Chucks or sockets – Socket type – Self-grasping
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-13
2001-03-13
Bishop, Steven C. (Department: 3722)
Chucks or sockets
Socket type
Self-grasping
C279S074000, C279S075000, C279S155000, C279S905000, C279S906000, C081S438000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199872
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a self-locking, quick-loading, spring assisted mechanism for connecting tools to a holder, especially for use in hand tools having bit holders and exchangeable bit tools.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of quick-release mechanisms for connecting tools, such as tool bits, to a holder are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,194 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,202 disclose a chuck assembly for tool bits where a tool bit is held in the chuck by detent means cooperating with a circumferential groove on the shank of the bit. The detent means are released by pulling a sleeve axially back from the tool bit, whereby the tool bit may be pulled out of the chuck. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,073, a similar chuck assembly is disclosed, but in this construction, the sleeve is rotated about the chuck to release the detent means, so that the tool bit is released and may be pulled out of the chuck.
Both of these solutions require the user to hold the tool, manipulate the sleeve and, simultaneously, either press the tool bit into the mechanism to install it or pull the tool bit out of the chuck. This may lead to situations where the user would ideally require three hands, to perform all these operations in a secure manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to mitigate and/or obviate the above mentioned disadvantages to provide a self-locking, quick-loading, spring assisted mechanism for connecting tools to a holder which lends itself to one-handed operation, i.e. the tool may be inserted and released using one hand only. The other hand of the user may thus at all times be used to hold the hand tool in a secure manner. Also, a hand tool using this mechanism is provided.
In the invention, a holder for holding a tool, the holder comprises an elongated housing, including a longitudinal hole having a cross-section to accept a mounting portion of the tool bit and a tool mount arranged on the side of the housing which is opposite to the longitudinal hole.
The housing further includes at least one radial hole running from an outside surface of the housing to the longitudinal hole, the at least one radial hole having a large diameter portion at the outside surface of the housing and a small diameter portion at the longitudinal hole, a substantially spherical locking means movably arranged in the at least one radial hole, cooperating with a circumferential groove in the tool bit to lock the tool bit in place when the tool bit is fully inserted into the holder.
An outer sleeve is arranged to reciprocally slide over the housing between two end positions, where the outer sleeve has a first end facing the tool bit and a second end facing the hand tool. The outer sleeve is biased towards the first end by a first biasing means, and the sleeve has a step arranged on the first end, which step blocks the locking means when a tool is fully inserted into the longitudinal hole. An end stop is arranged at a tool mounting side of the longitudinal hole of the housing.
The holder further comprises a plunger, arranged to reciprocally slide inside the longitudinal hole, a second biasing means, and an anchoring means, fastened to a bottom of the longitudinal hole. One end of the second biasing means is fastened to the plunger at a biasing fastening end of the plunger and the other end of the second biasing means is secured to the anchoring means.
Further, the longitudinal hole of the housing preferably has three different cross-section parts: a first large cross-section, which accepts the cross-section of the mounting portion of the tool bit, a second medium cross-section, which corresponds to the diameter of the second biasing means, and a third small cross-section, which corresponds to the cross-section of an anchoring end of the anchoring means, the anchoring end of the anchoring means being non-removably fastened in the third cross-section of the longitudinal hole.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1119276 (1914-12-01), Griffith et al.
patent: 1516257 (1924-11-01), White
patent: 2135861 (1938-11-01), Thompson
patent: 3788658 (1974-01-01), Benjamin et al.
patent: 4577875 (1986-03-01), Miyakawa
patent: 4692073 (1987-09-01), Martindell
patent: 4850758 (1989-07-01), Morgan
patent: 4900202 (1990-02-01), Wienhold
patent: 5013194 (1991-05-01), Wienhold
patent: 5062749 (1991-11-01), Sheets
patent: 5452906 (1995-09-01), Huff et al.
patent: 5476273 (1995-12-01), Shadeck et al.
patent: 3324756 (1985-01-01), None
Armstrong R. Craig
Bishop Steven C.
Maxtech Consumer Products, L.L.C.
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