Year: 1898

page_text: A communication by WILLIAM OTTERBEIN GOTTWAL, of 637, Massachusetts
Avenue, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America,
Inventor.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, 1.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of wrenches of
that class wherein a movable adjustable jaw is combined with a fixed jaw to
adapt the wrench to be adjusted to nuts, bolt heads, etc., of different sizes, and
my improvements relate particularly wrenches of the kind specified, in which.
there are combined two fixed jaws, located at opposite ends of a bar, which forms
a connection between the two jaws, and also serves as a handle for manipulating
the tool, and two adjustable jaws located at opposite ends of a slide, movably con-
nected with the bar between the two fixed jaws, which are arranged to coact
with the fixed jaws.
In Letters Patent of the Kingdom of Great Britain Nos. 28,054 and 28,055
granted to William Phillips Thompson, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, December 8th,
1896, are described and claimed certain improvements in the construction of
wrenches, and the object of the present invention is to do away with certain parts.
of the wrenches described in the said Letters Patent, and by that means simplify
their construction, cheapen their production, and add greater strength to the
parts of the wrench which are exposed to the most strain in practical use.
To that end the invention consists in a wrench, in which are comprised a bar
that serves as the handle for the tool, made of flat plates of steel, and fixed jaws,
each of which is cast or forged entire, and that have transverse grooves on each
side in which the ends of the said plates are set and the jaws and plates secured
together by screws or rivets, so that a slot is left between the two plates which
extends the entire distance between the fixed jaws. In the sides of the said
are
the fixed jaws, square openings
formed.
plates, midway between
Between the two plates, and in the slot above referred to, is placed.
the shank of the slide on the ends of which are the adjustable jaws of
the wrench. The slide and jaws are made in one entire piece, by casting or
forging, and in the shank, on each side, is a longitudinal groove, corresponding to
the grooves in the sides of the shanks of the fixed jaws, so that the side plates
that form the bar or handle are let into the said grooves, and are flush with the
sides of the slide-the sides of the grooves forming shoulders above and below the
edges of the plates, by means whereof the slide is secured between the said plates,.

page_text: jaws are located at opposite ends of a bar that forms a connection between the
jaws, and also serves as a handle for manipulating the tool, and two adjustable
jaws are located at opposite ends of a slide, moveably connected with the bar
between the two fixed jaws. The object of the invention is to simplify the con-
struction of these wrenches, cheapen their production and give greater strength
to the parts of the wrench which are exposed to the most strain in practical use.
In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of this
improved wrench.
Fig. 2 an end view of the same;
Fig. 3 a cross section of the wrench on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 represents the wrench with one side removed and exposing the inner
construction and the means for moving the slide and adjusting the jaws of the
wrench;
1
Fig. 5 represents a side elevation of a modified construction of this improved
wrench;
Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the same, and
Figs. 7 and 8 are cross-sections taken on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 respectively.
Referring to the drawing, the letter A designates the bar or handle of the
wrench, B B the fixed jaws at opposite ends of the said bar or handle, C C¹ the
moveable jaws which cooperate with the respective fixed jaws, and D) a slide that
carries the moveable jaws and is moveably connected with the bar or handle
between the fixed jaws B B. E is a worm and G a toothed rack which is engaged
by the worm, and by which the slide D is moved longitudinally to adjust the
moveable jaws relatively to the fixed jaws. These parts being common to both
forms of the wrench illustrated in the drawing, are similarly lettered in all
the figures.
The fixed jaws B B2 are each cast (or forged) solid or in a single piece with
their shanks a and in each side of the said shanks are transverse grooves bb,
the sides of which form shoulders d ; and in the web between the shoulders
screw or rivet holes are punched or drilled. The bar or handle A is composed of
two side plates e e¹, the ends of which are let into the grooves b b in the jaw
shanks, the thickness of the said plates being the same as the depth of the said
grooves, and their ends being shaped to conform to the exterior edges of the
shanks, they form a flush connection with the shanks. Screw holes are drilled
or punched through the ends of these plates in the same relative positions as
those in the webs of the shanks, and the holes in one of the plates (say e¹) being
tapped the plates and shanks are fastened together by means of screws as shown,
but it is obvious that rivets may be substituted for the screws if preferred.
Midway of the length of each of the plates e e¹ is a square opening through
which the threads of the worm E project on each side of the bar or handle with.
sufficient prominence to be borne upon by the thumb and finger for the purpose
of turning it on its axis to move the slide and thereby adjust the jaws UC to
and from the fixed jaws.
The slide D, its shank g and the adjustable jaws C_C¹ are integral parts of
one another, and they are made by casting or forging. In the sides of the shank
9 are longitudinal grooves h h of the same width and depth as the grooves bb
in the shanks of the jaws, the sides of the grooves forming shoulders i i. In
the shank is a longitudinal slot which extends from the shoulder 1
up to
a point just below the shoulder i. In the ends of the open-
ing 1 are slots m,
and below these are other slots n n. In the
former are inserted the ends of a flat bar F on which is mounted loosely the
worm E; and in the latter the ends of a flat rack bar G are inserted-the
relative positions of the bar F,,worm E and rack G being such that the threads of
the worm engage the teeth of the rack as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5. The parts
of the wrench constructed as above described are assembled by placing one of the
side plates, say '. in position with its ends inserted in the grooves b b respectively
of the fixed jaws B B and retaining it in place. Next the shank g of the slide 1)

page_text: and slide having corresponding grooves on both sides, side plates laid in the said
grooves and the ends fastened to the shanks of the fixed jaws, thus forming a
handle bar, and the sides of the grooves forming shoulders against which the
edges of the plates bear, whereby the wrench is strengthened against edgewise
strain, and the slide being held in the slot between the said side plates, a longitu-
dinal opening in the slide within the grooved part thereof, screws passed through
the said opening and connecting the two side plates for strengthening the imple-
ment against lateral strain, a U-shaped plate slipped over the side plates from their
under edges, and a thumb nut for operating the said slide for the purpose of
adjusting the moveable jaws with respect to the fixed jaws, substantially as
specified.
The 19th
1900
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.