US4586406A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Extensible wrench construction
Assignee: SHAFFER M RALPH
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Filing: 1984-09-20
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Granted: 1986-05-06
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Expires: 2004-09-20
Abstract
Abstract An improved wrench construction wherein a telescoping handle is extensible and retractable for varying the torque applied to a given work piece such as a nut. The handle of the wrench telescopes a wrench shaft, the two in combination being combined with a quick-release mechanism for easily changing the handle setting from one over-all length to another. In a preferred form of the invention, the wrench is supplied with parallel elongate detent pins that cooperate with grooves in the wrench shaft; these detent pins are lifted rearwardly and outwardly from a particular groove within which they are aligned, by a suitable actuatable sleeve, the essential distance of sleeve travel, relative to pin disengagement from a particular groove, being greater than pin travel out of a particular shaft slot.
Inventors
- 👤 Willis H. Howard
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 00:25
CPC Classifications
B; B25; B25G; B25G1/00; B25G1/04; B25G1/043; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T403/00; Y10T403/32; Y10T403/32254; Y10T403/32467; Y10T403/32475; Y10T403/32483
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
274 words
A wrench construction including, in combination: a handle having an axial bore, a medial forwardly-facing reaction shoulder, and a forward body portion of reduced dimension and extending forwardly of said reaction shoulder, said forward body portion including a pair of transverse dimetrically oppositely disposed forwardly undercut slots intersecting said bore and oppositely angulated rearwardly and outwardly; an elongate shaft slidably disposed in said bore of said handle and provided with a work-performing head, said shaft having a plurality of mutually spaced annular grooves; a pair of detent pins laterally slidably disposed in respective ones of said slots and releasably seated in a selected one of said grooves; compression coil spring means surrounding said forward body portion and operably disposed between and acting upon said reaction shoulder and said detent pins; and manually operable sleeve means surrounding said spring means engaging said detent pins, and being spring-biased by said compression coil spring means in a direction along the longitudinal axis of said handle, for urging said detent pins in respective angulated rearward and outward directions within said slots against the bias of said compression coil spring means, whereby to effect, through pronounced rearward longitudinal movement of said sleeve means, an unlocking disengagement between said detent pins and said selected one of said grooves, and thereby permit said shaft to be longitudinally moved and reset, relative to said handle, for a new lock of said detent pins, under the pressure of said compression coil spring means when said sleeve means is manually released, relative to another one of said grooves of said shaft, said compression coil spring means biasing said sleeve means against said detent pins.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
274 words
A wrench construction including, in combination: a handle having an axial bore, a medial forwardly-facing reaction shoulder, and a forward body portion of reduced dimension and extending forwardly of said reaction shoulder, said forward body portion including a pair of transverse dimetrically oppositely disposed forwardly undercut slots intersecting said bore and oppositely angulated rearwardly and outwardly; an elongate shaft slidably disposed in said bore of said handle and provided with a work-performing head, said shaft having a plurality of mutually spaced annular grooves; a pair of detent pins laterally slidably disposed in respective ones of said slots and releasably seated in a selected one of said grooves; compression coil spring means surrounding said forward body portion and operably disposed between and acting upon said reaction shoulder and said detent pins; and manually operable sleeve means surrounding said spring means engaging said detent pins, and being spring-biased by said compression coil spring means in a direction along the longitudinal axis of said handle, for urging said detent pins in respective angulated rearward and outward directions within said slots against the bias of said compression coil spring means, whereby to effect, through pronounced rearward longitudinal movement of said sleeve means, an unlocking disengagement between said detent pins and said selected one of said grooves, and thereby permit said shaft to be longitudinally moved and reset, relative to said handle, for a new lock of said detent pins, under the pressure of said compression coil spring means when said sleeve means is manually released, relative to another one of said grooves of said shaft, said compression coil spring means biasing said sleeve means against said detent pins.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
292 words
A wrench construction including, in combination: a handle having an axial bore, a medial forwardly-facing reaction shoulder, and a forward body portion of reduced annular dimension and extending forwardly of said reaction shoulder, said forward body portion including a pair of transverse diametrically oppositely disposed forwardly undercut slots intersecting said bore and oppositely angulated rearwardly and outwardly; an elongate shaft slidably disposed in said bore of said handle and provided with a work-performing head, said shaft having a plurality of mutually spaced annular grooves; a pair of detent pins laterally slidably disposed in respective ones of said slots and releasably seated in a selected one of said grooves; compression coil spring means mounted over said forward body portion and operably disposed between and acting upon said reaction shoulder and said detent pins; a centrally apertured washer surrounding said forward body portion and disposed between said compression coil spring means and said detent pins; and manually operable sleeve means engaging said detent pins, and being spring-biased by said compression coil spring means in a direction along the longitudinal axis of said handle, for urging said detent pins in respective angulated rearward and outward directions within said slots against the bias of said compression coil spring means, whereby to effect, through pronounced rearward longitudinal movement of said sleeve means, an unlocking disengagement between said detent pins and said selected one of said grooves, and thereby permit said shaft to be longitudinally moved and reset, relative to said handle, for a new lock of said detent pins, under the pressure of said compression coil spring means when said sleeve means is manually released, relative to another one of said grooves of said shaft, said compression spring means biasing said sleeve means against said detent pins.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
292 words
A wrench construction including, in combination: a handle having an axial bore, a medial forwardly-facing reaction shoulder, and a forward body portion of reduced annular dimension and extending forwardly of said reaction shoulder, said forward body portion including a pair of transverse diametrically oppositely disposed forwardly undercut slots intersecting said bore and oppositely angulated rearwardly and outwardly; an elongate shaft slidably disposed in said bore of said handle and provided with a work-performing head, said shaft having a plurality of mutually spaced annular grooves; a pair of detent pins laterally slidably disposed in respective ones of said slots and releasably seated in a selected one of said grooves; compression coil spring means mounted over said forward body portion and operably disposed between and acting upon said reaction shoulder and said detent pins; a centrally apertured washer surrounding said forward body portion and disposed between said compression coil spring means and said detent pins; and manually operable sleeve means engaging said detent pins, and being spring-biased by said compression coil spring means in a direction along the longitudinal axis of said handle, for urging said detent pins in respective angulated rearward and outward directions within said slots against the bias of said compression coil spring means, whereby to effect, through pronounced rearward longitudinal movement of said sleeve means, an unlocking disengagement between said detent pins and said selected one of said grooves, and thereby permit said shaft to be longitudinally moved and reset, relative to said handle, for a new lock of said detent pins, under the pressure of said compression coil spring means when said sleeve means is manually released, relative to another one of said grooves of said shaft, said compression spring means biasing said sleeve means against said detent pins.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
174 words
A wrench construction including, in combination: an elongate shaft with mutually spaced grooves and provided with a work-performing head, adjustable handle means telescopingly receiving said shaft for selectively altering the torque supplied said head, said handle means having a forward, reduced-diameter body portion provided with side-opposite, forwardly-and inwardly-oriented undercut slots, and said handle means being provided with quick-release means for releasably locking said handle means onto said shaft in one of a selectable number of longitudinally-spaced positions; said quick-release means comprising: a longitudinally-movable actuatable sleeve surrounding said body portion, a compression-type coil spring means surrounding said body portion and cooperable with and longitudinally biasing said actuatable sleeve, and plural, angulated-travel, pin-type detent means engaging said sleeve and cooperable with said handle and respectively riding in said undercut slots against the compression of said spring means and movable and engaged by said sleeve for selectively releasing a detent-lock between said handle and a respective one of said shaft grooves, prepatory to axial movement of said shaft relative to said handle for a new detent-lock therebetween.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
174 words
A wrench construction including, in combination: an elongate shaft with mutually spaced grooves and provided with a work-performing head, adjustable handle means telescopingly receiving said shaft for selectively altering the torque supplied said head, said handle means having a forward, reduced-diameter body portion provided with side-opposite, forwardly-and inwardly-oriented undercut slots, and said handle means being provided with quick-release means for releasably locking said handle means onto said shaft in one of a selectable number of longitudinally-spaced positions; said quick-release means comprising: a longitudinally-movable actuatable sleeve surrounding said body portion, a compression-type coil spring means surrounding said body portion and cooperable with and longitudinally biasing said actuatable sleeve, and plural, angulated-travel, pin-type detent means engaging said sleeve and cooperable with said handle and respectively riding in said undercut slots against the compression of said spring means and movable and engaged by said sleeve for selectively releasing a detent-lock between said handle and a respective one of said shaft grooves, prepatory to axial movement of said shaft relative to said handle for a new detent-lock therebetween.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-05-05 | 1989-11-04 | 1990-05-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-05-05 | 1993-11-04 | 1994-05-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-05-05 | 1997-11-04 | 1998-05-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |