Patent Application
20140259693
The present invention relates generally to cutters and, in particular, a hand tool such as a safety cutter with a recessed rotatable cutting edge.
A great variety of knives, cutters, safety cutters, and cutter apparatuses are known. Features variously found in prior knives, cutters, safety cutters, and cutter apparatuses include mechanisms and devices facilitating, for example, blade deployment, blade locking, blade depth adjustment, blade change, or blade storage. Various ergonomic devices and apparatuses are also known.
Unfortunately, known hand-held cutters, utility knives and the like are often cumbersome, inconvenient, difficult or tedious to operate, or lacking in features that might improve worker efficiency, increase the useable life of the cutter, and/or decrease the likelihood of injuries resulting from contact with blades. Cutters with replaceable blades often present to an operator or user potential hazards associated with blade replacement. Cutters with blades that are not accessible by a user (for example, and in the case with some “disposable” knives) can likewise be cumbersome or inconvenient, poorly suited for use in relation to particular tasks or styles of work, or suffer from various other safety and/or operational deficiencies. Additionally, the cutting edge of a blade, replaceable or otherwise, is subject to wear that may vary in degree for different portions of a cutting edge and depending upon cutting actions, user skill and technique, and objects being cut.
It would be useful to be able to provide a safety cutter with a mechanism or device that extends blade life. It would be useful to be able to provide a safety cutter with a mechanism or device that improves cutting safety.
In an example embodiment, a safety cutter includes a handle and a recessed blade that is rotatably coupled to a head portion of the cutter.
In an example embodiment, a safety cutter includes a handle having a head portion with an opening configured for receiving the edge of a work piece to be cut, and a circular blade rotatably coupled to the head portion such that edge portions of the blade are recessed in relation to the opening.
In an example embodiment, a safety cutter includes a handle having an opening and a blade coupled to the handle such that edge portions of the blade are advanced rotating through the opening when the blade is pulled into frictional engagement with an object being cut.
Devices and methods described herein involve a safety cutter with a recessed blade that is rotatably coupled to a head portion of the cutter. In example embodiments, the blade is recessed relative to the opening of a channel or slot that receives the edge of a work piece or object to be cut. When brought into cutting engagement with an object to be cut, the blade rotates continually revealing (as it turns) a different cutting edge portion. This advantageously provides a greater amount of available cutting edge compared to the fixed blade of a conventional recessed-blade disposable safety cutter, the usable part (of said conventional cutter) being the relatively short length of cutting edge spanning across its channel or slot.
Referring to
In this example embodiment, the head portion is configured with recesses/openings 112 including a side opening through which the circular blade is visible, and recesses at either side of the head portion distal to the cutting location (at blade edge) in the channel 108. In this example embodiment, a base portion of the cutter includes a tape splitter 114. In example embodiments, the safety cutter 100 includes complementary or interfitting portions 116 (e.g., as shown) and the left and right side handle portions 102 and 104 are joined together by a sonic weld.
With regard to materials, the left and right side handle portions 102 and 104 can be formed of various materials, for example, 20% glass filled nylon, and by various processes (e.g., injection molding). The circular blade 106 can be formed of various materials, for example, stainless steel.
Thus, in an example embodiment, a safety cutter includes a handle and a recessed blade that is rotatably coupled to a head portion of the cutter.
Thus, in an example embodiment, a safety cutter includes a handle having a head portion with an opening configured for receiving the edge of a work piece to be cut, and a circular blade rotatably coupled to the head portion such that edge portions of the blade are recessed in relation to the opening.
Thus, in an example embodiment, a safety cutter includes a handle having an opening and a blade coupled to the handle such that edge portions of the blade are advanced rotating through the opening when the blade is pulled into frictional engagement with an object being cut.
Although the present invention(s) has(have) been described in terms of the example embodiments above, numerous modifications and/or additions to the above-described embodiments would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the scope of the present invention(s) extend to all such modifications and/or additions.
This application is related to U.S. Design patent application No. ______, entitled “Safety Cutter” filed herewith, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
