Patent Application
20210308882
The present invention generally relates to cutting devices. Specifically, the present invention relates to a deburring cutter device. In some examples, the deburring cutter includes a handle module, a blade, and a blade cover. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the handle module includes a blade holder configured with a blade cavity having walls which are adapted to reversibly secure the blade, allowing the blade to be selectively removed.
Deburring blade devices are commonly used for chamfering, deburring or de-flashing various materials such as plastic and aluminum. Such deburring blade devices generally comprise a handle component and a blade component. Some deburring cutters have removable or replaceable blades. Generally, such cutters utilize blades having tapered top and bottom sides, for example, blades which utilize Morse taper configurations, to lock a selected tapered blade into a corresponding cavity in the handle component of the cutter device. These devices typically require a secondary tool to enable a user to selectively remove the blade from the handle component. For example, such cutters may require a separate “key” or similar apparatus to unlock and remove a blade from the blade cavity. In such scenarios, the “key” must be inserted into a hole in the blade holder to apply a force or pressure on one or more edges of the blade to slightly eject the blade such that a user may grip and pull on an exterior portion of the blade to remove the blade from within the blade holding cavity. This procedure is often awkward, complicated, or unsafe.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a deburring cutting device that securely holds a replaceable blade and provides a convenient means for replacing a blade. Further, there is a need for a deburring cutter device that is sufficiently durable to maintain a consistent holding power for each newly replaced blade. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be explained and will become obvious to one skilled in the art through the summary of the invention that follows.
Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a deburring cutting device which is configured to securely hold a replaceable blade. Furthermore, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a deburring cutting device whose blade may be easily exchanged or replaced, for example, without the need for extra tools.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a deburring cutter device includes: a blade, a handle module comprising a locking sleeve and a blade holder configured to reversibly secure a blade. The blade holder may comprise a blade cavity, a tension component, and an actuator release. In some embodiments, the cutting device additionally includes a blade cover.
Accompanying this written specification is a collection of drawings of exemplary embodiments of the present invention. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that these are merely exemplary embodiments, and additional and alternative embodiments may exist and still be within the spirit of the invention as described herein.
The present invention generally relates to deburring cutter devices configured to reversibly secure blades. For example, at least some exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to deburring cutter devices having a handle module comprising a locking sleeve and blade holder configured to reversibly secure a blade, a blade, and a blade cover.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the deburring cutter device may comprise a blade and a handle module comprising a locking sleeve configured to receive a blade holder comprising a blade cavity, a tension component, and an actuator release. Certain embodiments of the present invention may include fewer components or additional components depending on the utilization and purpose for the deburring cutter device.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the blade holder 106 may include one or more protruding guides 132 configured to engage with one or more blade holder tracks 128 disposed on the locking sleeve 106 to enable the movement of the locking sleeve 106 relative to the blade holder 104. In some examples, the locking sleeve 106 includes the protruding guides and the blade holder 104 includes the tracks to enable the movement of the locking sleeve 106 relative to the blade holder 104.
According to embodiment of the present invention, the blade holder 106 may include a grip tab 114. The grip tab 114 may be configured with a textured portion for convenient gripping or holding. In some examples, the grip tab 114 is configured to extend a predetermined distance past the locking sleeve 106 when the blade holder 104 is received within the locking sleeve 106, to enable a user to grip the blade holder 106 and slide or otherwise sufficiently disengage the locking sleeve 106 from the blade holder 106.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the cutting device 100 may include a blade cover 110 configured to selectively cover the blade 108. In some embodiments, the blade cover 110 includes a locking mechanism. In some embodiments, the locking mechanism of the blade cover 110 includes a protruding portion 136 configured to engage with a notch portion 138 in the blade holder 104 to selectively cover the blade 108. In some examples, the blade cover 110 may be removed from atop the blade 108 and may be relocated to engage with the grip tab 114 such that the blade cover 110 may be stowed safely, for example, without getting misplaced, while the cutting device 100 is in use by a user.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the locking sleeve 106 is configured to engage with the blade holder 104 such that the blade cavity 116 engages with the one or more sides of a replaceable blade to impart a compression or pressure fit on the blade holder 104 and its blade cavity 116 to secure the blade 108 in place within the blade cavity 116. For example, the locking sleeve 106 may be configured with angled interior walls such that the insertion of the blade holder 104 into the locking sleeve 106 causes the angled interior walls to create a compression fit against the blade holder 104, exerting a force on the blade holder 104 and its blade cavity 116 to secure the blade 108 in place within the blade cavity 116.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a blade 108 having a top or “spine” side opposing a bottom or “belly” side may be disposed within the blade holder 104. In some embodiments, the blade 108 may be removably engaged with the blade holder 104. In some embodiments, the blade 108 may be elongated and have a first end with a cutting section and a second end with a base section. In some embodiments, the top side of the base section is substantially parallel to the bottom side of the base section. In some embodiments, the blade cavity 116 of the blade holder 106 may be configured to receive and tightly hold the base section of the blade 108.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cutting section of the blade may take any one of numerous forms suitable for use in a cutting device, such as trapezoidal, hooked, rectangular, and segmented for snap-off (for example, with one or more segments that can be removed from the blade to expose a fresh cutting edge). The cutting edge of the blade may take any one of numerous different configurations of cutting edges, including straight and serrated. In the depicted embodiment, the cutting edge of the blade has a concave profile. In some embodiments, the cutting edge of the blade may have a convex profile. The blade may be made from any suitable material, including, but not limited to, metal, ceramic, or any combination thereof. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that there are numerous configurations and materials that might be used for the blade, and embodiments of the present invention are contemplated for use with any such material or configuration.
In some examples, the locking sleeve is configured to engage with the blade holder to tighten the hold of the blade cavity on the blade. For example, the locking sleeve may exert a force on the blade holder to push the outer walls of the blade cavity towards a central point of the blade cavity thereby compressing the inner walls of the blade cavity inward. In some scenarios, the locking sleeve and the blade holder engage with each other to create a compression or clamping system in which the engagement of the locking sleeve with the blade holder causes the inner walls of the blade cavity to clamp a blade inserted into the blade cavity to hold the blade with a tight compression or pressure fit. In some examples, the locking sleeve is configured to narrow the relief notches of the blade cavity to compress the walls of the blade cavity to tightly hold a blade inserted in the blade cavity. In some scenarios, the compression fit of the blade cavity on the blade when the locking sleeve is engaged with the blade holder prevents the unintended removal of the blade from within the blade cavity.
In an exemplary usage scenario, to remove the blade, a user may compress the actuator release to disengage the locking sleeve from the blade holder. In some examples, this action will insert the actuator release into the actuator aperture, such that the lateral movement of the actuator release is not blocked by the actuator aperture, thereby permitting the movement of the locking sleeve relative to the blade holder, and enabling the user to disengage the locking sleeve from the blade holder by, for example, sliding the locking sleeve away from the blade cavity such that the interior walls of the blade cavity no longer compression or pressure the inserted blade.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the blade holder may be configured to engage with a removable/exchangeable blade, and may additionally be configured with a friction means to maintain friction sufficiently when the blade is unlocked, for example, when the locking sleeve is unlocked from the blade holder, to prevent the blade from slipping out, but allow the blade to be pulled out or inserted easily. For example, such a friction means may take the form of one or more walls of a blade cavity configured to make contact with one or more of the sides of a blade with pressure high enough to prevent slippage but low enough to allow removal and insertion of the blade when the locking sleeve is unlocked from the blade holder.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the blade that is used may be constructed from a ceramic material that is capable of withstanding extended use without becoming dull or unusable. Ceramic materials appropriate for such construction include, but are not limited to, Zirconium Oxide. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that there are numerous ceramic materials that could be utilized with embodiments of the present invention.
According to an embodiment of the invention, one or more of the blade holder, the locking sleeve, or any parts thereof, may be formed from a suitable thermoplastic material, which may include, for example, Acrylanitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polycarbonate (PC), Mix of ABS and PC, Acetal (POM), Acetate, Acrylic (PMMA), Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP), Mylar, Polyamid-Nylon, Polyamid-Nylon 6, Polyamid-Nylon 11, Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyetherimide (PEI), Polyethylene (PE), Low Density PE (LDPE), High Density PE (HDPE), Ultra High Molecular Weight PE (UHMW PE), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), PolPolypropylene (PP), Polyphthalamide (PPA), Polyphenylenesulfide (PPS), Polystyrene (PS), High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), Polysulfone (PSU), Polyurethane (PU), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Chlorinated Polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), Polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF), Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN), Teflon TFE, Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE), Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), Engineered Thermoplastic Polyurethane (ETPU), or any combination thereof.
It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments.
While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. The invention is capable of myriad modifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
