Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is related to a spanner for use in
rotating nuts for fixtures used in water works and drainages
formed of materials such as sanitary ceramics.
Conventional spanners for the above-mentioned use
such as plate spanners, open end spanners, monkey wrenches,
adjustable wrenches or pipe wrenches have been employed.
However, the plate spanner has the disadvantage that the dis-
tance between the bite surfaces is constant and therefore can
not be adjusted. In the monkey wrench or pipe wrench, since
a stationary jaw member is integrally formed on the leading endof the handle portion and another jaw member is slidably mounted
at the leading end of the handle portion for movement toward
and away from the stationary jaw member, the opening and closing
of the bite surfaces of the two jaw members can not be rapidly
performed, and when the opening between the two jaw members is
substantial, the resulting dimensions of the wrench inevitably
become large and the pipe wrench has a greater width in the jaw
portion than in the handle portion causing the manipulation of
the wrench to be difficult in a limited space. Also, since
the bite surfaces are saw-toothed, the bite surfaces tend to
inflict damage on nuts etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed to provide a
spanner which can effectively eliminate the above-mentioned
disadvantages inherent in conventional spanners and wrenches.
One object of the present invention is to provide a
spanner in which the opening and closing or the distance
between the bite surfaces can be rapidly adjusted.
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1 ~nother object of the present invention is to provide a
spanner which is a compact and simple mechanism whereby the
distance between the bite surfaces can be adjusted to become
substantially large.
Another object of the present invention is to provide
a spanner which exhibits a high degree of performance even when
utilized in a limited space.
A still further object of the present invention is to
provide a spanner which can grasp a nut without inflicting
any damage on the nut.
The above and other objects and attendant advantages
of the present invention will be more readily apparent to those
skil~ed in the art from a reading of the following detailed
description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
which show one preferred embodiment of the present invention
for illustration purpose only, but not for limiting the scope
of the present invention in any way.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS-
Fig. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of a spanner
constructed in accordance with the present invention showing
the spanner with a portion thereof broken away;
Fig. 2 is a side elevational partially sectional view
of said spanner as shown in Fig. 1 showing the spanner with a
portion thereof broken away;
Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of said spanner with
a portion thereof broken away showing the spanner in use; and
Fig. 4 is a plan view of another embodiment of a spanner
constructed in accordance with the present invention showing
30 the spanner with a portion broken away. I
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1 PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF TEIE INVENTION
The present invention will now be described referring to
the accompanying drawings in which one preferred embodiment
of the same is illustrated.
In Figs. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a flat
body which integrally includes a handle portion 1' at one end,
an intermediate portion 2, and a head 3 at the other end. The
intermediate portion 2 is provided with a roller or rotating
member receiving window opening 4 which extends transversely to
the longitudinal axis of the body 1 and through the width of
the body intermediate portion 2 and an elongated interlocking
member receiving groove 4' extending in the longitudinal
direction of the body 1 a predetermined distance from the
opening 4 respectively from both the left and right side thereof.
The elongated groove 4' intersects the right and left side of
the window opening 4 respectively at right angles. Reference
numeral 5 denotes a first jaw receiving guide groove provided
in one major surface (the surface facing the viewer of Fig. 1)
of the head 3 which extends at 45 with respect to the longi-
tudinal axis of the body 1. Similarly, a second jaw receiving
groove 6 is provided in the other or reverse major surface of
the head 3 which extends at 45 with respect to the longitudinal
axis of the body 1 and is at a right angle to the first groove 5.
The guide grooves 5, 6 are in communication with each other at
their center portions 5a, 6a.
The elongated flat plate-like guide portions 7', 8'
of first and second jaw members 7, 8 respectively have a width
less than that of the body 1 and are slidably received in the
first and second guide grooves 5, 6, respectively. The opposing
or inner surfaces of the flat plate-like guide portions 7', 8'
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1 are provided with elongated engaging grooves 9, 10, respectively,
which have parallel and coincident central axes. The leading
or free ends of the jaw members 7, 8 are provided with jaw
portions 7", 8", respectively, which have the same width as
the guide portions 7', 8', but are somewhat offset with respect
to the guide portions 7', 8', respectively (Fig. 2). The jaw
portions 7", 8" have smooth bite faces 7a, 8a on the opposing
inner surfaces, respectively, and the jaw members 7, 8 are
mounted in the body 1 so that one of the major surfaces (the
reverse surface as seen in Fig. 1~ of each of the jaw portions
7", 8" lie in the same plane as one major surface (the reverse
surface as seen in Fig. 1) of the body 1 lies. A knurled
roller or rotating member 11 is rotatably received in the window
opening 4 and has a diameter substantially equal to the width
of the body 1 whereby the roller scarcely projects beyond the
opposite major surfaces of the body 1. Disposed within the
portion of the elongated groove 4' and positioned between the
jaw members 7, 8 and the roller 11 is an interlocking member 12
which moves toward or away from the jaw members 7, 8 in the
axial direction of the body 1 in response to the rotation of
the roller 11 in one or the other direction to thereby
simultaneously open or close the jaw members 7, 8. Thus, in
the illustrated embodiment~ the interlocking member 12 is
in the form of a short rod and has a flattened or outwardly
bulged head 4a at the leading end and a pair of engaging pro-
jections 13, radially extending from opposite surfaces of the
head 4a. The follower 12 further includes a male-threaded
portion 13' at the rear end. The short rod 12 is mounted in
the groove 4' with the male-threaded portion 13' threadably
engaged with a threaded hole of the roller 11. The engaging
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1 projections 13, slidably enyage the mating engaging grooves 9,
10 formed in the guide portions 7', 8' of the jaw members 7, 8,
respectively. As the knurled roller 11 is manually rotated in
one or the other direction, the short rod or interlocking
member 12 respectively moves within the groove 4' either
toward or away from the jaw members 7, 8 in response to the
rotation of the roller with the projections 13, engaging in the
grooves 9, 10 to thereby simultaneously open or close the jaw
members 7, 8. In Figs. 1 and 2, reference numeral 14 denotes
a cover which surrounds the head 3 and the intermediate portion 2
of the body 1 to prevent the jaw members 7, 8, interlocking
member 12 and roller 11 from coming off the body 1 and has an
opening 14' where the knurled roller 11 is exposed. Reference
numeral 15 denotes fasteners which secure the covers 14 to the
body 1 and reference numerals 16, 17 denote recesses formed in
the opposing inner surfaces of the guide portions 7', 8'
of the jaw members 7, 8, respectively. The recesses 16, 17
define a clearance therebetween which receives the flattened
head 4a of the short rod or interlocking member 12 so as to
prevent the rotation of the member 12 about its own axis.
With the above-mentioned construction and arrangement
of the parts of the spanner of the present invention, when the
body 1 is gripped at the handle portion 1' by one hand of a
user and the knurled roller 11, mounted in the window opening 4,
is rotated by fingers of the user's hand, for example, in one
or the other direction, the bite surfaces 7a, 8a are further
opened or closed from the position as shown in Fig. 1 in which
the bite surfaces are spaced from each other. That is, when
the roller 11 is rotated in one direction, the short rod or
interlocking member 12 advances towards the head 3 of the body 1
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1 because of the threaded engagement between the knurled roller 11
and the male-threaded portion 13' of the short rod 12. There-
fore, the jaw members 7, 8 and the guide portions 7', 8' of
which are slidably received in the guide grooves 5, 6,
respectively, are forced to advance, within the associated
grooves at an angle with respect to the axis of the body 1,
because the jaw members are pushed by the projections 13, at
the leading end of the short rod 12 engaging the grooves 9, 10
formed in the opposing inner surfaces of the guide portions 7',
8', respectively, whereby the smooth bite surfaces 7a, 8a on
the jaw portions 7", 8" are rapidly opened. When the bite
surfaces 7a, 8a on the jaw portions 7", 8" are spaced or opened
a distance suitable for engaging two diametrically opposite
faces b of the head of a nut, the rotation of the roller 11
is ceased and the bite surfaces 7a, 8a of the jaw members 7, 8
are positioned so as to grip the nut head therebetween.
Thereafter, the spanner body 1 is rotated to fasten or release
the nut in the same manner as followed in the conventional
spanners. On the other hand, when it is desired to close or
reduce the space between the bite surfaces 7a, 8a on the jaw
members 7, 8, it is only necessary to rotate the roller 11 in
the reverse or other direction. The maximum opening between
the bite portions 7a, 8a is determined by the length of the
engaging grooves 9, 10. The present invention has the
features that, since the bite surfaces 7a, 8a are smooth, the
bite portions can easily fit on the nut head without inflicting
any damage on the nut, that when the roller 11 is rotated in
one or the other direction, the pair of jaw members 7, 8 are
caused to slide simultaneously within the guide grooves 5, 6,
respectively through the interlocking member 12 which moves in
the axial direction of the body 1 whereby the jaw members are
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1 opened or closed and the bite surfaces 7a, 8a are opened or
closed rapidly and smoothly, that since the roller 11 and the
interlocking member 12 are mounted within the body 1, the
spanner is compact and easy to manipulate and the opening
between the bite surfaces 7a, 8a can be enlarged substantially,
and that since the body 1 is flat and the jaw members 7, 8 have
a width less than that of the body 1 with one major surfaces of
the jaw members lyina substantially on the same plane as one
major surface of the body, the spanner can be easily manipulated
even in a limited space as shown in Fig. 3. In the illustrated
embodiment as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, although the guide portions
7', 8' of the jaw members 7, 8 are shown as extending at an
angle to each other, it is also possible to provide the guide
portions 7', 8' and guide grooves 5, 6 so as to extend at right
angles to the axis of the body 1, and the guide portions 7', 8'
are disposed so as to lie one upon the other on parallel axes
in which the engaging grooves 9, 10 formed in the guide portions
are disposed at an angle to each other as shown in Fig. 4.
Also,-in the illustrated embodiments, although as the inter-
locking member 12, the short rod provided with the male-threaded
portion 13' and engaging projections 13, are employed and the
engaging projections 13, respectively engage the mating
grooves 9, 10, such arrangement is not absolutely necessary.
Alternatively, the short rod having the male-threaded portion
and the guide portions 7', 8' may be connected together by means
of link rods for simultaneously opening and closing the jaw
members 7, 8.
As clear from the foregoing description of the several
preferred embodiments of the present invention, according to
the present invention, the opening and closing of the bite
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1 surfaces can be rapidly performed, and the bite surfaces can
grip the nut without inflicting any damage on the nut.
Also there is the advantage that the spanner is compact and
can be easily manipulated even in a limited space. Therefore,
the spanner has a very practical value as a spanner for turning
nuts for water works and drainage systems.
While only several embodiments of the present invention
have been shown and described in detail, it will be understood
that the same is for illustration purpose only and is not to
be taken as a limitation of the present invention. Rather,
the definition of the present invention and any limitations
thereof are set forth in the appended claims.
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