Patent ID: 7089828

Claim:
A ratchet screwdriver apparatus comprising: a main body having a grip with a hole formed at an end thereof; a member connected in said hole of said grip, said member having a tubular portion formed thereon so as to extend outwardly of said grip, said tubular portion having a tapering slot extending through a wall thereof, said member having a through hole extending longitudinally therethrough; a retractable element having an end extending through said through hole of said member; and a positioning mechanism cooperatively connecting said member and said retractable element so as to cause said retractable element to be in a fixed position with respect to said member and in freely movable relation with respect to said member, said positioning mechanism comprising: a first half-mould structure having a semi-circular concave formed therein; a second half-mould structure having a semi-circular concave formed therein and facing said concave of said first half-mould structure, said first and second half-mould structures extending around said tubular portion such that said tubular portion is received by the concaves thereof, one of the concaves having an action-transmitting slot formed on a surface thereof facing said tubular portion, said slot having a deep portion and a shallow portion; a ball extending through said tapering slot of said tubular portion so as to have a portion extending into said action-transmitting slot, said ball being movable between a first position in which said ball contacts said shallow portion of said action-transmitting slot and extends through said tapering slot so as to urge against a surface of said member and a second position in which said ball contacts said deep portion of said action-transmitting slot so as to be free of a surface of said member; a single elastic ring extending around a periphery of said first and second half-mould structures such that said first and second half-mould structures are resiliently mounted in relation to said tubular portion; and a control ring extending entirely over and around said single elastic ring, said control ring being rotatably mounted thereover so as to rotate said first and second half-mould structures such that said ball is movable between said first and second positions.