AU5951300A - Drill accessory - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT DRILL ACCESSORY The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me: 5 FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a dust suppression housing for use in conjunction with ~a rotary tool such as a power drill, for reducing the release of dust and debris into the surrounding area during drilling operations.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a dust suppression housing for a rotary drill, the housing being open at its front and adapted to contact a surface at a locus surrounding a position for 15 a hole to be drilled therein, the housing having at least one side wall extending rearwardly from the front, a rear wall having an aperture aligned with said open front such that a drill bit may pass through the aperture and open front to engage and penetrate the surface.

Preferably, the housing has means for attachment to an external vacuum source to remove particles from the enclosed space within the housing, preferably a vacuum connection tube extends outwards from the housing side wall. The vacuum connection tube may act as a handle for positioning the device, whether or not connected to the vacuum source.

In one preferred form, the rear wall is detachable. Preferably the rear wall is a substantially annular disc which is mounted to allow it to spin.

Preferably the annual disc is retained upon the housing by a retaining ring.

Preferably the annual disc is formed of a soft, flexible material that is preferably opaque.

Preferably the retaining ring has mounted thereon, in a storage position, a secondary disc with which the first said disc can be interchanged, the secondary disc being transparent or see-through.

Preferably, each disc has a central aperture therethrough.

15 Preferably the aperture through the transparent or see-through disc is larger than the aperture through the soft, flexible disc.

*o o Typically, the soft, flexible disc is intended for use when the housing is not attached to an external vacuum source.

Typically, the transparent or see-through disc is intended to be used when the housing is attached to an external vacuum source.

Preferably, a breather hole is provided in the means for attachment to an external vacuum source.

In a further preferred form, the housing is sufficiently lightweight that application of vacuum from a domestic vacuum cleaner will retain the housing against in position against a vertical surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional elevation of the device in use; and Fig. 2 is an exploded elevation of the device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The housing has a generally cylindrical or frustoconical body 10 which includes a tapered side wall 12. The side wall 12 has an aperture 14 therethrough, leading to an S•outlet tube 16 extending outwards and rearwards from the side wall. The outlet tube 15 16 has a tapered connection spigot 18 at its end, with a groove 20 receiving a flared seal 22 of Santoprene or other suitable elastomeric material. The tapered spigot 18 and flared seal 22 arrangement is adapted to fit to flexible vacuum hoses of a range of diameters, including the most common diameters used in domestic vacuum cleaners.

o 20 The body of the housing, including the side wall, outlet tube and connection spigot, may be moulded as one piece.

The rear wall of the housing is formed as an annular disc 24, retained by retaining ring 26 which fits into the rear of the body. These components fit together so as to allow relatively free spinning of the disc 24 on its axis.

In one embodiment, the disc is formed from clear plastics material and has its central aperture 28 of sufficient diameter to allow passage of the most commonly used drill bit sizes to pass freely therethrough to engage the workpiece 30. The clear disc allows the user to view the area being drilled, and may be removed for cleaning and replacement as necessary. The housing may be supplied as a kit including several of the discs, for example with different diameter apertures 28.

In the depicted embodiment, the clear plastics disc 33 is provided in a storage position, snap-engaged or otherwise tightly engaged with a recess in the upper edge of the retaining ring 26. Disc 24 may be released from that storage position and used to replace the soft disc 24. The retaining ring 24 would then be replaced so as to leave the clear disc 33 sandwiched but free-spinning between it and the housing body The clear plastics disc 33 would have an external dimension approximately the same as that of disc 24 to enable the disc 33 to rotate, should its inner aperture engage with the external surface of a drill bit 31 in use.

The disc 33 is typically formed from clear plastics material such as Santoprene, with S •the aperture sized to fit closely about the drill bit 31 as it penetrates and the disc ooooi allowed to spin with the drill bit.

15 The front end of the body 10 may be fitted with a seal/wall protector ring 32 of elastomer which contacts the wall or other workpiece being drilled to prevent escape of the particles formed by the drilling. These particles are then removed from the ••go enclosure by the vacuum source (not shown), such as a domestic vacuum cleaner attached via its flexible hose to the outlet spigot 18.

o The seal ring 32 has a channel for receiving the front edge of the side wall 12, and has a tapered inner surface 34 which reduces spillage of particles when the housing is used in the vertical orientation, for example when drilling into a wall, by guiding falling particles away from the wall. This feature also improves capture of particles by the housing if used without attachment of the vacuum source. The housing is provided with a closure plug 36 (Fig. 2) for this purpose.

The outstanding connection tube 16 and spigot 18, and the attached vacuum hose (not shown) may be used as a handle for correct positioning of the device.

In one preferred embodiment, the housing is made of lightweight materials such that application of vacuum by a normal domestic vacuum cleaner is sufficient to retain the housing in position against a wall or other vertical surface to be drilled. Suitably, the housing body and retaining ring may be moulded of lightweight plastics material such as glass reinforced nylon, and have a mass less than 100g, preferably less than 75g. A housing of glass reinforced nylon of about 50mm total diameter and about 55g mass has been found to give a good combination of effectiveness, light weight and durability.

While particular embodiments of this invention have been described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments and examples are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all modifications which would be obvious to those skilled in the art are therefore intended to be embraced therein. For example, the apparatus need "not be provided with two separate discs 24 and 33. Instead, just one disc might be provided, or a kit of discs might be provided, each having different properties and applications. Furthermore, a breather hole might be provided typically at the position marked in Fig. 1. Such a hole might be filled with a porous medium to allow the ingress of air to supplement air passing through aperture 28 when a vacuum source is fitted to the device. The porous medium would prevent shavings from falling out 20 when the device is used without a vacuum source attached.

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Claims (14)

1. A dust suppression housing for a rotary drill, the housing being open at its front and adapted to contact a surface at a locus surrounding a position for a hole to be drilled therein, the housing having at least one side wall extending rearwardly from the front, a rear wall having an aperture aligned with said open front such that a drill bit may pass through the aperture and open front to engage and penetrate the surface.

2. The housing of claim 1 further including means for attachment to an external vacuum source to remove particles from the enclosed space within the housing, preferably a vacuum connection tube extends outwards from the housing side wall. The vacuum connection tube may act as a handle for positioning the device, whether S• or not connected to the vacuum source. 15

3. The housing of claim 1 wherein the rear wall is detachable.

4. The housing of claim 3 wherein the rear wall is a substantially annular disc which is mounted to allow it to spin.

5. The housing of claim 4 wherein the annual disc is retained upon the housing by a retaining ring.

6. The housing of claim 4 wherein the annual disc is formed of a soft, flexible material.

7. The housing of claim 6 wherein the annual disc is opaque.

8. The housing of claim 5 wherein the retaining ring has mounted thereon, in a storage position, a secondary disc with which the first said disc can be interchanged.

9. The housing of claim 8 wherein the secondary disc is transparent or see- through.

The housing of claim 8 wherein each said disc has a central aperture therethrough.

11. The housing of claim 10 wherein the aperture through the transparent or see- through disc is larger than the aperture through the soft, flexible disc.

12. The housing of claim 2 wherein a breather hole is provided in the means for attachment to an external vacuum source.

13. The housing of claim 2 being sufficiently lightweight that application is vacuum from a domestic vacuum cleaner to the means for attachment to an external vacuum source will retain the housing in position against a vertical surface.

14. A dust suppression housing substantially as hereinbefore described with 15 reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 20th day of September 2000 Owen Lewis Richardson 20 Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: HALFORD CO