US 10,864,616 B2Granted

Ratchet mechanism for ratchet wrench

AssigneeSnap-on Incorporated

InventorsChristopher D Thompson, Daniel M Eggert, David T Ross

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A tool that includes a wrench body a first drive end, and a ratchet gear disposed in an aperture in the first drive end. A first cavity is formed in the first drive end and in communication with the aperture. First and second pawls are disposed in the first cavity, and the first and second pawls each includes teeth adapted to engage the ratchet gear. A second cavity is formed in the first drive end and is in communication with the first cavity. The second cavity receives a reversing disc adapted to selectively engage the first and second pawls to cause engagement and dis-engagement of the first and second pawls with the ratchet gear. By orienting the pawls to allow the second cavity to have a minimum depth, the head of the wrench can be stiffened, thereby increasing fatigue strength and rigidity of the wrench.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A tool having a drive end with a ratchet gear disposed in an aperture and that includes a receiving portion adapted to engage and provide a torque to a work piece, the tool comprising:

first and second pawls respectively having first and second pawl teeth that are each selectively engageable and disengageable with the ratchet gear;
a reversing lever having a stem portion and including a notch formed in the stem portion;
and
a reversing disc including a channel extending from an edge of the reversing disc towards a central portion of the reversing disc in a radial direction, wherein the channel is adapted to receive the stem portion and allow the reversing disc to slide perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the stem portion and into the notch, the reversing disc is adapted to co-rotate with the reversing lever when the reversing lever is moved between first and second positions to cause the selective engagement of one of the first and second pawl teeth with the ratchet gear and disengagement of the other of the first and second pawl teeth from the ratchet gear, thereby causing the receiving portion to provide the torque to the work piece in one of either first and second rotational directions and ratchet in the other of the first and second rotational directions.

1 more element

A ratchet mechanism for a tool adapted to engage and apply a torque to a work piece, comprising:

a ratchet gear having:
a receiving portion;
an engagement surface surrounding the receiving portion and adapted to operatively engage the work piece;
and
ratchet teeth disposed on an outer circumferential surface;
first and second pawls respectively having first and second pawl teeth adapted to selectively engage the ratchet teeth;
a reversing lever having a stem portion and including a notch formed in the stem portion;
and
a reversing disc including a channel extending from an edge of the reversing disc towards a central portion of the reversing disc in a radial direction, wherein the channel is adapted to receive the stem portion and allow the reversing disc to slide perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the stem portion and into the notch, the reversing disc is adapted to co-rotate with the reversing lever when the reversing lever is moved between first and second positions to cause the selective engagement of one of the first and second pawl teeth with the ratchet teeth and disengagement of the other of the first and second pawl teeth from the ratchet teeth, thereby causing the receiving portion to provide the torque to the work piece in one of either first and second rotational directions and ratchet in the other of the first and second rotational directions.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/698,348Filed 28 Apr 2015 · us provisional application
Priority: 15 May 2014
Published: US 2015/0328750 A119 Nov 2015
Granted: 15 Dec 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

B25B 13/463
The ratchet parts engaging in a direction radial to the tool operating axis: a pawl engaging an externally toothed wheel
B25B 13/04
With rigid jaws: of ring jaw type
B25B 13/08
With rigid jaws: of open jaw type
F16D 41/16
With hinged pawl co-operating with teeth, cogs, or the like: the action being reversible

Family

Application61/993,850Us provisional application · filed 15 May 2014
US 2015/0328750 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 Nov 2015
US 10,864,616 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key