Cutting by use of rotating axially moving tool – Miscellaneous – Drill guide
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-10
2001-12-04
Howell, Daniel W. (Department: 3722)
Cutting by use of rotating axially moving tool
Miscellaneous
Drill guide
C206S350000, C224S268000, C224S683000, C224S904000, C335S284000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325577
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a tool bit holder. Specifically, this invention relates to a tool bit holder in combination with complimentary features to provide improved tool bit and drive tool functions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is frequently desirable to magnetize the tips of screwdriver bits and like tool bits to form at least a temporary magnetic pole on magnetizable elements. This is particularly so with precision screwdrivers which tend to be relatively small and are used to drive relatively small head screws and like fasteners. It is advantageous to at least temporarily magnetize the tips of the driver bits or tool bits to maintain the screwdriver blade or tip within the slot of a screw head or within the cross slots formed within the head of the screw adapted to receive the Phillips screwdriver tip. By magnetizing the tip of the driver bit, and mating screw head, the screw remains attached to the bit tip without the need for the hand tool user to physically hold them together. This allows the screw to be guided through a relatively small bore or channel and moved within a confined space. Sometimes the magnetized tip of the drive bit is used to retrieve a metal item, such as a screw, washer, nail or the like, from an inaccessible place which would otherwise be difficult to reach with anything but a relatively thin shank of a drive bit. Of course, such attachment of a fastener element to the drive bit tip also frees the user's hand for holding or positioning the work into which the fastener is to be driven. In some instances, rather than magnetizing the tip of the drive member bit, the fastener itself is magnetized so that, again, it is attracted to and remains magnetically attached to the driver bit tip in the same way as if the latter had been magnetized.
Conversely, there are instances in which a magnetized driver bit tip is disadvantageous, because it undesirably attracts and attaches to itself various magnetizable elements or components. Under such circumstances, it may be desirable to demagnetize a drive bit tip that had been originally magnetized in order to render same magnetically neutral.
In addition, a tool user requires ready access to a hand tool, such as a drive tool or drill, and to a chuck, as well as to the tool bits and screws. This ready access need is particularly acute where the user is working in a limited access area, and particularly so where the hand tool, tool bits, screws and chuck were separately diversely stored and not immediately accessible. Heretofore tool bits and screws were generally boxed, and it was often inconvenient if not impractical to keep or mount the box immediately adjacent to the work space and the drill. That is, the user would have to leave the work space to find the drill, tool bits and the screws, and then return to the work space. The worker would often have to repeatedly leave the work space when particularly tool bits had to be replaced. Another prior art approach was to keep the tool bits and screws in the pockets of the user, but this had the disadvantage in that the user was not always mindful of which tool bits and screws were in which pocket. The user in retrieving a tool bit from a pocket would not be aware that the wrong tool bit was inadvertently removed until viewing the tool bit after removal.
The art desired a tool bit holder which permitted ready access to the hand tool, the chuck, the tool bits and screws, without the user repeatedly leaving the immediate work space, and further provided positive identification of the tool bits to be selected, all with minimum use of the user's hands. The art also desired work space magnetization and demagnetization of tool bits and fastener elements, with work space stowing of screws and like fastener elements, for reasons previously discussed. The present invention provides a solution to these diverse needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The tool bit holder includes tool bits which are mounted within the holder cover to permit the user using one hand to remove the cover and gain direct access to the array of tool bits. On viewing the array, the user removes the desired tool bit and replaces the holder cover in a positive locking manner again using one hand. The tool bit holder body is formed with a spring clip for releasably attaching the tool bit holder to the belt of the user.
In one aspect of the present invention, the tool bit holder is formed with an integral depending flange for mounting a tool tote or hook which is mounted to and depends from the holder flange so that the hand tool is hooked or cradled on the tote for ready access. A hand tool or drill is cradled on the hook which depends downwardly from the tool bit holder flange. The user, with the holder attached to his belt, with one hand rotatably unlocks and removes the cover and inspects the array of tool bits and chuck releasably mounted on the inside of the cover. The user removes the chuck and assembles it to the drill and then removes selected tool bits for assembly to the drill. The user with one hand replaces the cover on the body with a positive rotational locking action.
The present invention, in one other aspect, provides a high energy magnetizer/demagnetizer in combination with the tool bit holder cover for magnetizing/demagnetizing the tool bits, and which also includes a specific area or position for magnetically holding a magnetizable fastening element such as a screw for ready attachment to the hand tool with the tool bit in place. The high energy magnetizer/demagnetizer is an elongated permanent high energy bar magnet or alternatively a high energy magnet with a magnetically held elongated ferrometallic shunt. The magnetizer/demagnetizer is provided in a plastic housing with an adhesive for attachment to the outside of the cover or alternatively may be integrally molded as part of the cover.
The present invention, in a further aspect, is the combination of the tool bit holder with a power tool tote flange in combination with the magnetizer/demagnetizer unit. This combination provides ready work site access to screws and tool bits, ready work site magnetization and demagnetization of same, and ready use with the power tool.
The holder cover and body, in a preferred aspect of the invention, are rotatably slidably interengaging cylindrical members, with the body cylindrical side formed with three-equally spaced radially disposed holes, and with the cover cylindrical inside surface formed with three-equally spaced partially spherical buttons adjacent L-shaped grooves or slots providing flexible tabs for flexure of the cover buttons for slidably engaging and disengaging the body holes. The user thereby locks and unlocks the cover from the body using one hand in a respective directional and counter-directional rotation of less than 120°.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3662303 (1972-05-01), Arllof
patent: 5743451 (1998-04-01), Kahn
patent: 6033163 (2000-03-01), Anderson
patent: 6062449 (2000-05-01), Kahn
patent: 6181229 (2001-01-01), Anderson
Howell Daniel W.
Lackenbach Siegel
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