Abstract:
An arbor ( 20 ) for a tool is provided. The arbor includes a shaft ( 22 ) and a locking mechanism ( 24 ) operatively coupled to the shaft. The arbor also includes an adapter ( 26 ) removably coupled to the shaft by the locking mechanism, the adapter being selectively configurable within the shaft between at least a first operating position, where the adapter is configured to secure a first tool accessory ( 62, 66 , or  72 ) to the arbor, and a second operating position, where the adapter is configured to secure a second tool accessory ( 62, 66 , or  72 ) different at least in part from the first tool accessory.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of Provisional Patent Application No. 60/482,983, filed Jun. 27, 2003, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to hole saws and, more particularly, to arbors for anchoring and driving hole saws.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     A hole saw is a tool used to make cut-outs in a material, such as, for example, wood, steel, fiberglass, and plastic. The hole saw is commonly adaptable to be attached to a hand drill, either power driven or manually operated, in a manner and fashion similar to conventional drill bits and the like. Different styles or sizes of hole saws vary in their mounting configurations, such as the size of the threaded apertures used in coupling the hole saw to the hand drill. For this reason, the tool user often requires an arbor that is specific for each type and/or size of hole saw.  
         [0004]     The need to acquire and store a specific arbor for each type or size of hole saw results in additional costs to the user and increases the complexity of using such tools. Thus, there is a need for an arbor that can accommodate different types and sizes of hole saws.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     An arbor for a tool is provided. The arbor includes a shaft having first and second ends, and a locking mechanism operatively coupled to the shaft. The arbor also includes an adapter removably coupled to the shaft by the locking mechanism. The adapter is selectively configurable within the shaft between at least a first operating position, where the adapter is configured to secure a first tool accessory to the arbor, and a second operating position, where the adapter is configured to secure a second tool accessory different at least in part from the first tool accessory.  
         [0006]     In one embodiment of the present invention, the first tool accessory includes a different mounting configuration than the second tool accessory. The adapter has a first end for coupling to the first tool accessory and a second end for coupling to the second tool accessory. In yet another embodiment, the adapter is configured between the first operating position and the second operating position by reversing orientation of the first and second ends of the adapter within the shaft.  
         [0007]     In still yet another embodiment of the present invention, the arbor includes an adapter nut and a spacer washer releasably coupled to the second end of the shaft. The adapter nut and washer configuration configured to allow coupling of the adapter to a third tool accessory different at least in part from the first and second tool accessories. In certain embodiments, the third tool accessory has a double-D mounting configuration and the adapter nut and spacer washer are configured to allow coupling of the adapter to the double-D mounting configuration on the third tool accessory. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a hole saw arbor formed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the hole saw arbor of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional side view of the hole saw arbor of  FIG. 1  taken substantially through Section A-A of  FIG. 1  with the collar in a locked position, and showing an adapter of the hole saw arbor in a first configuration and coupled to a first type of hole saw;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional side view of the hole saw arbor of  FIG. 1  taken substantially through Section A-A with the collar in an unlocked position;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view of the hole saw arbor of  FIG. 1  taken substantially through Section A-A with the collar in a locked position, and showing an adapter of the hole saw adapter in a second configuration and coupled to a second type of a hole saw; and  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of the hole saw arbor of  FIG. 1  taken substantially through Section A-A with the collar in a locked position; and showing the adapter of the hole saw arbor in the first configuration and coupled to a third type of hole saw. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]      FIGS. 1-4  illustrate an arbor  20  constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The arbor  20  is adapted to selectively attach a hole saw  30  (shown in phantom in  FIG. 1 ) to a drill or driver. Such a drill or driver may be a well-known power or manually driven hand tool and is not shown for ease of description.  
         [0016]     The arbor  20  includes a shaft  22 , a collar  24 , an adapter  26 , and a pilot drill bit  28 . The shaft  22  includes a cavity  32 , a threaded portion  34 , an annular groove  47  for receiving a C-ring  48 , and a ball retention cavity  50  for restraining a ball  60  between the collar  24  and the adapter  26 . The cavity  32  extends at least partially through a longitudinal direction of the shaft  22  and is sized and configured to receive the pilot drill bit  28 .  
         [0017]     The pilot drill bit  28  is releasably coupled to the shaft  22  by a set screw  38  threadably received within a threaded aperture  36  extending through a portion of the shaft  22 . The set screw  38  is seated against a corresponding seating surface  40  formed in one end of the pilot drill bit  28 .  
         [0018]     The threaded portion  34  of the shaft  22  includes a well-known hex shank sized and configured to be lockingly and operatively received within the drill. The threaded portion  34  is adapted to receive an adapter nut  42  and a spacer washer  44 . In some embodiments, one end of the adapter nut  42  has an annular rim known as a double-D portion  43 . The double-D portion  43  is configured to cooperate with the spacer washer  44  to couple a hole saw  72  having a double-D mounting configuration to adapter  26 , as shown in  FIG. 6  and described further below.  
         [0019]     As may be best seen by referring back to  FIGS. 1-4 , the adapter  26  will now be described in greater detail. The adapter  26  includes first and second threaded portions  52  and  54 , an annular groove  56 , and first and second hex shaped locking portions  53  and  55 . The first and second threaded portions  52  and  54  are integrally formed at opposite ends of the adapter  26  and are spaced by the annular groove  56  and the first and second locking portions  53  and  55 .  
         [0020]     The adapter  26  is sized and configured to be reversibly received within the shaft  22  such that either one of the first or second threaded portions  52  and  54  operatively extend from the adapter  26 . As a non-limiting example, the first threaded portion  52  extends from the adapter  26  and is adapted to couple to a hole saw  62  having a threaded aperture  64 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  and described below. As another non-limiting example, the second threaded portion  54  extends from the adapter  26  and is adapted to couple to a hole saw  66  having a threaded aperture  68 , as shown in  FIG. 5  and further described below. The first and second locking portions  53  and  55  are sized and configured to be received within a correspondingly shaped hex end  57  of the shaft  22  for proper torque transfer and attachment the adapter  26  to the hole saw arbor  20 .  
         [0021]     The adapter  26  is sized to be coaxially aligned with the pilot drill  28 . Specifically, when the adapter  26  is received within the hex end  57  of the shaft  22 , the pilot drill bit  28  is coaxially received through a channel  71  extending longitudinally through the adapter  26 . As such, the pilot drill bit  28  operatively extends from one end of the hole saw arbor  20  for drilling a pilot hole during operation of the hole saw arbor  20 . Although the hole saw arbor  20  is illustrated and described as including a pilot drill bit  28 , it should be apparent that such a configuration is just one embodiment and that other embodiments, such as a hole saw arbor that does not include a pilot drill bit, are also within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0022]     The collar  24  is sized to be slidably received over the shaft  22  and includes two drive posts  58  for couplingly engagement with two corresponding shaped and positioned drive holes  70  in hole saw  66 , as shown in  FIG. 5  and further described below. The collar  24  has an inner surface that is dimensioned to cooperate with the C-ring  48  disposed within the groove  46  of the shaft  22  and allow the collar  24  to reciprocally move into three positions relative to the shaft  22 : a mid-position (locked position) as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6 , a back position (unlocked position) as shown in  FIG. 4 , and a forward position (locked position) as shown in  FIG. 5   
         [0023]     As may be best seen by referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the interior surface of the collar  24  also includes a cammed portion  100  annularly formed within the inner diameter of the collar  24 . The cammed portion  100  includes a detent  102  providing locking resistance and tactile response when the collar  24  is reciprocated between the forward and back positions. In that regard, as the collar  24  reciprocates over the C-ring  48 , the detent  102  provides a sufficient amount of locking resistance to the collar  24 , thereby biasing the collar  24  in predetermined positions. The cammed portion  100  includes three detent positions; an aft detent  106 , a mid detent  108 , and a foreword detent  110 .  
         [0024]     The aft detent  106  provides a distinct locking position when the collar  24  is in the forward position ( FIG. 5 ). When the collar  24  is in the mid locked position, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the C-ring  48  is disposed within the mid detent  108 . Finally, as may be best seen by referring to  FIG. 4 , when the collar  24  is the unlocked position, the C-ring  48  is disposed within the forward detent  110 .  
         [0025]     As noted above, the C-ring  48  also provides tactile response to the user when the collar  24  is in the predetermined positional alignment. As the C-ring  48  traverses the detent  102 , it is compressed within the annular groove  47  by the detent  102 , thereby providing tactile feedback to the end user.  
         [0026]     Operation of the arbor  20  may be best understood by referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 . When the collar  24  is in the mid-position as shown in  FIG. 3 , the ball  60  in the cavity  50  of the shaft  22  is in locking engagement with the groove  56  of the adapter  26 . The ball  60  lockingly retains the adapter  26  within the cavity  32  by being seated within the groove  56 . In order to release adapter  26  from the shaft, the collar  24  is retracted to the back position as shown in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0027]     As the collar  24  is displaced into the back position, the ball  60  traverses down a ramp  104  formed within the inside diameter of the collar  24 . The collar  24  is continually drawn into the back position until the ball  60  is fully received within the cavity  50  and is seated against a lip  106  formed within the interior diameter of the collar  24 . As seated against the lip  106 , the ball  60  is displaced out of locking engagement with the groove  56  formed within the adapter  26 , thereby permitting the adapter  26  to be withdrawn from within the cavity  32  of the shaft  22 .  
         [0028]     The operator may then selectively fully remove the adapter  26  from within the shaft  22 , rotate the adapter  26  180 degrees, and reinsert it back into the cavity  32 . As configured, the second threaded portion  54  now extends outwardly from the shaft  22 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , for operational engagement with a hole saw. Thus, the adapter  26  includes first and second threaded portions  52  and  54 , each adapted to receive hole saws of different sizes. As a non-limiting example, if a hole saw  62  having a threaded aperture  64  of one size diameter and thread count, such as ½″ 20-thread, the first threaded portion  52  suitably extends outwardly from the shaft  22 . The hole saw  62  is screwed onto the first threaded portion  52  to lockingly retain the hole saw  62  to the arbor  20 .  
         [0029]     In other embodiments, and as may be best seen by referring to  FIG. 5 , the adapter  26  may be reversibly placed back into the cavity  32 , as described above, such that the second threaded portion  54  having a different diameter and thread count protrudes from the shaft  22 . In this embodiment, the collar  24  is displaced into the unlocked position (as illustrated in  FIG. 4 ), and the adapter  26  is withdrawn from within the cavity  32 , rotated 180 degrees from its received position, and reinserted back into the cavity  32 , such that the second threaded portion  54  extends outwardly from the shaft  22 . The collar  24  is then displaced forwardly into the locked position, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . In this locked position, a hole saw  66  having a threaded aperture  68  of a different diameter and thread count from the threaded aperture  66  of the hole saw  62  is threadably coupled to the arbor  20 .  
         [0030]     As received on the second threaded portion  54 , the drive posts  58  are aligned with correspondingly shaped and sized drive holes  70  of the hole saw  66 , as seen by referring back to  FIG. 5 . In this configuration, the drive posts  58  of the collar  24  are nested within corresponding drive holes  70  of the hole saw  66  to improve power distribution to the hole saw  66 .  
         [0031]     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a third embodiment of the arbor  20  formed in accordance with the present invention will now be described in greater detail. The arbor  20  of  FIG. 6  is identical in materials and operation to the previous embodiments of  FIGS. 1-5 , with the following exception. In that regard, the adapter nut  42  and space washer  44  may be configured to provide interference and torque transfer to drive the hole saw  72  during operation.  
         [0032]     In the present embodiment, the hole saw  72  has a double-D mounting configuration as shown in  FIG. 6 . The adapter nut  42  and the spacer washer  44  are removed from the threaded portion  34  of the shaft  22 . The adapter nut  42  is placed into the hole saw  72  with the double-D portion  43  of adapter nut  42  protruding through a correspondingly shaped double-D attachment hole in hole saw  72 . The spacer washer  44  is placed over the protruding double-D portion  43  of adapter nut  42 .  
         [0033]     The adapter  26  is reinserted into the shaft  22  with the first threaded portion  52  of the adapter  26  protruding from the cavity  32  of shaft  22 . The first threaded portion  52  of the adapter  26  is slid through the spacer washer  44  and threaded into adapter nut  42 . The collar  24  is then moved back to the mid-position to return the ball  60  into locking engagement with groove  56  of the adapter  26 . The hole saw  72  is thereby lockingly attached to the arbor  20 .  
         [0034]     While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.