The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 09, 1998
Filed:
Oct. 29, 1996
John A Sanders, Chattanooga, TN (US);
Other;
Abstract
A ratchet wrench having a handle and a head of know configuration with the head including a raceway in which is mounted a spur gear. The spur gear has a shaft passing through it which cooperates with the head of the wrench to hold the gear in place with one end of the shaft including a post for attachment of a socket. Within the head of the wrench is a pawl mechanism for engaging the teeth of the spur gear so that when the handle is rotated in one direction, the pawl mechanism will engage the spur gear and turn the spur gear, its shaft and the post to which a socket is attached. When the handle is rotated in the opposite direction, the pawl mechanism will ride over the spur gear so that the spur gear will remain stationary. The improvement of applicant's invention is an advancing lever built into the handle of the wrench. The advancing lever includes an advancing rod with camming teeth on the free end of the advancing rod and pivotally connected to a link rod at the opposite end. The advancing rod can be shifted from one side or the other of the head so as to engage one side or the other of the spur gear and thereby advance the spur gear in one direction or the other depending upon the side on which the advancing rod is placed. The advancing rod is activated by the link rod pushing toward the spur gear in response to force applied to the advancing lever on the handle of the wrench. The advancing lever is fitted within a slot in the handle and connects to the link rod so that the advancing lever can be pushed toward the head of the wrench to push the advancing rod forward. The advancing lever is then returned to its original position by the force of a coil spring wrapped about the link rod.