AU2002100423A4

AU2002100423A4 - Ratchet wrench with interchangeable toothed-socket-spanner

Info

Publication number: AU2002100423A4
Application number: AU2002100423A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Robert John Hadaway
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-05-31
Filing date: 2002-05-28
Publication date: 2002-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 2010-05-28

Description

RATCHET WRENCH WITH INTERCHANGEABLE

TOOTHED-

SOCKET-SPANNER

Ratchet wrenches with seperate socket spanners have space limitations particularly on motor vehicles where often the time consuming process of using a 'ring' or set spanner is tedious and exposes the users knuckles to unnecessary abrasions.

Currently on the market are ratchet ring spanners which are ideal for small size nuts and bolts but are limited by their fragile construction to tighten or undo items requiring pre-set tensions as with a tension wrench or stubborn items requiring considerable force to service.

The following is a description of an invention which can meet the demands of a tool which can overcome these limitations.

The first embodiment (Fig 1) is a lever suitably shaped so as to provide a swollen end to one or both ends of the lever.

The swollen end or ends will form a ring which can accept a given size socket spanner. At a suitable juncture a ratchet mechanism (Figs 1 and 2) is placed so that the tooth or teeth can project inwards via a trip mechanism or scear, which can be arranged to allow clock-wise or anti-clock-wise rotation.

Within the hollow of the swollen ended ring can be placed a socket or bar with grooves arranged about the outer cylinder wall (Fig. la and 5) with PAGE 2 suitably shaped angled cuts to enable the said ratchet teeth to engage.

these can be shaped so that on contact for drive the selected ratchet tooth can engage the angled groove so that the contact is square on to enable maximum force to be applied in the chosen direction (Fig 1 and The ratchet mechanism can be formed by a rocker (Fig 1) with suitably shaped teeth at approximately right angles to the rocker arm to enable the tooth to engage the angled groove and trip off under cam-action pressure and return via spring loaded pressure.

The foregoing rocker system will enable a parallel socket to be inserted from either end and it will have a circular groove machined at its mid-point to form a detente to allow a spring-loaded ball or scear to engage this, suitably housed in the swollen end of the wrench lever (Fig An alternative to the toothed rocker arm is a spring loaded ratchet tooth (Fig 2) which can engage an angled groove of which one side will form a radius to centre of the bore-line of the socket cylinder. This will necessitate that the angled side of the groove either side of the retaining groove shall be opposed to allow a ratchet tooth on the opposite face of the swollen end of the wrench to engage for the opposite working direction. Only one tooth at a time can be engaged requiring a trip mechanism between these two ratchet teeth to allow this procedure.

PAGE 3 Each end of the wrench lever can be similar but different sizes to allow a greater range of socket spanners to be engaged. The socket spanners can be in a variety of shapes in addition to sizes, i.e. where a larger socket than can be engaged within the swollen wrench end, the socket can have an engaging stub with suitably angled grooves and can slidably engage as would a socket spanner with the same external cylinder size as the stub.

Another type of socket spanner can be at the opposite end to its work opening have a square hole (Figs 2 and 6b) to accept a square ended bar to enable the socket to either be tensioned to a specific setting or where great force is required to release a stuborn nut or bolt. This aforesaid square can be replaced with a hole of any geometric pattern.

In use the cylinder socket (Fig 5) or variations can be slidably engaged within a swollen end of the wrench lever and one of the open ends of the open ends of the cylinder socket can engage a nut or a bolt in a confined space and still have the ability to apply maximum force that would be provided by a conventional high capacity ratchet wrench.

Claims

1. A ratchet wrench wherein the main embodiment has a specific sized tunnel to accept a suitable socket-spanner which is slidably engaged.

2. A ratchet wrench embodiment as per claim where the slidably engaged socket spanner has a toothed-formation about its peripheral surface.

3. A slidably engaged socket-spanner as in claim which has a circumferal groove to accept a spring-loaded-ball or detent.

4. A ratchet wrench as in claim where the embodiment contains a trip mechanism or scear to drive the socket spanners left and right as desired. The socket spanner of claim can be double ended with different sizes or incorporate either a geometric raised or sunken section to accept torque bars and other driving mechanisms.