JP2008229076A - Retractable knife - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a retractable knife of universal type which can compose a locking mechanism without increasing the size of a case in the width direction. <P>SOLUTION: A retractable knife 10 is composed of a case 12 which is provided with a slit 27 on a top wall 22 that composes the upper end section, a cutting blade 14 installed in a way that it can be emerged from and disappeared into the front end of the case 12, a slider 15 installed in a movable manner in backward and forward directions along a guide member 13 inside the case 12 holding the cutting blade 14, and a locking mechanism 17 installed between the slider 15 and the case 12. The locking mechanism 17 includes a notch section 37 formed on a side-wall surface 21 of the guide member 13 and a plate spring 83 which is installed on the slider 15 and is latched on and removed from the notch section 37. The plate spring 83, the surface of which is positioned within a vertical side surface, can be displaced in a direction where a free end side comes off and close against a side-wall surface 21. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutter knife, and more particularly, to a cutter knife capable of suppressing the dimension in the thickness direction even when the operation of moving the cutter blade back and forth is performed along the upper end portion of the case.

  A known cutter knife is configured to include a substantially C-shaped case extending in the front-rear direction, a slider provided to be movable in the front-rear direction in the case, and a cutter blade whose rear end is held by the slider. ing. A locking mechanism is interposed between the slider and the case. This locking mechanism allows the cutter blade to protrude stepwise from the front end of the case, while maintaining the cutter blade in a fixed position. Yes.

  This type of cutter knife has the slider located on the side of the case and can be easily operated with the thumb of the right hand when used by a right-handed person. Convenience is very bad.

Therefore, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a slider that holds the cutter blade is disposed in the case, an operation member is provided at the upper end of the case, and the operation member is moved in the front-rear direction. A cutter knife has been proposed in which the cutter blade can be projected and retracted from the front end of the case.
Japanese Utility Model Publication 2-119159

  However, in the cutter knife disclosed in Patent Document 1, on the inner surface side of the upper end of the case, grooves distributed on both sides in the thickness direction are provided, while protrusions engaged with the grooves are provided on the slider side. It has become. For this reason, a certain region for forming the groove and the protrusion must be ensured in the thickness direction of the case, and there is an inconvenience that the thickness of the case cannot be set small.

[Object of invention]
The present invention has been devised by paying attention to such inconvenience, and the purpose thereof is a so-called universal type cutter knife that does not affect the dominant hand by arranging an operation member at the upper end of the case. In some cases, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cutter knife capable of constituting a lock mechanism without increasing the size of the case in the thickness direction.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a case having an inner space extending in the front-rear direction and a slit connected to the inner space provided in the front-rear direction of the upper end portion, and accommodated in the case. A cutter blade provided so as to be able to protrude and retract from the front end of the case, and an operation member that holds the cutter blade and is movable in the front-rear direction in the case, and is positioned on the upper end side of the case through the slit. In a cutter knife comprising a slider and a lock mechanism that is provided between the slider and the case and restricts the back-and-forth movement of the slider,
The locking mechanism includes a locked portion that is positioned in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the cutter blade, and a locking member that is provided on the slider side, and the locking member serves as the locked portion. By engaging and disengaging, the structure that the lock and the lock can be released is adopted.

  In the present invention, it further includes a guide member for guiding the cutter blade and the slider in the front-rear direction in the case, and a side wall surface substantially parallel to the surface of the cutter blade is formed on the guide member. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the locked portion is provided by use.

  The slider and the operating member are provided so as to be movable relative to each other in a front-rear direction with respect to a preset initial position. On the other hand, when the operation member is moved back and forth, the engagement can be released.

  Further, the locked portion is configured by a notch or a hole intermittently provided in the front-rear direction of the side wall surface, and the locking member is configured by a leaf spring having a surface along the side wall surface. Is preferred.

  The leaf spring may be provided with a free end that can be displaced in the thickness direction of the case, and a bent portion that can be engaged with and disengaged from the locked portion on the free end side.

  Further, a pair of the side wall surfaces may be provided in the thickness direction of the case, and the leaf springs may be provided so as to be detachable corresponding to the side walls.

  According to the present invention, in the universal type cutter knife in which the operation member is positioned at the upper end portion of the case, the case is provided with the lock mechanism for locking and unlocking in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the cutter blade. Therefore, it is possible to maintain a size that can be easily grasped by a hand and to maintain convenience in carrying.

  In particular, it is possible to avoid complicating the inner surface shape of the case itself by disposing the guide member in the case and using the side wall surface constituting the guide member to provide the locked portion. On the other hand, wear resistance can be imparted by making the guide member a different material, for example, a metal.

  In addition, since the engagement portion and the engagement member can be engaged and released by moving the operation member back and forth, the cutter blade can be moved in and out with substantially the same operational feeling as a conventional type cutter knife. Can be done.

  Furthermore, the structure of the locking mechanism can be simplified by configuring the locked portion by a notch or a hole and by configuring the locking member by a leaf spring.

  Further, when the side wall surfaces are paired in the case thickness direction and the leaf springs can be engaged and disengaged corresponding to the respective side wall surfaces, for example, the material to be cut is a thick material such as a plywood plate, In the case of providing rigidity, the lock strength corresponding to the force required for the cutting can be sufficiently maintained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this specification, “front” is used for the side where the tip of the cutter blade is located, while “rear” is used for the opposite side.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a cutter knife according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view thereof. In these drawings, the cutter knife 10 is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction along the case 12 having an inner space S extending in the front-rear direction, a guide member 13 accommodated in the case 12, and the guide member 13. A cutter blade 14 that can be projected and retracted from the front end of the case 12, a slider 15 that holds the cutter blade 14 and is movable along the guide member 13 together with the cutter blade 14, the slider 15 and the case 12 and a lock mechanism 17 that restricts the forward / backward movement of the slider 15.

  The case 12 has an elongated shape that extends in the front-rear direction and can be held in the palm of the hand. The case 12 includes a bottom wall 20 extending in the front-rear direction, a pair of side wall surfaces 21 continuous in the short width direction of the bottom wall 20, and a top wall 22 continuous between the upper portions of the side wall surfaces 21. The front end and the rear end of the case 12 are open, and a cap 23 is attached to the front end and a tail plug 25 is detachably attached to the rear end. As shown in FIG. 3, the top wall 22 is formed with a slit 27 connected to the inner space S from the rear end to the front end portion at a position slightly shifted to the one side wall surface 21 side. . Further, a vertical hole 28 is formed on the front end surface of the cap 23 for projecting the tip end region of the guide member 13. A window hole 29 extending in the front-rear direction is formed in a region extending between the side wall surface 21 and the side surface of the cap 23 so that the remaining length of the cutter blade 14 located inside can be visually recognized through the window hole 29. It has become. The case 12 in this embodiment is integrally molded using an appropriate resin material, but is molded as a two-part mold having an intermediate position in the thickness direction (a direction perpendicular to the surface of the side wall surface 21) as a mating surface. Alternatively, the cap 23 can be formed integrally with the case 12.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the rear end portion of the bottom wall 20 is a lower bottom wall 20 </ b> A, and the relative surface of the side wall surface 21 in the region of the rear bottom wall 20 </ b> A has a front-rear direction. An extending groove 30 is formed, and a protrusion 31 formed on the tail plug 25 can be fitted into the groove 30. The tail plug 25 has a closed surface with a curved rear end, and a slit 32 connected to the slit 27 formed on the top wall 22 is formed on the upper end surface.

  The cutter blade 14 has the same structure as a known cutter blade with a tip and a rear end inclined with respect to the extending direction of the blade edge to form a substantially parallelogram-like plate shape in plan view and provided with a hole 14A in the rear portion. Is used.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the guide member 13 is connected to the base surface 34 facing the bottom wall 20 and the side wall surface 21 of the case 12 substantially in parallel, and both sides of the base surface 34 in the short width direction. It includes a pair of side wall surfaces 35 that are directed substantially vertically upward and that form a surface substantially parallel to the cutter blade 14. The front end side of the side wall surface 35 is set to an inclined surface portion 35A in which the mutual separation width is gradually narrowed, and a gap that guides the passage of the cutter blade 14 in a substantially straight line within the vertical plane, connected to the front end of the inclined surface portion 35A. The parallel surface portion 35 </ b> B penetrates the vertical hole 28 formed in the front wall 23 of the case 12 and protrudes forward.

  At the upper end portion of the side wall surface 35, a notch portion 37 is formed as a locked portion arranged at a substantially pitch along the front-rear direction. Further, one side wall surface 35 at the front position projects rearward upward. A tongue piece 38 is provided continuously. The tongue piece 38 determines the insertion limit when the guide member 13 is inserted from the rear end in the case 12. An inner window hole 39 that extends in the front-rear direction and overlaps the window hole 29 of the case 12 is formed in the front region of the side wall surface 35.

  The slider 15 is configured to allow removal of the cutter blade 14 by a predetermined operation. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the slider 15 includes a slider main body 42 having a protrusion 41 as a temporary holding portion that fits in a hole 14 </ b> A formed in the rear portion of the cutter blade 14, and the slider main body 42. A pressing member 43 provided so as to interact and sandwich the rear end portion of the cutter blade 14 and an operation member 44 connected to the slider main body 42 are included.

  The slider main body 42 is provided with an outer shape that is substantially parallel to the surface of the cutter blade 14 and has a substantially plate shape in plan view extending in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the slider main body 42 is positioned along one surface of the rear end portion of the cutter blade 14 and has a holding surface portion 46 in which the protrusion 41 is integrally provided, An attachment portion 47 that forms an attachment region for the pressing member 43 and the operation member 44 is connected to the rear portion of the holding surface portion 46. The holding surface portion 46 has an inclined raised portion 46A formed at the rear end, and a horizontal raised portion 46B formed at the upper end. The inclined raised portion 46A regulates the position of the rear end of the cutter blade 14 corresponding to the shape of the rear end edge of the cutter blade 14, while the horizontal raised portion 46B is engaged with the upper edge of the rear end of the cutter blade 14 and the cutter. It acts as a rotation restricting portion when the blade 14 is temporarily held.

  The mounting portion 47 includes an upper surface portion 49 set at a position lower than the upper end position of the holding surface portion 46, a lower surface portion 50 connected to the lower end of the holding surface portion 46, and one end side in the width direction of the upper surface portion 49 and the lower surface portion 50. And a front portion 51 connected to the front. The upper surface portion 49 is provided with slot holes 52 at two places in the front-rear direction, and a pair of spring mounting protrusions 53 respectively disposed at the two front and rear positions so that the slot holes 52 are located in the middle. ing. Further, a square hole 54 is formed on the front side 51 in the central portion on the left side in FIG. 8, and as shown in FIG. A pair of upper and lower shafts 57 that are connected to the supporting protrusion 55 and have an axis in the vertical direction are formed. Further, a rib 59 is formed at the central portion 51 of the front portion 51. On the right side of the rib 59 in FIG. 8, a notch hole 61 that is long in the front-rear direction and a left end side that is located in the notch hole 61 are provided. A single spring portion 62 is formed which can be elastically displaced with the free end as a free end.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 12 to 15, the pressing member 43 is configured by a generally flat plate-like member. That is, a main body surface 63 having a planar size that fits in front of the mounting portion 47, and a pressing surface whose upper end position is higher than the upper end position of the main body surface 63, which is connected to the left side of the main body surface 63 in FIG. 64. In the main body surface 63, a semicircular ring portion 65 is formed in a plane facing the slider main body 42 along a substantially arc locus protruding from the center portion, and the inner side of the ring portion 65 is a bearing space 66. It is formed as. On the right side of the main body surface 63 in FIG. 14, a raised protrusion 67 that abuts against the single spring portion 62 is formed. Further, the left end of the pressing surface 64 in FIG. 12 is formed with a circular arc notch 69 that avoids positional interference with the protrusion 41 of the holding surface portion 46, and a pressing bulge extending substantially horizontally on both upper and lower sides thereof. A portion 70 is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 16 to 19, the operation member 44 includes an operation plane 72 positioned on the upper end portion of the case 12, that is, the top wall 22 and directed in the front-rear direction. A connecting piece 73 that is connected to the upper surface of the plane 72 and extends along the operation plane 72, a finger pad 74 that is connected in a substantially cantilever manner via the connecting piece 73, and the operation plane 72. The bottom surface 76 is provided continuously from the center in the short width direction to the lower side, and the insertion piece portion is inserted into the slot hole 52 so as not to fall off and is located at two front and rear positions on the lower end of the bottom surface 76. 77. Here, the length of the insertion piece portion 77 in the front-rear direction is smaller than the length of the slot hole 52, so that the operation member 44 can move relative to the slider body 42 in the front-rear direction. Can be combined. In the drooping surface portion 76, a retraction hole 80 for retreating a free end side of a leaf spring 83 as a locking member described later inward in the thickness direction is formed at a position near the left end in FIG. The drooping surface portion is a position holding surface 76 </ b> A that keeps the free end side of the leaf spring 83 at the initial position with respect to the slider body 42. In addition, the leaf spring 83 is displaced behind the hanging surface portion 76 so that when the operation force for moving the operation member 44 relative to the slider body 42 in the front-rear direction is released, the operation member 44 is returned to the initial relative position. A projecting portion 81 is formed.

  The lock mechanism 18 is provided between the case 12 and the slider 15. More specifically, the lock mechanism 18 includes a leaf spring 83 as a locking member mounted on the outer peripheral surface side of the spring mounting protrusion 53 positioned at two front and rear positions of the slider body 42, and the guide member 13. It is comprised by the notch part 37 as a to-be-latched part formed in the side wall surface 35. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 20, the leaf spring 83 is connected to and opposed to the connecting surface portion 85 located between the two spring mounting protrusions 53 at the front and rear, and the spring mounting protrusion. A short spring piece 87 and a long spring piece 88 located on each outer surface side of the piece 53 are configured. These spring pieces 87 and 88 have their surfaces positioned in a substantially vertical plane, and each front end side has a bent portion 89 that bends and protrudes substantially in an L shape when viewed from above. The bent portions 90 are formed at the front ends of the bent portions 89 so as to be widened at the front ends. Further, the long spring piece 88 is provided with a length having an extension piece portion 91 at the rear portion, and the rear end side of the extension piece portion 91 is a rear portion bent in a substantially L shape inward as viewed from above. A bent portion 93 is formed.

  Next, a method for assembling and using the cutter knife 10 in the present embodiment will be described.

  First, the guide member 13 is inserted from the rear part of the case 12 and fitted into the inner space S to be fixed. On the other hand, in the slider 15, the pressing member 43, the leaf spring 83, and the operation member 44 are sequentially combined with the slider body 42. In this combination, first, in a state where the pressing member 43 is opposed to the slider main body 42 (see FIG. 2), the slider 57 is pressed in the direction of the arrow, and the shaft 57 on the slider main body 42 side is pressed by the ring portion 65 of the pressing member 43. The bearing space 66 (see FIG. 15) to be formed is forcibly fitted. As a result, the pressing member 43 can swing in a direction in which the front end side moves away from the holding surface portion 46 by pressing the rear end side. In other words, the rear end portion of the cutter blade 14 can be sandwiched between the pressing raised portion 70 of the pressing member 43 and the holding surface portion 46.

  Next, after setting the leaf spring 83 so that the short spring piece 87 and the long spring piece 88 are positioned on the outer surface side of the spring mounting protrusion 53 in the slider main body 42, the operation member 44 is connected to the slider main body 42. This connection can be performed by forcibly inserting the insertion piece 77 of the operation member 44 into the slot hole 52 of the slider body 42. In the state where this connection is completed, the leaf spring 83 is in a position where the bent portions 90 of the short spring piece 87 and the long spring piece 88 substantially correspond to the position holding surface 76A (see FIG. 21A). On the other hand, the rear bent portion 93 on the extension piece portion 91 side is engaged with the projecting portion 81 without being deformed. Therefore, the front end sides of the spring pieces 87 and 88 cannot be displaced in the direction approaching each other, and the relative position between the operation member 44 and the slider main body 42 in this state is the initial relative position.

  The cutter blade 14 is held on the slider 15 in a state where the slider 15 is assembled. As shown in FIG. 22A, this holding is performed by pressing the rear end side of the pressing member 43 to separate the front end side of the pressing member 43 from the holding surface portion 46. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the rear end side of the cutter blade 14 is inserted between the holding surface portion 46 and the pressing member 43, and the protrusion 41 is inserted into the hole 14A for temporary holding. After that, the pressing on the pressing member 43 may be released. When the pressing is released, the front end side (free end side) of the rear portion of the pressing member 43 approaches the holding surface portion 46 side by an elastic restoring force that the single spring portion 62 returns to the initial planar shape. As a result, as shown in FIG. 22C, the rear portion of the cutter blade 14 is sandwiched between the holding surface portion 46 and the pressing member 43, and unless the pressing member 43 is pressed, the cutter blade 14 is There is no inconvenience that the slider 15 falls off. When the cutter blade 14 is temporarily held, the upper edge of the rear portion of the cutter blade 14 is hooked on the horizontal raised portion 46B of the holding surface portion 46. Therefore, the cutter blade 14 rotates around the protrusion 41 as a rotation center. There is no such thing.

  The unit in a state where the cutter blade 14 is held by the slider 15 is inserted into the case 12 with the tip end side of the cutter blade 14 as the tip end side in the insertion direction. At this time, the connecting piece 73 that supports the operation member 44 in a cantilever posture is located in the slit 27 of the case body 12, and the finger pad 74 is located on the top wall 21. Then, the tail plug 25 is inserted and fitted into the rear end portion of the case 12, whereby the assembly of the cutter knife 10 can be completed.

  When the cutter blade 14 is protruded from the front end of the case 12, a fingertip may be applied to the finger contact portion 74 to apply an operation force toward the front. As a result, the operating member 44 moves relative to the slider main body 42 until the front end of the insertion piece portion 77 abuts against the front end of the slot hole 52, and as a result, the drooping surface portion 76 of the operating member 44 moves forward. The bases of the bent portions 90 of the short spring pieces 87 and the long spring pieces 88 fall into the holes 80 (see FIG. 21B), and the bent portions 89 are retracted inside the side wall surface 21 to form the notches 37 and Accordingly, the slider 15 is allowed to move, and the cutter blade 14 held by the slider 15 can be protruded forward.

  On the other hand, when the cutter blade 14 is accommodated in the case 12, the finger pad 74 may be operated backward. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 21C, the bent portion 90 is positioned in front of the front end of the drooping surface portion 76, and the bent portion 89 retreats inward and moves backward while releasing the lock. Is acceptable. Then, by releasing the operation force to the finger contact portion 74 at an arbitrary position, the operation member 44 returns to the initial position with respect to the slider body 42, and the bent portion 89 is engaged with the notch portion 37 to be locked. Will keep. The force that returns the operating member 44 to the initial position is displaced by the force that moves the operating member 44 back and forth, so that the state where the rear bent portion 93 is engaged with the projecting portion 81 is displaced. It will be given by the force.

  Therefore, according to such an embodiment, while providing the notch part 37 in the side wall surface 21 of the guide member 13 arrange | positioned in the case 12, the leaf | plate spring 83 is provided in the slider 15 side, The surface of the said leaf | plate spring 83 is used. Since it is arranged in a vertical plane opposite to the side wall surface 21, it is sufficient if a small area is secured for the leaf spring 83 to be engaged with and disengaged from the cutout portion 37, and the thickness dimension of the case 12 is increased. Can be provided without.

  Further, since the short spring piece 87 and the long spring piece 88 of the leaf spring 83 are engaged with and disengaged from the notch portion 37 of the opposite side wall surface 21, it is possible to exert a strong locking force, and rigidity. It is also possible to avoid the case where the lock is inadvertently released when cutting the cut member.

The best configuration, method and the like for carrying out the present invention have been disclosed in the above description, but the present invention is not limited to this.
That is, the invention has been illustrated and described with particular reference to particular embodiments, but it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are not deviated from the technical idea and scope of the invention. On the other hand, those skilled in the art can make various modifications in shape, material, quantity, and other detailed configurations.
Therefore, the description limited to the shape, material, etc. disclosed above is an example for easy understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The description by the name of the member which remove | excluded the limitation of one part or all of such is included in this invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the notch portions 37 are provided on the opposite side wall surfaces 21 and the leaf springs 83 are engaged with the notch portions 37 is illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. That is, it is also possible to employ a leaf spring in which the cutout portion 37 is formed on one side wall surface 21 and can be engaged / disengaged only in the cutout portion 37. When it is set as such a modification, it can be set as the thin type which made the thickness direction dimension of the cutter knife 10 still smaller.

  Further, a hole may be adopted instead of the notch 37, and the notch 37 may be formed on the inner wall surface of the case 12 without being provided in the guide member 13. However, if the guide member 13 is used, there is an advantage in molding that the inner surface structure of the case 12 is not complicated.

The schematic perspective view of the cutter knife which concerns on this embodiment. The disassembled perspective view of the said cutter knife. The top view which shows the state which accommodated the guide member in the case. (A) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG. (B) is an expanded sectional view which follows the AA line of FIG. 4 (A). (A) is a top view of a guide member, (B) is a front view of a guide member. The schematic perspective view which shows the state which made the slider hold | maintain the cutter blade. The expansion disassembled perspective view of FIG. The front view of a slider main body. The expanded sectional view which follows the BB line of FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the CC line | wire of FIG. The top view of a slider main body. The front view of a pressing member. The rear view of a pressing member. The top view of a pressing member. The expanded sectional view which follows the DD line of FIG. The top view of an operation member. The front view of an operation member. The left view of FIG. Cross section of operation member (A) is a top view of a leaf | plate spring, (B) is the same front view. (A)-(C) is an operation explanatory view of locking and unlocking. (A)-(C) is an operation explanatory view which attaches a cutter blade to a slider.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Cutter knife 12 Case 13 Guide member 14 Cutter blade 14A Hole 15 Slider 17 Lock mechanism 21 Side wall surface 22 Slit 37 Notch (locked part)
42 Slider body 44 Operation member 83 Leaf spring (locking member)
89 Bending part S Inner space

Claims (6)

A case having an inner space extending in the front-rear direction and having a slit connected to the inner space in the front-rear direction of the upper end portion, and a cutter blade housed in the case and provided so as to protrude from the front end of the case And a slider including an operation member that is provided on the upper end side of the case through the slit, and is provided between the slider and the case. In the cutter knife provided with a lock mechanism that is provided and restricts the back and forth movement of the slider,
The locking mechanism includes a locked portion that is positioned in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the cutter blade, and a locking member that is provided on the slider side, and the locking member serves as the locked portion. A cutter knife characterized in that the lock and the lock can be released by being engaged and disengaged. The guide member further includes a guide member for guiding the cutter blade and the slider in the front-rear direction in the case, and a side wall surface substantially parallel to the surface of the cutter blade is formed on the guide member and the side wall surface is used to The cutter knife according to claim 1, wherein a locked portion is provided. The slider and the operation member are provided so as to be movable relative to each other in a front-rear direction with respect to a preset initial position. 3. The cutter knife according to claim 1, wherein the engagement can be released when the operation member is moved back and forth while being able to be combined. The locked portion is configured by a notch or a hole intermittently provided in the front-rear direction of the side wall surface, and the locking member is configured by a leaf spring having a surface along the side wall surface. The cutter knife according to claim 2 or 3. The said leaf | plate spring is provided with the free end which can be displaced to the thickness direction of the said case, and the bending part which can be engaged / disengaged in the said to-be-latched part is provided in the said free end side. Cutter knife. 6. The cutter knife according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a pair of the side wall surfaces are provided in the thickness direction of the case, and the leaf springs are detachably provided corresponding to the side walls.

Images