US3343432A

US3343432A - Household wrench

Info

Publication number: US3343432A
Application number: US501354A
Authority: US
Inventors: Nagy Sigmund
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-10-22
Filing date: 1965-10-22
Publication date: 1967-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 1984-09-26

Description

Sept. 26, 1967 5 NAGY HOUSEHOLD WRENCH Filed Oct. 22, 1965 I 4 4- flG 2| 45 No n T. E a W 0% 2 1% V 6 u m 2 M 9 w 2 s a m m. 3 0% 6 8 3 49 2 w 2 m 1e 2 a $5 DTTORNE VS United States Patent 3,343,432 HOUSEHOLD WRENCH Sigmund Nagy, Whittier, Calif., assignor of one-half to Lewis A. Nehaus, Whittier, Calif. Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 501,354 8 Claims. (Cl. 813.42)

This invention has to do generally with wrenches and more particularly with household Wrenches such as are designed for use in removing screw-threaded covers from containers.

The invention resides in the provision of a household wrench having an elongated main body with a jaw at one end housing a ratchet bar with a jaw opposing the jaw on the body, a handle pivoted on the body and a pawl mechanism operably connected between the body and the handle for engaging and advancing the ratchet bar into tight gripping engagement with the cover or lid of a jar or the like disposed between the jaws.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel household wrench designed for use in opening containers hav ing screw-type lids or covers which is also useful as a general-purpose wrench. In this connection it is an object to provide a tool that can be used for gripping various types of objects in the manner of an ordinary wrench and that ice ally projecting jaw 16. The body is cut away to provide an elongated slot or opening 17 in one side extending for a limited but substantial distance back from the jaw. Mounted inside the body is a ratchet bar 18 which has an integral laterally projecting jaw 19 at one end which is opposed to the jaw on the body. law 19 extends through the slot 17 in the body and the movement of the ratchet bar is limited by the end wall 20 thereof. The ratchet bar is reduced in width at 21 between the

end portions

22 and 23 and formed to provide the ratchet teeth 24. The ratchet bar is, of course, slideable within the body 15, longitudinally thereof.

For the purpose of operating the ratchet bar, I provide a lever assembly which includes a lever handle 26 which is conveniently contoured for the comfortable grasping thereof by hand and this member is pivotally mounted on the body at 27 as by a rivet. The lever han dle extends rearwardly from the pivotal point 27 outwardly of the body at an acute angle thereto, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, which illustrate the normal position of the device when it is not being used. The member can also be used for squeezing or pressing objects such as squeezing fruit or cracking nuts.

Another object is to provide a device of the type indicated which is easy to use, requiring only one hand to operate including the step of preliminarily adjusting the jaws to move them into engagement with the article to be gripped. It is a particular object in this connection to provide a tool embodying a ratchet mechanism in which a ratchet bar carrying a movable jaw is normally out of engagement with the operating pawl and can be freely moved by hand or by gravity to the desired adjusted position.

A further object is to provide a device of the type indicated, wherein the ratchet pawl is normally disengaged from the ratchet, that has novelmeans for quickly and positively bringing the pawl into engagement with the ratchet bar upon movement of the operating element.

Another object is to provide a unique ratchet mechanism by means of which it is possible to obtain a relatively long stroke.

Still another object is to provide a wrench embodying a body and a handle lever together with a ratchet bar in which there is no relative longitudinal movement between the handle lever and body but'only pivotal movement between the two.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawings and the following description. Referring to the draw ings:

FIG. 1 is an inverted plan view of a device embodying the invention shown applied to a jar top;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but on a larger scale and partly broken away to expose the operating parts with portions of the device in section;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but broken away somewhat more and with the parts in a different position; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are sectional views on lines 5-5 and 66, respectively, of FIG. 3.

More particularly describing the invention, numeral 11 generally designates the household wrench of the invention and this is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as in position to grip a cover or lid 12 which may be assumed to be screwthreaded upon the screw-threaded neck 13 of a jar 14.

The device includes an elongated preferably flat tubular body 15 which is provided at one end with a plate later- 26 may be made of sheet metal and comprises

side walls

28 and 29, which partially receive the body 15, and the connecting edge wall 30.

Between the sides of the lever handle 26 I provide a pawl supporting lever 32 which is pivotally mounted at 33 on a support 34 on the edge of the body. Lever 32 car ries a pawl 35 which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends at 36 on the outer bifurcated end 37 of the lever 32. The pawl, which projects through an opening 38 in body 15, includes an outer end portion 40 which is longitudinally slotted at 41 and which extends rearwardly at an acute angle to the remainder of the pawl. A pin 43 on the handle lever is received in the slot. The inner end of the pawl is provided with a tooth 44 which is normally out of engagement with the ratchet bar but which moves into engagement with a tooth thereof upon pivotal movement of the handle lever toward the body as shown in FIG. 4 where the handle lever has been moved a part of the way.

I provide a coil tension spring 45 between the pawl and the support 34 for the purpose of retracting the pawl from the ratchet bar and thereby moving the entire assembly to the normal position. The pawl has a rearwardly facing shoulder 46 which acts as a stop by engaging the rear edge of the opening 38 under the force of the spring. I also provide a flat spring 48 on a post 49 of the handle lever which bears against the under side of the inner end of the pawl and serves to insure the pawl being moved directly into engagement with the ratchet bar when the handle is operated. The pawl has a shallow recess 50 to receive the base of spring 48 and pin 49.

It will be apparent that with the construction described the pawl is normally out of engagement with the ratchet bar and thus the latter can be readily moved, even by gravity if the device is tilted appropriately, so as to bring the jaw 19 into engagement with the object to be gripped. Thereafter movement of the handle lever serves to effect a longitudinal stroke operation of the ratchet bar to the extent permitted by the object being gripped between the jaws. It will be apparent that any type of jaws may be employed, and if desired, various removable jaws may be used to suit the object to be gripped.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred form of my invention, I contemplate that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the invention, the scope of which is indicated :by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A household wrench, comprising an elongated body, a ratchet bar mounted on said body for sliding movement longitudinally thereof, said body and bar having opposed jaws at the forward ends thereof, respectively, a handle lever pivotally mounted at its inner end on said body at a point intermediate the ends thereof and normally disposed at an acute angle to the body, a pawl support lever pivotally mounted at one end on said body on an axis parallel to the pivotal axis of said handle lever but spaced rearwardly thereof, a pawl pivotally mounted on the other end of said pawl support lever with its inner end engageable with said rack, and an operable connection between the outer end of said pawl and said handle lever.

2. The household wrench set forth in claim 1 in which spring means is provided yieldably urging said pawl and handle lever away from the ratchet bar and normally holding the inner end of said pawl spaced from said ratchet bar whereby the latter can be freely moved.

3. A household wrench, comprising an elongated body, a ratchet bar mounted on said body for sliding movement longitudinally thereof, said body and bar having opposed jaws at the forward ends thereof, respectively, a handle lever pivotally mounted at its inner end on said body at a point intermediate the ends thereof and normally disposed at an acute angle to the body, a pawl support lever pivotally mounted at one end on said body on an axis parallel to the pivotal axis of said handle lever but spaced rearwardly thereof, a pawl pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the other end of said pawl support lever, the inner end of said pawl being adjacent said ratchet bar and enigageable therewith, a connection permitting limited movement between the outer end of said pawl and said handle lever, and spring means yieldably holding said pawl out of engagement with said rack bar with said handle lever in normal position.

4. The household wrench set forth in claim 3 in which the connection between the outer end of said pawl and said handle lever comprises a pin and slot.

5. A household wrench, comprising an elongated body, a ratchet bar mounted on said body for sliding movement longitudinally thereof, said body and bar having opposed jaws at the forward ends thereof, respectively, a handle lever pivotally mounted at its inner end on said body at a point intermediate the ends thereof and normally disposed at an acute angle to the body, a pawl support lever pivotally mounted at one end on said body on an axis parallel to the pivotal axis of said handle lever but spaced rearwardly thereof, a pawl pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the other end of said pawl support lever, said pawl support lever extending forwardly at an acute angle to the body and said pawl extending rearwardly at an acute angle to the body with its inner end adjacent to said ratchet bar, said pawl having a slotted outer end portion extending rearwardly at an acute angle to the remainder of the pawl, a pin carried by said handle lever received in the slot in said pawl, and spring means yieldably urging said pawl and connected parts to a position assumed when said handle lever is in normal position.

6. A household wrench, comprising an elongated flat tubular body having a jaw formed at one end and extending laterally thereof, said body having an opening in its side extending from said jaw for a limited but substantial distance toward the other end of said body, a ratchet bar mounted in said body and slideable longitudinally thereof, said bar having a jaw at one end projecting laterally thereof and through said opening in the body to oppose the jaw on the body, a handle lever pivotally mounted at its inner end on said body at a point intermediate the ends thereof, said handle lever normally extending at an acute angle to an edge of the body in a direction away from the jaw end thereof, a pawl support lever pivotally mounted at one end on said body on an axis parallel to the pivotal axis of said handle lever but spaced rearwardly thereof, a pawl pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the other end of said pawl support lever, the inner end of said pawl being adjacent said ratchet bar and engageable therewith, a connection permitting limited movement between the outer end of said pawl and said handle lever, and a spring yieldably holding said pawl out of engagement with said rack bar with said handle lever in normal position.

7. The wrench set forth in claim 6 in which a second spring is provided yieldably urging the inner end of the pawl rearwardly and toward said ratchet bar to insure engagement thereof with the teeth of said ratchet bar when said handle lever is operated.

8. The wrench set forth in claim 6 in Which said pawl and said body are provided with interengaging abutment surfaces limiting movement of said pawl rearwardly of the body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 484,634 10/1892 Gray 81-357 2,414,635 1/1947 Cook 813.42 2,492,834 12/1949 Bayler 81-357 3,224,083 12/1965 Tipper 81-357 JAMES L. JONES, JR., Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A HOUSEHOLD WRENCH, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY, A RATCHET BAR MOUNTED ON SAID BODY FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF, SAID BODY AND BAR HAVING OPPOSED JAWS AT THE FORWARD ENDS THEREOF, RESPECTIVELY, A HANDLE LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT ITS INNER END ON SAID BODY AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF AND NORMALLY DISPOSED AT AN ACUTE ANGLE TO THE BODY, A PAWL SUPPORT LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT ONE END ON SAID BODY ON AN AXIAL PARALLEL TO THE PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID HANDLE LEVER BUT SPACED REARWARDLY THEREOF, A PAWL PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE OTHER END OF SAID PAWL SUPPORT LEVER WITH ITS INNER END ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID RACKS, AND AN OPERABLE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE OUTER END OF SAID PAWL AND SAID HANDLE LEVER.