Patent ID: 7017453

Claim:
A wrench comprising: a handle; a head extending from the handle and including a hole; a web defined between the handle and the head, the web including a side and a compartment communicated with the hole of the head, an opening being defined in the side of the web and communicated with the compartment; a drive member rotatably mounted in the hole of the head and including a plurality of teeth in an outer periphery thereof; a pawl slidably received in the compartment and including a first side having a plurality of teeth and a second side opposite to the first side, the pawl further including a recessed portion; and a switching member having a first end for manual operation and a second end extending through the opening of the web into the recessed portion of the pawl, with the first end being of a size larger than the second end and unable to extend through the opening of the web; wherein the switching member is manually slidable in a sliding direction between a first position and a second position corresponding to two opposite ratcheting directions of the wrench; and wherein the recessed portion of the pawl and the second end of the switching member each has a lateral width parallel to the sliding direction of the switch member between the first and second positions, with the lateral width of the recessed portion being wider than the lateral width of the second end of the switching member, with the second end of the switching member being slideable in the sliding direction relative to the recessed portion, with the pawl slideable in the sliding direction relative to the switch member between an engaged position and a disengaged position, with the pawl in the engaged position being pressed toward the drive member to engage teeth of the plurality of teeth of the pawl with teeth of the plurality of teeth of the drive member for ratcheting operation of the drive member when the drive member is rotated in a corresponding one of the two opposite ratcheting directions, with the pawl in the disengaged position facilitating free rotation operation of the drive member such that the switching member is not moved when the pawl moves as a result of free rotation of the drive member, with the opening being defined by spaced, parallel, lateral walls extending parallel to the sliding direction, with the second end of the switching member including spaced, parallel, lateral sides extending parallel to the sliding direction.