US Patent 7263919 Ratcheting tool with vertically curved tooth arrangement

A ratcheting tool includes a body, a compartment defined by the body, a gear rotatably disposed in the compartment, and a pawl. The pawl, disposed within the tool, selectively prevents the tool from rotating in one direction while allowing rotation in the opposite direction. The gear defines a plurality of vertically curved teeth. The pawl defines a plurality of vertically curved teeth. The pawl teeth are curved in a manner that mates with the gear teeth. A radius of curvature of the edges of the gear teeth is greater than the radius of curvature of the edges of the pawl teeth.