Patent Abstract:
A chuck includes an integrally molded body member having a nose section and tail section. A plurality of jaws are slidably positioned in angularly disposed passageways in the nose section. A nut is rotatably mounted on the body and is in engagement with threads on the jaws. A reinforcing member is co-molded with the nose section about at least a portion of the outer circumference of the nose section. The tail section extends radially outward to form a gripping surface and axially forward to form a thrust bearing surface in operative engagement with the nut so that the nut transfers rearward axial force to the thrust bearing surface.

Full Description:
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/542,655 filed Apr. 4, 2000, now U.S. Pat. 6,186,516 which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/907,320 filed Aug. 6, 1997, now U.S. Pat. 6,045,141. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to chucks for use with drills or with electric or pneumatic power drivers. Both hand and electric or pneumatic tool drivers are well known. Although twist drills are the most common tools used with such drivers, the tools may also comprise screwdrivers, nut drivers, burrs, mounted grinding stones and other cutting or abrading tools. Since the tools may have shanks of varying diameter or the cross-section of the tool shank may be polygonal, the device is usually provided with a chuck which is adjustable over a relatively wide range. The chuck may be attached to the driver by a threaded or tapered bore. 
     A wide variety of chucks have been developed in the art. In one form of chuck, three jaws spaced circumferentially, approximately 120 degrees apart from each other, are constrained by angularly disposed passageways in a body attached onto the drive shaft and configured so that rotation of the body in one direction relative to a constrained nut engaging the jaws forces the jaws into gripping relationship with respect to the shank of a tool, while rotation in the opposite direction releases the gripping relationship. Such a chuck may be keyless if it is rotated by hand. One example of such a chuck is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,125,673 entitled “Non-Impact Keyless Chuck” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,473 entitled “Chuck”, both commonly assigned to the present assignee, and whose entire disclosure is incorporated by reference herein. 
     While many currently existing chuck designs have been successful, varying configurations are desirable for a variety of applications. Particularly, it would be desirable to have a chuck that could be manufactured with adequate performance for a lower cost than many currently existing chuck designs. For example, typically, the main body of a chuck of the type described in the above-referenced patents is manufactured from metal bar stock. Therefore, the greatest diameter of the chuck body at any point determines the diameter of the bar stock necessary to construct such body. Since bar stock is an expensive component of the chuck, design efforts have been made to minimize the diameter necessary to construct the chuck body which has typically necessitated use of separate thrust washers to receive the axial rearward thrust of the nut as well as separate rear sleeve members attached to the rearward section of the main body in chucks utilizing both front and rear sleeves. In addition, it is necessary to utilize secondary operations to place the oblique jaw passageways in the body and to create the main tool receiving bore. The most common way of forming these passageways and bores is through a drilling operation which necessitates the utilization of primarily round passageways and bores. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention recognizes and addresses the foregoing considerations, and others of prior art constructions and methods. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved chuck. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a chuck that can be manufactured and assembled in a cost effective manner. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a keyless chuck that has a minimum number of individual components that must be assembled. 
     It is another object of some embodiments of the present invention to provide a chuck that minimizes or eliminates the constraints necessitated by use of bar stock for the main body. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved chuck whose main body can be molded. 
     It is a further object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved chuck that can be manufactured with a minimum number of operational steps. 
     These and other objects are achieved by providing a chuck for use with a manual or powered driver having a rotatable drive shaft, the chuck including an integrally molded body member with a nose section and a tail section, the nose section having an axial bore formed therein, and a plurality of angularly disposed passageways formed therethrough and intersecting the axial bore. A plurality of jaws are slidably positioned in the angularly disposed passageways. Each jaw has a jaw face formed on one side and threads formed on an opposite surface. A nut is rotatably mounted on the body member in engagement with the threads on the jaws, and a sleeve member is provided in driving engagement with the nut whereby when the sleeve is rotated with respect to the body, the jaws will be moved thereby. 
     These and other objects are further accomplished by providing a chuck for use with a hand or powered driver having a rotatable drive shaft, the chuck including an integrally molded body member having a nose section and a tail section. The nose section has an axial bore formed therein and a plurality of angularly disposed passageways formed therethrough and intersecting the axial bore. The nose section has a reinforcing member co-molded therewith about at least a portion of its outer circumference. A plurality of jaws are provided slidably positioned in the angularly disposed passageways, each of the jaws having a tool engaging face formed on one side thereof and threads formed on an opposite outer surface. A nut is provided mounted on the body member in engagement with threads on the jaws, and a sleeve member is provided in driving engagement with the nut whereby when the sleeve is rotated with respect to the body, the jaws will be moved thereby. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, including reference to the accompanying figures, in which: 
     FIG. 1A is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of a chuck in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 1B is an exploded view of the chuck illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2A is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of a chuck in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2B is an exploded view of the chuck of the embodiment of FIG. 2A; 
     FIG. 3A is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of a chuck in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3B is an exploded view of the chuck of the chuck of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3A; 
     FIG. 4 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of a chuck in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a jaw in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a chuck in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a rear view of the chuck of the embodiment of FIG. 6; and 
     FIG. 8 is a front view of the chuck of the embodiment of FIG.  6 . 
     Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention, which broader aspects are embodied in the exemplary construction. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a chuck in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Chuck  10  includes a front sleeve member  12 , a body member  16  and jaws  18 . Body member  16  has a generally cylindrical nose or forward section  20  and a rear or tail section  22  that will be described in more detail below. An axial bore  24  is formed in nose section  20  of body member  16 . Axial bore  24  is somewhat larger than the largest tool shank that the chuck is designed to accommodate. A bore  26  is formed in tail section  22  of body member  16  and may be formed with integral threads or may be affixed to a threaded insert member  27 , either of which is adapted to mate with the drive shaft of a powered or hand driver (not shown). In addition to a bore  26 , a threaded bore, or threaded insert  27 , it should be appreciated that such bore configuration could be replaced with a tapered bore to mate with a tapered drive shaft or otherwise configured in any suitable manner to mate with the drive shaft of a powered or hand driver. 
     Passageways  30  are formed in body member  16  to accommodate each jaw  18 . In a preferred embodiment, three jaws  18  are employed, and each jaw  18  is separated from the adjacent jaw by an arc of approximately  120  degrees. The axes of the passageways  30  and the jaws  18  are angled with respect to the chuck axis but intersect the chuck axis at a common point. Each jaw  18  has a tool engaging face or edge  32  which is generally parallel to the axis of the chuck body  16 , and threads  34  on its opposite and outer surface. Threads  34  of any suitable type and pitch may be utilized within the scope of the present invention as would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. 
     Body member  16  includes an integral enlarged diameter portion  36  at its tail section which includes a gripping surface  38  about its outer circumference to allow body member  16  to be held stationary by virtue of the operator grasping this gripping surface. In one preferred embodiment, enlarged diameter portion  36  presents an outer surface of approximately the same diameter as the front sleeve  12 . In one preferred embodiment, passageways  30  and bore  24  are integrally molded into chuck body  16 . In other embodiments, the enlarged diameter surface could present a multi-lobal outer circumference, as illustrated in the embodiment of FIGS. 6-8, or a continuous outer circumference. 
     Integral enlarged diameter portion  36  forms a ledge  40  for transmitting rearward axial thrust to the body that is generated when tightening the chuck. A thrust ring member  42  is received about body member  16  as illustrated in FIG.  1 A and rests on ledge  40 . Thrust ring member  42  forms a bearing race which supports bearings as will be described in more detail below. 
     The present invention further includes a nut  44  which, in a preferred embodiment, is a unitary nut and includes threads  46  for mating with threads  34  on jaws  18  whereby when said nut is rotated with respect to said body, the jaws will be advanced or retracted. In a preferred embodiment, nut  44  includes a knurled or ridged surface  48  to enhance the interconnection between the nut and a front sleeve received thereover. 
     A bearing assembly  50  is adapted to be placed between thrust ring member  42  and nut  44 . Bearing assembly  50  includes bearing members  52  which, in a preferred embodiment, may be ball bearings or roller bearings and a cage  54 . Cage  54  includes a lip  56  extending perpendicular to the primary cage portion  58 . Bearing assembly  50  with lip  56  is configured so that lip  56  is received about the outer circumference of thrust ring member  42  when in place to maintain bearing assembly  50  in its proper location. 
     Front sleeve member  12  is adapted to be press fitted onto nut  44  and extends over at least a portion of nose section  20  of body member  16 . A reinforcing member  60  is received over the forwardmost portion of body member  16  and serves as both a nosepiece to protect the forwardmost portion of the body and a reinforcing member to strengthen body member  16  in the nose section. Reinforcing member  60  includes a first circumferential leg  62  which extends substantially the distance between the forwardmost portion of body member  16  to the location where the jaw holes open through the outer circumference of the nose section  20 . This reinforcing leg serves to provide additional support to the body in the area between the jaw passageways and the forwardmost section of the body member  16 . Reinforcing member  60  also includes a second circumferential leg  64  which extends toward nut  44  into a position to prevent nut  44  from disengaging threads  34  by excessive movement in the direction of the forwardmost portion of the nose section. Reinforcing member  60  also includes a ledge  66  extending circumferentially around reinforcing member  60  and configured to engage ledge  68  of sleeve  12  should sleeve  12  become disengaged from nut  44 . The relationship between ledges  66  and  68  is such that sleeve  12  cannot move over reinforcing member  60 , which arrangement provides a secondary retaining mechanism for sleeve  12 . In a preferred embodiment, reinforcing member  60  is press fitted over the nose section of body member  16  and provides additional hoop strength in that location, but it should be appreciated that it could be affixed in any suitable way. In addition to the above, reinforcing member is exposed when chuck  10  is assembled and may preferably be constructed from low carbon steel and coated or plated with a non-ferrous metallic coating to prevent rust and to enhance its appearance. In a preferred embodiment, such coating may be zinc or nickel, however, it should be appreciated that any suitable coating could be utilized, and any suitable material or process could be utilized to produce the reinforcing member. 
     While an integral enlarged diameter portion  36  is illustrated with the rear or tail section of the chuck of the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, it should be appreciated that this section could be of reduced diameter and sleeve  12  extended to the rearmost portion of the chuck. This alternative would be feasible when a spindle lock or the like is provided on the driver or when the driver is used to tighten or loosen the jaws. 
     The circumferential surface of front sleeve member  12  may be knurled or may be provided with longitudinal ribs or other protrusions to enable the operator to grip it securely. As stated above, the outer surface of the integral enlarged diameter portion  36  may be likewise configured. The front sleeve may be fabricated from a structural plastic such as polycarbonate, a filled polypropylene, for example, glass-filled polypropylene, or a blend of structural plastics. Other composite materials such as, for example, graphite filled polymerics would also be suitable in certain environments. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the materials from which the sleeve of the present invention is fabricated will depend on the end use of the chuck, and the above are provided by way of example only. 
     It will be appreciated that the integral enlarged diameter portion  36  is a part of body member  16  while front sleeve member  12  is operatively associated with nut  44  and secured with respect to body member  16  to allow for relative rotation therewith. Relative movement of the front sleeve  12  and integral enlarged diameter portion  36 , due to the interaction between threads  34  on jaws  18  and threads  46  on nut  44 , causes jaws  18  to be advanced or retracted depending on the direction of relative movement. 
     An important aspect of the present invention is that body member  16  is an integrally molded unit which can, depending on the desired configuration, include integrally molding the enlarged diameter portion, the passageways  30 , and bore  24 . Such molding of one or more of these components eliminates problems associated with minimizing bar stock diameters as well as the necessity of further processing steps such as drilling passageways and bores for receipt of the tool and jaws. It should be appreciated, however, that it is within the scope of the present invention to mold body member  16  without certain components discussed above and to use further processing steps to complete the chuck body such as, for example, drilling jaw passageways. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the body member  16  may be formed from a structural plastic, such as polycarbonate, a filled polypropylene, for example, glass-filled polypropylene, or a blend of structural plastic materials. Other composite materials such as, for example, graphite-filled polymerics would also be suitable in certain environments. At least regarding use of a plastic material, injection molding would appear to be the preferred method. In addition, the chuck body  16  could be molded from a suitable metal, or other process or material such as zinc die casted. 
     It should be appreciated that molding body member  16 , as opposed to utilizing various machining operations requiring the drilling of passageways and bores, would allow bore  24  as well as passageways  30  to have non-circular cross-sectional configurations. This would allow, for example, jaws to be manufactured with non-circular configurations including cross-sectional configurations that are rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal or any other suitable configuration. 
     It should be appreciated that while a one-piece nut is illustrated with a press-fitted sleeve, any known configuration of nut and/or sleeve relationships could be utilized such as, for example, a two-piece nut and/or a drive lug engaging relationship between sleeve member  12  and nut  44 . Examples of such other arrangements are illustrated in the patents referenced above and incorporated herein in their entirety. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a chuck  110  in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Chuck  110  includes a front sleeve member  112 , a body member  116 , and jaws  118 . Body member  116  has a generally cylindrical nose or forward section  120  and a rear or tail section  122  that will be described in more detail below. An axial bore  124  is formed in nose section  120  of body member  116 . Axial bore  124  is somewhat larger than the largest tool shank that the chuck is designed to accommodate. A bore  126  is formed in tail section  122  of body member  116  and may be formed with integral threads or may be affixed to a threaded insert member  127 , either of which is adapted to mate with the drive shaft of a powered or hand driver (not shown). A portion of the outer circumference of insert member  127  may be knurled as illustrated at  128  or otherwise configured to provide a secure engagement with tail section  122  of body member  116 . For example, it could be co-molded with the body or pressed therein. Insert  127  could be constructed of any suitable material including brass or other metal and may include a socket  129  for receipt of a mounting tool to drive the chuck onto the tool spindle for mounting the chuck in a manner set forth in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,824, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     In addition to a bore  126  or threaded insert  127 , it should be appreciated that such bore could be replaced with a tapered bore to mate with a tapered drive shaft or otherwise configured in any suitable manner to mate with the drive shaft of a powered or hand driver. Other configurations could also be suitable, such as a smooth bore to mate with a knurled or barbed spindle from the power driver. Further it is possible that the spindle of the powered or hand driver could be co-molded directly with the body member  116 . It should also be appreciated that part or all of the internal configuration of bore  24 ,  124 ,  224 ,  324  could be non-circular, such as hexagonally shaped, for receipt of a tool therein for mounting of the chuck on a threaded drill spindle as described in more detail below. 
     Passageways  130  are formed in body member  116  to accommodate each jaw  118 . In a preferred embodiment, three jaws  118  are employed, and each jaw  118  is separated from the adjacent jaw by an arc of approximately  120  degrees. The axes of the passageways  130  and the jaws  118  are angled with respect to the chuck axis but intersect the chuck axis at a common point. Each jaw  118  has a tool engaging face or edge  132  which is generally parallel to the axis of the chuck body  116 , and threads  134  on its opposite and outer surface. Threads  134  of any suitable type and pitch may be utilized within the scope of the present invention as will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. 
     Body member  116  includes an integral enlarged diameter portion  136  at its tail section which includes a gripping surface  138  about its outer circumference to allow body member  116  to be held stationary by virtue of an operator grasping this gripping surface. In one preferred embodiment, passageways  130  and bore  124  are integrally molded into chuck body  116 . 
     Integral enlarged diameter portion  136  forms a ledge  140  for transmitting rearward axial thrust generated when tightening the chuck to the body. 
     The present invention further includes a nut  144  which, in a preferred embodiment, is a unitary nut and includes threads  146  for mating with threads  134  on jaws  118  whereby when said nut is rotated with respect to said body, the jaws will be advanced or retracted. In a preferred embodiment, nut  144  is co-molded with front sleeve  112  as will be described in more detail below. 
     Front sleeve member  112  is co-molded with nut  144  and extends over at least a portion of nose section  120  of body member  116 . A reinforcing member  150  is co-molded about the outer circumference of at least a portion of forward section  120  of body member  116  to provide additional strength to that portion of body member  116 . While co-molding is described, a press fit or other configuration could be utilized. 
     An extended nosepiece  152  is received over the forwardmost portion of body member  116  and serves as both a nosepiece and a retaining member. Extended nosepiece  152  includes a nut engagement portion  154  that is adapted to maintain nut  144  in place during operation of the chuck. Since sleeve  112  and nut  144  are co-molded together, extended nosepiece  152  also maintains sleeve  112  in place through its engagement with nut  144 . Extended nosepiece  152  is configured and adapted to extend to a point near where passageways  130  intersect axial bore  124 . Nut engagement portion  154  is dimensioned and configured to prevent nut  144  from disengaging threads  134  by excessive movement in the direction of the forwardmost portion of the nose section. In addition to the above, extended nosepiece  152  is exposed when chuck  110  is assembled and may preferably be a metallic member such as steel and may be coated or plated with a non-ferrous metallic coating to prevent rust and to enhance its appearance. In a preferred embodiment, such coating may be zinc or nickel, however, it should be appreciated that any suitable coating could be utilized. 
     While an integral enlarged diameter portion  136  is illustrated with the rear or tail section of the chuck of the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B, it should be appreciated that this section could be reduced in diameter and the sleeve  112  extended to the rearmost portion of the chuck. This alternative would be feasible when a spindle lock or the like is provided on the driver or when the driver is used to tighten or loosen the jaws. 
     The circumferential surface of front sleeve member  112  may be knurled or may be provided with longitudinal ribs or other protrusions to enable the operator to grip it securely. As stated above, the outer surface of the integral enlarged diameter portion  136  may likewise be configured. The front sleeve may be fabricated from a structural plastic such as polycarbonate, a filled polypropylene, for example, glass-filled polypropylene, or a blend of structural plastics. Other composite materials such as, for example, graphite-filled polymerics would also be suitable in certain environments. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the materials from which the sleeve of the present invention is fabricated will depend on the end use of the chuck, and the above are provided by way of example only. 
     It will be appreciated that the integral enlarged diameter portion  136  is a part of body member  116 , while front sleeve member  112  is operatively associated with nut  144  and secured with respect to body member  116  to allow for relative rotation therewith. Relative movement of the front sleeve  112  and integral enlarged diameter portion  136 , due to the interaction between threads  134  on jaws  118  and threads  146  on nut  144 , causes jaws  118  to be advanced or retracted dependent on the direction of relative movement. 
     An important aspect of the present invention is that body member  116  is an integral molded unit which can, depending on the desired configuration, include integrally molding the expanded circumferential portion, the passageways  130  and bore  120 . Such molding of one or more of these components eliminates problems associated with minimizing bar stock diameters as well as further processing steps of drilling passageways and bores for receipt of the tool and jaws. It should be appreciated, however, that it is within the scope of the present invention to mold body member  116  without certain components discussed above and to use further processing steps to complete the chuck body such as, for example, drilling jaw passageways. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the body member  116  may be formed from a structural plastic, such as polycarbonate, a filled polypropylene, for example, glass-filled polypropylene, or a blend of structural plastic materials. Other composite materials such as, for example, graphite-filled polymerics, would also be suitable in certain environments. In addition, the chuck could be molded from a suitable metal or other process or material such as zinc die casted. 
     It should be appreciated that molding body member  116  as opposed to utilizing various machining operations requiring the drilling of passageways and bores, would allow bore  124  as well as passageways  130  to have non-circular cross-sectional configurations. This would allow, for example, jaws to be manufactured with non-circular configurations, including cross-sectional configurations that are rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal or any other suitable configuration. Jaws of a rectangular cross-sectional configuration are illustrated at  118  in FIG.  2 B. Jaws  118  could be constructed in any known manner, but a presently preferred manner is utilization of powder metal. 
     It should be appreciated that while a one-piece co-molded nut/sleeve arrangement is illustrated, any known configuration of nut and/or sleeve relationships could be utilized as set forth above. 
     Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a chuck  210  in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Chuck  210  includes a front sleeve member  212 , a body member  216 , and jaws  218 . Body member  216  has a generally cylindrical nose or forward section  220  and a rear or tail section  222  that will be described in more detail below. An axial bore  224  is formed in nose section  220  of body member  216 . Axial bore  224  is somewhat larger than the largest tool shank that the chuck is designed to accommodate. A bore  226  is formed in tail section  222  of body member  216  and may be formed with integral threads or may be affixed to a threaded insert member  227 , either of which is adapted to mate with the drive shaft of a powered or hand driver (not shown). A portion  228  of the outer circumference of insert member  227  may be knurled or otherwise configured to provide a secure engagement with tail section  222  of body member  216 . Insert  227  may include a mounting socket as set forth above for engagement with a rotatable tool for attaching the chuck to the spindle of a powered driver. While a bore  226  or threaded insert  227  are illustrated, it should be appreciated that such bore could be replaced with a tapered bore to mate with a tapered drive shaft or otherwise configured in any suitable manner to mate with the drive shaft of a powered or hand driver. 
     Passageways  230  are formed in body member  216  to accommodate each jaw  218 . In a preferred embodiment, three jaws  218  are employed, and each jaw  218  is separated from the adjacent jaw by an arc of approximately  120  degrees. The axes of the passageways  230  and the jaws  218  are angled with respect to the chuck axis but intersect the chuck axis at a common point. Each jaw  218  has a tool engaging face  232  which is generally parallel to the axis of the chuck body  216 , and threads  234  on its opposite and outer surface. Threads  234  of any suitable type and pitch may be utilized within the scope of the present invention as will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. 
     Body member  216  includes an integral enlarged diameter portion  236  at its tail section which includes a gripping surface  238  about its outer circumference to allow body member  216  to be held stationary by virtue of an operator grasping this gripping surface. In one preferred embodiment, passageways  230  and bore  224  are integrally molded into chuck body  216 . Integral enlarged diameter portion  236  forms a ledge  240  for transmitting rearward axial thrust generated when tightening the chuck to the body  216 . 
     The present invention further includes a nut  244  which, in a preferred embodiment, is a unitary nut and includes threads  246  for mating with threads  234  on jaws  218  whereby when said nut is rotated with respect to said body, the jaws will be advanced or retracted. In a preferred embodiment, nut  244  includes drive lug receiving portions  247  for receiving drive lugs from front sleeve member  212  for rotational engagement as will be described in more detail below. 
     Front sleeve member  212  extends over at least a portion of nose section  220  of body member  216  and includes drive lugs  248  which are received in drive lug receiving portions  247  so that front sleeve  212  is rotationally coupled with nut  244 . 
     An extended nosepiece  252  is received over the forwardmost portion of body member  216  and serves to protect the forwardmost portion of body member  216  as well as reinforce the forward portion of body member  216 . Extended nosepiece  252  extends from the forwardmost portion of the nose section to a position near the intersection of passageways  230  with bore  226 . In addition to its protecting and reinforcing functions, extended nosepiece  252  also engages a portion of front sleeve  212  to maintain front sleeve  212  in rotational engagement with nut  244 . 
     In addition, since extended nosepiece  252  is exposed when chuck  210  is assembled, it may be made of any suitable material and, if metal, such as stamped from a low carbon steel, may preferably be coated with a non-ferrous metallic coating to prevent rust and to enhance its appearance. In a preferred embodiment, such coating may be zinc or nickel, however, it should appreciated that any suitable coating could be utilized. 
     While an integral enlarged diameter portion  236  is illustrated with the rear or tail section of the chuck of the embodiment of FIGS. 3A and 3B, it should be appreciated that this section could be reduced in diameter, and the sleeve  212  extended to the rearmost portion of the chuck. This alternative would be feasible when a spindle lock or the like is provided on the driver or when the driver is used to tighten or loosen the jaws. 
     The circumferential surface of front sleeve member  212  may be knurled or may be provided with longitudinal ribs or other protrusions to enable the operator to grip it securely. As stated above, the outer surface of the integral enlarged diameter portion  236  may likewise be configured. The front sleeve may be fabricated from a structural plastic such as a polycarbonate, a filled polypropylene, for example, glass filled polypropylene, or a blend of structural plastics. Other composite materials such as, for example, graphite-filled polymerics would also be suitable in certain environments. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the materials from which the sleeve of the present invention is fabricated will depend on the end use of the chuck, and the above are provided by way of example only. 
     It will be appreciated that the integral enlarged diameter portion  236  is a part of body member  216 , while front sleeve member  212  is operatively associated with nut  244  and secured with respect to body member  216  to allow for relative rotation therewith. Relative movement of front sleeve  212  and integral enlarged diameter portion  236 , due to the interaction between threads  234  on jaws  218  and threads  246  on nut  244 , causes jaws  218  to be advanced or retracted dependent on the direction of relative movement. 
     An important aspect of the present invention is that body member  216  is an integral molded unit which can, depending on the desired configuration, include integrally molding the expanded circumferential portion, the passageways  230  and bore  220 . Such molding of one or more of these components eliminates problems associated with minimizing bar stock diameters as well as further processing steps of drilling passageways in bores for receipt of the tool and jaws. It should be appreciated, however, that it is within the scope of the present invention to mold body member  216  without certain components discussed above and to use further processing steps to complete the chuck body as, for example, drilling jaw passageways. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the body member  216  may be formed from a structural plastic such as polycarbonate, a filled polypropylene, for example, glass-filled polypropylene, or a blend of structural plastic materials. Other composite materials such as, for example, graphite-filled polymerics, would also be suitable in some environments. In addition, the chuck could be molded from a suitable metal or other process or material such as zinc die casted. 
     It should be appreciated that molding body member  216 , as opposed to utilizing various machining operations requiring the drilling of passageways and bores, would allow bore  224  as well as passageways  230  to have non-circular cross-sectional configurations. This would allow, for example, jaws to be manufactured with non-circular configurations including cross-sectional configurations that are rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal or any other suitable configuration. FIGS. 3B and 5 best illustrate the jaws with rectangular cross-sectional configuration. Jaws in accordance with the present embodiments may be constructed of any suitable material or process. It should be appreciated that while a one-piece nut with drive member arrangement is illustrated, any known configuration of nut and/or sleeve relationships could be utilized as set forth above. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, a chuck in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The embodiment of FIG. 4 is the same as that of FIGS. 3A and 3B except nosepiece  252  of FIGS. 3A and 3B is replaced with a sleeve retention band  300 . Sleeve retention band  300  retains the front sleeve in place but allows the forward portion of the chuck body member to be exposed. Sleeve  300  is pressed or otherwise retained on body  220 . While a retaining band  300  is illustrated, any type of retaining member could be utilized to replace nosepiece  252  or band  300 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 6-8, another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, The operational mechanism of the embodiment of FIGS. 6-8 is the same as that of the embodiment of FIGS. 3A and 3B. Front sleeve  312  is rotatable with respect to the integral enlarged diameter portion  336 . Integral enlarged diameter portion  336  is integral with the remainder of the chuck body which is as set forth with respect to FIGS. 3A and 3B. Sleeve  312  is retained in place by nosepiece  352 , and sleeve  312  is operatively connected to a nut and jaws as set forth in FIGS. 3A and 3B. 
     In the embodiment of FIGS. 6-8, integral enlarged diameter portion  336  is of a multi-lobal configuration that provides a unique ornamental configuration as well as a unique gripping surface. Three lobes,  350 ,  351 ,  352 , are illustrated with concave surfaces  355  interconnecting the lobes. A sloping surface  360  also interconnects the lobes  350 ,  351 ,  352 . Each lobe has a jaw guideway  365  molded therein, and a threaded insert  370  is received in the center portion for mounting to a spindle. The internal bore of the nose section of the body member is formed with a non-circular configuration  375  for receipt of a tool therein for threadedly mounting the chuck on a spindle. This non-circular configuration could be for the entire length of the bore or a portion thereof. While a tri-lobal configuration is illustrated, it should be appreciated that any number of lobes would be within the scope of the present invention. 
     These and other modifications and variations to the present invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged both in whole or in part. For example, the multi-lobal configuration of FIGS. 6-8 could be utilized with any embodiment either as an integral portion or a separate sleeve. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to be limitative of the invention so further described in such appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1