Extendable and retractable wrench

Abstract

An extendable and retractable handle pipe wrench, particularly for drain clean-outs, where the handle sections are reinforced to increase wrench torque capacity with additional technology and where at least one of the handle sections is separable to reduce the overall handle length in tight quarters.

Claims

1. An extendable and retractable wrench having two jaws relatively movable to clamp and turn a workpiece, comprising: an extendable and retractable handle assembly for the wrench including an outer tube assembly and an inner tube assembly slidably connected together with one of the assemblies connected to the wrench, said wrench having jaws being moveable relative to one another in the range of to at least 2 to loosen and tighten clean-out plugs, said outer tube assembly and inner tube assembly each having separable portions at a common plane to divide each tube assembly into two sub-assemblies to further reduce the length of the handle assembly.

2. An extendable and retractable wrench as defined in claim 1, wherein an intermediate tube is fixed to one of the inner and outer tube assemblies to reinforce the inner and outer tube assemblies as they extend and retract relative to one another.

3. An extendable and retractable wrench as defined in claim 1, wherein there is a releasable connection between the inner and outer tubes to reduce the length of the handle assembly when the inner and outer tubes are in their retracted positions.

4. An extendable and retractable wrench having two jaws relatively moveable to clamp and turn a workpiece, comprising: an extendable and retractable handle assembly for the wrench including outer tube assembly and an inner tube assembly slidably connected together with one of the assemblies connected to the wrench, wherein there is a releasable connection in one of the tube assemblies to divide the one tube section into at least two sub-assemblies to reduce the length of the handle assembly when the inner and outer tube assemblies are in their retracted positions.

5. An extendable and retractable wrench as defined in claim 4, wherein an intermediate tube is fixed to one of the inner and outer tube assemblies to reinforce the inner and outer tube assemblies as they extend and retract relative to one another.

6. An extendable and retractable wrench having two jaws relatively moveable to clamp and turn a workpiece, comprising: a wrench having a pair of serrated pipe wrench jaws adapted to rotate a nut in a sewer pipe clean-out plug, a handle assembly for the wrench including an outer tube assembly, an intermediate tube member fixed to outer tube assembly, and an inner tube assembly, a clamp for fixing the relative positions of the outer tube assembly and the inner tube assembly, said intermediate tube member reinforcing the handle assembly, and a releasable connector in the outer tube assembly into two separable sub-sections for reducing the length of the handle assembly.

7. An extendable and retractable wrench as defined in claim 6, wherein said releasable connector includes a threaded sleeve between the first and second sub-sections of the outer tube member, and a threaded releasable stepped sleeve between the first and second sub-sections of the inner tube assembly.

8. An extendable and retractable wrench as defined in claim 7, wherein the threaded releasable sleeves are generally axially aligned along the handle assembly.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a plan view, partly in cross section of the present extendable and retractable wrench assembly 10;

(2) FIG. 2 is a plan view similar to FIG. 1, with the present extendable and retractable wrench assembly 10 shown in its extended position;

(3) FIG. 3 is a plan view of the present extendable and retractable wrench assembly, partly in cross section with the sub-sections of the base section connected;

(4) FIG. 4 is a plan view, partly in section of the present extendable and retractable wrench assembly similar to FIGS. 1 and 3, with the base section disconnected into two sub-sections, and;

(5) FIG. 5 is a plan view, partly in section of the present extendable and retractable wrench assembly 10 with the base sub-sections disconnected showing the twisting disconnect of the base section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(6) Referring to the drawings, and particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, the present extendable and retractable wrench assembly 10 is shown illustrated partly in axial section that includes a pipe wrench head 11 having jaws 15 and 16, handle assembly 18 with an outer base section 19 and an inner extendable inner tube assembly 20, slidable in the base outer tube assembly 19. The extendable and retractable wrench assembly 10 is shown illustrated in its retracted position in FIG. 1, and its extended position in FIG. 2. The handle assembly base outer assembly 19 is disconnectable in two sub-sections 21 and 22 with a quick disconnect assembly 25.

(7) The outer telescopic handle section 19 includes a distal tube section 30 fixedly mounted in an annular seat 31 and a proximal tube section 42 releasably connected together by a threaded sleeve 32.

(8) The inner tube assembly 20 is clamped in its axially adjusted position to the outer tube assembly by a clamping assembly 50.

(9) A reinforcing tube 33 is fixed in seat 31 and it has a coaxial second tube section 34 slidable in inner tube section 20 for the purpose of reinforcing both the inner tube 20 and the outer tube section 19.

(10) The inner tube assembly 20 includes a proximal tube section 37 and a distal tube section 38 releasably connected to one another by a stepped dual threaded sleeve 40, which is part of the quick disconnect assembly 18.

(11) The inner tube assembly 20 also includes a seat assembly 43 slidable in the outer tube section 30.

(12) The reinforcing tube sections 33 and 34 have a threaded stepped interconnection at 44 that permits the disconnection of the reinforcing tube section 34 from the reinforcing tube section 33, and this threaded inner connection is part of the quick disconnect assembly 25.

(13) The quick disconnect assembly 25 also includes a nut portion 46 fixed to the outer assembly tube 30 and a second annular nut portion 47 fixed to the outer tube section 42 so that upon rotation of nut section 46 with respect to rotation of the nut portion 47, both the reinforcing tube sections 33 and 34 disconnect from one another as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, and the outer tube sections 30 and 42 disconnect from one another by disconnecting the threaded sleeve 32, and the inner rube assembly 20 disconnects by separating inner tube section 38 from inner tube section 37 by releasing stepped threaded sleeve 40.

(14) It should be noted that the quick disconnect assembly 25 is operable in the retracted position of the assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

(15) The outer tube section 19 and the inner tube section 20 are locked with respect to each other by a rotating nut assembly 50 that has split fingers 51 to clamp against inner tube section 37 to fix the outer tube section 19 with respect to the inner tube section 20. Note that the clamping assembly 50 is threaded to an annular boss 51 fixed to the outer tube section 42.