US3285107A - Wrench having toggle actuated movable jaw and toggle release lever - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 15, 1966 o. KASPER 3,235,107

WRENCH HAVING TOGGLE ACTUATED MOVABLE JAW AND TOGGLE RELEASE LEVER Filed March 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I r I l '11 "III/'- 71,11,111.

INVENTOR 0 7- 7-0 KA spa-x2 fi 9 ATTORNEYJ Nov. 15, 1966 o. KASPER 7 WRENCH HAVING TOGGLE ACTUATED MOVABLE JAW AND TOGGLE RELEASE LEVER Filed March 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR- 07'7'0 KASPEK ATTORNEYS United States Patent "ice 3 285,107 WRENCH HAVING TOGGLE ACTUATED MOV- ABLE JAW AND TOGGLE RELEASE LEVER Otto Kasper, Neumattstrasse 703, Buchs, Switzerland Filed Mar. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 440,784 1 Claim. (Cl. 81368) This invention relates to wrenches, and more particularly to wrenches having a fixed jaw and a toggle-actuated pivoted jaw.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a single-handed wrench of this character which permits an elastic and flexible working.

Another object of the invention is to provide a release lever within a toggle-type wrench, which lever is not rigidly connected to the toggle but moves only loosely with the toggle lever and limits the deflection of the toggle joint after having reached the critical point.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description, the appended claim, and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the wrench in closed position;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line IIII of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 3 is a side view of the wrench in open position.

A wrench shown comprises a handle member 1 formed by two cover plates and being integral with the fixed clamping jaw 2 of the handle 3. A movable clamping jaw 4 is pivoted on a pin 5 to an adjusted link 7 that in turn is pivoted on a pin 6 to the handle member 1. The pivotal position of the adjusting link 7 and thus the pin 5 is variable by an adjusting screw 8. By turning an axially locked nut 9 mounted on the threaded portion of the adjusted screw 8, the mouth width or grip of the clamping jaws 2, 4 may be made larger or smaller by axially displacing the adjusting screw 8, whereby adjusting link 7 is angularly moved on the pin 5. A leaf spring 10 acts on a nose 11 of the adjusting link 7 and urges same into abutment against the adjusting screw 8. A toggle lever 12 on the one hand is pivoted on toggle pin 13 to the toggle link 14 and, on the other hand, is connected to a link 16 through a sliding pin 15. The latter through its other end engages a pivot pin 17 of the movable clamping jaw 4. The sliding pin which is connected to the link 16, is guided in a slot 18 of the handle member 1. A pin 19 of the toggle link 14 is mounted in the two cover plates of the handle member 1. On pin 19 is pivoted a release lever 20 to the handle member 1, which lever comprises arms of unequal length. The curved center section of the longer arm of lever 20 engages the toggle lever 12 which is of U-shape cross-section, partly loosely and from the inside, and is laterally guided thereby. The longer arm of lever 20 approxi mately abuts against the toggle lever 12 when the latter is closed, and projects rearwardly, i.e. downwardly in FIG. 1, beyond the same, while the shorter arm of 3,285,187 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 lever 20 approximately abuts against the toggle joint 13 of the toggle link 14.

The toggle lever 12 is thrown back to its open position (FIG. 3) by exerting pressure on the release lever 20 in the sense of arrow a in FIG. 1. The dot-and-dash position of the toggle lever 12 (FIG. 3) shows how in the terminal posit-ion of the release lever 20 the balanced toggle joint moves away from the end of the shorter arm-of the release lever 20. On seizing a work-piece W with the aid of the wrench, the clam-ping position of the jaws or, respectively, of the work clamped therein is automatically maintained, whereby the workers hand is relieved, thanks to the limitation of the toggle lever 12 after having slightly surpassed the toggle tilting point (FIG. 1).

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a now preferred example and embodiment of the invention it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

A toggle-type wrench comprising in combination a handle member having a fixed jaw at one end, a movable jaw, a toggle lever system connected to said movable jaw and said handle, said system including a toggle lever and a toggle link pivotally connected together, a pivot pin mounting said toggle link on said handle, a release lever mounted on said pivot pin, said toggle lever on closing said jaws and slightly surpassing toggle alignment ap proximately abuts against said release lever and through actuation of the latter is restorable to the open position, said release lever comprising two arms of which in the closed position of the toggle lever the longer arm approximately abuts against the toggle lever, while the shorter arm approximately abuts against the toggle lever at a toggle joint, said release lever projecting rearwardly beyond the end of the toggle lever and may readily be used on its projecting end for releasing the clamping position, the center section of the longer arm of said release lever being curved and engaging partially loosely the toggle lever which is of U-shaped cross section.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,436,497 2/1948 Snell 8l--367 2,478,728 8/1949 Ward et al 81--367 2,592,807 4/1952 Jones 81369 2,966,818 1/1961 Froeschl 81-368 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

G. WEIDENFELD, Assistant Examiner.

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