Patent ID: 8397831

Claim:
A rotary power tool having a manual ratchet mechanism comprising: a driveshaft driven by a motor; an output shaft; a disengageable shaft coupling element mechanically coupling the driveshaft to the output shaft, wherein the shaft coupling element is generally ring-shaped and at least partially surrounds the driveshaft and the output shaft in a power drill-driving mode; and a disengageable ratchet element blocking rotation of the output shaft unidirectionally in an unpowered manual ratcheting mode and disengaged from the output shaft in the power drill-driving mode, wherein when one of the shaft coupling element and the ratchet element is engaged, the other one is disengaged, wherein the rotary tool further includes an adjustment element for adjusting an operational mode of the rotary tool from the power drill-driving mode to the unpowered manual ratcheting mode, wherein the ratchet element comprises a ratchet shaft configured with fins on an outer periphery of the shaft which interact with at least one locking plate, wherein in the unpowered manual ratcheting mode the at least one locking plate is configured to pivot about a pin into contact with the fins under the force of a spring which directly engages the at least one locking plate, and wherein at least one protrusion projects from an inner surface of the adjustment element and, in the unpowered manual ratcheting mode, presses against the spring to pivot the at least one locking plate into contact with the fins.