Patent ID: 6367355
Filing Date: 2002-04-09
Classification: B25B

Abstract:
A universal wrench for tightening or loosening polygonal assembly elements selected from the group consisting of nuts, bolt heads and polygonal tube sleeves, this universal wrench including a wrench body provided with a handle and a wrench head arranged at one end of said handle and adapted to come into contact with one of said polygonal assembly elements to be tightened or loosened, said wrench head including a support body able to accommodate said one polygonal assembly element,wherein the wrench further includes: a flexible strap-shaped element adapted to surround and hold the polygonal assembly element against said support body, one end of said flexible strap-shaped element being fixed to said wrench head, and tension means associated with the handle and adapted to act on an opposite end of the flexible strap-shaped element in order to place and hold said flexible strap-shaped element under tension, said wrench head being rotatably mounted with respect to said handle about a rotational axis parallel to a rotational axis of the polygonal assembly element to be tightened or loosened, so that a tightening or loosening rotational movement causes an increase in the tension of said flexible strap-shaped element thus assuring that the wrench is held gripped on an angle of the polygonal assembly element, and so that a return rotational movement opposite to the tightening or loosening rotational movement causes the flexible strap-shaped element to relax thus allowing said wrench head to slide and grip another angle of the polygonal assembly element, said wrench head being resiliently linked to said handle by return means arranged to automatically place said flexible strap-shaped element under tension during said return rotational movement opposite to the tightening or loosening rotational movement.