CUTTING TOOL

Abstract

A cutting tool (100) includes a top blade (102) and a bottom blade (104). The bottom blade (104) is pivotally coupled to the top blade (102). The top blade (102) and the bottom blade (104) together perform a cutting action on an object place between them. A first handle (108) is operatively coupled with the top blade (102). The first handle (108) defines a front portion (109) and a back portion (111). A second handle (110) is operatively coupled with the bottom blade (104). The cutting tool (100) is characterized in that in closed position of the cutting tool (100), at least a part of the second handle (110) at least partially encloses the back portion (111) of the first handle (108).

Claims

1. A cutting tool comprising: a top blade; a bottom blade pivotally coupled to the top blade, wherein the top blade and the bottom blade together perform a cutting action on an object placed therebetween; a first handle operatively coupled with the top blade, wherein the first handle defines a front portion and a back portion; and a second handle operatively coupled with the bottom blade; wherein, in a closed position of the cutting tool, at least a part of the second handle at least partially encloses the back portion of the first handle.

2. The cutting tool of claim 1, wherein a battery of a drive unit is housed within the second handle.

3. The cutting tool of claim 1, wherein the drive unit comprising a motor, a gearbox, a drum, Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) and the battery to selectively provide supplemental motor force, wherein the drive unit is enclosed within the second handle.

4. The cutting tool of claim 1, wherein the drive unit is operatively coupled to at least one of the top blade and the bottom blade, wherein the drive unit is configured to selectively provide a supplemental motor force to assist a movement of at least one of the top blade and the bottom blade to perform the cutting action.

5. The cutting tool of claim 1, wherein the cutting tool comprises a slider or trigger to activate or deactivate the drive unit.

6. The cutting tool of claim 1, wherein the second handle comprises a recess in which the first handle is arrangeable or arranged in closed position of the cutting tool, wherein a wall of the second handle forming the recess has a contour of an arc-shaped or curved contour, corresponding to a contour of an arc-shaped or curved contour, of the first handle such that the corresponding contours of first and second handle are arrangeable or arranged closely adjacent to each other in a closed position of the cutting tool.

7. The cutting tool of claim 3, wherein the second handle defines a longitudinal axis corresponding to an axis of a drive shaft of the drive unit, wherein the motor or the gear box or the drum or a bearing for supporting the drive shaft is arranged consecutively relative to the longitudinal axis and wherein the battery or the printed circuit board assembly is arranged laterally offset to the motor or the gear box or the drum or a bearing for supporting the drive shaft relative to the longitudinal axis.

8. The cutting tool of claim 1, wherein at least the second handle comprises two half-shells forming a cavity in an assembled state of the second handle, wherein the drive unit is arrangeable or arranged in the cavity, wherein at least one of the half-shells comprises one or two or more reinforcement structures in a form of reinforcement and support ribs or reinforcement and support walls, which are configured to support components of the drive unit arrangeable or arranged in the cavity and to reinforce the outer handle wall of the second handle against deformation caused during cutting action.

9. The cutting tool of claim 8, wherein a first half-shell comprises a plurality of connection domes including thread domes, which structurally reinforce the outer wall of the first handle, wherein four connection domes are arranged to define a quadrilateral plane in which at least one component of the drive unit comprising a sub-unit including a gear box or a drum or a sub-unit including a motor or a battery or a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), is arranged.

10. The cutting tool of 1, wherein the second handle comprises at least one end portion and at least one central portion, wherein the at least one end portion defines a first width and the at least one central portion defines a second width being different from the first width, wherein the first width is at least 1.4 times the second width.

11. The cutting tool of claim 10, wherein the first handle defines a third width, wherein a difference of the first width minus the second width substantially equals the third width.

12. The cutting tool of claim 11, wherein the first width, the second width or the third width lie within the same plane, wherein the same plane corresponds to a plane in which a closing movement of the first and second handle or of the top and bottom blade occurs.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein:

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a cutting tool, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a drive unit within the cutting tool, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an adapter of the cutting tool, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the cutting tool of FIG. 1 after disassembly of a removable nut, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the cutting tool having a first handle which is not enclosed by a second handle of the cutting tool, in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure; and

[0025] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a drive unit within the cutting tool, similar to FIG. 2 with some more details.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0026] The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the invention incorporating one or more aspects of the present invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. For example, one or more aspects of the present invention may be utilized in other embodiments and even other types of structures and/or methods. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.

[0027] Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the invention. For example, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “side”, “longitudinal”, “lateral”, “transverse”, “upwards”, “downwards”, “forward”, “backward”, “sideward”, “left,” “right,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “upward”, “inner”, “outer”, “inward”, “outward”, “top”, “bottom”, “higher”, “above”, “below”, “central”, “middle”, “intermediate”, “between”, “end”, “adjacent”, “proximate”, “near”, “distal”, “remote”, “radial”, “circumferential”, or the like, merely describe the configuration shown in the Figures. Indeed, the components may be oriented in any direction and the terminology, therefore, should be understood as encompassing such variations unless specified otherwise.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cutting tool 100. The cutting tool 100 of the present disclosure is illustrated as secateurs, however, the present disclosure may be readily applied to any cutting tool 100 such as, but not limited to, a lopper, shears, scissors etc. with one, two or more cutting edges. The cutting tool 100 includes one or more blades i.e. a top blade 102 and a bottom blade 104. Preferably the top blade 102 is a replaceable blade. The cutting tool 100 further includes a nut 106. Preferably this nut 106 is removable. The nut 106 is provided at the pivoted position of the top blade 102 and the bottom blade 104.

[0028] In some embodiments, the removable nut 106 may be any one or more of a coupling nut, a flange nut, a hex nut, a lock nut, a slotted nut, a square nut, a wheel nut and the like.

[0029] The bottom blade 104 is pivotally coupled to the top blade 102. The top blade 102 and the bottom blade 104 together perform a cutting action on an object (generally a branch) placed between them. In one embodiment the cutting tool 100 further includes a lid 132 That allows an easy replacement of the battery. Preferably the cutting tool is using a replaceable battery or even can use different ones out of a set of replaceable batteries.

[0030] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the cutting tool 100 includes one or more handles i.e. a first handle 108 and a second handle 110. The first handle 108 is operatively coupled with the top blade 102. The first handle 108 defines a front portion 109 and a back portion 111. The second handle 110 is operatively coupled with the bottom blade 104. In closed position of the cutting tool 100, at least a part of the second handle 110 at least partially encloses the back portion 111 of the first handle 108. This improves ergonomic profile of the combination of the first handle 108, and the second handle 110, particularly in the closed position of the cutting tool 100.

[0031] In some embodiments, any or both of the top blade 102 and the bottom blade 104 may be one or more of a clip point blade, a drop point blade, a gut hook blade, a hawkbell blade, a needle point blade, a straight back blade, a sheepsfoot blade, a spear point blade or any other blade as used or known in the art.

[0032] In some embodiment, the top blade 102 and the bottom blade 104 may be made of aluminum or any other material as used or known in the art. Choice of the material for any of the top blade 102 and the bottom blade 104 will generally depend upon factors such as life, application, weight or other parameters related to the cutting tool 100. However, the present disclosure is not to be limited by the type of material, type, or specification of the top blade 102 and the bottom blade 104 in any manner.

[0033] During implementation, at least one of the top blade 102 and the bottom blade 104 may be a fixed blade while the other performs desired cutting action. Alternately or additionally, both the top blade 102 and the bottom blade 104 may be movable during the cutting action.

[0034] In some embodiments, the coupling of the one or more blades i.e. the top blade 102 and the bottom blade 104 to its respective handles 108 and 110 may be done by gluing, tying, screwing and the like.

[0035] FIG. 2 illustrates the cutting tool 100 which includes a drive unit 130. The drive unit 130 includes a motor 112 and a gearbox 114. The drive unit 130 further includes a drum 116 comprising a clutch, a retraction spring and a winch. Moreover, the drive unit 130 includes a battery 120 a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 118. In the depicted embodiment the battery 120 is covered by the lid 132. The lid 132 may be assembled or disassembled using any arrangement such as, but not limited to, sliding connection, snap-fit connection or push-fit connection to change the battery 120. The drive unit 130 may be operatively coupled to at least one of the top blade 102 and the bottom blade 104. The drive unit 130 is configured to selectively provide a supplemental motor force to assist a movement of at least one of the top blade 102 and the bottom blade 104 to perform the cutting action. In the illustrated embodiments, the drive unit 130 is housed in the second handle 110. Further, the battery 120 of the drive unit 130 is housed within the second handle 110. This helps in reducing the dimensions of the first handle 108, particularly the combined profile of the second handle 110 enclosing the first handle 108 becomes more ergonomic and easier to handle for common users.

[0036] In some embodiments, the battery 120 may be a primary battery, or a secondary battery. For example, the battery 120 may be one or more of a lithium-ion, a nickel cadmium, a nickel-metal hydride, lead-acid.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, all components of the drive unit 130 are housed in a single handle i.e. the second handle 110 as best illustrated in FIG. 2 with the cutting tool being in closed status. This helps in reducing the thickness, dimensions, ergonomic profile or spatial footprint of the first handle 108. This even allows the combined profile of the second handle 110, and the first handle 108 to be looked at as one part, particularly during closed state of the first handle 108, when at least a part of the second handle 110 at least partially encloses the back portion 111 of the first handle 108. This advantageous ergonomic profile can be seen with the side view of the cutting tool 100 of FIG. 2. By this it also becomes possible to realize the first handle 108 as a slim bottom handle that allows the operation of the cutting tool even with small hands.

[0038] In some embodiments, outer boundary lines (not shown) of both the first handle 108 and the second handle 110 may be parallel to each other. Alternately or additionally, the outer boundary lines of the one or more of handles i.e. the first handle 108 and the second handle 110 may be non-parallel or non-aligned with respect to each other.

[0039] In an embodiment, the cutting tool 100 includes a slider or trigger to activate or deactivate the drive unit 130. In the depicted embodiment this slider or trigger is realized in top of the cutting tool 100 as slider or trigger 122, alternatively it as well could be realized as a slider or trigger. On engaging, moving or pressing the slider or trigger 122 the drive unit 130 gets switched on and off and thus the cutting tool 100 becomes convenient and safe to handle by common users. The drive unit 130 may be deactivated for instances which may require to save/extend battery life or allow uninterrupted operation of the power-assisted cutting tool 100, such as for low battery conditions. In such instances of the deactivated drive unit 130, it could be possible that the motor 112 will remain in a disengaged/OFF state leading to a purely user-based cutting action by the cutting tool 100, without any supplemental motor force. In one embodiment the slider or trigger 122 might also look the cutting tool 100 in a closed status.

[0040] In some embodiments, the slider or trigger 122 may be a button, a knob, a single pole single throw switch, a single pole double throw switch, a double pole single throw switch, a double pole double throw switch, a push-button switch, a toggle switch, a limit switch, a float switch, and the like. Alternately or additionally, a button, a knob, or any other switching means as used or known in the relevant art may be present in place of or additionally to the slider or trigger 122.

[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates details with the first handle 108 (shown in the bottom of the drawing) and the second handle 110 (shown on the top of the drawing) of the cutting tool 100 in a closed position. The cutting tool 100 having a spring 124. The cutting tool 100 further includes a rope 126 transmitting the force from the drive unit 130 inside the second handle 110 into the first handle 108 and an adapter 128 inside of the first handle 108. The adapter 128 finds application for pre-fixing the spring 124 and the rope 126 with the first handle 110, without any direct engagement or contact of the spring 124 and the rope 126 with the first handle 110, as best illustrated in FIG. 4. The top blade 102 passes through the adapter 128. The piercing of the top blade 102 through the adapter 128 helps in securing or locking of the top blade 102 within the adapter 128, and/or the bottom handle 110 as per the requirement.

[0042] During implementation, a connection of the adapter 128 with the top blade 102 may be achieved by pushing, sliding, and piercing the top blade 102 through the adapter 128. The adapter 128 may be made up of one or more of a material like plastic, rubber, polymers, glass and the like. The adapter 128 allows smooth assembly or disassembly during movement of the top blade 102 (through the adapter 128) by simple pulling action on the top blade 102, after removal of the removal nut 106 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0043] FIG. 4 illustrates the cutting tool 100 post disassembly of the removable nut 106. This sets up the cutting tool 100 for removal or disassembly of the top blade 102 from the cutting tool 100. The removable nut 106 may be disassembled by use of hand tools or by any other way convenient for the common user. Then, the disassembled top blade 102 allows its substitution with another top blade 102 (not shown), which may have a sharper edge or any other desired feature. During implementation, the top blade 102 may be substituted with another top blade 102. The substituted blade i.e. another top blade 102, for the top blade 102, may have different design, profile etc. with same basic structure which may allow it to desirably engage with the adapter 128.

[0044] FIG. 5 illustrates the cutting tool 100 with the first handle 108 disengaged and not enclosed by the second handle 110. The first handle 108 and the second handle 110 have one or more inner sides 115, 117 respectively. In some embodiments, the diameter of both the first handle 108, and the second handle 110 may be advantageously rounded. Any or both of the first handle 108, and the second handle 110 may have a soft grip surface to increase the ease of use or to avoid slipping during application. Advantageously, an undesirable crushing, in particular a pinching of a skin of an operator's hand, trapping of the operator's hand between the first handle 108 and the second handle 110, and the like may be avoided by the elastic, rounded design of the one or more inner sides 115, 117 of both the first handle 108 and the second handle 110.

[0045] Further, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a recess 134 is formed by the second handle 110. The form of the recess 134 corresponds with the form of the first handle 108 such that the first handle 108 can be arranged within the recess closely to the second handle 110. The recess 134 and the first handle 108 comprise corresponding contours that are arc-shaped or curved. The recess is delimited by an end portion 142 and a central portion 144 of the second handle 110, wherein the end portion has a width W.sub.1 being substantially larger that a width W.sub.2 of the central portion, such that the first handle 108, having a width W.sub.3 fits within the recess 134 to such an extent that the first handle 108 forms a closed outer contour with the second handle 110 and does not project beyond the contour of the second handle 110 at least within a plane defined by the plane drawn up by the first handle 108, the second handle 110 and a pivot point, e.g. defined by the nut 106.

[0046] FIG. 6 illustrates the cutting tool 100 in a closed state. The first handle 108 is accommodated within the recess 134. The drive unit 130 is arranged completely within a cavity formed by a first half-shell of the second handle 110. A drive shaft (not referenced) of the drive unit 130 defines an axis A. Motor 112, gear box 114, drum 116 and a bearing 148 for supporting the drive shaft are arranged consecutively or in other words in a row. In this specific embodiment, the motor shaft and the gear shaft coupled to the drive shaft extend within one axis A, however, the skilled person may appreciate that there may be further possibilities of arrangement. The printed circuit board assembly PCBA and the battery 120 are not arranged within a row with the other components of the drive unit 130, but are laterally offset to them. In particular, the longitudinal axis of the printed circuit board assembly PCBA and the battery 120 is offset laterally to the axis A and may be arranged parallel or non-parallel thereto.

[0047] Furthermore, the second handle 108 comprises two shells forming a hollow cavity for accommodation of the drive unit 130, wherein one half-shell is removed in the view of FIG. 6. The half-shell that is still visible comprises thread domes 138 for receiving screws for connecting both half-shells to each other. It shall be appreciated that the thread domes 138 further increase the resistance of the second handle 110 against mechanical deformation, by the way of their form as support posts. This effect is further increased by arranging the thread domes 138 at specific positions. Four thread domes 134 are arranged to define a quadrilateral plane in which a sub-unit including a gear box 114 and a drum 116 or a sub-unit including a motor 112, a battery 120 and a printed circuit board assembly PCBA is arranged. Additionally or alternatively, it is possible that a shaft 140 of the bottom blade 104 may be coupled to the second handle 110 in a region close to thread domes 134, e.g. in such way that the shaft 140 protrudes in the direction of the axis A, wherein, e.g. two thread domes 134 form a support and/or fixation and/or a coupling recess for the shaft 140. Additionally, the second handle 110 may comprise reinforcement structures 136 such as reinforcement and support ribs or reinforcement and support walls in order to support the components of the drive unit 130 fixedly within the cavity of the second handle 110 and to provide the second handle 110 with structural reinforcements to resist mechanical deformations.

[0048] In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed preferred embodiments and examples of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purpose of limitation of the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

LIST OF ELEMENTS

[0049] 100 Cutting Tool [0050] 102 Top Blade [0051] 104 Bottom Blade [0052] 106 Removable Nut [0053] 108 First handle [0054] 109 Front Portion [0055] 110 Second handle [0056] 111 Back Portion [0057] 112 Motor [0058] 114 Gear Box [0059] 115 Inner Side [0060] 116 Drum [0061] 117 Inner Side [0062] 118 Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) [0063] 120 Battery [0064] 122 Slider or Trigger [0065] 124 Spring [0066] 126 Rope [0067] 128 Adapter [0068] 130 Drive unit [0069] 132 Lid [0070] 134 Recess [0071] 136 Reinforcement structures [0072] 138 Thread domes [0073] 140 Shaft [0074] 142 End portion [0075] 144 Central portion [0076] 146 Front portion [0077] 148 Bearing [0078] A Axis of drive shaft [0079] W.sub.1 First width [0080] W.sub.2 Second width [0081] W.sub.3 Third width