Cutlery – Cigar tip cutters – Hand
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-07
2001-04-17
Payer, Hwei-Siu (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Cigar tip cutters
Hand
C030S111000, C030S278000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216346
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for cutting various elongate materials, and more particularly a cutter, suited for example to embodiment as a hand-held and operated device for preparing the head of a cigar for smoking, or alternatively for facilitated cutting of rope, tape or other binding material to a desired length.
Cigar cutters and punches are well known in the art, and a variety of versions are widely used by cigar smokers to trim the head of a cigar, particularly those that are hand-rolled, prior to lighting. Cigar cutters are distinguished from cigar punches in that the latter devices operate to puncture or remove a demarcated punched section from the head end of a cigar, whereas cigar cutters utilize a blade-cutting action directed crosswise the length of a cigar.
Cigar cutters include, for example, the once prevalent “V” cutter, in which the head of the cigar is generally seated in a receiving chamber having an appropriately configured aperture across which a wedge-like, V-shaped blade slidably traverses, to cut out a correspondingly shaped wedge crosswise from the head of the cigar.
An alternate arrangement includes two blade members presenting concave arcuate blade edges, the blade members being mounted for overlying slidable movement with respect to one another, with the respective blade edges positioned in opposition to one another. A cigar end is placed between the opposed blade edges, and cut by urging together of the blade members which slidably overly each other.
Another type of currently popular cutter consists of a simple guillotine arrangement in which a flat blade member is mounted to a body for slidable movement with respect thereto. A blade edge, generally oriented on a bias with resect to a direction of blade travel, traverses an aperture formed in the cutter body within which the head of the cigar is receivable.
In each of the aforementioned cutters, the cutting mechanism involves a simple chopping motion, the blade edge remaining stationary with resect to a blade advancement axis. Because chopping is a mechanically inefficient blade operation, application of significant pressure is often required to effect cutting, particularly when used to prepare larger ring gauge or tightly rolled cigars. Also, once the cutting edges of the blade or blades have been significantly dulled over time, the cigar may be damaged as a result of a cut, resulting in a frayed wrapper or more significant damage to the head.
Therefore, a cutter in which a blade is drawn laterally across the object to be cut while transverse pressure is applied by a user, for example in which a novel blade transport mechanism imparts simultaneous rotation to the blade to effect a more effective slicing type operation for cutting of various materials cleanly and easily, would be highly desirable. Moreover, a cutter directed to pre-smoke cigar preparation which would allow the cutting of the head of a cigar before lighting in a manner requiring reduced user effort and less incidence of damage to the cigar, thereby maintaining structural integrity of the prepared cigar after cutting, would be highly advantageous.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a cutter useful for cutting various articles and materials which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a cutter suitable to embodiment as a hand-held and operated cutter which requires less effort on the part of the user, even when cutting resistant materials.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a cutter which, when embodied as a hand-held and operated cutter directed to pre-smoke preparation of a cigar end, permits simple and reliable transverse cutting of the head of the cigar, and which operates on a slicing mechanism aimed at protecting the cigar from mechanically induced damage.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a cigar cutter in a form which is conveniently carried, economical, and versatily functional.
Briefly stated, there is provided a hand-held cutter comprising two support members, which are, for convenience, of relatively flattened configuration, and which are in overlying mounted engagement and slidable with respect to one another along a common axis. A blade member, configured to include a convexly arcuate blade edge, is sandwiched between the two support members, and eccentrically supported at opposed peripheral locations thereon adjacent the blade edge. One of the support members includes a receiving hole of suitable diameter to permit passage of a head of a cigar, or other material or article to be cut or trimmed, at least partially therethrough. The support members are slidably movable from a primed position in which the cutting edge of the mounted blade is free of the receiving hole, to another position, following passage of the blade, edge-first, across the receiving hole. Means responsive to sliding of the support members relative one another for imparting rotation to the arcuately shaped blade edge are provided, whereby as the support members are urged from the open blade primed position to an operation-completed position in which the blade edge has at least partially completed lateral movement relative the support members and has sufficiently traversed the cigar-receiving opening to effect cutting of the inserted article, the blade member cuts same by virtue of simultaneous rotational (slicing) and well as relative lateral chopping movement (compressive) across the cigar-receiving opening.
According to a feature of the invention, means for eccentric support of the blade member are provided, conveniently in the form of a pair of pins protruding from each of both sides of the cutting blade. The two support members each includes a guide of arcuate shape and a straight guide, both conveniently in the form of channels (or grooves) adapted to receive the pins captively therein for movement along controlled paths configured such that relative slidable movement imparted to the support members along a common axis thereof moves the blade codirectionally with the axis while imparting rotation thereto.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1156158 (1915-10-01), Leidel
patent: 1199784 (1916-10-01), Hall
patent: 1269593 (1918-06-01), Fuller
patent: 1294479 (1919-02-01), Kollmar
patent: 232455 (1925-04-01), None
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