1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable wrench, and more particularly to an adjustable wrench that can hold a hexangular head of a bolt securely and can be operated with bolts of different sizes smoothly.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional adjustable wrench as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,739,223 comprises a handle, a fixed jaw, a roller and a movable jaw. The fixed jaw is formed on an end of the handle and has a curved inner side. The roller is rotatably mounted in the curved inner side of the fixed jaw to rotate in an opposite direction relative to the handle. The movable jaw is slideably mounted on the end of the handle, faces the fixed jaw and the roller to hold and rotate a hexangular head of a bolt in a backward or a forward direction.
Although the conventional adjustable wrench can be used to rotate bolts of different sizes in the backward or the forward direction, the rotating direction of the roller is opposite to the rotating direction of the conventional adjustable wrench when the handle is rotated in a backward direction. Then, the conventional adjustable wrench cannot rotate backwardly with a smaller range of movement.
In addition, the movable jaw of the conventional adjustable wrench does not have a structure to block the hexangular head of the bolt. With reference to the
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides an adjustable wrench to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.
The main objective of the present invention is to provide an adjustable wrench that can hold a hexangular head of a bolt securely and can be operated with bolts of different sizes smoothly.
The adjustable wrench in accordance with the present invention has a wrench body, a clamping element and a ratcheting jaw. The wrench body has a handle, a head and a thumbscrew. The head is formed on a front end of the handle and has a connecting block, a fixed jaw, a curved slot, a positioning pin, a mounting recess and a sliding slot. The clamping element is movably connected to the wrench body and has a rear end, a front end, a sliding bar and a movable jaw. The sliding bar is formed on the rear end of the clamping element, is mounted in the sliding slot and engages the thumbscrew and has multiple teeth. The ratcheting jaw is a curved block capable of sliding forward and retracting backward inside the curved slot and has a backward area, a forward area, a guide hole, an engaging surface, an abutting surface, an engaging protrusion and a spring.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
With reference to
The wrench body 10 has a handle 11, a head 12, a thumbscrew 13 and an inserting pin 14. The handle 11 has a front end and a rear end.
The head 12 is formed on the front end of the handle 11 and has a top side, a bottom side, a connecting block 121, a fixed jaw 122, a curved slot 123, two sidewalls 125, two pin holes 126, a positioning pin 127, a mounting recess 128 and a sliding slot 129. The connecting block 121 is formed on and protrudes from the front end of the handle 11 and has an upper side, a front side, a top side and a bottom side. The fixed jaw 122 is formed on and protrudes from the upper side of the connecting block 121 and has an inner side.
The curved slot 123 is formed in the connecting block 121 and the fixed jaw 122 between the front side of the connecting block 121 and the inner side of the fixed jaw 122 and has an inner surface, a forward end and a backward end. The inner surface of the curved slot 123 is curved and may be a single curved surface or a multi-curved surface. The forward end of the curved slot 123 is formed in the front side of the connecting block 121 and is opposite to the fixed jaw 122. The backward end of the curved slot 123 is formed in the inner side of the fixed jaw 121. In the present invention, a backward end is defined as an end heading toward the backward direction during a ratcheting rotation of the head 12 in the backward direction. Opposite to the backward end, a forward end is defined as an end heading toward the forward direction while the head 12 is being rotated in the forward direction.
The sidewalls 125 are respectively formed on the top side and the bottom side of the head 12 beside the curved slot 123 and each sidewall 125 has a middle. The pin holes 126 are respectively formed through the middles of the sidewalls 125 and communicate with the curved slot 123. The positioning pin 127 may be a rivet or a screw and is inserted through the pin holes 126 and the curved slot 123. The mounting recess 128 may be rectangular and is formed though the top side and the bottom side of the connecting block 121 and has two opposite inner sides and two inserting holes 1281. The opposite inner sides of the mounting recess 128 face to each other. The inserting holes 1281 are respectively formed through the opposite inner sides of the mounting recess 128, are formed through the connecting block 121 and align with each other.
The sliding slot 129 is formed though the front side of the connecting block 121, communicates with the curved slot 123 and the mounting recess 128 and has a bar-shaped slot 1291 and a board-shaped slot 1292. The bar-shaped slot 1291 is formed though the connecting block 121 and communicates with the mounting recess 128. The board-shaped slot 1292 is formed through the front side of the connecting block 121 and communicates with the curved slot 123 and the bar-shaped slot 1291.
The thumbscrew 13 is rotatably mounted in the mounting recess 128 of the head 12, extends into the bar-shaped slot 1291 of the sliding slot 129 and has an axial line and a pivot hole 131. The pivot hole 131 is axially formed through the thumbscrew 13 along the axial line and aligns with the inserting holes 1281 of the mounting recess 128. The inserting pin 14 is mounted in the inserting holes 1281 of the head 12 and through the pivot hole 131 of the thumbscrew 13 to enable the thumbscrew 13 to be rotatably mounted in the head 12. In addition, the front side of the connecting block 121 parallels with the thumbscrew 13 and the inserting pin 14.
The clamping element 20 is movably connected to the wrench body 10 and has a rear end, a front end, a sliding bar 21, a ribbed slab 22 and a movable jaw 24. The sliding bar 21 is formed on the rear end of the clamping element 20, is slideably mounted in the bar-shaped slot 1291 of the sliding slot 129, engages the thumbscrew 13 and has a rear side, a front side and multiple teeth 211. The teeth 211 are formed on and protrude from the rear side of the sliding bar 21 at intervals, extend into the mounting recess 128 and engage the thumbscrew 13 to enable the sliding bar 21 to move relative to the head 12 when the thumbscrew 13 is rotated relative to the head 12.
The ribbed slab 22 is formed on and protrudes from the front side of the sliding bar 21, is mounted in the board-shaped slot 1292 of the sliding slot 129 and has a front side, an inner side and a dodge notch 23. The front side of the ribbed slab 22 extends out of the front side of the connecting block 121 via the board-shaped slot 1292 of the sliding slot 129. The inner side of the ribbed slab 22 faces the curved slot 123 of the head 12. The dodge notch 23 is formed in the inner side of the ribbed slab 22 to prevent the ribbed slab 22 interfering with the curved slot 123 when the ribbed slab 22 moves inwardly to the fixed jaw 122 with the sliding bar 21.
The movable jaw 24 is formed on and protrudes from the ribbed slab 22 at a side that is opposite to the sliding bar 21, faces the fixed jaw 122 to hold and rotate a hexangular head 40 of a bolt and has a rear end, a front end, an inner side, an engaging surface 241, a limiting protrusion 242, a front notch 243, multiple limiting notches 244, a positioning block 245 and a rear notch 246.
The rear end of the movable jaw 24 is formed on and protrudes from the front side of the ribbed slab 22. The engaging surface 241 is formed on the inner side of the movable jaw 24 between the rear end and the front end of the movable jaw 24, faces the inner side of the fixed jaw 122 and the curved slot 123 and has a normal line perpendicular to the engaging surface 241. With reference to
The limiting protrusion 242 is formed on the front end of the movable jaw 24. The front notch 243 is formed in the inner side of the movable jaw 24 between the limiting protrusion 242 and the engaging surface 241 of the movable jaw 24. The limiting notches 244 are formed in the engaging surface 241 at intervals adjacent to the front notch 243 to form multiple limiting claws 2441 between the limiting notches 244. The positioning block 245 is formed on and protrudes from the inner side of the movable jaw 24 at the rear end of the movable jaw 24 and has an inner side and a positioning surface 2451. The positioning surface 2451 is formed on the inner side of the positioning block 245. An angle between the positioning surface 2451 of the positioning block 245 and the engaging surface 241 of the movable jaw 24 is 120 degrees. The rear notch 246 is formed in the inner side of the movable jaw 24 between the engaging surface 241 and the positioning block 245.
The ratcheting jaw 30 is a curved block capable of sliding forward and retracting backward inside the curved slot 123 of the head 12 and has a backward area, a forward area, an outer surface, an inner surface, a top face, a bottom face, a guide hole 31, an abutting protrusion 32, an engaging surface 33, an abutting surface 34, an engaging protrusion 35, a spring recess 36, a spring 37 and an inner notch 38. The backward area of the ratcheting jaw 30 is defined within the ratcheting jaw 30, as an area heading toward the backward direction during a ratcheting rotation of the head 12 in the backward direction. Opposite to the backward area, the forward area of the ratcheting jaw 30 is defined within the ratcheting jaw 30 as an area heading toward the forward direction while the head 12 is being rotated in the forward direction.
The outer surface of the ratcheting jaw 30 has a shape that corresponds to the inner surface of the curved slot 123 to allow the ratcheting jaw 30 to slide inside the curved slot 123 of the head 12. The inner surface of the ratcheting jaw 30 faces the inner side of the movable jaw 24 to enable the hexangular head 40 of the bolt to be held between the inner surface of the ratcheting jaw 30 and the inner side of the movable jaw 24.
The guide hole 31 is a curved hole, is formed through the top face and the bottom face of the ratcheting jaw 30 and has a backward area and a forward area. The backward area of the guide hole 31 is defined within the guide hole 31, as an area heading toward the backward direction during a ratcheting rotation of the head 12 in the backward direction. Opposite to the backward area, the forward area of the guide hole 31 is defined within the guide hole 31 as an area heading toward the forward direction while the head 12 is being rotated in the forward direction. The positioning pin 127 is mounted through the guide hole 31 via the pin holes 126. More precisely, the positioning pin 127 is mounted through the curved slot 123 and the forward area of the guide hole 31.
The abutting protrusion 32 is formed on and protrudes from the inner surface of the ratcheting jaw 30 at the forward area of the ratcheting jaw 30 and extends out of the curved slot 123 of the head 12. The engaging surface 33 is formed in the inner surface of the ratcheting jaw 30 adjacent to the backward area of the ratcheting jaw 30. The abutting surface 34 is formed in the inner surface of the ratcheting jaw 30 at the backward area of the ratcheting jaw 30 and is opposite to the abutting protrusion 32. The engaging protrusion 35 is formed on and protrudes from the inner surface of the ratcheting jaw 30 between the engaging surface 33 and the abutting surface 34.
The spring recess 36 is formed in the outer surface of the ratcheting jaw 30 at the forward area of the ratcheting jaw 30 and communicates with the guide hole 31. The spring 37 is mounted in the spring recess 36 and abuts the positioning pin 127 to push the ratcheting jaw 30 to move forwardly. The inner notch 38 is formed in the inner surface of the ratcheting jaw 30 between the engaging surface 33 and the abutting protrusion 32.
With reference to
A hexangular head 40, 40A of a bolt has multiple flats and multiple corners formed between adjacent flats. When engaging the hexangular head 40, 40A of the bolt between the ratcheting jaw 30 and the movable jaw 24 of the clamping element 20, the engaging protrusion 35 and the engaging surface 241 will respectively engage a top and a bottom of the hexangular head 40, 40A of the bolt. With reference to
In the present invention, we define that a bolt is rotated to be fastened in a forward direction, for example, clockwise, and is rotated to be loosened in a counterclockwise direction as shown in
The adjustable wrench in accordance with the present invention can be applied to the hexangular heads of bolts of all sizes. For example, when the size of the hexangular head 40 is between 8 and 19 millimeters, the angle range between the normal line of the engaging surface 241 and the axial line of the thumbscrew 13 is between 7 and 15 degrees, and this can enable the engaging protrusion 35 of the ratcheting jaw 30 to engage hexangular heads 40 of different sizes at the position where the length percentage (L) of the engaging protrusion 35 contacting and engaging the hexangular heads 40 is between 35˜50% of the length of the corresponding flat of the hexangular heads 40. When the head 12 is rotated backwardly, the hexangular head 40 can push the ratcheting jaw 30 to rotate forwardly in a clockwise direction to move into the curved slot 123 of the head 12, and this can prevent the ratcheting jaw 30 from sticking with the hexangular heads 40 and can avoid the head 12 rotating difficulty. Because the rotating radian of the ratcheting jaw 30 is same as the rotating radian of the head 12, the ratcheting jaw 30 and the movable jaw 24 can be used to hold and engage the hexangular heads 40 of different sizes.
When the user rotates the head 12 in a clockwise direction to fasten the bolt, the hexangular head 40 of the bolt is rotated with the same direction. Because the length percentage (L) of the engaging protrusion 35 contacting and engaging the hexangular heads 40 is between 35˜50% of the length of the corresponding flat of the hexangular head 40, the hexangular head 40 of the bolt can be rotated smoothly in a clockwise direction. During the rotating process, the corners of the hexangular head 40 are respectively moved at the notches 243, 246, 38 and this can prevent the corners of the hexangular head 40 from knocking against the jaws 24, 30.
With reference to
During the above-mentioned rotating process (the head 12 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction), the front notch 243 can press and push the corner of the hexangular head 40 to move inwardly to the rear end of the movable jaw 24 and can prevent the hexangular head 40 from slipping out of the jaws 24, 30. In addition, the inner notch 38 and the rear notch 246 also can be used to yield the corners of the hexangular head 40 when the hexangular head 40 is rotated with the movable jaw 24 and the ratcheting jaw 30 and this can prevent the corners of the hexangular head 40 from wearing and tearing by the jaws 24, 30. After rotating the head 12 backwardly in a counterclockwise direction, the user can rotate the head 12 forwardly in a clockwise direction to enable the engaging protrusion 35 of the ratcheting jaw 30, the engaging surface 241 and the positioning surface 2451 of the movable jaw 24 to press the flats of the hexangular head 40. Then, the head 12 can be rotated again in a clockwise direction by the user to rotate the hexangular head 40 of the bolt.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and features of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
100133357 A | Sep 2011 | TW | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4706528 | Inoue | Nov 1987 | A |
7827887 | Lee | Nov 2010 | B2 |
8408101 | Liu | Apr 2013 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20130068071 A1 | Mar 2013 | US |