Bleed wrench

Claim 1

For use with a bleed valve or the like having a rotatable and externally grippable valve head controlling discharge of fluid through an orifice disposed axially of the head, a wrench comprising a. a rigid, integral axially rectilinear shaft having i. an axial bore, ii. an enlarged first end forming a socket coaxial with and communicating with said bore, said socket including an outer portion shaped to receive and grip said valve head for rotation therewith, and iii. a second end shaped to form a nipple adapted to be gripped by a flexible tube or the like, said bore opening axially through said nipple; b. a resilient annular seal fitted snugly within said socket and having an outwardly facing annular sealing surface offset inwardly from the outer extremity of said socket for bearing against a valve head inserted in said socket; and c. handle means, fixedly secured to the shaft and extending laterally from the shaft at right angles thereto intermediate said socket and said nipple, for effecting manual turning of said shaft about the axis thereof to turn a valve head received within said socket for opening said valve, said bore being adapted to conduct fluid discharged from said valve to a tube secured to said nipple; d. said socket further including an inner portIon wider than said outer portion such that an inwardly facing shoulder is formed in the socket at the junction of the outer and inner portions, said inner portion terminating inwardly in an outwardly facing surface through which said bore opens, said last-mentioned surface being spaced inwardly from said shoulder; e. said seal having an outer diameter greater than that of said outer socket portion and an inner diameter smaller than that of said outer socket portion, said seal being inserted within said inner socket portion and there retained by said shoulder, said seal further having an axial dimension about equal to the spacing between said shoulder and said outwardly facing surface of said inner socket portion for fitting snugly between said shoulder and said last-mentioned surface.