A CONTINUOUS OR RATCHET SPANNER
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Roberts, of 7, Old Jewry, in the City of
London, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "A CONTINUOUS OR RATCHET
SPANNER."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Joseph Roberts at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration
on the 1st August 1860, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law
Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
ROBERTS, of 7, Old Jewry, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "A CONTINUOUS OR
RATCHET SPINNER," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the
same, and have made solemn Declaration that I am the true and first Inventor
thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Roberts, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement and accompany-
ing Drawing.
This Invention consists of a metal ring, the outside of which is cut with

page_text: ratchet teeth, the hole through it being of the same shape as the nut or bolt
which it is required to turn or screw up. This ring is fitted into a lever
handle, the end of which is bored out to receive the ring, which ring is allowed
to turn in one direction only, by means of a click or pawl which turns on a
fulcrum or centre upon the handle in any convenient manner, or the centre
may be omitted, and the click placed so as to slide, thus taking hold of a
greater number of teeth, or by making the handle in what is technically called
.a bell-crank shape, when, by moving the handle round, the cranked or bent
end of the handle is pressed against the ring, and thus moves it forward, and
with it the nut or bolt on which it is applied. In bringing back the handle, the
end of the lever will be first raised from the ring, when the handle and picce
attached will turn on the bolt or ratchet ring herein-before described.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING.
In the accompanying Drawing, Figs. 1 & 2 illustrates one form of ratchet
spanner; Fig. 1being a-view of the -spanner. complète, and Fig. 2, 'a view of
the interior, the plate which protects the ring being removed. Fig. 3 illus-
trates another form of click; Fig. 4 is an edge view of the spauner,.showing
the plate for securing the ring in its place; Figs. 5 & 6 illustrates:a spanner
of another arrangement. A, Figs. 1 & 2, is the metal ring, the outside of
which is cut with ratchet teeth, and may be fitted into its handle B by turning
down the teeth on the ring A, or by any suitable arrangement; B, the handle,
the form of which may be varied if required, the end C of which embraces the
ring A above described; D, the click or pawl, which allows the ring A to turn
in one direction only; E, the fulcrum or centre for the click D to turn upon;
F, Fig. 8, is another form of click cut with several ratchet teeth, and which
works in an opening formed in the head C of the spanner, or it may be made
to slide vertically within the handle in the manner shewn, and is kept in
contact with the ratchet teeth on the ring A-by means of a spiral or other
spring. H; Fig. 4, is an edge view of the spanner, shewing the plate I-for
holding the ring A in its place. Figs. 5 & 6 is another arrangement of
spanner, the bandle B of which is of -a bell-cranked form, and is attached to
its head M by the bolt or centre N, which when turned round in one
direction, the bell-cranked or bent end L will grip the ring A and carry it
round with it, thus screwing on or off the nut or bolt to which it may be
applied. When turned in the opposite direction, the handle B and head M
will turn loosely on the ring A ready to be urged forward again.
The principle feature of this Invention is the great saving of time which is
effected by not having to shift the spanner on the bolt or nut. The-next

page_text: advantage is, that the corners of the hexagon or nut are not disfigured by
using this spanner, which is nearly always the case with those now in use,
much time being spent in changing a well-fitted spanner round the nut 'or
bolt, so that they generally require filing again. Another advantage is, that
they may be used where it is impossible to turn an ordinary spanner; thus, in
a corner, with only about 2 or 3 inches space to turn the end of the handle,
in which case the bolt or nut is turned round by means of a chisel and
hammer, which of course completely disfigures the bolt or nut; nor is it
possible to screw the nut so tightly in its place. Thus it will be seen that a
nut may be screwed up in about less time, which is a consideration, when
we remember that a nut or bolt in an engine or machine is generally screwed
on and off several times during the fitting of such machine; the heads are
not spoiled, and they may be worked through such small curves, and with as
quick a velocity as it is possible to move it backwards and forwards. These
spanners are peculiarly adapted to large fitting workshops where machines are
put together and taken to pieces several times for-marine, portable, and
stationary engines and machinery, where the time allowed for stopping is
short.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the different arrange-
ment of its parts, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention
spanners -constructed in the manner as herein described and set forth in the
above Specification and accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Roberts, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of August, in the year of our Lord Ouv
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
JAMES E. HALL,
7, Old Jewry, City.
(L.S.) JOSEPH ROBERTS, C. E.