US2993396A

US2993396A - Reversible ratchet socket wrench head

Info

Publication number: US2993396A
Application number: US30504A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Louis J Lenci; Charles A Davis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-05-20
Filing date: 1960-05-20
Publication date: 1961-07-25
Anticipated expiration: 1978-07-25

Description

July 25, 1961 1.. J. LENCI, JR., ETAL 2,993,396

REVERSIBLE RATCHET SOCKET WRENCH HEAD Filed May 20, 1960 INVEN .5 Louis J. LEMC. 2.

A7'7'0/P/VE/J acumzuas ADAVIS 3 o 1 G a v United States Patent 2,993,396 REVERSIBLE'RATCHET SOCKET WRENCH HEAD Louis J. Lenci, Jr., 165 Allison Ave., Cotati, Calitl, and Charles A. Davis, 336 Redw0od Ave., W'oodacre, Calif. Filed May 20, 1960, Ser. No. 30,504 7 Claims. (Cl. 81-63) This invention relates to a novel reversible ratchet socket wrench head.

Theprimary object of the invention is to provide a more versatile and more eflicient heavy-duty wrench head of the kind indicated, which can be used on various types of speed wrenches, such as slide bar,.T-bar, extension types, etc., and which is more compact and of unusually small cross-section, so as to be reachable into and operated in confined spaces, and whose rotary component is itself a nut socket or a socket for removable and interchangeable adapter nut sockets of difierent forms and sizes.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a strong and stress resistant wrench head of the character indicated above whose ratchet mechanism is composed of an unusually small number of simple and rugged parts, such that, because of this and the forms of the parts and their relationships, the parts can be made heavier than usual, so that the mechanism has greater strength and life expectancy.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings: v I 7 FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a wrench incorporating a wrench head in accordance with the present invention; FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of FIGURE 1, with the wrench head broken away and in section to show the ratchet mechanism;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section taken through the wrench head and an adapter socket,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal horizontal section taken on the line 4--4 of FIGURE 3, showing the flexible ratchet key or dog in erect intermediate position in full lines, and in deflected release positions in phantom lines; 7

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4, showing the ratchet dog moved to a left-hand position for clockwise driving of a nut by the wrench head;

FIGURE 6 is a view like FIGURE 5, showing the ratchet dog moved to a right-hand position for counterclockwise driving of a nut;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal section taken on the line 88 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 9 is an open end elevation of an adapter socket.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views,

the numeral 10 generally designates a wrenchhaving a wrench head 12, in accordance with the invention. The wrench 10 comprises an elongated, preferably solid handle 14 which has a straight flat upper surface 16 and a rearwardly tapering flat undersurface 18, which is transversely rounded, as indicated at 20. The handle 14 is of substantially hourglass shape which endows the same with a rearwardly and longitudinally flaring rear portion 22 which tapers from anarrow waist 24, and a forwardly flaring portion 26, which tapers from the waist 24, and terminates at its forward end in a semi-circular 'ice '2' head body 28. The head body 28, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, is preferably solid, and is of unusually great cross-sectionand depth, considering the cross-section of the handle 14 and the overall size of the wrench.

The head body 28 is formed therethrough with an axial, smooth, and uniform diameter cylindrical bore 30, having at its upper end a surrounding annular groove 62, and at its lower end a surrounding annular seat 34, formed severally in the upper and lower ends 36 and 38, respectively, of the head body.

Rotatably engaged in and relatively closely fitting the bore is a cylindrical ratchet socket rotor 40 which has an enlarged diameter, externally rounded head 42 on its upper end, which turns in the groove 32, and has stop engagement with the head body 28. The socket rotor 40 is longer than the depth of the head body 28 and has a lower end portion 44 which extends below the lower end 38 of the head body. At the location of the annular seat 34 the rotor 40 is formed with a circumferential annular locking groove 46 in which is securably engaged a split spring locking ring 48 which engages in the seat 34 and has stop engagement with the head body 28, in opposition to the head 42, so as to preclude endwise movement of the rotor 40 in the head body.

The lower end 44 of the rotor 40 is formed with an axial socket 50, which can be a nut-engaging socket, but

is here shown as being a preferably square socket, for removable reception of the similar cross-section stub 52 of a substantially larger nut-engaging adapter socket 54, which can be provided in difierent desired sizes and with difierently shaped nut-receiving socket openings 56.

The socket rotor 40 is also the ratchet wheel component of the wrench head mechanism, since ratchet teeth 58 are formed integrally therearound. The ratchet teeth 58 are formed by indenting the rotor 40, at a locationspacecl between the head 42 and the socket 50. The ratchet teeth 58, as shown in FIGURES 4, 5 and 6, have flat squared outer ends 60 and are separated from each other, around the rotor, by semi-circular notches 62, which provide concavely curved sides 64 on adjacent teeth, and a concave bottom 66 between the sides 64 and continuous therewith, to have cam and sliding engagements with a ratchet dog 68.

The ratchet dog 68 comprises an elongated, flat, rectangular cross-section bar, of relatively heavy gauge spring material, which has an upper side edge 70 and a lower side edge 72. At the rear end of the upper edge 70 is an upstanding right angular and relatively narrow arm 74 which has on its upper end a fixed cross head or finger piece 76. On the lower edge 72, at a point slightly displaced from the center, toward the rear end 78 of the dog 68, is a relatively narrow, right-angular downwardly extending finger 80.

The head body 28 is formed internally witha ratchet dog chamber 82 which is flat and elongated and extends longitudinallyof the wrench handle 14 and diametrically of the head body 28, and is parallel to and spaced from the upper end 36 of the head body 28, and is in line with the ratchet teeth 58 on the rotor 40. In an intermediate part of the bottom surface '84 of the chamber 82 is formed' a centered rectangular compound recess 86 having a relatively deep rear portion 88 and a relatively shallow forvide for free lateral and longitudinal movements of the arm 74 in the slot 94, and to enable the dog 68 to be,

ward portion 90. The upper surface 92 of the recess 82 is formed, at the rear end thereof, with a slot 94,

opening to the upper end 36 of the head body 28, and' larger across than the ratchet dog arm 74, so as to proinserted into and removed from the chamber 82.

The ratchet dog 68 is loosely positioned in the chamber82, with its finger loosely engaged in the deep recess portion 88, and with its arm 74 extending upwardly through the slot 94, with the finger-piece 76 above the upper end 36 of the head body 28 and extending across the slot '94.

A helical ratchet dog positioning spring 9 6 which is compressedbetween the forward wall 98"of the narrower recess portion90 and the-adjacent edge of the finger 80, with ends of the-spring anchored in retainingsockets'in the wall-98 andthe finger, as indicated at 100 and 10'2, respectively. The dog 68 is of a length that its forward end 104 engages deeply in relatedratchet wheel notches 62, in the erect position of thedog, -with --the end'104 spaced from the notch bottom 66,--as*shown in FIGURE 4, with the rear end 78 of the dog securably engaged in a middle retaining notch 106 which is-formed intermediate the ends of the rearward endsurface'108'of the chamber 82, and is spaced from 'leftand right-hand'end retaining'notches 110 and- 112, respectively;

In its erect or intermediate position, shown in FIGURE 4, the ratchet dog 68'is'free to have its forward end portion flexed to either side, as indicated in phantom'lines, by cam engagement of related ratchet'tooth sides64 therewith, in accordance with the direction of rotation of the rotor-40, produced by'swinging of the wrench handle 14 in related directions while engaged with a nut,- until the forward 'end- 1040f the dogcan engage the outer end-60 of a related ratchet tooth 58 and-be passed by such tooth, in a ratchet release action.

For locking the ratchet mechanism for right-hand'rotation of'a nut, the finger-piece 76 is moved'to the extreme right, as shown in'FIGURE 5, so that the dog 68 iscanted toward the left, with its rear end 78 engaged in the right-hand retaining notch 112,.and with its 'forward end 104 in stop engagement with the side 64 f a related ratchettooth 58. The-spring 76 holds 'the'dog engaged in the retaining notch 11-2 and in the leftward canted position. For locking the ratchetmechanism 'for reverse or left-rotation of a nut, the finger-piece 76 is-pushed over to the left, as shownin FIGURE 6, so thatthe rear end 78 of the dog 68 is engaged in the right-hand end retaining notch 10, and its forward end 104 is in stop engagement with'a side of a related ratchet tooth.

With the ratchet dog 69 in either ofthe' cantedpositions shown in FIGURES and 6, reverse rotation of the wrench handle 14 produces cam flexing of the-forward endportion of the dog by related ratchet teeth 58, in-releasing ratcheting actions. 7 7

While there hasbeen shown and described herein a'preferred form of the invention it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the rela-' tive arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention-as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A ratchet wrench head comprising a head body having an axial smooth bore extending therethrough, said body having upper and lower ends to which the bore opens, a cylindrical socket rotorjournalled through said bore, means holding said rotor against endwise movement in said bore, said rotor having circumferential ratchet teeth thereon spaced from its ends, an elongated'resilient dog having first and second'ends, means loosely mounting the ratchet dog on the head body with the first end of the dog engaged between adjacent ratchet teeth, said means providing for canting of the dog'in opposite directions, ratchet dog retaining means on said head body engaged by the second end of the dog, said retaining means comprising an intermediate notch and leftand right-hand notches positioned at opposite sides of the intermediate notch, said dog being adapted to be canted out of an intermediate radial position relative to the rotor to leftand right-hand canted positions wherein the second end of the dog is engaged in the left-hand notch or the right-hand notch, and positioning spring means compressed between the head body'an'd the'dog andyieldably urging the dog into one of these notches, andmanual means for selectively canting the ratchet dog.

2. A ratchet wrench head comprising a head body having an axial smooth bore extending therethrough, said body having upper and lower 'ends to whichthe bore opens, a' cylindrical socket rotor joilrnalled "throughfs'aid bore, means holding-said rotor against endwise movement in said bore, said rotor having circumferential ratchet teeth thereon spaced from its ends, an elongated resilient dog having first and second ends, means loosely mounting the ratchet dog on the head body with the: first end of the dog engaged between adjacent ratchet teeth, said-means providing for cantingof the dog in oppos'ite directions, ratchet dog retaining means on said head body. engaged by the second end of the dog, said retaining means comprising an intermediate notch. and leftand right-hand notches: positioned at opposite sides of the intermediate notch, said dog being adapted to be canted out of an intermediate radial position relative to the rotor-to leftand right-hand cantedpositions wherein the second end of the dog is engaged in the left-hand notch or the right-hand notch, and positioning spring means compressed betweenthe headbody and the dog andyieldably urgingtheidogiinto one of these notches, and manual,

means for selectively canting the ratchet dog, said rotor having semi-circular cam notches separating adjacent ratchet teeth, said cam notches having concave bottoms and concave camsides, the first end of theratchet dog being in-cam engagement with a related cam sidein a canted position of the dog. p

-3. A-ratchet wrenchheadcomprising a head body having an axial "smooth bore extending therethrough, said body having upper and lower ends to which-the bore opens, aycylindrical-socketrotor journalled through said bore, means holding said rotor against endwise movement in said bore, said rotor having circumferential ratchet teeth thereon-spaced from its ends, an elongated resilient dog'having first and second ends, means looselymounting the ratchet dog on the head body with the first endof the. dog engaged between adjacent ratchet teeth, said means providing for canting of-the dog in opposite-directions, ratchet dog retaining means on said head body'engaged by the secondend off the dog, said retainingmeans comprising anintermediate notch and leftand right-hand notches positioned at opposite sides of the intermediate notch, said dog being adaptedto be canted-out of an intermediate radial position *relative to the rotor to leftand right-hand canted positions wherein the second end of the dogis engaged in the left-hand notch or the right-hand notch, and positioning spring means compressed between the head body and the dog andyieldably urging the dog irito one of these notches, and manual means for selectively canting the ratchet dog, said rotor 'having semi-circular'cam notches separating adjacent ratchetteeth, said cam notches having concave bottoms and concave cam sides, the first end of the ratchet dog being in cam engagement-with a related cam side in a canted position of the dog, said mounting means comprising an internal chamber in said head body aligned with said ratchet teeth, said chamber having a first end opening into said bore through whichthe first end of the ratchet dog reaches the ratchet teeth, said chamber having a closed second end on which said retaining notches are located.

4. A ratchet wrench head comprising-a head body having an axial smooth boreextending therethrough, said body having upper and lower ends to which the bore opens,- a cylindrical socket rotor journalled through said bore, means holding said roto'r against endwise movement in saidwbore, said rotor having circumferential ratchet teeth thereon spaced from its ends, an'elong'ated resilient dog having first and second ends,means loosely mounting the ratchet dog on the head body with the first endof thedog engaged between adjacent rat'chet teeth, said rections, ratchet dog retaining means on saidh'ead 'b'od'y' engaged by the second end of the dog, said retaining means comprising an intermediate notch and leftand right-hand notches positioned at opposite sides of the intermediate notch, said dog being adapted to be canted out of an intermediate radial position relative to the rotor to leftand right-hand canted positions wherein the second end of the dog is engaged in the left-hand notch or the right-hand notch, and positioning spring means compressed between the head body and the dog and yieldably urging the dog into one of these notches, and manual means for selectively canting the ratchet dog, said rotor having semi-circular cam notches separating adjacent ratchet teeth, said cam notches having concave bottoms and concave cam sides, the first end of the ratchet dog being in cam engagement with a related cam side in a canted position of the dog, said mounting means comprising an internal chamber in said head body aligned with said ratchet teeth, said chamber having a first end opening into said bore through which the first end of the ratchet dog reaches the ratchet teeth, said chamber having a closed second end on which said retaining notches are located, said ratchet dog having a lateral arm on one edge thereof and a lateral finger on its other edge, said spring means engaging said finger at one end, said chamber having a surface provided with recess means in which said finger and said spring means are located with the other end of the spring means engaged with a part of said recess means.

5. A ratchet wrench head comprising a head body having an axial smooth bore extending therethrough, said body having upper and lower ends to which the bore opens, a cylindrical socket rotor journalled through said bore, means holding said rotor against endwise movement in said bore, said rotor having circumferential ratchet teeth thereon spaced from its ends, an elongated resilient dog having first and second ends, means loosely mounting the ratchet dog on the head body with the first end of the dog engaged between adjacent ratchet teeth, said means providing for canting of the dog in opposite directions, ratchet dog retaining means on said head body engaged by the second end of the dog, said retaining means comprising an intermediate notch and leftand right-hand notches positioned at opposite sides of the intermediate notch, said dog being adapted to be canted out of an intermediate radial position relative to the rotor to leftand right-hand canted positions wherein the second end of the dog is engaged in the left-hand notch or the right-hand notch, and positioning spring means compressed between the head body and the dog and yieldably urging the dog into one of these notches, and manual means for selectively canting the ratchet dog, said rotor having semi-circular cam notches separating adjacent ratchet teeth, said cam notches having concave bottoms and concave cam sides, the first end of the ratchet dog being in cam engagement with a related cam side in a canted position of the dog, said mounting means comprising an internal chamber in said head body aligned with said ratchet teeth, said chamber having a first end opening into said bore through which the first end of the ratchet dog reaches the ratchet teeth, said chamber having a closed second end on which said retaining notches are located, said ratchet dog having a lateral arm on one edge thereof and a lateral finger on its other edge, said spring means engaging said finger at one end, said chamber having a surface provided with recess means in which said finger and said spring means are located with the other end of the spring means engaged with a part of said recess means, said head body having a slot opening to said chamber through which said dog arm freely extends, and an enlarged finger-piece fixed on said arm outside of the head body and constituting said manual means.

6. A ratchet wrench head comprising a head body having an axial smooth bore extending therethrough, said body having upper and lower ends to which the bore opens, a cylindrical socket rotor journalled through said bore, means holding said rotor against endwise movement in said bore, said rotor having circumferential ratchet teeth thereon spaced from its ends, an elongated resilient dog having first and second ends, means loosely mounting the ratchet dog on the head body with the first end of the dog engaged between adjacent ratchet teeth, said means providing for canting of the dog in opposite directions, ratchet dog retaining means on said head body engaged by the second end of the dog, said retaining means comprising an intermediate notch and leftand right-hand notches positioned at opposite sides of the intermediate notch, said dog being adapted to be canted out of an intermediate radial position relative to the rotor to leftand right-hand canted positions wherein the second end of the dog is engaged in the left-hand notch or the right-hand notch, and positioning spring means compressed between the head body and the dog and yieldably urging the dog into one of these notches, and manual means for selectively canting the ratchet dog, said rotor having an end formed with an axial polygonal socket.

7. A ratchet wrench head comprising a head body having an axial smooth bore extending therethrough, said body having upper and lower ends to which the bore opens, a cylindrical socket rotor journalled through said bore, means holding said rotor against endwise movement in said bore, said rotor having circumferential ratchet teeth thereon spaced from its ends, an elongated resilient dog having first and second ends, means loosely mounting the ratchet dog on the head body with the first end of the dog engaged between adjacent ratchet teeth, said means providing for canting of the dog in opposite directions, ratchet dog retaining means on said head body engaged by the second end of the dog, said retaining means comprising an intermediate notch and leftand right-hand notches positioned at opposite sides of the intermediate notch, said dog being adapted to be canted out of an intermediate radial position relative to the rotor to leftand right-hand canted positions wherein the second end of the dog is engaged in the left-hand notch or the right-hand notch, and positioning spring means compressed between the head body and the dog and yieldably urging the dog into one of these notches, and manual means for selectively canting the ratchet dog, said rotor having an end formed with an axial polygonal socket, and an interchangeable adapter nut socket having a polygonal stud removably engaged in said socket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 603,377 Fitch 4-..-.. May 3, 1898 951,056 Clark Mar. 1, 1910 1,179,341 Spirikowics Apr. 11, 1916 1,244,596 Gealy Oct. 30, 1917 1,888,885 Pepperdine Nov. 22, 1932 2,869,410 Prichard -n Jan. 20, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 11,5 13 Great Britain t...' 1891 61,663 France Dec. -1, 1954