Multiple drilling apparatus

Claim 1

A MULTIPLE DRILLING APPARATUS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY DRILLING A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSE APERTURES IN ONE OF A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL RAILS, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING: A FRAME; A PLURALITY OF WHEELS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME IN POSITION TO ENGAGE SAID RAILS AND PERMIT THE APPARATUS TO BE MOVED ALONG SAID RAILS; A PLURALITY OF DRIVEN SHAFTS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP AND EXTENDING ACROSS SAID FRAME TO PROJECT OVER AT LEAST ONE OF SAID RAILS; DRIVE MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID DRIVEN SHAFTS; A PLURALITY OF DRILL HEADS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFTS IN SIDE BY SIDE RELATIONSHIP AND LINEARLY MOVABLE WITH RESPECT THERETO; A PLURALITY OF BIT HOLDING MEMBERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID HEADS, EACH OF SAID BIT HOLDING MEMBERS HAVING AN AXIS OF ROTATION SPACED FROM THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFTS AND EACH OF SAID BIT HOLDING MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED TO GRIP A DRILL BIT AND DIRECT THE SAME TOWARDS SAID ONE OF SAID RAILS FOR DRILLING A HOLE THEREIN; EACH DRILL HEAD HAVING A POWER TRANSMISSION MEANS MOUNTED THEREIN FOR COUPLING SAID RESPECTIVE BIT HOLDING MEMBERS TO THE DRIVEN SHAFTS UPON WHICH IT IS MOUNTED TO TRANSLATE THE ROTATION OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFT TO SAID BIT HOLDING MEMBER; RELEASABLE CLAMPING MEANS ENGAGING SAID HEADS TO PERMIT PIVOTAL MOVEMENT THEREOF WITH RESPECT TO SAID FRAME; SAID CLAMPING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF BOSSES ON RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID HEADS, AND A TEMPLATE HAVING APERTURES AT A PREDETERMINED LATERAL SPACING POSITIONED OVER SAID BOSSES; AND MEANS ENGAGING SAID HEADS FOR ESTABLISHING THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID BIT HOLDING MEMBERS AT A PREDETERMINED RELATIVE LATERAL DISPLACEMENT WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER.