Combination pliers and spanner wrench

A spanner wrench is clamped to one component of a conventional pair of pliers and is prevented from turning relative to that component by the same pivot element which pivotably connects the two plier components to one another.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In taverns and bars which dispense draft beer, several hand tools are 
required in order to assemble and disassembly various components of the 
dispensing equipment. Tools which are typically used include pliers, a 
screwdriver, an adjustable wrench and a spanner wrench. The spanner wrench 
is a specialized tool which is used to screw a dispensing faucet onto and 
off of a beer dispensing line. The faucet must be removed from the line at 
frequent intervals for purposes of cleaning the faucet. 
The need to have several tools at a bar is an inconvenience, both from the 
standpoint of storing the tools in the bar area and from the standpoint of 
finding the proper tool for the proper job. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The general aim of the present invention is to provide a combination tool 
comprising at least a pair of pliers and a spanner wrench so as to reduce 
the number of separate tools required at a bar. 
A more detailed object of the invention is to achieve the foregoing by 
providing a pair of pliers whose pivot element supports a spanner wrench 
and prevents turning of the wrench relative to one of the handles of the 
pliers, the plier handles also serving as a handle for the spanner wrench. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a combination tool of the 
above type in which the handles of the pliers also carry a screwdriver 
blade and/or an adjustable wrench. 
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more 
apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction 
with the accompanying drawings.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative 
constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment hereof has been shown in 
the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be 
understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to 
the specific form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to 
cover all modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents falling 
within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
For purposes of illustration, the invention has been shown in the drawings 
as embodied in a combination tool 10 which is especially useful at a bar 
for purposes of assembling and disassembling the components of a draft 
beer dispensing system. One such component is a dispensing faucet 11 (FIG. 
2) which is adapted to be screwed onto and off of a beer dispensing line 
12. While the tool 10 is particularly useful at a bar, it may, of course, 
be utilized in other environments. 
The heart of the tool 10 is a pair of pliers 15 having two pivotally 
interconnected members 16 and 17. Each of the members includes an 
elongated handle 18 having a serrated jaw 19 at one end thereof. The two 
members are pivotally interconnected adjacent the jaws by a pivot element 
20. 
In this particular instance, the pivot element 20 is a screw having a shank 
with a threaded end portion 21 (FIG. 4) and with a non-circular unthreaded 
portion 22 located between and formed integrally with the threaded portion 
and an enlarged head 23. Herein, the non-circular portion 22 of the shank 
is of double-D shape and includes two generally straight and parallel 
sides joined by two convexly curved ends (see FIG. 4). 
Formed through the member 16 of the pliers 15 adjacent the jaw 19 thereof 
is a hole 25 having the same double-D shape as the shank portion 22 of the 
screw 20. A generally figure-8 shaped hole 26 is formed through the member 
17 and is aligned generally with the hole 25. When the screw 20 is 
assembled with the members 16 and 17, the non-circular portion 22 of the 
shank is located within the holes 25 and 26 while the threaded portion 21 
of the shank extends beyond the member 17 and into a nut 28. The 
non-circular portion 22 of the shank prevents turning of the member 16 on 
the screw 20. The member 17 may be pivoted on the non-circular portion to 
open and close its jaw 19 relative to the other jaw and also may be 
adjusted transversely of the screw to adjust the initial and final spacing 
between the jaws. 
In accordance with the present invention, the screw 20 also serves to 
attach a spanner wrench 30 to the member 16 so that the tool 10 is capable 
not only of functioning as pliers but also may perform a specialized 
wrenching function. In this particular instance, the spanner wrench is 
especially adapted to tighten the faucet 11 on and loosen the faucet from 
the beer line 12. 
More specifically, the spanner wrench 30 is made from a flat piece of steel 
and includes a curved wrenching portion 31 adapted to embrace part of the 
female fitting 32 (FIG. 2) of the faucet 11. Formed integrally with and 
projecting inwardly from the free end of the curved portion is a dog 33 
adapted to be received in a hole 34 in the fitting 32. When the spanner 
wrench is positioned as shown in FIG. 2, the dog effects loosening of the 
faucet fitting when the wrench is turned clockwise. 
Pursuant to the invention, the spanner wrench 30 includes a mounting 
portion 35 formed with a hole 36 (FIG. 4) of substantially the same size 
and shape as the double-D hole 25 in the member 16. The mounting portion 
35 of the wrench is sandwiched between the member 16 and the head 23 of 
the screw 20 and receives the non-circular portion 22 of the screw shank. 
When the nut 28 is tightened, the mounting portion 35 of the wrench is 
clamped tightly between the member 16 and the head 23 and is prevented 
from turning relative to those components by the coaction of the 
non-circular shank portion 22 and the complementary shaped hole 36. 
With the foregoing arrangement, the handles 18 of the pliers 15 also serve 
as handles for the spanner wrench 30 to enable substantial leverage to be 
applied to the relatively short wrench. By virtue of being attached to the 
pliers, the wrench is less likely to be misplaced and, in addition, only 
one tool need be purchased and stored rather than two separate tools. 
The versatility of the tool 10 is increased further by grinding the free 
end portion of the handle 18 of the member 17 in such a manner as to form 
a screwdriver blade 40 (FIGS. 1 and 5) at the end of the handle. In 
addition, an adjustable wrenching head indicated generally by the 
reference numeral 41 is carried by the free end portion of the handle 18 
of the member 16. Thus, the tool 10 also eliminates the need for a 
separate screwdriver and a separate adjustable wrench. 
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present invention brings 
to the art a combination tool 10 in which the conventional pivot element 
20 of the pliers 15 also is used to clamp and prevent turning of the 
spanner wrench 30 so that both the pliers and the spanner wrench may be 
purchased, used and stored as a single unit. While the pivot element has 
been specifically disclosed as being a screw with a nut 28, it should be 
appreciated that other forms of pivot elements (e.g., a headed pin with a 
swaged end) may be used. In addition, the end portion of the screw 20 
opposite the threaded portion 21 also may be threaded to receive a nut 
rather than having an integral head 23, in which case the latter nut would 
define a head.