US 7,921,751 B2Granted

Easy-to-manufacture ratchet wrench

OwnerBobby Huinventor

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Abstract

A ratchet wrench includes a body having a first compartment rotatably receiving a drive member and a second compartment slideably receiving two pawls. A positioning member extends into the second compartment. A switch is slideably mounted to the body and includes two legs extending into the second compartment for moving the pawls. A restraining member is slideably received in the compartment and coupled to the legs to move therewith. The restraining member includes at least two positioning sections selectively engaged with the positioning member corresponding to at least two positions of the switch.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A ratchet wrench comprising, in combination:

a body including a first compartment and a second compartment in communication with the first compartment, with a positioning member extending into the second compartment;
a drive member rotatably received in the first compartment of the body about a rotating axis and including a plurality of teeth on an outer periphery thereof;
first and second pawls movably received in the second compartment, with each of the first and second pawls including an inner face having a plurality of teeth releasably engaged with the plurality of teeth of the drive member, with each of the first and second pawls including a top face transverse to the inner face, with the top face of each of the first and second pawls having a coupling portion;
an elastic element mounted between the first and second pawls to bias the plurality of teeth of the first and second pawls to engage with the plurality of teeth of the drive member;
a switch slideably mounted to the body between first and second positions, with the switch including a manually operable operative portion and first and second legs extending from the operative portion into the second compartment;
and
a restraining member slideably received in the second compartment and coupled with the first and second legs of the switch to move therewith, with the restraining member including first and second positioning sections selectively engaged with the positioning member corresponding to the first and second positions of the switch;
wherein when the switch is in the first position, the first leg of the switch engages with the coupling portion of the first pawl to disengage the plurality of teeth of the first pawl from the plurality of teeth of the drive member, the plurality of teeth of the second pawl engage with the plurality of teeth of the drive member, allowing the body and the drive member to rotate in a first direction driving a fastener in the first direction and allowing the body to rotate freely relative to the drive member in a second direction reverse to the first direction without driving the fastener, and the positioning member is engaged with the first positioning section to retain the switch in the first position, and
wherein when the switch is in the second position, the second leg of the switch engages with the coupling portion of the second pawl to disengage the plurality of teeth of the second pawl from the plurality of teeth of the drive member, the plurality of teeth of the first pawl engage with the plurality of teeth of the drive member, allowing the body and the drive member to rotate in the second direction driving the fastener in the second direction and allowing the body to rotate freely relative to the drive member in the first direction without driving the fastener, and the positioning member is engaged with the second positioning section to retain the switch in the second position.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A ratchet wrench comprising, in combination:

a body including a first compartment and a second compartment in communication with the first compartment, with a positioning member extending into the second compartment;
a drive member rotatably received in the first compartment of the body about a rotating axis and including a plurality of teeth on an outer periphery thereof;
first and second pawls movably received in the second compartment, with each of the first and second pawls including an inner face having a plurality of teeth releasably engaged with the plurality of teeth of the drive member, with each of the first and second pawls including a top face transverse to the inner face, with the top face of each of the first and second pawls having a coupling portion;
an elastic element mounted between the first and second pawls to bias the plurality of teeth of the first and second pawls to engage with the plurality of teeth of the drive member;
a switch slideably mounted to the body between first and second positions, with the switch including a manually operable operative portion and first and second legs extending from the operative portion into the second compartment;
and
a restraining member slideably received in the second compartment and coupled with the first and second legs of the switch to move therewith, with the restraining member including first and second positioning sections selectively engaged with the positioning member corresponding to the first and second positions of the switch;
wherein when the switch is in the first position, the first leg of the switch engages with the coupling portion of the first pawl to disengage the plurality of teeth of the first pawl from the plurality of teeth of the drive member, the plurality of teeth of the second pawl engage with the plurality of teeth of the drive member, allowing the body and the drive member to rotate in a first direction driving a fastener in the first direction and allowing the body to rotate freely relative to the drive member in a second direction reverse to the first direction without driving the fastener, and the positioning member is engaged with the first positioning section to retain the switch in the first position, and
wherein when the switch is in the second position, the second leg of the switch engages with the coupling portion of the second pawl to disengage the plurality of teeth of the second pawl from the plurality of teeth of the drive member, the plurality of teeth of the first pawl engage with the plurality of teeth of the drive member, allowing the body and the drive member to rotate in the second direction driving the fastener in the second direction and allowing the body to rotate freely relative to the drive member in the first direction without driving the fastener, and the positioning member is engaged with the second positioning section to retain the switch in the second position.

6 more elements