US1512846A - Wrench - Google Patents

Description

' F. O. GUMF'RECHT WRENCH Filed Avril 17, 1922 Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED STA 'rEs PATENT FRANK o. GUMrLaEcH'r, or HELENA, MONTANA..

WRENCH.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, FRANK O. GUM- PRNCHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Helena, in the county of Lewis and Clark andv State of Montana7 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVrenches, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in wrenches which include ar movable jaw, the primary object of the invention being to provide means for securely retaining the, movable jawwin its adjusted position in such a manner -that the Wrench will not lose its adjustment by the handling or vibration thereof, exceptV when means are manually operated to release 'the movable jaw for-permitting the same to be newly adjusted.

Another important object of the invention resides in the provision ofja 4spring "pressed `loc-king element adapted to retain the movable.jaw in its adjusted positions,

and having means associated therewith for Aretaining the member in a position to Apermit themovable jaw to be adjusted when deysired.

A further object of the invention' is to provide a spring pressed locking member the jaws of the wrench inV such a manner adapted to be normally urged into engage-v ment with rotatable means for adjusting that the rotatable element will be caused tofrictionally engage its bearing to preclude accidental rotation. n

Still another object of the 'invention resides in the provision o-f a specially formed means for engaging a jaw actuating worm between the threads thereof for preventing accidental rotation of the worm wherebythe locked in adjusted positions.y

Other objects and'v advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of the description and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts thro-ughout the several views Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wrench embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a portion of a wrench with the invention applied thereto, and

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of the wrench lock.

jaws actuated thereby ik may bevf securely Application mea April 17, 1922. serial No. 553,679.

yIn the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustrationV is shown the referred embodiment of my invention, t enumeral 4 designates the handle of a wrench of the type which I have selected for fthe purpose of illustrating an application of they invention. This handle is provided with a stationary jaw I5 at one end which is suitably chambered tol slidably receive therein a movable jaw 6. Therelative inner face of this jaw which extends transversely ofthe stationary jaw 5 is equipped with a' plurality of rack teeth 7 which are adapted to pass back and forth through an opening 8 in the vstationary jaw portion of the wrench. This opening extends into thebody of the wrench a substantial distance,` or ifk preferred, the

opening 8 may extend entirely thro-ugh the wrench from one side thereof to the other. It will be noted thaty the opening 8 is arranged angularly Vrelative to the longitudinal axis of the handle 4, and Vpreferably at 'stood in the art, 'rotation of the worm 9 causes thefmovementof the movable jaw 6` toor from the stationary jaw depending upon which directionthe worm 9 is rotated.

It has been found that after the desired adn justment ofthe jaws has been obtained, that very often mere continued use ofthe wrench,4

Vor accidental vibration thereof vwill `Acause partial movement of the worm'or the movable jaw, so that the original, desired adjustment of the jaws exists no longer. It is therefore the object of the present invention to eliminate this diiculty in wrenches of this type, and in furtherance of the object, the particular angular arrangement of the worm with respect to the longitudinal dimension of the handle is resorted to, not of necessity, but in order to obtain the bestcresults from the device.

A spring pressed detent or locking member 12 is slidably mounted in an opening 13 .extending longitudinally in the handle 4,

`hawling its elongated arm arranged in alinement with the opening 13 in the handle, .while the angular portion 17 of Athe Vslot Yis VVV,arranged transversely and laterally of the .Qpenii1g1'8- A' coiled spring 18 is received in the closed ,end of the opening 13 so that one end abuts 'the closed end of the. opening land other .en d receives .the relative ,inner end A,of Lthe spring pressed member and abuts the lateral .projection .14 thereof to normally urge the VmemberV 12 toward the .open end of the opening 13, and into vengagement vgyvith Athe wQrnrS). Thel forward .Tend 19 ,o f ,the spring pressed vmember 12 is enlarged'and flattened as seen :more clearly in Fig. 3 and furthermore curved or arcu- .atedfso as ,to be able-to ,engage the worm rbeytweenjche threads Y10 thereof. Y Fronnthe .fQregoing description it will be seen ,that 4when it is ,desired to adj ust .the vrelation lof the jaws of the wrench, the linger piece 15of the detent is'engaged and moved vaway from the jaws so that the spring pressed `detent willbeV moved against` the tension of the coiled spring 18 and the lat- ,eral .projectionll will be disposed in the v.flllgular portion of the'bayonet slot .16.

Thus, `:the spring detent will be retained dis ,engaged from the ,worm while vit is being rotated to eifectthe desired adjustment be- ;.tweenthe jaws. After the ladjustment has Y been obtained, vthe finger piece 15'is engaged vand .moved vso as to cause the lateral 'projectionlel to enter the longitudinally entending portion :of `,the slot 16, whereupon the coilspring 1S will Vbe permittedto exert a pigessure Qn the spring 'detent to force the .jsanfie Vforwardly so vthat the forward end 19 lofthe detent is moved to Vengage the worm between the threads thereof. Asthe worm i5 .disposed ,at approximately'an .obtuse angle, `with relation to the longitudinal VaX-is ,of the handle of the uVvvrenehiit .wilLbe seen that one end of the Iwenn will bel forced into frictional contact with one end of the opening 8 sothat this friction willassist in preventing accidental rotation of the worm. Furthermore, as the forward end of the Vspring detent bears firmly against the threads Vrof the worm, this action will also assist in preventing accidental movement of thev worm to preclude accidental v'r-eadjfustment of the jaws kof the-wrench. Y

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings have reference to .what

might be considered vto lbe the approved Vform' I desire it .to be 'under-v of my invention. stood that lI may maker changes in the construction, Ycombination and arrangement 'of parts, materials, dimensions, etc., tvas may prove expedient and fall within the vscope of :the `appended claims. Y

Having thus -ffu'lly .lescribed and illustrated the invention, what I claim Aisz-j` 1. In a wrench having/a movablejaw, a

rotatable worm journaled'in ,theavrench-for V4actuating the movable jaw, a sliding lock- Ling member having its tooth engaging Vend arcuated, extending A,diagonally `to the Y worm and spring means engaging the other end of `the locking member and adapted to force said locking member in automatic vengage- Vment with said WOIVJVH yto' ,prevent :rotation thereof.

2. In .a wrench having an elongated opening therein and a bayonet slot in .jcommunication with said opening, ay movable .jaw for said wrench, a rotatable worm journaled rin .the r,wrench for .actuating `said movable jaw, and l.a spring pressed locking member positioned diagonally A to the worm andy mounted in the :elongated opening of the wrench, said locking member having a iinger `engaging member between its ends .adapted to be placed in the bayonet Vslot ofV the opening to hold said locking member in inoperative position from said worm.

In testimony whereofl affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. Y

FRANK zO. GUMPREGHQ Witnesses: Y j v NELLE D. LI-Dny, HUGH 'R- ADAIR..

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