Ratchet mechanism
AssigneeThe Stanley Works
InventorsJoseph P. De Carolis, Lawrence L. Billings
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ratchet handle for a hand tool employs pairs of opposing pawls which are biased by a spring and selectively engage teeth at the interior of a cylindrical structure to provide for a three direction mode ratchet drive. A shifter engageable at one of three positions has ears which selectively interact with the pawls. In one embodiment three pairs of opposing pawls are biased by a garter spring. Another embodiment employs an integral serpentine spring/pawl assembly.
Claims15
A ratchet handle for a hand tool comprising:
- a housing having a substantially cylindrical interior wall defined by a plurality of ratchet teeth;
- a shifter having a sleeve received in said housing with substantially circular platform extending therefrom, said platform having a plurality of equally spaced ears at the periphery thereof;
- a drive means journaled on said sleeve for limited relative rotation therewith;
- and
- pawl means to provide a selective rotational drive connection between said housing and said drive means said pawl means comprising a plurality of pairs of right- and left-hand pawls rotatably biased by a single spring to engage said ratchet teeth, said shifter ears being adapted to selectively interact with like-handed pawls to prevent their engagement with said ratchet teeth.
A ratchet handle for a hand tool comprising:
- a housing having a substantially cylindrical interior wall defined by a plurality of ratchet teeth;
- a shifter rotatably received in said housing comprising a platform extending from a sleeve, said platform having three equally spaced ears;
- a drive means received in said sleeve and rotatable to three positions relative thereto;
- and
- an integral pawl means to provide selective rotational drive between said housing and said drive means, said pawl means comprising three pairs of right- and left-hand pawls interconnected and biased by a spring to engage said ratchet teeth, each of said three positions corresponding with selective interaction of said ears with said pawls.
A ratchet handle for a hand tool comprising:
- a housing having a substantially cylindrical interior wall defined by a plurality of parallel longitudinal teeth;
- a shifter received in said housing, said shifter comprising at least one ear;
- a drive means concentrically received by said shifter and adapted to receive the shank of the hand tool, said shifter being rotatably shiftable to each of three positions relative to said drive means;
- and
- pawl means mounted on said drive means to selectively provide a rotational drive connection between said housing and said drive means, said pawl means comprising at least one pair of opposing pawls, each having a substantially cylindrical shoulder, and a serpentine spring integral with said shoulders and urging said pawls to engage said housing teeth, said shifter ear being adapted to selectively interact with said pawl means.
A ratchet handle for a hand tool comprising:
- a housing having a substantially cylindrical interior wall defined by a plurality of parallel longitudinal teeth;
- a shifter received in said housing, said shifter comprising at least two ears;
- a drive means received by said shifter and adapted to receive the shank of the hand tool, said shifter being rotatably shiftable to each of three positions relative to said drive means;
- and
- pawl means mounted on said drive means to selectively provide a rotational drive connection between said housing and said drive means, said pawl means comprising at least two pairs of opposing pawls, said pawls being urged to engage said housing teeth by a single spring, said shifter ears being adapted to selectively interact with said pawl means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.