US1400256A - Ratchet-wrench - Google Patents

Description

. L. BEATY.

RATCHET WRENCH.

APPLlcATloN FILED 00116. 1919.

W. L. BEATY.

- RATCHET WRENCH.

APPLICATION FItED 061.16, IBIS.

1 ,400,256, Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'w. L. BEATY.

RATCHET WRENCH. APPLICATION FILED ocT.16. |919.

Patented Dec. 13,' 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET ya.

26 L. @y un? wmv,

WIIBUR L. BEATY, 0F SOUTH BUTTE, MONTANA RATcHE'r-WRENGH.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

'Application inea october 16, 1919. serial No. 331,013. Y

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WrLBUn L. BEATY,

citizen of the United States, residing at South Butte, in the county of Silver Bow and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ratchet- VVrenches, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to an improved ratchet wrench: and has as one of its principal objects to provide a device of this character wherein a brace handle may be employed for operating the wrench while, whenV desired, the brace handle may be detached and a straight handle used. i

rIhe invention has as a further object to provide a wrench wherein when thestraight handle is used, a stem or hand rest may be connected to the stock of the'wrench -or guiding` and steadying the wrench.

The inventionhas asa further object to provide a wrench wherein the jaws thereof may be contracted into binding engagement with the work or may, as easily, be spread apart to release the work.

And a still further object of the invention is to provide a wrench which may be readily disassembled to the end that the wrench` may be easily maintained in proper working condition or may be repaired. f

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a brace handle connected with my improved wrench, i i

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View on an enlarged scale taken centrally through the wrench,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the use of a straight handle in connection with the wrench, parts being broken away and illustrated in section,

Fig. 4L is a top plan view of the wrench, the ratchet head employed being removed.

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the ratchet hea Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2 and looking downwardly,

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the wrench, the ratchet head being removed,

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the wrench stock,

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the jaw element of the wrench,

Fig. 410 is a detail perspective view of the headed post employed for connecting the ratchet head with the stock, and

Fig. 11 is a side elevation Vshowing the compact manner in which the several parts of thewrench may be arranged when carrying the wrench about.

In carrying the invention into effect, I employ, as particularly illustrated inl Figs; 2 and 8 of the drawings, a cylindrical wrench stock 10 provided at its lower end with an enlarged Vflared head 11 while an annular boss 12 rises from the upper end of theV stock. The stock is hollow throughout the major portion of its length and formed through the stock at equally spaced points above the head is a plurality of longitudinally extending slots 13 communicating at their lower ends with alined channels 14 in the inner` face of the head. As will be observed, the bottom walls of these'channels curve outwardly toward their lower ends. Slidable longitudinally within the stock is a jaw element, illustrated in detail in Fig. 9 of the drawings. This jaw element is formed with a substantially triangular head 15 from which extends a plurality of resilient coacting jaws 16. The jaws are provided with flat inner faces while toward their outer ends the jaws are widened somewhat to provide laterally inclined outer edges, the jaws being, in fact, gradually tapered in width from their inner ends to their outer ends. The head 15 of the jaw element is insertible through the head 11 of the stock, the angular portions of the head 15 riding through the channels 14 to freely engage within the slots 13 of the stock. lhen the jaw element is so mounted in position, the curved outer edges of the jaws will ride against the outwardly curved lower end portions of the channels 14 of the head of the stock and it is now to be observed that the angular portions of the head 15 of the jaw element are of a length to project slightly beyond the periphery of the stock. Formed in the outer edges of these angular portions are teeth 17. Freely rotatable upon the stock is an adjusting sleeve 18 resting at its lower end upon the stock head 11 and internally provided with a screw thread 19 coacting with the teeth 17 of the Vjaw element. The webs of the stock between the slots 13 are, at their lower end portions, thickened somewhat to merge into the head V.11 and the'lower end portion of the sleeve 18 is counter-bored for snugly receivin` these thickened portions of said webs. -s will now be clear in view of the preceding description, by rotating the sleeve 18 in onedirection, the jaw element may be retracted within the stock when the curved outer Nedges of the jaws 16 will coact with the bottom walls of the channels 14 :for contracting thevjaws. Accordingly, the jaws may be readily adjusted into bindingen- V.ga-gement with -the work. 'On the other hand, by Vrotating the screw 18 in the opp-o-k site direction, the jaw element may be projected :trom the stock when the jaws will, due to their resiliency, spread apart for reflleasing the work. Rotation of the jawrelement within the stock whenV the sleeve 18 is rotated will, of course, be prevented by the engagement of the angular portions of the head 15 of said'element within the slots 13 1 of the stock ywhile the jaws16 will coact with thel side walls of the channels 14 for ypreventing twisting of the jaws and undue strain thereon.

Removably fitted upon the upper end por-i, A-tion of the wrench stock 10 is a ratchet head;

20Y rotatably receiving` the boss 12 through the upper sidel thereof and preferably interposed between the head and the sleeve 18 is a suitable washer 21. The vratchet mecha-V `-nism of the head maybe of any approved character and in the drawings l have shown this mechanismr as including companion pawls 22 located at opposite sides oi the head and selectively movable to coact with ratchet teeth 23 upon the upper end portion oi the wrench stock while an actuating` collar 24 is rotatable upon the head and coactsV with the inner end portions of the pawls. A' stop pin 25 is provided for limitingthe collar in its movement in opposite directions and extending fromthe head is a shank 26. All of this structure is oi conventional design and will accordingly not be further described in detail. However, as will be clear,

by selectively'inoving the pawls 22 into engagement with the ratchet teeth 23,V the wrench stock may be readily rotated in either direction. Countersunk in the upperside of the ratchet head 20 and liXed to the 'boss 12 are su'perposed washers 2? and freely received through said boss to be threaded into the upper end portion of the wrench stock is a headed post 28 detachably con-k lecting the ratchet head with the stock. The

post carries a nut 29 seating against the uppermost'of the washers 27 and clamped between said washer and the head of the post. l

vcrank of the handle ismounted a hand grip 34:. At its `inner end the handle is Vformed to removably nt Vwithin the outer end of the sleeve 30 to oe-firmly secured therein by the set Vbolt 31. Thus, the brace handle will be operatively connected with the ratchet head s0 that this handle may be readily employed :tor rotating said head andas will be readily Y understood in view of the preceding description, accordingly turning the wrench. How- ,Y

' ever, it maynot always prove practicable to Vemploy the brace handle 32 and l accordingly provide a straight yhandle 35- for'the wrench. Asbest illustrated'in F ig. 3, this straight handle may also be removably engaged at its inner end within `the outer end t the sleeve 30 t0 beheld by the set bolt.

31 so that the straight handle may then be manipulated for turning the wrench. For

directing and steadying the wrench when the straight handle is used, llprovide a hand rest or stem 36. At its upper end this stein is vformed with anappropriate head,while, at its Y lower end, the stem is provided-with a socket 37 adapted to removably engage over the head oi the 4post 28 tocoact withV the nut 29. The stem will thus be operatively connected with the wrench stock andv accordingly may be held by one hand of theoperator for direct 'ing the wrench while the other` hand is employed` for manipulating the ratchet by means of the handle 35. It will accordingly be seen that I provide a'highly effective type of ratchet wrench and it is t0 be noted in this connection, as particularlyy shown in Fig. 11, that the several Yparts of the wrench may, whendesired, be arranged in a very vcompact manner so that the device may be easily .carried in a tool` chest or tool bag.; 5

Havingl thus described the invention, what is claimed as .new is:

A wrench` comprising aksmooth bored stock having longitudinal' s lots in its walls and provided at one end with an enlarged open-ended head and. aredu'ced'shank at its e opposite end, a boss projecting Vfrom the ex-V tremity of said reduced shank, a star shaped head slidably mounted in the stock and having extended threaded portions projecting through the slotsin the stock, three resilient jaws integral with and extendingrfro'm said head through the open-ended enlarged head of the stock with flat inner surfaces and having their outer surfaces bearing against said stock head, a'n interiorly threaded sleeve rotatably mounted on the stock and engaging the threaded projections of the slidably mounted head, said sleeve bearing at one end against the said enlarged head of the stock, a Working head fitted rotatably on the reduced shank of the stock and arranged to hold the sleeve against the enlarged head of the stock and prevent endwse movement of the sleeve, means for operating said Working head, and means engaging said boss to 10 retain the Working headon the reduced end of the stock.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILBUR L. BEATY. [11. 5.]

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