US2495699A - Grip tightening device for pipe wrenches - Google Patents

Description

Jam. 1, WW G. H. CLARK GRIP TIGHTENING DEVICE FOR PIPE WRENCHES Filed Jan. 30

m 1K 0A mm n 6w. H e wn w EM 6 Y Patented Jan. EL 1950 GRIP TIGHTENING DEVICE FOR PIPE WRENCHES George H. Clark, Yakima, Wash. Application January 30, 1948, Serial No' 5,281

2 Claims.

My invention relates to grip tightening devices for pipe wrenches and of the type forming the subject matter of my United States Letter Patent Number 2,377,612, dated June 5, 1945, and over which the instant invention is designed as an improvement.

The primary object of the instant invention is to provide in, a wrench having a slidable fulcruming jaw, a device of simple form and inexpensive construction operated by squeezing action of the hand on the wrench handle to swing the swingable jaw toward the relatively fixed jaw so as to tighten the grip on the work and then look the swingable jaw so as to hold the jaws in tightened gripping relation.

Another object is to provide a device of the character and for the purpose above set forth adapted for attachment to conventional types of pipe wrenches without necessitating material change in the basic structure of such wrenches.

Other and subordinate objects, together with the precise nature of my improvements, will be readily understood when the succeeding descriptions and claims are read with reference to the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, partly broken away and shown in section, of one type of pipe wrench equipped according to my invention in a preferred embodiment thereof, with the grip tightening devic'e unlocked;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the same with the grip tightening device locked;

Figure 3 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and drawn to a larger scale;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in side elevation illustrating a modified embodiment of my grip tightening device applied to another type of pipe wrench with the device unlocked;

Figure 5 is a similar view with the grip tightening device locked.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, and first to Figures 1 to 3, my improved grip tightening device is shown therein, in a preferred embodiment thereof, as applied to a conventional pipe wrench having the usual bar handle I with a fixed jaw 2 on the inner end thereof and a rear, edge, integral guide sleeve 3 at said inner end in which the usual toothed shank 4 of a swingable jaw 5 is slidable for pro-setting of the swingable jaw and fulcrumed to swing the swingable jaw toward the fixed jaw. The usual knurled adjusting nut 6 for sliding said shank 4 is confined between the sleeve 3 and a grooved guide lug l on the rear edge of the handle I.

The grip tightening means, in the preferred embodiment thereof, comprises an elongated lever B at the front edge of the handle i with a pair of lateral edge ears 9 at one end thereof straddling the handle l and pivoted thereto, as at 153, opposite the nut 6 so that said lever is swingable toward and from the front edge of said handle l. An end notch I l in the lever B engages the handle I to limit swinging of said lever 8 away from said handle. The lever 8 is adapted to engage the handle I to limit swinging movement of the lever toward said handle.

A U-shaped pusher member [2 straddles the rear edge of the handle i between the guide sleeve 3' and the guide lug l, and is slidable, trans-- versely of the handle 5, toward and from said nut 5 opposite the pivot it of the lever B. A pair of links l3 on opposite sides of the handle I are pivoted at corresponding ends thereof, as at M, to opposite sides of the pusher member 12, and at the other ends thereof are pivoted, as at !5 to the ears 9 in spaced relation to the pivot I0.

As shown in Figure l, in the limit of swinging movement of the lever 8 away from the handle i, the links i3 are pulled in a direction to pull the pusher member I2 toward the rear edge of the handle 1 away from and clear of the nut 6 whereby the grip tightening device is unlocked and the nut 5 can be adjusted to slide the shank 4 and preset the swingable jaw 5 into approximate gripping relation to the fixed jaw 2. As shown in Figure 2, by swinging the lever 8 toward the handle I, the links l3 are thrust against the pusher member l2 to push the same against the nut 6 until the lever 8 assumes its limit of swinging movement toward the handle I, and in that limit of movement of said lever 8, the pivot l5 swings past dead-center relation to the pivots it, and it]. Thus the nut 6 is pushed by the pusher member l2 to swing the shank 4 and so as to cause the swingable jaw 5 to be moved from its preset position toward the fixed jaw 2 to tighten the grip on the work, not shown, and the tightening device is locked in grip tightening position with the pusher member 12 forced into friction locking engagement with the nut 6 to prevent the same from being turned until the grip tightening device is unlocked.

In the modified embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5, a grip tightening device similar to that previously described has been shown as applied to the conventional stillson wrench in which the sleeve I6 for the shank ll of the swingable jaw I8 is pivoted on the handle [9, as at l9, and a nut 20 for adjusting the shank l1 works in an opening 2! in said sleeve. In this embodiment, a lever 22, corresponding to lever 8, is pivoted at 23 to the handle l9 and to a pair of links, one of which is shown at 24 and corresponds to a link 13, and which is pivoted to the lever 22 at 25. However, in this instance, the links 24 are pivoted at 26 directly to the sleeve I 6 so as to swing the same about the pivot 19' and thereby swing the shank I! so as to move the swingable jaw 18 toward the fixed jaw 21, the pivots 25 of the links 24 assuming a past deadcenter relation to pivots 23, 26, to lock the grip tightening device when the lever 22 engages the front edge of the handle 19.

The foregoing will, it is believed, sufiice to impart a clear understanding of my invention, without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification, without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a wrench, a handle having a fixed inner jaw on one end and having front and rear sides, a swingable outer jaw having a screw threaded shank on one end of which said outer jaw is formed; a bracket on the rear side of the handle and adjacent said inner jaw for mounting said shank for sliding and rocking movement in a plane passing through said handle, whereby the other end of said shank can be rocked away from said handle to swing the outer jaw toward the inner jaw; a second bracket on the rear side of the handle and spaced from said shank-mountin bracket; a nut threaded on said shank for slidably adjusting said outer jaw, said nut being loosely mounted near the rear side of the handle and between said brackets; a U -shaped pusher member straddling the rear side of the handle between said brackets and between the handle and said nut, said pusher member being movable against said nut to swing said shank; a lever pivotally mounted on the front side of said handle; and operating connections between said lever and pusher member for moving the pusher member against said nut and into frictionally locking engagement therewith.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said operating connections comprise links pivoted to said lever and pusher member to form a past dead center look when said pusher member is moved into frictionally locking engagement with said nut.

GEORGE H. CLARK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 451,991 Abbots May 12, 1891 1,291,940 Lee Jan. 21, 1919 1,848,793 Nelson Mar. 8, 1932 2,377,612 Clark June 5, 1945 2,436,497 Snell Feb. 24, 1948

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