Patent ID: 7976253

Claim:
A chuck for use with a manual or powered driver having a housing and a rotatable drive shaft extending therefrom, said chuck comprising: a. a generally cylindrical body having a nose section and a tail section configured to rotate with said drive shaft, said nose section having an axial bore formed therein and a plurality of angularly disposed passageways formed therethrough and intersecting said axial bore; b. a plurality of jaws slidably received in respective said angularly disposed passageways, each of said jaws having a jaw face formed on one side thereof and threads formed on the opposite side thereof; c. a nut rotatably mounted on said body in engagement with said threads on said jaws so that relative rotation between said nut and said body moves said jaws axially within said passageways; d. a nut retaining member having a cylindrical inner diameter and flared inner diameter, said nut retaining member having a nut contact portion for retaining said nut in its operative position; e. a first sleeve disposed about said body, wherein said sleeve is selectively movable to a position in which said sleeve is rotationally held to said housing; f. a nosepiece fixed on said nose section of said body; g. a second sleeve fixed on said nosepiece and disposed about a portion of the said first sleeve; h. a clutch disposed operatively between said nut and said first sleeve and axially movable between a first and a second position, and i. a spring in operative engagement with said clutch, wherein said spring continuously biases said clutch toward said first position, wherein in said first position said clutch rotationally fixes said nut to said first sleeve, and wherein in said second position said nut is rotationally independent of said first sleeve.