Snap-on Tools Corporation

Snap-on Inc.

Snap-on Tools Company

Steven R Wente

Mark S Bakula

David T Ross

Donald J Caldwell

Steven S Cascio

Tom S Severson

Daniel M Eggert

Donald W Doman

Bert Krivec

Gordon A Putney

George R Slivon

Anil P Ghode

Gene E Olson

Jeffrey H Hoff

Larry D Pacetti

Martin S Scolaro

Mark J Hasenberg

William T Pagac

Steven E Michalski

Jeffrey M Arendt

James W Nelson

David R Ellingen

Raymond R Zuzinec

Nancy C Rittmann

Thomas J Diedrich

Richard S Goergen, Jr

Nancy C Rittmann Gasperi

Nancy C Gasperi

Gene P Hopp

Keith R Malek

Raymond G Knudsen

David G McGreal

Richard S Stever

Christopher W Chudek

David G Mcgreal

Nancy C Rittmann-Gasperi

A method of manufacturing a punch, such as a socket punch, using wire EDM with at least six steps. The method involves forming a blank, holding the blank with an adapter, machining grooves in the blank, manufacturing a side relief of a working portion using wire EDM, milling the working portion to a final size, and forming a cone point on the end of the working portion. The method allows the punch to be manufactured more quickly and from a CAD model, therefore removing the need for over-specialized equipment and improving manufacturing times.

Method of manufacturing socket punches

A ratcheting tool such as a reversible dual-pawl ratchet wrench is disclosed that minimizes wasted motion during ratchet slip or counter-rotation. The ratchet wrench includes a bias assembly that biases the pawls apart to bias a first, selected pawl for a selected drive direction towards engagement with a ratchet gear, and that the biases the selected pawl into a concentric alignment with the ratchet gear. In this manner, non-ratcheting initial rotation of the pawl due to counter-rotation prior to the pawl camming out of engagement with the ratchet gear is eliminated, thus eliminating wasted motion and maximizing the available angular sweep for the wrench.

Bias assembly for ratchet tools

A ratchet wrench is provided which includes a ratchet head having a part-cylindrical surface with head teeth thereon and an elongated handle hingedly coupled to the head. The handle has first and second handle ends, an axis extending between the ends and an axial first bore opening at the first handle end. The wrench also includes a rod disposed in and moveable within the first bore between an engaged condition engageable with the head teeth for locking the head in a selected position relative to the handle and a non-engaged condition disengaged from the head teeth and accommodating relative movement of the head and handle, and biasing structure for biasing the rod to the engaged condition. The wrench also includes retaining structure coupled to the rod for retaining the rod in its non-engaged condition. The retaining structure may be disposed at several locations relative to the ratchet head.

Ratchet wrench with multi-position ratchet head

A palm driver has a rotatable drive member and an ergonomic handle body connected to the drive member through a ratchet mechanism and covered by a cushioning grip. The handle body is asymmetrically curved and is substantially continuously convex along portions engageable in use with the user's hand, having a generally flattened top surface opposite the drive member and receivable in the user's palm, and a peripheral side surface which has a plan outline which is continuously convex and has a generally flattened heel portion and an opposed, much smaller radius finger portion, respectively engageable with the heel and fingers of the user's hand in use.

Ergonomic handle and driver incorporating same

An improved collet lock arrangement for a hand-held power tool having a housing is provided. The collet lock arrangement includes a powered rotatable shaft including a base portion and distal end portion defining a collet for adaptably connecting a driver tool attachment thereto and a locking structure for securely locking the shaft to the housing to selectively prevent the shaft from rotating when in a locked position while allowing the shaft to freely rotate in an unlocked position. The locking structure has a locking sleeve coaxially coupled around the shaft for axial movement relative thereto between the locked and unlocked positions, a clamp nut fixedly connected to the housing, and a sleeve guide non-rotatably coupling the locking sleeve to the clamp nut. The clamp nut and sleeve guide are coaxially arranged for coaxially receiving therethrough the shaft and the locking sleeve. During axial movement of the locking sleeve from the unlocked position to the locked position, a portion of the locking sleeve is slidably matingly engaged between the base portion of the shaft and the guide to lock the shaft against rotational movement.

Collet lock arrangement for power tool

A bicycle crank arm puller includes a tubular insert externally threaded for threaded engagement in an internally threaded portion of a bore in a crank arm, the other portion of the bore receiving an axle end in press-fitted engagement. The insert has an enlarged, radially outwardly extending, trilobular handle. A drive screw is threadedly engaged through the tubular insert and has a part-spherical bearing end engageable with the axle end. A square drive socket on the outer end of the drive screw receives the drive lug of an associated lever member.

Bicycle crank arm puller

Air tool

A caulk gun has a cartridge-carrying body with a fixed handle and a pivoting handle depending therefrom, the pivoting handle being coupled to a plunger for axial movement thereof to dispense material from the cartridge in response to movement of the pivoting handle toward the fixed handle. The pivoting handle has a proximal end portion which diverges from the fixed handle to an index finger engaging portion and a distal end portion which is curved toward the fixed handle in the normal rest configuration of the gun, such that the pivoting handle, at both its distal end portion and its index finger engaging portion is spaced from the fixed handle generally the same distance. The fixed handle has a widened portion intermediate the ends thereof.

Caulk gun with ergonomic handles

A tool cabinet has rollers depending from a bottom wall for rolling engagement with an underlying floor. A retractable step is carried by a support arm which extends laterally from the step and has an upstanding shaft portion which extends through an axial bore in a spiral cam which is fixed to the bottom wall of the cabinet. The shaft has a cam follower pin which extends therefrom and is slidably engageable with a spiral cam surface on the cam for accommodating simultaneous pivotal swinging movement and vertical movement of the step between a stowed position disposed beneath the cabinet and above the floor and a use position extending from beneath the cabinet in engagement with the floor.

Retractable step and tool cabinet incorporating same

Screwdriver

A locking hinge assembly for mounting a visor on a helmet includes a cylindrical body which is fixed in an opening in the helmet and is loosely received through an aligned opening in the visor. The body has an annular detent flange with detent recesses therein in which are received detent studs carried by the visor for accommodating movement of the visor among a plurality of discrete detent positions. The locking assembly includes a shaft extending through an axial bore in the body and having an enlarged cam head at the outer end thereof. A cam disk is disposed between the head and the visor and has cam studs which cammingly engage cam recesses in the head. A spring washer is disposed between the cam disk and the visor for urging the detent studs into the recesses to resiliently hold the visor in each detent position and for urging the cam disk against the head. The cam disk responds to manual rotation thereof for axial camming movements toward the visor for frictionally locking it in a selected detent position and away from the visor to release it for movement among its detent positions.

Helmet visor with locking hinge assemble

Timing light

A chuck key holder for a power tool, such as an electric or pneumatic drill or the like, comprises an elastic member mounted on a part of the power tool such as the handle. The elastic member has an aperture therein adapted to receive a part of the chuck key, the aperture being of such size as securely to retain the chuck key frictionally, and to permit ready removable thereof for use, and easy replacement following use. The end of the aperture into which the chuck key part enters advantageously is defined by a chamfered surface which serves to facilitate entry of the inserted part. The holder is permanent in nature, enables the user to return the chuck key to a definite place following each use, thereby assuring that the key will be available conveniently for the next use.

Chuck key holder for a power tool

Growing community of inventors

Kenosha, WI, United States of America

Steven R Wente