Patent ID: 7886846

Claim:
Apparatus for carousel drilling which comprises: a. a drill tower including a rotatable drive motor; b. a carousel pivotably attached with respect to said drill tower and capable of supporting a plurality of elongated drilling devices, at least certain of said drilling devices being drill extenders capable of attachment to, and detachment from, a drilling tool; c. means for supporting the position of each said elongated drilling devices located at the upper end portion of said carousel, to retain said drilling devices in a generally vertical orientation when said drill tower and said carousel are raised to a generally vertical orientation for operative drilling; d. first means on said carousel for individually engaging at least certain of said drilling devices at the lower end portion thereof in a manner to prevent rotation of said drilling devices for purposes of attachment to, or detachment from, other such drilling devices; and e. second means on said carousel for individually engaging at least the remaining drilling devices and preventing rotation of each said remaining drilling devices at a location above the drilling device engagement location of said first engaging means, said second engaging means being located above said first engaging means wherein said carousel is pivotably attached to said drill tower, and said means for supporting the position of each said drill extender at the upper end portion thereof is a retainer plate having a plurality of generally circular cutout openings for individual reception of each said drill extender; wherein said first means for individually engaging at least two of said drilling devices at the lower end portion of said carousel is a primary breaker plate having at least two generally circular cutout openings for nestled reception of drilling devices, and at least two wrench-like cutout openings having opposed straight sides for engagement with corresponding flat surfaces on at least two of said drilling devices to restrain said drilling devices from rotation when being attached to, or detached from, said rotating drive motor or other such drilling devices; and wherein said second means for individually engaging each said drilling device is a secondary breaker plate having at least two generally circular cutout openings at locations corresponding to said cutout openings of said primary breaker plate having opposed flat surfaces, and at least two wrench-like cutout openings having opposed straight sides in positions corresponding respectively to the positions of said generally circular openings in said primary breaker plate, such that when a drilling device is positioned in one of said generally circular openings of one of said primary and said secondary breaker plates, said drilling device is also positioned in a flat sided cutout opening of said other breaker plate.