AN IMPROVEMENT IN SPANNERS OR WRENCHES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Parker Fox, of No. 19, Scotland Street, Sheffield;"
in the County of York, Millwright, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN SPANNERS OR WRENCHES.”
Sealed the 8th September 1877, and dated the 10th March 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Parker Fox at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th March 1877.
WILLIAM PARKER Fox, of No. 19, Scotland Street, Sheffield, in the County of
York, Millwright. AN IMPROVEMENT IN SPANNERS OR WRENCHES."
"
This Invention relates to an improvement in spanners or wrenches, and consists
in fitting a knuckle trigger or plate upon the upper part of the body of the spanner
or wrench by means of screw pin, which is caused to take into a threaded hole to
hold the plate in position.
The stem of the screw pin is encircled by a spring, which abuts at one end against
a shoulder in the plate and at the other against the head of the screw. The face of
the plate is notched or formed with ratchet teeth to engage into corresponding teeth
on the edge of a bar forming part of the moveable jaw, the teeth being so shaped
that the loose jaw can be pushed in to fit the nut or head of the screw upon which
the spanner has to operate by a sliding action, and be held in the required position
by the engagement of the teeth.
The plate has a knuckle at its under side to engage under a lip on the body where
they form a joint one to the other, and upon which the plate can be tilted when a
tail piece is pressed upon to disengage the teeth; the tail piece projects slightly
over the handle portion, and is curved to prevent it catching any thing with which
it may come into contact.
The stem of the loose jaw is fitted in the body of the spanner to work up and
down in it freely, so that when desired for the jaws to open the loose jaw can drop
by its own weight on the teeth of the trigger plate being disengaged,
The spring can be adjusted to suit the desired pressure by screwing in the screw
pin more or less.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Parker Fox in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
September 1877.
WILLIAM PARKER Fox, of No. 19, Scotland Street, Sheffield, in the County of
York, Millwright. "AN IMPROVEMENT IN SPANNERS OR WRENCHES."
This Invention relates to an improvement in spanners or wrenches, and consists
in fitting a knuckle trigger or plate a upon the upper part of the body b of the
spanner or wrench by means of a screw pin c which is caused to take into a
threaded hole to hold the plate a in position.
The stem of the screw pin c is encircled by a spring & which abuts at one end
against a shoulder e in the plate a, and at the other against the head of the screw c.
The working face of the plate a is notched or forned with ratchet teeth to engage
into corresponding teeth on the edge of the barf formning part of the moveable
jaw g, the teeth being so shaped that the loose jaw g can be pushed in to fit the
nut or head of the screw upon which the spanner has to operate by a sliding action,
and be held in the required position by the engagement of the teeth.
The plate a has a knuckle h at its under side to engage under a lip i on the body
of the spanner where they form a joint one to the other, and upon which the plate a
can be tilted when a tail piece is pressed upon to disengage the teeth. The tail
piece projects slightly over the handle portion, and is curved to prevent it catching
anything with which it may come into contact.
The stem or bar fof the loose jaw is fitted in a slot in the body of the spanner
and works freely up in the slot, but is prevented moving down to open the jaws by
the engagement of the teeth except when the trigger is released by pressure upon
the tail end.
The spring can be adjusted to suit the desired pressure by screwing in the screw
pin more or less.
Figure 1 is a view of the spanner complete with the jaws g, m, open to their
fullest extent in full lines, and can be closed in, as shown by the dotted lines, the
jaws taking nuts or screw heads of the diameters between theso two extremes by:
adjusting the loose jaw g thereto.
Figure 2 is a partial plan view.
Figure 3 is a detached view of the loose jaw g.
Figure 4, a sectional detached view of the knuckle trigger a.
Figure 5, a separate view of the screw pin c; and Figure 6, a similar view of the 3
coiled spring & which encircles the pin as before explained.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the manufacture and employment
of spanners or wrenches, as described and as shown in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Parker Fox, have hereunto set my 4
hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-seven.
WILLIAM PARKER FOX. (LS.)