Patent ID: 7647852

Claim:
In a ratchet screwdriver having a handle ( 10 ), a gear ( 18 ) connected with said handle, two pawls ( 26 , 27 ) supported on said handle and being selectively engageable with said gear for rotating said gear about an axis (A) for driving a workpiece, a selector ( 51 ) releasably connected to said handle and operative on said pawls for moving said pawls relative to engagement with said gear, the improvement comprising: said gear being movable along said axis for rotational assembly and being rotatable on said handle, a biaxial connector member ( 67 ) connected between said gear and said selector for locking said gear and said selector axially together in both axial directions and in a sub-assembly to be movable together in both axial directions along said axis for movement of said sub-assembly as a unit and relative to said handle for assembly with and removal from said handle for cleaning, a selector rotation abutment wall on said selector and a cam follower on one of said pawls and with said wall and said cam follower being contactable with each other upon rotation of said selector and thereby for rotation restriction of said sub-assembly and with said cam follower being releasable for rotation of said selector on said handle, tangs respectively on said handle and said selector and being axially engageable with each other for restricting axial movement of said selector relative to said handle, said selector with said gear being separable from said handle upon rotational relationship of said selector to said handle in a selected rotational position of said selector relative to said handle to where said tangs are clear of each other for axial release of said sub-assembly from said handle, and indicia “CLEAN” on said screwdriver revealing said selector rotated position on said handle and which is a second position rotatively beyond said first position and with said selector thereby being free of axial restriction with said handle which is for the separation of said sub-assembly from said handle.