Claims
- 1. An audible torque wrench comprising:
- a head having a tool connecting part;
- a handle operatively attached to the head;
- a grip attached to the handle such that the handle extends along a major portion of the length of the grip;
- a resilient member located between and fastened between the grip and the handle, the strength and position of which contributes to the force necessary to use the torque wrench;
- an audible noise maker located between the grip and the handle fastened to one of the handle and the grip so that when a force is applied to the grip to rotate the handle about the head, the grip deflects the resilient member until a position is reached where the audible noise maker is actuated and an audible signal is produced.
- 2. The audible torque wrench of claim 1 wherein the resilient member is a spring.
- 3. The audible torque wrench of claim 2 wherein the audible noise maker is a clicker spring which is slideably mounted on one of the grip and the handle so that one end of the clicker spring engages one of the handle or the grip and gives off an audible signal when the grip is deflected by a predetermined amount, the location of the clicker spring determining at least in part the amount of torque that must be applied before the audible signal is generated.
- 4. The audible torque wrench of claim 2 wherein one end of the spring is fastened to one of the handle and grip and is moveable to different positions thereon in order to vary the torque necessary to actuate the audible noise maker.
- 5. The audible torque wrench of claim 2 wherein the audible noise maker is a clicker spring that is slideably mounted to the handle to move along the length of the handle, the position of the clicker spring at least in part determining the amount of torque that must be applied to the grip before an audible signal is heard.
- 6. The audible torque wrench of claim 5 wherein a hand locator engages and is attached to the grip in order to encourage the user to apply the force in the correct location along the handle.
- 7. The audible torque wrench of claim 2 wherein the grip is a channel-shaped member fitting over the handle and the grip is pivotably attached at one end to the handle.
- 8. An audible torque wrench comprising:
- a head having a tool connecting part;
- a handle operatively attached to the head;
- a grip attached to the handle;
- a resilient member fastened between the grip and the handle, the strength and position of which contributes to the force necessary to use the torque wrench;
- an audible noise maker fastened to one of the handle and the grip so that when a force is applied to the grip to rotate the handle about the head, the grip biases the resilient member until a position is reached where the audible noise maker is actuated and an audible signal is produced, the resilient member being a spring, the audible noise maker being a clicker spring which is slideably mounted on one of the grip and the handle so that one end of the clicker spring engages one of the handle and the grip and gives off an audible signal when the grip is deflected by a predetermined amount, the location of the clicker spring determining at least in part the amount of torque that must be applied before the audible signal is generated, the clicker spring being attached to a clicker block, a groove being located along the longitudinal axis of the grip and the clicker block being moveable along the groove to vary the torque which is necessary to create an audible signal from the clicker spring.
- 9. An audible torque wrench comprising:
- a head having a tool connecting part;
- a handle operatively attached to the head;
- a grip attached to the handle;
- a spring fastened between the grip and the handle, the strength and position of which contributes to the force necessary to use the torque wrench;
- an audible noise maker fastened to one of the handle and the grip so that when a force is applied to the grip to rotate the grip about the head, the grip biases the spring until a position is reached where the audible noise maker is actuated and an audible signal is produced, the audible noise maker being a clicker spring which is slideably mounted on one of the grip and the handle so that one end of the clicker spring engages one of the handle and the grip and gives off an audible signal when the grip is deflected by a predetermined amount, the location of the clicker spring determining at least in part the amount of torque that must be applied before the audible signal is generated, one end of the spring being fastened to one of the handle and grip and being moveable to different positions thereon in order to vary the torque necessary to actuate the clicker spring.
- 10. An audible torque wrench comprising:
- a head having a tool connecting part;
- a handle operatively attached to the head;
- a grip attached to the handle;
- a coil spring located and fastened between the grip and the handle with the axis of the coil spring generally perpendicular to the handle, the strength and position of which contributes to the force necessary to use the torque wrench;
- an audible noise maker fastened to one of the handle and the grip so that when a force is applied to the grip to rotate the handle about the head, the grip deflects the coil spring until a position is reached where the audible noise maker is actuated and an audible signal is produced.
- 11. The audible torque wrench of claim 10 wherein the coil spring is located adjacent an end of the handle remote from the head.
- 12. The audible torque wrench of claim 11 wherein the audible noise maker is a clicker spring adjacent an end of the grip remote from the coil spring.
Parent Case Info
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/043,138, filed Apr. 14, 1997.
US Referenced Citations (11)