IMPROVEMENT IN WRENCHES
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry William Atwater
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th May 1883.
HENRY WILLIAM ATWATER of Orange in the State of New Jersey United States
of America "IMPROVEMENT IN WRENCHES
"
A wrench has heretofore been made in which the sliding jaw was provided
with an eccentric with teeth upon its periphery that could be brought into or out
of contact with teeth upon the bar of the fixed jaw to hold or release the sliding
jaw, and this eccentric had a projection or finger piece by which said eccentric
could be turned in one direction or the other for above named purpose.
I dispense with the projection upon the eccentric and provide a pivotted lever
and a spring as the means of actuating the eccentric.
The bar carrying the fixed jaw at one end is provided with a handle at the
opposite end which handle may be secured to the bar in any desired manner.
Upon one face of this bar there are fine teeth cut transversely of the bar.
The movable jaw is fitted to slide upon this bar and said sliding jaw is recessed
to receive the eccentric and lever both of which are pivotted to said sliding jaw.
The metal of said sliding jaw adjacent to the toothed edge of the eccentric is
removed so that the toothed portion of the eccentric can be brought into contact
with the teeth upon the bar of the fixed jaw.
There is a notch in the periphery of the eccentric into which passes the short
end of the lever and a spring bears against this end of the lever.
The teeth upon the eccentric are so positioned that the spring acting through the
lever keeps said teeth in contact with the teeth on the bar, and in this position
the sliding jaw is securely held in place. The strain upon said sliding jaw when
the wrench is being used for grasping and turning a nut or other articles, causes
the teeth of the eccentric to more intimately come into contact with those upon

page_text: the bar, hence the greater the strain upon the sliding jaw the more firmly said jaw
is held. A stop prevents the lever being turned too far.
The long arm of the lever projects from the box or case formed by the recessed
portion of the sliding jaw and by pressing upon this lever with the finger, against
the action of the spring, the eccentric is turned by the short arm of the lever and
its teeth freed from the teeth on the bar. When so released the sliding jaw can
be moved upon the bar of the fixed jaw.
When the pressure upon the lever is released the spring immediately acts upon
the lever to turn the eccentric so that its teeth engage with those on the bar of
the wrench.
Instead of the sliding jaw being recessed to receive the eccentric and lever,
there may be separate plates secured to said jaw to form a box or case to enclose
these parts.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry William Atwater in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th November 1883.
Jill."
HENRY WILLIAM ATWATER of Orange in the State of New Jersey, United States
of America, IMPROVEMENT IN WRENCHES
A wrench has heretofore been made that had an eccentric pivoted to the sliding
jaw and said eccentric had teeth upon its periphery and was provided with a
projection or finger-piece so that it could be turned to bring said teeth into contact
with teeth on the bar of the fixed jaw, for preventing the sliding jaw moving
backward when the strain in turning a nut or other article came upon the sliding
jaw. In using a wrench of above mentioned character it is necessary
after the
sliding jaw has been adjusted to turn the eccentric to, bring its teeth into contact.
with those on the bar of the fixed jaw, and if the wrench is held so that the
eccentric is below the bar, the finger must be kept upon said finger-piece until the
strain comes upon the sliding jaw; otherwise the eccentric will drop away from the
teeth on the bar and the sliding jaw will move backward' when the wrench is
turned.
To overcome this difficulty is the object of my present invention and I employ
a spring to act through a lever and keep the teeth of the eccentric in contact with
those on the bar of the fixed jaw. The short end of the lever against which the
spring bears is in a notch in the periphery of the eccentric and by pressing upon
the long arm of the lever the eccentric is turned sufficiently to separate its teeth
from those on the bar and release the sliding jaw.
In the drawing
Fig. 1. is an elevation of my improved wrench with the sliding jaw in section,
and
Fig. 2. is a cross-section at the line x, x.
a. is the fixed jaw upon the bar b. and c. is a handle of wood or other material
upon a tang or reduced portion of said bar, and held upon it by the nut d. e. is
a ferrule upon the handle at its junction with the bar b. These parts may be of
any desired size.
The sliding jaw f. is made with an opening through it of a size and shape to
allow said jaw to slide freely upon the bar b. and said jaw f. is recessed to receive
the disk or eccentric h. lever i. and spring k. The pivot l. of the disk h. is eccentric
to the periphery of the disk and in said periphery there are a number of fine teeth
corresponding in cut to those at g. upon the face of the bar b. This disk or
eccentric h. has also a notch in its periphery into which passes the short end of the
lever i. that is pivoted at 2. and against the short end of said lever the spring k.
bears.
The parts are positioned as shown in fig. 1. so that the spring acts through the
lever to keep the eccentric turned with its teeth in contact with those on the bar b.
and when thus in contact the sliding jaw can be moved forward toward the fixed
jaw, for the spring will yield and allow the teeth on the eccentric to ride over
those on the bar; but the sliding jaw can not be moved backward, because any
strain upon the jaw from turning a nut or other article will tend to partially
revolve the eccentric h. and bring the teeth more firmly into contact with those
on b; hence the teeth on the eccentric h. act as pawls against the rack to prevent
the sliding jaw moving backward and at the same time the eccentric becomes a
curved wedge to firmly clamp the jaw upon the bar. By pressing upon the long
arm of the lever, which projects from the case formed by recessing the sliding jaw,
the disk or eccentric h. is turned to separate its teeth from those on the bar b. and

page_text: release the sliding jaw... When the finger is removed from said lever, the spring
throws the eccentric into contact with the teeth on b.
It will be apparent that the spring might act directly upon the eccentric instead
of upon the lever i. said lever operating as before described to swing the eccentric
away from the bar b. when pressed upon by the finger.
I claim as my Invention.
+
First. The combination, in a wrench, 'of the sliding jaw f. the fixed jaw a. and
the bar b. said bar 6. having teeth along on one of its sides, the eccentric h. having
teeth on its periphery corresponding to the teeth on the bar b. the pivot for the
eccentric, a spring to move the eccentric and bring its teeth into contact with the,
teeth on the bar and a lever for moving the eccentric in the opposite direction,
substantially as specified.
Second. The toothed bar b. fixed jaw a. and sliding jaw f.in combination with
the toothed and notched eccentric h. the lever . with its short end in a notch in
said eccentric and the spring k. pressing upon the lever, substantially as and for
the purposes specified.
"
In Witness whereof I. the said Henry William Atwater have hereunto set my
hand and seal this 5 day of November A.D. 1883.
Witnesses
'V
CHAS H. SMITH 140 Nassau St. New York
J STAIB
"
"
"
"
H. W. ATWATER. ·(L.S.)