US1017035A - Screw-driver. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Feb. 13,1912

R. B. BENJAMIN.

SCREW DRIVER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1910.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

I 'onirn ,I a i .i n t SCREW-DRIVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN B. BENJA- MIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Screw-Drivers, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

My invention pertains to screw drivers, and has for its principal object the provision of a screw driver which will be convenient in use, and such as to enable 'a screw to be inserted or removed with a minimum expenditure of time.

It is a further object of my invention to produce a screw driver of the above de- A scription which may be placed upon the market at a small price and which will nevertheless be of a durable construction.

One embodiment of my invention is illus trated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows the screw driver in longitudinal section; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view looking toward the point of the screw driver; Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1 and drawn to an enlarged scale; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of one of the ratchet members.

The handle 10 of the screw driver is formed with an axial passage 11 opening at the butt of the handle, into a recess 12 and adapted to receive a shank 13 which is formed upon the blade 14. The shank 13 is capable of longitudinal movement in the passage 11 and, in order to prevent withdrawal, is provided with a washer 15 which is adapted to engage against a washer which is inserted in the bottom of the recess 12. The recess is preferably closed by means of a plug 16. The front end of the handle 10 is provided with a cap 17 which is formed with an inwardly extending flange 18 at its outer end, to provide an annular chamber between itself and the front end of the handle, which chamber receives one of the ratchet members. The front end of the handle is formed with a depression 19 for receiving the end of a cup 20, this cup being flanged over outside the flange 18 of the cap 17. The--cup 19 is of somewhat larger diameter than the blade 14 and thus forms an annular chamber for containing a. spring 21 which is arranged to abut at one end against the bottom of the cup and at the other end against a cap 22 mounted upon the blade 14, this cap forming one ratchet member. The cap 22 is formed with a non-circular aperture therein and the blade 14 is correspondingly shaped, so that the cap can slide longitudinally on the blade but is not capable of a rotating movement relatively thereto, a shoulder 23 with which the blade is provided setting a limit to the outward sliding of the cap.

It will be seen from the above that the spring 21, acting at one end against the bottom of the cup 20, and at the other end, through the cap 22, against the shoulder 23, will hold the blade in its outermost position with the washer 15 in engagement with the washer at the bottom of the recess 12. The blade 14 and cap 22, however, or the cap 22 alone, may be moved inwardly against the action of the spring 21.

The cap 22 is formed with a plurality of apertures 24, adapted, when the cap is moved inwardly against the action of the spring 21, to receive forwardly beveled teeth 25 carried by a ring 26 which is mounted within the annular chamber formed between the flange 18 and the end of the handle. The flange 18 is provided with a number of apertures corresponding to the number of teeth 25, through which these teeth extend, the ring 26 being pressed outwardly by a spring 27. The ring 26 is shown as being provided with three teeth but the number may be varied in accordance with the requirements of the case. The teeth 25 project beyond the end of the cap 17 to an extent suflicient to present vertical edges at the rear of their beveled portions so that a ratchet action may be obtained by causing the tops of the teeth 25 to engage in the apertures 24 of the cap 22, but if the teeth are made to enter to the full extent into the apertures 24 there can be no ratchet action but merely a clutch connection between the parts. In order to permit either the ratchet action or the clutch action of the teeth 25 to be employed at will, the blade 14 is formed with a shoulder 28 arranged to engage the bottom of the cup 20, the position of the shoulder 28 upon the blade being such that it will engage the bottom of the cup when the blade has been forced into the handle to a sufficient-extent to cause the tips of the teeth 25 to enter three of the apertures 2 1 of the cap 22. Further, the position of the shoulder 23 upon the blade is such that after the blade has been moved inward until the shoulder 28 has engaged the bottom of the cup 20, and the tips of the teeth 25 have therefore entered the apertures 2st of the cap 22, the cap may be moved a short distance farther toward the handle, whereby the vertical portions of the teeth 25 are caused to engage the edges of the apertures 24.

During the first part of the insertion of a machine screw and during the latter part of the withdrawal. of a wood screw, there is commonly little resistance to the turning of the screw. In using my improved screw driver therefore under such circumstances, it is only necessary to hold the blade in the notch of the screw and rotate it by turning the cap 22 with the thumb and forefinger, the handle remaining stationary relatively to the palm of the person using the screw driver. The cap is preferably provided with a knurled flange 29 for that purpose.

-The strength of the spring 21 is suflicient to maintain the blade in the notch of the screw under these conditions. By this method of using the screw driver the screw can be run in or out with great facility and speed. During the latter part of the insertion of a screw, the turning operation becomes harder and it is furthermore necessary to hold the blade more firmly in engagement with the notch of the screw. The handle 10 may then be forced forward until the bottom of the cup 20 engages against the shoulder 28 of the blade (Fig. 2) whereby a direct pressure is exerted upon the blade. The tips of the teeth 25 then engage in the apertures 24: of the cap 22, so that if the handle be turned in a clockwise direction the teeth 25 will carry the cap 22, and therefore the blade 14:, with them, thereby forcing the screw in. If, however, the handle be turned in a contraclockwise direction, the beveled tips of the teeth will engage the rear edges of the apertures 24; and the teeth will thereby be forced inward against the action of the spring 27, the handle being thus enabled to move without any corresponding movement of the blade. Thus the harder portion of the insertion of a screw may be accomplished without rotation of the handle relatively to the palm of the user, the rotation being elfected by a ratchet action.

As has been said, the cap 22 may be pressed backward upon the blade to an eX- tent suflicient for the entire length of the teeth 25 to enter the apertures 24; of the cap. When this has been done there can be no ratchet action, for the reason that the vertical edges of both the front and rear sides of the teeth engage the edge of the apertures 24, a clutch connection being thereby formed. This is of particular use during the first portion of the withdrawal of a screw, since at that time the resistance to the rotation of the screw is ordinarily too great to. allow the blade to be operated by the thumb and forefinger. In such circumstances the cap may be held back by the thumb and forefinger and the device used as an ordinary screw driver, or if desired, the cap may be held back. during the contraclockwise movement of the handle and allowed to spring forward during the clockwise movement, whereby a kind of ratchet action is obtained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A screw driver comprising an independently rotatable blade, a ratchet member associated with said blade, a manually rotatable second ratchet member arranged. to be brought into operative relation with said first-named ratchet member by the exertion of a longitudinal thrust upon said second-named member, and means for converting the ratchet connection into a positive clutch connection in each direction between the blade and said second-named member.

2. A screw driver comprising a blade, a handle associated with said blade so as to be capable of rotary and longitudinal movement relatively thereto, a ratchet member associated with said blade, a ratchet member associated with said handle, a spring for normally holding said ratchet members out of operative relation, so that the blade may normally be rotated independently but may be brought into ratchet connect-ion with said handle by the application of a longitudinal thrust to the latter, and means for converting the ratchet connection into a positive clutch connection in each direction between said blade and said handle.

A screw driver comprising a blade, a handle associated with said blade so as to be capable of rotary and longitudinal movement relatively thereto, a ratchet member associated -with said blade and longitudinally movable relatively thereto, a ratchet member associated with said handle, said ratchet members being arranged to make a ratchet connection, or a clutch connection,

with each other according as they are made to engage each other to a greater or less extent, and resilient means for holding said ratchet members out of operative relation.-

1. A screw driver comprising a blade; a handle associated with said blade so as to be rotatable, and longitudinally movable to a determined extent, with respect to said blade; a ratchet member associated with said blade and longitudinally movable with respect thereto; a ratchet member carried by said handle. said ratchet members being arranged to make a ratchet connection, or a clutch connection, with each other according as they are made to engage each other to a greater or less extent; and a spring interposed between said ratchet members.

5. A screw driver comprising a handle, a blade mounted rotatably and longitudinally-movably in the handle, means for limiting the longitudinal movement, means for forming an annular chamber around the blade at the forward end of the handle, a ring mounted in this chamber and provided with teeth extending through openings in the forward end thereof, a spring normally projecting said teeth through said openings, a disk mounted slidably and non rotatably 011 the blade and provided with a series of openings through which said teeth may extend, and a spring normally projecting the blade and holding sa1d disk out of engagement with said teeth, for the purpose setforth.

6. In combination, a handle, a blade mounted rotatably in said handle, a series of ratchet teeth carried by the handle and extending beyond its forward end, means normally projecting said teeth, a disk mounted slidingly and non rotatingly upon the blade and provided with a series of openings through which said. ratchet teeth may extend to a greater or less extent, means for normally holding said disk away from said ratchet teeth, said ratchet teeth being beveled at their outer ends and having their edges back of said beveled portions made straight, for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two Witnesses.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN. VVitnesSes CHARLES G. Corn, MABEL REYNOLDS.

Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

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