BLEED WRENCH

• US 3,855,882 A
• Filed: 04/04/1973
• Issued: 12/24/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Raymond H. Wittmann
• Original Assignee: Raymond H. Wittmann
• Inventors: Wittmann, Raymond H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Al Lawrence
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, James G.
• Application Number:
  US05/347,671
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 81/53R,121R,125,177D,184 137/327 184/1.5
• US Class Current: 81/124.7
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 13/48 for special purposes

Abstract

For use with a bleed valve having a rotatable element controlling fluid discharge through an axial passage, a hand wrench having a shaft with a socket at one end for gripping the valve element and a bore extending from the socket axially through the shaft for conducting fluid discharged from the valve. At the outlet end of the bore, the shaft is shaped to form a nipple for attachment of a conduit. Rods are secured to the shaft and extend at right angles therefrom to provide a handle for turning the wrench. A resilient annular seal is fitted into an enlarged inner portion of the socket for engaging the face of the valve element to prevent leakage during use of the wrench.

Claims

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.

2. A wrench as defined in claim 1, wherein said seal is fabricated of a halogenated hydrocarbon polymer.

3. A wrench as defined in claim 1, wherein said shaft is a unitary and axially rectilinear metal member having a thickened portion intermediate its ends, having formed therein opposed sockets opening transversely of the shaft axis, and wherein said handle means comprises a pair of rods respectively fixedly mounted in said transversely opening sockets of said shaft thickened portion and extending in opposite directions from said shaft along a common axis perpendicular to the shaft axis.

4. A wrench as defined in claim 3, wherein said nipple comprises an enlarged flange formed at said second end of said shaft and defining an external, inwardly facing shoulder over which a resilient tube may be grippingly fitted.