Ratchet screwdriver having a concealable ratchet shifter

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6240810
  • Patent Number
    6,240,810
  • Date Filed
    Monday, July 24, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 5, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A ratchet screwdriver including a ratchet shifter having a dial seat which is concealed by a housing. The dial seat is provided with a bar body and a position confining hole for disposing a tension member. The dial seat is provided at the front end with an urging portion which is juts out of the main body. The main body is provided with a circular rotation member which is provided with a rotating slot corresponding in location to the urging portion of the dial seat. The circular rotation member is provided with a neck portion having an insertion protrusion for pivoting with the main body. The main body is provided in an insertion circular edge with a notch for locating the insertion protrusion.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates generally to a ratchet screwdriver, and more particularly to a ratchet screwdriver having a concealable ratchet shifter.




2. Description of Related Art




As shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, a ratchet screwdriver


10


of the prior art comprises a handle


11


having a main body


12


which is provided at the front end with a central axial hole


14


with a heart hole


13


for pivoting a shaft rod


17


. The shaft rod


17


has a gear


15


and a pillar


16


. The main body


12


is provided with an insertion slot


18


for receiving a stop plate


19


. The gear


15


is actuated by two reverse plates


20


disposed on the top of the main body


12


. The two reverse plates


20


are provided with a dial seat


22


having two resilient press plates


21


. A casing


24


has a position confining hole


23


and is fitted into the front end of the main body


12


such that the cut edge


25


of the casing


24


is stopped on a projection


26


of the main body


12


. The main body


12


is provided at the front end with a locking member


28


having a carrying hole


27


.




Such a prior art ratchet screwdriver as described above is defective in design because the protruded knob


29


of the dial seat


22


makes the assembly of the casing


24


difficult, and because dial seat


22


can not be easily adjusted.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a ratchet screwdriver with a concealable ratchet shifter.











The features, functions, and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.




BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

shows an exploded view of a ratchet screwdriver of the prior art.





FIG. 2

shows a perspective view of the ratchet screwdriver of the prior art.





FIG. 3

shows an exploded view of a ratchet screwdriver of the present invention.





FIG. 4

shows a prospective view of the ratchet screwdriver of the present invention.





FIG. 5

shows a sectional view of the ratchet screwdriver of the present invention.





FIG. 6

shows a schematic view of the ratchet screwdriver of the present invention in action.





FIG. 7

shows another schematic view of the ratchet screwdriver of the present invention in action.





FIG. 8

shows an exploded view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 9

shows a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 10

shows a sectional view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




As shown in

FIGS. 3-7

, a ratchet screwdriver of the present invention comprises a handle


32


having a main body


33


which is provided with a fastening seat


31


. The main body


33


is provided at the front end with an axial hole


35


having, a heart hole


34


. The main body


33


is provided in the top with two locating slots


39


in communication with the axial hole


35


. The main body


33


is fastened pivotally at the front end thereof to a shaft rod


38


having a gear


36


and a pillar


37


. Two opposite reversing plates


40


are disposed in the locating slots


39


such that the two reversing plates


40


are engaged with the gear


36


. The reversing plates


40


are provided with a dial seat


42


having two resilient press plates


41


. The main body


33


is provided in the underside thereof with an insertion slot


43


for receiving a stop plate


44


. The main body


33


is fitted into a housing


45


such that a rotation plate


46


of the housing


45


is retained in a recess


47


of the rear edge of the main body


33


. The main body


33


is provided at the front end with a circular rotation member


48


. The present invention is characterized by the dial seat


42


which is concealed completely by the housing


45


. The dial seat


42


is provided with a bar body


51


. Located between the bar body


51


and the position confining hole


52


is a tension element


53


. The dial seat


42


is provided at the front end with an urging portion


54


which is juts out of the circular rotation member


48


via a slide slot


55


of the main body


33


. The circular rotation member


48


is provided with a rotation slot


56


corresponding to the urging portion


54


of the front end of the dial seat


42


. The rotation slot


56


is provided in the bottom wall with a plurality of locating portions


57


and guide slide portions


58


. The circular rotation member


48


is provided on a neck portion


49


with an insertion protrusion


59


by means of which the circular rotation member


48


is pivoted in an insertion circular edge


60


of the main body


33


. The insertion circular edge


60


is provided with a notch


61


for locating the insertion protrusion


59


for controlling the forward and the reverse motions of the ratchet screwdriver


30


.




The housing


45


is provided in an appropriate position thereof with a mark line


62


for aligning with a mark line


63


of the locating portions


57


of the rotation slot of the circular rotation member


48


.




As shown in

FIGS. 8-10

, the fastening seat


31


of the main body


33


is fastened to the handle


32


of the ratchet screwdriver


30


such that the main body


33


is directly fitted into the housing


45


′, which is made integrally with the front end of the handle


32


.



Claims
  • 1. A ratchet screwdriver comprising a handle having a main body which is provided with a fastening seat, said main body provided at a front end thereof with an axial hole having a heart hole, said main body further provided in a top thereof with two locating slots in communication with said axial hole, said main body being fastened pivotally at the front end thereof to a shaft rod having a gear and a pillar, said main body further provided with two reversing plates which are disposed in said two locating slots such that said two reversing plates are engaged with said gear, said reversing plates provided with a dial seat having two resilient press plates, said main body provided in an underside with an insertion slot for receiving a stop plate, said main body being fitted into a housing such that a rotation stopping plate of said housing is retained in a recess of a rear edge of said main body, said main body provided at the front end with a circular rotation member; wherein said dial seat is completely concealed by said housing and is provided with a bar body, a position confining hole, and a tension element, said dial seat further provided at the front end with an urging portion which is juts out of said circular rotation member via said slide slot of said main body, said circular rotation member provided with a rotation slot corresponding to said urging portion of the front end of said dial seat, said rotation slot provided in a bottom with a plurality of locating portions and guide slide portions, said circular rotation member provided on a neck portion with an insertion protrusion by means of said insertion protrusion said circular rotation member is pivoted in an insertion circular edge of said main body, said insertion circular edge provided with a notch for locating said insertion protrusion.
  • 2. The ratchet screwdriver as defined in claim 1, wherein said housing is provided in an appropriate position thereof with a mark line; wherein said locating portions of said rotation slot of said circular rotation member are provided with a mark line which is aligned with said mark line of said housing.
  • 3. The ratchet screwdriver as defined in claim 1, wherein said housing is integrally made with said handle; wherein said fastening seat of said main body is fastened to said handle such that said main body is fitted into said housing.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
088213656 Aug 1999 TW
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number Name Date Kind
5379873 Shiao Jan 1995
5910196 Huang Jun 1999
6151995 Shu Nov 2000