Wrench

May 21, 1940.

W. PETERSEN

WRENCH

Filed July 9, 1933

2,201,918

<img file="US2201918A_D0001.tif" />

Patented May 21, 1940

2,201,918

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,201,918 WRENCH William Petersen, De Witt, Nebr. Application July 9, 1938, Serial No. 218,400

Claims.

This invention relates to the class of wrenches. The present invention has for its primary object to provide an improved anti-locking means for a wrench of the type illustrated in Patent No. 5 1,489,458, which type of wrench is so constructed that when the gripping jaws thereof are brought into gripping relation with a body, it will automatically lock. Under some conditions of use for a tool of this character, it is desirable that the 10 user be able to repeatedly open and close the jaws of the wrench to facilitate its use and where the wrench is primarily designed to lock automatically each time the jaws are brought together, it cannot be conveniently used in the 15 performance of operations where it must be repeatedly opened and closed.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a wrench of the type referred to, a locking ' preventing latch which is so constructed and ar20 ranged that it may be conveniently manipulated by the thumb or a finger of the hand holding the wrench so that the wrench can be readily changed over from an automatically locking type to a nonlocking type or vice versa, as may be desired.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conf ormity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the 35 appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the wrench structure in association with which the present improved anti-locking feature is employed, such 40 anti-locking feature being characterized by a shiftable latch member shown upon one of the handle members.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2—2 of Mg. 1.

Mg. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3—3 of Mg. 2. . -g .

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the numeral I generally designates the main handle portion of the wrench. The numeral 2 50 generally indicates the auxiliary handle which is connected with the main handle portion as hereinafter described. The main handle portion I is formed at its rear end to provide the interiorly threaded sleeve I while at its forward end it is H formed to provide the fixed jaw 4 and rearwardly (CL 81—84) of this jaw it has depending side wings 5. Pivoted rearwardly of the jaw 4 on the pin 6 which passes transversely across and connects the swings 5, is the oscillatable jaw 1 and this jaw has the outwardly extending ear portion 8 to which the forward end of the auxiliary handle is pivotally attached, as indicated at 9. Rearwardly of the pivoted forward end of the handle 2, a pivot pin 10 is disposed transversely of this handle to which is connected one end of the fulcrum bar H, the 1® other end of this bar being inserted into the main handle inwardly of the threaded sleeve portion 3 for engagement by the forward end of the adjusting screw 12 which, when threaded inwardly, works against the fulcrum bar t f to shift the If auxiliary handle and the shiftable jaw toward the forward end of the tool, thus bringing the shiftable jaw 7 into closer proximity to the stationary jaw. Connected to the rear part of the shiftable jaw 7 between the pivots 6 and 9, at the point 13,-is one end of a contractile spring 14,. the other end of which is attached to the main handle I a short'distance forwardly of the free end of the fulcrum bar i I. This spring normally tends to separate the shiftable jaw from the fixed jaw, but due to the location of the pivot SO on the auxiliary handle 2, for the fulcrum bar ii, rearwardly of the pivot 9 to which the forward end of the auxiliary handle 2 is joined, when the auxiliary handle is swung in, the pivot 10 will g® move inwardly beyond or across the line between ' the pivot 9 and the inner end of the screw 12 and the spring will then serve to hold the jaws in gripping relation.

; As previously stated, certain uses for the m wrench require that it be repeatedly opened and closed while being held in the hand and thus it will be apparent that the action which permits the handles to move into locking position is undesirable. In order to adapt the wrench to sin- 4® gle hand use in the nature of a pair of pliers, that is. In order to adapt it to continual opening and closing without locking, the inner side of the auxiliary handle 2 is provided with a fixed pin IS which retains in position against the inner side ⁰⁰of the handle the latch member 16, which is provided with the longitudinal slot 17 in which the pin 15 positions. The rear en&lt; of this latch is .turned to form the ear 18 which is directed toward the main handle I. .

Cooperating with the latch 16 is a lug It connected with title outer edge of the fulcrum bar II and directed toward the inner side of the auxiliary handle to contact this handle when the g . 2,201,918 two handies are in locked relation, just forwardly of the forward end of the sliding latph 16.

When the latch 16 is pressed forwardly to the limit of its movement as permitted by the pin > 15 it will be interposed between the lug 19 and * the handle 2 and the thickness of the latch is such that when it is in this interposed position, it will prevent the auxiliary handle 2 moving to the maximum extent to which it is capable, to10 ward the main handle 3 and it will stop this movement of the auxiliary handle before it reaches the point where the pivot 10 has passed beyond over the line between the pivot S and the bearing point of the fulcrum against the inner end of the 11 screw 12. ®us the spring 14 will be constantly effective to pull the movable jaw 7 away from the fixed jaw 4 when the auxiliary haruite :has been swung in toward the mam handle as far as the latch will permit it to go. It will thiaί be 20 seen that when the latch is in operative position the wrench can be closed by drawing the auxiliary handle toward the main handle^ and it will instantly open under the urge of the spring soon as the auxiliary handle is released so that OK the wrench can be used like a pair of pliers m“ stead of locking itself in closed position as ,it would do if the latch 16 were retracted.

It will also be readily apparent that due to the position of the ear portion 18 of the latch the 30 person using the wrench can engage the ear and³⁰ shift the latch forwardly or rearwardly with the thumb so as to readily convert the wrench from one use to another.