Improvements in Ratchet Wrenches.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1896-Accented, 21st Nov., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ratchet Wrenches.
I, EDWARD THOMPSON WARN, of Pleasant Valley Ranch, Maiden, in the
County of Fergus and. State of Montana, United States of America, Rancher, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of this invention is to provide a ratchet wrench, so constructed that
its several parts are separable one from another, thus providing for easily replacing
a part that shall have become worn or broken; and further to provide a simple
mechanism whereby the wrench may be quickly changed to operate either to the
right or to the left, and which may be used conveniently in a very small space, such
for instance as within boilers, stoves and the like.
I will describe a ratchet wrench embodying my invention and then point out the
novel features in the appended claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a wrench embodying my invention;
Figure 2 is a section substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a section through the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and
Figure 4 shows a pawl employed.
The wrench comprises two ring plates 1, 2, each provided on its inner side with
ratchet teeth 3. The ring plates 1 and 2 extend somewhat beyond the circum-
ference of the ratchet teeth 3 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The ratchet
teeth 3 may be formed integral with the plates 1 and 2, or they may be formed on
separate ring plates, which may be secured in the ring plates 1 and 2 by rivets or
otherwise. In either event a ring plate and its teeth will be practically one
structure.
One of the ring plates, here shown as the ring plate 2, is provided at diametrically
opposite sides with transversely-extended flanges 4, 5. These flanges 4, 5, extend
into the ring plate 1, and this ring plate 1 may be removably secured to the flanges
in any desired manner. Extended between the flanges 4 and 5 are guide bars 6,
upon which the wrench jaws 7 are mounted to move. The guide bars 6 may have
their ends removably seated in mortises formed in the flanges 4 and 5. The jaws 7
are provided with openings through which the guide bars 6 extend, so that said
jaws may be moved toward and from each other to adapt them to the size of the
work in hand. Screws 8 engage in tapped openings in the jaws 7, and the shank
portions of these screws are passed through the flanges 4 and 5, as plainly indicated
in the drawings. The shank portions of the screws 8 where they pass through the
flanges 4 and 5, are reduced in diameter so as to form shoulders to engage the
outer and inner surfaces of the flanges 4 and 5, and thus prevent a longitudinal
movement of the screws through said flanges, while allowing of a rotary movement
of the screws.
The outer end of each screw 8 is provided with a pinion 9, meshing with
teeth 10 formed on ring plates 11 mounted to rotate on the inner sides of the
plates 1 and 2. These ring plates 11 will be centred and have their bearings on
the flanges 4 and 5.
The several parts above described are mounted within a band 12, in such a

page_text: manner that there may be a relative rotary movement between said band 12 and
the said parts. As here shown, the band 12 engages around the periphery of the
plates 1 and 2 and also has shoulder portions to engage the inner edges of the said
plates, thus preventing the wrench parts from dropping out of the band. The
band 12 has its ends connected to a handle 13, which is made tubular. A jaw-
adjusting rod 14 extends through the handle 13, and has on its inner end a pinion 15,
adapted to be moved into engagement with the teeth of the respective plates 11.
This pinion 15 is held normally out of engagement with said teeth by means of a
spring 16, abutting at one end against a shoulder 17 formed by an enlarged tubular
portion of the handle, and at its other end against the head 18 secured to the outer
end of the rod 14.
Pivoted to opposite sides of the handle 13, and adapted to engage with the
ratchet teeth 3 of each ring plate 1, 2, are pawls 19 and 20. Preferably, the base
portion of the handle 13 will have an enlarged portion 20 provided with openings
through which the pawls 19 and 20 extend to their engagement with the ratchet
teeth. As shown in Figure 4 each pawl has two fingers 21 and 22, one finger
being adapted to engage with the ratchet teeth on the ring plate 1, and the other
finger being adapted to engage with the ratchet teeth on the ring plate 2. Springs 23,
secured to the handle 13 and having their free ends engaged with the inner surfaces
of the outwardly-extending portions of the pawls 19 and 20, serve to hold the pawls
in yielding engagement with the ratchet teeth.
The object in providing two pawls is to allow for operating the wrench either to
the right or to the left, that is, when the wrench is operated as a right hand wrench
one of the pawls will be in engagement with the ratchet teeth and the other pawl
will be held out of engagement therewith. Of course this engagement will be
reversed when the wrench is used as a left hand wrench.
As a means for holding one of the pawls out of its operative position, I have
here shown a ring 24, mounted to rotate around the handle 13, and over the
outwardly-extended portions of the pawls. At one side this ring 24 has an offset 25
(Figure 3) into which the outwardly-extended portion of a pawl may freely move
when said pawl is in its operative connection with the ratchet wheel; that is, should
it be desired to operate the wrench with the pawl 19, the ring 24 will be placed
with its offset 25 over the outwardly-extended portion of said pawl 19, and the
opposite side of said ring engaging with the outwardly-extended portion of the
pawl 20 will move the said outwardly extended portion into close contact with
the handle, and consequently secure its operative end out of engagement with the
ratchet teeth.
When it is desired to adjust the jaws 7 toward or from each other, the adjusting
rod 14 will be forced inward to engage the pinion 15 with the teeth on the rings 11;
then by rotating said adjusting rod the said rings will be rotated and consequently
the screws 8 will be rotated and their threaded portions will move the jaws toward
or from each other; then by releasing the adjusting rod it is obvious that the
spring 16 will move the same outward to disengage the pinion from the teeth. By
this construction it will be seen that the two jaws 7 are simultaneously moved and
to equal distances, and thus it will be seen that the jaws will be at all times
centred.
Having
now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A ratchet wrench, comprising a pair of ring plates having ratchet teeth on
their inner surfaces, guide bars supported by said ring plates, jaws movable on said
guide bars, means for adjusting said jaws on the guide bars, a handle comprising a
band engaging around the ring plates, pawls pivotally mounted on said handle and
adapted to engage respectively with the ratchet teeth on the ring plates, and means
for holding one of said pawls out of operative position while the other pawl is in
operative position, substantially as specified.

page_text: 2. A ratchet wrench, comprising ring plates having ratchet teeth on their inner
surfaces, diametrically opposite flanges extended transversely at the inner
periphery of the ring plates, guide bars extended between said flanges, jaws
mounted to move on said guide bars, screws having rotary bearings in said flanges
and engaging with tapped holes in the jaws, means for holding said screws to
adjust the jaws, a handle comprising a band engaging around the ring plates,
pawls pivoted to opposite sides of the said handle and adapted to be engaged
respectively with the ratchet teeth formed on the ring plates, and means for
holding one of said pawls out of operative position, substantially as specified.
3. A ratchet wrench, comprising ring plates having ratchet teeth on their inner
surfaces, diametrically opposite flanges extended transversely within the ring plates,
guide bars supported by said flanges, jaws movable on said guide bars, screws
having rotary bearings through the flanges and having engagement with tapped
holes in the jaws, each of said screws having a pinion on its outer end, rings
having teeth formed on their inner sides to engage with said pinions on the
screws, a tubular handle, an adjusting rod movable longitudinally in said handle,
a pinion on the inner end of said rod, adapted for engagement with the teeth
of said rings, and pawls pivotally mounted on the handle and adapted
respectively for engagement with the ratchet teeth of the ring plates, substantially
as specified.
4. A ratchet wrench, comprising ring plates having ratchet teeth on their
inner surfaces, diametrically opposite flanges extended transversely within the
ring plates, guide bars supported by said flanges, jaws movable on said guide
bars, screws having rotary bearings through the flanges and having engagement
with tapped holes in the jaws, each of said screws having a pinion on its outer
end, rings having teeth formed on their inner sides to engage with said pinions
on the screws, a tubular handle, an adjusting rod movable longitudinally in said
handle, a pinion on the inner end of said rod, adapted for engagement with the
teeth of said rings, pawls pivotally mounted on the handle and adapted respectively
for engagement with the ratchet teeth of the ring plates, and a spring for moving
the adjusting rod outward, to disengage its pinion from the teeth of the rings,
substantially as specified.
5. A ratchet wrench, comprising ring plates having ratchet teeth formed on
their inner surfaces, adjusting jaws carried by said ring plates, means for adjusting
said jaws, a handle mounted to rotate relatively to the ring plates, pawls pivoted
to opposite sides of said handle and adapted for engagement respectively with the
ratchet teeth on the ring plates, and a ring movable around the handle and over
the outwardly-extended portions of said pawls, the said ring having an offset in
which an outwardly extended portion of one of the pawls may move, substantially
as specified.
Dated this 20th day of October 1806
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.