Tooth-like structure

Abstract

To provide a ratchet wrench tooth structure that prevents damage caused by excessive force. The tooth structure 100 includes a body 110, two teeth 120 and two recessed spaces 130. The body includes an inner surface 111 and an outer surface 112, the inner surface being disposed opposite the outer surface. The two teeth are disposed at two ends of the inner surface. Two recessed spaces are disposed in the body, each corresponding to one of the two teeth.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [Related Applications] This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial No. 112144763, filed November 20, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a tooth structure, and more particularly, to a tooth structure of a ratchet wrench. [Background technology]

[0003] If excessive force is applied to the ratchet wrench during use, the tooth structure may exceed the pressure range that it can withstand and the tooth structure may be damaged, thus preventing the tooth structure from engaging with the ratchet, which will have a significant impact on the lifespan of the ratchet.

[0004] Considering this, designing a tooth structure that can avoid damage caused by excessive force has become a key issue facing related industries in ratchet wrench design. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The tooth structure according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a body, two teeth and two recessed spaces. The body includes an inner surface and an outer surface, and the inner surface is disposed opposite to the outer surface. The two teeth are disposed at two ends of the inner surface. Two recessed spaces are disposed on the body, respectively corresponding to the two teeth.

[0006] A tooth structure according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a body, two teeth, and four grooves. The body includes an inner surface, an outer surface, and two side surfaces, the inner surface being disposed opposite the outer surface, and the two side surfaces being disposed opposite and bonded between the inner surface and the outer surface. The two teeth are spaced apart on the inner surface of the body. The four grooves are spaced apart on the body, each of the four grooves corresponding to one of the two teeth, two of the four grooves being recessed on the two side surfaces, and the other two of the four grooves being recessed on the other one of the two side surfaces.

[0007] A tooth structure according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a body, two teeth and four grooves. The body includes an inner surface, an outer surface and two side surfaces, the inner surface being disposed opposite the outer surface and the two side surfaces being disposed opposite and bonded between the inner surface and the outer surface. The two teeth are spaced apart on the inner surface of the body. The four grooves are spaced apart on the body, each of the four grooves corresponding to one of the two teeth, two of the four grooves being recessed in one of the two side surfaces and the other two of the four grooves being recessed in the other one of the two side surfaces. A reference line is defined from one of the two teeth toward the outer surface, each of the four grooves having a groove thickness along the reference line, a tooth wall thickness is defined between one of the two teeth and one of the four grooves along the reference line, and the groove thickness is thicker than the tooth wall thickness. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] The invention can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiments, and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tooth structure of the first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the tooth structure of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a front view of the tooth structure of the second embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a front view of the tooth structure of the third embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] FIG. 10 is a front view of the tooth structure of the fourth embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the tooth structure of the fifth embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the tooth structure taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a front view of the tooth structure of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the tooth structure of the sixth embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the tooth structure taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. For clarity, some practical details are described below. However, the present invention should not be limited by these practical details. That is, in some embodiments, the practical details are not necessary. Furthermore, for the sake of simplicity of the drawings, some conventional structures and elements are simply described, and the overlapping elements are represented by the same reference numerals.

[0010] Furthermore, terms such as first, second, third, etc. are used herein to describe various elements or components, and these elements or components should not be limited by these terms, and thus a first element or component discussed below may also be referred to as a second element or component.

[0011] FIG 1 is a three-dimensional view of a tooth structure 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG 2 is a front view of the tooth structure 100 of FIG 1. The tooth structure 100 shown in FIG 1 and FIG 2 includes a body 110, two teeth 120 and two recessed spaces 130, and the two teeth 120 and the two recessed spaces 130 are disposed on the body 110. In the first embodiment, the tooth structure 100 can be applied to a ratchet wrench for engaging with a ratchet, and the tooth structure 100 is made as a single piece, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0012] The body 110 has an inner surface 111, an outer surface 112 and two side surfaces 113. The inner surface 111 is disposed opposite the outer surface 112, and the two side surfaces 113 are disposed opposite each other, and the two side surfaces 113 are joined between the inner surface 111 and the outer surface 112. The thickness of each of the two ends of the body 110 is greater than the thickness of the center of the body 110, and the two teeth 120 are spaced apart from each other on the two ends of the inner surface 111. In the first embodiment, the inner surface 111 is a concave arcuate surface, the outer surface 112 is a flat surface, and each of the side surfaces 113 is a flat surface.

[0013] The two recessed spaces 130 are open to one of the two side surfaces 113, the two recessed spaces 130 are located at two ends of the body 110, and correspond to the two teeth 120 respectively. The two recessed spaces 130 extend from one of the two side surfaces 113 to the other of the two side surfaces 113, and each recessed space 130 is a groove or a through hole. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In the first embodiment, the shape of each recessed space 130 is close to a teardrop shape, tapering from the outer surface 112 to the inner surface 111.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 2, a reference line L is defined from each of the two teeth 120 toward the outer surface 112. Each recessed space 130 has a recessed space thickness d1 along the reference line L. A tooth wall thickness d2 is defined along the reference line L between each tooth 120 and each recessed space 130. A wall thickness d3 is defined along the reference line L between each recessed space 130 and the outer surface 112. The recessed space thickness d1 is thicker than the tooth wall thickness d2, and the recessed space thickness d1 is thicker than the wall thickness d3.

[0015] Therefore, the space of the tooth structure against compression and deformation during use of the ratchet wrench can be maintained, and damage to the body 110 or the teeth 120 can be avoided, which is also advantageous for improving the durability and lifespan of the ratchet wrench.

[0016] It should be noted that if the recessed space thickness d1 of each recessed space 130 is too small or the tooth wall thickness d2 is too large (i.e., the position of each recessed space 130 is too far from the inner surface 111), the compression effect of the body 110 will not be effectively achieved, damage to the tooth structure 100 will be inevitable, and the durability and life of the tooth structure 100 will not be improved.

[0017] 3 is a front view of the tooth structure 200 of the second embodiment of the present invention. The tooth structure 200 shown in FIG. 3 includes a body 210, two teeth 220 and two recessed spaces 230. The difference between the tooth structure 200 of the second embodiment and the tooth structure 100 of the first embodiment is the shape of the recessed spaces 230. In detail, each recessed space 230 is circular, and each recessed space 230 can be a groove or a through hole.

[0018] The body 210 has an inner surface 211, an outer surface 212 and two side surfaces 213. The connection between the inner surface 211, the outer surface 212 and the two side surfaces 213 is similar to the connection between the inner surface 111, the outer surface 112 and the two side surfaces 113 of the first embodiment, and the two teeth 220 are the same as the teeth 120 of the first embodiment, and will not be described again here.

[0019] 4 is a front view of a tooth structure 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The tooth structure 300 shown in FIG. 4 includes a body 310, two teeth 320 and two recessed spaces 330. The difference between the tooth structure 300 of the third embodiment and the tooth structure 100 of the first embodiment is the shape of the body 310.

[0020] In detail, the body 310 has an inner surface 311, an outer surface 312 and two side surfaces 313. In the third embodiment, the outer surface 312 is a convex arc-shaped surface. The connection between the inner surface 311, the outer surface 312 and the two side surfaces 313 is the same as the connection between the inner surface 111, the outer surface 112 and the two side surfaces 113 in the first embodiment, and the two teeth 320 are the same as the two teeth 120 in the first embodiment, so they will not be described again here. The shape of each recessed space 330 is the same as the shape of each recessed space 130 in the first embodiment, and each recessed space 330 can be a groove or a through hole, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0021] 5 is a front view of a tooth structure 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The tooth structure 410, two teeth 420 and two recessed spaces 430 are arranged on a body 410. In the fourth embodiment, the tooth structure 400 can be applied to a ratchet wrench to engage with the ratchet, and the tooth structure 400 is made as a single piece, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0022] The body 410 includes an inner surface 411, an outer surface 412 and two side surfaces 413, with the two side surfaces 413 joining the inner surface 411 and the outer surface 412. Two teeth 420 are spaced apart at two ends of the inner surface 411. Two recessed spaces 430 open into the outer surface 412, with each recessed space 430 extending from the outer surface 412 to the inner surface 411, forming a groove in the body 410.

[0023] 5, a reference line L is defined from each of the two teeth 420 toward the outer surface 412, and the center of each recessed space 430 is not collinear with the reference line L. A recessed space thickness d4 is between each recessed space 430 and the outer surface 412 along the reference line L. A tooth wall thickness d5 is between each tooth 420 and each recessed space 430 along the reference line L. The recessed space thickness d4 is thicker than the tooth wall thickness d5.

[0024] FIG 6 is a three-dimensional view of the toothed structure 500 of the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG 7 is a cross-sectional view of the toothed structure along line 7-7 of FIG 6. FIG 8 is a front view of the toothed structure 500 of FIG 6. The toothed structure 500 shown in FIG 6 to FIG 8 includes a body 510, two teeth 520 and four grooves 530. In the fifth embodiment, the toothed structure 500 can be applied to a ratchet wrench for engaging with the ratchet, and the toothed structure 500 is integrally formed, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0025] The body 510 includes an inner surface 511, an outer surface 512 and two side surfaces 513. The inner surface 511 is disposed opposite to the outer surface 512, and the two side surfaces 513 are disposed opposite to each other, and the two side surfaces 513 are joined between the inner surface 511 and the outer surface 512. In detail, as shown in FIG. 6, the inner surface 511 is a concave arc surface, and the distance from the inner surface 511 to the outer surface 512 gradually increases from the center of the body 510 to the two ends of the body 510, so that the two ends of the body 510 are thicker than the center of the body 510. Therefore, when the toothed structure 500 is fitted to a ratchet wrench, the inner surface 511 of the body 510 corresponds to the shape of the ratchet, and the thicker shape of each end of the body 510 can provide the toothed structure 500 with excellent structural strength and improve the durability of the toothed structure 500.

[0026] The two toothed portions 520 are spaced apart from each other at two ends of the inner surface 511 of the body 510. In particular, each toothed portion 520 includes a number of protruding teeth (reference numbers of which are omitted), each of which is arranged adjacent to the inner surface 511. The shape of the protruding teeth corresponds to the shape of a ratchet, thereby providing the two toothed portions 520 of the toothed structure 500 with which the ratchet can be engaged.

[0027] The four grooves 530 are spaced apart at two ends of the body 510, each of the four grooves 530 corresponds to one of the two teeth 520, two of the four grooves 530 are recessed on one of the two side surfaces 513, and the other two of the four grooves 530 are recessed on the other one of the two side surfaces 513. Thus, the shape of the toothed structure 500 with the four grooves 530 can provide a space for the body 510 to deform after pressure is applied, which can avoid damage to the two teeth 520 of the toothed structure 500 due to excessive force applied to the ratchet wrench, which is advantageous in improving the durability of the toothed structure 500. Furthermore, after being subjected to pressure, the compression effect of the body 510 may be improved by the shape of two of the four grooves 530 recessed on one of the two side surfaces 513 and the other two of the four grooves 530 recessed on the other one of the two side surfaces 513, which is advantageous to improve the durability of the toothed structure 500. In addition, lubricant can be stored in the four grooves 530 to prevent the toothed structure 500 from getting stuck in the ratchet, which is advantageous to improve the life of the toothed structure 500.

[0028] 7, two of the four grooves 530 located on different sides 513 may be arranged opposite to each other, and the other two of the four grooves 530 located on different sides 513 may also be arranged opposite to each other. Therefore, the two of the four grooves 530 facing each other may simultaneously respond to the shape change of the body 510 after pressure is applied, which is advantageous in further improving the durability of the tooth structure 500.

[0029] Moreover, in the tooth structure 500, each of the four grooves 530 has a bottom surface 531, and the bottom surface 531 is a plane. Therefore, the distance between two of the four grooves 530 facing each other is equal from the center of the body 510 toward the two ends of the body 510, which provides an excellent compression effect to the body 510 after pressure is applied.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 8 , a reference line L is defined from one of the two teeth 520 toward the outer surface 512. Each of the four grooves 530 has a groove thickness d6 along the reference line L. A tooth wall thickness d7 is defined between one of the two teeth 520 and one of the four grooves 530 along the reference line L. A wall thickness d8 is defined between each of the four grooves 530 and the outer surface 512 along the reference line L. The groove thickness d6 is thicker than the tooth wall thickness d7, and the groove thickness d6 is thicker than the wall thickness d8. Therefore, after pressure is applied, a good compression effect of the body 510 is provided by satisfying a specific size ratio of the groove thickness d6, the tooth wall thickness d7 and the wall thickness d8, which is advantageous in improving the durability of the tooth structure 500.

[0031] 7 and 8, each of the four grooves 530 has a groove depth d9, the groove depth d9 is perpendicular to the reference line L, and the groove depth d9 occupies 25% to 35% of the body thickness d10 of the body 510. Therefore, by satisfying a certain range of the groove depth d9, the inner space of the groove 530 is increased under the premise of maintaining the required structural strength of the body 510. And this is advantageous in improving the effect of the four grooves 530 in responding to the compression and deformation of the body 510, thereby improving the durability of the toothed structure 500.

[0032] FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional view of the tooth structure 600 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the tooth structure 600 along line 10-10. The tooth structure 600 shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 includes a body 610, two teeth 620, and four grooves 630. The difference between the tooth structure 600 according to the sixth embodiment and the tooth structure 500 according to the fifth embodiment is the shape of the bottom surface 631 of the four grooves 630. In detail, each of the bottom surfaces 631 of the four grooves 630 is a concave arc-shaped surface. Therefore, under the premise of maintaining the necessary structural strength of the body 610, the manufacturing cost of the tooth structure 600 can be reduced. In addition, the four grooves 630 can store more lubricating oil due to the shape of the bottom surfaces 631 of the four grooves 630 forming a concave arc-shaped surface, which is advantageous in improving the usability of the tooth structure 600.

[0033] The body 610 comprises an inner surface 611, an outer surface 612 and two side surfaces 613. The coupling between the inner surface 611, the outer surface 612 and the two side surfaces 613 is the same as the coupling between the inner surface 511, the outer surface 512 and the two side surfaces 513 in the fifth embodiment, and the two teeth 620 and the four grooves 630 are the same as the two teeth 520 and the four grooves 530 in the fifth embodiment, and will not be described again here.

[0034] In view of the above, the tooth structure of the present invention has the following advantages. First, the space of the tooth structure against compression and deformation during the use of the ratchet wrench can be maintained by the shape of the recessed space, thereby avoiding damage to the body caused by excessive force. This is advantageous to improve the durability and life of the ratchet wrench. Second, after pressure is applied, the compression effect of the body can be improved by the shape of two of the four grooves recessed on one of the two sides and the other two of the four grooves recessed on the other one of the two sides, which is advantageous to prevent damage to the teeth of the tooth structure caused by excessive force of the ratchet wrench. In addition, lubricating oil can be stored in the groove of the tooth structure, which can prevent the problem that the ratchet cannot be used normally due to rust and clogging between the ratchet and the tooth structure. Third, after pressure is applied, by meeting the specific size ratio of the groove thickness, groove wall thickness and wall thickness, an excellent compression effect can be provided to the body, which is advantageous to improve the durability of the tooth structure. Fourth, by satisfying a certain range of groove depth, the life of the tooth structure can be improved. Therefore, the tooth structure of the present invention has potential commercial applications in appropriate industries.

[0035] Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with respect to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible, and therefore, the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.

[0036] It is apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. In view of the above, it should be noted that any modifications and variations to the present invention are included within the scope of the utility model claims.

Claims

1. A tooth structure, a body having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface being disposed opposite the outer surface; Two teeth disposed at two ends of the inner surface; A tooth structure comprising: two recessed spaces disposed in the body, the two recessed spaces corresponding to two tooth portions, respectively.

2. 2. The tooth structure according to claim 1, wherein the two recessed spaces have a recessed space thickness along a reference line defined from the two teeth toward the outer surface, respectively, and between the two teeth and the two recessed spaces there is a tooth wall thickness along the reference line, and the recessed space thickness is thicker than the tooth wall thickness.

3. Between each of the two recessed spaces and the outer surface, along the reference line, there is a wall thickness; The tooth structure of claim 2 , wherein the recessed space thickness is greater than the wall thickness.

4. The body includes: two side surfaces connected between the inner surface and the outer surface; The tooth structure according to claim 1 , wherein the two recessed spaces are provided on one of the two side surfaces and recessed from one of the two side surfaces to the other side surface.

5. The tooth structure according to claim 1 , wherein each of the two recessed spaces is a groove or a through hole.

6. The tooth structure according to claim 1 , wherein each of the two recessed spaces is circular or teardrop shaped.

7. The tooth structure of claim 1 , wherein the inner surface is a concave arcuate surface.

8. The tooth structure of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface is a flat surface or a convex arcuate surface.

9. 2. The tooth structure of claim 1, wherein two recessed spaces are provided in the outer surface and recessed from the outer surface to the inner surface.

10. A tooth structure in which a reference line is defined from each of the two teeth toward the outer surface, and the center of each of the two recessed spaces is not collinear with the reference line, a recessed space thickness is defined between each of the two recessed spaces along the reference line and the outer surface, and a tooth wall thickness is defined between each of the two teeth along the reference line and each of the two recessed spaces; The tooth structure of claim 9 , wherein the recessed space thickness is greater than the tooth wall thickness.

11. A tooth structure, a body having an inner surface, an outer surface and two side surfaces, the inner surface being disposed opposite the outer surface and the two side surfaces being disposed opposite and bonded between the inner surface and the outer surface; two spaced apart teeth on an inner surface of the body; a tooth structure comprising four spaced grooves on the body, each of the four grooves corresponding to one of the two teeth, two of the four grooves being recessed on one of the two sides and two of the four grooves being recessed on the other one of the two sides.

12. The tooth structure of claim 11 , wherein the inner surface is a concave arcuate surface.

13. The tooth structure of claim 11 , wherein each of the four grooves has a bottom surface, the bottom surface being a flat surface or a concave arcuate surface.

14. 12. The tooth structure of claim 11, wherein a reference line is defined from one of the two teeth toward the outer surface, each of the four grooves having a groove thickness along the reference line, and a wall thickness is defined along the reference line between one of the four grooves and the outer surface, the groove thickness being greater than the wall thickness.

15. 15. The tooth structure of claim 14, wherein each of the four grooves has a groove depth, the groove depth being perpendicular to the datum line, and the groove depth occupies between 25% and 35% of the body thickness.

16. A tooth structure, a body having an inner surface, an outer surface, and two side surfaces, the inner surface being disposed opposite the outer surface, the two side surfaces being disposed opposite each other, and the body being joined between the inner surface and the outer surface; two spaced apart teeth on an inner surface of the body; four spaced grooves on the body, each of the four grooves corresponding to one of the two teeth, two of the four grooves being recessed on one of the two sides and the other two of the four grooves being recessed on the other one of the two sides; A tooth structure comprising: a reference line defined from one of two teeth toward an outer surface; each of four grooves having a groove thickness along the reference line; a tooth wall thickness defined along the reference line between one of the two teeth and each of the four grooves; and four grooves having a groove thickness greater than the tooth wall thickness.

17. 17. The tooth structure of claim 16, wherein the inner surface is a concave arcuate surface.

18. 17. The tooth structure of claim 16, wherein a wall thickness is defined along the reference line between each of the four grooves and the outer surface, the groove thickness being greater than the wall thickness.

19. 17. The tooth structure of claim 16, wherein each of the four grooves has a bottom surface, the bottom surface being a flat surface or a concave arcuate surface.

20. 17. The tooth structure of claim 16, wherein each of the four grooves has a groove depth, said groove depth being perpendicular to a datum line, said groove depth occupying 25% to 35% of the body thickness.

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