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:
Nov. 12, 2002
Filed:
Feb. 02, 2001
Tadasu Suzuki, Osaka, JP;
Tsubakimoto Chain Co., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A ratchet tensioner has a plunger retractably mounted in a housing and urged by a spring in a direction to project outward from the housing, and a ratchet pawl pivotally mounted on the housing and having a first prong normally engaged with one of ratchet teeth formed on the plunger so as to prevent backward motion of the plunger. The ratchet pawl also has a second prong spaced a predetermined distance from the first prong in the backward direction of the plunger and engageable with a second rack tooth to release meshing engagement between the first prong and the rack tooth when the plunger is moved forward due to a slack of a timing chain used with the tensioner. In order to maintain a predetermined amount of backlash between the first prong and the rack teeth, the rack teeth have a height greater than a half pitch of the ratchet teeth.