US2559332A - Ratchet gear assembly for wrenches - Google Patents

Description

July 3, 1951 R. o. WRIGHT RATCHET GEAR ASSEMBLY FOR WRENCHES Filed June 20, 1947 INVENTOR- Par Q MP/aHr ATI'D RN EYB Patented July 3, 1 951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RATCHET GEAR ASSEMBLY FOR WRENCHES Roy 0. Wright, Huntington, W. Va. Application June 20, 1947, Serial No. 755,979

This invention relates to improvements in wrenches, and more particularly to improvements in the wrench shown and described in Patent 2,181,678.

The improvements to be later described alter in no way the principal object of the invention covered by the above patent which includes the engaging of a pair of threaded elements whereby to secure one of said elements stationary, while the other of said elements is actuated for adjustment, attachment or detachment, relative to the first element.

This invention, however, does provide improvements in the general physical character of the wrench effecting means whereby more simple construction, durable usage, effective operation and more economical manufacture is obtained.

Other objects and advantages, however, will be apparent from the following description, when taken in conjunction with the the annexed drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view thereof partly broken away to show the internal moving parts thereof;

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view thereof partly broken away and partly in section and Figure 4 is a sectional view of the floating socket.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the reference numeral I designates a barrel or elongated tubular casing formed with a longitudinally extending bore I I which communicates at one end with hexagonal shaped bearing socket I2 and at the other end with the enlarged circular socket I3 on the end of which the enlarged hexagonal shaped socket I4 is provided. The

interior of the socket I2 has an inside square shaped socket I2 which communicates with the bore II, While the exterior surface of the socket I3 is shaped for engagement with the jaws of a wrench. Ihe inner face of the socket I4 is hexagonal in formation, as shown at I5, to receive a nut or head of a bolt or stud or a wrench or similar tool.

A prying lever or shaft I6, of a substantially elongated cylindrical configuration is detachably and rotatably secured in the bore II, and the shaft is provided at one end with a cylindrical shaped head I! seated within the socket I3 and having an inclined face It abutting the similarly contoured shoulder I9 of the socket I3, and the head IT is fashioned with a nut receiving socket 20. The opposite end of the shaft I extends an appreciable distance beyond the end of the barrel I0 and is formed with an arcuate cuneiform shaped end 2! whereby the elements previously described may be used as a pry, all of which is covered by the patent previously mentioned The improvements to the already patented construction consist of fashioning the lever or 2 Claims. (Cl. 81-56) shaft I 6 inwardly of the end 2I in a square shaped formation 22 and mounting thereon a sleeve 23 having a longitudinal bore 24 therein to conform to the shape of the formation 22. The forward end of the sleeve 23 is fashioned in a square shaped formation 24 to receive a wrench for the turning thereof as desired, and inwardly of the formation 24, a transverse opening 25 is provided to receive a bar or other means for rotating the sleeve and inwardly of the opening 25 a set screw 26 in the sleeve retains the sleeve in fixed relation to the lever I6.

Mounted on the lever I6 is a gear housing 21, the rear wall 28 of which abuts the forward end of the socket I2, and surrounding the opening 29 in the wall 28, through which the lever I6 extends forwardly thereof is a hub 30. Mounted on the socket I2, within the hub 30, by means of a central hex shaped bore 3|, is the floating collar 32, having longitudinal grooves or ratchet teeth 33 in the outer periphery thereof. The collar 32 is retained in the hub 39 by the ring plate or cover 34 secured to the hub 30 by the screws 35. Extending outwardly from the hub 30 at right angles thereto, is a cylindrical casing 36 in which is mounted the trigger pawl or ratchet 31 on the stem 33 on which is mounted a spring 39, and a nut 43 threadably connected to the cylindrical casing 36 tensions the ratchet pawl 31 to force the pawl into the teeth 33 of the collar 32.

Secured to the upper end of the stem 38 of the pawl by a pin 4| is a knob 42 and a pin 43 mounted transversely of the stem 38 below the knob 42 is receivable in the transverse slot 44 in the top of the nut 40.

The pawl or ratchet is so shaped, as shown in Figure 3, that the collar 32 will rotate in one direction only, but the pawl can be pulled upwardly against the tension of the spring 39 and reversed so that the rotation can be made in the opposite direction. The pin 43 acts as a guide to properly position the pawl after it has been rotated, and also holds the pawl in fixed relation to the nut and housing 36.

The face of the wall 28 opposite to the hub 30 is provided with a recess 45 formed by the outwardly projecting ring formation 46, and the inner end of the sleeve 23 is receivable in this recess and has a socket 4'! to engage the lever I6 at the end of the formation 22.

The portion 48 of the sleeve 23 is square in formation to receive the large gear 49, and a circular shoulder 50 on the sleeve abuts the gear 49 on one side thereof and key slot 5I in the portion 46, receives a key 52 to fix the gear to this portion.

Secured to the housing 21 by screws 53 is a face plate 54 of similar contour and the wall 28 is provided with an opening 35 in alinement with an opening 56 in the face plate 54 to journ l a stub shaft 51 therein;

3 The shaft 51 has a key slot 58 therein to receive a key 59 whereby a pinion 60 is fixed thereon for engagement with the gear 49, thus providing a ratchet gear assembly.

One end of the shaft 5! is threaded as at El to receive the lock washer 62 and lock nut 63,

which is fixed thereto in the conventionalmanner by having a cotter key passing through the opening 64 in the nut 63, and the opening 65 in the threaded end 6|, when said openings are in alinement with each other. The opposite end of the shaft 51 is provided with a circular portion 6% on which is formed centrally thereof, the square shaped head 61 which is so designed as to receive a wrench or the like to rotate the pinion 6'8 and an opening 68, transversely of the portion 66, will receive a bar or other means for the rolever It can be moved longitudinally to permit engagement of the socket with a nut, the sockets are rotated by the application of a wrench to the ends 24 or 61, and one or two nuts can be loosed or tightened at the same time by engagement of the end 24 with a nut. The lever I6 may be held stationar while the barrel Ill is rotated to effect reverse adjustment between two nuts. The interior socket I2 of the socket l2 permits pulling the gear assembly forward to free the barrel 50 from one nut. Thus the square end 22 of the pry l6 will be in contact with the socket l2, so that the inner wrench can be rotated with the ratchet. The socket I2 can also be used advantageously when the device is used separately from the gear assembly. Thus nuts of various sizes may be adjusted simultaneously in reverse or similar direction to each other. The sockets may be made to conform to other shapes than those described, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

there has been provided a simple and efficient wrench, so constructed and arranged as to permit relative adjustment of a pair of nuts without the use of additional means for securing one of said nuts stationary relative to the other during a desired adjustment.

It is also to be distinctly understood that various changes and modifications in the construction and arrangement of the various parts may be resorted to, provided they fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a dual socket wrench, the combination which comprises a gear housing having a hub extended from one side thereof, an elongated tubular casing having a collar with radially disposed teeth in the outer surface on one end and having a nut receiving socket in the opposite end, said elongated tubular casing extended from the gear housing and positioned with the collar thereof journaled in the hub extended from the side of the housing, a cylindrical casing extended radially from one side of the hub, aratchet in From the foregoing, it will be apparent that v 4 the said cylindrical casing positioned to coact with the teeth of the collar of the elongated tubular casing and having a stem with a nut on the outer end slidably mounted in the said cylindrical casing, a spring on said stem for urging the ratchet into engagement with the teeth of the collar, said ratchet mounted to be rotated b the nut on the outer end of the stem through an'angle of'180 degrees to reverse the direction of rotation the tubular casing may rotate in the hub, a prying shaft journaled in the said elongated tubular casing and extended through and beyond the gear housing, said prying shaft having a nut receiving socket in the end thereof positioned in the end of the tubular casing'in which the said nut receiving socket thereof is positioned, said nut receiving sockets of the casing and prying shaft being aligned with the axis of the shaft and tubular casing, a sleeve mounted on the portion of the shaft extended beyond the said gear housing, a gear positioned in the gear housing and mounted on the said sleeve, said sleeve having wrench gripping surfaces thereon and openings therein, a stub shaft journaled in the gear housing and also having wrench gripping surfaces on an extended end thereof and openings therein, said stub shaft positioned parallel to and spaced from the said prying shaft, and a pinion positioned in the gear housing meshing with the gear on the sleeve on the prying shaft and mounted on the said stub shaft.

2. A ratchet gear assembly for a wrench of the type having a barrel and a shaft rotatable in the barrel, the barrel and shaft being provided at their forward ends with actually aligned sockets of different sizes and relatively spaced axially of the wrench, and the shaft being extended rearwardly beyond the barrel, the ratchet gear assembly comprising a housing, a bearing on the forward side of the housing, a sleeve journaled in the housing in axial alignment with the bearing and extending rearwardly from the housing, a collar nonrotatably mounted on the rearward end of the barrel and rotatably mounted in the bearing, the collar being provided in its outer side with ratchet teeth, the rear end of the shaft being located in the sleeve, means connecting the shaftand sleeve to adapt the former to impart rotation to the collar, a spring loaded pawl carried by the bearing and operating with the ratchetteeth to hold the collar against movement in one direction, a gear within the housing fixed to the sleeve, a shaft rotatable and extending rearwardly beyond the housing, a pinion fixed to the shaft meshing with the gear, the outer end of the sleeve and said second shaft being constructed to adapt one or the other to be turned by a tool. ROY WRIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 474,823 Forbes May 17, 1892 2,181,678 Wright Nov. 28, 1939 2,185,058 Graham Dec; 26, 1939 2,243,948 Eyrick June 3, 1941 2,275,633 Keiser Mar. 10, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 635,153 France Mar. 9, 1928

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