GB2212090A

GB2212090A - Sheathed cutting apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2212090A
Application number: GB8826099A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Garnett Ray Asbery
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-11-09
Filing date: 1988-11-08
Publication date: 1989-07-19
Anticipated expiration: 2008-11-08
Also published as: AU610655B2; NL191382C; FR2622829A1; DE3838044A1; NL8802713A; NL191382B; GB2212090B; JPH01129875A; IT1235142B; AU2495088A; CA1293116C; DE3838044C2; JPH0468958B2; IT8848531A0; FR2622829B3; GB8826099D0

Description

1 - SHEATHED CUTTING APPARATUS AND METHOD 2212090 P10449GB This invention

relates to an improved sheathed cutting means for cutting seals around windows in vehicles.

Both manual and automatically driven cutting mechanisms have been known in the art for quite some time. Most windshields and windows placed in vehicles are sealed by means of a urethane seal. When it is desired to remove and/or replace such windows, a variety of cutting mechanisms know in the art are employed. Such a mechanism is the "Fein Astlxe 636-5 Special Cutter" sold by Fein Power Tools, Inc of Pittsburg, PA. This device oscillates from right to left without any up or down movement. A "wild cat knife and blade pneumatic oscillating tool" is produced by C.R. Laurence Co., Inc. These tools must urge the bl ade of the device around the bottom edge of the windshield in order to cut the urethane underneath the windshield. Often the urethane is too far away for blades to reach. Further, at the bottom corners of the windshield, the fender of the automobile inhibit the use of existing devices. Further, panels covering the bottom of the windshield must be removed, and chrome mouldings or other combination chrome and plastics mouldings will not allow the blade to reach completely around the windshield. Each of these tools is designed to be utilized from the outside of the windshield with the blade reaching underneath the lip of the windshield in order to cut the urethane. Thus, the operator's ability to control the blade is limited from the outside of the car and, as a result, interior mouldings are often damaged. Additional damage is caused by existing devices because of rigid blades which are incapable of conforming to the curvature of the windshield as it cuts through the urethane. Further, exposed blade portions of existing devices unintentionally damage other parts of the vehicle.

According to the invention there is provided a cutting apparatus for severing vehicular window seals comprising a power source; a flexible cutting blade attached to said power source; a sheath attached to said power source, conformed to and covering said blade; and an opening in said sheath through which a portion of said cutting blade protudes, said opening at an approximate location of said seal such that said blade is exposed for cutting said seal.

The sheathed cutting apparatus of the present invention may include a power source, portable or otherwise, to which one end of a flexible cutting blade is attached. The opposite end of the blade is sharpened for cutting purposes. A rigid, slightly curved blade sheath is further attached to the power source and conformed to just cover the blade. There is an opening in the tip of the rigid sheath through which a portion of the cutting blade protudes, when driven by the power source for cutting, so that the cutting blade is exposed only where cutting is needed.

A mounting may be provided to which the sheath may be easily attached and removed. The mounting and sheath may then be attached to the power source and removed at will. A variety of lengths of sheaths and cutting blades can be provided.

A cutting apparatus according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- FIG 1 is a side view of the cutting apparatus attached to a portable power source.

FIG 2 is a front view of the slightly curved sheath attached to a mounting means with a blade located within the sheath.

FIG 3 is a side view of the apparatus shown on the interior of a t 1), 11 vehicle windshield in position for cutting a urethane sea 1; and FIG 4 is a side view of three embodiments of a flexible cutting bl ade.

Referring to the drawings, in FIGS 1 and 2, the sheathed cutting apparatus 10 includes power source 12 shown as a portable jigsaw, but which may be of any fixed or portable power source known in the art. The primary requirement of the power source 12 is that it has a connection 14. Power transmission member 16, in the form of a flexible thin cutting blade 18, has a connection end 20. Connection end 20 is designed, in a manner commonly known in the art, to connect with power source connection 14 in a removably attachable manner. Cutting blade 18 also has the capability of being sharpened along its length. In the present invention, cutting blade 18 is sharpened only along the tip 22.

A rigid sheath 24 is conformed to just fit around cutting blade 18 so that cutting blade 18 can move back and forth within sheath 24. Sheath 24 may be any rigid material such as stainless steel, aluminimum, PVC, or the like. The purpose of rigid sheath 24 is to serve as a guide and protector for cutting blade 18. it further protects other portions of the vehicle from contact with the moving blade 18.

Rigid sheath 24 (FIG 2) has a slight curvature along its length f rom top 26 to bottom 28. This curvature is designed to allow power source 12 to be operated away from the windshield while work is being conducted and yet at the same time enable cutting blade 18 to be directed in a direction conformable to the curvature of the windshield.

Removably attachable mounting 30 is designed to securely hold rigid sheath 24 in position by means of attachment 32. Sheath 24 and mounting 30 thus form a unified whole which may be transported together and placed on a power source 12 as desired. Once sheath 24 is attached to mounting 30, mounting 30 in turn L may be mounted to power source 12 by means of attachments 34.

FIG 3 shows a side view of a vehicle windshield 36 with exterior side 38 and interior side 40 with apparatus 10 in use, with seal 42, commonly of polyurethane, connecting windshield 36 with the interior dash 44 of a vehicle. The top 46 of windshield 36, and bottom 48, are also shown. As shown in FIG 3, apparatus 10 is utilized from the interior of a vehicle. In use, the portable power supply power source 12 is capable of being held away from the interior side 40 of windshield 36 and, because of the curvature in rigid sheath 24, flexible thin cutting blade 18 can still be brought into proper position to cut seal 42.

FIG 4A is a view of cutting blade 18 showing the cutting blade tip 22 formed with rip teeth on both sides of the blade.

FIG 4B shows cutting blade 18 with a knife edge around the tip and FIG 4C shows cutting blade 18 with saw teeth on one side only.

Utilizing cutting apparatus 10 from the inside eliminates the necessity of removing parts from the car in order to bring the cutting blade 18 into cutting position on seal 42. A variety of similar blades of various lengths 18 may be utilized but in general the blades 18 are made, in the preferred embodiment, of 0.020 inch (0.5 mm) thick,.50 inch (12.7 mm) wide, mild steel. Any suitable substitute which is firm yet flexible and capable of acquiring a sharp edge may be used. The blades 18 are sharpened only on the part of power transmission member 16 that extends out of the opening 17 of sheath 24. Sheath 24, in the preferred embodiment, is produced in four inch (101.5mm), eight inch (203mm) and fourteen inch (355.6mm) sections. The blades 18 are made in different lengths so that they will extend out of each sheath 24 from 14 inch (6. 35mm) to 112 inches (38mm) depending on the job.

p, b I?k h.

By use of sheathed cutting apparatus 10, automobile windshields may be removed after cutting urethane seal 42 from the inside of the vehicle, without the necessity of removing the dash or any other parts of the vehicle, and without breaking the glass.

Blade 16 has most of its length contained within sheath 24. The advantage of sheath 24 is that it serves as a guide for blade 18 and a protector of dash 44 and any other parts of the vehicle with which the blade 18 might come in contact. The ti p 22 of blade 18, reciprocating in and out of the end of sheath 24, is the only portion of the blade that comes in contact with seal 42.

The total width of sheath 24 and blade 18 is less than 18 inch (3.2 mm). This very narrow width allows sheath 24 with blade 18 to go between the windshield 36 and dash 44. Further, the narrowness of sheath 24 and blade 18 enables them to slide easily under any garnish mouldings of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A cutting apparatus for severing vehicular window seals comprising: a power source; a flexible cutting blade attached to said power source; a sheath attached to said power source, conformed to and covering said blade; and an opening in said sheath through which a portion of said cutting blade protudes, said opening at an approximate location of said seal such that said blade is exposed for cutting said seal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including a mounting member removably attached to said power source, to which is attached said sheath so that said sheath and said mounting member form a unified member removably attachable to said power source.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2 wherein said cutting blade comprises: a two-ended, flexible, flat power transmission member capable of acquiring a sharp edge; connector in the first of said ends so that said power transmission member is removably attachable to said power source; and a sharp edge of the second end of said power transmission member which, when driven by said power source, alternatively protudes--from and retracts into said sheath.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 3 wherein said sheath comprises a rigid encasing sheath curved along its length so that said rigid sheath is conformable to the curvature of vehicle windshields.

5. A cutting apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to any one or more of FIGS 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

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