Battery-operated screwdriver and charger shell therefor

• US 7,723,953 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Roehm, Heiko, Bergmann, Julian, Meeuwissen, Jean-Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US12/434,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20090211410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 814/38, 814/39, 814/90, 814/36, 320/112, 320/113, 320/114, 320/115, 439/500, 206/349, 173/48, 173/217, 429/97, 429/98, 429/99, D13/106, D13/107, D13/108
• US Class Current: 320/114
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 21/00 Portable power-driven screw or nut setting or loosening tools; details or components, e.g. casings, bodies, of portable power-driven tools not particularly related to the operation performed B25F5/00; for mounting or dismounting wheels B60B29/006; Attachments for drilling apparatus serving the same purpose machines B23P19/06
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/02 Construction of casings, bodies or handles B25F5/006, B25F5/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 3/006 Storage means specially adapted for one specific hand apparatus, e.g. an electric drill
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A battery-operated screwdriver has a housing with a handle, a rechargeable battery, charge contacts for charging the battery on a charger shell having at least one detachably mounted bit holder for storing tool inserts of the battery-operated screwdriver in captive fashion, so that the battery-operated screwdriver is placeable on the charger shell and a charging mode is produced automatically, and a charger shell for a battery-operated screwdriver has at least one detachable mountable bit holder configured to receive a plurality of bits which in operation are insertable in communication with the battery-operated screwdriver.

Claims

1. A battery-operated screwdriver, comprising a housing with a handle, a rechargeable battery, charge contacts for charging the battery on a charger shell having at least one detachably mounted bit holder for storing a plurality of tool inserts of the battery-operated screwdriver in captive fashion, so that when the housing and the handle of the battery-operated screwdriver are placed on the charger shell provided with the bit holder and a charging mode is produced automatically.

2. The battery-operated screwdriver as defined in claim 1, wherein the handle is configured so that in the charging mode it protrudes so far from the charger shell that for removing the battery-operated screwdriver the handle can be handled in a manner selected from the group consisting of to be grasped from beneath, to be largely encircled with a hand, and both.

3. The battery-operated screwdriver as defined in claim 1, wherein the charge contact tongues protrude outwards through lateral slots in a lower end of the handle on both sides of the parting plane on a side of an internal angle and are lockable in the charging mode onto charge contacts of the charger shell, without requiring that separate cords or coupling plugs be actuated.

4. The battery-operated screwdriver as defined in claim 1, wherein the battery-operated screwdriver is configured so that in the charging mode it fits with indentations in the handle over charge contacts of the charger shell which charge contacts are resilient on the charger shell and is thus secured in overlocking fashion against unintentional release from the charger shell.

5. The battery-operated screwdriver as defined in claim 1, wherein the battery-operated screwdriver is configured so that it is received in embedded means of the charger shell on its top side, which correspond to a copy of internal angle outer surfaces enclosed by the handle and a motor housing and a gearbox, with at least one embedding means extending at an angle less than 90°

to a vertical.

6. The battery-operated screwdriver as defined in claim 1, wherein said handle is configured so that it enters in wedgelike fashion only with its ON/OFF button into the embedding means of the charger shell, and protrudes from the charger shell and dips only minimally into the embedding means.

7. The battery-operated screwdriver as defined in claim 1, wherein the battery-operated screwdriver is configured so that the charger shell can be placed standing securely on a flat and in particular horizontal storage shelf without having to be secured and firmly held when the battery-operated screwdriver is removed.

8. A charger shell for a battery-operated screwdriver, comprising at least one detachable mountable bit holder configured to receive and store a plurality of bits which in operation are insertable in communication with the battery-operated screwdriver.

12. The charger shell as defined in claim 8, wherein the bit holder has a signal color red, while the charger shell has a color selected from the group consisting of a black color, a dark green color, a dark blue color, and a combination thereof.

13. The charger shell as defined in claim 8, wherein the charger shell is configured so that input pinions for the bits are located extending perpendicular to a contour of the charger shell.

14. The charger shell as defined in claim 8, wherein the charger shell has input pinions disposed fixedly in a front region for captively receiving screwdriver bits, particularly in one row parallel to a length of the bit holder.

9. A charger shell for a battery-operated screwdriver, comprising at least one detachable mountable bit holder configured to receive and store a plurality of bits which in operation are insertable in communication with the battery-operated screwdriver, wherein the bit holder is configured so that it is mountable laterally on the charger shell and in a process is fitted flush into an outer contour of the charger shell, particularly in an overlockable fashion.

10. The charger shell as defined in claim 9, wherein the charger shell has an elongated indentation configured for receiving the bit holder and being longer than the bit holder, so that with the bit holder inserted the elongated indentation forms a permanent opening for grasping from below with a finger for removing the bit holder.

11. The charger shell as defined in claim 10, wherein the bit holder is located parallel to the indentation for a handle region of the battery-operated screwdriver.

15. A charger shell for a battery-operated screwdriver, comprising at least one detachably mountable bit holder configured to receive and store a plurality of bits which in operation are insertable in communication with the battery-operated screwdriver that has a housing with a handle, a rechargeable battery, and charge contact tongues for charging the battery on the charger shell, the charger shell being configured so that when the housing and the handle of the battery-operated screwdriver is placed on the charger shell provided with the bit holder the charging mode is produced automatically.