Snap-on Inc.

Snap-on Technologies, Inc.

Snap-on Tools Corporation

Snap-on Tools Company

Gordon A Putney

Dean J Iwinski

Kenneth C Happ

Martin S Scolaro

Daniel M Eggert

Thomas P Becker

Daniel S Pusateri

Marco E DeVecchis

Scott G Dahlke

Joshua M Beer

Anil P Ghode

George R Slivon

Matthew M Crass

Steven R Wente

Jack A Parise

Daniel D Lionberg

Dennis A Nowak, Jr

Richard W Prince

Randy J Niesen

Kelly Converse

Michael H Opgenorth

Bryan L Doyle

A cam shaft is disclosed having an asymmetric chamfer for guiding a ball bearing deeper into a cam shaft groove to avoid ball loss when an immediate deceleration force is applied. The chamfer spaces the ball from an opening in the front face of a hammer that moves axially relative to the cam shaft when a tool having the cam shaft and hammer is dropped. The ball is therefore less likely to escape through the front opening of the hammer when the impact wrench is dropped.

Ball deflecting chamfer

A tool for torquing threaded fasteners includes a socket body having formed therein a fastener-receiving receptacle with an axis of rotation, the receptacle having a plurality of interior faces arranged in a generally polygonal configuration and substantially parallel to the axis, with each of the interior faces having projecting laterally inwardly therefrom a pair of fastener-engaging surfaces with inner and outer ends spaced apart in use substantially axially, each fastener-engaging surface being arcuate and sloping away from the axis from a closed end toward an open end of the socket.

Retention socket

An axial pawl ratcheting mechanism is provided that may be used for a wrench and comprises a first disc including axial gear teeth on a first side providing for ratcheting in a first direction. A second disc is provided having axial gear teeth and peripheral gear teeth. The second disc is mounted to the first side of the first disc so that the first disc axial gear teeth engage the second disc axial gear teeth and provide an axial pawl ratchet assembly. A ratchet head is provided having an internally toothed opening for receiving the axial pawl ratchet assembly therein so that the peripheral gear teeth of the second disc engage the internal diameter teeth of the ratchet head in order to transfer torque between the ratchet head and the axial pawl ratchet assembly. An actuator is provided for adjusting the positioning of the axial pawl ratchet assembly between a first engagement position and a second engagement position. In the first engagement position the first disc and the second disc will ratchet in a first direction and transmit torque in a second direction and in the second engagement position the first and second discs will ratchet in the second direction and transmit torque in the first direction.

Axial pawl ratchet mechanism

An attachment for an impact hammer for translating the hammer's typical forwardly directed impact force into a rearwardly directed pulling force while still allowing the user to maintain a conventional orientation of the hammer relative to the work piece intended to be pulled. The attachment comprises a housing defining a cavity with a hammer bit axially movable therein and having an impacting head urged rearwardly by a bias structure which responds to a forward impact force by the impact hammer to cause the hammer bit head to exert impact force on the work piece in a rearward direction.

Attachment for impact hammer

A ratchet wrench is provided having a flexible ring forming the head where the flexible ring may have serrations on its inner surface and forms a free end having a pawl thereon. The flexible ring is formed as one piece with the handle of the wrench. Upon tightening, the flexible ring will tighten down on a fastener and upon a non-tightening rotation, the pawl will ratchet against the corners of the fastener according to the self energizing geometry of the wrench where an arc is provided on a shoe of the handle which is eccentric to the arc of the flexible ring. In an embodiment, a gear insert is provided within the flexible ring for engagement with the fastener, torquing and ratcheting of the flexible ring being relative to the gear insert. In an embodiment, the a insert may be provided that has a substantially smooth outer surface including circumferential engagement features for engaging a substantially smooth facing surface of the flexible ring.

Wrench with flexible ring

An automatic shutoff mechanism is designed for a pneumatic tool having an air motor, a pressurized airflow path to the motor and a torquing mechanism driven by the motor. The shutoff mechanism includes a valve member moveable between open and closed positions relative to the airflow path and biased to the open position. A trip apparatus is responsive to application of a predetermined torque for moving the valve member to a trip position disposed in the airflow path sufficiently to expose the valve member to the pressurized airflow for driving the valve member from the trip position to the closed position. Mechanical and electromechanical embodiments are disclosed.

Air auto shut-off

A drive tool is shiftable between locking and releasing configurations relative to an associated tool, the drive tool including a lock member moveable between a locking position and a release position relative to the associated tool, an actuator member moveable between a locking condition and a releasing condition, and coupling structure interconnecting the actuator member and the lock member. The lock member is tiltable to a latching condition which prevents its movement to its release position. In one embodiment the coupling structure is substantially rigid so that the lock member and the actuator move in substantially the same direction, and in another embodiment the coupling structure is flexible and resilient. The coupling structure may be fixedly coupled to the actuator member or may be loosely coupled thereto and biased to a rest condition.

Locking drive tool

A torque indicating wrench has a resilient beam with a handle end and a work-engaging end carrying a ratchet mechanism. The resilient beam is generally channel-shaped in transverse cross section and is tapered in thickness from the work-engaging end to the handle end. A reference beam is disposed in the channel and has first and second ends respectively pivotally coupled to the work-engaging and handle ends of the resilient beam. The reference beam has openings adjacent to its first and second ends to facilitate pivotal coupling to the resilient beam while substantially eliminating non-pivotal relative movement in use. A handle housing encloses the beams along substantially their entire lengths and is fixed to the resilient beam only adjacent to its handle end. The reference beam carries a Hall-effect sensor disposed between magnets on the resilient beam and coupled to electronic indicating circuitry including a display viewable through a window in the housing and push-button switches operable through apertures in the housing.

Bending beam torque wrench

A storage riser for mounting atop a work surface has an open-front wall structure including rear, side and top walls and a bifold door assembly for closing the front opening. The door assembly has an upper panel hingedly connected to the front of the top wall and a lower panel hingedly connected to the bottom of the upper panel for pivotal movement between a vertical, unfolded, closed position and a non-vertical, folded, open position disposed in the storage compartment adjacent to the top wall. Coupling brackets respectively project inwardly of the compartment from the opposite sides of the lower panel adjacent to its upper end, the brackets respectively carrying guide rollers which respectively roll in channel tracks on the side walls. Opening of the door assembly is assisted by gas springs, respectively disposed adjacent to the side walls and having cylinders pivotally coupled to the coupling brackets and rods pivotally coupled to the side walls adjacent to the lower end of the front opening.

Workstation and spring-assisted door therefor

A protective housing for a jump-starting battery pack includes a flexible sheet of multi-layered, electrically insulating fabric material including inner and outer nylon layers and a foam padding layer sandwiched therebetween adapted to be folded around the case of a battery pack positioned in the middle of the sheet and held closed by Velcro-type closures. Retaining straps secure the battery pack in place, one of the straps having stacks of secured-together folds positioned on opposite sides of the case to provide supports on which the connector clamps of the battery pack jumper cables can be clamped, with the cables projecting from the open top of the housing to serve as handles.

Battery pack and protective pouch therefor

A power tool is provided which includes a motor assembly having a rotatable motor shaft mechanism, and a motor control coupled to the motor assembly and operable between a normal off condition de-energizing the motor and an on condition energizing the motor. The tool includes a rotatable tool shaft mechanism, and a clutch shiftable between a normal disengaged condition decoupling the motor shaft mechanism from the tool shaft mechanism and an engaged condition coupling the motor shaft mechanism to the tool shaft mechanism. A trigger member is engageable with both the motor control and the clutch and is moveable between a first position, wherein the motor control is in its off condition and the clutch is in its disengaged condition, and a second position holding the motor control in its on condition and the clutch in its engaged condition for driving the tool shaft mechanism. The trigger member is designed to prevent premature energization of the motor assembly.

Trigger and clutch arrangement for power tools

A rotary impulse tool has a motor-driven drive shaft and an output shaft. The drive shaft is threadedly coupled to a flywheel sleeve, which is spring-biased forwardly and is splined to a rotatable race structure of a wrap spring clutch assembly, which includes a wrap spring disposed in clearance fit coaxially between cylindrical surfaces of the race structure, the wrap spring having a front end fixed to the output shaft and a rear end coupled to a first conical control member. A second conical control member is axially movable between engaged and disengaged positions relative to the first control member for, respectively, shifting the clutch assembly to an engaged condition for transmitting torque between the drive and output shafts and a disengaged condition for decoupling those shafts. When the clutch assembly is engaged, the drive shaft rotates the output shaft and, as torque builds up on the output shaft, it slows to develop a speed differential between the drive and output shafts, which retracts the flywheel sleeve rearwardly against a compression spring to engage the second control member and move it axially to its disengaged position for disengaging the clutch assembly, whereupon the flywheel sleeve rapidly rotatably and axially returns forwardly, engaging the second control member to move it back to its engaged position and reengage the clutch assembly to transmit the kinetic energy of the flywheel sleeve in an impulse to the output shaft.

Impulse wrench with wrap spring clutch assembly

A reversible rotary wrench includes an impact mechanism for applying intermittent torque impulses to a load. The mechanism includes a rotatable shaft having an axis and adapted to be coupled to a motive source, a rotatable anvil for coupling to the load and having a pair of anvil ears, a tubular hammer substantially coaxial with the shaft and having a pair of hammer ears engageable with the anvil ears and a rotatable tubular drive coupling member substantially coaxial with the shaft. The mechanism also includes a first helical cam structure coupling the drive coupling member to the shaft, a second helical cam structure coupling the drive coupling member to the hammer, and a spring biasing the hammer axially toward the anvil to engage the hammer ears with the anvil ears. When the shaft is rotated in a first helical direction and torque exerted by the anvil on the hammer exceeds a given threshold, the sleeve rotates and the first cam structure responds to rotation of the shaft to move the hammer axially away from the anvil thereby disengaging the hammer from the anvil. When the shaft is rotated in a second direction and torque exerted by the anvil on the hammer exceeds a given threshold, the second cam structure responds to rotation of the shaft to move the hammer axially away from the anvil thereby disengaging the hammer from the anvil.

Growing community of inventors

Lake Geneva, WI, United States of America

Gordon A Putney