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US 4,307,635 AGranted
Locking plier and adapter
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorRalph F. Genova
Life of this patent
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AssigneeNone recorded
InventorRalph F. Genova
Estimating the term…
An adapter for and in combination with a plier-type toggle locking wrench having an elongated handle with a fixed gripping jaw at one end, an opposing gripping jaw pivotally mounted on the handle, a resilient device urging the pivoted jaw away from the fixed jaw and a toggle mechanism for moving the pivoted jaw toward the fixed jaw, the toggle mechanism including a stub lever variably positioned by a coacting screw operator to effect fine adjustment of the jaws with respect to, and for over-center locking thereof on, the work, the screw operator being threaded into the free end of the handle opposite the fixed jaw, the adapter comprising a replacement screw operator having an externally-threaded portion to be received in the handle and a head portion having an internally-threaded passage adapted to receive a threaded stem of an accessory attachment such as a lifting eyebolt or a impact tool device.
An adapter kit for adapting a plier-type toggle locking wrench for uses other than its originally-intended use, without in any way impairing the originally-intended use, the wrench having a handle with a fixed jaw at one end and a threaded passage at the other end, a movable jaw pivoted on the handle between the ends of the handle, spring means connected between the handle and the movable jaw for over-center locking of the jaws on a work piece and an adjustment screw threaded in the threaded passage in the handle and having the sole function of adjusting the over-center position of the toggle means, the adjustment screw having a head to be grasped for turning the screw and a threaded portion engaging the threads of the threaded passage and an unthreaded end for engaging the toggle means, said kit comprising an adjustment/adapter screw substitute for the toggle adjusting screw of the wrench, said adjustment/adapter screw substitute comprising a screw also having a threaded portion for engaging the threads of the threaded passage and an unthreaded end for engaging the toggle mechanism, but said adjustment/adapter screw having a head relatively enlarged in length and diameter, as compared to the length and diameter of the head of the original adjustment screw, said enlarged head having an internally-threaded passage formed therein adapted to receive an externally-threaded member, said kit further comprising an impact tool attachment including a cylindrical guide with an impact weight slidably mounted thereon and an eyebolt having a stem, said guide and said stem each having external threads at the free end thereof adapted to engage said internal threads in said enlarged head, whereby the wrench is converted to an impact tool by use of said attachment or to a lifting tool by use of said eyebolt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Involving special transmission means between the handles and the jaws, e.g. toggle levers, gears: with self-locking toggle levers
Puller or pusher means, contained force multiplying operator: having percussion or explosive operator
Tools or bench devices not otherwise provided for, for fastening, connecting, disengaging
Technical subjects covered by former us classification
Term ended 11 Dec 1999 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
This invention relates generally to plier-type toggle locking wrenches, and more particularly to an adapter for increasing the utility of such tools.
There are several brands of locking plier-type wrenches on the market, the wrenches taught in Petersen U.S. Pat. No. 2,280,005, Jones U.S. Pat. No. 2,514,130 and Froeschl U.S. Pat. No. 2,966,818 being typical, and they are referred to by various terms such as toggle pliers, grip-lock pliers, etc.
Although the structural details of such wrenches vary somewhat, they all have many common elements such as a handle with a fixed jaw, a movable jaw pivoted to the handle opposite the fixed jaw for clamping a work piece between the jaws, a toggle mechanism arranged and pivotally connected to the handle and to the movable jaw for over-center locking of the jaws on the work piece and a screw operator (18 in Petersen, 13 in Jones and 35 in Froeschl) cooperating with a stub lever portion of the toggle mechanism for adjustment of the jaws to enable such clamping and over-center toggle locking action on work pieces of different dimensions.
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, with portions thereof cut away and in cross-section, illustrating a use of a locking plier embodying the invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the adapter screw embodying the invention shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary portion of FIG. 1, with portions thereof cut away and in cross-section.
Reference is now made to the drawings, which are for purposes of illustration only, and wherein like elements are identified by the same reference numerals.
Referring specifically to FIG. 1, a locking plier 10, such as that referred to above, comprises a handle 12 having a fixed gripping jaw 14 at end 16 and a threaded passage 18 at end 20. A movable jaw member 22 having gripping jaw 23 is pivotally mounted at 24 to handle end 16, and tension spring 26 secured between jaw member 22 and handle 12 urges jaw 23 away from fixed jaw 14.
A toggle lever system 27 includes a lever 28 pivotally connected at 30 to jaw member 22 and at 34 to a stub lever 32, the end 36 of which engages, or is positioned by, the free end 38 of the adjusting screw 40. In the prior art pliers referred to above, the head 42 of screw 40 is of a length sufficient merely to grasp the same to turn the externally threaded portion 44 in the internal threads 18 and thereby adjust the abutment end 38 within handle 12 and with respect to end 36 of stub lever 32 for the purpose already explained above. That is, such adjustment of screw 40 in the passage 18 of handle 12 merely adjusts the work piece-gripping distance between jaws 14 and 23 at which the toggle lever system moves over center, which enables the jaws to securely clamp and lock onto work pieces of various sizes.