Ratcheting socket wrench with intermeshing gears

A ratcheting socket wrench with intermeshing gears, comprising:

• a) a shank having a front end and a back handle end with the front end further having a housing with a recessed round bore therethrough and a set of upwardly directed female gear teeth within the recessed round bore,
• b) a hollow sleeve disposed rotatably within said recessed round bore having a set of integral male gear teeth positioned to mate with said upwardly directed female gear teeth such that the teeth mesh in one rotational direction and slide apart and rotate freely when rotated in an opposite direction,
• c) spring means positioned between the shank recessed round bore and the hollow sleeve to urge the mating gear teeth together,
• d) a cover plate joined to the shank front end to cover and retain the spring means, and
• e) an ergonomically shaped handle positionably disposed on a back end of said handle for gripping thereupon, the wrench therefore locking the gear teeth securely when rotating a workpiece within the hollow sleeve in one direction and ratcheting freely when rotating in an opposite direction also when removed from a workpiece and turned over, the wrench rotates a workpiece oppositely, said handle further comprises:
• (1) a grip having external finger grooves on one side and a palm shaped curve on the other side and a stepped sleeve within, disposed over the shank,
• (2) said shank further having a slot in the back handle end,
• (3) a handle compression spring positioned between the shank and the stepped sleeve urging the grip toward the handle end of the shank,
• (4) spring retaining means to hold the spring in compression, and
• (5) a plug cap attached to the grip, blocking the stepped sleeve, the cap further having a flat blade projecting inwardly toward the shank with the blade interlocking into the slot in the shank such that when the handle is urged outwardly toward the shank handle end and rotated 180 degrees, the grip is repositioned, when released, for operation of the wrench in the opposite directional mode.

A socket wrench transmitting bidirectional torque through intermeshing gear teeth, comprising:

• a) a ratchet housing having a top, a bottom, a front end and a back end with the front end further having a recessed round cavity with lower housing female gear teeth integral with the bottom of the recessed round cavity,
• b) a cover plate attached to the top of the housing, said cover plate having downwardly depending female gear teeth,
• c) a hollow center sleeve disposed rotatably within said housing round cavity having upper male gear teeth and lower male gear teeth with said sleeve having a groove formed between the upper and lower gears,
• d) a rotating centerpiece hex sleeve having a hex shaped outside and a twelve sided polygon inside the centerpiece hex sleeve disposed inside the hollow center sleeve for receiving a workpiece,
• e) a manual spinner attached securely to the centerpiece hex sleeve for rotating the centerpiece hex sleeve by hand,
• f) spring means positioned within the housing back end and contiguous with the sleeve groove, said spring means urge a sleeve gear into a housing gear for engagement such that the gears mesh in one rotational direction and slide apart and rotate freely when rotated in an opposite direction,
• g) switching means within the housing back end for transposing direction of the spring means from engagement of one set of housing gears and sleeve gears to another thus, changing rotational direction of the socket wrench when operatively engaging a workpiece, and
• h) a handle with a knuckle protector disposed on the back end of the ratchet housing for gripping the wrench and for protection of an operator's knuckles during functional operation of the wrench.