Cutting by use of rotating axially moving tool – Tool-support – With tool-retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-08
2001-01-23
Howell, Daniel W. (Department: 3722)
Cutting by use of rotating axially moving tool
Tool-support
With tool-retaining means
C279S014000, C279S075000, C279S082000, C408S240000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176654
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improved tool for use with a powered drill. The tool includes a two-ended reversible tool assembly with one end having a bit for drilling a pilot hole and countersink, and the other end having a screwdriver for driving a screw into the pilot hole.
Presently, carpenters and other builders often use a combination of tools to accomplish the task of drilling and countersinking pilot holes for screws and then driving a screw into the pilot hole. Generally, they either have used two powered drills with one holding a pilot-hole, drill-bit attachment and the other holding a screwdriving attachment, or they have used one drill in which the separate attachments were alternately clamped into the chuck of the single drill with a corresponding waste of time.
There have been several previous attempts to solve the problem of maintaining two attachments available for use in one tool clamped in a powered drill. U.S. Pat. No. 3,023,015 to Pankow illustrates an elongate tubular cylindrical dual socket having a drill chuck engaging tang at one end. The other end of the socket is designed to releasably hold reversible screwdriver and countersink attachments. This socket accommodates only specially manufactured bits, both for the screwdriver and the countersink attachments, each having a lateral stop flange to limit insertion depth into the socket. The bits are held in place with set screws. A ball detent device positioned on the socket is used to transmit rotational energy from the drill to a bit. Transmitting rotational energy in this fashion through the sloping walls of a bail in a detent puts considerable deforming strain on the socket. A guide sleeve is also provided to cover the ball detent device. A pair of exposed springs attached to the sleeve resiliently holds the sleeve on the socket.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,703 to Swanson also illustrates a reversible drill bit and drive tool holder. The reversible drill and driver tool holder pivotally holds the dual ended socket for holding the reversible tools. The bits are held in place in the socket with set screws. The tool holder is machined to receive the particular tool not being used in a Position within the holder so as to be out of the way. A user pivots the socket within the tool holder to position the apropriate tool against the work piece.
From the above, it can be seen that a need exists for a simple two-ended reversible tool assembly for use with a powered drill. The reversible tool socket should be capable of accepting a wide variety of screw driving bits and should also be capable of transmitting rotational energy from the drill to the bit without being subject to wear.
Further, there are widely-available commercial screw driver bits having hexagonal shanks. These bits are used by carpenters and builders with drill sockets having a corresponding hexagonal shape. These bits are commonly used today as replacement bits thereby eliminating the necessity of replacing the entire screwdriver. A need exists for a reperssible bit drill attachment capable of accepting these conventional hexaconal shanked bits.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved two-ended reversible drill/driver tool for power drills. The reversible drill/driver tool has a hollow cylindrical socket that at one end has a drive shank for insertion into a chuck of a powered drill, and at the opposite end has a polygonally shaped opening therein.
A separate, two-ended, reversible tool assembly, sized to slide within the hollow socket, has a combined drill bit and countersink at one end, and at the other end a polygonally shaped opening for accepting a screwdriver bit having a shank with a polygonal cross-section. The countersink is a conventional countersink and may have a relief section for chip removal. A magnet attached to the reversible tool assembly is placed adjacent the polygonally shaped opening at the opposite end from the countersink to magnetically hold the screwdriver bit in the reversible tool assembly. With this arrangement, the screwdriver bit can easily be pulled away from the magnet to be replaced with another bit.
To prevent rotation of the tool assembly within the socket, a portion of the tool located intermediate the ends of the reversible tool assembly has a polygonally shaped exterior surface. This polygonally shaped surface mates with a similarly shaped interior surface of the hollow socket. These surfaces permit rotary motion to be transmitted by the drill, through the drive shank, through the socket, to an exposed attachment. Further, this drive arrangement between the socket and the tool holder minimizes the deforming, rotational strain on the socket when the drill is operated.
To prevent the reversible tool from inadvertently slipping out of the socket, the reversible tool assembly is releasably locked to the hollow socket using a ball removeably positioned in a locking groove. A hollow cylindrical sleeve, slideably surrounding the outer surface of the socket, is used to removeably position the ball in the locking groove. When the sleeve is moved toward the drive shank the ball is positioned in the locking groove. When the sleeve is moved toward the exposed bit end of the socket the ball may be removed from the locking groove by pulling the reversible tool out of the socket. The sleeve freely rotates on the socket and can be held with one hand while operating the powered drill with the other.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4573839 (1986-03-01), Finnegan
patent: 4692073 (1987-09-01), Martindell
patent: 4900202 (1990-02-01), Wienhold
patent: 5398946 (1995-03-01), Quiring
patent: 5470180 (1995-11-01), Jore
patent: 5779404 (1998-07-01), Jore
Conover Richard C.
Howell Daniel W.
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