US 7,000,509 B2Granted

Hand tool with a removable rotary bit receiving cassette

OwnerHsuan-Sen Shiaoinventor

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Abstract

A hand tool includes a handle defining an axially extending passage therein, and having an accommodation cavity with a radially extending access opening. A cassette member is insertable through the opening to be rotatably mounted in the cavity, and has a plurality of angularly displaced storage chambers for receiving tool bits, respectively, such that a selected one of the chambers is in line with the passage. A shank is movably disposed in the passage, and has an engaging head which can push the tool bit in the selected chamber outwardly of the handle for operation, and which can be retracted into the passage for angular movement of the chambers. The cassette member can be radially pushed to be removed from the cavity through the opening.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A hand tool comprising:

a handle which includes front and rear segments opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction, and an intermediate segment interposed between said front and rear segments, and which has a passage extending through said front, intermediate and rear segments along a first axis in the longitudinal direction, said intermediate segment having an access opening which extends in a direction radial to the first axis to be communicated with said passage so as to form an accommodation cavity, and an operating hole which is formed therethrough and opposite to said access opening in the radial direction and which is communicated with said accommodation cavity, said intermediate segment having front and rear retaining walls which are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction to define a crossing path along the first axis;
a cassette member which is configured to be insertable through said access opening into said accommodation cavity, which is retained between and which is rotatable relative to said front and rear retaining walls about a second axis that is oriented in the longitudinal direction and offset from the first axis, and which has a plurality of storage chambers that are adapted to receive a plurality of tool bits, respectively, and that are displaced angularly from one another about the second axis such that when said cassette member is rotated about the second axis, said storage chambers are successively brought into said crossing path to have a selected one of said storage chambers in line with said passage, thereby placing a corresponding selected one of the tool bits in a standby position;
a shank which includes an engaging head and a gripped end opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, and which is disposed in said passage to be displaceable among a used position, where said engaging head engagingly pushes the selected one of the tool bits, and extends outwardly of said front segment, a retracted position, where said engaging head retreats into said passage of said rear segment, thereby leaving the selected one of the tool bits behind in the selected one of said storage chambers, and a pick-up position, where said engaging head extends into the selected one of said storage chambers to pick up the selected one of the tool bits for subsequent forward movement to the used position or for subsequent rearward movement to the retracted position;
and
a handgrip which is configured to engage said gripped end, and which is disposed rearwardly of and which is movable relative to said rear segment in the longitudinal direction to thereby bring said shank to one of the used, pick-up and retracted positions.

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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A hand tool comprising:

a handle which includes front and rear segments opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction, and an intermediate segment interposed between said front and rear segments, and which has a passage extending through said front, intermediate and rear segments along a first axis in the longitudinal direction, said intermediate segment having an access opening which extends in a direction radial to the first axis to be communicated with said passage so as to form an accommodation cavity, and an operating hole which is formed therethrough and opposite to said access opening in the radial direction and which is communicated with said accommodation cavity, said intermediate segment having front and rear retaining walls which are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction to define a crossing path along the first axis;
a cassette member which is configured to be insertable through said access opening into said accommodation cavity, which is retained between and which is rotatable relative to said front and rear retaining walls about a second axis that is oriented in the longitudinal direction and offset from the first axis, and which has a plurality of storage chambers that are adapted to receive a plurality of tool bits, respectively, and that are displaced angularly from one another about the second axis such that when said cassette member is rotated about the second axis, said storage chambers are successively brought into said crossing path to have a selected one of said storage chambers in line with said passage, thereby placing a corresponding selected one of the tool bits in a standby position;
a shank which includes an engaging head and a gripped end opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, and which is disposed in said passage to be displaceable among a used position, where said engaging head engagingly pushes the selected one of the tool bits, and extends outwardly of said front segment, a retracted position, where said engaging head retreats into said passage of said rear segment, thereby leaving the selected one of the tool bits behind in the selected one of said storage chambers, and a pick-up position, where said engaging head extends into the selected one of said storage chambers to pick up the selected one of the tool bits for subsequent forward movement to the used position or for subsequent rearward movement to the retracted position;
and
a handgrip which is configured to engage said gripped end, and which is disposed rearwardly of and which is movable relative to said rear segment in the longitudinal direction to thereby bring said shank to one of the used, pick-up and retracted positions.

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