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US 7,086,813 B1Granted
Quick-acting tool bit holder
AssigneeBlack & Decker Inc.
InventorsDavid C. Boyle, Timothy T. McKenzie
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeBlack & Decker Inc.
InventorsDavid C. Boyle, Timothy T. McKenzie
Estimating the term…
A “snap-in” bit chuck assembly for a rotary hand or powered tool, includes an elongated body having a hex shank at its rearward end, an elongated retraction collar slidably disposed on the body, and an outer retaining collar fixed to the forward end of the body. The body has a coaxial hex socket formed therein to allow a reversible tool to be inserted thereinto. A slot is formed in the body, between the outer surface of the body and the internal hex socket. A coil spring surrounds the body, inside the retraction collar, and normally biases the retraction collar forwardly and biases a retaining clip toward the bottom of the angular slot. The retaining clip slides outwardly in the angular slot, against the bias of the coil spring, as the reversible tool is inserted, where a recess on the reversible tool is engaged and retained by the clip. The tool is removed by sliding the retraction collar rearwardly, to compress the coil spring and allow the retaining clip to retract back up the slot. The clip is directly engaged by the coil spring and has two legs extending about the body so that the clip is self-retaining. The clip legs extend around the body such that the retraction force on the coil spring is directed through the center of the coil spring to keep it coaxially aligned with the body.
A chuck assembly rotatable about an axis and including an axially-extending body having a coaxially-extending hex-shaped bore therein for receiving a hex-shaped tool with a circumferential recess formed therein removably insertable into the bore, an elongated retraction collar being substantially cylindrical and surrounding at least a portion of the body and being axially slidable thereon, a coil spring surrounding said portion of the body and being disposed within the retraction collar, the coil spring being restrained axially at its rearward end and normally biasing the retraction collar toward an axially forward end of the body, the body including a slot formed therein providing communication between an outer surface of the body and a portion of the bore on a first side of the axis, the chuck assembly further including a clip having a base and two spaced-apart legs extending from ends of said base, said clip having its base disposed within said slot in the body for slidable movement therein and its legs extending circumferentially along opposite sides of the outer surface of the body, said clip being biased axially forwardly by said coil spring so that its base is biased axially forwardly and radially inwardly within said slot, said base being biased toward a retaining engagement with the circumferential recess in the tool when the tool is inserted into the bore in the body, said clip being urged axially rearwardly and radially outwardly by the retraction collar against said bias of said coil spring when the retraction collar is slid axially rearwardly along the body in order to release the tool for removal from the bore in the body, both of said legs of said clip being disposed about the body and extending to a second side of the axis generally opposite said first side of the axis in order to retain said clip thereon, said coil spring directly abutting said legs of said clip on both said first and second opposite sides of the axis with a resultant reactive rearwardly-directed force exerted by said clip on said coil spring being generally centrally directed generally along the axis in order to substantially maintain said coil spring in a generally coaxially-aligned relationship with the body and substantially minimize off-axis cocking of said coil spring on the body during axial movement of the retraction collar on the body.
A chuck assembly rotatable about an axis and including an axially-extending body having a coaxially-extending hex-shaped bore therein for receiving a hex-shaped tool with a circumferential recess formed therein removably insertable into the bore, an elongated retraction collar being substantially cylindrical and surrounding at least a portion of the body and being axially slidable thereon, a coil spring surrounding said portion of the body and being disposed within the retraction collar, the coil spring normally biasing the retraction collar toward an axially forward end of the body, the body including a slot formed therein, providing communication between an outer surface of the body and a portion of the bore on a first side of the axis, the chuck assembly further including a clip having a base and a leg portion extending from a first end of said base, said clip having its base disposed within said slot in the body for slidable movement therein and its leg extending about a portion of the outer surface of the body, said clip being biased axially forwardly by said coil spring so that its base is normally biased axially forwardly and radially inwardly within said slot, said base being biased toward a retaining engagement with the circumferential recess in the tool when the tool is inserted into the bore in the body, said clip being urged axially rearwardly and radially outwardly by the retraction collar against said bias of said coil spring when the retraction collar is moved axially rearwardly along the body in order to release the tool for removal from the bore in the body, said leg of said clip extending about a second side of the axis generally opposite said first side of the axis of the body to a location generally adjacent a second opposite end of said base of said clip in order to retain said clip thereon, said coil spring directly abutting said leg of said clip on both said first and second opposite sides of the axis of the body with a resultant reactive rearwardly-directed force exerted by said clip on said coil spring being generally centrally directed generally along the axis in order to substantially maintain said coil spring in a generally coaxially-aligned relationship with the body and substantially minimize off-axis cocking of said coil spring on the body during axial movement of the retraction collar on the body.
A power tool having a motor, a drive member rotatably interconnected with said motor, and an auxiliary chuck assembly rotatably connected to said drive member for rotation about an axis, said auxiliary chuck assembly including an axially-extending body having a coaxially-extending hex-shaped bore therein for receiving a hex-shaped tool with a circumferential recess formed therein removably insertable into the bore, an elongated retraction collar being substantially cylindrical and surrounding at least a portion of the body and being axially slidable thereon, a coil spring surrounding said portion of the body and being disposed within the retraction collar, the coil spring being restrained axially at its rearward end and normally biasing the retraction collar toward an axially forward end of the body, the body including a slot formed therein providing communication between an outer surface of the body and a portion of the bore on a first side of the axis, the chuck assembly further including a clip having a base and two spaced-apart legs extending from ends of said base, said clip having its base disposed within said slot in the body for slidable movement therein and its legs extending circumferentially along opposite sides of the outer surface of the body, said clip being biased axially forwardly by said coil spring so that its base is biased axially forwardly and radially inwardly within said slot, said base being biased toward a retaining engagement with the circumferential recess in the tool when the tool is inserted into the bore in the body, said clip being urged axially rearwardly and radially outwardly by the retraction collar against said bias of said coil spring when the retraction collar is slid axially rearwardly along the body in order to release the tool for removal from the bore in the body, both of said legs of said clip being disposed about the body and extending to a second side of the axis generally opposite said first side of the axis in order to retain said clip thereon, said coil spring directly abutting said legs of said clip on both said first and second opposite sides of the axis with a resultant reactive rearwardly-directed force exerted by said clip on said coil spring being generally centrally directed generally along the axis in order to substantially maintain said coil spring in a generally coaxially-aligned relationship with the body and substantially minimize off-axis cocking of said coil spring on the body during axial movement of the retraction collar on the body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.