Ratcheting open-end wrench
OwnerWilliam M. Schultheisinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ratcheting, open-end wrench concurrently engages more than half the corners of a nub during torquing. In preferred embodiments a wrench has a contacting cavity for receiving and torquing a nut, bolt head or other angularized nub. A chain carries a plurality of teeth about the inner perimeter of the cavity, and the chain is ratcheted so that the teeth move readily in one direction, but can be blocked from moving in the opposite direction. The teeth are arranged on the chain such that the cavity changes shape from an open configuration in which the nub can be received into the cavity, and a closed configuration in which the nub is locked into the cavity.
Claims17
An open-end wrench for torquing a nub, the wrench comprising a nub receiving cavity having a plurality of nub contacting sides, the cavity changing shape from an open configuration in which the nub can be received into the cavity, and a closed configuration in which the nub is locked into the cavity wherein said cavity has an inner perimeter, and further comprising a chain carrying a plurality of teeth about said inner perimeter.
A ratcheting, open-end wrench comprising a cavity for applying torque to an object at a plurality of outside corners of the object, the cavity having a plurality of sides forming inside corners, each of a plurality of the inside corners simultaneously receiving an outside corner of the object, and each inside corner defining an inside angle, wherein, when the number of inside angles receiving an outside corner of the object is more than half the number of outside corners of the object, the sum of the differences resulting from subtracting each of the corner angles of the plurality of inside corners receiving an outside corner of the object from 180.degree. is greater than 180.degree..
A method of torquing a nub having at least four sides and outside corners, comprising:
- providing a wrench with a cavity having a plurality of nub contacting sides, at least two of the sides defined by at least two members carried by a chain;
- coupling a ratchet to the chain;
- manipulating the chain to produce a first open configuration of the cavity and receiving the nub into the cavity;
- manipulating the chain to produce a closed configuration of the cavity;
- rotating the wrench to torque the nub;
- manipulating the chain to produce a second open configuration of the cavity and withdrawing the nub from the cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.