Adjustable open end wrench
OwnerWilliam A. Cagleinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to an improvement for an adjustable open end wrench of the type comprising a stationary jaw and a movable jaw having a rack gear coupled thereto. A helical gear is coupled between the rack gear and the stationary jaw for driving the movable jaw toward and away from the stationary jaw. The rotational axis of the helical gear is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rack gear and the direction of motion of the movable jaw. This acute angle is substantially equal to the pitch axis of the helical gear teeth, whereby tangential sections of the helical gear teeth which are in sliding communication with the rack gear teeth are substantially perpendicular to the direction of motion of the movable jaw.
Claims13
An adjustable open end wrench comprising in combination:
- a stationary jaw attached to a head section of said adjustable open end wrench;
- a movable jaw slidably mounted on said stationary jaw for moving toward and away from said stationary jaw for defining a plane of motion therebetween;
- a rack gear coupled to said movable jaw;
- and
- a helical gear including thereon helical gear teeth of a known pitch angle for engaging rack gear teeth of said rack gear for driving said movable jaw along said plane of motion, with engaging tangential sections of said helical gear teeth and said rack gear teeth at the points of sliding contact being perpendicular to said plane of motion.
An improved adjustable open end wrench of the type including a worm gear with worm teeth of known pitch angle for rotatably engaging rack teeth of a rack gear, with said worm gear and said rack gear being coupled between a fixed jaw and a movable jaw for driving said movable jaw in a first plane towards said fixed jaw, wherein the improvement comprises:
- orienting a central rotational axis of said worm gear at a first angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of said rack gear, with said first angle being substantially equal to said pitch angle of said worm gear teeth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.