Abstract: A universal joint comprises a driving shaft and an angularly movable driven shaft. Each shaft comprises a cluster of axially interengaging gear teeth. Each gear tooth is semi-spherical, and each adjacent pair of gear teeth define a semi-spherical socket between them. A bearing ball is fixed to one or the other of the gear clusters, and comprises a circumferential array of part-spherical recesses adapted to receive the ends of the semi-spherical gear teeth on the shaft that does not support the bearing ball. The specially formed bearing ball and its associated gear cluster thus define a support and bearing structure that permits the gear teeth of each cluster to mesh smoothly and evenly over a range of angular movement of the movable gear of 0.degree.-90.degree.. The universal joint is provided with a slotted casing that permits the movable gear to assume this range of angular movement.

Abstract: A pliers-type top opener has a pair of pivotally interconnected handles each having a gripper at one end. Each handle is bent from sheet steel and has a flat intermediate portion. The flat intermediate portions of the handles are pivotally interconnected for relative swinging movement about an axis passing through and perpendicular to the flat intermediate portions. The sheet steel of the handles is bent substantially 90.degree. about a helical bend out of the plane of the intermediate portion to form an end portion carrying the gripper. Each gripper has a web that extends from an edge of that end portion away from the other gripper and terminates in a flange which extends from the edge of each web remote from the other web, only in a direction away from the plane of the flat portion. Each web is spaced a substantial distance to one side of that plane, so that all portions of the flanges are spaced a substantial distance from that plane.

Abstract: A pocket can opener comprises a body with a propelling wheel and a handle for rotating the propelling wheel and a cutter blade pivotally attached to the body so that both the handle and the cutter blade can fold down across the body with the cutter blade overlying and being of such a size as to cover the propelling wheel when the can opener is in inoperative condition. The cutter blade also provides a bottle opener at its free end having a longer arm and a shorter arm, the longer arm being shaped also as an opener for pressed-on jar lids, this latter opener structure being so arranged as to take up no additional space in the folded condition of the parts.

Abstract: A wrench for container closures such as jar caps and bottle caps comprises a supporting plate and an operating plate that is turned relative to the supporting plate by a handle. The operating plate has arcuate cam slots in which ride projecting portions of opposed oppositely moving grippers such that upon rotation of the handle and operating plate, the grippers are drawn toward or moved away from each other. The grippers are of two-part stamped metal construction, one part having stamped clips that ride in slots in the supporting plate to guide the grippers and also having stamped portions that ride in the arcuate cam slots of the operating plate; while the other gripper part is of stepped construction to provide a plurality of flanges for different sized jar caps and has on its inner edge teeth for gripping a bottle cap.