places. Heretofore, associating slidable jaws faces with wrenches required T-slots and the use of a large wrench in order to preserve enough strength to make it useful. In the present invention, on the other ner that the housing is formed in a strong part of the wrench so that the jawsv are not materially weakened as is quite frequently the case .in wrenches of this type as heretofore constructed. It will be noted that the wrench will efliciently. work with the nut 38 in the outer end of in which the nut has: to benioved fully" into the jaw before the wrench will operate. a

Thus, it will be seen that the wrench maybe either of large or smallsize and dispenses with the-use of relatively heavy wrenches which require boring out of the recess or the use of a pinto extend through the spring, thus necessitating relatively heavy pieces of metal to make the wrench. It will be manifest that the wrench may be provided at each end with an enlarged head, shaped to receive means for operating a nut or bolt. 7

It will be understood that the form of the invention shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made as come within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A wrench for polygonal-shape nuts, bolts and the like, including a handle having azhead'at one end, 'said head having a nut-receiving mouth forming a fixed, jaw, a confronting inclined side and rear wall, said fixed jaw having a transverse notch intermediate the length thereof,

: said inclined side having a dovetail rib extending upward! ly and longitudinally thereof, a movable jaw face having abottom provided with a longitudinally extendinggroove slidably connected to said rib, said movable jaw face? havingan inclined inner gn'ppingsurface confronting said fixed jaw and a transverse'notch in said surface, said fear ing a transverse web provided with an opening, an externally threaded'bolt extending through said opening into engagement with the threads of said ferrule so as to control the tension of said spring, and the outer end of said 7 spring being connected to said slidable jaw face for. normally urging the same inwardly towards said rear wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Mac Lean Oct; 6, 1959

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