A NEW OR IMPROVED ADJUSTABLE LEVER SPANNER OR SCREW WRENCH
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Roe, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Licensed Victualler, for the Invention of "A NEW OR
IMPROVED ADJUSTABLE LEVER SPANNER OR SCREW WRENCH."
Sealed the 25th May 1866, and dated the 8th February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Roe at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
February 1866.
I, JOHN ROE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Licensed
Victualler, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "A
NEW OR IMPROVED ADJUSTABLE LEVER SPANNER OR SCREW WRENCH," to be as
follows (that is to say):-
My Invention consists in attaching the jaw part of my improved spanner
to the handle or lever by a strong pin, which forms the fulcrum of its
action, and to form the jaw part of a circular shape towards the handle,
the centre or axis of which being the pin before referred to; this seg-
mental part I form into teeth like a ratchet, and on each side of the
handle, at the radius of the circular part of the jaw, I place palls or stops
sliding in grooves, the action of which: being parallel with the handle, and
the palls or stops being acted upon by a spring or springs, permit the jaw
part to be turned and placed on the nut or screw head desired to be
screwed in or out, and the handle or lever adjusted in the desired position
for exerting its force, which may be shifted like the lever of an ordinary
ratchet brace to continue the operation so that the level of the wrench

page_text: may be fully exerted for the object intended within the space of a quarter
of an inch, more or less, but at the same time found as ready and useful as
a spanner or screw wrench for ordinary work.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Roe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ROE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Licensed Victualler,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Roe, Her special license that I, the
said John Roe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Roe, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "A NEW OR IMPROVED ADJUSTABLE LEVER SPANNER OR SCREW WRENCH,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Roe, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Roe, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists in attaching the jaw part of my improved spanner
to the handle or lever by a strong central pin, which constitutes the
fulcrum of its action, and to form the jaw part of a circular shape towards
the handle, the centre or axis of which being the pin before referred to;
this segmental, part I form into teeth like a ratchet, and on each side of

page_text: the handle, at the radius of the circular part of the jaw, I place a pawl or
stop sliding in a groove or grooves, the action of which being parallel with
the handle, and the pawl or stop being acted upon by a spring or springs,
permits the jaw part to be partially turned on its axis and placed on the
nut or screw head desired to be screwed in or out, and the handle or lever
adjusted in the desired position for exerting its force, which may be shifted
like the lever of an ordinary ratchet brace to continue the operation so
that the lever or handle part of the wrench may be fully exerted for the
object intended so as to operate on the jaw and screw desired to be turned
within the space of an inch, more or less, but at the same time found as
ready and useful as a spanner or screw wrench for ordinary work, and may
be extensively modified, as will be seen by referring to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, which I will now describe, reference being had to the
letters and figures marked thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a flat or side view of a wrench or spanner constructed
according to my improvements. A is the lever or handle part, partly
shown in dotted lines, as obscured by the jaw part B, which is united to
the lever A by the strong screw pin marked C; the centre of this pin
forms the axis or centre of that part of the jaw which is cut into teeth for
the purpose of engaging with the corresponding stop or catch in the paul
D, which paul D I have represented in a separate flat and edge view at
Fig. 2; Fig. 3 is an edge view of Figure 1, and Fig. 4 a longitudinal section
taken through the dotted line a and b of Figure 1, notwithstanding the ful-
crum or pin C as also the paul D (which is represented with a double action,
that is, for engaging with the rack formed on each side of the jaw part B),
as well as the helical spring c, are not shewn in section in this Figure.
Fig. 5 represents the lever or handle part A detached from the jaw. pait;
the opening d is for receiving the paul and spring, while the circular hole e
is for the reception of the pin upon which the handle or lever part works
in connection with the jaw; and for economy I recommend that two or
more jaws shall be supplied with each lever handle, the jaw proper, that
is the part marked f, f, for engaging the screw (to be turned), being varied
in size for the convenience of operating upon a larger or smaller screw
head or nut, and the separate jaw I have exhibited at Figs. 6 and 7; each
engaging a screw head marked E. At Fig. 8 I have repeated on a larger
scale the arrangement exhibited at Fig. 1, and in the like manner as at Figs.
6 and 7; a screw head marked F is represented within this grip of the jaw

page_text: proper, to turn which the lever A has only to be pulled first in the
direction of the arrow, when the pawl D will pass over the tooth of the
rack with which it is now engaged and fall into the tooth g, and by aid of
the lever the screw may be turned to the extent of any capable range or
just sufficient to again permit the lever A to be pulled in the direction of
the arrow, when the pawl D will engage with the tooth of the rack marked
h, and so on, until the pawl is brought to operate on the tooth i, when the
wrench or spanner may be removed from the screw, the paul D pulled
back and the jaw part placed again in the position shewn, but for the sake
of continuous action I construct the jaw and rack entirely circular, as
exhibited in a flat view in connection with the lever A, Figure 8, this I
effect by forming the rack on the periphery of the part having an
hexagonal opening in its centre, here defined as k, k; this part I recommend
to be made of steel or iron casehardened to preserve its shape; it passes
through a circular opening formed in the lever, and which lever I have
represented in a flat. separate view at Fig. 9, the large circular opening
being marked 7, 1; and at Fig. 10 I have represented the same arrange-
ment in section, the handle terminating in a round end, as shown in dotted
lines marked m, Figure 8, the ratchet part and hexagonal opening is
marked G, with the hexagonal opening marked K; H is the part of the
lever (marked with the same letter at Figure 9) that surrounds the part G,
and which part is held in position by the collar J, which is tapped on to
that part of the hexagonal jaw or clip that protrudes beyond the face of
the lever and pawl marked n, n. In this application of my improvements
I have adopted the same kind of pawl as before described, with the
exception that there being but one rack the pawl is fashioned accordingly,
the part that engages in the rack being marked o, while the part p works
in a groove represented at q, q, Figure 9, to give steadiness to its action,
and again I have adopted in this view as in the former a helical spring as
being the simplest and most convenient means for pressing forward and
holding the paul in position while the appliances are being used, and which
helical spring is represented in section marked 7. At Fig. 11 I have
represented an arrangement by which one jaw proper is formed with the
rack, and
yet constructed for receiving an additional adjustable jaw, which
is removed from this Figure but represented detached at Fig. 12, and for
convenience of space the lever or handle is shown partly broken away; in
other respects the arrangement of the paul for holding and actuating the
rack is identical with the other Figures described; the dotted and part
circular line in this Figure marked s; s, represents the end of the lever

page_text: working in the opening of the jaw for receiving it, and the dotted lines
t, t, and u, u, indicate the position or bed for the moveable jaw L to work
in, its adjustment being effected by a milled headed nut represented in
section at v, and in a separate flat and edge view at Fig. 13; this nut
works in the opening w, and by placing the loose jaw in position by the
pressure forward of the tapped shank x, and the nut being turned round,
so it may be screwed in and adjusted to the nut or screw head desired to
be turned. This modification of my ratchet principle I have represented
in a flat and edge view at Figs. 14 and 15; the screw head in each Figure
has been placed in position within the grip of the jaw K and L, and are
represented as marked M, M.
Having thus given a general description of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same may be effectively realized, I wish it under-
stood that I do not purpose confining myself to the exact details or
proportions herein exhibited and described, as the same may be varied and
considerably modified without departing from the spirit of my Invention,
as, for instance, the paul may be otherwise arranged or actuated, notwith-
standing I have found the plan here shown to answer well; and again, in
all the examples I have adopted the openings or jaws for gripping or
holding the nut or screw head are of a hexagonal form, but of course other
forms or shapes may be adopted without at all affecting the principles of
my Invention, and this also applies to the modification exhibited in the
circular ratchet for continuous action exhibited and referred to at Figures
8, 9, and 10, for in this case the part for receiving the nut or screw head
may not only be changed for different sizes, but also for different shapes of
head, whether square, octagonal, or hexagonal; but what I claim and wish
to protect by these my in part recited Letters Patent, as being new and of
my Invention is, the general construction of screw spanners or wrenches
herein described and exhibited.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Roe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
JAMES S. COCKINGS,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
JOHN ROE. (L.S.)