Tool and bit holding elastic sleeve for portable drills and the like

Abstract

Tool and bit holding elastic sleeve assembly for portable drills and the like with a first sleeve made of elastic material, a second sleeve made of elastic material, an pair of straps that each attach to opposing sides of the first sleeve and are joined forming a horseshoe shape that helps secure the first and second sleeve to the drill, the second sleeve overlapping the first sleeve in an offset manner, the second sleeve attached to the first sleeve by a plurality of stitched connecting lines that are perpendicular to the edge of the sleeve, and the stitched lines being of a variety of width of spacings to hold larger diameter items and smaller diameter items.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not Applicable

DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

[0003] Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] This invention relates generally to the field of portable power tool accessories and more specifically to tool and bit holding elastic sleeve for portable drills and the like.

[0005] Portable drills are in common use today and are used in a wide variety of applications including drilling, screwing, sanding and the like. Drills require accessories such as drill bits, screw driving bits, sanding bits and the like. Much time is consumed by the drill user in locating the proper bit for the job especially when the job calls for a number of different bits for proper completion. Therefore, a means for storing and retrieving bits that is in close proximity to the drill would be helpful.

[0006] One way to hold drill bits in close proximity to a drill is to have a sleeve that can attach to the barrel or handle portion of a drill where the user can slide bits under the sleeve and can remove and replace the bits when needed. Two band type bit holders have been put forth in the past. U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,040 by Hibbard discloses a band that wraps around the barrel of a drill and can be adjusted in diameter by means of a hook and loop closure. A plurality of bit holders are attached to the band for holding a plurality of bits. U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,525 by Ector discloses a flexible band that wraps around a drill's barrel or handle.

[0007] The Hibbard patent has a deficiency in that the bit holding members do not allow for a large variety of diameters of bits to be held. Additionally, the overall design is rather complex and relatively expensive to manufacture. Finally, if the drill barrel is tapered, the Hibbard sleeve may slip off because there is no additional strap to hold the device to the back of the drill. The Ector patent is deficient in that the sleeve is not partitioned so that if a large diameter bit is placed next to a small diameter bit, the small bit will slip out. The material specified in the preferred embodiment of the Ector device is rubber. I have found that rubber is inferior to other elastic materials such as spandex or other cloth elastic material in that rubber is harder to conform to a plurality of bit sizes and is harder to sew when considering segmentation of attachment of additional support straps.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The primary object of the invention is to provide a device that removably attaches to a portable drill or the like that provides a means for holding items frequently used in association with a portable drill.

[0009] Another object of the invention is to provide a drill accessory device that holds short or long items and items of different diameters securely.

[0010] Another object of the invention is to provide a drill accessory device that can attach to a variety of sizes and shapes of drills and the like.

[0011] A further object of the invention is to provide an accessory device that can also be used in conjunction with a sawsall for holding extra saw blades.

[0012] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

[0013] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed Tool and bit holding elastic sleeve assembly for portable drills and the like comprising: a first sleeve made of elastic material, a second sleeve made of elastic material, a pair of straps that each attach to opposing sides of said first sleeve at one end and are joined at the other end forming a horseshoe shape that helps secure the first and second sleeve to the drill, said second sleeve overlapping said first sleeve in an offset manner, said second sleeve attached to said first sleeve by a plurality of stitched connecting lines that are perpendicular to the edge of the sleeves, and said stitched lines being of a variety of width of spacings to hold larger diameter items and smaller diameter items.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a side view of the invention while it is attached to a standard portable drill.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a side view of the invention attached to a sawsall

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 1 we see a side view of the present invention 100 as it is attached to a standard portable drill 50. The invention comprises a first sleeve 4 and an overlapping sleeve 2. A strap 14, 12 helps retain the sleeves 2, 4 onto the barrel 10 of the drill 50. Because the sleeves 2, 4 are made of elastic material such as spandex or other stretchable cloth or rubber, they can snuggly fit over a wide variety of standard drills and the like. The two sleeves 2, 4, are attached to each other by a plurality of stitched lines of thread that travel in a perpendicular fashion with respect to the edges of the sleeves. The segmented longitudinal sections formed by the stitching allows the user to insert or remove drill accessories such as drill bits or the like. The sections are of different widths so that a small diameter drill bit 6 can be snuggly retained by a small width section 2 and a larger section 3 can hold a larger screw driver bit 28. Even larger bits 8 can be secured under first sleeve 4 thereby sandwiching it between the sleeve 4 and the body of the drill 50. Smaller bits 9 can also be inserted under first sleeve 4, however, if the small bit 9 is placed too close to the large bit 8, it will fall out. This is the reason that the second sleeve 2 becomes so important. The stitching 40 also helps align the drill bits and prevents them from becoming askew. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the invention 100. Flexible strap members 14, 12 can be seen having hook 22 and loop 24 fastening material attached so that the strap ends may be joined snuggly. An alternate embodiment includes the possibility of a single elastic, horseshoe shaped strap that can fit over a variety of drill bodies. The edges 20, 16 of sleeves 4, 2 are reinforced to avoid the fraying that could occur by the constant insertion and removal of drill bits and the like. The two sleeves 4, 2 are offset to make it easier for the user to distinguish between the two sleeves 4, 2 when inserting drill bits and the like. Wider segments 26 can hold larger bits while narrower segments 2, 3 can hold smaller bits. FIG. 3 shows a variation of the present invention 200 that helps hold saw blades in close proximity to a standard sawsall 206. The user can remove the saw blade 204 and slide it into a segment 202 to store it along side of the body of the sawsall 206. This configuration allows the user to save considerable space when carrying a sawsall. Additional saw blades 208 can be held along the top surface of the sawsall 206. These blades 208 can remain in place even when the user is operating the sawsall 206 because the user's hands are not in that location during use. One hand is on the handle 210 and the other hand is on the underside of front barrel 218. In this embodiment 200, the need for a rear holding strap is not necessary.

[0020] The above descriptions and drawings show that the present invention is an ideal way to removably retain drill bits and the like in close proximity to a standard drill or the like. The invention can hold a variety of diameters of drill bits in a snug fashion.

[0021] While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. Tool and bit holding elastic sleeve assembly for portable drills and the like comprising: a first sleeve made of elastic material; a second sleeve made of elastic material; an pair of straps that each attach to opposing sides of said first sleeve and are joined forming a horseshoe shape that helps secure the first and second sleeve to the drill; said second sleeve overlapping said first sleeve in an offset manner; said second sleeve attached to said first sleeve by a plurality of stitched connecting lines that are perpendicular to the edge of the sleeve; and said stitched lines being of a variety of width of spacings to hold larger diameter items and smaller diameter items.