Drill and vacuum combination

A drill vacuum combination is provided including a drill having an inverted L-shaped configuration with a vertical handle including a trigger for generating an activation signal upon the depression thereof. The drill further has a horizontal upper extent with a rotating adjustable drill chuck rotatably mounted to a front face thereof and adapted to releasably receive a drill bit therein. The drill chuck is adapted to rotate during the receipt of the activation signal. A tube is situated in concentric relationship with the drill chuck. A vacuum assembly is mounted on the drill and in communication with the tube for generating a vacuum upon the receipt of the activation signal. Finally, a switch is mounted on the drill having a first orientation for only allowing the transmission of the activation signal to the drill chuck, a second orientation for only allowing the transmission of the activation signal to the vacuum assembly, and a third orientation for allowing the transmission of the activation signal to both the drill chuck and vacuum assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to drill-mounted dust vacuums and more 
particularly pertains to a new drill and vacuum combination for collecting 
dust generated by use of a drill. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The use of drill-mounted dust vacuums is known in the prior art. More 
specifically, drill-mounted dust vacuums heretofore devised and utilized 
are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious 
structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs 
encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the 
fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
Known prior art drill-mounted dust vacuums include U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,501; 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,375; U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,499; U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,647; 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,230; and U.S. Pat. Des. 264,930. 
In these respects, the drill and vacuum combination according to the 
present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and 
designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily 
developed for the purpose of collecting dust generated by use of a drill. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of 
drill-mounted dust vacuums now present in the prior art, the present 
invention provides a new drill and vacuum combination construction wherein 
the same can be utilized for collecting dust generated by use of a drill. 
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described 
subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new drill and vacuum 
combination apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the 
drill-mounted dust vacuums mentioned heretofore and many novel features 
that result in a new drill and vacuum combination which is not 
anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the 
prior art drill-mounted dust vacuums, either alone or in any combination 
thereof. 
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a drill having an 
inverted L-shaped configuration. Such drill is equipped with a vertical 
handle including a trigger for generating an activation signal upon the 
depression thereof. The drill further has a horizontal upper extent with a 
rotating adjustable drill chuck rotatably mounted to a front face thereof. 
Such drill chuck serves to releasably receive a drill bit therein. In use, 
the drill chuck is adapted to rotate during the receipt of the activation 
signal. For reasons that will soon become apparent, the front face of the 
horizontal upper extent further has an annular sleeve mounted in 
concentric relationship with the drill chuck. The sleeve has a pair of 
diametrically opposed locking tabs extending therefrom. Next provided is a 
cylindrical tube formed of an elastomeric material. The tube has a 
bellowed periphery and a spring integrally formed within the tube. Such 
spring resides along a helix defined by an apex of each bellowed portion 
of the tube for urging the tube to a full length thereof. An end of the 
tube has a rigid sleeve with a pair of diametrically opposed bores for 
releasably receiving the locking tabs of the annular sleeve. When the 
sleeves are coupled, the tube is maintained in concentric relationship 
with the drill chuck. Also included is a vacuum assembly having a plastic 
sealed container removably mounted on a lower surface of the horizontal 
upper extent of the drill. The container has an interior space which 
resides in communication with the tube via a pair of bores formed in the 
annular sleeve of the drill and the rigid sleeve of the tube, 
respectively. The container further has a bag adapter therein with a first 
open end in communication with the pair of bores and a second open end. A 
vacuum bag is situated within the container with an opening removably 
connected to the second open end of the bag adapter. It is imperative that 
the bag be air permeable. The vacuum assembly further includes a vacuum 
pump mounted within the horizontal upper extent and in communication with 
the container for creating a vacuum within the container, bag and 
cylindrical tube upon the receipt of the activation signal. Finally, a 
switch is mounted on a top surface of the horizontal upper extent of the 
drill. The switch has a first orientation for only allowing the 
transmission of the activation signal to the drill chuck and a second 
orientation for only allowing the transmission of the activation signal to 
the vacuum assembly. For allowing the combined use of the vacuum and 
drill, the switch has a third orientation for allowing the transmission of 
the activation signal to both the drill chuck and vacuum assembly. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present 
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional 
features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which 
will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention 
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its 
application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the 
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the 
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being 
practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood 
that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose 
of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon 
which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the 
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the 
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, 
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions 
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present 
invention. 
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent 
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the 
scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar 
with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a 
cursory inspection the nature an essence of the technical disclosure of 
the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention 
of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to 
be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new drill 
and vacuum combination apparatus and method which has many of the 
advantages of the drill-mounted dust vacuums mentioned heretofore and many 
novel features that result in a new drill and vacuum combination which is 
not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of 
the prior art drill-mounted dust vacuums, either alone or in any 
combination thereof. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new drill and 
vacuum combination which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and 
marketed. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new drill and 
vacuum combination which is of a durable and reliable construction. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new drill 
and vacuum combination which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture 
with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then 
susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making 
such drill and vacuum combination economically available to the buying 
public. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new drill 
and vacuum combination which provides in the apparatuses and methods of 
the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously 
overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new drill and 
vacuum combination for collecting dust generated by use of a drill. 
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
drill and vacuum combination that includes a drill having an inverted 
L-shaped configuration with a vertical handle including a trigger for 
generating an activation signal upon the depression thereof. The drill 
further has a horizontal upper extent with a rotating adjustable drill 
chuck rotatably mounted to a front face thereof and adapted to releasably 
receive a drill bit therein. The drill chuck is adapted to rotate during 
the receipt of the activation signal. A tube is situated in concentric 
relationship with the drill chuck. A vacuum assembly is mounted on the 
drill and in communication with the tube for generating a vacuum upon the 
receipt of the activation signal. Finally, a switch is mounted on the 
drill having a first orientation for only allowing the transmission of the 
activation signal to the drill chuck, a second orientation for only 
allowing the transmission of the activation signal to the vacuum assembly, 
and a third orientation for allowing the transmission of the activation 
signal to both the drill chuck and vacuum assembly. 
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various 
features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with 
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this 
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating 
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should 
be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there 
are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 4 
thereof, a new drill and vacuum combination embodying the principles and 
concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the 
reference numeral 10 will be described. 
The present invention, as designated as numeral 10, includes a drill 12 
having an inverted L-shaped configuration. Such drill is equipped with a 
slightly arcuate vertical handle 14 including a trigger 16 on a front face 
thereof for generating an activation signal upon being depressed. The 
drill further has a horizontal upper extent 18 with a rotating adjustable 
drill chuck 20 rotatably mounted to a front face thereof. Such drill chuck 
serves to releasably receive a drill bit therein. In use, the drill chuck 
is adapted to rotate during the receipt of the activation signal. For 
reasons that will soon become apparent, the front face of the horizontal 
upper extent further has an annular sleeve 22 mounted in concentric 
relationship with the drill chuck. The sleeve has a pair of diametrically 
opposed locking tabs 24 extending therefrom. It is also important that the 
sleeve be of a length that is greater than the drill chuck. 
Next provided is a cylindrical tube 26 formed of an elastomeric material. 
The tube has a bellowed periphery 28 and a spring 30 integrally formed 
within the tube. Such spring resides along a helix defined by an apex of 
each bellowed portion of the tube for urging the tube to a full length 
thereof. An end of the tube has a rigid sleeve 31 with a pair of 
diametrically opposed bores 32 for releasably receiving the locking tabs 
of the annular sleeve. When the sleeves are coupled, the tube is 
maintained in concentric relationship with the drill chuck. In the 
preferred embodiment, the tube is transparent and further has measurement 
indicia printed along a length thereof. In alternate embodiments, tubes of 
various lengths may be employed. 
Also included is a vacuum assembly having a plastic sealed container 34 
with a generally dome-shaped configuration. Such container is removably 
mounted on a lower surface of the horizontal upper extent of the drill. 
The container has an interior space which resides in communication with 
the tube via a pair of bores formed in the annular sleeve of the drill and 
the rigid sleeve of the tube, respectively. The container further has a 
bag adapter 36 therein with a first open end in communication with the 
pair of bores and a second open end. A vacuum bag 38 is situated within 
the container with an opening removably connected to the second open end 
of the bag adapter. It is imperative that the bag be air permeable. The 
vacuum assembly further includes an unillustrated vacuum pump mounted 
within the horizontal upper extent of the drill and in communication with 
the container for creating a vacuum within the container, bag and 
cylindrical tube upon the receipt of the activation signal. To allow for 
continuous air flow, an end of the tube is preferably equipped with 
screened apertures. 
Finally, a switch 40 is mounted on a top surface of the horizontal upper 
extent of the drill. The switch has a first orientation for only allowing 
the transmission of the activation signal to the drill chuck and a second 
orientation for only allowing the transmission of the activation signal to 
the vacuum assembly. To allow such operation, the vacuum pump and drill 
chuck each have a separate motor or each have a gear removably engaged 
with a central driver. For allowing the combined use of the vacuum and 
drill, the switch has a third orientation for allowing the transmission of 
the activation signal to both the drill chuck and vacuum assembly. 
During use, a user may choose to remove either the tube or drill bit for 
use of the present invention as either a drill or vacuum, respectively. As 
an option, both attachments may be attached for combined use. 
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the 
present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. 
Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and 
operation will be provided. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.