Black Decker Inc.

R.h. Sheppard Co., Inc.

John S Vantran

Robert P Wagster

Brent Austin Kuehne

Rodney D Milbourne

Terry L Turner

Louis August Gibbons

Kevin W Covell

Michael F Cannaliato

Steven McClaskey

Vernon R Lacher

Mark D Miller, Jr

Calvin Michael Edleblute

Weston J Van Wambeke

Frederick R Bean

Andrew Walker

Thomas R Kaye, Jr

Colin M Dyke

Robert A Meloni

Robert J B Hobden

Jeffrey Tipton

Mark E Robson

Jared Pitzer

Manjunath Terwad

Ruth M Keffer

Timothy McKay

William Lessig

Robert Jb Hobden

Thomas R Kaye

Steven B Mcclaskey

Robert JB Hobden

An improved steering shaft assembly is provided. The steering shaft assembly further includes an output shaft that is rotatable with respect to the input shaft. The output shaft includes a rotary valve portion and a longitudinal portion. The steering shaft assembly further includes a torsion bar coupled to the input shaft and coupled to the output shaft distal from the input shaft. The steering shaft assembly further includes a mid-coupler extending around about the longitudinal portion of the output shaft and adapted to cooperate with the rotary valve portion of the output shaft. The steering shaft assembly further includes a screw mechanism extending about the longitudinal portion of the output shaft and adapted to cooperate with the mid-coupler. The screw mechanism is adapted to move laterally relative to the output shaft to maintain transfer of power from between output shaft and the screw mechanism despite misalignments therebetween.

Coupled steering gear shaft

A battery pack may include a battery cell, a cradle, a board and a housing. The cradle may be coupled with the battery cell and may include one or more guide members extending from and integrally formed with a surface of the cradle. The board may be mounted to the cradle and may include a plurality of terminal contacts electrically connected with the battery cell. The one or more guide members may be adapted to guide a device into engagement with the terminal contacts. The housing may at least partially enclose the cradle and the battery cell and may include one or more guide apertures and a plurality of terminal apertures. The one or more guide members may protrude through the one or more guide apertures. Each of the terminal apertures may be aligned with a corresponding one of the plurality of contacts.

Battery pack with guide rails for improved terminal alignment

A jigsaw generally includes a housing containing a motor activated by a trigger assembly. A single control member is connected to the housing and configured to be accessible by a user. A reciprocating shaft moves at a reciprocation speed and at a magnitude of orbital motion when the trigger assembly is in a retracted condition. The single control member is operable to be positioned among a plurality of positions. Each of the positions corresponds to a predetermined combination of values of the reciprocation speed and the magnitude of the orbital motion.

Control of reciprocation speed and orbital magnitude of a jigsaw with a plurality of material and/or task descriptive icons

A handheld power tool having a detachable tool head is disclosed in which, depending on the type of tool head used, selection of reverse movement of the rotary assembly of the power tool can be prevented. Where reverse movement of the tool head is undesirable, such as for a saw blade, the tool head contains a contact plate that slides a plate member to a position to prevent selection of the reverse direction by the user. However, where reverse movement of a tool head is desired, such as for a drill head, the plate member remains in its original position such that forward and reverse directions can be selected by a user.

Multi-head power tool with reverse lock-out capability

A portable power tool includes a motor located in a motor housing of the tool and having a rotary output shaft, a working part arranged to be driven by the rotary output shaft, a dust collection container arranged to collect dust produced by the operation of the power tool on a workpiece during use, and a fan. The fan is arranged to be rotated about an axis by the motor to convey the dust to the dust collection container, the axis of rotation of the fan being non-coaxial with the rotary output shaft of the motor. A part of an exterior surface of the dust collection container is formed as a recess into which the motor housing at least partly extends, such that the dust collection container extends at least partly around the motor housing.

Portable power tool

A power saw tool including a housing, a motor, and a reciprocating shaft. A blade clamp assembly is mounted to the reciprocating shaft and adapted for gripping a saw blade. The blade clamp assembly includes a main body defining a channel for engaging the saw blade. A latch arm is pivotally attached to the main body and rotatable about a pivot axis. A locking catch extends from the latch arm and retains the saw blade within the channel. A latch release extends from the latch arm. An actuator is provided to selectively engage the latch release and permit removal of the saw blade from the blade clamp assembly. The power saw tool may include a speed limiter housed within the handle grip to delimit rearward travel of the trigger switch, thereby restricting the speed of the motor. The power saw tool may also include a rotatable shoe assembly.

Power saw tool

A power tool including a sliding member slidably received in the power tool and a pair of lock plates, each of the pair of lock plates including an opening, and the lock plates being configured such that the sliding member slides within the opening. First ends of each of the lock plates are pivotably attached to a support at a first side of the sliding member, and second ends of each of the lock plates being biased toward one another at an opposite side of the sliding member. A first contact portion of the lock plate contacts a first surface of the sliding member at the first side of the sliding member, and a second contact portion of the lock plate contacts a second surface of the sliding member at the opposite side of the sliding member, wherein the sliding member is secured with respect to the support.

Lock for power tool

A jigsaw includes a housing containing a motor activated by a trigger assembly. A shoe member is pivotally connected to the housing of the jigsaw and establishes an angle therebetween. The jigsaw includes a keel assembly includes a blade member that generally extends from the housing beyond the shoe member. The keel assembly remains generally in line with the housing as the angle between the shoe member and the housing varies. The jigsaw also includes a latch assembly capable of retaining and releasing the keel assembly from the housing.

Adjustable and removable keel assembly and blade guide for a jigsaw

An arrangement for mounting a handle to a power tool housing includes a first mounting portion defined by the housing and a second mounting portion defined by an end of the handle. The first mounting portion includes a plurality of projections extending laterally therefrom. The second mounting portion includes a plurality of recesses adapted to receive the plurality of lateral projections

Handle mounting arrangement for a power tool

The power tool includes a body, a trigger mechanism and a manually operated locking member. The trigger mechanism is mounted to the body for rotation about an axis between an actuated position and a non-actuated position. The manually operable locking member is translationally mounted to the body for movement between a first position and a second position. The locking member cooperates with the trigger mechanism to provide first, second and third modes of operation. In the first mode, the locking member is in the first position and articulation of the trigger mechanism from the non-actuated position to the actuated position is precluded. In the second mode, the locking member is in an intermediate position between the first and second positions and the trigger mechanism is freely allowed to articulate between the actuated and non-actuated positions. In the third mode, the locking member is in the second position and the trigger mechanism is prevented from articulating from the non-actuated position to the actuated position.

Actuation mechanism for a power tool

A power tool system has detachable and interchangeable implements and driving sources. The interchangeable implements and driving sources use a housing having common mating interface to selectively assemble a power tool having the desired characteristics. A latch is used to hold a selected implement and driving source in functional engagement. An adjustable bale handle provides a comfortable and safe handhold for various configurations of the interchangeable implements.

Interchangeable implement system for power tools

An electrically-powered appliance, such as a line-type grass trimmer, lawn edger, snowthrower, or the like, includes a housing, an elongated hollow tubular handle, an elongated electrical cable extending through and within the tubular handle, and an attachment arrangement for attaching the tubular handle to the housing. The housing includes an attachment portion and a removable portion, preferably of a common 'clamshell' configuration, with fasteners extending through openings in these housing portions for fastening them to one another with the tubular handle securely clamped therebetween. Such tubular handle has openings extending laterally therethrough which correspond to the openings through the attachment and removable housing portions. The housing openings and the handle openings are laterally aligned with one another during assembly in order to ensure proper alignment and positioning of the handle when the housing portions are fastened to one another with the handle clamped therebetween. In order to further assure such proper alignment, and to facilitate ease of maintaining such proper alignment while the fasteners are inserted through the housing and handle openings, the housing portions each preferably include internal annular bosses surrounding their respective housing openings. The openings in the tubular handle are sized to receive the internal annular bosses on the housing portions in order to aid in the proper alignment and the maintenance of such proper alignment during assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Parkton, MD, United States of America

John S Vantran