Direction control arrangement for a wrench or the like

[0002] The present invention relates to wrenches, and more particulary to a direction control arrangement for a reversible wrench, which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to install.

[0003] A variety of wrenches including open-end wrenches, box-end wrenches, socket wrenches, hex-wrenches, ratchet wrenches, and etc. have been disclosed, and have appeared on the market. Nowadays, most wrenches are made reversible for convenient use. FIGS. from 1 through 3 show three different conventional reversible ratchet wrenches. These reversible ratchet wrenches are commonly have a direction control mechanism for controlling the working direction of the wrench. However, the direction control mechanism according to these reversible ratchet wrenches is expensive to manufacture and complicated to install. FIG. 4 shows a reversible thin-panel wrench. The direction control mechanism of this structure of reversible thin-panel does not eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks. FIG. 5 shows another structure of reversible thin-panel wrench. This wrench produces much noise during its operation.

[0004] The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a direction control arrangement for a reversible wrench, which is inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to install. According to one embodiment of the presnet invention, the direction control arrangement comprises a body defining a box and a transverse through hole across the box, two stop elements respectively mounted in the transverse through hole at two opposite sides of the box, two steel balls respectively mounted in two distal ends of te transverse through hole, two spring members respectively mounted in the transverse through hole and connected between the stop elements and the steel balls to push the stop elements and the steel balls outward in reversed directions, and a resilient retainer ring mounted on the body to stop the steel balls from escaping out of the body, the resilient retainer ring having two protruded receiving portions adapted to received the steel balls alternatively for controlling the working direction of the wrench. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the stop elements are respectively supported on the spring members and disposed at different elevationsl in the box inside the body.

[0005] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a ratchet wrench according to the prior art.

[0006] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of another structure of ratchet wrench according to the prior art.

[0007] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of still another structure of ratchet wrench according to the prior art.

[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates a thin-panel wrench according to the prior art.

[0009] FIG. 5 illustrates another structure of thin-panel wrench according to the prior art.

[0010] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an alternate form of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 8 illustrates an application example of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 9 illustrates another application example of the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 10 illustrates still another application example of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 11 is a sectional view of another alternate form of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 12 shows an application example of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11.

[0017] FIG. 13 is a sectional view of still another alternate form of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing the engagement notch of the stop member engaged with the polygonal periphery of the inserted bit.

[0019] FIG. 15 is similar to FIG. 14 but showing a different detour of the wrench.

[0020] FIG. 16 shows still another application example of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 17 shows still another application example of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing the direction control arrangement used in a wrench of oval cross section, the stop member engaged with the inserted bit.

[0023] FIG. 19 is similar to FIG. 18 but showing the different detour of the wrench.

[0024] FIG. 20 is an exploded view showing the present invention used in a thin-panel wrench.

[0025] FIG. 21 is a sectional assembly view of FIG. 20.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 6, the direction control arrangement for a reversible wrench according to the present invention comprises a body 1 defining a box 11 and a transverse through hole 12 across the box 11, two stop elements 13 respectively mounted in the transverse through hole 12 at two opposite sides of the box 11, two steel balls 15 respectively mounted in two distal ends of the transverse through hole 12, two spring members 14 respectively mounted in the transverse through hole 12 and connected between the stop elements 13 and the steel balls 15 to push the stop and a resilient retainer ring 16 mounted around the periphery of the body 1 to stop the steel balls 15 from escaping out of the body 1. The resilient retainer ring 16 comprises two protruded receiving portions 161 adapted to receive the steel balls 15 alternatively for controlling the working direction of the reversible wrench.

[0027] FIG. 7 shows an alternative form of the present invention. According to this alternative form, the stop elements 13 are supported on the respective spring members 14 and arranged at different elevations in the box 11 of the body 1, and a sleeve is mounted on the body 1 to hold the stop elements 13 and spring members 14 in the body 1 (see also FIG. 6 for corresponding reference numbers).

[0028] The aforesaid arrangement can be used in screwdrivers (see FIG. 8), ratchet wrenches 6 (see FIG. 9), wrenches 4 (see FIG. 10), socket 3 (see FIGS. 11 and 12), thin-panel wrenches 5 (see FIGS. 20 and 21).

[0029] Referring to FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, a magnetic element 19 is installed in the box of the socket 3 (see FIGS. 11 and 13) or screwdriver 2 (see FIG. 12), and adapted to attract the bit 18.

[0030] Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, the stop member 13 had an engagement notch 131 fitting the polygonal periphery of the bit (or workpiece) ∘. Further, the wrench to which the invention is applied can have any of a variety of shapes as shown in FIGS. from 14 through 19.