Cutlery – Combined cutlery or combined with ancillary feature – With material-holder or disposal
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-03
2001-02-20
Rachuba, M. (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Combined cutlery or combined with ancillary feature
With material-holder or disposal
C030S392000, C081S177400, C081S490000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189217
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to power-driven cutting implements, and more particularly to an electrically powered, hand-held saw having a spare blade storage compartment for holding one or more spare saw blades.
2. Discussion
Electrically driven cutting implements such as jigsaws and reciprocating saws are commonly used for a variety of cutting tasks by both professional builders and construction persons, as well as by individuals involved in home repair and improvement. Reciprocating saws are generally referred to in the trade as “recip” saws and incorporate reciprocating shafts for driving elongated saw blades linearly along a predetermined path to provide either a rectilinear or orbital cutting action.
With a reciprocating saw, the saw blade used is releasably attached to a reciprocating drive shaft. The reciprocating drive shaft is driven by a suitable gear train, which is in turn driven by an electric motor. The blade is typically attached to a blade holder incorporating a set screw which is received in a hole in one end of the saw blade.
Since the saw blade may periodically break, become dull or otherwise need to be replaced, it is necessary to maintain one or more spare saw blades in the event of breakage of a blade in the middle of a cutting task. This has involved professionals and non-professionals either trying to keep one or more spare saw blades in a tool box which is also taken with the saw to a work site. As can be appreciated, it is often inconvenient when a blade becomes dull or in need of replacement, or when the blade needs to be changed for a different application, to be required to put the saw down and retrieve a spare blade from a tool box, a work vehicle, etc. While some individuals attempt to eliminate this inconvenience by carrying one or more spares within some form of blade holder container in a pants pocket or tool box pouch, this too has limitations because it requires the individual to remember to bring the spare blade(s) apart from the saw and to return the spare blades to a tool box after a task is finished.
Other attempts to alleviate the necessity of remembering to carry one or more spare saw blades have involved actually taping the blade to the housing of the saw. This is disadvantageous for several reasons. For one, the tape used may not be easily removable. For another, the tape may cover one or more openings formed in the housing for supplying air circulation to the internally mounted motor of the saw. Accordingly, it is strongly preferable to be able to carry at least one spare saw blade on the housing of the saw itself without the risk of the saw blade being accidentally dislodged from the housing and without the use of tape to secure the saw blade to the housing.
Various attempts have been made to modify a housing of a power tool to accommodate one or more spare implements such as saw blades. These attempts have involved forming a compartment in a housing of a power tool within which one or more cutting implements can be held therein by a removable, independent cover member secured to the housing either with or without separate threaded screws. An example of such an arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,573 to Hitzeroth. The obvious drawback with this arrangement is the possibility of losing the cover piece or the inconvenience of having to use a screwdriver to unthread one or more threaded screws before being able to access the spare blades.
It would therefore be highly desirable to provide an electrical power tool with a means for retaining one or more spare implements, such as spare saw blades, which can be easily accessed by the operator of the power tool without requiring a separate cover member to be removed from the housing of the power tool.
It would further be highly desirable to provide a power tool having a spare implement storage chamber wherein one or more spare implements such as cutting blades can be stored without significantly modifying the housing of the power tool, and further without adding a significant number of additional component parts to the power tool. In this manner, the overall cost of manufacturing the power tool would not be significantly increased.
It would also be highly desirable to provide an electric power tool with a storage compartment for carrying one or more spare implements such as spare cutting blades, where the storage compartment does not increase the overall size of the housing of the power tool, does not increase significantly the overall weight of the power tool, nor require modification of the placement of the internal components of the power tool within the housing.
It would further be highly desirable to provide an electric power tool having a blade storage compartment for holding one or more spare implements such as spare cutting blades, which can be quickly and easily removed from the storage compartment by simply engaging a single retaining member with one or more fingers, or simply by grasping the non-serrated portion of the blade. This would enable the spare cutting implement to be removed from the housing quickly, easily and without any external tools such as screw drivers, wrenches, etc., and without requiring removal of a separate cover component.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electric power tool having a housing which includes a storage compartment for one or more spare implements. In one preferred embodiment the electric power tool comprises an electrically driven reciprocating saw. The saw includes a housing having a blade storage compartment formed therein and being of dimensions suitable to house one or more spare cutting blades which may be used with the saw when it becomes necessary to change a blade because of breakage or because the blade has become dull.
In one preferred embodiment the housing also includes a retaining member which is pivotally secured to the housing adjacent the storage compartment. The retaining member can be actuated with one or more fingers of the operator and operates to eject one or more spare blades held within the storage compartment when moved from a closed to an open position. In the closed position the retaining member maintains the spare blade(s) in the storage compartment. Accordingly, no separate, independent cover member needs to be removed from the housing to access the spare cutting blade(s) held in the storage compartment.
In the above-described preferred embodiment of the present invention one or more biasing members are disposed within the blade storage compartment. The biasing members engage a portion of the spare cutting blade as the spare cutting blade is inserted into the storage compartment and help to prevent vibration of the spare blade within the storage compartment during use of the power tool.
In an alternative preferred embodiment a pair of biasing members each in the form of a U-shaped retaining clip are provided. A first one of the clips is provided to hold the spare saw blade within the blade storage chamber. The second clip is positioned at the opposite end of the blade storage chamber and prevents the blade from rattling within the chamber. The first clip has a plurality of barbs formed thereon which serve to maintain it within the chamber once slidably inserted therein during manufacture and assembly of the power tool. The second clip is sandwiched between two halves of the tool's housing and is clamped in place during assembly.
The blade storage chamber of the power tool of the present invention does not require alteration of the location of any of the internal components of the power tool, does not increase the overall outer dimensions of the power tool or add to the overall weight of the power tool. Most importantly, however, the blade storage compartment and the retaining member allow quick and easy access without the need for any external tools such as screw drivers, pliers, wrenches, etc., to remove before access can be obtained to the spare cutting blade. Thus, if a cutting blade becomes dulled or breaks during use of the power
Grabowski Benjamin J.
Melvin Jason R.
Rice Gregory A.
Black & Decker Inc.
Harness & Dickey & Pierce P.L.C.
Pryor Sean
Rachuba M.
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