Patent ID: 7284936

Claim:
A tool bit and a collet comprising: a handle having an axis and an elongated opening extending along said axis, a collet disposed in said opening and having spring fingers disposed and being spring-urged radially outward from said axis in a first position and defining an elongated bore extending along said axis for receiving said tool bit and with said collet bore having a tool bit entrance end in said bore, a collar telescopically slideable on said collet for urging said spring fingers radially inward toward said axis in a second position, said spring fingers and said collar having mutually matching camming surfaces obliquely angulated relative to said axis and contactable with each other upon telescopically sliding of said collar in a first direction along said axis and toward said bore entrance end for urging said spring fingers to said second position, a spring operative on said collar for telescopically sliding said collar in the direction of said bore entrance end and for placing said camming surfaces in contact with each other and for also placing said spring fingers in said second position, said camming surfaces being arranged to move said collar in a second direction along said axis and away from said bore entrance end upon sliding contact of said camming surfaces with each other and thereby have said spring fingers positioned in said first position, said tool bit being insertable into said bore entrance end, said collet and said tool bit having engageable rotationally driving engageable surfaces for transmitting rotation from said collet to said tool bit, said tool bit and said spring fingers having mutually engageable surfaces for placing said camming surfaces into contact with each other and thereby radially moving said spring fingers radially outward to said first position upon insertion of said tool bit into said bore entrance end for moving said collar in said first direction and thereby away from said bore entrance end in a tool bit receiving mode, and said tool bit and said spring fingers having respective portions axially engageable upon radially inward movement of said spring fingers to said second position for axially restraining said tool bit relative to said collet in a tool bit axially secured mode.