Cutlery – Combined cutlery or combined with ancillary feature – With material-holder or disposal
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-01
2003-10-21
Watts, Douglas D. (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Combined cutlery or combined with ancillary feature
With material-holder or disposal
C030S134000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06634105
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to shears, particularly hand-held garden or pruning shears or secateurs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such shears have two shear elements pivotable against one another about a pivoting axis and have engagement portions for reciprocal cutting engagement. The engagement portions form or bound in the open state of the shears a shear opening normally continuously widening from the pivoting axis and which is reduced on closing the shears, i.e. on initiating and performing the cutting process. The problem frequently arises with shears of this type that cutting material with a relatively high cutting resistance, e.g. a flower stalk or branch, tends on closing the shears to be forced out of the shear opening or mouth. In order to complete a cut it is then necessary to possibly grasp again several times or a second hand is needed for retaining the cutting material, so as to prevent a forcing of said cutting material out of the shear opening.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to obviate these disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, shears are to be provided, which without any change to the otherwise familiar functions make it possible to reliably separate cutting material, such as e.g. flower stalks or branches, in a single, uninterrupted cutting process.
For solving this problem the invention proposes shears comprising two shear elements being pivotable against one another about a pivot axis, the shear elements comprising engaging portions provided for mutual cutting engagement, the shear elements, in an opened state of the shears, forming a shear opening widening from the pivot axis, the shear opening becoming smaller upon closing the shears, the shears further comprising holding means separate from the shear elements, the holding means being adapted such that the holding means apply a holding force for retaining cutting material introduced into the shear opening essentially only until the cutting process is completed. Preferred further developments are given in the dependent claims. By reference, the wording of all the claims is hereby made into part of the content of the description.
Consequently shears according to the invention are characterized in that there are separate holding means essentially only active up to the completion of a cutting process for holding cutting material introduced into the shear opening during the closing of the shears. As a result the cutting material is reliably held in the shear opening during the closing process of the shears, so that the described sliding or forcing out from the shear mouth is avoided or at least largely prevented. Consequently a cut can be completed in a single shear closing process and the cutting material can be completely cut through. However, as soon as the cutting material is cut through, the holding or retaining action of the holding means automatically decreases to such an extent that the cut parts of the cutting material, precisely as in conventional shears, automatically drop or the shears can be moved away from the cutting material without it being necessary to open the shears again beforehand.
Whereas in the case of shears with toothed or serrated cutting edges such a holding action can at least partly be obtained through the teeth of the engagement portions, through the inventive provision of separate holding means, i.e. holding means provided additionally to the shear elements, the action of the invention can be attained with any shear type, particularly also shears with smooth cutting edges, which are preferred for many cutting operations, particularly in the garden sector, as a result of the smooth, unfrayed cut which can be produced.
Due to the fact that the cutting material is released from the shears automatically on completing a cut without having to reopen the shears again, the shears according to the invention differ clearly from other known shears, where separate holding means are provided in order to retain on the shears the cut material after completing the cut for as long as said shears remain closed. An example for such garden shears or secateurs, particularly constructed as rose shears, is disclosed by DE 81 11 164. The crop shears according to DE 43 02 136 is so constructed through holding elements running parallel to the cutting edges that a clamping action is exerted on the separated portions of cutting material after completing the cut and with the shears closed, so that it is possible to prevent the dropping of the cut portion, e.g. when harvesting tree fruit. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,458,878 and 1,151,874 disclose such shears with holding means making it possible to retain cut through cutting material with the shears closed and to transport same away with the aid of the closed shears. Such shears are essentially based on the holding or retaining function of the shears after the completion of the cut and require a rethink on the part of the user with respect to the handling compared with conventional shears without holding means. However, in the case of the shears according to the invention the holding means are only active essentially during the cutting process, i.e. up to the complete cutting through of the cutting material and then the shears behave in much the same way as shears without holding means, so that a user accustomed to conventional holding means-free shears when using the shears according to the invention does not have to rethink his procedure. However, when using shears according to the invention cutting work can be reliably and rapidly performed, because in each case it is merely necessary to apply the shears in order to initiate and complete the cutting process. A user also regularly has the other hand free, so that he can hold on when working in the crowns of trees, so that as a result of the shears according to the invention working safety is improved.
According to a preferred development the holding means form at least one elastically flexible holding surface and are so constructed and positioned that the not or not completely cut cutting material are surface-pressed onto the holding surface through the closing of the shears or the reduction of the shear opening by means of the shear elements whilst building up friction and after completing the cut and whilst decreasing the contact pressure there can be a release from the holding surface. The elastically flexible holding surface makes it possible to produce a holding force, which increases as the cutting pressure rises and with a corresponding rising tendency to press the cutting material out of the shear opening and correspondingly decreases on reducing the cutting pressure, i.e. after cutting through the cutting material to such an extent that the holding function is eliminated and the cutting material is released. Thus, a slip inhibition at least partly dependent on the cutting pressure is created.
The holding means are preferably formed in that at least one separate, rubber-like holding element is provided, which is fitted in preferably detachable or replaceable manner to one of the shear elements. The holding element can be made essentially of rubber or a rubber-like plastic and/or is constructed in one piece. Such rubber-like fabricated parts are inexpensively manufacturable in any appropriate shape and can form with their outer faces the elastically flexible holding surface.
There are numerous possibilities for fitting such rubber-like holding elements to the shears or a shear element. According to a further development on at least one of the shear elements is formed at least one reception opening for the preferably captive reception of at least one rubber-like holding element. The receptacle can be constructed in integral manner with the body of the shear element, e.g. as a bore or a bore-like opening, in which can be inserted in slightly compressed and consequently largely self-holding manner a rubber-like element. Thus, a holding element can be so spatially integrated into a shear element that it is substantially surround
Akerman & Senterfitt
GARDENA Manufacturing GmbH
Watts Douglas D.
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