Patent ID: 8210073
Filing Date: 2012-07-03
Classification: B25B

Abstract:
1. A ratchet wrench comprising, in combination: a head and a handle interconnected to the head, with the head including first and second sides, with the head further including a compartment extending from the second side towards but spaced from the first side, with the first side including a hole in communication with the compartment, with a pawl groove defined in an inner periphery of the compartment, with the first side of the head further including a slot spaced from the hole in a length direction and in communication with the pawl groove; a drive member rotatably received in the compartment about a rotating axis perpendicular to the length direction, with the drive member including a coupling section, with an engaging portion extending from an end of the coupling section, with the engaging portion having a portion extending beyond the head via the hole, with a drive column extending from another end of the coupling section beyond the second side of the head; first and second pawls slideably received in the pawl groove, with each of the first and second pawls including a toothed face releasably engaged with the coupling section of the drive member, with an elastic element being mounted between the first and second pawls to bias the first and second pawls away from each other to engage the toothed faces of the first and second pawls with the coupling section of the drive member, with the first pawl further including a first coupling portion, with the second pawl further including a second coupling portion; a control plate including first and second ends, with the control plate further including inner and outer faces extending between the first and second ends of the control plate, with the first end of the control plate pivotably mounted to the portion of the engaging portion beyond the head between first and second operative positions about the rotating axis, with the second end of the control plate including first and second legs extending from the inner face of the reversing plate through the slot of the head into the pawl groove; and a positioning device mounted between the head and the control plate for positioning the control plate in one of the first and second operative positions, wherein when the control plate is in the first operative position, the toothed face of the second pawl is engaged with the coupling section of the drive member, the first leg is engaged with the first coupling portion of the first pawl to disengage the toothed face of the first pawl from the coupling section of the drive member, allowing the handle and the drive member to rotate in a first direction driving an object in the first direction, and allowing the handle to rotate freely relative to the drive member in a second direction reverse to the first direction without driving the object, and wherein when the reversing plate is in the second operative position, the toothed face of the first pawl is engaged with the coupling section of the drive member, the second leg is engaged with the second coupling portion of the second pawl to disengage the toothed face of the second pawl from the coupling section of the drive member, allowing the handle and the drive member to rotate in the second direction driving the object in the second direction, and allowing the handle to rotate freely relative to the drive member in the first direction without driving the object.