US2542015A

US2542015A - Lever mounted double pawl alternately gripping ring and sun gear

Info

Publication number: US2542015A
Application number: US114086A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wallace D Ellison
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-09-06
Filing date: 1949-09-06
Publication date: 1951-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 1968-02-20

Description

Feb. 20, 1951 w. D. ELLISON LEVER MOUNTED DOUBLE PAWL ALTERNATELY GRIPPING RING AND SUN GEAR Filed Sept.

Fig.

C MIMI.

' I Ulml' 40 Fig.4

Patented Feb. 20, 1951 LEVER MOUNTED DOUBLE PAWL ALTER- NATELY GRIPPI-NG RING AND SUN GEAR Wallace D. Ellison, West Los Angeles, Calif.

Application September 6, 1949, Serial No. 114,086

5 Claims.

This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in a double ratchet and more specifically pertains to a ratchet handle 'for tools such as socket wrenches, brace and bits and the like.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved ratchet handle for tools which is capable of imparting a continuous step by step rotation to a tool upon oscillation of the handle of the device and at an equal or amplified speed of rotation of the tool holder relative to the speed of oscillation of the handle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ratchet handle in conformity with the foregoing object in which the handle may be selectively locked to the tool carrying element for employment as a rigid wrench assembly.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved reversible ratchet mechanism for selectively operating the tool carrying element of the device in either direction of rotation upon oscillation of the handle of the device.

Yet another important object of the invention is to provide a ratchet mechanism which shall be of simple and inexpensixe construction, shall have an improved ratchet adjusting and ratchet operating mechanism, and which shall'be readily assembled or disassembled as desired.

These, together with various ancillary features and objects of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the present device, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only in. the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of one embodiment of the invention; a

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the embodiment of Figure 1 taken substantially upon the plane of the broken section line 2-2 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the embodiment of Figure 1, taken substantially on the plane of the broken section line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view in vertical section through a portion of the device showing certain details of the ratchet mechanism of the same; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in bottom plan showing the ratchet mechanism in one of its operative positions, being taken substantially upon the broken section line 5--5 of Figure 4.

Referring now more specifically to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, it will be seen that the ratchet handle formin the subject of this invention comprises a pair l 38 having a detent portion 45 thereon.

tened and laterally enlarged and are provided with complementary cup-shaped portions l4 and 16 respectively which are adapted to register with each other and form between the same an annular chamber containing the operating parts of the ratchet assembly.

A hub l8 having a longitudinal bore 20 extending therethrough to comprise a socket for detachably receiving the shank of a tool of any desired character, extends through suitable apertures in the top and bottom walls of the cup members I4 and I5, and is provided with

annular grooves

22 and 24 upon the opposite extremities of the hub portion for receiving detachable split rings 25, which thus abut the exterior surfaces of the walls of the cup members [4 and It.

It will thus be seen that the cup members serve to journal the hub or socket member there between, while the latter serves to retain the cup members in registration with each other and constitutes a pivot about which the two handles l0 and [2 may be oscillated.

Obviously, it is merely necessary to remove 'one or both of the split rings 26 in order to readily disassemble the device to inspect the interior of the ratchet casing as desired.

At its central portion, the hub member I8 is diametrically enlarged to form a sun gear 28. and this gear may be integrally formed upon the hub or may be separately formed and rigidly and mechanically attached thereto in any desired manner.

Loosely and rotatably received in the interior annular walls of the cup members l4 and i6, is a ring or orbit gear 3i} which as shown in Figure 3 substantially covers the entire cylindrical inner surface of the registering cup members which thus constitute journals for the orbit gear. Freely rotatable upon an axle 32 which is received within the chamber of the cup members and carried by the member I4 is a planet gear 34 which meshes with both the orbit gear and the sun gear for transmitting relative movement therebetween.

As will now be better seen from Figure 4, the other cup member It has journalled therein a ratchet pivot pin 35 which has rigidly secured to its exterior portion an actuating lever This pin 36 extends throughout substantially the entire height of the ratchet chamber within the mating cups, and by oscillation of the lever 38 from the full to dotted line position shown in Figure 1 may be given an oscillatory motion in order to adjust the ratchet mechanism.

A knob or projection it, see Figure 1, extends above the surface of the cup It for engagement by the detent id, and it is contemplated that of handles 0 and I2 which at one end are flatan there should be sufficient. resiliency in the detent 40 or in the lever 38 to permit the same to yield and be forced past the projection 42, which thus serves as a yieldable stop for maintaining the lever and the ratchet in adjusted position.

The ratchet mechanism further includes a pair of

wings

44 and 46 which at their outer end terdevice can also be used in the same manner as a ratchet brace and bit or the like.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation'of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modificaminate in oppositely extending

jaws

48 and 50 for the

wing member

46 and 52 and 53 for the wing member 44. These jaws are of such shape that they may be alternately engaged with the teeth of the orbit and sun gears as will be apparent from the position shown in Figures 2 and 5.

At their adjacent ends, the jaws are pivotally connected to the ratchet pivot pin 36, as by means of a tongue portion 56 extending centrally from the end of the jaw 44 for journalling upon the pin 38, and by bifurcated portions 58 which likewise are pivoted to the pin 36 and embrace the extension 55. The jaws are thus free to individually pivot about the pivot pin within the space between the orbit and sun gears.

Upon their bottom surfaces, that is the surfaces adjacent the cup M, the pivot ends of the jaws it and 45 are provided with recesses 69 forming seats for receiving the extremities of a flexible leaf spring 62 which extends through a diametrical slot extending inwardly from the end of the pivot pin 36. A cotter pin 64 disposed through alined bores in the spring and pivot pin serves to detachably secure the spring upon the pin and the latter within the cup members l4 and it. This leaf spring thus serves to force the wing members against the orbit gear 39 and the sun gear 28 depending upon which way the lever 39 is turned.

From the foregoing, the construction of the device will now be understood and the operation of the same is as follows. Upon oscillation of the handles 52 with respect to Hi, the hub or socket member 29 will be rotated step by step in the same direction, this direction depending upon the setting of the ratchet member. Considering that one of the handles it is held stationary, oscillatory movement of the other handle 12 in one direction will cause rotation of the planet gear upon the orbit gear and thereby will cause rotation. of the sun gear in its journal in the two cup members but with the movement of handle H in the opposite direction, planet and orbit gears idle while the handle locks directly to the sun gear. This imparts amplified rate of movement to the sun gear by virtue of the difference in diameters of the sun and orbit gears. In one direction of movement of the handle 12 with respect to the handle iii, the ratchet memher will slip over the sun gear while beinglocked to the orbit gear which will turn the planet gear, which in turn will rotate the sun gear in the direction stated above, and upon the reverse movement of the handle 12 with respect to hancile It the same will lock the jaw 46 and sun gears together thereby positively rotating the sun gear. Upon reversal of the position of the ratchet by moving the lever 38 to the other side of the projection 42, the jaws will reverse their engagement with the gears thus effecting rotation of the sun gear in the same manner but in a reverse direction. However, when the two handle members 59 and 12 are held together the entire deviceoperates as a conventional ratchet wrench and may be employed as such.

Obviously, the device could be used to operate socket wrenches, by detachably securing the shanks of the same within the bore 29; but the tions and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described as new is:

' 1.: A ratchet handle for tools comprising a pair of handles terminating in complementary mating cups forming an annular chamber, an orbit gear free to rotate in both cups, a sun gear having a hub extending through and journaled in each cup, said hub having a socket for receiving a tool shank, an axle carried by one cup, a planet gear journaled on said axle and meshing with said orbit and sun gears, a ratchet operatively connected with said sun and orbit gears for looking a handle to one of said sun and orbit gears, said ratchet having a pivot pin carried by the other cup and extending through the same.

2. A ratchet handle for tools comprising a pair of handles terminating in complementary mating cups forming an annular chamber, an'orbitgear free to rotate in both cups, a sun gear having a hub extending through and journaled in each cup, said hub having a socket for receiving a tool shank, an axle carried by one cup, a planet gear journaled on 'said axle and meshing with said orbit and sun gears, a ratchet operatively connected with said sun and orbit gears for locking a handle to one of said sun and orbit gears, said ratchet having a pivot pin carried by the other cup and extending through the same, said ratchet comprising a pair of oppositely extending wings, each wing terminating in oppositely extending dogs alternately engageable with the sun and orbit gears.

13. The combination of claim 2 wherein said wings are pivoted to said pi-n.

4. The combination of claim 2 including a resilient key-fixed to'said pin, said key engaging seats in said wings for yielding biasing said dogs into operative engagement with one of said gears upon rotation of said pin.

5. The combination of claim 2 including an actuating lever on said pin, a projection on said other cup, said lever yielding engaging said projection for maintaining said ratchet in selected operating position.

' WALLACE D. ELLISON.

the invention, what is claimed 7 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 66,229 Fanning July 2, 1867 268,284 Richardson Nov. 28, 1882 484,231 Nolan Oct. 11, 1892 506,931 Nolan Oct. 17, 1893 1,544,168 Nolan June 30, 1925 1,698,730 OConnor Jan. 15, 1929 1,799,393 Rylander Apr. 7, 1931 1,991,766.. Matveyeff 1.... Feb. 19, 1935