Cutlery – Cutting tools – Saw
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-06
2004-06-22
Shoap, Allan N. (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Cutting tools
Saw
C030S167000, C030S329000, C081S003420, C083S698110, C279S051000, C606S085000, C451S162000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06751875
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This present invention relates to hand-held tools, specifically to a hand-held reciprocating attachment for power rotary tools.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Power-driven hand-held rotary tools and reciprocating tools are known to exist in prior art. Such tools currently available exhibit problems in regards to delicate, detail work.
Rotary tools rotate tool attachments, such as ball grinders, sanding discs and drums, and cutting wheels, at a variable RPM up to very high RPM. Although such rotary tools are very useful in numerous applications they do have limitations. When trying to perform detailed shaping or precise removal of material from a work piece with a hand-held rotating tool, a ball grinder, sanding disc or drum, or cutting wheel attachment can grab a material and cause a tool to be pulled in an unwanted direction thereby blemishing or even destroying a work piece. For one example of a professional application, this potentially damaging scenario is a real concern when modifying or repairing very expensive electronic printed circuit board assemblies. It is common practice to use either a manual razor knife or a rotary tool with a small cutting ball to sever small clad runs on electronic printed circuit boards where a connection needs to be broken. When the operator loses control of a rotary cutting tool due to grabbing numerous unwanted clad traces can be severed, sometimes in an un-repairable area of the board, resulting in hundreds or thousands of dollars in wasted inventory. Also, using a manual hobby razor knife in such as application requires quite a bit of force that can promote slipping and loss of control. Cutting with a rotary tool is limited to the use of a spinning, abrasive cutting wheel, and gaining access to a desired area of a work piece at a desired cutting angle is sometimes impossible to achieve. This is because rotary cutting tools have a limitation in that some of the parts comprising the drive mechanism of the cutting wheel are either above, below, to the right, or to the left of the plane of the cutting wheel depending on orientation. Carving with a hand-held rotary tool requires the use of a spinning, course-cutting attachment that, too, can catch on a material, cause a tool to be pulled in an unwanted direction, and cause damage to a work piece. Sawing with a hand-held rotary tool is limited to the use of a spinning, abrasive cutting wheel, or a round saw with teeth, and gaining access to a desired area of a work piece at a desired cutting angle is sometimes impossible to achieve. Also, the depth of cut realized with a cutting wheel or round saw is limited to slightly less than its radius. Chiseling with a hand-held rotary tool using only rotating motion is potentially dangerous because it requires a rotating bit containing cutting blades that is difficult to control and certainly not suited for fine, detail work. Filing with a hand-held rotary tool is limited to a use of a spinning, abrasive cutting wheel or a spinning abrasive bit. Gaining access to a desired area of a work piece at a desired angle with an abrasive wheel for filing is sometimes impossible to achieve, and filing with a spinning abrasive bit can cause unwanted variable-depth cuts, or unwanted grooves, in a work surface. Sanding with a hand-held rotary tool requires a spinning sanding disc or a sanding drum attachment that can grab a material, cause a tool to be pulled in an unwanted direction, and either cause damage to or destroy a work piece.
Some available hand-held reciprocating tools are too large and too heavy to hold properly for extreme detail work because they include an AC motor or a DC motor with batteries. Also, they are more dedicated to certain applications, such as just sanding or just carving, and don't allow for an assortment of tool attachment types. Some do not hold tool attachments firmly enough for extremely fine control of a tool attachment.
Reciprocating carving tools that don't activate until the cutting edge is pressed against the work piece with a force parallel to the longitudinal axis are not suited for knife blades, saw blades, files, and sanders because such tool attachments require pressure to be applied perpendicular to the tool's longitudinal axis. Therefore, force-activated tools are typically limited to chisels and gouges and are not suited for delicate work because the required force to active may exceed the mechanical strength of the work piece.
Hammer-type reciprocating tools impart a potentially damaging impulse to delicate work pieces. Also, the impact and spring return mechanisms do not have a high frequency response. They do not allow for a fine degree of force control required for delicate work pieces.
Engravers are reciprocating tools, but they are limited in their ability to provide a variable-speed, variable-length stroke. They also are not suited for the use of other types of cutting tools and are dedicated to engraving only.
A reciprocating hand tool for flexible shafts in U.S. Pat. No. 1,866,529 to Farkas, is provided for general reference. The referenced inclined annular groove will result in large acceleration and deceleration forces between the annular groove and the ball and socket set screw.
A solenoid-powered surgical osteotome in U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,241 to Carlson, is in a different technical field as compared to the invention claimed in this application.
A saber saw attachment in U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,289 to Whitten, claims a saber saw attachment, to the exclusion of other types of cutting tools.
A reciprocating chisel blade power hoe in U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,316 to Edwards, is in a different technical field as compared to the invention claimed in this application.
A reciprocating knife in U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,653 to Bacon, Feb. 24, 1987, claimed a reciprocating knife tool, to the exclusion of other types of tools. Additionally, the invention claimed the use of two opposed elastic members for biasing, which has a limited frequency response, and screws to affix a cutting blade section to a blade, which can loosen due to vibration and which require additional tools for assembly.
A power operated reciprocating hand tool in U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,941 to Fulton, Feb. 24, 1986, claimed a flexible sleeve and utilized a flexible reciprocating cable, coil spring, and mallot that applied a fixed impact force to a cutting tool that limits its applications. Furthermore, a spring's response limited the attainable reciprocating frequency.
A power tool in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,592 to Fisher, Aug. 27, 1991, was designed for heavier-duty home project applications such as paint scraper and a wallpaper stripper, as opposed to highly detailed and/or more delicate applications, and claims a sinusoidal cam track and cam follower mechanism with a pair of struts, and intermediate gearing interposed between the drive mechanism and the output shaft. Furthermore, this is in a different technical field as compared to the invention claimed in this application.
A power tool in U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,709 to Fisher, May 7, 1996, was designed for heavier-duty home project applications such as paint scraper and a power spade, as opposed to highly detailed and/or more delicate applications, and claims a sinusoidal cam track and cam follower mechanism with at least two studs, struts, or bosses, and intermediate gearing interposed between the drive mechanism and the output shaft. Furthermore, this is in a different technical field as compared to the invention claimed in this application
The reciprocating attachment for hand drills in U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,265 to Lane, Mar. 4, 1997, is designed to work only with saw blades while being powered by a lower-RPM hand drill. Furthermore, the saw blade is attached with screws that are subject to loosening under vibration and the saw blade mounting method requires that either special, non-standard saw blades be purchased by the consumer or requires that the consumer modify existing saw blades for adequate mounting.
The power drill-saw with simultaneous rotation and reciprocation a
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