Patent Application
20200406432
The subject application is directed to hand tools, and more particularly, to a wrench for removing and installing an expansion tank in a plumbing and/or heating system.
During the installation and removal of water tanks, or expansion tanks, in a plumbing and/or heating system, it is necessary to remove a number of threaded connectors holding the tank in place. The threaded connectors are integral to the tank assembly and often hidden from view, in partial view, and/or with difficult access. This makes installation and removal particularly difficult for the technician.
A typical threaded connector will have a hexagonal shape designed adjacent to the threads to facilitate means of utilizing a wrench during assembly or removal. Currently used in the field are conventional wrenches such as a plumber's wrench, an open ended wrench, or channel locking pliers.
Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is still a need in the art for an improved tank wrench that overcomes the deficiencies associated with conventional wrenches noted above. The present disclosure provides a solution for this need.
A wrench for removing and installing a water tank in a plumbing and/or heating system as shown and described herein can include, an elongated handle portion having a longitudinal axis and opposed proximal and distal ends, and a crescent shaped head portion operatively associated with the distal end of the elongated handle portion, wherein the head portion includes an opening that is adapted and configured to match the hexagonal dimensions of two different common threaded connectors. The wrench can be constructed from chrome vanadium steel or a similar metal alloy.
The head portion can include an opening of the crescent shaped head portion configured to accommodate a hexagonal first threaded connector having an outer diameter measured between opposed parallel longitudinal surfaces of about 1.090 inches. The head portion can also include an opening of the crescent shaped head portion to accommodate a second hexagonal threaded connector having an outer diameter measured between opposed parallel longitudinal surfaces of about 0.900 inches. The opening in the head portion can have a peripheral wall that extends beyond the upper and lower surfaces of the head portion, configured to prevent slippage or misengagement. The peripheral wall of the opening of the head portion can have a height of about 0.5 inches.
A shaped spike can extend radially outward from an outer periphery of the head portion for striking the water tank to create hole therein. The shaped spike can extend radially outward from the outer periphery for a length of about 0.375 inches. The shaped spike can have a generally pyramidal shape.
The elongated handle portion can include a resting feature adjacent the head portion configured to rest on a surface of the water tank to provide alignment of the wrench in the torque plane for engagement of the hexagonal threaded connector. The elongated handle portion can be a length of about 15 inches as measured from the proximal end of the handle portion to a distal-most surface of the head portion. The elongated handle portion is integrally formed with the head portion. The elongated handle portion can also have an inner thickness and an outer thickness, wherein the inner thickness is less than the outer thickness, the inner thickness being about 0.25 inches measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the outer thickness being about 0.375 inches measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
The elongated handle portion can also include a proximal end section that is covered by a rubberized hand grip. The hand grip can be constructed from 80 Shore A rubber, or similar material. The hand grip can be configured to extend about 5 inches up the elongated handle portion from the distal end of the elongated handle portion. The hand grip can also be about 1 inch wide and about 1 inch thick. The rubberized hand grip can be integrally formed with the elongated handle portion. The rubberized hand grip and elongated handle portion include a longitudinal void.
These and other features of the embodiments of the subject disclosure will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
So that those skilled in the art will readily understand how to make and use the hand tool of the subject invention without undue experimentation, embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein below with reference to certain figures, wherein:
Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like reference numerals identify similar structural features or aspects of the subject disclosure. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, an illustrative view of an embodiment of a tank wrench in accordance with the disclosure is shown in
With reference to
The head portion 102 can include an opening 130 configured to accommodate a first hexagonal threaded connector having an outer diameter of about 1.090 inches (e.g. as shown in
The wrench can further include a shaped spike 110 which can extend radially outward from an outer periphery 108 of the head portion 102 for striking a water tank to create hole therein. The shaped spike 110 can extend radially outward from the outer periphery 108 of the head portion 102 for a length of about 0.375 inches. The shaped spike 110 can have a generally pyramidal shape as shown in
The elongated handle portion 104 can include a resting feature 118 adjacent the head portion 102 configured to rest on a surface of a water tank to prevent misalignment (e.g. as best seen in
The elongated handle portion 104 can include a proximal end section 150 that is covered by a rubberized hand grip 106. The hand grip can be constructed from 80 Shore A rubber, or similar material suitable for cushioning a hand when applying significant torque or striking a water tank. A rubberized hand grip also serves to prevent impact shock from translating to the piping system due to dynamic load of striking wrench with object such as hammer when removing tank from system. A rubberized grip can transfer torque but will absorb impact shock that may harm other components in the piping system. The hand grip 106 can be configured to extend about 5 inches up the elongated handle portion 104 starting from the distal end of the elongated handle portion 104. The hand grip 106 can also have a cross sectional area of about 1 square inch.
As shown in
Like wrench 100, wrench 200 can also include an opening 220 having an opening 230 and 240 each configured to engage with a common threaded connector. The wrench 200 can further include a resting feature 218, a shaped spike 210 extending radially outward from an outer periphery 208 of the head portion, and a peripheral wall 212.
Those having ordinary skill in the art understand that any numerical values disclosed herein can be exact values or can be values within a range. Further, any terms of approximation (e.g., “about”, “approximately”, “around”) used in this disclosure can mean the stated value within a range. For example, in certain embodiments, the range can be within (plus or minus) 20%, or within 10%, or within 5%, or within 2%, or within any other suitable percentage or number as appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art (e.g., for known tolerance limits or error ranges).
Any suitable combination(s) of any disclosed embodiments and/or any suitable portion(s) thereof are contemplated herein as appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art.
The embodiments of the present disclosure, as described above and shown in the drawings, provide for improvement wrenches for removing and installing water tanks. While the subject disclosure includes reference to certain embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that changes and/or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/868,196 filed Jun. 28, 2019, the contents of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62868196 | Jun 2019 | US |
