Cutlery – Means for cutting elongate – strand-encircling sheath – Longitudinally
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-15
2001-06-19
Watts, Douglas D. (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Means for cutting elongate, strand-encircling sheath
Longitudinally
C030S090100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247235
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tool for use in the electrical trades and more specifically to a sheathing slitter and sheathing cutter tool for use in preparing non-metallic sheathed cables for wiring operations.
Non-metallic sheathed cables are widely used in the wiring of homes, commercial buildings and in other applications. Typically, such cables include metallic conductors or wires that have an insulating cover. The insulating cover prevents the wires from short-circuiting within the cable to each other or to a ground wire which may or may not be insulated. A number of insulated wires and a ground wire are typically surrounded by a non-metallic sheathing to create the non-metallic sheathed cable. As used herein, the term non-metallic sheathed cable is used to refer to any electrical cable that has insulated conductors contained within a sheath that is not made of metal. The sheath may be made of plastic, rubber, or any other non-metallic material.
In the wiring of homes and offices, non-metallic sheathed cables are typically strung between electrical boxes, between boxes and an appliance, or between other points or devices requiring electrical connection interconnection. After the stringing of the cables, the non-metallic sheathing is slit, and the slit portion of the sheathing is cut off. The slitting of the sheathing is often performed using a utility knife or a commercially available tool designed for the slitting of a particular cable size. The use of a utility knife can readily lead to injury if the knife slips during the cutting operation. One known commercially available tool is awkward to use and is not adapted to the slitting of non-metallic cables of disparate sizes. Additionally, this tool does not include a blade for cutting off the slit sheathing, so a separate tool is required to perform this operation. Finally, this tool includes a knife blade that may slice the insulating covering on the wires within the cable during the slitting of the sheathing and lead to short-circuiting of the wires within the cable.
It would therefore be desirable to have a sheathing slitting tool that could slit non-metallic cables with relative ease and additionally, could be employed to slit non-metallic cables of disparate size. Additionally, it would be desirable for such a tool to include a sheathing cutter to avoid the need to employ a separate tool for the cutting of the slit sheathing after the slitting process.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A sheathing slitter and cutter tool is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the sheathing slitter and sheathing cutter are fabricated as a single tool that is adapted for the slitting of non-metallic covering of sheathed cables of disparate size and for cutting the slit portion of the sheathing from the cable following the sheathing slitting operation.
In one embodiment, the tool includes a sheathing slitter-blade and a sheathing cutter-blade which are retained within a truncated cylindrical body. The cylindrical body includes an outer tube, a sheathing slitter-blade retention tube, and a sheathing cutter-blade retention tube. The sheathing slitter-blade retention tube and the sheathing cutter-blade retention tube are of a diameter selected to permit the respective tubes to be disposed within the outer tube. The respective blades are retained by the outer tube and the corresponding retention tube.
The sheathing slitter-blade includes first and second knife edges. When the sheathing slitter-blade is retained within the cylindrical body, the first knife edge is disposed within the slitter-blade retention tube so as to facilitate the slitting of non-metallic sheathed cable as the cable is passed through the cylindrical body of the tool and past the first knife edge. The second knife edge is disposed external to the cylindrical body in the assembled tool and is employed for slitting non-metallic sheathed cables that are of too large a diameter to pass through the retention tubes or that are not convenient to slit using the first knife edge.
The sheathing cutter-blade is retained between the outer tube and the sheathing cutter-blade retention tube in the assembled tool. Openings are provided in the outer tube and the sheathing cutter-blade retention tube to permit the sheathing to be passed through the respective openings so as to permit the slicing of the sheathing with the cutter-blade. The respective tubes may be permanently mounted within the outer tube or alternatively, removably mounted within the outer tube to allow for replacement of one or both of the blades.
In another embodiment, the blades are molded within a body that maintains the blades in their respective positions. The body may be configured such that the blades are permanently captured within the body or alternatively, so that the blades are replaceable.
Other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will be further apparent from the detailed description of the invention that follows.
REFERENCES:
patent: 778388 (1904-12-01), Warren
patent: 1748638 (1930-02-01), Crum
patent: 2631372 (1953-03-01), Fournier
patent: 5539983 (1996-07-01), Reyburn et al.
patent: 31543 (1954-05-01), None
Two sheets of photographs illustrating prior art cable stripper.
Watts Douglas D.
Weingarten, Schurgin Gagnebin & Hayes LLP
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