Automatically-driven chuck accessory for hand drill

• US 4,389,146 A
• Filed: 11/10/1980
• Issued: 06/21/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James D. Coder
• Original Assignee: James D. Coder
• Inventors: Coder, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bilinsky, Z. R.
• Application Number:
  US06/205,523
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 408/124, 408/240, 279/1 K, 279/48, 279/49, 279/56, 279/57, 279/58, 279/59, 279/60, 279/61, 279/62, 279/63, 279/64, 279/65, 279/69, 81/90 A
• US Class Current: 408/240
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2231/06 Chucks for handtools having means for opening and closing the jaws using the driving motor of the handtool
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2260/078 Hand tools used to operate chucks or to assemble, adjust or disassemble tools or equipment used for turning, boring or drilling
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 31/1207 moving obliquely to the axis of the chuck in a plane containing this axis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 279/17632 Conical sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 279/27 Separate chuck-actuating power source
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 279/3451 Nonseparable or built-in
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 408/953 Clamping jaws

Abstract

An accessory is attached to a reversible electric drill-type tool, i.e., a portable electric drill, for facilitating engagement and disengagement of the shank of a drill or other tool element by the drill chuck. For this purpose, the chuck is provided with a recess in a sleeve thereof. The accessory has a locking device selectively movable between a first position disengaged from the recess and a second position engaging the recess. Such element is supported by a collar carried on a front face of a housing of the tool to permit selective movement of the element between the first and second positions. The collar maintains the locking element in fixed angular relationship with respect to the axis of rotation of the chuck. In the first position, the locking element prevents rotation of the chuck sleeve relative to the housing. In this way, operation of the tool turns in one direction or the other provides respective tightening or loosening of the chuck for engagement or disengagement of the shank. In the second position, unencumbered normal rotation of the chuck collar with the chuck is permitted.

Claims

1. An accessory for use with a drill-type tool having a housing and a chuck extending outwardly from said housing for facilitating chuck engagement and disengagement of a drill bit shank or the like, said chuck being rotatingly drivable in selectively reversible directions by said tool and having a sleeve including a recess therein, said sleeve being rotatable axially about said chuck for tightening and loosening of said chuck, said accessory comprising a collar having flanges on opposite sides, said flanges having apertures for receiving means structurally retaining said housing upon said tool for securing said collar to said housing in chuck-surrounding relationship, said collar carrying a locking pin carrying a manipulating button, said pin being in chuck confronting orientation in alignment with said chuck sleeve recess for radial shifting movement toward and away from said chuck sleeve recess perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said chuck, said collar having a bore, said pin being set within said bore, a spring interengaging said collar and said button for resiliently biasing said pin radially outward from said chuck toward a first position disengaged from said chuck, means for retaining said pin in said bore of said collar, said button being carried by said pin and manipulatively engageable for shifting said pin radially inwardly toward said chuck toward a second position of engagement with said chuck sleeve recess for locking said sleeve relative to said collar to prevent rotation of said sleeve with respect to said housing, said pin extending radially outwardly from said collar in downward angular offset relationship to said housing wherein said pin has a longitudinal axis along which said pin is radially shiftable, said tool having a handle including a squeezable trigger switch extending downwardly from said housing, said plane of lateral symmetry transecting said handle, the longitudinal axis of said pin forming an angle with said plane of lateral symmetry, and thereby with said handle, of about 25°

, for presenting said button for manipulative engagement and radially inward shifting by pinching action of one hand of the user upon tactile interengagement of said button and collar by the user'"'"'s fingers in opposed relationship while the other hand of the user grasps said handle, whereby said pinching action is carried out by the user while simultaneously grasping said handle and squeezing said trigger, physiologically natural grasping orientation of the user'"'"'s hands and fingers, operation of said tool upon simultaneous pinching action and squeezing of said trigger switch providing rotation of said chuck in one direction or the reversed direction for respective tightening or loosening of said chuck.

2. An accessory as defined in claim 1, said drill trigger switch being selectively squeezable for selectively varying the speed of operation of said drill for controlling the degree of energization of an electric motor therein driving said chuck, said degree of energization if too great causing excessive torque to be applied to said chuck when said pin is in said second position, said pin having a shank having at its outer end a nose receivable by said chuck recess, said chuck recess being constituted by a circular aperture, said nose having a tapered edge and said pin being configured so that with movement to said second position only said tapered edge but not said shank engaging the periphery of said aperture, said tapered edge normally preventing rotation of said chuck relative to said sleeve but permitting the periphery of said aperture to create upon said pin a force radially outward from said chuck for tending to cause movement of said pin to said first position in response to excessive torque applied to said chuck by said motor.