Patent ID: 7290465

Claim:
A ratcheting driver configured to rotationally drive a work piece, the driver comprising: a handle that includes a longitudinal axis and a hollow interior; a gear that includes gear teeth positioned thereon, wherein the gear is rotatably supported along the longitudinal axis in the hollow interior and wherein the gear is configured to rotationally drive a work piece; a first pawl and a second pawl, each pivotally supported by the handle adjacent to the gear and being orbital about the axis upon and with rotation of the handle, wherein at least one of the pawls includes pawl teeth engageable with the gear teeth at a respective location on the gear teeth and wherein the pawl teeth are configured to transmit rotation from the handle to the work piece; a spring configured to pivot the at least one pawl and to yieldingly urge the at least one pawl into rotational driving tooth engagement with the gear teeth; and a force transmitting member configured to selectively pivot the at least one pawl out of rotational driving tooth engagement with the gear teeth, wherein the handle includes two spaced apart surfaces and wherein each of the pawls include two spaced-apart surfaces in respective sliding contact with the handle surfaces and with the handle surfaces being disposed to face the location for supporting the pawls in the teeth engagement of the pawls with the gear teeth at the location and further configured to urge the pawls to orbit about the axis and to thereby urge rotation of the gear about the axis.