1. Field
Various features relate to cutters (e.g., scissors, shears, etc.), and more specifically, to hand-held pull-type cutters that allow a user to cut material while moving or pulling the cutters towards the user.
2. Background
Conventional hand-held cutters have cutting blades that extend out from a pivot member in a direction that is substantially opposite the cutters' handle arms used to operate the conventional cutters. A user operating such conventional cutters manually squeezes together and pulls apart the handle arms, which in turn moves the cutting blades toward and away from one another about the pivot member, to cut material positioned between the cutting blades. Notably, the user must steadily push the cutters out away from themselves while operating the cutters to cut additional material.
One disadvantage of such a design is that the user's hands and/or the cutters' handle arms may interfere with the material as it is cut. This is particularly problematic when the material being cut is rigid, such as a sheet of metal, hard plastic, wood, or cardboard, since the rigid material cannot easily bend out of the way of the cutters' moving handle arms. Thus, attempting to cut a rigid material with such conventional cutters, especially when attempting to make angled cuts, may prove very difficult or unsafe due to the sharp edges of the material that have been cut which tend to brush against the user's hand.
Another disadvantage of the conventional hand-held cutters' design is that of safety. Since the cutting blades may have sharpened edges and/or sharpened points facing away from the user holding the cutters at their handle arms, walking or running about a space while holding such cutters may unintentionally hurt someone.
There is a need for improved designs for hand-held cutters that allow a user to make precision cuts efficiently and effectively. Such cutters should allow the user to cut material, even rigid material, without the cut material interfering with the operation of the cutters itself. Moreover, the cutters should feature improved safety over conventional designs.
One feature provides an apparatus comprising a top lever having a first end that includes a first handle, a bottom lever having a first end that includes a second handle, the bottom lever including a bottom edge, a cutting lever having a top edge, at least one of the bottom edge and/or the top edge being sharp, a first member rotatably coupling the cutting lever to the bottom lever, and a second member coupling the top lever to the cutting lever, the top lever adapted to move the second member when the first handle is moved relative to the second handle, moving the second member causes the cutting lever to rotate about the first member to move the top edge toward or away from the bottom edge, and wherein the top edge and the bottom edge extend from the first member in a same direction as the first and second handles. According to one aspect, the top lever is adapted to move the second member within an opening located in the bottom lever. According to another aspect, the first member is positioned closer to the first and second handles than the second member.
According to one aspect, raising the top lever up and away from the bottom lever causes the second member to move up within an opening in a same direction as the top lever, the opening located in the bottom lever. According to another aspect, the apparatus further comprises a third member rotatably coupling the top lever to the bottom lever, the third member positioned further away from the first and second handles than both the first member and the second member. According to yet another aspect, the second member is positioned closer to the first and second handles than the first member.
According to one aspect, raising the top lever up and away from the bottom lever causes the second member to move down within an opening in an opposite direction as the top lever, the opening located in the bottom lever. According to another aspect, the apparatus further comprises a third member rotatably coupling the top lever to the bottom lever, the third member positioned closer to the first and second handles than both the first member and the second member. According to yet another aspect, at least one of the first and second members is at least one of a rod, screw, or a rivet.
According to one aspect, the top lever and the bottom lever are positioned adjacent to each other and when moved relative to each other move in different vertical planes. According to another aspect, the bottom lever is positioned in between the top lever and the cutting lever, and the second member passes through the bottom lever to couple the top lever to the cutting lever. According to yet another aspect, the second member passes through a slot of the bottom lever.
According to one aspect, the top lever and the bottom lever are positioned in a same vertical plane and are adapted to move relative to each other in the same vertical plane. According to another aspect, the apparatus further comprises a connecting piece, and a third member coupling the connecting piece to the top lever. According to yet another aspect, the connecting piece is fixedly coupled to the bottom lever or is part of the bottom lever, and the third member couples the connecting piece to the top lever at an opening of the top lever, the third member adapted to move about within the opening when the top lever is moved relative to the bottom lever.
According to one aspect, the connecting piece is adapted to rotate relative to top lever about the third member, and the apparatus further comprises a fourth member rotatably coupling the connecting piece to the bottom lever. According to another aspect, the apparatus further comprises a third member rotatably coupling the top lever to the bottom lever, and at least one of the top lever and/or the bottom lever includes a plurality of holes to which the third member is adapted to pass through to adjust leverage of the apparatus.
Another feature provides an apparatus comprising a top lever having a first handle, a bottom lever having a second handle, the bottom lever including a bottom edge, a cutting lever having a top edge, a means for coupling the cutting lever to the bottom lever, the means for coupling the cutting lever to the bottom lever adapted to allow the cutting lever to rotate relative to the bottom lever, the top edge and the bottom edge extending from the means for coupling the cutting lever to the bottom lever in a same direction as the first and second handles, and a means for coupling the top lever to the cutting lever, the top lever adapted to move the means for coupling the top lever to the cutting lever when the first handle is moved relative to the second handle, and wherein movement of the means for coupling the top lever to the cutting lever causes the cutting lever to rotate about the means for coupling the cutting lever to the bottom lever. According to one aspect, the bottom lever is positioned in between the top lever and the cutting lever, and the means for coupling the top lever to the cutting lever passes through a slot of the bottom lever to couple the top lever to the cutting lever.
Another feature provides an apparatus comprising a top lever having a first handle, a bottom lever having a second handle, the bottom lever including a bottom edge, a cutting lever having a top edge, at least one of the bottom edge and/or the top edge being sharp, the bottom lever positioned in between the top lever and the cutting lever, the bottom lever further positioned in between the top lever and the gear, a gear coupled to a toothed side of the cutting lever and adapted to rotate the cutting lever in a direction opposite of the gear, a first member rotatably coupling the cutting lever to the bottom lever, the top edge and the bottom edge extending from the first member in a same direction as the first and second handles, and a second member coupling the top lever to the gear such that rotating the top lever counterclockwise rotates the gear counterclockwise and rotating the top lever clockwise rotates the gear clockwise.
In the following description, specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments of the disclosure. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation or embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments of the disclosure. Likewise, the term “embodiments” does not require that all embodiments of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation. The term “cutters” as used herein includes shears and scissors. As used herein, the terms “coupled” and “coupling” mean that two components are directly or indirectly connected to each other. Thus, the two components may be directly touching each other or there may be an intermediary component between the two components that connects the two components together.
Overview
Various embodiments of hand-held cutters are described herein. The cutters are of a type that allows a user operator (herein “user”) to cut material while pulling or otherwise moving the cutters towards the user. The material cut can vary widely but may include paper, cardboard, metal, wood, plastic, rubber, etc. Thus, sheets of paper, cardboard, wood, metal, rubber, and/or plastic may be cut safely and efficiently.
Referring to
In one embodiment, the members 108, 110, 112 have securing ends having diameters that are larger than the cross-sectional diameter of the members 108, 110, 112 in order to secure the members 108, 110, 112 within the one or more levers 102, 104, 106 and prevent them from falling out. According to one example, the securing ends may be fastening nuts 202. According to another example where the members are 108, 110, 112 are screws or bolts, one securing end of each member 108, 110, 112 may be a screw/bolt head 204 while the other end is a fastening nut 202. According to yet another example, the members 108, 110, 112 may be rivets.
Opening the cutters 100 by moving the top lever 102 up and away from the bottom lever 104 causes the top lever 102 to rotate (e.g., counterclockwise direction based on cutters' 100 orientation in
Closing the cutters 100 by moving the top lever 102 back towards the bottom lever 104 causes the top lever 102 to rotate (e.g., clockwise direction based on cutters' 100 orientation in
When the motor 652 is activated (e.g., via a switch (not shown)) it turns the first pivot member 608 back and forth (i.e., clockwise and counterclockwise), which in turn moves the cutting lever 606 back and forth (i.e., rotates the cutting lever clockwise and counterclockwise) relative to the bottom lever's bottom edge 634. If the cutting lever's top edge 632 and/or the bottom lever's bottom edge 634 are sharpened then material positioned in between the cutting lever 606 and the bottom lever 604 may be cut. The cutters 600 may be pulled in the direction of the dashed arrow (see
The second pivot rod 810, located near a second end 814 of the cutters 800, passes through a hole in the gear 807, a hole in the bottom lever 804, and another hole in the top lever 802, thereby coupling the top lever 802 and the gear 807 together. Thus, if the top lever 802 rotates about the second pivot rod 810 so too does the gear 807 in the same direction. The gear 807 mates with a toothed side 809 of the cutting lever 806, and as the gear 807 rotates in one direction the cutting lever 806 also rotates but in an opposite direction to the gear 807. The first pivot rod 808 passes through a hole in the cutting lever 806 and a hole in the bottom lever 804 thereby coupling the bottom lever and the cutting lever together and allowing the cutting lever 806 to rotate relative to the bottom lever 804 about the first pivot rod 808.
In one embodiment, the pivot rods 808, 810 have securing ends having diameters that are larger than the cross-sectional diameter of the pivot rods 808, 810 in order to secure the pivot rods 808, 810 within the one or more levers 802, 804, 806 and/or gear 807 and prevent them from falling out. According to one example, the securing ends may be nuts. According to another example where the pivot rods are 808, 810 are screws or bolts, one securing end of each pivot rod 808, 810 may be a screw/bolt head while the other end is a fastening nut. According to yet another example, the pivot rods 108, 110, 112 may be rivets.
Opening the cutters 800 by moving the top lever 802 up and away from the bottom lever 804 causes the gear 807 to rotate (e.g., counterclockwise direction based on cutters' 800 orientation in
Closing the cutters 800 by moving the top lever 802 down and toward the bottom lever 804 causes the gear 807 to rotate (e.g., clockwise direction based on cutters' 800 orientation in
Referring to
The third pivot rod 1012, located near a second end 1014 of the cutters 1000, passes through a hole 1016 in the bottom lever 1004 and then through a first slot 1018 (e.g., “first opening”) located in the top lever 1002 thereby rotatably coupling the bottom lever 1004 and the top lever 1002 together. The first slot 1018 allows the top lever 1002 to slightly move around relative to the third pivot rod 1012 and the bottom lever 1004. According to one example, the first slot 1018 may instead be a circular hole having a diameter larger than third pivot rod 1012. The connector 1010 passes through a hole 1020 in the cutting lever 1006, a second slot 1022 (e.g., “second opening”) located in the bottom lever 1004, and a hole 1024 in the top lever 1002. The connector 1010 rotatably couples the top lever 1002 and the cutting lever 1006 together. The connector 1010 moves about freely within the second slot 1022. The first pivot rod 1008 passes through a hole 1026 in the cutting lever 1006 and another hole 1028 in the lower lever 1004 thereby rotatably coupling the bottom lever 1004 and the cutting lever 1006 together. According to one embodiment, the second slot 1022 may have a curved shape like an arc having an inner side (e.g., intrados) that faces the second end 1014 of the cutters 1000. In other embodiments, the second slot 1022 may have another shape including, but not limited to, any elongated shape.
Opening the cutters 1000 by moving the top lever 1002 up and away from the lower lever 1004 causes the top lever 1002 to rotate (e.g., counterclockwise direction based on cutters' 1000 orientation in
Closing the cutters 1000 by moving the top lever 1002 down and toward the lower lever 1004 causes the top lever 1002 to rotate (e.g., clockwise direction based on cutters' 1000 orientation in
Referring to
Referring to
Opening the cutters 1300 by moving the top lever 1302 up and away from the lower lever 1304 causes the top lever 1302 to move relative to the third pivot rod 1312 and the bottom lever 1304 (e.g., for the orientation of the cutters 1300 shown in
Closing the cutters 1300 by moving the top lever 1302 down and toward the lower lever 1304 causes the top lever 1302 to move relative to the third pivot rod 1312 and the bottom lever 1304 in the opposite direction (e.g., for the orientation of the cutters 1300 shown in
One or more of the components, steps, features, and/or functions illustrated in
The various features of the invention described herein can be implemented in different systems without departing from the invention. It should be noted that the foregoing embodiments of the disclosure are merely examples and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. The description of the embodiments of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. As such, the present teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses and many alternatives, modifications.
The present application for patent claims priority to provisional application No. 62/202,154 entitled “Scissors” filed Aug. 6, 2015, the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
97973 | Shehan | Dec 1869 | A |
103873 | Grover | Jun 1870 | A |
124455 | Snell | Mar 1872 | A |
126888 | Keethler | May 1872 | A |
146942 | Nunan | Jan 1874 | A |
187064 | Stroop | Feb 1877 | A |
313259 | Upton | Mar 1885 | A |
334582 | Haas | Jan 1886 | A |
354363 | Titus | Dec 1886 | A |
361911 | Weston | Apr 1887 | A |
397698 | Cooper | Feb 1889 | A |
453669 | Scheewe | Jun 1891 | A |
460705 | Hansen | Oct 1891 | A |
476114 | Andrews | May 1892 | A |
502809 | Caspian | Aug 1893 | A |
512451 | Shultz | Jan 1894 | A |
677419 | Lott | Jul 1901 | A |
692673 | Joseph | Feb 1902 | A |
709478 | Fortney | Sep 1902 | A |
777366 | Bergmark | Dec 1904 | A |
838298 | Briggs | Dec 1906 | A |
907065 | Litzelman | Dec 1908 | A |
975059 | Meissner | Nov 1910 | A |
985048 | Meissner | Feb 1911 | A |
996674 | Randle et al. | Jul 1911 | A |
1009009 | Bachand et al. | Nov 1911 | A |
1447483 | Pazos | Mar 1923 | A |
1507529 | Sundman | Sep 1924 | A |
1666832 | Perl et al. | Apr 1928 | A |
1700174 | McMillan | Jan 1929 | A |
2326178 | Seeberger | Aug 1943 | A |
2391598 | Serdich | Dec 1945 | A |
2568234 | Haufrect | Sep 1951 | A |
2665755 | McCoy | Jan 1954 | A |
2808647 | Ikeuchi | Oct 1957 | A |
2897591 | Nastasi et al. | Aug 1959 | A |
2915821 | Partin | Dec 1959 | A |
3090121 | Chonka | May 1963 | A |
3279063 | Chalup | Oct 1966 | A |
3333607 | Haraden | Aug 1967 | A |
3338281 | Davy | Aug 1967 | A |
3438130 | Ballard et al. | Apr 1969 | A |
3721245 | Campbell | Mar 1973 | A |
3738002 | Coughtrie | Jun 1973 | A |
4058894 | Leturgez | Nov 1977 | A |
4285344 | Marshall | Aug 1981 | A |
4507864 | Leibowitz | Apr 1985 | A |
4958435 | Grubbs | Sep 1990 | A |
4965992 | Jacobs | Oct 1990 | A |
5074046 | Kolesky | Dec 1991 | A |
5092049 | Grubbs | Mar 1992 | A |
5193277 | Zmijewski | Mar 1993 | A |
5943779 | Antonio, Jr. | Aug 1999 | A |
6079107 | Horvath | Jun 2000 | A |
6754961 | Brockhage | Jun 2004 | B2 |
6813836 | Graca | Nov 2004 | B2 |
7690118 | Yamakado | Apr 2010 | B2 |
20030167640 | Heck | Sep 2003 | A1 |
20050283981 | Yizhar | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20100236080 | Huang | Sep 2010 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
2220606 | Jan 1992 | GB |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62202154 | Aug 2015 | US |