Patent ID: RE42816

Claim:
A ratcheting wrench comprising: a handle having an end, the end of the handle having a compartment; a head extending from the end of the handle and having a hole communicated with the compartment of the handle; a drive member rotatably mounted in the hole of the head, the drive member having an end located outside the head, the drive member including a hole for engaging with a fastener-driving member, allowing joint rotation of the drive member and the fastener-driving member when the drive member is turned, the drive member further including a plurality of teeth on an outer periphery thereof, two annularly spaced slots being defined in the end of the drive member for communicating the hole of the drive member with an exterior, the drive member further including a stop on an inner periphery delimiting the hole of the drive member and opposite to the end of the drive member outside the head, the stop preventing the fastener-driving member from disengaging from the hole of the drive member; a retainer mounted around the end of the drive member, the retainer having two resilient portions extending into the hole of the drive member via the slots for rotatably holding the drive member in the hole of the head and for securely, releasably holding the fastener-driving member in the hole of the drive member; and a ratcheting mechanism mounted in the compartment of the handle and engaged with the teeth of the drive member, the ratcheting mechanism allowing the handle to selectively move in a ratcheting direction for tightening/loosening a fastener engaged with the fastener-driving member and in a free turning direction reverse to the ratcheting direction in which the fastener engaged with the fastener-driving member is not turned.