U.S. patent number 3,881,377 [Application Number 05/315,321] was granted by the patent office on 1975-05-06 for ratcheting wrench for octagonal members.
Invention is credited to James P. Evans, Calvin G. Turner.
United States Patent |
3,881,377 |
Evans , et al. |
May 6, 1975 |
RATCHETING WRENCH FOR OCTAGONAL MEMBERS
Abstract
A ratcheting wrench for octagonal or hexagonal members having a
body, a handle means attached to the body, a torqueing jaw and a
backup jaw extending from the body to receive the octagonal or
hexagonal member therebetween, the backup jaw has a planar working
surface and the torqueing jaw having a working surface parallel to
and spaced from the working surface of the backup jaw, the length
of the torqueing jaw working surface being less than one-half the
length along a side of the octagonal member, the torqueing jaw
terminating at the outer end opposite the handle in an inclined
slipping surface, the ratcheting wrench serving to engage the
octagonal or hexagonal member in successive rotary motion without
removing contact from the octagonal member.
Inventors: |
Evans; James P. (Oklahoma City,
OK), Turner; Calvin G. (Oklahoma City, OK) |
Family
ID: |
23223871 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/315,321 |
Filed: |
December 15, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
81/186; 81/DIG.8;
81/119 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B25B
13/46 (20130101); B25B 13/08 (20130101); Y10S
81/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B25B
13/08 (20060101); B25B 13/00 (20060101); B25B
13/46 (20060101); B25b 013/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;81/119,125.1,186,DiG.
8/ |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Smith; Al Lawrence
Assistant Examiner: Smith; James G.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A ratcheting wrench for an octagonal and a hexagonal member, the
width across opposite corners of the octagonal member being
designated by B, the width across opposite sides of the member
being designated by A, and the length along a side of the member by
D, the wrench comprising: a body;
a handle means attached to the body;
two spaced apart, parallel jaws designated a torquering jaw and a
backup jaw, the jaws extending from the wrench body in the
direction opposite the handle means, the backup jaw having a planar
working surface facing the torqueing jaw, the torqueing jaw having
a working surface, facing the backup jaw working surface the
torqueing jaw working surface being in the form of a projecting
tooth, the distance between said backup and torqueing jaw working
surfaces being slightly greater than A, and the body having member
engaging working surfaces between the backup jaw and torqueing jaw
working surfaces defined by:
a. a first body working surface of length slightly greater than D
intersecting said backup jaw working surface at an angle of
45.degree.,
b. a second body working surface of length less than D intersecting
said first body working surface at an angle of 45.degree., the
plane of the second body working surface being perpendicular to the
plane of said backup jaw working surface, and
c. a third body working surface of length slightly greater than D
and at a 45.degree. angle with respect to said second body working
surface,
said torqueing jaw terminating at the outer end thereof opposite
said handle in an inclined slipping surface adjacent said torqueing
jaw working surface, the plane of the inclined slipping surface
intersecting the plane of said backup jaw working surface at an
acute angle and in the direction of said handle,
said torqueing jaw working surface having a recess therein formed
by the intersection of said third body working surface and said
projecting tooth, the distance between said backup jaw working
surface and said recess being greater than A,
said first body working surface having a first V-shaped notch
formed therein adjacent the intersection of said first body working
surface with said second body working surface and a second V-shaped
notch formed at the end of said second body working surface
opposite said first body working surface, said third body working
surface forming one side of said second V-shaped notch, said recess
in said torqueing jaw working surface, said first and second
V-shaped notches, and said backup jaw working surface engaging a
hexagonal member.
Description
BACKGROUND, SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Others have provided ratcheting wrenches for rotating hexagonal
members in an arrangement wherein the ratcheting wrench has no
moving parts and does not have to be removed from contact with the
member to be ratcheted. For information relating to the provision
of ratcheting wrenches for hexagonal members reference may be had
to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,620,107, entitled "Speed Wrench,"
James P. Evans, inventor, issued Nov. 16, 1971; 2,652,735, entitled
"Open End Wrench", G. W. Wilder, inventor, issued Sept. 22,
1953.
None of the references above mentioned, nor any other known
teaching, has suggested a wrench without moving parts particularly
adapted for ratcheting an octagonal member. While most nuts, bolts,
and other devices utilized in industry are commonly either four
sided, six sided, or twelve sided, some octagonal devices are in
use. For instance, in the plumbing industry fittings frequently are
octagonal in external configurations. Unions and other coupling
devices are examples of octagonal shaped apparatus. To this time
most artisans working on octagonal devices have utilized adjustable
end wrenches or adjustable pipe wrenches. Both of these types of
wrenches require the wrench to be removed from the member and
repositioned to newly engage the member at each stroke of the
rotary motion in threading or unthreading one member from another.
The present invention is directed towards the provision of a
ratcheting wrench for octagonal members. More particularly, the
invention is directed towards the provision of a ratcheting
octagonal wrench free of moving parts which can be utilized for
rotating an octagonal member without removing contact of the wrench
from the member to be rotated.
Another object of this invention is to provide a wrench for
ratcheting an octagonal member including improved means for
engagement of the wrench with the octagonal member.
Another object of this invention is to provide a ratcheting wrench
for an octagonal member including means for increasing the
torqueing grip applied by the wrench to the octagonal member.
Another object of this invention is to provide a ratcheting wrench
for an octagonal member including means of preventing the wrench
from slipping out of contact with the octagonal member while it is
being rotated.
Another object of this invention is to provide a ratcheting wrench
for octagonal members in which the wrench may be adjusted to accept
a variation in size of the octagonal members.
Another object of this invention is to provide a ratcheting wrench
having no moving parts and which can be used to ratchet either an
octagonal member or a hexagonal member.
These general objects, as well as more specific objects, will be
fulfilled in the invention to now be set forth in the following
description and claims, taken in conjunction with the attached
drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS
FIG. 1 is an external view of a wrench embodying the principles of
this invention. The wrench is shown engaging an octagonal member,
the octagonal member being shown in dotted outline.
FIG. 2 is an alternate view of the invention showing the
arrangement wherein a detachable handle may be utilized, wherein
inserts of hard material may be utilized in the formation of the
wrench, and wherein the wrench is configured such that it will not
accidentally slip from the member being rotated.
FIG. 3 is an alternate arrangement of the invention including means
wherein the wrench is adjustable to receive different size
octagonal members.
FIG. 4 is a view of an octagonal member showing indicia of the
dimensions thereof.
FIG. 5 is an additional alternate arrangement of the invention
depicting a ratcheting wrench having no moving parts adaptable to
rotate both an octagonal and a hexagonal member.
FIG. 6 shows the wrench of FIG. 5 receiving an octagonal member for
ratcheting rotation thereof.
FIG. 7 shows the embodiment of FIG. 5 receiving a hexagonal member
for the ratcheting rotation thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings and first to FIG. 1, the wrench of
this invention includes a body 12 having a handle 14 extending
therefrom. Integrally formed with and extending from body 12 in the
direction opposite the handle 14 is a backup jaw 16 and a torqueing
jaw 18. The backup and torqueing jaws are spaced from each other to
receive an octagonal member 20 therebetween, the member being
illustrated in dotted outline. Octagonal member 20 may be a nut,
bolt, portion of a pipe fitting union, or any other device which is
to be rotated.
FIG. 4 shows an octagonal member and illustrates representative
dimensions. The letter A indicates the width between opposed
paralleled faces of the member; the letter B indicates the width
across the opposing corners of the member and the letter D
represents the length along one side of the member.
Referring again to FIG. 1, the backup jaw 16 has a planar working
surface 22 which engages member 20. The torqueing jaw 18 has a
working surface 24 which is parallel to the backup jaw working
surface 22 and spaced from working surface 22 a distance just
slightly greater than A so as to receive the octagonal member 22
between the two working surfaces. The length E of torqueing jaw
working surface 24 is less than 1/2 D.
Between the backup jaw working surface 22 and the torqueing jaw
working surface 24 the body has a member engaging surface formed of
three body working surfaces. The first body working surface 26 has
a length slightly greater than D and intersects the backup jaw
working surface 22 at an angle of 45.degree.. The second body
working surface 28 has a length slightly greater than D and
intersects the first body working surface 26 at an angle of
45.degree.. The plane of the second body working surface 28 is
thereby perpendicular to the plane of the backup jaw working
surface 22 and the plane of the torqueing jaw working surface 24.
The third body working surface 30 has a length slightly greater
than D and intersects the second body working surface 28 at an
angle of 45.degree. and, in addition, intersects the torqueing jaw
working surface 24 at an angle of 45.degree..
The torqueing jaw terminates at the outer end with an inclined
slipping surface 32, the plane of the slipping surface intersecting
the plane of the backup jaw working surface 22 at an acute angle in
the direction toward the handle 14. The octagonal member 20 is
rotated by moving handle 14 in the direction indicated by the arrow
34. When the handle is moved in the direction opposite the arrow 34
the wrench slips upon member 20. To help maintain the wrench in
contact with the member 20, a guide lip indicated in dotted
outline, and identified by the numeral 36, may be utilized. The
guide lip 36 is integrally formed as a part of torqueing jaw 18 and
has an arcuate surface 38 facing backup jaw working surface 22. The
distance between the arcuate surface 38 and backup jaw working
surface 22 measured perpendicular to the working surface 22, as
indicated by the arrow C, must be greater than the width B of
member 20 so as to permit the wrench to rotate around the member
when moved in the direction opposite the arrow 34.
FIG. 2 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 2
shows an alternate embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 2 the
handle means 14A includes an opening 14B which is adaptable to
receive a removable extension handle. The extension handle may
include torque indicating means. A comparison of the arrangement of
FIG. 2 with FIG. 1 indicates that wrenches having various handle
means may be designed employing the invention.
An additional alternate arrangement of FIG. 2 includes the
provision of wear resistant inserts 40A through 40D which engage
the hexagonal member 20. The inserts may be of material such as
tungsten carbide. The wear resistant elements 40A to 40D may be
made to be flush with the working surfaces as in the arrangement of
FIG. 1, or as shown in FIG. 2, they may protrude outwardly so the
working surfaces are formed by edges 24A, 30A, 28A, and 26A to
engage the member 20. The edges may be blunt, or very sharp, or any
configuration inbetween.
Another alternate arrangement of FIG. 2 includes the provision
wherein the backup jaw 22 terminates at the outer end thereof
opposite the handle portion 14A with a retaining portion 42; and
the torqueing jaw 18 terminates at the outer end thereof opposite
the handle portion with a retaining portion 44. The distance E
between the retaining portions 42 and 44 is less than the width A
of member 20. In this arrangement the wrench must slip onto the
member 20 in the direction axially of the member. Once in position
the wrench can be utilized to ratchet the member 20. The retaining
portions 42 and 44 prevent the wrench from inadvertently slipping
off the member.
FIG. 3 shows an additional alternate embodiment of the invention
wherein the backup jaw 16 is movable relative to torqueing jaw 18.
This adjustable feature permits accepting octagonal members 20 of
varying sizes. It is understood that since varying the distance
between backup jaw 16 and torqueing jaw 18 will change the length
of second body working surface 28, the adjustability of FIG. 3
permits only a limited range of various size octagonal members
which may be ratcheted by the wrench. The arrangement of FIG. 3
does permit, however, adjustments for variations in sizes of
hexagonal members which occasionally occurs, particularly in
plumbing fittings which are heavily galvanized.
FIG. 3 shows the arrangement wherein the backup jaw working surface
22 includes an undercut 46 therein adjacent the first body working
surface 26. The undercut 46 must have a length measured from the
first body working surface 26 of less than the dimension D of
member 20. Undercut 46 serves to facilitate positioning the wrench
into engagement with member 20 as it is being ratcheted.
An additional design difference of the arrangement of FIG. 3
compared to FIG. 1 is the provision of a recess or notch 48 in the
torqueing jaw working surface 24. By the provision of the recess 48
the torqueing jaw working surface 24 takes the form of a tooth
having a working surface 24 in an edge which may be sharp, blunt or
rounded for engaging member 20. The tooth 24 could obviously be a
material harder than the wrench body 12, such as the use of an
element 40A as in FIG. 2.
FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 show an alternate embodiment of the invention
wherein the wrench may be utilized not only to ratchet an octagonal
member but also to ratchet a hexagonal member. The wrench of FIG. 5
is essentially that of the arrangement of FIG. 1 having the recess
48 as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 3 and further, having a
V-shaped notch 50 at the intersection of the second body working
surface 28 with the third body working surface 30, and a V-shaped
notch 52 in the first body working surface 26 adjacent the
intersection with the second body working surface 28. As shown in
FIG. 6, an octagonal member 20 is received in the wrench and is
contacted by the same working surfaces as described relative to
FIG. 1. A hexagonal member 54 is received in the wrench as shown in
FIG. 7 and is engaged by the torqueing jaw working surface 24,
notch 50, notch 52, and backup jaw working surface 22. The
hexagonal member is ratcheted in the same way as the octagonal
member. Thus the embodiment of the wrench in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 may
be successfully employed to ratchet either hexagonal or octagonal
members in an arrangement wherein no moving parts are employed.
It can be seen that the embodiment of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 may employ
the various alternate features of FIGS. 2 and 3, including the
removable handle means, the utilization of wear resistant inserts,
the adjustable jaw arrangement, and the provision of retaining
portions to prevent the wrench from slipping from the member to be
ratcheted.
While the invention has been described with a certain degree of
particularity it is manifest that many changes may be made in the
details of construction and arrangement of components without
departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. It is
understood that this invention is not limited to the embodiments
set forth herein for purposes of exemplification, but is limited
only by the scope of the attached claim or claims, including the
full range of equivalency to which each element thereof is
entitled.
* * * * *