US2528814A - Confronting wrench jaws each having normally aligned work-engaging sections pivotable to v-shape - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 7, 1950 H N BQYER 2,528,814

CONFRONTING WRENCH JAWS EACH HAVING NORMALLY ALIGNED WORK-ENGAGING SECTIONS PIVOTABLE T0 V-SHAPE Filed Feb. 12., 1.946

Hugh N. Boyer.-

INVENTOR.

I BY Attorney,

Patented Nov. 7, 1950 UNITED STA TES PATENT OFFICE CONFRONTING WRENCH JAWS EACH HAV- ING NORMALLY ALIGNED WORK-ENGAG-' ING SECTIONS PIVOTABLE TO V-SHAPE Hugh N. Boyer, near Canfield, Ohio; Elizabeth M. Boyer executrix of said Hugh N. Boyer, de-

ceased Application February 12, 1946, Serial No. 647,138 3 Claims. (01. 81 -91) -a movable jaw member, each of which have pivoted jaw sections affixed thereto capable of moving into positions corresponding to the contour of a work piece upon which they are positioned.

The pivoted jaw wrench shown and described herein has been designed to form an improved wrench structure capable of applying a more even degree of holding pressure to a work piece, such as a pipe, by a plurality of pivoted jaw sections which adapt themselves to the shape of the Work piece and thereby distribute the force applied thereto to a greater area thereof and thereby insure a more positive grip thereon.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it

being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the inven-' tion.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pipe wrench, a portion thereof being broken away.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the pipe wrench taken on line 22 of Figure 1. v

Figure 3 is a cross sectional detailed elevation of a portion of the pipe wrench shown in Figure 2 and is taken on the line 3--3 thereof.

By referring to the drawings and Figure 1 in particular it will be seen that a pipe wrench has been illustrated which includes a handle portion N3, the uppermost end of which is formed into a fixed jaw I I and is also provided with a sidewardly extending loop portion I2, the loop of which has positioned therein an adjustable jaw member I3. The shank of the adjustable jaw member I3 is indicated by the numeral I4 and is provided with a plurality of oppositely disposed threaded sections I5 to enable the adjustable jaw I3 to be moved vertically with respect to the handle I0, through the loop formed by the 2 loop member I2 thereof, and by reason of rotation of a milled, circular nut I6 threadably engaging the threaded sections I5 of the shank I4. A secondary, sidewardly extending projection I'I positions'the milled; circular nut it immediately beneath the loop portion I2 of the wrench so that when the milled, circular nut I6 is rotated, as by manual movement thereof, the net result is the Vertical travel of the adjustable jaw portion I3 with respect to the handleportion IQ of the wrench.

The fixed jaw portion I I of the wrench is provided with a pair of similarly formed, movable sections I8, the uppermost surfaces of which are serrated, as indicated by the numeral I 9, and the lowermost portions of which are rounded, as indicated by the numeral 20. These two sections are pivotally aiiixed to the fixed jaw portion II of the wrench by means of pivot members 2| and are normally-biased by semi-U-shaped spring members 22 so that their uppermost serrated edges form a parallel, axially extending line.

A similar construction will be found in oppositely disposed relationship on the adjustable jaw I3 and comprises a pair of secondary jaw sections 23 having their lowermost surfaces serrated, as indicated by the numerals 24, and their uppermost surfaces rounded and partially cut away, as indicated by the numerals 25, which will permit the secondary jaw sections 23 to pivot with respect to the adjustable jaw IS on pivots 26. Semi-U-shaped spring members 21 normally bias the secondary jaw sections 23 so that their serrated work engaging surfaces form an axially extending straight line.

By referring to Figure 2 of the drawings it will be seen that each of the pivoted jaw sections l8 and 23 are slotted, as indicated therein by the numerals 28 and 29, respectively, to provide space for the positioning of the semi-U- shaped springs 22 and 27, respectively. In Figure ?3 of the drawings a cross sectional elevation taken on line 33 of Figure 2 illustrates in solid lines the semi-U-shaped spring members 21 and more clearly illustrates the manner in which they are positioned about the pivots 26 so as to hold the jaw sections 23 in alignment.

In using the. pipe wrench, including the pivoted jaw sections herein disclosed, it has been found desirable to increase the clearance defined by the loop I2 ofthe wrench about the shank I4 of the adjustable jaw l3 thereof so that the adjustable jaw is capable of a relatively greater degree of, movement by moving the lower end of the shank I4 toward the handle I0 of the wrench than has heretofore been 1 the case in pipe wrenches of adjustable jaw construction. The

increased width of the loop I2 is indicated by' dotted lines 30, and, as is customary in pipe wrench construction, the adjustable jaw 13 is normally biased toward the fixed jaw l l by a V- shaped leaf spring shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 and indicated by the numeral 31.

This construction, together with the angle of inclination of the lower pivoted jaw member I8, permits the wrench to be positioned on a work piece without rotating the milled, circular nut It. It will be seenthat when the pivoted jaw members l8 and 23 are on a work piecethey will adapt themselves to the contour of the'work piece and at the same time hold the wrench: at a precise right angle to the, axial shape of thework piece due to the self-centering of the pivoted jaws I8 iii) ventional pipe wrenches heretofore known in the art, and thus enable an improved wrench structure to be made available to the public at large.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: 1

1. In a pipe wrench including a handle having a fixed slotted jaw formed thereon and a slotted movable jaw adjustably positioned with respect thereto; said fixed and movable jaws lying in oppositely disposed relation to one another and each having a center section thereof cut away in a flattened V shape, work-engaging secondary jaw sections positionedv in engagement with the opposed slotted surfaces of the fixed jaw and the movable jaw, and pin means holding said secondary jaw sections in position in said slots whereby said secondary jaw sections may pivot from parallel end to end alignment when engaged on a flat workpiece to oppositely disposed flattened V shape positions when engaged on a workpiece positioned at right angles thereto.

2. In a pipe wrench including a handle having a fixed slotted jaw formed thereon and a slotted movable jaw adjustably positioned with respect iii) thereto; said-fixed and movablejaws lying in oppositely disposed relation to one another and each having a center section thereof cut away in a flattened V shape, work-engaging secondary jaw sections positioned in engagement with the opposed slotted surfaces of the fixed jaw and the movable jaw, and pin means holding said secondary jaw sections in position in said slots whereby said secondary jaw sections may pivot from parallel end to end alignment when engaged on a flat workpiece to oppositely disposed flattened V shape positions when engaged on a workpiece positioned at right angles thereto, each of said secondary jaw sections comprising a segment H T-shaped intransverse section with a work en gaging surface on the head of the T, there being at least two secondary jaw sections in each sup porting slotted jaw structure.

3. In a pipe wrench having a slotted fixed jaw and handle and a slotted movable jaw adjustably positioned thereon, said slotted jaws lying in oppositely disposed relation; work-engaging means positioned in the slotted jaws and in oppositely disposed relation, said work engaging means comprising pairs of members pivoted off center in said slotted jaw structures andpartially overlying the same, center sections of both of the slotted jaws being cut away so that the work engaging members may lie in parallel end to end position when engaged on a flat workpiece and in oppositely disposed angular relation to one another when engaged on "a round workpiece positioned transversely of said jaws, each of said members comprising a segment T-shaped in transverse section with a work engaging surface on the head of the T.

' HUGH N. BOYER.

REFERENCES orrsn The following references are of record in the

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