Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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UNIVERSAL QUICK CONNECT SYSTEM FOR A HOLE SAW
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to tools. More particularly, the
present invention relates to a universal quick connect system for a hole saw.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hole saws are well known in the art and are generally used to assist a user
in cutting a hole in a construction material such as wood or metal. In
general, two types
of hole saws are known. One is known as a carbon hole saw which is formed of
carbon
steel and generally used to cut a hole in a softer construction material such
as wood. The
other type of hole saw is known as a bi-metal hole saw which is generally
manufactured
as a combination of a carbon steel body and high speed steel teeth and used to
cut a
hole in a construction material such as metal.
Hole saws are connected to a drill via a hole saw mounting apparatus with
many variations in construction ranging from rudimentary mechanisms well known
in the
art to more recent mechanisms newer in the art.
With some conventional hole saws, the hole saw, mandrel and drill bit are
manufactured and assembled as a complete system. When a user wishes to cut a
hole
using this type of conventional hole saw, the user simply mounts the system on
to the drill
and proceeds to cut their hole. When the user wishes to cut another sized
hole, the user
is then required to disengage the entire hole saw system from the drill and
then replace it
with another hole saw on, and re-engage the entire hole saw system. This is
quite time
consuming and may contribute to the delay of the completion of a project.
In some other conventional hole saws, the hole saws include quick
connect means so that the hole saw may be quickly disengaged from the drill
after use.
However, in these hole saws, quick connect means, although quicker than
previously
mentioned hole saws have shortcomings to their quickness. For example, one
hole saw
with such quick connect mean includes the drill bit mounted directly into the
quick connect
means thereby requiring the user to initially install the drill bit into the
quick connect
means, align the drill bit through the mandrel and into the hole saw and
locking with the
quick connect in preparation for use. This requires steps that are time
consuming and
require particular visual alignment. Furthermore, the assemble results in a
drill bit with
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more than desired play to pilot the hole saw cutting operation. An example of
such a system is schematically shown in Figure 1.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a universal quick connect system for a
hole saw which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one
disadvantage of previous hole saw mounting apparatus.
In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a quick connect
mechanism
for mounting a hole saw to a tool comprising a hole saw; a mandrel having a
first end for
mounting to the hole saw and a second end for mounting to the tool; and a
drill bit,
assembled within the mandrel such that when the mandrel is connected to the
hole saw, the
drill bit being concentrically centred within the hole saw; a holder, mounted
to the tool, for
receiving the second end of the mandrel; wherein the second end of the mandrel
includes
quick connect means for easily mounting the mandrel to and releasing the
mandrel from the
holder.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a quick connect system
for mounting a hole saw to a tool comprising a housing including a plurality
of docking
stations for housing multiple hole saw and mandrel combinations; the hole saw
and mandrel
combinations including a hole saw; a mandrel having a first end for mounting
to the hole saw
and a second end for mounting to the tool; and a drill bit, assembled within
the mandrel such
that when the mandrel is connected to the hole saw, the drill bit being
concentrically centred
within the hole saw; and a holder, mounted to the tool, for receiving the
second end of the
mandrel wherein the second end of the mandrel includes quick connect means for
easily
mounting the mandrel to and releasing the mandrel from the holder.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a mechanism for mounting
a hole
saw to a tool comprising a hole saw; a mandrel having a first end for mounting
to said hole
saw-and a second end; a drill bit, assembled within said mandrel such that
when said
mandrel is connected to said hole saw, said drill bit being concentrically
centered within said
hole saw; and a holder, mounted to said tool, for receiving said second end of
said mandrel;
a quick connect apparatus for quick release of the mandrel from the holder;
wherein the
quick connect apparatus allows for easy mounting of said mandrel to and
releasing of said
mandrel from said holder; and wherein said mandrel
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further includes a circumferential locator, located within the mandrel, for
locating said
mandrel within said holder when connected and securing means for securing said
drill bit
in place.
In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a quick connect
system comprising a quick connect holder having one end for mounting to the
tool; a
storage case including a plurality of docking stations for housing multiple
hole saw and
mandrel combinations; said hole saw and mandrel combinations including at
least two of
the following: a hole saw; a mandrel having a first end for mounting to said
hole saw and
a second end for mounting to said quick connect holder; and a drill bit,
assembled within
said mandrel such that when said mandrel is connected to said hole saw, said
drill bit
being concentrically centered within said hole saw; and each of said docking
stations
including a post for receiving said drill bit to allow for convection cooling
for said hole
saw and mandrel combination.
As is understood, the manufacture of hole saws are guided by industry
standards so that a universal quick connect system may be of great advantage
in the
field of hole saws. By providing a universal quick connect system, a user is
able to
select mate any conventional hole saw with any tool without having to rely on
unique
hole saw apparatus for specific holes saws and tools .
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent
to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following
description of specific
embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example
only,
with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a prior art hole saw and hole saw adapter
system;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a universal quick connect system for a
hole
saw;
Figure 3a is a cut away view of a first embodiment of a universal quick
connect system in a release position;
Figure 3b is a cut away view of the embodiment of Figure 3a in a locked
position;
Figure 4 is a cut away view of a mandrel;
Figure 5a is a front view of a saw plate;
Figure 5b is a view taken along line 5b-5b of Figure 5a;
Figure 6a is a cut away view of a second embodiment of a universal quick
connect system in a release position;
Figure 6b is a cut away view of the embodiment of Figure 6a in a locked
position;
Figure 6c is an exploded view of the embodiment of Figure 6a;
Figure 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a hole saw and
mandrel portion of a universal quick connect system;
Figure 7a is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 7 in use;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of yet a further embodiment of a hole saw
and mandrel portion of a universal quick connect system;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of a plurality of hole saw and mandrel
portions stored in a docking station;
Figure 10 is a cut away side view of the docking station; and
Figure 11 is an exploded view of a portion of the quick connect system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Generally, the present invention provides apparatus for a universal quick
connect system for a hole saw.
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Turning to Figure 2, a perspective exploded view of a universal quick
connect system for use with a bi-metal hole saw is shown. The universal quick
connect
system 10 comprises a mandrel 12 (which is connected to a (partially cut away)
hole saw
14) and a holder 16. The hole saw 14 includes a base end 18 for receiving the
mandrel
12 and a cutting end 20 which comprises a set of cutting teeth 22. As shown,
the base
end 18 of the hole saw 14 comprises a central hole 24 for receiving the
mandrel 12 and a
pair of radially opposed holes 26 adjacent the central hole 24. The central
hole 24
generally includes threaded means for mating with the mandrel 12 although
other
methods of mating the mandrel 12 with the hole saw 14 are contemplated.
The mandrel 12 comprises a hole saw end 36 which is mounted to the hole
saw 14. The hole saw end 36 preferably comprises the threaded portion 35 which
is
complementary to threaded means (not shown) in the central hole 24 of the hole
saw 14.
The mandrel also comprises a holder end 38 which mates with the holder 16.
The universal quick connect system 10 preferably comprises a plate 28,
such as a saw plate or a washer located around the mandrel 12 and the base end
18 of
the hole saw 14. In this embodiment, the plate 28 is a saw plate 30 including
tangs 32
which are used to assist in driving the hole saw 14 by providing a further
driving force as
the hole saw is cutting a hole. The plate 28 may also serve to provide a means
to
prevent the holder 16 from disengaging from the mandrel 12 while the hole saw
14 is in
operation. The saw plate 30 includes a hole 34, allowing a threaded portion 35
of the
mandrel 12 to pass therethrough to mate with the hole saw so that the plate 30
abuts the
hole saw 14 around while located around the mandrel 12. In order to mount the
saw
plate 30 to the hole saw 14, the tangs 32 of the plate 30 are inserted into
the radially
opposed holes 26, or notches on the surface of the hole saw depending on the
size of the
hole saw. The saw plate 30 is more clearly shown in Figures 5a and 5b.
The holder 16 comprises a tool end 40 which comprises means 41 for
connecting the holder 16 to a tool (such as a drill) and a mandrel end 42 for
receiving the
mandrel 12. Different types of tool end connecting means 41 will be well known
to one
skilled in that art. In the present embodiment, the connecting means 41 of the
tool end 40
is easily inserted and locked into the mouth of the tool. In operation, the
tool provides the
necessary rotational power for a hole to be cut by the hole saw U. The mandrel
end 42
include means for quickly connecting and releasing the holder to and from the
mandrel
'12. Various quick connect means will be well understood by one skilled in the
art.
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In order to create an initial hole to assist the hole saw 14 in the cutting
the
hole, a drill bit 46 is inserted through a central bore 44 (as more clearly
shown in Figure
4) of the mandrel 12 and is locked in place when the holder 16 is connected to
the
mandrel 12. The drill bit 46 forms a part of the universal quick connect
system 10. The
connection between the holder 16, mandrel 12 and the drill bit 46 will be
described
herein below.
Figure 3a is a cut-away view of the universal quick connect system in a
released position while Figure 3b is a cut-away view of the universal quick
connect
system in a locked position.
The tangs 32 of the saw plate 30 are inserted into the radially opposed
holes 26 of the hole saw 14 and the mandrel 12 mounted to the hole saw 14 and
the drill
bit 46 is inserted into the central bore 44 of the mandrel 12. In order to
locate the drill bit
46 within the mandrel 12 (prior to being locked by the holder), the mandrel 12
includes a
drill bit locating means 48, seen in the present embodiment as a pair of steel
balls 50
which mate with a small groove, or indent, 52 in the drill bit 46. The holder
16 is then
quickly connected to the mandrel 12 by inserting the mandrel into the holder
16 which
locks the drill bit 46 and mandrel 12 in place for operation. Although the
holder may be
inserted into the mouth of the tool after receiving the mandrel 12, the holder
16 is
preferably attached to the tool, prior to receiving the mandrel, so that when
after the
holder 16 is quickly connected to the mandrel 12, the hole saw 14 is ready for
immediate
use (with the provision of power).
The central bore 44 for the mandrel 12 is preferably manufactured by
known means and finished by broaching which allows a tighter fit to be
provided between
the drill bit 46 and the mandrel 12 so that there is little movement of the
drill bit 46 during
operation.
As will be understood, by having the drill bit 46 form a part of the quick
connect system, the drill bit 46 is centred within the entire system which
allows the hole
saw to be more quickly and easily connected to the tool.
The quick connect means for connecting the holder 16 and the mandrel 12
are generally conventional and it will be understood that there are numerous
means for
providing quick connect means between the holder and the mandrel. However,
unlike
some conventional quick connect means, the mandrel 12 also comprises means for
locating and supporting 54 from the holder when the holder and the mandrel are
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connected. The holder 16 also comprises complementary housing 56 for receiving
one of
the means for locating and supporting 54 the mandrel.
As more clearly shown in Figure 4, one of the means for locating and
supporting 54 is located at the hole saw end 36 of the mandrel 12 while a
second means
for locating and supporting 54 is located at the holder end 38. The locating
and
supporting means 54 provide further support to the quick connect system 10 so
that there
is little movement of the hole saw during operation and to improve the
accuracy of
concentricity of the holder 16 (and therefore the hole saw 14) when the hole
saw is in
use. If play exists in the pilot bit, the hole drilled by the hole saw is
inaccurate thereby
causing the hole saw to be less accurate. By reducing or eliminating play in
the drill bit,
the hole saw experiences improved accuracy.
Turning to Figures 6a to 6c, various views of an embodiment of a universal
quick connect apparatus for mounting a hole saw to a tool, such as a drill, is
shown. The
quick connect apparatus 60 comprises a hole saw 62, a mandrel 64 having a
first,
preferably threaded, end 66 for mating with the hole saw 62 and a second end
68 for
mating with a holder 70. The holder 70 includes means for mounting 72 the
holder to the
tool. In this embodiment, the means for mounting is a hex-shaped shaft which
is shaped
to fit in a standard tool, or drill.
The first end 66 of the mandrel 64 mates with complementary threading in
a hole in the base end 74 of the hole saw 62. A cutting end 76 of the hole saw
62
includes a set of teeth (not shown) for cutting the hole. The second end 68 of
the
mandrel 64 includes a groove or detent 78.
The hole saw 62 preferably includes at least one slot 80 allowing a user to
access the inside of the hole saw to remove a slug (the material remaining
after a hole
has been cut) without having to remove the hole saw.
The holder 70 includes a mandrel receiving end 82 for receiving the
second end 68 of the mandrel 64. The mandrel 64 and the holder 70 include
complementary quick connect means so that the quick connect apparatus 60 (such
as the
hole saw and mandrel) may be easily and quickly removed from the drill when
necessary.
Various types of quick connect means are known and are contemplated for
providing the
mating between the mandrel 64 and the holder 70. In the present embodiment,
the
holder includes a set of balls 84 which mate with the groove 78 of the second
end 68 to
lock the mandrel 64 in place so that the hole saw 62 is connected to the
drill.
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The mandrel 64 includes a central bore, allowing for a drill, or pilot, bit,
86
to be inserted therethrough and be concentrically spaced within the mandrel
64. In this
embodiment, the drill bit 86 is locked in place by a set screw 88 which is
manually rotated
into place by a user. This allows the drill bit 86 to be easily replaced when
necessary.
The use of the set screw reduces or eliminates the amount of play experienced
by the
drill bit 86 when the hole saw 62 is in use since the drill bit 86 is
preassembled and
centred within the mandrel prior to being mounted to the drill. When the
mandrel 64 is
mounted to the hole saw 62, the drill bit 86 protrudes through the hole saw 62
and is also
concentrically located within the hole saw 62. By including the drill bit 86
as part of the
quick connect system, there is less time required to mount the hole saw 62 to
the tool and
the drill bit is pre-centred within the overall system rather than requiring
the user to centre
the drill bit within the quick connect system as described above with respect
to Figure 1.
A plate 90 is preferably located between the mandrel 64 and the hole saw
62, the plate 90 having a pair of tangs 92 for mating with holes in the hole
saw 62. As
described above, the plate 90 is used to provide further assistance in driving
the hole saw
62 during operation and to assist in preventing accidental disengagement
between the
holder 70 and the mandrel 64 when the hole saw is in use. Depending on the
size of the
hole saw 62, the plate 90 may either be a washer or a saw plate as discussed
in more
detail below with respect to Figures 7 and 8. The diameter of the plate 90 is
preferably
larger than the diameter of the hole saw 62 to reduce the likelihood of the
holder 70
becoming inadvertently disconnected/disengaged from the quick connect
apparatus 60
during operation. This is more clearly shown in Figure 7a. As the hole is
being cut by the
hole saw, the plate 90 prevents the mandrel from entering the hole thereby
reducing or
eliminating the chance that the mandrel and holder being disengaged during
use.
A locating ring 94 is mounted around the mandrel 64 to assist in locating
the holder 70 when it is connected. The locating ring 94 preferably rests
within a
complementary housing 96 in the mandrel receiving end 82 of the holder 70.
One advantage of the current quick connect system is that, unlike hole saw
connectors in the prior art, the drill bit 86 is preassembled to the mandrel
64 and forms
part of the quick connect apparatus 60. This allows a user to quickly connect
the holder
70 to the mandrel without having to worry about centring the drill bit within
the mandrel.
There is no need to firstly insert a drill bit into the drill before carefully
centring the drill bit
within the hole saw apparatus.
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Turning to Figures 7 and 8, further embodiments of a mandrel and hole
saw combination are shown. In Figure 7, the hole saw and mandrel combination
100
comprises a small diametered hole saw 102 and a mandrel 104. A drill bit 106
is also
preassembled to the mandrel 104 and preferably locked in place by a set screw
(not
shown). In this small diametered hole saw embodiment, the plate 108 is a
washer. In
this embodiment, the washer 108 simply serves as further assistance in
preventing the
disengagement between the holder and the mandrel during use. However, it will
be
understood that the plate 108 may include tangs if so desired.
In Figure 8, the hole saw and mandrel combination 110 comprises a large
diametered hole saw 112 and a mandrel 114. Although not shown, a drill bit is
preassembled to the mandrel. Due to the diameter of the hole saw, a saw plate
116
having a pair of tangs 118 in order to provide a further torque to the hole
saw when in
use. As indicated above, a flat washer or a bevelled washer or the like may
also be used
if the extra drive force is not required.
Turning to Figure 9, a perspective view of a set of mandrel and hole saw
combinations 119 are shown stored in a container 120 including multiple
docking stations
122 (more clearly shown in Figure 10) along with a drill 124. In order to
connect one of
the mandrel and hole saw combinations 119 to the drill 124, the user is simply
required to
snap the drill 124 (having a holder 16 or 70 previously mounted thereon) down
over the
second end of the mandrel. As the mandrel is assembled with the drill bit, the
docking
station houses, or erects, the mandrel assembly in a position that permits a
wide angle
approach of the holder onto the mandrel for direct and easy connection from
the docking
station. As illustrated in the enlarged Figure 11, the angling of the hole saw
and mandrel
combination 119 allows the holder 16 to approach the mandrel at any angle to
be quickly
connected. As the drill bit is already pre-assembled, this connection process
is very quick
and easy to use. After use, the hole saw and mandrel combination 119 may
simply be
placed back into its associated the docking station and then quickly
disengaged from the
holder and, if necessary, replaced by another hole saw and mandrel
combination. As can
be seen in Figure 10, each docking station 122 includes a pole 124 with a
central
hollowed out portion 126 for receiving the drill bit.
As the hole saw and drill bit are typically both very hot after use, the space
(as indicated by arrows 125) between pole 124 and the hole saw allows for the
hole saw
to cool while resting in its docking station 122. The contact between the
pole, or post,
and the drill bit is at a less hot portion of the drill bit thereby allowing
various plastics to be
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used ion the manufacture of the docking stations. In this embodiment, the
cooling is
preferably achieved by convection cooling.
In an alternative embodiment, the poles are sized to rest within and
contacting the internal surface of the hole saw such that there is no space
between the
pole and the hole saw. The poles are manufactured from aluminium or similar
material
which will conduct heat away from hole saw. An advantage of including the
storage case
as a part of the quick connect system is that the docking stations do not
require the user
to come in contact with the hand saw and mandrel combination 119 to engage and
disengage the mandrel from the holder to avoid the user from burning their
hands on the
hot saw after operation.
In an alternative embodiment, the docking stations include means for
receiving the mandrel and hole saw alone.
Although the above-described embodiments are directed at bi-metal hole
saws, it will be understood that a universal quick connect system for carbon
hole saws is
also contemplated.
Furthermore, the mandrel may be either one or two-piece construction.
In an alternative embodiment, the drill bit may have one or more flats, or
ovaloids, to assist in providing the necessary drive to cut a hole. For
cutting applications
where accuracy is necessary, round to round mating may be used thereby
providing
multiple support sections between the mandrel and the drill bit to provide
further accuracy
of concentricity during use. As will understood by one skilled in the art, the
manufacture
of round to round mating parts is generally more accurate than the manufacture
for
hexagonal shaped parts.
The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended
to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected
to the
particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the
scope of the
invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.
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