Packaging and displaying device for a spanner

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to a spanner, more particularly to a packaging and displaying device for a spanner.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional spanner 1 is shown to include a handle 11 with proximate and distal ends opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction. A clamping head is disposed on the proximate end of the handle 11, and has a stationary jaw portion 14 and a movable jaw portion 12 which is biased by a biasing member 13 to turn towards the stationary jaw portion 14 about a pivot axis that is transverse to the longitudinal direction. The biasing member 13 and a pulling rod 15 are received in a sliding groove 111 which is formed in the handle 11 between the proximate and distal ends and which extends in the longitudinal direction. The pulling rod 15 is pulled along the sliding groove 111 to turn the movable jaw portion 12 away from the stationary jaw portion 14 against the biasing force of the biasing member 13 so as to permit a screw fastener (not shown) to extend into a clamping space between the jaw portions 14, 12. The screw fastener can be clamped tightly by the jaw portions 14, 12 after the pulling rod 15 is released, thereby permitting turning of the screw fastener via the spanner which is rotated in one of clockwise and counterclockwise directions. When the spanner is rotated in the other of clockwise and counterclockwise directions, the movable jaw portion 12 can be moved away from the stationary jaw portion 14 so as to disengage the screw fastener, thereby not turning the latter.

[0006] However, the conventional spanner is packaged in a closed paper box for selling, and cannot be studied and operated practically by a customer. Therefore, it is difficult for a customer to have a better understanding of the spanner.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a packaging and displaying device which can cooperate with a spanner and which facilitates study and operation of the spanner by a customer.

[0008] According to this invention, the packaging and displaying device includes a backing mount member, a work piece member, a spanner holding member, a securing member, and a key and keyway arrangement. The backing mount member has front and rear walls opposite to each other in a transverse direction. The front wall includes a mounting portion which has an annular bearing wall to define a through hole with a rotating axis for communicating with the rear wall, and a guiding portion opposite to the mounting portion in a longitudinal direction. The work piece member includes an annular wheel member, an anchoring member, and a clamped member. The annular wheel member has a rim portion rotatable relative to the annular bearing wall, and a hub portion surrounding the rotating axis. A ratchet toothed member is disposed between the rim portion and the annular bearing wall to permit unidirectional rotation of the annular wheel member relative to the annular bearing wall. The anchoring member has an enlarged head portion which is disposed rearwardly of and which is in frictional contact with the rear wall of the backing mount member, and a spindle portion which has a proximate end disposed normal to the enlarged head portion and insertable into and rotatable with the hub portion, and a distal end extending from the proximate end in the transverse direction to extend forwardly of the front wall of the backing mount member. The clamped member includes a socket end which engages the distal end of the spindle portion of the anchoring member by press fitting in the transverse direction, an annular mount portion which is disposed outwardly of the socket end to surround the rotating axis, and a clamped portion which is disposed opposite to the annular mount portion in the transverse direction, and which is adapted to be clamped by a clamping head of a spanner when a movable jaw portion of the spanner is biased to turn towards a stationary jaw portion. The spanner holding member includes forward and rearward walls opposite to each other in the transverse direction, and has an anchored end portion which defines an anchored hole that extends through the forward and rearward walls so as to be sleeved on and to be rotated with the annular mount portion of the clamped member about the rotating axis, and a stabilizing end portion opposite to the anchored end portion in the longitudinal direction. The securing member is disposed on the forward wall at the stabilizing end portion, and is adapted to hinder the distal end of the handle of the spanner from moving away from the forward wall in the transverse direction. The key and keyway arrangement is disposed between the rearward wall at the stabilizing end portion of the spanner holding member and the front wall at the guiding portion of the backing mount member so as stabilize swinging movement of the spanner holding member relative to the backing mount member when the clamped member rotates with the annular wheel member. As such, the clamped portion of the clamped member can be turned via the spanner so as to enable customers to study and operate the spanner.

[0009] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional spanner;

[0011] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a packaging and displaying device according to this invention;

[0012] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the preferred embodiment;

[0013] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the packaging and displaying device shown in FIG. 3, taken along lines IV—IV thereof;

[0014] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the preferred embodiment showing a spanner mounted thereon and rotated clockwise; and

[0015] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the preferred embodiment showing the spanner mounted thereon and rotated counterclockwise.

[0016] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the preferred embodiment of the packaging and displaying device according to the present invention is shown to comprise a backing mount member 20, a work piece member 30, a spanner holding member 51, and a securing member 50.

[0017] The backing mount member 20 has front and rear walls 201,202 opposite to each other in a transverse direction. The front wall 201 includes a mounting portion 2011 and a guiding portion 2012 opposite to the mounting portion 2011 in a longitudinal direction. The mounting portion 2011 has a hanging hole 21 which extends to communicate with the rear wall 202, and an annular bearing wall 221 to define a through hole 22 with a rotating axis for communicating with the rear wall 202. The annular bearing wall 221 is formed with an annular ratchet toothed member. An arcuate sliding groove 23 is formed in the guiding portion 2012, and extends about the rotating axis of the through hole 22. The sliding groove 23 has two ends which cooperate with the rotating axis to confine an angle θ which is at least 60°.

[0018] The work piece member 30 includes an annular wheel member 33, an anchoring member 32, and a clamped member 31.

[0019] The annular wheel member 33 has a rim portion 330 which is disposed to be rotatable relative to the annular bearing wall 221 and which is provided with a ratchet toothed member 333 so as to engage threadedly the ratchet toothed member of the annular bearing wall 221 to permit uni-directional rotation of the annular wheel member 33 relative to the annular bearing wall 221, and a hub portion 334 which is disposed to surround the rotating axis and which has a sleeve hole 331 and two engaging slots 332 diametrically disposed opposite to each other.

[0020] The anchoring member 32 is made of a plastic material, and has an enlarged head portion 321 which is disposed rearwardly of and which is in frictional contact with the rear wall 202 of the backing mount member 20, and a spindle portion 322. The spindle portion 322 has a proximate end which is disposed normal to the enlarged head portion 321 and which is insertable into a sleeve hole 331 in the hub portion 334 by means of two engaging blocks 322′ that engage the engaging slots 332 so as to be rotatable with the annular wheel member 33, and a distal end 323 which extends from the proximate end in the transverse direction to extend forwardly of the front wall 201 of the backing mount member 20, and which is formed with a slit 324.

[0021] The clamped member 31 has a through hole 311 which extends therethrough in the transverse direction, and includes a socket end 310 which is formed with two elongate slots 312 that engage the engaging blocks 322′ of the spindle portion 322 of the anchoring member 32 by press fitting in the transverse direction via the slit 324, an annular mount portion 314 which is disposed outwardly of the socket end 310 to surround the rotating axis, and a clamped portion 315 which is disposed opposite to the annular mount portion 314 in the transverse direction, and which is adapted to be clamped by a clamping head 42 of a spanner 40 to coincide the rotating axis with a pivot axis of the spanner 40 when a movable jaw portion 422 of the latter is biased to turn towards a stationary jaw portion 421. In this embodiment, the clamped portion 315 is formed as a hexagonal screw nut. Since the construction of the spanner 40 has been described hereinbefore, it will be described further for the sake of brevity.

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the spanner holding member 51 includes forward and rearward walls 515,516 opposite to each other in the transverse direction, and has an anchored end portion 517 which defines an anchored hole 511 that extends through the forward and rearward walls 515,516 so as to be sleeved on and to be rotated with the annular mount portion 314 of the clamped member 31 about the rotating axis, and a stabilizing end portion 518 opposite to the anchored end portion 517 in the longitudinal direction. A protrusion 513 is disposed on the rearward wall 516 at the stabilizing endportion 518, and is slidably inserted in the arcuate sliding groove 23. As such, the arcuate sliding groove 23 and the protrusion 513 serve as a key and keyway arrangement to stabilize swinging movement of the spanner 40 relative to the backing mount member 20 when the clamped member 31 rotates with the annular wheel member 33.

[0023] The securing member 50 includes an L-shaped holding rod 514 which has a first end that is secured on the forward wall 515 of the spanner holding member 51, and a second end that is spaced apart from the forward wall 515 in the transverse direction. The second end of the holding rod 514 cooperates with the forward wall 515 and the first end to confine a holding space 5141 for accommodating a handle 41 of the spanner 40 therein which is inserted in a lateral direction transverse to the transverse and second longitudinal directions.

[0024] The securing member 50 further includes two engaging slots 512 which are disposed in the forward wall 515 at the stabilizing end portion 518, which extend in the longitudinal direction, and which are spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction. As shown in FIG. 4, two limiting protrusions 512′ are formed in the engaging slots 512, respectively. A U-shaped retaining plate 52 has two lateral ends 523 which are provided with two retaining blocks 524 so as to press fit in the engaging slots 512 respectively through the limiting protrusions 512′. As such, the retaining plate 52 cooperates with the forward wall 515 of the spanner holding member 51 to form an accommodation space 522 for enclosing a distal end 411 of the handle 41 of the spanner 40. Therefore, the handle 41 of the spanner 40 can be hindered from moving away from the forward wall 515 of the spanner holding member 51 to prevent theft.

[0025] As illustrated, referring to FIG. 5, the spanner 40 can be rotated clockwise about the rotating axis to turn the clamped portion 315 of the clamped member 31 relative to the backing mount member 20. When the spanner 40 is rotated counterclockwise, referring to FIG. 6, the work piece member 30 is immobilized by engagement of the ratchet tooth oportion of the annular bearing wall 221 and the ratchet tooth portion 333 of the annular wheel member 33, and the movable jaw portion 422 is pivoted away from the stationary jaw portion 421. Therefore, by assembling the packaging and displaying device of this invention on a spanner 40, the vendor can practically operate the spanner 40 to enable a customer to study the same. Moreover, by virtue of the holding rod 514 and the retaining plate 52, the spanner 40 can be secured on the spanner holding member 51 to prevent theft.

[0026] While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.