Improvements in Screw Keys and Spanners.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 15th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Screw Keys and Spanners.
I CHARLES LEWIS HEERMANN DE HUNDERTMARK of 3 Rue d'Alger Paris, in the
Republic of France, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to
be as follows:-
My said Invention relates to screw keys and spanners for tightening nuts upon bolts
and for similar uses. By means of my improvements such tools are rendered auto-
matically adjustable so that the jaws can be set in a moment to fit any size of nut or
object within the scope of the instrument. Under one form of a screw-key made in
accordance with my invention I pivot the movable jaws upon the handle of the tool
upon two separate pivots and form one of the jaw pieces with a tail carrying a pin
which occupies a curved slot in the body of the other pivotted jaw. By these means
the jaws are held together and when turned on their pivots the space between the
jaws increases or diminishes according as the jaws are turned in one direction or the
other, while at the same time the faces of the jaw pieces are kept parallel to each other.
Each of the jaw pieces is formed with a tail behind the pivots. One of the tails, say
for example that projecting from the outer jaw is pressed upon by a spring projecting
from the handle the tendency of the spring being to throw the jaw pieces into the
position which will give the minimum of space between the jaw faces. Upon the tail
of the other jaw piece a lever acts, which lever is pivotted within the handle and
projects therefrom so as to be easily manipulated by the operator. By pressing on
this lever the jaw pieces are turned on their pivots and are caused to move apart so as to
increase the space between the jaws. In using the screw key or spanner the operator
in grasping the handle, presses on this lever until the jaws fit the nut or other object
When the screw
he wishes to lay hold of and then proceeds to use the instrument.
key is removed from the nut or other object the pressure of the spring returns the
jaws to their normal position. By a modification of my invention, I pivot one of the
jaw pieces to the handle and carry the other jaw piece upon the said pivotted member
in a slide or slotted recess the latter jaw piece being thus capable of sliding in or on
the pivotted jaw piece and thus increasing or diminishing the space between the jaws
while at the same time the faces of the jaw pieces are kept perfectly parallel. The
pivotted jaw piece is turned on its pivot by an adjusting lever pivotted on or in the
handle and pressed upon by a spring so as to tend to keep the jaws in that position in
which the minimum of space appears between the faces of the jaws. In order to cause
this turning movement of the pivotted jaw to move the sliding jaw and thus increase
the space I arrange a link one end of which is centered on a stud on the handle while
the other end is pivotted to the sliding piece, the centre of the fixed stud, the jaw pivot
stud and the stud on the sliding jaw piece being so relatively arranged that as the
pivotted jaw piece turns round the aforesaid link has the property of moving
the sliding jaw piece on the revolving jaw piece and so increasing or diminishing the
distance between the jaw faces. As this combined movement is obtained by pressing
upon or releasing the aforesaid adjusting spring lever the effect produced and the
manner of obtaining such effect is similar to the effect and mode of operation set
forth with respect to the modification herein first described. The handle of the screw
key or spanner constitutes preferably a sort of case containing the adjusting lever,
spring and other parts so that the exterior of the handle is not encumbered by
projections.
DL: auch das of May 189.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.

page_text: DLECITIVATION.
Improvements in Screw Keys and Spanners.
I CHARLES LEWIS HEERMANN DE HUNDERTMARK of Paris, in the Republic of
France, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in wha
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement and accompanying drawings:-
―
My said Invention relates to screw keys and spanners for tightening nuts upon bolts
and for similar uses. By means of my improvements such tools are rendered easily
and automatically adjustable so that the jaws can be set in a moment to fit any size of
nut or object within the scope of the instrument. To render by invention perfectly
clear I will now proceed to describe the same more particularly with reference to the
annexed 2 sheets of drawings. Figs. 1 and 2 on sheet 1 are respectively a side
elevation and an edge view of a spanner constructed in accordance with my invention.
Figs. 3 to 8 on sheet 2 illustrate a modification of my invention. Referring to Figs. 1
and 2 which illustrate one form of a screw key made in accordance with my invention
1 pivot the movable jaws ab upon the handle g. of the tool upon two separate pivots c
and d and form one of the jaw pieces a with a tail carrying a pin a² which occupies a
curved slot 2 in the body of the other pivotted jaw b. By these means the jaws a b
are held together and when turned on their pivots c d the space between the jaws
increases or diminishes according as the jaws are turned in one direction or the other,
while at the same time the faces of the jaw pieces a bare kept parallel to each other.
The jaw pieces are formed with tails a¹ and ¹ behind the pivots as plainly shown in
Fig. 1. One of the tails say for example the tail & projecting from the outer jaw bis
pressed upon by a spring g' in the handle the tendency of the spring g' being to
throw the jaw pieces a binto the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and which
gives the minimum of space between the jaw faces. Upon the tail a¹ of the other jaw
piece a a lever e acts which lever is pivotted within the handle at its free end e
projecting from the handle so as to be easily manipulated by the operator. By
pressing on this end e¹ of the lever e the jaw pieces a bare turned on their pivots and
are caused to move apart by virtue of the relative positions of the pivots cd so as to
increase the space between the jaws as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The curved
slot 62 allows the pin a² to move through its proper relative cycle and preserves the
parallelism of the faces of the jaw pieces ab. In using the screw key or spanner the
operator in grasping the handle presses on the free end e¹ of the lever e until
the jaws ab fit the nut or other object he wishes to lay hold of and he may then
proceed to use the instrument. When the screw key is removed from the nut or
other object the pressure of the spring g' if released by the operator returns the
jaws ab to their normal position. By a modification of my invention shown in the
Figs. on sheet 2 of the drawings I pivot one of the jaw pieces a to the handle g by
the pivote and carry the other jaw piece b in the said pivotted member a in a slide
or slotted recess having steadying guides 3 as clearly shown at Fig. 4 of the
drawings and also at Fig. 5 which is a sectional view of Fig. 4 at the line M N.
The inner end of the handle g is shown at Fig. 6 and the jaws a and b are shown
separately at Figs. 7 and 8. The jaw piece b is thus capable of sliding in or on the
pivotted jaw piece a and so increasing or diminishing the space between the jaw faces
while at the same time the said jaw faces must of necessity remain perfectly parallel.
The pivotted jaw piece a is turned on its pivot c by an adjusting lever e pivotted at f
on or in the handle 9 and pressed upon by a spring g' as shown at Fig. 2 so as to
tend to keep the jaws a in the position shown in full lines in Figs. 3 and 4 in
which the minimum of space appears between the faces of the jaws. In order to
cause this turning movement of the pivotted jaw a to move the sliding jaw band
thus increase the space, I provide a link one end of which is centered on a fixed
stud d the jaw pivot stud c and the stud d on the sliding jaw piece being so
relatively arranged that as the pivotted jaw piece a turns round, the aforesaid link
has the property of moving the sliding jaw piece b in the slot in the revolving jaw

page_text: piece a and so increasing or diminishing the distance between the jaw faces. For
example the full lines in Fig. 4 show the jaws brought closely together, the dotted
lines show them moved further apart. The working end of the lever e carries pro-
jections e which enter slots a¹ formed in the tails of the piece a. As this combined
movement is obtained by pressing upon or releasing the aforesaid adjusting spring
lever e the effect produced and the manner of obtaining such effect is similar to the
effect and mode of operation set forth with respect to the modification herein first
described with reference to Sheet 1.
The handle of the screw key or spanner constitutes preferably a sort of case
containing the adjusting lever, spring and other parts so that the exterior of the
handle is not encumbered by projections.
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) The general arrangements and combinations of parts comprising the improved
screw keys or spanners substantially as described and as illustrated in the accom-
panying two sheets of drawings.
2) In an automatically adjustable screw key or spanner the connected jaw pieces a
and pivotted relatively to each other on centres c, d and governed by a spring g
and lever e in such a manner that by pressing on the lever or releasing the same the
jaw pieces become open or closed to the desired extent the faces of the jaw pieces
preserving their parallelism in all positions substantially as described and shown on
Sheet 1 of the drawings.
(3) In an automatically adjustable screw key or spanner, pivotting one of the jaw
pieces a on the handle at c and mounting the opposing jaw piece b in slides or in a
recess in the pivotted jaw piece and connecting the sliding jaw piece b by a link to a
fixed stud on the handle so that when the lever c is operated against the pressure of
the spring g or released, the pivotted and the sliding jaw pieces are moved apart or
towards each other to the desired extent, the parallelism of the faces of the jaw pieces
being maintained in all positions substantially as described and as illustrated on
Sheet 2 of the drawings.
Dated this 12th day of February 1890
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.