Chucks or sockets – Socket type – Side detent
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-16
2003-08-12
Tsai, Henry W. H. (Department: 2183)
Chucks or sockets
Socket type
Side detent
C279S084000, C279S089000, C279S145000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06604744
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates generally to drill bit adapters for coupling drill bits to a drill, and particularly to rapid load drill bit adapters that do not require the use of a chuck key for operation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Installation jigs for installing locksets are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,891 to Fridman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,115 to Shouse, U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,845 to Goldstein et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,170 to Palmer et al. all relate to installation jigs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,891 to Fridman relates to a drill guide and method for installing a door lock. However, Fridman's drill guide is limited to drilling transverse holes and does not provide for drilling a latch hole in the edge of the door. Moreover, Fridman's drill guide must be held in position manually or the installer must carry a clamp for the purpose. Unfortunately, a clamp is both inconvenient to carry and awkward to use while trying to hold the guide in the proper position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,115 to Shouse relates to a door template for use with a drill and a router. Shouse's template is limited to routing out a recess for receiving the edge plate of a latch. In addition, Shouse's guide must be held in place manually or the installer must use a clamp. U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,845 to Goldstein et al. relates to an adjustable drill guide for door handles and locks. Unfortunately, the guide holes for drilling the latch hole in the door edge can only accommodate a door having a particular thickness, and a second drill guide must be used for a second door having a different thickness. In addition, the drill guide uses interchangeable plates to provide guide holes for the transverse holes. If different backsets are required, the installer must partially disassemble the drill guide and reassemble the guide with a different plate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,170 to Palmer et al. relates to a drill jig for preparing a door to receive a cylindrical lock. However, Palmer's jig is only useful for drilling holes to accommodate through-bolts to retain a lockset in place. Moreover, a transverse hole must first be bored in the door, presumably using another jig, before Palmer's drill jig can be used.
To overcome the above-recited deficiencies, self-clamping jigs for drilling both transverse holes and latch holes have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,125 to Livick relates to a door lock drilling template and includes drill guides both for a transverse hole and a latch hole. Unfortunately, there is no provision for adjusting the position of the latch hole drill guide to accommodate doors with different thicknesses. Livick's template is configured to accommodate a 1¾-inch thick door and requires a shim to accommodate a standard 1⅜-inch thick residential interior door. In addition, although the transverse hole drill guides can be moved to accommodate various backsets, to do so the guides must be removed from the template, repositioned, and reassembled on the template, which is inconvenient and provides an opportunity to misalign the guides.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,411 to Kessinger et al. relates to a door lock drill assembly. Kessinger et al. disclose drill guides for both transverse holes and latch holes but is designed for use on a conventional exterior door. The '411 patent does not disclose any adjustment mechanism for accommodating doors with different thicknesses. In order to accommodate a standard interior door, which is thinner than an exterior door, an adapter must be installed on the assembly to properly align the latch guide. It is inconvenient to carry an adapter, which can be lost or misplaced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,823 to Nashlund relates to a boring and routing jig for cylindrical door knob assemblies. Nashlund does not disclose any provision for changing the backset. Instead, Nashlund discloses changeable templates, which are subject to possible improper installation and misalignment. Moreover, the method of aligning the latch guide is inaccurate and cumbersome, requiring multiple adjustments of a pair of C-clamps.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,554 to Boucher et al. relates to a door boring jig system. The disclosed jig includes a cumbersome backset adjustment mechanism that requires an installer to align a small hole with a pin on each of two backset adjusting units.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,302,674 to Russell et al. relates to a unit lock installation jig. The '674 patent allows for marking the proper position for the latch hole, but does not provide a latch guide for drilling the hole. Moreover, the '674 patent only provides for a single backset.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,763,299 Cerf relates to a lock installation tool. Unfortunately, Cerf's tool only provides for a single backset.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,679,771 to Schlage relates to a boring jig for doors. Schlage discloses for accurately marking a door for boring holes to install a lock, but does not include drill guides to ensure that the holes are drilled properly.
None of the above-cited patents provides an installation jig with the advantageous combination of quick and easy backset adjustment, automatic centering of a latch guide, multiple in-line arms to permit standard door prep on metal doors as well as wood doors, and the capability of performing standard 1½ inch door preps and 2⅛ inch door preps.
Another problem with conventional installation of locksets is the need to use different drill bits and hole saws to bore the transverse hole and the latch hole. When the installer is finished using the hole saw to drill the transverse hole, he must disconnect the hole saw from the drill and connect the appropriate drill bit to bore the latch hole. This can be tedious and awkward using conventional key operated chucks associated with many drills.
One approach to overcome this problem is the use of rapid load chucks. With a rapid load chuck, the user grasps the chuck and operates the drill in a reverse direction to open the chuck. After inserting a drill bit in the chuck, the user grasps the chuck and operates the drill in a forward direction to lock the chuck onto the drill bit. Unfortunately, it is inconvenient and awkward to change the direction of the drill each time the drill bit needs to be changed.
To overcome this problem, users have coupled rapid load drill bit adapters to the drill. With the adapter, the user only cycles the drill once to install the adapter, and then inserts the drill bits into the adapter. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,335 to Pearson discloses a quick change tool retention device for power operated mechanism. The disclosed device includes a blind cavity in a body portion with a four-member box-like structure disposed in the cavity. The box-like structure includes a pair of transverse members and a pair of longitudinal members. One of the transverse members is received by a push button and transfers movement of the push button to the pair of longitudinal members. The longitudinal members pass through the second transverse member and a pair of springs engage the longitudinal members to oppose movement of the push button and urge the second transverse member into engagement with the shank of a drill bit to retain the drill bit in the device. Pearson's device was not commercially successful, probably because of the complex manufacturing necessary to produce it and/or the large number of parts required. A rapid load adapter that was easier to manufacture and required fewer parts would be welcome by manufacturers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the above-noted deficiencies and others in conventional drill bit adapters by providing a novel drill bit adapter including a body portion, a cap portion, a spring-biased catch and a push button actuator. The cap portion includes a transverse aperture and cooperates with the body to define a longitudinal aperture and a catch-receiving cavity. The push button is disposed in the transverse aperture and engages the catch to move the catch in the cavity relative to the longitudinal ap
Del Ponti John D.
Newfrey LLC
Tsai Henry W. H.
Veltman Richard J.
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