Patent ID: 6959931

Claim:
A keyless chuck, comprising: a generally cylindrical body defining an axis and having a forward portion and a rearward portion with respect to the axis, the forward portion including a radially outwardly projecting portion of the body, the body further including a plurality of guides extending obliquely to the axis and converging toward the forward section, and a groove extending around the body; a plurality of jaws corresponding to the plurality of guides, each jaw being slidably disposed within the respective guide and including a thread section along an outer surface thereof; a jaw-engaging mechanism configured to operably engage the groove and to be rotatable around the body, the jaw-engaging mechanism including a thread section configured to complementarily engage the thread sections of the jaws; a sleeve extending over the jaw-engaging mechanism; a cylindrical hoop press-fit with respect to and extending around the jaw-engaging mechanism and disposed between the jaw-engaging mechanism and the sleeve; and a retaining member disposed substantially within the sleeve, the retaining member being operably engaged with and extending between the body and the sleeve, rearwardly of the radially outwardly projecting portion of the body, the retaining member being configured to axially constrain the sleeve with respect to movement toward the forward portion of the body.