Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF TEIE INVENTION
This invention relates to new and useful improve-
ments in pipe wrenches, particularly pipe wrenches of the
type which include an elongated handle with a fixed jaw on
one end, a sliding block adjacent said one end through which
the actuating lever is slidably engaged. The actuating le-
ver is provided with a movable jaw on one end thereo in
opposition to the fixed jaw and means are provided to ad-
just the position of the actuating lever and the movable
jaw, lengthwise relative to the fixed jaw.
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The actuating lever rocks within the guide block
and the normal operation of the wrench is to adjust the
jaws so that they snugly engage around the element to be
gripped whereupon downward pressure upon the elongated
handle permits the actuating lever to rock thus tighten-
ing the jaws around the element and preventing slippage
from occurring.
.
These wrenches are well known and suffer from
principal disadvantages of not being lockable around the
element but only being usable to grip the element for
turnlng purposes.
.
Other types of wrenches exist which can be lock-
ed around an element and are known as vise grip locking
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pliers. While these lock around an element, they are not
self binding to increase the frictional engagement of the
pliers with the element beiny held or rotated.
The present attachment is designed for use with
the first mentioned wrench namely a pipe wrench so that the
pipe wrench can, if desired, be used in the conventional
fashion or alternatively, can be transformed into a type
of vise grip locking wrench. Due to the construction of
the conventional pipe wrench to which the attachment is
secured, when used as a vise grip type wrench, much
greater locking power is provided together with the self-
wrapping action if rotation is desired of the part being
gripped.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the invention is to provide in a
pipe wrench which includes an elongated handle having a
fixed jaw on one end thereof, a guide block adjacent said
one end and being situated above said fixed jaw, an actua-
ting lever slidable through said guide block with a jaw on
one end of said actuating lever opposing said fixed jaw,
means to adjust said actuating lever lengthwise relative
to said fixed handle, said actuating lever being rockable
in said guide block; a detachable locking attachment for ;~
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said pipe wrench, said detachable locking attachment com-
prising a locking lever, means pivoting said locking lever
to said actuating lever adjacent the other end thereof,
one end of said locking lever slidably engaging said elon-
gated handle, movement of said locking lever in one direc-
tion rocking said actuating lever upwardly relative to said
elongated handle thereby moving said moving jaw towards
said fixed jaw, and movement of said locking lever in the
other direction rocking said actuating lever downwardly to-
wards said elongated handle thereby moving said movable jawaway from said fixed jaw, said one end of said locking lever
passing over center relative to said means pivoting said
locking lever to said actuating lever.
Another aspect of the invention contemplates the
use, if desired, of a roller engageable with the elongated
handle to facilitate the locking and unlocking action and
the over center action of the locking attachment.
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A yet further advantage of the invention is to
provide an attachment which is simple in construction,
economical in manufacture and which is easily attachable
to conventional pipe wrenches.
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~ ~ With the foregoing in view, and other advantages
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as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to
which this invention relates as this specification pro-
ceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrange-
ment and construction of parts all as hereinafter more
particularly described, reference being had to the accom-
panying drawings in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pipe wrench
with the attachment secured thereto and being shown in
the locked position.
Figure 2 is a view similar to ~igure 1, but with
the device being shown in the unlocked position.
Figure 3 is an isometric view of the attachment
per se.
In the drawings like characters of reference in-
dicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Proceeding therefore to describe the invention
in detail, the conventional pipe wrench includes an elon-
gated handle 10 having a-fixed jaw 11 being formed or be-
ing .ecured to one end 12 thereof and being situated sub-
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stantially vertically to the longitudinal axis of thehandle 10.
An apertured guide block 13 is formed integrally
with the handle 10 adjacent said one end 12 and above the
fixed jaw 11.
An actuating lever 14 slidably engages through
the guide block and is provided with a movable jaw lS
on one end 16 thereof, said jaw being formed at right
angles to the longitudinal axis of the actuating lever 14.
Both the fixed jaw 11 and the movable jaw 15 are in oppo-
sition with one another and are provided with transversely
situated teeth, the direction of the teeth 17 of the movable
jaw inclining upwardly towards the guide block 13 and the
direction oE the teeth 18 of the fixed jaw inclining down-
wardly in the opposite direction. This gives the neces-
sary locking action when engaged around an element such
as that indicated by reference character 1~. The actua-
ting lever 14 is capable of rocking action within the
guide block 13, being movable from a substantially parallel
position to the handle 10 as shown in Figure 2, to the an-
gled position illustrated in Figure 1.
.
Upper and lower screw threaded portions 20 are
: provided along part of the actuating lever 14 and an ad-
justable scrlew threaded sleeve 21 engages over these teeth
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and can be rotated freely, reacting between the rear
wall 22 of the guide block and a restrainer shoulder 23
extending upwardly from the elongated handle 10.
In operation of the conventional wrench, the jaws
are en~aged over the part 19 whereupon the sleeve 21 is
rotated to bring the jaws in close proximity with the
element as shown in Figure 2. Downward pressure on the
end 24 of the elongated handle causes the actuating lever
14 -to rock and come,into binding engagement with the part
19 with the angulated teeth 11 and 17 biting into the ele
ment and providing an essentially non-slip relationship
between the wrench and the element so that pressure can
be applied to rotate same.
The attachment collectively designated 25 is for
locking the jaws in position around the element as illus-
trated in Figure 1 when it is desired to utilize the wrench
in a manner substantially similar to that of the locking
pliers hereinbefore mentioned.
The attachment comprises a bell crank type locking
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lever having a first portion 26 and a second portion 27 ex-
tending substantially at right angles therefrom. The first
portion is preferably in the form of a pair of spaced and
parallel flanges 26A and a pivot pin 28 extends through ad-
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3;25C)
jacent the upper sides of these flanges and the rear end
portion 14A of the actuating :Lever 14, said pivot pin 28
being spaced inwardly from the rear end 14B as clearly
shown in Figures 1 and 2.
A small roller 29 is preferably journalled bet-
ween adjacent the distal ends 30 of the flanges 2~A upon
pivot pin 31 and this roller engages the upper surface 32
oE the elongated handle 10.
The locking lever is movable from a position shown
in Figure 2 which releases the actuating lever 14 and allows
the wrench to be operated in the usual manner, to a posi-
tion shown in Figure 1 in which the portion 14 of the ac-
tuating lever is raised upwardly or away from the elongated
handle 10. The roller 29 passes over center of the pivot
point 28 when in the downward position shown in Figure 1
thus locking the actuating lever 14 in the position shown
and locking the jaws 15 and 11 around the element 19. By
adjusting the sleeve 21 prior to moving the locking lever
to the position shown in Figure 1, greater or lesser clamp-
ing pressure is provided to the element 19.
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: Due to the formation o.f the teeth 1~ and 17, the
wrench, when in the locked position shown in Figure 1, can
also be used to apply the necessary frictional engagement
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to element 19 to enable same to be rotated i~ it is de-
sired.
The attachment can readily be engaged upon any
conventional pipe wrench merely by drilling an aperture
through the actuating lever and attaching the element via
the pivot pin 28. It will be observed that the locking
lever 25 is maintained in the slightly over cen-ter po-
sition shown in Figure 1 by the engagement of the under-
side of the portionl27 of the locking lever, with the up-
per side 32 of the rear end portion 14A of the actuatinglever.
Also, of course, it will be appreciated that the
pipe wrench with the attachment 25, can be used to clamp
parts together in a manner similar to the~pliers herein-
be~ore mentioned.
Since various modifications can be made in my in
: vention as hereinabove described, and many apparently wide-
ly different embodiments of same made within the spirit and
scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and
scope~ it is intended that all matter contained in the ac-
companying specification shall be interpreted as illustra-
tive only and not in a limiting sense.
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