Abstract:
An engine-powered torque wrench ( 18 ) has a loop handle ( 19 ) that is orthogonal to a torque rod ( 22 ) of a torque handle. The engine-powered torque wrench has a heat engine ( 1 ) which rotates a toolhead ( 14 ) to which selected tools ( 25 ) or a striker gear ( 16 ) which can hold the selected tools is attachable. The loop handle is adapted to be hand-grasped by a first hand of a user for primary support of a system weight of the engine-powered torque wrench while selectively positioning a selected tool on a targeted item ( 23 ) which typically but not necessarily includes a fastener head ( 24 ). The torque handle is adapted to be hand-grasped by a second hand of the user for secondary support of the system weight while simultaneously using the second hand for assisting in positioning of the selected tool, leveraging against rotational moment of the tool heat engine and throttling heat engines which are not preset-throttled. The engine-powered torque wrench can be adapted for either right-handed or left-handed use and for either right-side access or left-side access to the targeted item.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to power wrenches and in particular to an engine-powered torque wrench having a loop handle that is orthogonal to a torque handle and in a plane parallel to an axis of a torque-wrench shaft. 
     2. Relation to Prior Art 
     Powered torque wrenches generally are tethered to electrical or pneumatic sources of operating power. They do not have non-tethered engine power with a convenient positioning handle in operative relationship to a torque handle in a manner taught by this invention. 
     One of the large uses of torque wrenches is for tightening and loosening lug nuts on wheels of highway trucks and trailers where electricity or high-pressured air are not available. Previously for this and other torque-wrench applications, hand wrenches have been used. Changing dual wheels on highway trucks with hand-power wrenches is so difficult for truck drivers on roadsides that the dual wheels of flat tires are often not changed. Instead, they are ruined by being driven flat to a repair facility. The cost of a ruined tire or the cost of repair service remote from a repair facility can be about as much as the cost of this engine-powered torque wrench with which numerous wheels can be changed. 
     There are other uses for this engine-powered torque wrench with comparable economic advantages. It is highly advantageous for use anyplace where electricity or pneumatic power are not readily available for either an electric-powered torque wrench or a pneumatic torque wrench which might be available. Versatility of easy use anywhere renders this invention a torque wrench of choice, even where electricity and/or air power are available. 
     Examples of most-closely related known but different powered tools are described in the following patent documents: 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Number 
                 Date 
                 Inventor 
                 U.S. Class 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,852 
                 08/02 
                 Taomo, et al. 
                 30/383 
               
               
                   
                 U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,367 
                 02/01 
                 Janczak 
                 30/392 
               
               
                   
                 U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,067 
                 01/99 
                 Taomo, et al. 
                 30/122 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention are to provide an engine-powered torque wrench which: 
     has power remotely from electrical or other fixed-site power sources; 
     can be positioned conveniently and accurately from any angle; 
     is optionally right-hand or left-hand operable; 
     has effective leveraging in opposition to rotational output power; and 
     has convenient throttling at a torque handle. 
     This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with an engine-powered torque wrench having a loop handle that is orthogonal to a torque handle. The engine-powered torque wrench has a heat engine which rotates a tool shaft. The heat engine has a rotary axis that is collinear to a shaft axis of the tool shaft. The loop handle is adapted to be hand-grasped by a first hand of a user for primary support of a system weight of the engine-powered torque wrench while selectively positioning a desired tool on a targeted item. The torque handle is adapted to be hand-grasped by a second hand of the user for secondary support of the system weight while simultaneously using the second hand for assisting in positioning of the tool, leveraging against rotational moment of the tool shaft and throttling the heat engine. 
     The engine-powered torque wrench is adapted for either right-handed or left-handed use and for either right-side access or left-side access to a wrench-targeted item. For right-handed use and for right-side access to the wrench-targeted item, the torque handle is positioned on a right side of the wrench-targeted item, the loop handle is grasped by the left hand and the torque handle is grasped by the right hand of the user with the user facing the wrench-targeted item. For left-handed use and for left-side access to the wrench-targeted item, the torque handle is positioned on a left side of the wrench-targeted item, the loop handle is grasped by the right hand and the torque handle is grasped by the left hand of the user with the user facing the wrench-targeted item. 
     The engine-powered torque wrench is adapted for selectively vertical or horizontal orientation of the rotary axis and the shaft axis in accordance with desired objectives in relation to the targeted item. For the selectively vertical or horizontal orientation in relationship to a targeted item that is vertically below the loop handle, the loop handle is adapted to be grasped by a first hand of the user at a position on the loop handle that is vertically higher than the targeted item, while the torque handle is grasped by the second hand of the user and the axis of the tool shaft is collinear to targeted rotation of the tool in relation to the targeted item. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     This invention is described by appended claims in relation to description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the following drawings which are explained briefly as follows: 
     FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of an embodiment of the engine-powered torque wrench having a loop handle extended upwardly from a gear housing, left-sidewardly to a top portion, rearwardly to a rear portion, downwardly to a bottom of an engine housing and inwardly to the engine housing; 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the FIG. 1 embodiment showing a torque handle extended orthogonally to the loop handle and to an axis of the engine-powered torque wrench; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment showing internal features with dashed lines and having a loop handle that is centered for balanced weight distribution; 
     FIG. 4 is an engine-end view of the FIG. 3 embodiment; 
     FIG. 5 is an engine-end view of the FIG. 1 embodiment and having a torque handle with dual rods; 
     FIG. 6 is an engine-end view of an embodiment having a loop handle that is centered and extended both upwardly and downwardly from the engine-powered torque wrench; 
     FIG. 7 is a left-side view of the FIG. 6 embodiment; 
     FIG. 8 is an engine-end view of the FIG. 7 illustration in a right-hand slanted orientation for supporting weight with both the loop handle and the torque handle; 
     FIG. 9 is a right-side view of the FIG. 7 embodiment showing the torque handle extended from a right side for left-handed use or for left-side use; 
     FIG. 10 is an engine-end view of the FIG. 9 illustration in a left-hand slanted orientation for supporting weight with both the loop handle and the torque handle; and 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of an embodiment with the loop handle centered and with the engine-powered torque wrench oriented vertically for accessing targeted items from an upward orientation. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Listed numerically below with reference to the drawings are terms used to describe features of this invention. These terms and numbers assigned to them designate the same features throughout this description. 
     
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                  1. Heat engine 
               
               
                   
                  2. Engine housing 
               
               
                   
                  3. Engine shaft 
               
               
                   
                  4. Power-tool clutch 
               
               
                   
                  5. Clutch shaft 
               
               
                   
                  6. Clutch housing 
               
               
                   
                  7. Power-tool gear 
               
               
                   
                  8. Gear-input shaft 
               
               
                   
                  9. Gear-output shaft 
               
               
                   
                 10. Gear housing 
               
               
                   
                 11. Engine section 
               
               
                   
                 12. Clutch section 
               
               
                   
                 13. Gear section 
               
               
                   
                 14. Toolhead 
               
               
                   
                 15. Toolhead section 
               
               
                   
                 16. Striker gear 
               
               
                   
                 17. Striker-gear section 
               
               
                   
                 18. Engine-powered torque wrench 
               
               
                   
                 19. Loop handle 
               
               
                   
                 20. First loop end 
               
               
                   
                 21. Second loop end 
               
               
                   
                 22. Torque rod 
               
               
                   
                 23. Targeted item 
               
               
                   
                 24. Fastener head 
               
               
                   
                 25. Selected tool 
               
               
                   
                 26. Wave spring 
               
               
                   
                 27. Curve-lobed striker 
               
               
                   
                 28. Striker shaft 
               
               
                   
                 29. Socket attachment 
               
               
                   
                 30. Glow plug 
               
               
                   
                 31. Sparkplug 
               
               
                   
                 32. Clutch plate 
               
               
                   
                 33. Gear plate 
               
               
                   
                 34. Eccentric head 
               
               
                   
                 35. Control handle 
               
               
                   
                 36. External truncate cone 
               
               
                   
                 37. Internal truncate cone 
               
               
                   
                 38. Top portion 
               
               
                   
                 39. Top-front portion 
               
               
                   
                 40. Rear portion 
               
               
                   
                 41. Bottom portion 
               
               
                   
                 42. Bottom-front portion 
               
               
                   
                 43. Support member 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Referring to FIGS. 1-2, an engine-powered torque wrench has a heat engine  1  in an engine housing  2  having an engine-base end and an engine-shaft end. An engine shaft  3  is extended from the engine-shaft end of the engine housing  2 . 
     The heat engine  2  can include any type of prime mover that is powered by fuel heat in contrast to motors which are tethered to electricity, compressed air, water power or other source of energy. Typically, but not necessarily, the heat engine  1  will include a crankshaft-piston engine with a two-stroke cycle because it is the lightest and most convenient prime mover readily available currently. 
     A power-tool clutch  4  has a clutch shaft  5  with an engine end and a gear end in a clutch housing  6 . The engine end of the clutch shaft  5  is coupled to the engine shaft  3  collinearly. The power-tool clutch  4  is a predeterminedly slip clutch having controllable rotational slip per resistance to rotational power of the heat engine  1 . 
     The power-tool clutch  4  can include any of a plurality of classes of clutches that can be adapted to fit and transfer power with controllable slip of rotational power from the heat engine  1 . 
     A power-tool gear  7  with a gear-input shaft  8  and a gear-output shaft  9  is positioned in a gear housing  10  with the gear-input shaft  8  coupled to the gear end of the clutch shaft  5  collinearly. 
     The engine housing  2  can be adapted to include an engine section  11 ; the clutch housing  6  can be adapted to include a clutch section  12 ; the gear housing  10  can be adapted to include a gear section  13 ; a toolhead  14  can be adapted to include a toolhead section  15 ; and a striker gear  16  can be adapted to include a striker-gear section  17  of the engine-powered torque wrench  18 . The engine-powered torque wrench  18  can be adapted to be predeterminedly concentric or to include separate shapes and forms of the engine housing  2 , the clutch housing  6 , the gear housing  10 , the toolhead section  15  and the striker-gear section  17 . Optionally also, the engine-powered torque wrench  18  can be adapted to cover and to house the engine housing  2 , the clutch housing  6 , the gear housing  10 , the toolhead section  15  and the striker-gear section  17  predeterminedly. 
     The toolhead  14  can include a selection of collets, chucks, fasteners or other holders having a gear end and a tool end with the gear end of the toolhead  14  being coupled to the gear-output shaft  9  collinearly. The toolhead  14  is adapted for detachable attachment of predetermined tools and toolholders selectively. 
     A loop handle  19  has a first loop end  20  attached to a top side of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  preferably proximate a top side of the gear housing  10  with the power-tool gear  7  having a gear axis oriented horizontally. The loop handle  19  has a second loop end  21  attached to a predetermined portion of a bottom side of the engine-powered torque wrench  18 . 
     A torque handle includes a torque rod  22  with a first end of the torque rod  22  attached to a first side of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  proximate a first side of the engine housing  2 . The torque rod  22  is oriented orthogonally to the gear axis. 
     The loop handle  19  is adapted for first-hand-grasping selectively intermediate the first loop end  20  and the second loop end  21  for supporting weight of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  and for positioning the tool end of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  proximate a targeted item  23  that typically, but not necessarily, will include a fastener head  24  such as a fastener nut or bolt head. A particularly targeted item  23  includes a lug nut on a truck or car wheel. 
     The torque handle is adapted for second-hand-grasping for aiding in supporting of the weight of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  and in the positioning of a selected tool  25  desirably proximate the targeted item  23 . Typically, but necessarily, the selected tool  25  will be a socket wrench. 
     The torque handle that can include the torque rod  22  can be adapted for operative control of the heat engine  1 . The control by the torque handle can include mere positioning aid for heat engines  1  having fixed rotational speed with preset throttling, twisting for motorcycle-like throttling or shifting of a shiftable power-tool gear in combination with throttling of the heat engine  1 . The torque handle includes a lever length that is adapted for hand-held resistance to rotational output power that is transmitted to the gear-output shaft  9 . 
     The engine-powered torque wrench  18  can include a light-duty embodiment for which the heat engine  1  preferably but not necessarily has less than one horsepower. For minimizing weight, the heat engine  1  for the light-duty embodiment can be adapted for constant rotational speed with preset throttling and with the power-tool gear  7  being a reduction gear having a single output ratio of speed for transmission to the gear-output shaft  9  in proportion to rotational speed of the heat engine  1 . 
     The toolholder for which the toolhead  14  is adapted for detachable attachment can includes the striker gear  16 . The striker gear  16  can be adapted for holding selected tools that are detachably attachable predeterminedly. The striker gear  16  can include a wave-spring striker gear having one or more curve-lobes of a curve-lobed wave spring  26  for being engaged rotationally by one or more curved lobes of a curve-lobed striker  27  that can have a striker shaft  28  adapted for detachable attachment to the toolhead  14 . The striker gear  16  can include a socket attachment  29  that is adapted to be inserted into a socket-boss end of a selected conventional wrench socket that is the selected tool  25 . 
     The heat engine  1  can include a glow-plug engine having glow-plug-heat ignition of fuel and compressed air. Optionally also, the heat engine  1  can include a sparkplug engine having sparkplug ignition of the fuel and compressed air. Separate sizes and types of heat engines  1  are not shown because they can be structured the same. Shown in FIG. 2, however is a representation of a glow plug  30  that is longer than a representation of a sparkplug  31  in FIG.  3 . 
     The slip clutch of the power-tool clutch  4  can include a clutch plate  32  which is attached to the clutch shaft  5  for being rotated by the heat engine  1 . The slip clutch also can include a gear plate  33  that is attached to the gear end of the clutch shaft  5  for rotation of the gear-input shaft  8 . 
     A slip-control member can be positioned proximate a gear side of the clutch plate  32  for controlling contact and tightness of contact of the clutch plate  32  with the gear plate  33 . Shown in FIG. 1 is an eccentric head  34  on a control handle  35  for representing an optional means for pressuring of the clutch plate  32  against the gear plate  33  of the power-tool clutch  4  selectively. Other means are known and still other means are foreseeable for controlling slip in order to control output torque that is transmitted to the selected tool  25 . 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the clutch plate  32  can include an external truncate cone  36  and the gear plate  33  can include an internal truncate cone  37  that is adapted to be received by the external truncate cone  36  of the clutch plate  32  predeterminedly. 
     Optionally as shown in FIG. 7, the gear plate  33  can include the external truncate cone  36  and the clutch plate  32  can include the internal truncate cone  37  that is adapted to be received by the external truncate cone  36  of the gear plate  33  predeterminedly. 
     For a heavy-duty embodiment, the heat engine  1  has more than one horsepower. For both the heavy-duty embodiment and the light-duty embodiment, the heat engine  1  can be adapted for variable rotational speed with throttle control preferably at the toque rod  22  and optionally also by variable output ratio of speed of the power-tool gear  7  in proportion to rotational speed of the heat engine  1 . The power-tool gear  7  can include a reduction gear having a plurality of output ratios of speed for transmission to the gear-output shaft  9  in proportion to rotational speed of the heat engine  1 . For both the heavy-duty embodiment and the light-duty embodiment, the heat engine  1  can be adapted also for the power-tool gear  7  to include a reduction gear having a single output ratio of speed for transmission to the gear-output shaft  9  in proportion to rotational speed of the heat engine  1 . 
     The loop handle  19  can include a top portion  38  that is positioned predeterminedly proximate a center of gravity vertically above the engine housing  2  with the axis of the gear-output shaft  9  being oriented horizontally for support of approximately a total weight of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  with the torque handle and the torque rod  22  thereof being oriented approximately horizontal as shown in FIGS. 1-4,  7 , and  9 . 
     The loop handle  19  and the torque rod  22  of the torque handle are adapted for selectable balance of support of the weight of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  with an axis of the gear-output shaft  9  being about horizontal and the torque handle being rotated selectively intermediate horizontality and approximately forty-five degrees from horizontality as shown in FIG.  8 . 
     The loop handle  19  can include the top portion  38  of the loop handle being positioned predeterminedly off of the center of gravity vertically above the engine housing  2  with an axis of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  being about horizontal for support of predetermined portions of the total weight of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  with the loop handle  19  and the torque handle having the torque rod  22  as shown in FIGS. 1-2 and  5 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 7,  9  and  11 , the loop handle  19  can include a wrench-balance circuit in relationship to the axis of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  being oriented horizontally. The wrench-balance circuit includes a top-front portion  39 , the top portion  38 , a rear portion  40 , a bottom portion  41  and a bottom-front portion  42  of the loop handle  19 . The top-front portion  39  is extended upward vertically from proximate a top portion of the gear section  13  to the top portion  38  of the loop handle  19 . The top portion  38  of the loop handle  19  is extended rearwardly to the rear portion  40  of the loop handle  19  which is aft of the engine housing  2  predeterminedly and extended downwardly to the bottom portion  41  of the loop handle  19  which is predeterminedly below the engine housing  2 . The bottom portion  41  of the loop handle  19  is extended forwardly to the bottom-front portion  42  of the loop handle  19 . The bottom-front portion  42  of the loop handle  19  is extended upward vertically and attached to the engine-powered torque wrench  18  proximate a bottom portion of the gear housing  10 . 
     The loop handle  19  can include a loop plane that is approximately parallel to the axis of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  which can be adapted to have about equal weight on opposite sides of the loop plane with the loop handle  19  being positioned proximate a center of gravity of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  linearly intermediate the tool end of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  and a starter for the heat engine  1  that is oppositely disposed from the tool end. 
     The engine-powered torque wrench  18  can be adapted to have predeterminedly near equal weight in all directions radially from the axis of the engine-powered torque wrench  18 . 
     At least one support member  43  can be positioned intermediate the engine section  11  and the loop handle  19 . 
     The wrench-balance circuit of the loop handle  19  allows use of the engine-powered torque wrench  18  from either side by either left-or-right-handed users or vertically by either left-or-right-handed users. For left-handed users and for left-side access, the engine-powered torque wrench  18  is oriented upside down with the top portion  38  being on a bottom side and with the torque rod  22  being on the left side as shown in FIG.  9 . 
     A new and useful engine-powered torque wrench having been described, all such foreseeable modifications, adaptations, substitutions of equivalents, mathematical possibilities of combinations of parts, pluralities of parts, applications and forms thereof as described by the following claims and not precluded by prior art are included in this invention.