Cutting apparatus

• US 9,796,099 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2015
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terry Sandefur
• Original Assignee: Terry Sandefur
• Inventors: Sandefur, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Alie, Ghassem
• Application Number:
  US14/681,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20150283714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 30210, 30228, 30180, 30192, 30247, 310 47, 310 50, 318346, 318443, 318466
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 3/037 the driving means being an electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 15/00 Hand-held shears with motor-driven blades
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 19/06 involving co-operating cutting elements both of which have shearing teeth

Abstract

A cutting apparatus for trimming an article, the apparatus has a manually grasped power element with a reciprocating arm having a removably engagable rotatable couple including a selectable rotational index position lock. Also included is a cutting head assembly that is removable and rotationally indexable relative to the power element, the cutting head having a pair of cutting blades for trimming the article. Wherein operationally, the reciprocating arm drives the cutting blades that have scissor movement with the cutting head selectably rotatable to the power element, user wrist fatigue is reduced, also with the cutting head being removable from the power element, the cutting head assembly is easier to clean.

Claims

1. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article, said cutting apparatus comprising:

(a) a power element that includes a first end portion and an opposing second end portion with a longitudinal axis spanning therebetween, wherein said first end portion has a reciprocating arm having a reciprocating movement along said longitudinal axis and said second end portion is adapted to be grasped by a manual user'"'"'s hand, said reciprocating arm extending in a cantilever section having a first removably engagable rotatable couple annulus that is about said longitudinal axis and said first end portion also having a first removably engagable interface structure;

(b) a removable coupling having a primary end portion and an opposing secondary end portion with a lengthwise axis spanning therebetween, said primary end portion having a removably engagable rotationally free about said longitudinal axis second interface that forms a removably engagable rotatable couple with said reciprocating arm cantilever section rotatable couple annulus and said secondary end portion having a first slotted pivotal aperture, wherein said removably engagable rotatable couple transmits reciprocating axial force along said lengthwise axis and said longitudinal axis, wherein positionally said lengthwise axis and said longitudinal axis are coincident to one another; and

(c) a removable cutting head assembly having a proximal end portion and an opposing distal end portion with a long axis spanning therebetween, said proximal end portion includes a fourth removably engagable interface structure that removably engages with said first removably engagable structure such that said long axis and said longitudinal axis are coincident to one another, said distal end portion extends outward into having a pair of open cutting blades that each have a free end portion and an opposing first pivotally attached portion forming a first pivotal connection with a first pivotal axis that is disposed within a rotatable pivot head, wherein said pivot head is rotatable about said long axis within said distal end portion as said pivot head has a rotatable couple third interface structure with said distal end portion, said cutting blades also extend toward said proximal end portion with a pair of mid-blade sections therebetween, said mid-blade portions each have a second pivotal connection with a second pivotal axis to a pair of intermediate linkages, wherein said linkages have a single third pivotal connection with a third pivotal axis to one another and to said first slotted pivotal aperture of said removable coupling that is slidably engaged through a loop structure to said proximal end portion to maintain said reciprocating movement, wherein said first pivotal connection through said first pivotal axis, said cutting blade free end portions having a scissor type movement in a first plane, wherein operationally said reciprocating arm drives through said removable coupling to said pair of intermediate linkages and said cutting blades such that said cutting blade free end portions have said scissor movement from said first pivotal connection to said cutting blade free ends that are functional to cut the article, further said rotatable pivot head is selectably rotatable, wherein said first, second and third pivotal axes all rotate in unison in a circular movement about said longitudinal axis allowing said scissor type movement in said first plane to be selectively rotatable about said longitudinal axis, resulting in said first cutting plane having rotational adjustment relative to said manual grasp by the user'"'"'s hand, further said cutting head assembly and said removable coupling are removably engagable from said power element via said first, second, and fourth removably engagable interfaces, such that said cutting head assembly can be safely immersed into a cleaning solution separate from said power element.

2. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article according to claim 1 wherein said coupling removably engagable rotationally free about said longitudinal axis second interface is constructed of a T-slot positioned perpendicular to said lengthwise axis with a single outward radially oriented opening, wherein said T-slot slidably engages said reciprocating arm annulus.

3. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article according to claim 2 further comprising a means for selectably rotationally locking said circular movement in a plurality of angular positions.

4. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article according to claim 3 wherein said means for selectably rotationally locking said circular movement in a plurality of angular positions is constructed of a flexible extension that projects in a cantilever manner away from said rotatable pivot head in an outward direction from said third interface structure and in a direction opposite that of said first pivotal axis relation to said third interface structure, said flexible extension terminates in a protrusion that frictionally projects therethrough a second aperture disposed in said distal end portion.

5. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article according to claim 4 wherein said protrusion and said second aperture further comprises a clamp to help secure said protrusion and said second aperture to one another to further facilitate said selectable rotational locking of said circular movement in a plurality of angular positions.

6. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article according to claim 5 wherein said pair of open cutting blade free end portions are straight extending outward from said first pivotal connection having said scissor type movement in said first plane that is a flat plane to operationally facilitate direct perpendicular cuts of the article.

7. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article according to claim 5 wherein said pair of open cutting blade free end portions have an arcuate shape extending outward from said first pivotal connection having said scissor type movement in said first plane that is an arcuate plane operationally facilitate direct angular cuts of the article.

8. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article according to claim 5 wherein said power element second end portion further comprises a light that emits a light beam therethrough a third aperture in said removable cutting head assembly to operationally allow said light beam to illuminate said pair of open cutting blade free end portions.

9. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article according to claim 5 wherein said power element that generates said reciprocating arm reciprocating movement is constructed of an electrical drive motor having a motor rotational axis that is rotationally coupled to an eccentric element having a fourth pivotal connection having a fourth pivotal axis wherein said eccentric is formed by an eccentric distance as between said motor rotational axis and said fourth pivotal axis, a connecting rod spans from said fourth pivotal connection to a fifth pivotal connection having a fifth pivotal axis, wherein said fifth pivotal connection connects to an opposing end portion of said cantilever section of said reciprocating arm, wherein said reciprocating arm is slidably engaged to a bushing guide affixed to said second end portion, said slidable engagement facilitates said reciprocating movement, wherein operationally said reciprocating movement is created by a rotation of said eccentric element that converts into said reciprocating movement through said connecting rod and said bushing guide via said eccentric distance.

10. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article according to claim 9 wherein said power element further comprises circuitry to accommodate selectable adjustment of a rotational speed on said motor, thus is effect selectably controlling a speed of said scissor movement.

11. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article according to claim 9 wherein said power element further comprises a normally open switch to said motor, wherein operationally the user has to manually continuously activate said normally open switch to activate said motor for safety.

12. A cutting apparatus for trimming a selected portion from an article according to claim 9 wherein said power element first end portion further comprises a substantially rigid electrical power cord sleeve that extends from said first end portion to operationally help prevent entanglement of a power cord while in use by the user.