Cutlery – Sheathed
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-27
2001-09-04
Watts, Douglas D. (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Sheathed
C030S292000, C030S319000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282794
ABSTRACT:
The present application claims foreign priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. §119 from Korea Application Serial No. 98-19319, filed May 27, 1998, and Korea Application Serial No. 98-32179, filed Aug. 7, 1998.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed generally to a cutter for cutting material and particularly to a rotary cutter that allows users to replace a used blade quickly and easily without fear of being cut by the blade edge.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Due to its ease of use, a rotary cutter is commonly used in place of scissors for cutting material such as fabric or paper. In general, a rotary cutter includes a head part having a rotating round blade and a grip part for a user to grip and secure the head part. Such a rotary cutter facilitates the curved or straight cutting of thin material. Although the blade of a rotary cutter can be as sharp as a razor, it easily becomes blunt from contact with other objects or wear and thus must be changed.
An example of the rotary cutter of the prior art is shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
. This rotary cutter has a holder
10
having a grip part
11
for gripping by the user, a blade-holding part
12
with an elliptical hole
12
a
at the center, and a blade
20
. A push button
30
with a boss
31
is provided in the blade-holding part
12
. Pushing the button
30
causes the boss
31
to move along the elliptical hole
12
a
to a blade-exposing position, shown in
FIG. 2
by the dotted line. The cutter is also provided with a locking means to lock the blade in the blade-exposing position and a release button
15
to release the push button
30
from the locked position. To cut material, the cutter with its blade in the blade-exposing position is pressed against the material.
The blade
20
is rotatably attached to the boss
31
by a pivot
50
and a nut
40
. A wave spring
60
and a fan-shaped cover
70
are provided between the pivot
50
and the blade
20
. The resistance against the rotation of the blade
20
can be regulated by varying the force applied by the nut
40
on the pivot
50
.
The cutter mentioned above, however, has a number of shortcomings. First, in order to change a blunt blade, a user must disassemble the nut, the pivot, the wave spring and the cover, and reassemble them once the blade has been replaced. This procedure is time-consuming. Second, because the user must touch the blade to change it, the user is exposed to the danger of being cut by the edge of the blade. Third, new, bare blades can be easily damaged by merely being hit against an object during changing or handling. Lastly, a used, loose blade can be a safety concern after being separated from the cutter. Thus, there is a need for a rotary cutter that will meet these shortcomings of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a rotary cutter with a blade cartridge and a grip coupled to the cartridge for handling the cutter. The blade cartridge includes an upper cover, a lower cover, and a blade being supported therebetween. Once the blade edge becomes dull, the entire cartridge is detached from the grip and disposed. A new blade cartridge is then coupled to the grip. Thus, there is no need for a user to disassemble and then reassemble the elements of the blade cartridge in order to replace a dull blade. Further, the blade cartridge prevents the user from coming into direct contact with the blade edge while replacing a dull blade. Because the blade is housed within the upper and lower covers of the cartridge, the blade can be easily and safely replaced. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the lower cover of the blade cartridge of the present invention is rotatable between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, the edge of the blade is exposed and the cutter can be used for cutting material such as fabric. In the closed position, the lower cover houses the blade, thereby protecting the edge of the blade when the cutter is not in use. The blade cartridge is removed from the grip of the cutter with the lower cover preferably in the closed position. Thus, the chances that the user will be cut by the edge of the blade are reduced. Further, since the lower cover protects the blade, the likelihood that the blade will be damaged during the changing process is minimized. After the blade cartridge has been detached from the grip of the cutter, the blade remains housed within the cartridge. Thus, the used blade can be safely disposed and the dangers associated with free, used blades are avoided.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the blade cartridge remains firmly secured to the grip despite the application of any side forces during use. This feature is attributed to the anti-rotation mechanism provided in the coupling arrangement between the blade cartridge and the grip. In one embodiment of the present invention, the anti-rotation mechanism includes a locking recess provided on the blade cartridge and a spring-biased locking member that is carried by the grip. Once the cartridge is rotated with respect to the grip to couple the cartridge to the grip, the locking member mates with the locking recess, thereby preventing any undesired rotation between the blade cartridge and the grip.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5299355 (1994-04-01), Boda et al.
patent: 5649365 (1997-07-01), Yang
Rotary Cutter with Adjustable Safety Guard, N251-8355, © 1998 Fabri-Centers of America, Inc.
OLFA Deluxe 45mm Rotary Cutter, RTY-2/DX, Olfa Products Groups, Div. of General Housewares Corp. 1536 Beech Street, Terre Haute, Indiana 47804.
O'Lipfa ComforTouch Rotary Cutter, Model No. 15200, A.C. Marketech International, Ltd. 3822 Waldo Place, Columbus, Ohio 43220.
Cho Young-Keun
Kim Myung Seok
McDonnell & Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff
Watts Douglas D.
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