DEBRIS COLLECTION DEVICE AND METHOD

Abstract: A collection device for use with a drill to capture debris ejected from drilling into a surface (100) comprising a body (10) formed of flexible material having a first, substantially flat, configuration and a second erect, configuration defining a cavity (120). The body includes a hole (50) for receiving a drill bit into the cavity when the body is erect and adhesive means (80) for adhering the body to the surface (100).

Description: DEBRIS COLLECTION DEVICE ND METHOD Field of the Inv ention The present inv ention relates to a debπs collection deuce for collecting dirt debπs and the like that is particularly useful when used in conjunction with rotarv drills Background to the Present Invention When drilling into surfaces using a standard rotary dπll, the mateπal drilled out of the surface is normally earned back along the length of the dπll and scattered as granular dust or gπt in the area directK below where the hole is being dπlled In some cases the quantity of debπs generated by drilling a hole is particularly noticeable, for instance, a 10mm hole at a 5cm depth will create nearly 4cm of debπs that will be scattered about the immediate area, the majority forming a pile immediately below the hole Whilst m many industrial environments such debπs would be unnoticeable, this is not the case m the home Particularly in the DIY environment, the house-proud occupant and/or their spouse are likely to require sheeting to be put down in the vicinity around the dπlhng and for the area to be vacuumed immediately afterwards to avoid making the house dirty with the dust and debπs Furthermore, tables and ornaments must either be covered or removed unless they are to be thoroughly cleaned afterwards A related complaint is often raised against service installers (telecommunications and cable TV installers in particular) who dπll many holes at a customers house to install their services, but rarely clean up after themselv es In many circumstances, it is highly desirable for the dust and debπs falling from a drilling operation to be completely collected without large amounts of preparation b\ laying sheets and alike In particular, in installing fixtures in a newly decorated room or drilling holes near sensitive electronic equipment that cannot easily be moved and the debπs may be potentially damaging to the equipment, a simple debπs collection mechanism would be desirable Other than using sheeting to catch the majority of the debπs, no simple and inexpensive mechanisms for controlling the spread of such debπs is known to be available to small-scale installation operators or to the home DIY market Complex systems involving vacuums to suck away the dust have been developed over the years, but this usually requires additional vacuum pumps and ducting, and the vacuum is rarely powerful enough to carry all the dust and debπs away UK patent publication number 2278190 discloses a hand tool for use with a dπll The hand tool includes a hollow body of solid construction having a through hole through which a drill bit may pass The hand tool is held against a surface to be drilled using a handle and during drilling debris from drilling passes into the hollow body Such a tool partially solves the problems of capturing dust and debπs created while drilling However, the tool requires a hand to hold it to the wall leaving only one hand to hold and guide a drill which for many people is not enough If a heavy drill is used or the user needs two hands to hold or guide the dπll, a further person would have to be involved to use the hand tool. The tool is only usable if dπlhng is perpendicular to the surface to be dπlled due to the alignment of the through holes and solid body In addition, the user's hand is close to the dπll bit when drilling which may prove to be unsafe Furthermore, having a solid body exposes the hand tool to w ear around the portions that contact the dπll bit This is addressed by use of a chuck-impact ring shield or washer m the above document However, the use of a combination of parts, some of which must be remo able and replaceable increases the complexity and overall cost of the device Statement of Invention According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a collection device for use with a dπll to capture debπs ejected from dπllmg into a surface comprising a body formed of flexible material having a first, substantially flat, configuration and a second, erect, configuration defining a cavity, a hole for receiving a dπll bit into the cavity when the body is erect and adhesive means for adheπng the body to the surface In use the device envelops the portions of the dnll bit that carry dust and debπs out of the dπlled hole The body is temporaπly fixed to the surface such that there is a seal between the body and the surface so that ejected dust, debπs and the like has no choice other than to pass into the cavity Preferably the seal is immediately around the area to be dπlled so that no dust is trapped between the body and the surface In the cavity, the dust and debπs either falls off the dπll bit into the cavity for co ection or is pushed off the surface of the dπll bit into the cavity as it reaches the back of the body The device of the present invention is a simple yet effective construction which may be easily mass produced Furthermore, depending on the material of construction, the device may be fully re-usable or used a number of times before disposal By being temporaπly fixed to the surface, the device allows the user's attention and both hands to be used in holding and directing the dπllmg Thus, the dev ice solves the problem of captuπng dust and debris without increasing the complexity of the dπllmg action The de ice is supplied in a substantially flattened or flat-packed state that can be opened or otherwise erected to form the cavitv pπor to, or during, use The flattened or flat-packed device requires minimal packaging for sale and allows the device to be pressed against the surface to attach it The first surface may include a number of tabs for use in pulling the first surface away from the second surface to thereby form the cavity Preferably, the first surface includes two tabs, the tabs being on opposing sides of the through hole The tabs may form part of a reinforcing portion around the through hole In order to make devices of cheap, lightweight, mateπal the reinforcing portion, possibly formed as a separate layer, may be arranged around the through hole to counter wear and tear from rubbing of the dπll bit The joint between the first surface and the second surface may be openable to enable the cavity to be emptied Alternatively, the body may include a re-sealable opening to enable the cavity to be emptied The attachment means preferably comprises an adhesive layer sucn as double sided sticky tape The adhesive layer may include a removable cover for protection of the adhesive when not in use The body may comprise one of rubber, plastics, reinforced paper/ or sihcone-based paper Description of the Drawings An example of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings m which Figures 1 and 2 are, respectively, front and rear views of a collection device according to the present invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a collection device according to the present invention when in use; and, Figure 4 is the cross-sectional drawing of Figure 3 showing the collected debris. Detailed Description Figures 1 and 2 are, respectively, front and rear views of a collection device according to the present invention. The collection device comprises a body 10 having a front surface 20 and a back surface 30. The front and back surfaces 20, 30 are joined to each other around their perimeters (the joint is marked by a dash-dot line) to form an enclosed central area 40. The front surface 20 includes a through hole 50 capable of accepting a drill bit. The through hole 50 is preferably smaller or of the same diameter as the intended drill bit to be used. However, the size of the through hole is not essential to the operation of the device. In practice, a device with a 10mm hole is used for all drill bits without adverse effect. Equally spaced either side of the through hole 50 are two tabs 60, 70 attached to the front surface 20. The back surface 30 includes an adhesive area 80 permitting adhesion of the body 10 to a surface. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a collection device of Figures 1 and 2 when in use. To use the collection device, the body 10 is adhered to a surface 100 such that the through hole 50 is in line with the hole to be drilled. The tip of a drill bit 1 10 (only part of the length of the drill bit 1 10 is shown) is pressed against back surface 30 via through hole 50 and tabs 60, 70 are pulled in the direction away from the surface 100. The pulling action forces the hole 50 to expand around the circumference of the drill bit 1 10 and the front surface to separate from the back surface to form a cavity 120 Alternatively, the dev ice mav be adhered to the surface 100 and erected using the tabs 60, 70 pπor to insertion of the dπll bit Figure 4 is the cross-sectional draw ing of Figure 3 sho ing the collected debris Dunng the drilling operation, a part of the back surface 30 and adhesive area 80 is dπlled away and the dπll then enters the surface 100 Due to tne remaining seal between the body 10 and the surface 100, dust and debπs 130 ejected from drilling into the surface 100 drops from the drill bit 110 into the cavity 120 Once dπllmg is completed, the body 10 is removed from the surface 100 and can be emptied for further use or disposed of The body may be formed from a flexible mateπal that can be flattened but retains its shape when erected Suitable mateπals include greaseproof paper, reinforced paper, coated paper, cardboard or sihcone-based paper The adhesive area 80 may be formed from pre-adhered double sided sticky tape or other suitable adhesive Preferably the adhesive area is screen pπnted onto the body and a suitable cover is then applied to preserve the adhesive until required The mateπal forming the tabs may be part of the body or mav be attached to the body If the mateπal is attached to the body, it may also extend around the through hole to reinforce it The tabs may be formed as semi-circles or a circle extending around the hole so that they can be grasped from any oπentation The size of the body and the cavity it can form will largely depend on the size of the target hole to be dπlled, as will the strength of the body of the mateπal The joint around the circumference of the surfaces may be releasable and re-sealable by way of adhesive, velcro, a zip fastening or the like for the bodv to be emptied Alternatively, the body may include a re-sealable opening, such as a zip opening or the like described above, away from the joint permitting the body to be emptied The body need not be a two dimensional construction, forced into three dimensions upon use, instead it could be a three dimensional construction having a shape such as a cuboid, pyramid, or frusto-cone that is folded or otherwise flattened or flat-packed. The body may be fixed to the surface to be drilled by adhesive applied to be body, double sided sticky tape, gum or similar adhesive materials. Alternatively, suction or some other form of non-marking attachment means may be employed. A hole may be pre-formed in the back surface for the dnll to pass into the surface or it may be formed the first time the device is used. Although drilling perpendicular to the surface is illustrated, it will be appreciated that drilling at any angle to the surface can be accommodated by the collection device of the present invention merely by changing the angle at which the drill bit is inserted into the collection device.

Claims: Claims 1 A collection device for use with a dπll to capture debπs ejected from dπl ng into a surface comprising a body formed of flexible material having a first. substantially flat, configuration and a second, erect, configuration defining a cav ity, a hole for receiving a dπll bit into the cavity when the body is erect and adhesiv e means for adheπng the body to the surface 2 A collection device according to claim 1, the body further compnsing means for erecting the body from the first configuration to the second configuration 3 A collection device according to claim 2, in which the means for erecting the body compπse a number of tabs for use in pulling the body from the first configuration to the second configuration 4 A collection device according to claim 3, comprising two tabs on opposing sides of the hole 5 A collection device according to claim 3, comprising a tab surrounding the peπphery of the hole 6. A collection device according to any of claims 3, 4 or 5, in which the tabs form part of a reinforcing portion around the peπphery of the hole 7 A collection device according to any preceding claim, in which the body is openable m the second configuration to enable the cavity to be emptied 8 A collection device according to any preceding claim, in w hich the bodv includes a re-sealable opening to enable the cavity to be emptied 9 A collection device according to any preceding claim, in which the adhesive means compnses an adhesive layer 10 A collection device according to claim 9, m which the adhesive layer is compnses double sided sticky tape 1 1 A collection device according to claim 9, m which the adhesive layer is screen pπnted on to the body 12 A collection device according to claim 9, 10 or 1 1, in which the adhesiv e layer includes a removable cover for protection of the adhesive when not in use 13 A collection device according to claim 9. 10, 1 1 or 12, in which the means for attaching the body to the surface substantially surrounds the area to be drilled and, in use, creates a seal between the dπlled hole and the second surface of the body 14 A collection device according to any preceding claim, in which the body is formed from a selected one of greaseproof paper, reinforced paper, coated paper, cardboard, sihcone-based paper 15 A collection device according to any preceding claim, m which the bod comprises two substantially identical sheets joined about their respectiv e penpheπes to form the first configuration, herein at least a cential part of one sheet is able to be drawn away from the other surface to form the second configuration 16 A collection device according to claim 15. m which the two sheets are substantially circular 17 A collection device according to any of claims 1 to 14, m which the body in the second configuration has a cuboid, pyramidal or frusto-conical shape and is folded or collapsed so as to form the first configuration 18 A collection device according to any preceding claim in which the adhesive means is substantially opposite the hole when the body is erect 19 A collection device according to any preceding claim in which a surface of the body having the hole is adjacent a surface of the body having the adhesive means when the body is in the first configuration 20 A collection device according to any preceding claim, further compnsing a further hole in the body positioned to be adjacent the surface when the body is adhered to it 21 A method of collecting debns ejected whilst dnlhng into a surface using a collection device according to any one of the preceding claims compnsing the steps of adhenng the body of the collection device to the surface, erecting the body so as to form the second configuration, inserting the dπll bit into the cavity and dnlhng through the body into the surface, wherein debπs ejected from drilling is captured m the cavity

Applicants: DUSTBUBBLE LTD, STYLES CHRISTOPHER, DUSTBUBBLE LIMITED
Application year: 2001
Main classification: B23Q11
IPC codes: B23B47, B23Q11