Grip tightener wrench system

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to wrenches and more particularly to wrenches that grip onto fastener heads such as nuts and bolts in order to prevent rounding of fastener-head corners and to grip previously rounded fastener heads or round objects such as pipes and rods.

[0004] 2. Relation to Prior Art

[0005] Corners of fastener nuts and bolts often get rounded with wrenches that are loose-fitting, oversized, flexible, expandable or that do not contact enough surfaces and corners of fastener nuts and bolts to withstand rotational torque applied to them. Generally, most corner-rounding of fastener heads is caused by use of open-end wrenches and adjustable-size wrenches which are more versatile and, therefore, more readily available than limited-use box wrenches or socket wrenches. Some open-end wrenches are made thin for accessibleness but yield flexibly to high torque pressure and cause corner-rounding.

[0006] To assure snug fit of wrenches for preventing corner-rounding and to grip onto variously round objects of any kind, this wrench provides torque-actuated tightness of grip.

[0007] Examples of different but related wrenches not having the torque-actuated grip of fastener heads taught by this invention are described in the following patent documents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,825, issued to Neron et al, described a multi-mode wrench. U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,251, issued to Zurbuchen et al, described a glass-fiber-reinforced ratchet wrench. U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,322, issued to Knox et al, described a folding wrench for compactness. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,819,521 and 4,748,875, issued to Lang, described a ratchet box wrench.

[0008] A known wrench for which a patent number is not known has torque-actuated grip different from this invention. It employs an internal swivel pawl in combination with three internal walls of a wrench head that are leveraged against three sides of a hex fastener head by rotational torque of the wrench. Its grasp of only three sides is not a wall-fitting grip of all sides in a manner taught by this invention. Further, the swivel pawl tends to round corners of a fourth side between fifth and sixth sides that are not contacted reliably by either the three internal walls or the swivel pawl.

[0009] In light of fastener-rounding problems with present wrenches and in light of problems of turning variously round items, objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention are to provide a grip-tightener wrench system which:

[0010] prevents rounding of corners of fastener heads;

[0011] allows full-force turning of previously rounded or partially rounded fastener heads and other round or off-shaped forms such as pipes and rods;

[0012] fits onto all sizes and shapes of conventional fastener heads;

[0013] can be made for all wrench-handling;

[0014] can be made as an insert or attachable unit for present wrenches; and

[0015] can be made for a single wrench to fit one-to-several sizes of fastener heads or round items.

[0016] This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with a grip-tightener wrench system having a plurality of fastener-head contacts on an inside periphery of a wrench enclosure with spring opening of a closure gap between opened and closed positions. The wrench enclosure has an outside periphery with closure appendages on opposite sides of the closure gap. The wrench enclosure rotates in a wrench housing having housing appendages against which the closure appendages are forced for closing the closure gap by rotation of the wrench housing in either direction of wrench rotation against rotational resistance of a fastener member or head positioned in the wrench enclosure. The wrench housing can be affixed to or optionally attachable to a wrench handle or socket. The fastener-head contacts can be a plurality of walls like a hex wrench, a plurality of corners like a twelve-cornered wrench or it can be similar to other wrench-like enclosures. Also, the fastener-head contacts can be pointed edges that penetratively grip surfaces such as rounded fastener heads, round pipes, bars or rods with various shapes.

[0017] This invention is described by appended claims in relation to description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the following drawings which are described briefly as follows:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a grip-tightener wrench in un-tightened mode on an end of a conventional open-end wrench;

[0019] FIG. 2 is a side view of the FIG. 1 illustration in tightened mode from being partially rotated;

[0020] FIG. 3 is a side view of a wrench-head portion of a grip-tightener wrench having a corner-positioned closure gap in un-tightened mode;

[0021] FIG. 4 is the FIG. 3 illustration in tightened mode;

[0022] FIG. 5 is a side view of a grip-tightener wrench having material-penetrative wrench-enclosure edges with an eccentric cam closure in un-tightened mode;

[0023] FIG. 6 is the FIG. 5 illustration in tightened mode on a fastener such as a bolt head;

[0024] FIG. 7 is the FIG. 5 illustration in tightened mode on a round object such as a pipe;

[0025] FIG. 8 is a side view of a grip-tightener wrench in un-tightened mode and having separate closure sections and separate cam valleys in a wrench housing;

[0026] FIG. 9 is the FIG. 8 illustration with closure gaps at corners of wrench walls;

[0027] FIG. 10 is the FIG. 8 illustration with separate cam peaks in a wrench housing;

[0028] FIG. 11 is the FIG. 10 illustration in tightened mode;

[0029] FIG. 12 is the FIG. 10 illustration with separate cam peaks at wrench corners;

[0030] FIG. 13 is the FIG. 12 illustration in tightened mode;

[0031] FIG. 14 is the FIG. 13 illustration with material-penetrative wrench-enclosure edges tightened onto a fastener-bolt head;

[0032] FIG. 15 is a side view of a grip-tightener wrench having a round wrench enclosure with a plurality of two cam peaks in a wrench housing and being in an un-tightened mode;

[0033] FIG. 16 is the FIG. 15 illustration with cam peaks in the wrench enclosure;

[0034] FIG. 17 is the FIG. 16 illustration in tightened mode;

[0035] FIG. 18 is the FIG. 16 illustration with cam peaks in the wrench enclosure;

[0036] FIG. 19 is the FIG. 15 illustration with a closure gap between wrench corner walls;

[0037] FIG. 20 is the FIG. 19 illustration in tightened mode;

[0038] FIG. 21 is the FIG. 19 illustration with material-penetrative wrench-enclosure edges on a rounded fastener-bolt head;

[0039] FIG. 22 is the FIG. 21 illustration in tightened mode on a rounded fastener nut;

[0040] FIG. 23 is a side view of a grip-tightener wrench on a fastener bolt in un-tightened mode with stops in slots for actuating the wrench enclosure;

[0041] FIG. 24 is the FIG. 23 illustration in tightened mode on a fastener nut;

[0042] FIG. 25 is the FIG. 23 illustration with a closure gap at a corner of wrench walls;

[0043] FIG. 26 is the FIG. 25 illustration in tightened mode on a fastener nut;

[0044] FIG. 27 is the FIG. 26 illustration with material-penetrative wrench-enclosure edges;

[0045] FIG. 28 is a side view of a grip-tightener wrench with a hexagonal housing for use as an insert in conventional wrenches;

[0046] FIG. 29 is a side view of a proportionately large grip-tightener-wrench insert in one end and a proportionately small grip-tightener-wrench insert in an opposite end of a conventional open-end wrench;

[0047] FIG. 30 is a side view of a proportionately large grip-tightener wrench in one end and a proportionately small grip-tightener wrench with similar features in an opposite end of a double-end grip-tightener wrench;

[0048] FIG. 31 is a side view of a double-end grip-tightener wrench having grip-tightener wrenches with different features at opposite ends;

[0049] FIG. 32 is a partially cutaway top view of a grip-tightener socket wrench;

[0050] FIG. 33 is a partially cutaway side view of the FIG. 32 illustration;

[0051] FIG. 34 is a partially cutaway top view of a grip-tightener wrench having separate closure sections with open-positioning pressure provided by closure-section springs.

[0052] FIG. 35 is a partially cutaway side view of the FIG. 34 illustration;

[0053] FIG. 36 is a partially cutaway side view of a grip-tightener wrench having a retainer ridge with partial-to-no height between fastener-member contacts of a wrench enclosure; and

[0054] FIG. 37 is a partially cutaway top view of the FIG. 36 illustration.

[0055] Terms used to describe features of this invention are listed below with numbering in the order of their initial use with reference to the drawings. These terms and numbers assigned to them designate the same features wherever used throughout this description.

[0056] Reference is made first to FIGS. 1-7 and to other FIGS. as indicated. A wrench enclosure 1 has an outside periphery 2, an inside periphery 3 and at least one closure gap 4. A wrench housing 5 encompasses the wrench enclosure with an inside periphery 6 in which the wrench enclosure 1 rotates. The wrench housing has an outside periphery 7 which is adaptable to a desired handle for predetermined wrench applications. The grip-tightener wrench can be employed for such applications as an end of an end wrench 8 as depicted in FIGS. 1-27, a wrench insert 9 as depicted in FIGS. 28-29, a size-difference double-end wrench 10 as depicted in FIG. 30, a feature-difference double-end wrench 11 as depicted in FIG. 31 and a wrench socket 12 as depicted in FIGS. 32-33.

[0057] Rotation of the wrench housing 5 tightens grip of the wrench enclosure 1 on a targeted object such as a hex fastener-bolt head 13 depicted in FIGS. 1-6, 8, 10-11, 21, 23 and 25, a hex fastener nut 14 depicted in FIGS. 9, 12-13, 15-20, 22, 24, and 26-28 or a round object such as a pipe 15 depicted in FIG. 7. In FIGS. 21, 23 and 25, corners of the hex fastener-bolt heads 13 are shown rounded and in FIGS. 22, 24, 26 and 27, corners of the hex fastener nuts 14 are shown rounded to illustrate relationship of roundness to grip-tightening features of the grip-tightener wrench.

[0058] Grip tightening is accomplished by engagement of closure portions with housing portions in opposition to rotation of the wrench enclosure 1 and the wrench housing 5 by an object such as a hex fastener-bolt head 13, a hex fastener nut 14 or a round or rounded object such as a pipe 15. The closure portions can be cams 16 extended radially from the outside periphery 2 of the wrench enclosure 1 at oppositely disposed sides of a single closure gap 4 as shown in FIGS. 1-7 and 36-37. The housing portions can be cam followers 17 extended radially from the inside periphery 6 of the wrench housing 5. The outside periphery 2 of the wrench enclosure 1 is rounded at circumferentially opposite sides of the cams 16. Correspondingly, the inside periphery 6 of the wrench housing 5 is rounded to receive the outside periphery 2 of the wrench enclosure 1 with sliding contact. The cams 16 have cam extensions and cam profiles to be engaged by the cam followers 17 and the cam followers 17 have follower extensions and follower profiles to engage the cams 16 for closing the closure gap 4 to tighten a plurality of fastener-member contacts onto a fastener member or other targeted object by rotation of the wrench housing 5. Profiles of the cams 16 have heights and the cam followers 17 have depressions that define extent of rotation for closing the wrench enclosures 1. Low profiles require more rotation and high profiles decrease rotation required for tightening.

[0059] The plurality of fastener-member contacts can be wrench walls 18 as depicted in FIGS. 1-4, 8, 10-11, 15-20, 23-24, and 36-37. Optionally, the plurality of fastener-member contacts can be material-penetrative wrench-enclosure edges 19 as depicted in FIGS. 5-7, 14, 21-22, 27 and 31 or wall corners 20 as depicted in FIGS. 9, 12-13, 19-20, 25-26, 28-30 and 32-33.

[0060] For the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7 and 36-37, the wrench enclosure 1 is an eccentric cylinder having thickness from-side-to-side that is slightly larger than a typical fastener-bolt head or nut and rotates in the wrench housing 5 that is shaped to receive the wrench enclosure 1 in sliding contact. The wrench enclosure 1 has spring-tensioned opening that causes the wrench enclosure 1 to spread at the closure gap 4 and fill the inside periphery 6 of the wrench housing 5 when not being rotated. When being rotated against resistance of a targeted hexagonal or variously round object, sides of the wrench housing 5 close the closure gap 4 partially or fully and cause fastener-member contacts such as wrench-enclosure walls 18, material-penetrative wrench-enclosure edges 19 or wall corners 20 to grip the targeted object. This leaves a small space between an outside periphery 2 of the wrench enclosure 1 and an inside periphery 6 of the wrench housing 5 at a side opposite to a direction of rotation. The small space is depicted in FIGS. 2, 4, 6 and 7.

[0061] The single closure gap 4 can be either in a wrench wall 18 as depicted in FIGS. 1-2, 15-16, 18, 23-24 and 37, at corners of adjacent wrench-enclosure walls 18 as depicted in FIGS. 3-4, 17, 19-20, 29-30 and 32-33 or between adjacent material-penetrative wrench-enclosure edges 19 as depicted in FIGS. 5-7, 14, 21-22, 27 and 31.

[0062] Referring to FIGS. 8-14, 31, 34-35 and to other Figures. as indicated, the wrench enclosure 1 for an embodiment shown in these illustrations is a plurality of wrench-enclosure sections 21 having housing-contact sides at an outside periphery 2 and wrench-enclosure sides at an inside periphery 3. The at least one closure gap 4 is a plurality of closure gaps 4 intermediate the wrench-enclosure sections 21. As for all embodiments, the inside periphery 3 of the wrench enclosure 1 can be such fastener-member contacts as wrench-enclosure walls 18, material-penetrative wrench-enclosure edges 19 or wall corners 20, such that the inside periphery 3 of the wrench enclosure 1 is not designated separately from the wrench-enclosure walls 18, the material-penetrative wrench-enclosure edges 19 or the wall corners 20 in all of the separate Figures. in which these features are depicted. Instead, these features have different reference numbers as appropriate for particular embodiments. Similarly, the outside periphery 2 of the wrench enclosure 1 and the inside periphery 6 of the wrench housing 5 are not designated separately from particular forms for embodiments illustrated unless appropriate for effectiveness of illustration.

[0063] The housing-contact sides of the wrench-enclosure sections 21 have wrench-enclosure cam configurations that are enclosure cam valleys 22 which are oppositely disposed from wrench-housing cam configurations that are housing cam peaks 23 as depicted in FIGS. 10-14 and 31. Optionally as depicted in FIGS. 8-9, the housing-contact sides of the wrench-enclosure sections 21 can have wrench-enclosure cam configurations that are enclosure cam peaks 24 which are oppositely disposed from wrench-housing cam configurations that are housing cam valleys 25. For either option, cam action forces the wrench-enclosure sections 21 inwardly when the wrench housing 5 is rotated in either direction against a targeted object.

[0064] Referring to FIGS. 15-22, 28, 29-30 and 32-33, the wrench enclosure 1 can have a single closure gap 4 circumferentially intermediate a plurality of preferably two wrench-enclosure cams. Oppositely disposed correspondingly, the inside periphery 6 of the wrench housing 5 can have a plurality of housing cams having housing cam configurations. A first of the two wrench-enclosure cams is positioned on a first side and a second of the two wrench-enclosure cams is positioned on a second side of the closure gap 4. Optionally, the wrench enclosure 1 can have either enclosure cam valleys 22 as depicted in FIGS. 18-22, 29-30 and 32-33 or enclosure cam peaks 24 as depicted in FIGS. 16-17. Correspondingly, the wrench housing 5 can have housing cam peaks 23 as depicted in FIGS. 18-22, 29-30 and 32-33 or housing cam valleys 25 as depicted in FIGS. 16-17.

[0065] Referring to FIGS. 23-27, the enclosure portions can be stop appendages 26 extended outward radially from the wrench enclosure 1 at oppositely disposed sides of a single closure gap 4. Coactively, the housing portions can be stop walls 27 extended inward radially from the wrench housing 5 at opposite circumferential ends of a stop channel 28 in which the stop appendages 26 travel rotationally.

[0066] Referring to FIGS. 28-29, the wrench insert 9 that is a wrench housing 5 with a hexagonal outside periphery preferably employs an embodiment of this grip-tightener wrench that can be made to have the smallest possible outside diameter. The embodiment described in relation to FIGS. 15-22, 28, and 32-33 is depicted as an example. As for other embodiments, a selection of sizes can be provided as shown for select handle advantages in relation to particular use conditions.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 30, the embodiment described in relation to FIGS. 15-22, 28-30 and 32-33 is depicted for a size-difference double-end wrench 10 having similar features with different sizes at opposite ends.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 31, the embodiment having wrench-enclosure sections 21 described in relation to FIGS. 8-14, 31 and 34-35 also can be made to have a relatively small diameter and to have low resistance to closing for use in a feature-difference double-end wrench 11. Different features at opposite ends can be wall corners 20 and material-penetrative wrench-enclosure edges 19 as shown.

[0069] Referring to FIGS. 32-33, a wrench housing 5 can be hexagonal for a wrench socket 12 that also employs features of this invention which are amenable to small diameter such as described in relation to FIGS. 15-22. The wrench socket 12 has a drive aperture 29 or other wrench connection at a top and a fastener entry 30 at a bottom. The wrench socket 12 being relatively long, in proportion to thickness of conventional end wrenches and other handles employed for this invention, can have a plurality of retainer ridges 31 extended from outside peripheries of wrench enclosures 1 for insertion into retainer grooves 32 for retaining the wrench enclosures 1 in the wrench housings 5. Thinner wrench enclosures 1 can have one retainer ridge 31 and one retainer groove 32 with similar characteristics.

[0070] Preferably the retainer ridges 31 of a fully closed wrench enclosure 1 are short enough to clear an inside periphery of a wrench housing 5 for side travel to the retainer grooves 32 for being inserted into a wrench housing 5 such as a wrench socket 12, a wrench insert 9 or selections of handle means.

[0071] Referring to FIGS. 34-35, wrench-enclosure sections 21 can have section-retainer portions such as section-retainer ridges 33 extended into section-retainer slots 34 to hold the wrench-enclosure sections 21 while being slid inward radially for engagement and outward radially for disengagement of fastener-member contacts with targeted objects for rotation. Closure-section springs 35 are employed to pressure the wrench-enclosure sections 21 outward radially for allowing entry of a targeted object into the wrench enclosure 1. The closure-section springs 35 have preferably light spring pressure to allow gripping of the targeted object without application of high torque.

[0072] Referring to FIGS. 36-37, size or height of a retainer ridge 31 in a retainer groove 32 can be reduced or omitted between fastener-member contacts such as wrench walls 18 to facilitate ease of closing a wrench enclosure 1 in a wrench housing 5. The retainer groove 32 and the retainer ridge 31 can be omitted proximate closure appendages such as cams 16 and housing appendages such as cam followers 17 as shown. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 36-37 is described further in relation to FIGS. 1-7.

[0073] Variations and combinations of features of this grip-tightener wrench are interchangeable for particular preferences. This is a broadly comprehensive wrench system with basic commonality of variants for tight wrench gripping of cornered and rounded objects.

[0074] A new and useful grip-tightener wrench system having been described, all such foreseeable modifications, adaptations, substitutions of equivalents, mathematical possibilities of combinations of parts, pluralities of parts, applications and forms thereof as described by the following claims and not precluded by prior art are included in this invention.