Improvements in Adjustable Screw Spanners or Screw Wrenches.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application. 12th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 11th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 24th Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Adjustable Screw Spanners or Screw Wrenches.
I ANDREW SAMUEL SANSOM of Regent Works, Warwick Street, Birmingham
in the County of Warwick Manufacturer of Cycle and Sewing Machine Fittings
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in adjustable.
screw spanners or screw wrenches, whereby a very rapid adjustment of the movable
jaw can be effected.
My said invention consists principally in so constructing the movable jaw and
combining it with the bar of the screw spanner or wrench that the said movable jaw
is made capable both of a rapid rough or coarse adjustment and also of a fine
adjustment as hereinafter particularly explained.
In constructing an adjustable screw spanner or screw wrench according to my
invention I provide the movable jaw, as usual, with a worm at the lower part of its
front edge which worm gears with a toothed rack at the front edge of the spanner
bar, but instead of making the said movable jaw capable only of a sliding motion
on the bar, by the rotation of the worm, it is also made capable of being inclined
at a small angle to the bar so that the worm can be temporarily ungeared from
the rack and when so ungeared the movable jaw is free to slide to and from the
fixed jaw at the head of the bar. To the back of the movable jaw a bow or plate
spring is affixed, the free end of the said spring bearing against and sliding upon
the back edge of the spanner bar and maintaining the worm of the movable jaw
in gear with the toothed rack. This plate or bow spring may either be concealed
in a box at the back edge of the movable jaw or be exposed at the said back edge.
I prefer however to conceal the said plate or bow spring.
In order to readily adjust the movable jaw it is only necessary to grasp the worm
of the movable jaw and pull it outwards or from the front edge of the bar. The
movable jaw thereby takes an inclined position on the bar and the worm is ungeared
from the rack teeth and the bow or plate spring compressed or flattened. The
movable jaw can now be rapidly roughly adjusted by sliding it on the bar and on
loosing the movable jaw its worm is regeared with the rack teeth at the roughly
adjusted position by the action of the bow or plate spring. By now rotating the
worm, the fine adjustment of the movable jaw, to cause it to grip the screw
head, screw nut, screw cap, or other article it is wished to screw or unscrew is
effected.
The parts of the spanner or wrench may be modified in the following manner.
The worm on the movable jaw is dispensed with and its lower front edge is
provided with a tooth or teeth for engaging with fine ratchet teeth on the front
edge of the spanner bar, the said ratchet teeth being so inclined that while the
tooth or teeth of the movable jaw can slide over them when the said jaw is pressed
upwards or towards the fixed jaw, yet the said movable jaw cannot slide downwards
upon the bar until its tooth or teeth is or are ungeared from the ratchet teeth by
the inclining of the jaw as before described. In this modified spanner a coiled
spring is used for pressing the tooth or teeth of the movable jaw into gear with
the ratchet teeth and for pressing the movable jaw upwards when released.
In using this spanner, the movable jaw is ungeared from the ratchet teeth on
the bar and pressed down so as to open the jaws to the required extent. The two
jaws having been arranged on the article to be rotated, the movable jaw is released
when it is pressed upwards by the compressed spring. Its tooth or teeth is or are
thereby made to slide over the ratchet teeth on the bar until the said movable jaw
grips the article to be turned, the back motion of the said movable jaw, during the

page_text: use of the spanner, being prevented by the engagement of its tooth or teeth with,
the ratchet teeth as before described.
Deted this 19th dow of Nombor 1901
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Adjustable Screw Spanners or Screw Wrenches.
I, ANDREW SAMUEL SANSOM, of Regent Works, Warwick Street, in the
City of Birmingham, Manufacturer of Cycle and Sewing Machine Fittings, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in adjustable spanners or wrenches.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in side elevation, an adjustable
spanner, or an adjustable screw-spanner, with dual action, constructed, arranged
and fitted according to my invention.
The said spanner admits of both fine and coarse adjustments, as occasion requires,
by the act of either rotating the screw, or screw-wheel, or by pressing, as herein-
after described, the movable jaw.
Figure 2 represents partly in vertical section, and partly in elevation, the said
spanner, showing the threads of the screw-wheel intergearing with the teeth of the
rack on the front edge of the shank of the spanner.
When the parts are in this position, fine adjustment only is admissible.
Figure 3 represents a like view and section of the spanner as that of Figure 2,
but with parts in such positions, that the screw-wheel is ungeared with the rack, so
that a rapid and coarse adjustment is admissible, by simply sliding the movable
jaw upon the shank of the stem of the spanner.
Figure 4 represents the stem member of the spanner, comprehending the fixed
jaw, shank and handle part.
Figure 5 is a front edge view of the same, whilst Figure 6 is a cross section of
the full spanner on the dotted lines Figure 2, and Figure 7 is a cross section on the
dotted lines Figure 3.
Figure 8 is a section and elevation of the screw wheel, and Figure 9 is a top side
plan of the movable or adjustable jaw, whilst Figure 10 is a longitudinal vertical-
section of the same.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawing.
a is the stem or body part of the spanner, comprehending a shank part b,
having rack teeth 62, upon its inner edge, a handle part c, and a fixed jaw or head
part d.
e is a movable or adjustable jaw, comprehending, or having a box body part e¹,
of an inside cross breadth equal to the thickness of the shank h, and of a side
breadth a little greater than the space comprehended between the back and front
edges, and which inside hollow part is marked e², and is adapted to slide freely upon
the shank as aforesaid, when the worm of the screw wheel is out of gear with the
teeth of the rack b².
This screw works within a gap e³, of the movable jaw e, and turns upon a pin
or pivot, taking across the said gap, and into the metal on the two opposite sides
of the same.
Fitted within a recess or hole e, made within, or directed through the back
walls of the said movable jaw, is a joint centre g, and also a spring g², located at
the back of it, and abutting against a stop screw 3.
Assuming the parts of the spanner to be in the positions which they assume
as in Figure 1, the rotation of the screw wheel f, traverses the movable jaw e,

page_text: upon the shank b, towards the fixed jaw d, or towards the handle c, by the
worming of the threads of the screw into the spaces between the teeth of the
rack.
A fine adjustment of the said jaw is thus made, by the slow movement of it,
through the intergearing and worming of the screw and rack powers.
For a rapid and rough adjustment, press downwards the back e of the movable
jaw from its top, as in Figure 3, or press upwards the front underpart e³, when
the teeth of the rack, and the worm of the screw, are clear of each other, and
the movable jaw can freely slide upwards or downwards, and rough adjustment
made thereby, but immediately pressure as aforesaid is relieved, then the jaw, by
the pressure of the spring 92, is made to return to its normal position, with the
screw wheel and rack intergeared.
A necessary fine adjustment beyond the rough one, as aforesaid, is now made, by
the rotation of the screw-wheel.
The movable jaw is made to rock, by it turning upon the ball or sphere as a
centre of motion, while the clearance of the screw-wheel with the rack is made, by
the retraction of the said ball into the recess or hole, consequent upon the
compression of spring, brought about by the applied pressure of the hand of
the user.
The back of the shank of the stem constitutes the fulcrum for the joint of the
rocking jaw to turn about.
Instead of a spherical joint, or a spherical yielding joint being employed in
connection with the automatic intergearing and clearance of the rack and screw
parts, and also the rocking of the movable jaw, a stud or its equivalent may be
employed, and further, a flat, feather or bow spring may be employed in lieu of the
coiled one as represented.
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:-
First: An adjustable spanner or wrench, having an adjustable and rocking jaw,
with a joint centre interiorly located, upon which the said jaw rocks, for the inter-
gearing and ungearing of the movable and fixed parts, as set forth.
Secondly-An adjustable spanner, or an adjustable screw spanner or wrench,
having dual movements for coarse and fine adjustments, as set forth.
Thirdly-In an adjustable and dual-action-jawed spanner, making the adjustable
and rocking jaw carry a fine adjustment screw or means, and turn upon a yielding
centre of motion, which impinges upon a fixed rack bar of the said spanner as a
fulcrum, whereby a rapid coarse adjustment, combined with a fine adjustment, is
admissible, substantially as described and set forth.
Fourthly In a spanner, or an adjustable spanner or wrench, consisting of a
fixed rack toothed stem with fixed jaw or head, of the one part, and an adjustable
and yielding centre-rocking and movable jaw carrying a screw or screw-wheel, of
the other part, and which said latter part is used intergeared and ungeared with
rack teeth of the said first named part, in manner substantially as described and
set forth.
Dated this 10th day of August 1892
ANDREW SAMUEL SANSOM,
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.