GB1587370A

GB1587370A - Strip pulling and cutting pincers

Info

Publication number: GB1587370A
Application number: GB21509/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1977-06-02
Filing date: 1978-05-23
Publication date: 1981-04-01
Also published as: ES247429U; DE2824071A1; FR2400995B1; BR7803508A; IT1108030B; BE867074A; IT7853357V0; IT7868221A0; FR2400995A1; ES247429Y; SE7806080L; ZA782925B; CH622459A5

Abstract

The pliers serving to pull and to cut thin strips of clamping collars passed as a loop around members to be clamped, comprise two handles (10, 11) articulated to each other and a lever (31) articulated to one of them for actuating a cutter (30), the other being equipped with a pawl (18) capable of grasping the thin strip to be pulled and cut. One and the same spring (37) alone constitutes the elastic return means interposed between the handles (10, 11) and the elastic return means associated with the cutting lever (31), this spring being hitched to the handle (10) and to a bent part (33) to which the cutter (30) belongs. <IMAGE>

Description

(54) STRIP PULLING AND CUTTING PINCERS (71) I, ROBERT YVES GABRIEL BONNET, a citizen of the Republic of France, of 24 Boulevard Richard Lenoir, 75011 Paris, France, do hereby delcare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The present invention generally concerns pincers suitable for pulling and then cutting any strip, which may or may not be toothed, for example the strip of a clamping band which is looped around any object.

The invention concerns more particularly those pulling and cutting pincers which com prise on the one hand two handle members which are connected to each other pivotally against the force of resilient return means, namely a first handle member, hereinafter referred to as the pulling handle member, which is provided at its end with a pinching means for gripping the clamping band to be pulled and cut, and a second handle member, hereinafter referred to as the cutting handle member, at the end of which there is movably mounted a slide member forming a blade, and on the other hand a cutting lever which is mounted pivotally against the force of resilient return means on the cutting handle member, for moving the slide member forming the blade from a rest position in which it is spaced from the opening provided in the cut ting handle member for engagement of the clamping collar, to an operative position in which it covers said opening and therefore cuts the clamping collar which is engaged therein.

Pulling and cutting pincers of this kind are described in particular in French patent No 1 247 113 of 29th January 1960.

This pair of cutting and pulling pincers has been and is still satisfactory.

The present invention concerns a pair of pincers as defined above, in which one and the same spring forms, on its own, the resilient return means interposed between the pulling handle member and the cutting handle member, and the resilient return means associated with the cutting lever.

This advantageously results in a reduction in the number of components necessary for forming the pincers, and therefore also reduces its manufacturing costs and its assembly costs.

In accordance with a development of this arrangement, the slide member which forms the blade belongs to a bent member, for example a right-angle bent member, which, on a first one of its limbs, at a first point thereof, is connected to the spring forming the resilient return means for the cutting lever and the handle members, and which, at another point on said first limb, which is separate from the first point, is subjected to said cutting lever, in such a way that the bent member is subjected, about said second point on its first limb, to a group of forces which result in the application of its first limb, forming a blade, against the cutting handle member.

The above-mentioned bent member whose second limb forms the blade is thus in simple bearing contact against the cutting handle member, by way of its second limb, and it may not be absolutely necessary to add thereto any particular means for ensuring that it is held on the cutting handle member.

This results in a further reduction in the number of components necessary for forming the pincers in question, and therefore a reduction in the manufacturing and assembly costs thereof.

The features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description given by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevational view, with portions broken away, of pulling and cutting pincers according to the invention, Figures 2 and 3 are views of parts of the Figure 1 pincers, in cross-sections taken respectively along lines II-II and III-III in Figure 1, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the single slide member forming the blade of the pulling and cutting pincers according to the invention, Figure 5 is a view of another part of the pulling and cutting pincers according to the invention, in cross-section taken along line V-V in Figure 1, Figures 6, 7 and 8 are views similar to that shown in Figure 1, and each respectively show various phases in the operation of the pulling and cutting pincers according to the invention, when the pincers are put to use, Figure 9 is an elevational view of part of an alternative embodiment of one of the handle members forming the pulling and cutting pincers according to the invention, Figure 10 is a view of the Figure 9 handle member, taken along arrow X in Figure 9, Figure 11 is a view of part of the Figure 9 pincers, in cross-section taken along line XT-XI in Figure 10.

Generally, the pulling and cutting pincers according to the invention comprise two handle members 10 and 11, the first being referred to hereinafter as the pulling handle member and the second being referred to hereinafter as the cutting handle member; in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 8, both these handle members are of U-shaped crosssection, both handle members being formed of sheet metal which is suitably cut to shape and bent.

The handle members are pivotally connected together by a spindle 12.

At the end of the handle member 10, two portions 14 and 15 of the sheet metal forming the handle member are bent over at right angles and positioned one above the other, whereby they together form a transverse end wall 16 which leaves open an opening 17 for receiving a strip, for example the strip of a clamping collar, as will be apparent hereinafter.

Opposite the transverse end wall 16, and within its internal volume, the pulling handle member 10 is provided with a pinching means for gripping such a strip once the strip has been engaged in the above-mentioned opening 17.

In the embodiment illustrated, the pinching means comprises a ratchet member 18 which is mounted rotatably on a spindle 19 carried for this purpose transversely by the pulling handle member 10, the spindle extending from one of the limbs of the handle member to the other limb.

The ratchet member 18 has on the one hand a notched engagement head 20 and on the other hand a bearing heel portion 21.

By way of a shoulder 22, the ratchet member 18 is subjected to the force of the torsion spring 23 which is engaged around its spindle 19 and which bears against a cut-out portion 24 cut out from the pulling handle member 10, and which urges the ratchet member towards the transverse end wall 16 of the pulling handle member, as indicated by the arrow Fl in Figure 1.

At the end of the cutting handle member 11, and in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 8, two portions 26 and 27 of the sheet metal forming the cutting handle member 11 are bent over at a right angle and meet at their free end edges, whereby together they form a plate member 28 which faces towards the pulling handle member 10. At its end the plate member 28 has an opening 29 for a strip to pass therethrough, as will be seen hereinafter, while a blade-forming slide member 30 is mounted movably on the inside face of the plate member 28.

The cutting handle member 11 carries a cutting lever 31 which is pivoted thereon by means of a spindle 32, for actuating the slide member 30.

Like the handle members 10 and 11, in the embodiment illustrated the cutting lever 31 is made of suitably bent sheet metal, which is therefore of U-shaped cross-section.

According to the invention, the bladeforming slide member 30 is part of a bent member 33, which, in practice, and as shown, is a right-angled bent member, with the blade-forming slide member 30 forming a first one of the limbs of the member 33.

By way of the second of its limbs, denoted by reference numeral 34, the bent member 33 simply bears against the cutting lever 31 and, more precisely, in the embodiment illustrated, against a spindle 35 which is carried by the cutting lever 31 and which extends transversely from one of its limbs to the other.

In the embodiment illustrated, the spindle 35 is freely engaged in corresponding openings in the limbs of the cutting lever 31 and in its central region has a groove 36 in which the limb 34 of the bent member 33 is engaged.

It is therefore the bent member 33, and thus the blade-forming slide member, which ensures that the spindle 35 is transversely located on the cutting lever 31.

Moreover, and for reasons which will be set out hereinafter, the blade-forming member 30 is apertured with an oblong opening 50, in central region.

Resilient return means are associated with the handle members 10 and 11, and likewise, resilient return means are associated with the cutting lever 31.

According to the invention, a single spring forms, on its own, all of said resilient return means.

In the embodiment illustrated, this spring is a traction spring 37 which is connected at one end to the pulling handle member, and more precisely to a cut-out portion 38 therein, while the other end of the spring 37 is connected to the blade-forming slide member and more precisely to the limb 34 of the bent member 33 of which the slide member forms a part, the limb 34 being provided with a hook 39 at its free end, for this purpose.

Thus, at a first point of its limb 34, the bent member 33 is connected to the spring 37, while at another point on the limb 34, which is separate from the first point, the bent member 33 is subjected to the cutting lever 31 by way of the spindle 35 carried by the cutting leverl 31, in such a way that the bent member is subjected, around said second point, that is to say, in practice around the spindle 35, to a group of forces which are comparable to a pivoting torque, as diagrammatically indicated by an arrow F2 in Figure 1, which results in its second limb 30 being applied against the inside surface of the plate member 28 of the handle member 11.

The bent member 33 is therefore in simple bearing contact with the plate member 28 of the cutting handle member 11 and, in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 8, no particular steps are taken to hold the bent member 33 in contact with the plate member 28, other than the arrangement of the spring 37, as described above.

In the rest condition shown in Figure 1, the ends of the handle members 10 and 11 are in contact with each other in such a way that, with the ratchet member 18 of the pulling handle member 10 bearing by way of its bearing heel portion 21 against the plate 28 of the cutting handle member 11, the ratchet member 18 is pivoted, against the force of the torsion spring 23 which is associated therewith, into a ready position in which it leaves open the opening 17 in the pulling handle member 10; at the same time, the bladeforming slide member 30 carried by the cutting handle member 11 is in the retracted rest position in which it leaves open the opening 29 ;in the plate member 28 of the cutting handle member 11.

If, as shown by way of example in Figure 6, a pulling force is to be applied to the strip 40 of a clamping collar 41 which is looped for example around any member 42 to be gripped, the handle members 10 and 11 of the pincers according to the invention are engaged on to the free end of the strip 40, by way of their openings 17 and 29.

A pivoting action is then applied to the opposite ends of the handle members 10 and 11 so as to bring them towards each other, as diagrammatically shown by arrows F3 in Figure 7.

By virtue of this pivoting movement, which takes place against the force of the return spring 37, on the one hand the cutting handle member 11 comes to bear by way of its plate member 28 against the head 43 of the clamping collar 41, and, on the other hand, the ratchet member 18 carried by the pulling handle member 10 moves out of contact with the plate member 28 and, thus liberated, pivots under the force of its spring 13 towards the transverse end wall 28 of the pulling handle member 10, whereby the strip 40 of the clamping collar 41 is applied and gripped against the inside surface of the pulling handle member 10, by way of the engagement head portion 20 of the ratchet member.

The rotary pivotal movement of the handle members 10 and 11 is continued, and the strip 40 of the clamping collar 41, being gripped by the pulling handle member 10, is progressively tightened around the member 42 around which it is passed in a loop.

When the strip 40 has been sufficiently tightened, the cutting lever 31 is actuated in turn, with a pivotal movement as indicated by the arrow F4 in Figure 8.

As the cutting lever 31 is pivoted, the cutting lever 31 bears by way of the spindle 35 which it carries against the bent member 33 and thus displaces the blade-forming member 30 which is a part of the bent member 33 so that the slide member 30 moves from its initial retracted rest position to a forwardly displaced operative position in which, as shown, it covers the opening 29 in the plate member 28 of the cutting handle member 11 and thus connects with the strip 40 which is engaged in the opening 29, whereby it cuts the strip 40.

When the cutting lever 31 and the handle members 10 and 11 are released, the spring 37, on its own, returns to their initial rest position the bent member 33 of which part forms the blade-forming slide member, the cutting lever 31, and the handle members 10 and 11; the spring 37 acts on the cutting lever 31 by way of said member 33 and acts on the cutting handle member 11 by way of the cutting lever 31.

By engaging any tool, for example a screwdriver, into the oblong opening 50 in the blade-forming slide member 30, it is possible to 'advance' the slide member towards the opening 29 in the cutting handle member 11, against the force of the spring 37, over a distance sufficient for the limb 34 of the bent member 33 which forms the slide member to be disengaged completely from the groove 36 in the spindle 35 carried by the cutting lever 11; once the spindle 35 has thus been freed, it can be removed laterally from the cutting lever 31, which thus provides for easy disassembly of the blade-forming slide member 30 and the spring 37.

The assembly operation corresponds to the disassembly operation, but in reverse.

The alternative embodiment illustrated in Figures 9 to 11 concerns the cutting handle member 11.

In this embodiment, the plate member 28 of the handle member 11 is no longer formed by right-angled bent portions of the limbs of the handle member, as described above, but by the central portion of a U-shaped member 51 which is engaged on the cutting handle member 11 and which is suitably secured by way of its limbs to the limbs of the handle member, for example by spot welds.

Preferably, and as illustrated, a space is left free between the lower surface of the plate member 28 which is thus formed, and the edges of the limbs of the cutting handle member 11, in such a way that said edges form lateral shoulders 52 which are parallel to said surface of the plate member 28 and are spaced therefrom, and that the blade-forming member 30, which is diagrammatically shown in broken lines in Figure 11, is in this case slidably guided between said surface and said shoulders.

This arrangement is of interest particularly in the case of using the pincers according to the invention for cutting a strip without previously applying a pulling force thereto; indeed, in this case there may be skewing of the strip, which can result in the bladeforming slide member moving away from the plate member 28 of the cutting handle member 11; the shoulders 52 oppose this skewing.

In an alternative form, the shoulders 52 may be formed by cutout portions projecting from the limbs of the cutting handle member 11, in particular in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 8.

It will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated, but includes, for example, modifications as regards the pinching means on the pulling handle member for gripping the clamping collar to be pulled and cut, and/or the actual structure of the handle members and the lever in question.

As regards the spring 37, this is not necessarily a traction spring; in an alternative form, provisions may be made for the spring to be a compression spring or a spring of any kind.

In every case, means for adjusting the tension of such a spring may be associated therewith, for example a screw or a quarterturn device, as is known per se, to adjust the spring tension to the difficulty in cutting the strip, and/or for facilitating dismantling thereof.

Moreover, the spindles used, or at least some of them, are not necessarily formed, each individually, in a single piece; other means could be used, for example aligned lugs, which are possibly spaced from each other, which lugs for example may be formed by projecting cutout portions provided for this purpose in the components in question.

The term 'spindle' is therefore to be interpreted here in a broad sense.

This is the case in particular as regards the spindle 35 which provides for the sliding actuation of the blade-forming slide member, as this spindle may be replaced by another member, for example two lugs formed by projecting cut-out portions formed opposite each other in the limbs of the cutting lever 31, or even a single such lug.

Finally, although that is a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is not absolutely essential for performing the invention that the blade-forming slide member should be a part of a bent member, and when this is the case nonetheless, as described above, it is not essential that said member should be bent at exactly a right angle.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. Strip pulling and cutting pincers comprising on the one hand two handle members which are connected together pivotally against the force of resilient return means, namely a first handle member referred to hereinafter as the pulling handle member, which is provided at its end with a pinching means for gripping such a strip, and a second handle member hereinafter referred to as the cutting handle member, at the end of which a blade-forming slide member is movably mounted, and on the other hand a cutting lever which is mounted pivotally against the force of resilient return means on said cutting handle member, for moving said bladeforming slide member from a rest position to an operative position, wherein in such pincers a single spring, on its own, forms the resilient return means interposed between the pulling handle member and the cutting handle member, and the resilient return means associated with the cutting lever.

2. Pincers according to claim 1 wherein said spring acts on the one hand on the pulling handle member at one of its ends and on the other hand on the blade-forming slide member at the other of its ends.

3. Pincers according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the blade-forming slide member simply bears against the cutting lever.

4. Pincers according to claim 3 wherein the cutting lever carries transversely, a member for the sliding actuation of the blade forming slide member, and wherein said slide member simply bears against said member.

5. Pincers according to claim 3 wherein the member carried by the cutting lever for the sliding actuation of the blade-forming slide member is a spindle, characterised in that said spindle is engaged freely on said cutting lever and that, for holding same, in its central region it has a groove for engagement of the blade-forming slide member, or a member to which said blade-forming slide member belongs.

6. Pincers according to any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the blade-forming slide member comprises a bent member, which, by way of a first of its limbs, at a first point thereof, is connected to the spring forming the resilient return means for the handle members and the cutting lever, and which, on the other hand, at another point of said first limb, which is separate from said first point, is subjected to said cutting lever, in such a way that said bent member is subjected, about said second point of its first limb, to a set of forces which

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. free between the lower surface of the plate member 28 which is thus formed, and the edges of the limbs of the cutting handle member 11, in such a way that said edges form lateral shoulders 52 which are parallel to said surface of the plate member 28 and are spaced therefrom, and that the blade-forming member 30, which is diagrammatically shown in broken lines in Figure 11, is in this case slidably guided between said surface and said shoulders. This arrangement is of interest particularly in the case of using the pincers according to the invention for cutting a strip without previously applying a pulling force thereto; indeed, in this case there may be skewing of the strip, which can result in the bladeforming slide member moving away from the plate member 28 of the cutting handle member 11; the shoulders 52 oppose this skewing. In an alternative form, the shoulders 52 may be formed by cutout portions projecting from the limbs of the cutting handle member 11, in particular in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 8. It will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated, but includes, for example, modifications as regards the pinching means on the pulling handle member for gripping the clamping collar to be pulled and cut, and/or the actual structure of the handle members and the lever in question. As regards the spring 37, this is not necessarily a traction spring; in an alternative form, provisions may be made for the spring to be a compression spring or a spring of any kind. In every case, means for adjusting the tension of such a spring may be associated therewith, for example a screw or a quarterturn device, as is known per se, to adjust the spring tension to the difficulty in cutting the strip, and/or for facilitating dismantling thereof. Moreover, the spindles used, or at least some of them, are not necessarily formed, each individually, in a single piece; other means could be used, for example aligned lugs, which are possibly spaced from each other, which lugs for example may be formed by projecting cutout portions provided for this purpose in the components in question. The term 'spindle' is therefore to be interpreted here in a broad sense. This is the case in particular as regards the spindle 35 which provides for the sliding actuation of the blade-forming slide member, as this spindle may be replaced by another member, for example two lugs formed by projecting cut-out portions formed opposite each other in the limbs of the cutting lever 31, or even a single such lug. Finally, although that is a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is not absolutely essential for performing the invention that the blade-forming slide member should be a part of a bent member, and when this is the case nonetheless, as described above, it is not essential that said member should be bent at exactly a right angle. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. Strip pulling and cutting pincers comprising on the one hand two handle members which are connected together pivotally against the force of resilient return means, namely a first handle member referred to hereinafter as the pulling handle member, which is provided at its end with a pinching means for gripping such a strip, and a second handle member hereinafter referred to as the cutting handle member, at the end of which a blade-forming slide member is movably mounted, and on the other hand a cutting lever which is mounted pivotally against the force of resilient return means on said cutting handle member, for moving said bladeforming slide member from a rest position to an operative position, wherein in such pincers a single spring, on its own, forms the resilient return means interposed between the pulling handle member and the cutting handle member, and the resilient return means associated with the cutting lever.

result in the pressing of its second limb, which forms the blade, against the cutting handle member.

7. Pincers according to claim 6 wherein, by way of its second limb, said bent member is in simple bearing contact against said cutting handle member.

8. Pincers according to claim 6 or 7 wherein the blade-forming slide member is mounted slidably between on the one hand a plate member of the cutting handle member and on the other hand two lateral shoulders of the cutting handle member, which shoulders are disposed at a spacing from said plate member.

9. Strip pulling and cutting pincers constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in Figures 1-8, or with reference to Figures 9-11 of the accompanying drawings.