Claims
- 1. A ratchet wrench apparatus comprising:
- a wrench body having a handle whereby a wrench user may manipulate said handle to apply rotational torque to a fastener;
- a ratchet wrench head, said ratchet wrench head having a cylindrically recessed head portion;
- a dual-directionally rotatable ratchet gear received in said cylindrically recessed head portion of said ratchet wrench head;
- a socket drive support having an integral U-joint, said socket drive support and said U-joint assembled in said wrench head such that when assembled said U-joint is both axially non-slidable and axially non-detachable with respect to said wrench head;
- a retaining assembly, said retaining assembly retaining said ratchet gear within said recessed head portion; and
- a pawl assembly, said pawl assembly operatively affixed within said wrench body and engageable with said ratchet gear.
- 2. The wrench according to claim 1, wherein said U-joint further comprises a bifurcated ball joint and a double pin donut portion hingeably received in said bifurcated ball joint;
- said double pin donut portion further having right and left pins rotatably nesting in ratchet gear pin slots in said ratchet gear;
- said bifurcated ball joint and said double pin donut portion further including apertures receiving a pin, permitting said socket drive support full U-joint swiveling motion; and
- said socket drive support further comprising a tang having a biased ball bearing whereby a wrench socket may be axially restrained thereon.
- 3. The wrench according to claim 2, further comprising:
- a lock, said lock comprising a threaded and winged locking screw, said locking screw having a wedging surface cooperable with a wedging surface located on said bifurcated ball joint; and
- further comprising a threaded ratchet gear cavity to threadingly receive said winged locking screw.
- 4. The wrench according to claim 3 wherein said wedging surfaces of said bifurcated ball joint and said locking screw comprise female and male conical surfaces, respectively.
- 5. The wrench according to claim 2 further comprising a lock, said lock comprising a threaded locking screw having threads mating with threads of an internally threaded ratchet gear cavity; and
- said threaded locking screw and a portion of said ball joint have mating wedging surfaces integral therewith.
- 6. The wrench according to claim 5 wherein:
- said ball joint may pivot when said mating wedging surfaces are unengaged; and
- said mating wedging surfaces are generally conical surfaces.
- 7. The wrench according to claim 1 further comprising:
- a lock, said lock comprising a threaded locking screw having outer threads mating with threads of an internally threaded ratchet gear cavity; and
- said threaded locking screw and a portion of said U-joint have mating wedging surfaces integral therewith.
- 8. The wrench according to claim 1, further comprising:
- two tang slots located in said ratchet gear;
- said U-joint includes a donut portion and two semi-spherical joint caps, said donut portion pivotally joined between said two semi-spherical joint caps;
- each of said semi-spherical joint caps having a pivot prong extending therefrom, each of said pivot prongs pivotally received in one of said two tang slots;
- apertures in both said joint caps and said donut portion;
- a U-joint pin fixed in said apertures, permitting said U-joint full U-joint swiveling motion.
- 9. The wrench according to claim 7 wherein said locking screw comprises a wedging screw whereby said screw may be rotated to actuate said lock and wherein said wedging surfaces of said locking screw and said U-joint are first and second wedging surfaces, respectively.
- 10. The wrench according to claim 9 wherein said first and second wedging surfaces are generally flat.
- 11. The wrench according to claim 9 wherein:
- said u-joint further comprises a swivel ball;
- said first wedging surface on said locking screw is a conical indentation on said locking screw; and
- said second wedging surface is a conical protuberance on said swivel ball.
- 12. The wrench according to claim 9 wherein:
- said threaded locking screw further has a non-cylindrical aperture therethrough; and further comprising:
- a winged cap having a non-cylindrical prong integral therewith, said non-cylindrical prong being slidable within said cylindrical aperture; and
- said winged cap further comprising a non-cylindrical wrench slot whereby a wrench may be inserted to provide additional rotating torque and leverage.
- 13. The wrench according to claim 7, wherein:
- said locking screw further comprises a non-cylindrical prong integral therewith;
- said wedging surface of said locking screw may be wedged into mating contact with said wedging portion of said U-joint, said wedging contact being induced by rotating a non-cylindrically apertured cap having gripping wings to allow said non-cylindrical prong axial access through said apertured cap, thus concurrently rotating and axially driving said locking screw to wedging or non-wedging surface contact.
- 14. A ratchet wrench apparatus comprising:
- a wrench body having a handle whereby a wrench user may apply rotational torque to a fastener;
- a ratchet wrench head, said ratchet wrench head comprising a cylindrically recessed head portion having an inner circumference, said inner circumference of said head portion having ratchet gear teeth circumscribed thereon;
- said ratchet wrench apparatus further rotatably receiving a dual-directionally rotatable ratchet pawl within said ratchet wrench head and in contact with said gear teeth, said rotatable ratchet pawl further comprising a socket drive tang support integrally attached thereto in a fixed axial relationship, said socket drive tang support having an integral U-joint such that said U-joint is integrally attached to said wrench head;
- a retaining assembly, said retaining assembly retaining said ratchet pawl within said recessed head portion; and
- a pawl actuator affixed to said ratchet pawl and accessible by a wrench user's fingers to selectively engage a pawl in and out of engagement with said ratchet gear teeth.
- 15. The wrench according to claim 14, wherein:
- said ratchet pawl having a recess with swivel pin holes in a wall thereof;
- said U-joint including a swivel ball;
- within said swivel ball is located a swivel slot; and
- said swivel slot swivelably receiving a swivel pin, said swivel pin supported in said swivel pin holes.
- 16. A pneumatically operated ratchet wrench apparatus comprising:
- a wrench body having a handle whereby a wrench user may apply rotational torque to a fastener;
- a ratchet wrench head comprising a cylindrically recessed head portion;
- a dual-directionally rotatable assembly received in said recess, said rotatable assembly further comprising a socket drive support tang having an integral U-joint, said socket drive support tang and said U-joint integrally attached to said rotatable assembly such that when assembled, said U-joint is non-detachable from said rotatable assembly;
- a pneumatically controlled drive operatively joined to said cylindrically recessed head portion, providing rotational drive torque to said dual-directionally rotatable assembly;
- an actuator for selectively activating said drive; and
- a retaining assembly, said retaining assembly rotatably retaining said rotatable assembly within said ratchet wrench head.
- 17. The wrench according to claim 16, further comprising wherein:
- said rotatable assembly comprises a dual-directionally rotatable ratchet pawl; and
- said ratchet pawl contacting gear teeth circumscribed on a wall of said cylindrically recessed head portion.
- 18. The wrench according to claim 16 wherein said u-joint is both axially non-slidable and non-detachable from said rotatable assembly.
- 19. A hand-held ratchet wrench comprising:
- a wrench body having a handle;
- said wrench body having a recessed head therein for receiving a rotatable member;
- a rotatable member affixed in said recessed head;
- a ratchet assembly affixed to one of said wrench body or rotatable member and ratchet teeth affixed to said other of said wrench body or said rotatable member;
- a U-joint support tang integrally attached to said rotatable member such that said U-joint support tang is axially non-slidable and axially non-detachable from said rotatable member.
Parent Case Info
This application is a file wrapper continuation, of application Ser. No. 08/359,933, filed Dec. 20, 1994 abandoned and a continuation of Ser. No. 08/062,819, filed May 14, 1993, abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
359933 |
Dec 1994 |
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