Abstract:
A quick sliding adjustable locking wrench is disclosed having slidable and movable opposing jaw areas for engaging and gripping hex angular, round, square or irregular workpieces of various sizes within its operating capacity. A quick release jaw mechanism, employed within the wrench, allows the operator of the wrench, rapid release of the jaws from the workpiece, to continue on to the next workpiece engagement. The jaw portions are additionally configured to firmly grip and lock on to the various workpieces.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to wrenches and, more particularly, to wrenches which are usable to handle various types and sizes of hexagonal, square and round work pieces, particularly, nuts, bolts, pipes and pipe fittings.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior art  
           [0004]    A variety of hand tools have been utilized with the installation of nuts, bolts, pipes and pipe fittings. Wrench—type and plier—type hand tools are commonly used to handle nuts, bolts, pipes and pipe fittings. See, for example, the tools shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 994,070; 1,027,203; 1,199,806; 2,592,927; 3,968,708; and 3,955,450.  
           [0005]    However, the use of these prior art tools to install or remove nuts, bolts, pipes and pipe fittings is disadvantageous for numerous reasons. First, the opposing jaw areas allow a loose application at only two surfaces of the nuts and bolts of various sizes and shapes. In addition, these tools do not provide a uniform holding grip on the nuts or bolts. Further, these tools require a laborious task of repetitious mechanical adjustment and employing the use of various thumb and finger type devices to move the jaws of the tools to encompass the nuts and bolts. The same laborious task of repetitious mechanical adjustment is required to open the jaws to receive the nuts and bolts of various sizes and shapes. In the installation or removal of pipes and pipe fittings, the tools presently in use also require a laborious task of repetitious mechanical adjustment, employing the use of various thumb and finger type devices, to move the jaws of the tools to grasp the various sizes of pipes and pipe fittings. The same laborious task of repetitious mechanical adjustment is also required to open the jaws to receive the pipes and pipe fittings of various sizes and shapes.  
           [0006]    Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide wrenches for handling nuts, bolts, pipes and pipe fittings, which can be used to tighten or loosen the nuts, bolts, pipes and pipe fittings, with a uniform holding grip, without the laborious task of repetitious mechanical adjustment. It is another object of the invention to provide wrenches which can be easily used in a confined environment without damage to the nuts, bolts, pipes and pipe fittings themselves.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention provides a wrench hand tool for the installation and removal of nuts, bolts, pipes, pipe fittings, rods and bars, with a uniform positive gripping action, without the laborious task of a repetitious mechanical adjustment as required by the wrench-type and plier-type hand tools of prior art. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wrench according to the present invention;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the wrench according to the present invention;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a front view of the wrench shown in FIG. 1 grasping a hexagon shaped nut;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a right side view of the wrench shown in FIG. 3;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a left side view of the wrench shown in FIG. 3;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is a front view of the wrench as shown in FIG. 2 grasping a circular object;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 is a right side view of the wrench shown in FIG. 6;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 8 is a left side view of the wrench shown in FIG. 6;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 9 is a front view of a third embodiment of the wrench, grasping a hexagon shaped nut, according to the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 10 is a right side view of the wrench shown in FIG. 9;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 11 is a left side view of the wrench shown in FIG. 9;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 12 is a front view of a fourth embodiment of the wrench, grasping a hexagon shaped nut, according to the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 13 is a right side view of the wrench shown in FIG. 12;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 14 is a left side view of the wrench shown in FIG. 12;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 15 is a top view of the wrench shown in FIG. 3;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the wrench shown in FIG. 3;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 17 is a top view of the wrench shown in FIG. 6;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 18 is a bottom view of the wrench shown in FIG. 6;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 19 is a top view of the wrench shown in FIG. 9;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 20 is a bottom view of the wrench shown in FIG. 9;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 21 is a top view of the wrench shown in FIG. 12;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 22 is a bottom view of the wrench shown in FIG. 12;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 23 is a sectional view of FIG. 24;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 25 is a sectional view of FIG. 26;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 29 is an enlarged view of FIG. 27 and FIG. 28;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 30 displays hexagon shaped nuts and pipe fittings of several sizes;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 31 displays bolts and pipes of several sizes. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0035]    Referring now to FIGS.  1 - 31 , there is shown a wrench  1  for handling hex angular nuts  30  and hex angular bolts  31 , as shown in FIGS. 1, 3,  4 ,  5 ,  15 ,  16 ,  23 ,  24 ,  27 ,  29 ,  30  and  31 . The wrench  1  includes a body  2 , a pivoted lever handle  3 , an upper flat surfaced angular gripping movable jaw  4 , a lower flat surfaced angular gripping movable jaw  5 , and a serrated thumb slide  6 . The body  2  and the pivoted handle  3  may have plastic or other composition hand grips  7  there about which permit comfortable control of the wrench. The pivoted lever handle  3  is attached to the body  2  by a pivot  8 . The angular jaw  4  and the angular jaw  5  are oriented to securely grasp a nut  30  or bolt  31  on four surfaces of the workpiece there between. The wrench  1  may be constructed of drop-forged steel, stamped metal, powdered metal or other adequate strength materials.  
         [0036]    The wrench is usable to tighten or loosen nuts  30  and bolts  31  by moving the jaw  4  toward the jaw  5 , thereby grasping the nut  30  or bolt  31  therein. The jaw  4  may be moved toward the jaw  5  by applying force to the jaw  4  on the serrated areas  9  or  10 , by sliding the serrated thumb pull  6  or by cranking the handle  3  towards the body  2 . Referring to FIGS. 23 and 29, the handle  3  is held in a neutral position by a retaining spring  33 . Cranking the handle  3  towards the body  2  causes the pivot  43  to move the link  45  in a downward motion causing the pivoted notched device  35 , which is held in constant position against the notched portion  48  of the jaw  4  by the retaining spring  34 , to move the jaw  4  to the desired position towards the jaw  5  to engage the nut  30  or bolt  31 . Moving the jaw  4  towards the jaw  5  causes the notched dog  36 , which is also held in constant position by the retaining spring  34 , to engage the notches  48  on the jaw  4  thereby locking the jaw  4  in a positive position.  
         [0037]    Grasping the handle  3  toward the body  2 , while the jaw  4  is in a locked position, causes a cam lever action at the end portion  29  of the handle  3  against the jaw  5  thereby causing a positive gripping force against the nut  30  or the bolt  31 . The nut  30  or bolt  31  may then be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise without inverting the wrench. Releasing the grasp on the handle  3  and moving the handle  3  away from the body  2  beyond the neutral position, allows the pivot pin  44  to move the link  46  away from the body  2  and pulls the pivot pin  40  on the notched dog  36 , which revolves on pivot pin  39 , thus moving the notched dog  36  away from the notches  48  and simultaneously allows the pivot pin  43  to move the link  45  away from the body  2  and pulls the pivot pin  38  on the notched device  35  thus moving the notched device  35  away from the notches  48  thus allowing the compression spring  42  to return the jaw  4  to a fully open position.  
         [0038]    The upper portion of jaws  4  and  5  are formed substantially as hex angular flat gripping surface areas  16 , divided by circular grooves  15 , to accommodate obtrusive irregularities on the outside comers of some hex angular nuts and bolts. The hex angular flat gripping surface areas  16  are arranged to grasp the angular surfaces of hex angular nuts  30  and bolts  31  as shown in FIGS. 3, 30 and  31 . The jaw  5  contains thereon alignment appendages  11  which allows the jaw  5  to move laterally in the alignment slits  12  thus allowing the cam action  29  to tighten the jaw  5  against the nut  30  or bolt  31  as shown in FIG. 3. The jaw  4  contains therein alignment slits  47 , which ride along the alignment pins  14  to maintain alignment of the jaw  4  as it travels back and forth in the body pocket chamber  37  as the dog  36  and notched device  35  engage or disengage the notches  48  on the jaw  4  as shown in FIGS. 23, 27 and  29 . The lower body portion contains therein a body chamber  37  to house a coil spring  42  to maintain constant pressure against the lower portion of jaw  4  as shown in FIGS. 23, 27 and  29 .  
         [0039]    The first preferred embodiment of the wrench is fully described above. A second preferred embodiment of the wrench  1  for handling pipes  49  and pipe fittings  50  is shown in FIGS. 2, 6,  7 ,  8 ,  17 ,  18 ,  25 ,  26 ,  28  and  29 ,  30  and  31 . The wrench  1  includes a body  2 , a pivoted lever handle  3  and serrated gripping surfaces  21  on jaws  17  and  18  for grasping pipes  49  and pipe fittings  50 . The wrench is usable to tighten or loosen pipes  49  and pipe fittings  50  by moving the jaw  17  toward the jaw  18 , thereby grasping the pipes  49  and pipe fittings  50  therein. The jaw  17  may be moved toward the jaw  18  by applying force to the jaw  17  on the serrated areas  19  or  20 , by sliding the serrated thumb pull  6  or by cranking the handle  3  towards the body  2 . When the jaws  17  and  18  engage the pipe  49  or pipe fitting  50 , grasping the handle  3  towards the body  2  causes the cam lever action at the end portion  29  thereby causing a positive tightening of the jaw  18  against the jaw  17  thus causing a positive gripping force on the pipe  49  or pipe fitting  50 . Releasing the grasp on the handle  3 , allows the wrench to rotate on the pipe  49  or fitting  50  in a repetitive manner without removing the wrench from the workpiece. Removing the pipes  49  and pipe fittings  50  is accomplished by inverting the wrench on the pipes  49  and pipe fittings  50  and rotating the wrench in a counterclockwise direction thus removing the workpiece.  
         [0040]    A third preferred embodiment of the wrench  1  for handling hex angular nuts is shown in FIGS. 9, 10,  11 ,  19 ,  20 ,  30  and  31 . The wrench includes a body  2 , a pivoted lever handle  3 , serrated angular gripping surfaces  24  on movable jaws  22  and  23  for grasping damaged or irregular shaped objects such as, but not limited to, nuts, bolts, pipes, fittings, rods and bars. The wrench is usable to tighten or loosen workpieces by moving the jaw  22  toward the jaw  23 , thereby grasping the workpiece therein. The jaw  22  may be moved toward the jaw  23  by applying force to the jaw  22  on the serrated areas  9  or  10 , by sliding the serrated thumb pull  6 , or by cranking the handle  3  towards the body  2 . When the jaws  22  and  23  engage the workpiece, grasping the lever handle  3  towards the body  2  causes a cam lever action at the end portion  29  against jaw  24  thereby causing a positive gripping force against the workpiece. The workpiece may then be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise without inverting the wrench.  
         [0041]    A fourth preferred embodiment of the wrench  1  for handling hex angular and square nuts as shown in FIGS. 12, 13,  14 ,  21 ,  22 ,  30  and  31 . The wrench  1  includes a body  2 , a pivoted lever handle  3 , opposing parallel aligned flat gripping surfaces  27  on movable jaws  25  and  26  for grasping hex angular and square nuts. The wrench is usable to tighten or loosen workpieces by moving the jaw  25  toward the jaw  26 , thereby grasping the workpiece therein. The jaw  25  may be moved toward the jaw  26  by applying force to the jaw  25  on the serrated area  28 , by sliding the serrated thumb pull  6 , or by cranking the handle  3  towards the body  2 . When the jaws  25  and  26  engage the workpiece, grasping the handle  3  towards the body  2  causes the cam lever action at the end portion  29  against jaw  26  thereby causing a positive gripping force against the workpiece. The workpiece may then be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise without inverting the wrench.  
         [0042]    Having described above the presently preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the appended claims.