Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CAP79238 Docunnent#; 653129
TOOL-BIT MA-GAZTNE FOIt HAND TOOL
Field of Invention
This invention relates to screwdrivers and other hand tools which may have
replaceable tool-bits.
Descrirtion of Prior art
A large variety of fastening screws of various sizes, with different head
types,
e.g. slotted, Phillips, and Posidriv, axe in use nowadays. These require a
corresponding
variety of screwdrivers or screwdriver bits. Bits may be selected from a
storage unit and
transferred to the chuck of a hand tool such as a cordless motorized
screwdriver_ The
user has to remember to return the bits to the storage unit. It is
inconvenient to use a
succession of different bits at a location remote from the storage un.iit.
There are a large inumber of multi-bit screwdrivers on the market. Many of
these
store the bits loosely in a compartment in the handle, in which the bits may
rattle
noisily_ In order to locate a particular bit it is usually necessary to
removal all the bits
from the compartrnent and to sort through them. Othex multi-bit screwdrivers
have the
bits attached releasably to the front of the handle, in which case they are
easily
dislodged inadvertently.
SU1v1MAFtY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a tool-bit magazine for a hand tool, having a
body and a sleeve which are relatively rotatable to a position in which an
aperture in the
sleeve is in register with a recess in the body and thereby petmits a tool-bit
to be
removed from or inserted into that recess.
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According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a hand tool
comprising:
a handle;
a shaft extending from a front end of the handle;
a front end portion of the shaft being adapted to mount a replaceable tool-
bit; and
a tool-bit magazine mounted on a rear end portion of the shaft, the magazine
comprising:
a body which is separate from the handle and through which the shaft extends,
the body having a plurality of elongate recesses for accommodating respective
tool-bits, the elongate recesses being spaced around the longitudinal axis of
the
shaft and extending generally in an axial direction, the elongate recesses
being'
open at a periphery of the body, a rear end portion of the body having a
peripheral
recess which is open toward the handle, and
a sleeve which is mounted on the body and extends into the peripheral recess,
the sleeve surrounding the rear end portion of the body and overlapping the
elongate recesses so as to prevent escape of the tool-bits from the elongate
recesses while leaving the tool-bits partly visible at front end portions of
the
elongate recesses remote from the handle, the sleeve having an aperture open
at a
periphery and at a front end of the sleeve remote from the handle, the sleeve
being
rotatable relative to the body to a position in which the aperture in the
sleeve is in
register with one of the elongate recesses and thereby permits a tool-bit to
be
selectively removed from and inserted into that recess in a direction
transverse to
the axial direction.
According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a hand tool
comprising:
a handle;
a shaft extending from a front end of the handle, a front end portion of the
shaft being
adapted to mount a replaceable tool-bit; and
a tool-bit magazine mounted on a rear end portion of the shaft, the magazine
comprising:
a body having a plurality of elongate recesses for accommodating respective
tool-bits, the recesses being spaced around the longitudinal axis of the shaft
and
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extending generally in an axial direction, the recesses being open at the
periphery
of a body;
a sleeve which is mounted on the body, the sleeve surrounding a rear end
portion
of the body so as to prevent escape of the tool-bits from the recesses, while
leaving the tool-bits partly visible at front end portions of the recesses the
sleeve
having an aperture open at a periphery and at a front end of the sleeve, the
sleeve
being rotatable relative to the body to a position in which the aperture in
the
sleeve is in register with one of the recesses and thereby permits a tool-bit
to be
selectively removed from and inserted into that recess in a direction
transverse to
the axial direction; and
a spring-loaded element mounted on the body and cooperating with a
circumferential series of notches in the sleeve to locate the sleeve in
respective
positions in which the aperture is in register with respective recesses.
According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a hand tool
comprising:
a handle having a solid core;
a shaft extending from a front end of the handle, a front end portion of the
shaft being
adapted to mount a replaceable tool-bit; and
a tool-bit magazine mounted on a rear end portion of the shaft, the magazine
comprising:
a body which is separate from the handle and through which the shaft extends,
the body having a plurality of elongate recesses for accommodating respective
tool-bits, the elongate recesses being spaced around the longitudinal axis of
the
shaft and extending generally in an axial direction, the elongate recesses
being
open at a periphery of the body, a rear end portion of the body having a
peripheral
recess which is open toward the handle; and
a sleeve which is mounted on the body and extends into the peripheral recess,
the sleeve surrounding the rear end portion of the body and overlapping the
elongate recesses so as to prevent escape of the tool-bits from the elongate
recesses while leaving the tool-bits partly visible at front end portions of
the
elongate recesses remote from the handle, the sleeve having an aperture open
at a
periphery and a front end of the sleeve remote from the handle, the sleeve
being
rotatable relative to the body to a position in which the aperture in the
sleeve is in
register with one of the elongate recesses and thereby permits a tool-bit to
be
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selectively removed from and inserted into that recess in a direction
transverse to
the axial direction.
According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a hand tool
comprising:
a handle;
a shaft extending from a front end of the handle, a front end portion of the
shaft being
adapted to mount a replaceable tool-bit; and
a tool-bit magazine mounted on a rear end portion of the shaft, the magazine
comprising:
a body which is separate from the handle and through which the shaft extends,
the body having a plurality of elongate recesses for accommodating respective
tool-bits, the elongate recesses being spaced around the longitudinal axis of
the
shaft and extending generally in an axial direction, the elongate recesses
being
open at a periphery of the body, a rear end portion of the body having a
peripheral
recess which is open toward the handle; and
a sleeve which is mounted on the body and extends into the peripheral recess,
the sleeve surrounding the rear end portion of the body and overlapping the
elongate recesses so as to prevent escape of the tool-bits from elongate
recesses
so as to prevent escape of the tool-bits from the elongate recesses while
leaving
the tool-bits partly visible at front end portions of the elongate recesses
remote
from the handle, the sleeve having an aperture open at a periphery and at a
front
end of the sleeve remote from the handle, the sleeve being rotatable relative
to the
body to a position in which the aperture in the sleeve is in register with one
of the
elongate recesses and thereby permits a tool-bit to be selectively removed
from
and inserted into that recess in a direction transverse to the axial
direction,
wherein each of the elongate recesses include at least one resiliently
deformable
member, said member being deformed by the tool-bit when inserted into the
elongate recess, thereby to prevent rattling of the tool bit.
According to still another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
hand
tool comprising:
a handle having a solid core;
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a shaft connected with said handle and having a front end adapted to mount a
replaceable tool-bit;
a plurality of tool bits; and
a magazine having a plurality of recesses that carry said plurality of said
tool-bits, said
magazine being separate from the handle and being rotatable relative to the
handle to a
tool-bit releasing position to enable a selected one of said tool-bits carried
thereby to be
released therefrom.
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BRTEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side: view of a multi-bit screwdriver incorporatittg a tool-bit
magazine;
Figures 2a and 2b are axial sections through the magazine;
Figure 3 is a cross-section through the magazine;
Figure 4 is a sidE: view of a preferred embodiment of the screwdriver;
Figure 5 is an axial section through the screwdriver of Figure 4; and
Figure 6 is a cross-section tbtough a ratchet mechanism in the screwdriver of
Figure 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The screwdriver has a steel bar or shaft 1 which extends from one end of a
composite plastics handle 2 having a hard polypropylene core. The bar is press
formed
with two longitudinal ribs (not visilble) which retain the shaft 1 in the
handle after the
shaft has been, pressed into the handle. The distal end of the shaft has a
hexagonal
recess 3 for receiving tkie hexagotaal stub of a conventional tool-bit. A
permanent
magnet 4 is fixed in the base of the hexagonal recess 3 in order to retain the
bit in use.
A tool-bit magazine 6 is mounted on the proxitnal end of the shaft 1. It has a
body 7 with peripheral elongate recesses 8 for accommodating tool bits 9, one
of which
is visible in Figure 1. 7"he recesses 8 are spaced around the common axis 11
of the shaft
1 and the body 7 and they extend generaIly in the axial direction.
The body 7 has an axial bore 12 which is a sliding fxt on the shaft 1. A
radially
inwardly projecting poaton 13 of the body 7 engages in a circumferential
groove 14
machined in the shaft 1, in order to retain the body 7 on the shaft 1. A bevel
13a on the
inside edge of the proje:cting portion 13 allows the body 7 to be pushed on to
the shaft 1.
The rear end surface 16 of the body abuts against the front end surface 17 of
the handle.
The front end of each recess 8 is defined by a wall surface 8a sloping
outwards away
from the other end, which is open and wkuich is covered by the front end
surface 17 of
the handle.
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A sleeve 18 prevents escape of the bits 9 from the recesses 8. The sleeve 18
is
mounted in a circumferential recess 19 in the body 7 so as to be rotatable to
respective
positions in which an aperture constituted by an open-ended slot 21 in the
sleeve 18 is in
register with a respective one of the recesses 8, thereby permitting a bit 9
to be inserted
into that recess or removed from that recess (by allowing it to fall out under
gravity)_
Si ce both the body 7 and the sleeve 18 are rotatable relative to the rest of
the tool, it is
necessary to hold one of'them with one band while the other hand rotates the
other of
them. For facilitate this, the body 7 and the sleeve 18 are provided with
external ribs 7a
and 18a respectively. Since the whole magazine 6 is rotatable, the shaft I can
be guided
finnly by one hand while the other baand rotates the handle 2, without any
risk of the
sleeve 18 being tuQned independently of the body 7 and inadvertently fireeing-
the bits
during use of the screwdriver.
As can be seen fiom Figure 1 particularly, the sleeve 18 only covers about
half
of the length of the recesses 8, with the result that the front ends of the
bits 9 are visible
so that they can be easily identified and selected. The rear end of the bit 9
rests against
the front end surface 17 of the handle 2 and its tip rests against the sloping
surface 8a.
Rattling of the bits 9 in the recess 8 is prevented by flaAges 22 which are
foma,ed integral
with the body 7 and which are resiliently deformed by the bits 9 so that the
bits are
retained between the flanges 22 and the sleeve 18. As shown in Figure 3, the
hexagonal
stub of the bit 9 is able to adopt dif#erent angular positions, two of which
are indicated
in solid Iine and chain line respectively.
In order to enable the sleeve 18 to be indexed and located in the respective
positions in which the slot 21 registers with the respective recesses 8, a
spring loaded
ball 23 mounted in a radial bore in the body 7 cooperates with a
circumferential series of
part-spherical notches 24 in the sleseve 18.
Various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For
example, a reversible ratchet mechanism for transmitting rotation from the
handle 2 to
the shaft 1 may be interposed between the magazine 6 and the handle 2.
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Figures 4 to 6 show a prefeired embodiment of the screwdriver, in which parts
similar to those described above are given the same reference numerals. The
screwdriver has a tool-bit nniagazine 6 with a body 7 having recesses 8
accommodating
tool bits 9. The body 7 has an axial bore which is a sliding fit on the shaft
1. A portion
13 of the body 7 engages in a circumferential groove 14 machined in the shafft
1. A
sleeve 18 is mounted in a circumferential rccess 19 in the body 7 so as to be
rotatable to
respective positions in which a slot 21 is in register with a respective
recess 8, to perniit
insertion or removal of a bit 9. A spring loaded bal123 mounted on the body 7
engages
in a circumferential series of notches in the sleeve I S.
The screwdriver shown in Figures 4 to 6 also has a ratchet mechanism 51
between the magazine 6 and the handle 2. The ratchet mechanism has a body 62
with a
bore 56 receiving the shaft I which is formed with a spur gear 57 engageable
by pawls
58a and 58b which are tiltable about axes parallel to the shaft axis 11. A
control sleeve
64 is linked to a control member 66 carrying a leaf spring 76 with legs 76a
and 76b
which bear on the pawls 58a and 58b respectively. The control sleeve 64 is
movable
clockwise and anticlockwise from the intermediate position shown in Figure 6,
in which
both pawls 58a and 58b and engaged with the gear 57, to respective ratcheting
positions
in which only one or the other of the pawis is engaged with the gear 57_
'I'he rear end surface 16 of the magazine body 7 abuts against the front
surface of
the body 62, against which the rear ends of the bits 9 rest. The tips of the
bits 9 rest
against sloping front end surfaces 8a of the recesses 8.
The ratchet mechanism 51 is described in more de'tail in our published U.K.
Patent Application No. 2340199 entitled "Ratchet Mechanism " filed 3 August
1998 and
published 16 February 2000,
