Patent Application
20180071897
The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to hand-held wrench devices. More particularly, the presently disclosed subject matter relates to hand-held wrench devices for use in loosening and tightening connectors (such as nuts) in difficult-to-reach locations, such as basin drain connections and/or toilets.
Nuts used to secure kitchen and bathroom drain assemblies, toilet connections, and the like are typically located in confined areas that are difficult to engage with a standard wrench. Many plastic nuts have wings or flanges to facilitate turning by hand. In many cases, however, it still is necessary to use a wrench to ensure tightness and/or to loosen nuts that have become frozen in place through over-tightening and/or as a result of dissolved salts and minerals in the water. Although a variety of wrenches are known in the art, it would be beneficial to provide a wrench that promotes ease and convenience of use, facilitates engagement and gripping of fittings or other components, and is relatively compact to allow for loosening and tightening of nuts located in confined spaces.
In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a wrench comprising a substantially U-shaped base portion comprising a first face and a second face, and a substantially U-shaped body portion attached to (and/or aligned with) the first face of the base portion. In some embodiments, the body portion comprises an outer wall and an inner wall comprising one or more cavities shaped and sized to house at least one portion of a connector. In some embodiments, the outer wall comprises one or more gripping elements comprising ribs, texturing, rubberized materials, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the cavities of the disclosed wrench are substantially U-shaped. In some embodiments, the cavities are uniformly spaced about the inner wall of the body portion. In some embodiments, the connector is a wing nut comprising at least one wing. In some embodiments, the at least one portion of a connector is the wing of the wing nut. In some embodiments, the base portion comprises a lip that extends beyond the inner wall of the body portion. In some embodiments, the disclosed wrench further comprises a substantially U-shaped adaptor, wherein the adaptor comprises an outer wall comprising one or more protrusions sized and shaped to be housed within the one or more cavities of the wrench, and an inner wall sized and shaped to accommodate a connector. The adaptor is sized and shaped to be positioned adjacent to the inner wall of the wrench body portion. In some embodiments, the adaptor further comprises a lip positioned adjacent to the adaptor inner wall.
In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a method of loosening or tightening a connector. Particularly, the method comprises providing the disclosed wrench, providing a connector comprising one or more wings, aligning at least one wing of the connector with at least one cavity of the wrench such that the wing is housed within the cavity, and turning the wrench by applying pressure, whereby the connector is loosened or tightened. In some embodiments, the turning is done by hand. In some embodiments, the wrench is oriented such that the cavities are facing upwards when in use. In some embodiments, the wrench is oriented such that the cavities are facing downward when in use.
The presently disclosed subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the following description, in which some (but not all) embodiments are shown. The presently disclosed subject matter can, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the instant disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the embodiments to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains.
Following long standing patent law convention, the terms “a”, “an”, and “the” refer to “one or more” when used in the subject application, including the claims.
As used herein, the term “adaptor” refers broadly to any receptacle configured to receive a connector, such as (but not limited to) a nut or bolt. In some embodiments, the adaptor can be a part, assembly, or subassembly designed for use in conjunction with the disclosed device.
The terms “comprises” and “comprising” are intended to have the broad meaning ascribed to them in U.S. Patent Law and can mean “includes”, “including”, and the like.
The term “connector” as used herein refers to any of the wide variety of connecting devices known and used in the art, including (but not limited to) fittings, nuts, and the like.
The term “gripping element” as used herein refers to any of the wide variety of elements known and used in the art to allow a user to better grip a device. For example, suitable gripping elements can include (but are not limited to) ribs, texturing, and/or rubberized materials.
As used herein, the term “nut” can refer to any of the wide variety of connecting devices known and used in the art. For example, in some embodiments, a nut can refer to a wing nut, such as a plastic wing nut.
The term “substantially” as used herein refers to the complete or nearly complete extent or degree of a characteristic or property. For example, an object that is “substantially” U-shaped is either completely U-shaped or nearly completely U-shaped.
The terms “top”, “bottom”, “inner” and “outer” as used herein universally refer to an orientation with reference to the body of the disclosed device. For example, in some embodiments, the top portion of the disclosed wrench refers to the side facing upward, towards the sky.
The term “wrench” as used herein refers to an open-ended tool element that can communicate with a connector.
The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a hand-held wrench device that is advantageously sized and shaped to be used in confined locations (e.g., in the space immediately below a sink or behind a toilet). Particularly,
Body portion 25 comprises upper face 35 that in some embodiments can be the top face of the device. However, in some embodiments the device can be oriented in the opposite direction such that second face 20 of base portion 10 is the top face of the device. See, for example, the embodiments shown in
Body portion 25 comprises inner wall 40 and outer wall 45, as shown in
In some embodiments, base portion 10 and body portion 25 are aligned (at least on outer wall 45 of the device). In some embodiments, base portion 10 extends beyond inner wall 40 of body 25 towards receiving space 30, thereby forming lip 77. Lip 77 can be used to assist the user in accurately positioning the disclosed device when in use, as would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art.
In some embodiments, device 5 comprises one or more gripping elements (such as ribs 100 and/or texturing 105) formed on an exterior surface of the body (i.e., outer wall 45) to improve grip and provide increased torque when loosening and/or tightening a nut, as shown in
As set forth above, device 5 can be substantially U-shaped, i.e., base portion 10, body portion 25, lip 77, inner wall 40 and/or outer wall 45 can be substantially U-shaped. As set forth in detail herein below, in some embodiments the U-shape facilitates proper positioning of the disclosed device when in use. That is, the device can be turned around and reversed depending on the environment and/or direction of rotation, as shown in
For example,
It should be appreciated that the disclosed device can be used on any of a wide variety of connectors to be tightened or loosened and is not limited to wing nuts as shown in
In some embodiments, the disclosed device can comprise one or more adaptors. For example, as shown in
In use, adaptor 110 can be removably attached to device 5 by pushing or otherwise positioning protrusions 115 into cavities 50, as shown in
In some embodiments, device 5 (and/or adaptor 110) can be constructed from a molded rigid plastic material. However, it should be appreciated other materials, e.g. metal, composites, and the like can also be used. For example, in some embodiments, device 5 can be constructed of a strong, lightweight nylon or other plastic material that has sufficient strength to turn a nut, but will not mar the nut when turned. In some embodiments, the disclosed device can be molded in one piece to minimize costs. That is, in some embodiments, base portion 10 and body portion 25 are integrally formed as a single and inseparable component of the same material. However, in some embodiments, body portion 25 and base portion 10 are separate components that can be attached using any method known in the art, including (but not limited to) adhesives, welding, mechanical fasteners, and the like.
It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the preferred embodiments described herein would be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the presently disclosed subject matter. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
