MXPA00008973A - A tool handle for storing bits - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a handle (14) for a tool (10) having a detachable tool bit (26). The handle (14) has one or more longitudinal channels (30) formed in its outer surface and sized so as to receive and releasably retain the tool bit (26). Each channel (30) includes a fulcrum formed by a depression (38) in the floor (31) of the channel so that when radial pressure is applied to the end of the tool bit lying above the depression (38), the tool bit (26) is caused to rotate about the fulcrum (42) so that the other end of the tool bit (26) protrudes above the outer surface of the handle (14). In this way the tool bit (26) can be easily removed.

Description

TOOL HANDLE FOR STORING BITS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of tools and bits or tool tips, and more specifically, the present invention relates to the field of hand tools and machines that store interchangeable tool bits.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many tools and machines allow the use of bits or tool tips that are releasably fixed by a receptacle or a mandrel on the tip of a rod. Many different types of tool bits are currently available for use in such tools and machines. Typically, and only in a few minutes, a worker may require more than one such tool bit. A change of bit must be done quickly while the worker is in a precarious position. The change of bits not only causes discomfort but also presents health problems for both the worker and those who observe it. The Difficulty changing bits, loosening bits while they are being changed, or falling bits from where they are stored, represent safety hazards to the extent that all these incidents distract workers and can cause them to make sudden movements and lose your balance Also the lost bit can affect a spectator or a piece of equipment. For hand tools, a convenient arrangement for storing bits is one in which the bits are stored in the tool. An ideal design is one that minimizes the manufacturing costs of the tool, the time needed to replace the drill bit, the likelihood that the tool or bits will decrease as the drill bits are changed, and the maneuvers a worker has to carry out. . Such a design improves both safety and efficiency. All of the above considerations apply to hand-driven tools and even electrically driven or compressed-air tools which are now used even more widely but whose greater weight makes such imperative tools available for bit exchange and where can make a storage with the least possible effort. Examples of prior designs for storing tool bits in hand tools include United States patents 3,405,749; 3,667,518; 3,683,984; ^ gj ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ff | ^^^^^^^^^^ gg ^^ «3,753,455; 4,235,269; 4,273,173; 4,278,119; 4,327,790; 4,372,361 4,372,362; 4,434,828; 4,440,048; 4,452,289; 4,463,788; 4,552,043 4,552,044; 4,572,038; 4,716,795; 4,735,120; 4,793,222; 4,827,812 4,841,597; 4,901,607; 4,924,733; 5,174,178; 5,265,504; 5,325,745 5,335,409; 5,460,063; 5,499,562; 5,517,885; 5,522,291; 5,613,413 5,881,615; D358,316; and D373,297. These patents present a multitude of different solutions to the problem of storing tool bits, but three general solutions can be discerned. Many patented designs feature storage compartments that are located in the heel of the handle. This is the case of the United States patent 5,174,178, where a worker must open an articulated door to access the tool bits, and the United States patent 5,613,413 where one must unscrew a lid to carry out the same. In any case, storing in the heel of the handle requires oscillating the tool back and forth when tool bits are exchanged as the worker (1) removes the bit from the tip of the handle, (2) reaches the rear of the handle. handle for the replacement bit, (3) store away the tool bit that is no longer desired (4) reaches the back of the bit in the handle to install the new bit on the tip. These designs limit the versatility of the tool in that the shorter tool bits must be lowered too much in their compartments so that one is able to remove them, and the larger bits can not be stored in any way. In addition, the storage of bits in the handle bead limits the driving power to the extent that it limits the amount of space available for internal electrical components or for tool coupling. Required to exchange and store tool bits, and limit the likelihood that the bits will fall from the storage medium. For hand tools, a convenient arrangement with a rotating mandrel. In addition, there are designs where the bits are stored in the handle near to, and parallel to a bar, but their tips protrude from the handle. See, for example, U.S. Patent 4,452,289. This arrangement has two distinct disadvantages: with the tips exposed in this way, one can scrape itself or others as well as neighboring objects and, again, the exposed tips of the tool bits can attract electric arc sparks near the hand of the tool. worker which causes the tool to fall or the battery or motor of an electrically driven tool to be damaged. U.S. Patent No. 4,278,119 discloses a hand tool with a storage member coaxial with the bar, wherein the tool bits are completely stored in a spring-deflected storage member. The design has several disadvantages. First, it is limited to the use of only one tool bit that must be short enough to enter the cavities of the storage member. In addition this design adds an unnecessary 5 condition to the length of the device. Other designs that feature tool bits stored in grooves inscribed in a cylindrical surface held by the hand of a handle and held in place by various joining means. In the patent of the United States 3,667,518, the bits are retained in the grooves by a tensioned 0-ring around the circumference of the handle. This design has the disadvantage that, in order to remove a tool bit from its recesses, an additional step is required so that a ring in 0 retention of drill bits must first be rolled out to remove it. Also, once the ring is moved to 0, there is now the potential for the other bit to fall out of its slot. More recently, U.S. Patent 5,881,615, issued to Dahl and Elvebek, describes a handle with tool bits stored in grooves. formed therein and where the tool bits are held in place by sliding panels. However, a bit has the potential to fall out of its slot and, inadvertently, falls or slides into the panel so that it covers the bit or, due to wear and tear spent, the panel slides out of position, so exposes a. ».«., J < Ai- ** * .-- > «. - ^^ »* to the bit. Furthermore, none of the prior art devices offer a full length view without hindrance of the stored bits. This is crucial, particularly in light of the increasing popularity of double-headed drill bits. There is a need in the art for a tool or machine where the tool bits are stored by a means that accommodates a wide variety of tool bits, minimizes the manual steps for the storage of bits is where the bits are stored in the handle of the tool. The most successful design will minimize manufacturing costs and at the same time minimize the effort required to replace bits. All the above considerations apply to manually driven tools as well as tools activated by other means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a tool or machine which comprises the storage of tool bits and which solves the disadvantages in the prior art. Another object of the present invention is to provide a tool that allows rapid storage of tool bits. A feature of the present invention is that the drill bits are snapped into place in a handle consisting of grooves. An advantage of the present invention is that secure storage can be carried out by means of a single movement of the finger. Another object of the present invention is to provide a handle of multiple functionality for a tool. A feature of the present invention is that the tips of the tool bits are received removably by grooves in the handle. An advantage of the present invention is that drills of different lengths and having different functions can be used in conjunction with the present invention. Another additional objective of the present invention is to provide a device that allows a quick exchange of tools. A feature of the present invention is that the bits are fully visible from their storage position and that the bases of the bits are located in a region of a tool where they are easily removable. An advantage of the present invention is that it allows easy access to the bits, rapid identification of the bit to be used and operation with one hand for the removal of the bit and the replacement of the bit in its storage position. A further object of the present invention is to provide an economical and sturdy tool handle that allows the storage of tool bits. A feature of the present invention is that the handle can be integrally molded from a single widely available material. A further feature of the present invention is that the handle does not comprise moving parts. An advantage of the present invention is that it can be manufactured at low cost and that it has a very long useful life. Briefly, an economical and sturdy device for storing bits is provided, comprising a tool handle wherein a plurality of bits are snapped into slots where they are easily identified and from which they can be easily removed. Specifically, the invention provides a bit storage handle comprising a surface of the handle defining a channel adapted to retain the bit; a fulcrum point within the channel; and a means for rotating the bit around the fulcrum point. The invention also provides a tool for storing bits, comprising: a handle; a surface of the handle defining a plurality of channels adapted to retain the bits so that the longitudinal axes of the retained bits are collinear with the longitudinal axis of the handle; a fulcrum point within each of the channels, - and a means for rotating each of the bits around each fulcrum point so that, before rotation, the bits extend radially from the longitudinal axis of the hand to its removal from the handle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention together with the above objects and other objects and advantages will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hand tool, according to the present invention, - Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a handle holding tool bits, taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1, according to the characteristics of the present invention; Figure 3A is a side sectional view of the handle that retains the tool bits, but with a drill bit retained therein, taken along lines 3-3 of Figure 2; and Figure 3B is a side sectional view of the handle retaining the tool bits, with a drill extending therefrom, in accordance with the features of the present invention, - Figure 4 is a perspective view of another modality of a hand tool, according to the present invention; and Figure 5 is a side section view of the handle holding tool bits, but with a bit retainer placed therein, taken along lines 5-5 of Figure 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides for the storage of drill bits or tool tips in a tool handle. Tool bits are held in grooves or channels that form in the handle. These grooves comprise resilient material so that the bits can be intuited by press-fitting the tools into the grooves and then held in place by friction or resilience of the material, or both. In addition, a means is provided that allows quick removal of the slots from the slots. With reference to Figure 1, an exemplary embodiment of the proposed invention is shown schematically together with a manually driven tool, generally denoted by the number 10. The tool comprises a handle 14, a rod 18 having an end 19 embedded in the handle , and a second end 20 with the rod adapted to receive the bit 26 of a tool via a bit retaining means 22. Although the retention means 22 is not part of the present invention, it is sufficient to say that any means of retention-li is suitable to maintain a drill formed in a complementary manner. An exemplary holding means includes, but is not limited to a ball-retainer configuration, a mandrel, a ratchet screwdriver head and a male-female receptacle configuration. Collinear with the longitudinal axis cc of the handle 14 is a means for retaining the bits 26. The retaining means 28 has grooved regions that extend along the longitudinal axis of the handle. The drills are generally of cylindrical configuration, with a double head, with diameters varying between 1.5 and 13 mm (1/16 to 1/2 inch). Figure 2 provides a detail of an exemplary bit retainer means. As shown in Figure 2, the bit retention means includes a longitudinally extending channel 30 adapted to receive a drill bit (not shown). The walls 36 of the channel extend inwardly in a radial direction and end in the floor 31 of the channel. Opposite edges 32 of the channel 30 define reversibly deformable projections 34 directed inwardly, adapted to frictionally couple a drill in a pressure placing interaction resulting in channels receiving and retaining the bits. The projections exist substantially along the edges 32 of the channel 30. The retaining means 28 further provides a means for removing a drill placed in the channel. The removal means includes a region 38 of the floor 31 that forms a depression, wherein the depression is directed inwardly and adapted to receive a finger extending therein. Figure 3A is a side view of the channel, taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2. As shown there, when a drill 26 is retained in the channel, the depression 38 and the drill 26 define a space 40. Figure 3B shows the space that is used before the application of digital pressure 42 to a proximal portion of the bit so as to facilitate the rotating placement of the bit 26 along a fulcrum point 42 for easy removal of the bit. The fulcrum point 42 is defined at an inward, medial deviation point of the channel floor 31, whereby the deviation is towards the longitudinal axis of the handle. To facilitate access to the drill bit, the opposite edges 32 of one end of the channel 30 diverge laterally to define an opening 29. The opening 29 is adapted to receive a human finger or some other means to apply pressure to the wedge bit and in a the direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bit so that it causes the bit to rotate about fulcrum point 42 and outwards, as shown in FIG. 3B. Although a plurality of bits of different size and diameter can be used and stored by the bit retention means, a preferred configuration is shown in FIG. 3B where the depth d of the channel 30 is such that the surface of a drill bit does not protrude above the channel opening. In other words, the longitudinally extending surface of the bit does not remain intermediate to the opposite lips of the channel. Otherwise, it could result in discomfort during the manual operation of the handle. In addition, a countersunk drill minimizes the possibility of binding a drill in clothes or other structures and the possible eviction of the drill. As shown in figure 1, they can be molded integrally a plurality of channels to the handle, and can be positioned circumferentially around the handle. As shown in Figure 4, which is a modification of Figure 1, the bit retention channels can be of different lengths so that the same tool handle 15 can be used with bits that serve very different functions, or they can be manufactured by different manufacturers; the handle 10 is shown as consisting of a short channel 44, a channel of intermediate length 47 and a long channel 50. Specifically, one or more channels of length 20 may be made such that they accommodate commercially available four-in-one drill holders. This is shown in Figure 5, which is a modification of Figure 3A, insofar as it shows a side view of the channel 50 where a four-in-one drill stand 54 is placed. The drill stand 54 typically comprises a sleeve 58 of exagonal cross section designed "-wfr ** -» "" sat-- - ¡? == - - > ^. '* - .. ^, «,.,, t,? A» & .. »" to accommodate two bits double head 60 and 61. The sleeve 58, and the drill bits 60 and 61 each can be provided with a ball retainer mechanism 64. In Figure 5 a variant of the arrangement is shown wherein a plurality of drill bits or supports of drill bit are engaged in channel 50. In such scenarios, a plurality of finger access opening 29 is also provided as illustrated in Figure 4. Opposite lips 34 of the channel are molded integrally with the handle. Many different materials are used to make the handle: One outstanding characteristic of the material is that it is reversibly deformable in order to facilitate the friction positioning of the bit in the channel, as such rigid, semi-rigid or even pliable materials can be used for handling of material, to the extent that the handle can be used to impart force tational to the end 20 of the bar. In reality, a portion of the handle defining the channels 30 can be removably attached to either the bar 18 or another portion of the tool fixed to the bar. As indicated above, a salient feature of the invention is to provide simultaneous viewing of all bits without first manipulating the holding means. This provision is particularly advantageous when working with 2-head bits, each bit with a different configuration. Although in the invention it has been described in the foregoing with reference to the details of the illustrated embodiment, it is not intended that these details limit the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, although Figure 1 shows the invention in use with a screwdriver type tool, other tool handles can also be modified. In such a manner, the handles attached to a saw blade, a hand bar, a drill, a ratchet tool or other similar devices can be configured to the bit retention configuration of the invention.

Claims (20)

1. A handle for storing bits, characterized in that it comprises: a) a surface of the handle defining a channel adapted to retain the bit, - b) a fulcrum point within the channel; and c) means for rotating the bit around the fulcrum point.

The handle as described in claim 1, wherein the first end of the drill distal to the fulcrum protrudes radially from the handle before the rotation of the drill.

The handle as described in claim 1, wherein the entire drill is visible within the channel.

4. The handle as described in claim 1, wherein the channel is adapted to frictionally receive the drill.

The handle as described in claim 1, wherein the channel is adapted to receive the bit so that the bit lies below the surface of the handle.

The handle as described in claim 1, wherein a plurality of channels are arranged circumferentially around the handle.

The handle as described in claim 1, wherein a plurality of channels are arranged symmetrically around the handle.

The handle as described in claim 1, wherein the handle comprises a resilient material and wherein the drill is held in the channel by the resilience of the material.

The handle as described in claim 1, wherein the handle, channel and fulcrum point are integrally molded.

The handle as described in claim 1, wherein the drill has a predetermined length and wherein the drill is held in the channel with all of its visible length.

11. A tool for storing bits wherein each drill has a longitudinal axis, comprising: a) a handle with a longitudinal axis; b) a surface of the handle defines a plurality of channels adapted to retain the bits so that the longitudinal axes of the retained bits are collinear with the longitudinal axis of the handle, - c) a fulcrum point within each of the channels, and d) a means for rotating each of the drill bits around the fulcrum point so that, before rotation, the drill bits extend radially from the longitudinal axis of the handle.

The tool as described in claim 11, wherein the channels are integrally molded to the handle.

The tool as described in claim 11, wherein each drill is completely visible within the channel.

14. The tool as described in claim 11, wherein each of the channels defines a pair of reversibly deformable, opposing surfaces adapted to frictionally couple the drill. The tool as described in claim 11, wherein each of the channels is adapted to retain the bit so that the bits are below the surface of the handle. The tool as described in claim 11, wherein the handle, the channels and the fulcrum point are integrally molded. The tool as described in claim 11, wherein the channels are arranged symmetrically around the handle. The tool as described in claim 11, wherein the channels are positioned circumferentially around the handle. The tool as described in claim 11, wherein each of the channels defines a pair of opposed resilient surfaces adapted to engage the drill by means of resilience. The tool as described in claim 11, wherein the bits have a predetermined length and wherein the bits are maintained in the channels with their entire length visible. . X.