Multifunctional holder for handheld power tool bits

Abstract

A multifunctional holder for power tool bits has a belt with a buckle or equivalent which has one or more bit carriers attached to the belt. Bits can be snapped or slid or otherwise moved on and off the bit carriers. The holder's belt is wrapped around the battery pack, if the power tool has one, or else the base of the handle, and tightened by use of the buckle to hold it in place. The bit holder of the invention is useful for power tool users who need multiple bits to perform jobs, particularly when they cannot keep containers of bits nearby while working.

Description

PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of the priority of provisional application 60/811,244, filed Jun. 6, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Handheld power tools are ubiquitous in modern life, both in work environments and in the home. The handheld drill—originally corded, now usually cordless—has become a common platform not only for drilling, but for driving screws, nuts and other fasteners, and for other tasks based on rotary motion of a tool, such as a grinder or small sander.

As a result, power drill users typically have many dozens of drill-compatible tools. These will all be called “bits” herein, as a general term of reference for all the types of device that can be driven by a power drill. Bits are not just various sizes or types of drill bits, but include nutdriver bits, screwdriver bits, and various sanding and abrading tips as well. In general, any small rotary tool used in a drive is potentially a type of bit which may be used. Many jobs require more than one bit. In construction or installation, workers may need a dozen or more bits of various types to complete an assignment, and it is often not practical to return to the toolbox for every bit exchange.

Users often carry bits in their pockets, or have a collection of bits at hand where they are currently working. This leads to frequent loss of bits; to having to search in pockets for bits, or on the floor; and the need for multiple bits can be a source of irritation. Some drills or similar devices have one or two slips to hold bits, but that is the limit in current manufacturing. Even the one or two slots sometimes provided are generally limited in the length of bit that can be carried, and in the diameter of bit that can be carried.

Other current solutions include small cases that have carriers for dozens of bits, or more; and tool belts with multiple small pockets for small parts such as bits. But these lack the quick-change ability provided on some drills by clips into which one or two small bits can be loaded. There is clearly a need for improvement in the management of bits in performing complex projects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A universal multibit holder had been invented which can organize the many bits required for a task, and associate them with a portable drill or other portable bit-driving mechanism. The multibit holder comprises a belt or strap which can be tightened to hold on to a convenient portion of the bit-driver, in particular to a battery pack, or to the bottom of a handle when there is no battery pack. The belt will have a spring clamp or other easily closed mechanism for securing and releasing the belt.

Bit carriers are secured to the belt, preferably reversibly. There is at least one bit carrier per belt, and there may be several. Several types of bit carrier can be used at a time, which can be the same as each other, or may be of any of several types. Bit carriers can act via snap-in clips, elastic loops, or vertical pockets, as preferred types of bit carrier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the bit holder having a belt, a buckle, and clip-in type bit carriers. FIGS. 2-4 show additional detail related to FIG. 1. FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment with a second type of bit carrier.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The multifunctional bit holder of the invention has three basic components: a belt, a buckle, and one or more bit carriers. In a first embodiment, shown in FIG. 1, the holder comprises a belt 10, a buckle 20, and three bit carriers 30.

The belt 10 can be made of any material having sufficient tensile strength and sufficient flexibility to be tightenable onto a drill, especially onto the battery pack of a drill, as shown in FIG. 4. The battery pack is a preferred target as a place on a drill to carry bits in a holder, because it is typically not in a position where bits attached to it will interfere with work. A preferred material for the belt is rubber; other materials suitable for use include materials that are somewhat elastic, for example some knit materials and non-rubber elastomers, and that have a non-slip surface adjacent to the battery pack. Where there is no battery pack, the distal end of the handle of the drill will typically be optimal for providing a place to attache the belt that minimizes interference with work. The buckle 20 will typically be a conventional item, such as the clamshell style gripper illustrated (see also FIG. 3). Any type of buckle-like device that allows the length of the belt contracting the battery pack to be adjusted and an adjustable amount of tension to be applied to the belt, so that it will stay in place, is suitable. Other types can include, without limitation, tongue type holders with holes in the belt, as in a conventional clothing belt; weave-through connectors, such as types found on backpacks and the like; hook and loop closures such as Velcro™; snap or button type closures; or any of the many other types of closures found in the marketplace.

A first type of bit carrier 30, shown in more detail in FIG. 2, has a slot 31 which the belt 10 will fit through (FIG. 2), and one or more bit retainers 32 for bits 50. The back side 40 of the bit holder slot 31, which is between the belt 10 and the surface 25 of the drill, will typically be rubber coated, or otherwise have an anti-slip coating.

In FIG. 1, the bit carriers 30 are illustrated as being clip-type, so that a bit 50 snaps into the bit retainer 32, or is snapped out of it. The bit holder 30 and retainer 32 may be metal, or may be an injection molded or otherwise formed piece of resilient plastic material. Any common clip-type arrangement is suitable for the retainer slots 32. Typically, resilient materials such as plastic or metal surrounds the bit by somewhat more than 180 degrees, so that the bit 50 can be snapped in and out of the retainer 32.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, which are perspective and cross section views of a second type of bit holder, the bit holder 36 is made of a flexible, somewhat elastic fabric 63. The fabric is sewn or otherwise fastened (for example, using staples, rivets, glue, hot-melt adhesive, and other conventional fasteners) to provide several loops 55, in which loops of the fabric 63 are connected to an intermediate piece of fabric 65. Each loop is sized to retain a particular diameter of bit when the bit is inserted into the loop, and the bit is retained by friction. The fabric 63 can also serve the function of retaining the bit holder 30 in place on the belt 10, via a separate loop 67, which creates a slot 37 through which the belt passes. The fabric 63 may be continuous or may be more than one piece. Moreover, the loop 67 and/or the intermediate piece 65 need not be made of the same fabric as the rest of the carrier 36. Alternatively (not illustrated), a set of fabric loops can be affixed to a rubbery backing, serving the same function as intermediate fabric piece 65, to provide, together with an inner loop 67, made of any suitable material, a slot 37 through which the belt 10 can pass.

The two types of bit carriers shown, 36 (FIG. 6) and 30 (FIG. 1), can be mixed on one belt. Each bit carrier can have more or fewer than the three slots (retainer 32 or loop 55) illustrated. Other types of simple bit carriers may also be used in the system, including carriers having loops like fabric loops 55, or snap-in slots like retainer 32, oriented more or less vertically in the framework of FIG. 4, and preferably having bottoms.

It is anticipated that the devices will be sold in packages comprising a belt with a buckle, and several bit carriers, which may be general purpose, or specialized for various types of bits. Individual carriers and replacement belts may also be provided. In large volumes for particular applications, it is also possible to permanently affix the bit carriers to the belt, to provide standardization for particular job types, or for the needs of an organization.

While the invention has been described in terms of certain embodiments, the scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but only by the claims.

Claims

1. A holder for handheld power tool bits, the holder comprising a belt, a buckle, and at least one bit carrier, the bit carrier having a loop through which the belt passes, wherein the holder is of a size and length suitable for being retained on one of the battery pack of a handheld power tool, and the most distal portion of its handle.

2. The holder of claim 1, wherein the bit carrier retain the bits in the carrier by a clip mechanism.

3. The holder of claim 1, wherein the bit carrier retain the bits in the carrier by an elastic loop mechanism.

4. The holder of claim 1, wherein the bit carrier retain the bits in the carrier by a generally vertical pocket mechanism.

5. The holder of claim 1, wherein there are more than one bit carriers on the belt.

6. The holder of claim 1, wherein the at least one bit carrier can be removed from and replaced onto the belt.

7. The holder of claim 5, wherein there are two or more types of bit carriers on the belt.

8. The holder of claim 1, where more than one type of bit is carried by the belt and its associated bit carriers.

9. The holder of claim 8 wherein the bit types are selected from drill bits, nutdriver bits, screwdriver bits, and bits having abrasive action.

10. The holder of claim 1 wherein the bit carriers are capable of carrying bits having differing diameters.

11. A method for carrying more than two bits on a hand-held power tool, the method consisting of:

providing a belt having a buckle;

providing at least one bit carrier;

providing the bit carrier with least one slot which will retain the carrier on the belt;

affixing the belt provided with the at least one bit carrier to a power tool; and loading one or more bits into the one or more carriers of the holder so that the bits are associated with the power tool during its use.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one bit is loaded into the at least one bit carrier before the belt is affixed to the power tool.

13. The method co claim 11 wherein at least one bit is loaded into the at least one bit carrier after the belt is affixed to the power tool.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the belt is affixed to the power tool by tightening the belt around the power tool and holding it with the buckle.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the belt is placed around the battery pack of a power tool.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein more than one type of bit carrier is associated with a belt.

17. The method of claim 11, where more than one type of bit is carried by the belt and its associated bit carriers.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the bit types are selected from drill bits, nutdriver bits, screwdriver bits, and bits having abrasive action.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more bit carriers are permanently attached to the belt.

20. The holder of claim 11 wherein the one or more bit carriers are permanently attached to the belt.