GB2268113A - Multipurpose pliers - Google Patents

Abstract

A pair of multipurpose pliers comprises two handles (30, 40) pivoted together, each handle being provided with a wire cutting portion (70), a wire stripping portion (60), a cross-sectioning portion (50), and a serrated jaw portion (80, 90) having jaw slots (87, 92) located on the outer side along the longitudinal axis thereof and having jaw teeth (88) and jaw grooves (94) located on the inner side and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof. Both serrated jaws can be mounted on the two handles by means of the jaw slots in such a manner that the jaw teeth of one handle are received in the jaw grooves of another handle at such time when the two handles of the pliers are grasped in opposite directions by a hand. The serrated jaws can be replaced by other serrated jaws having different shapes. <IMAGE>

Description

MULTIPURPOSE PIERS BACKGROUND OF mE INVENTION The present invention relates to a pair of pliers, and more particularly to an improved multipurpose pliers.

Refferring to FIG. 1, a conventional electrician's multipurpose pliers of 10 the prior art is composed of two parts 11,12 pivoted together to form two handles and two jaws 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 for use in cutting or stripping wires 19, gripping small obiects, making a cross-sectional cut of a screw, and gripping and positioning a terminal attached to an electic circuit or conductor.

Such multipurpose pliers 10 as described above is inherently defective in that its jaws and handles are made integrally. As a result, its jaws 18 can not be replaced to meet the working requirements of a situation calling for the use of a pair of pliers having jaws with the jaw 18 teeth 181 and the jaw slots 182 of specific shape and size. For example, there are many different kinds of terminals 192 of various shapes. It is conceivable that an electrician will find it rather troublesome to have to carry with him or her a number of pliers having the jaws of different shapes and sizes.

The conventional multipurpose pliers 10 of the prior art is further defective in design in that its handles have a rather limited thickness. As a result, the total gripping area formed by the jaws 18 is not large enough to accommodate the terminals of various shapes and the various connective patterns of terminals 141 and teh end 19 of wires.

SUMMARY OF THE INVEaVTION It is, therefore, the primary objective of the present invention to provide a multipurpose pliers having replaceable jaws.

The objective and features of the present invention will be better understood by studying the following detailed description of four preferred embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings provided herewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a front view of a prior conventional electrician's multipurpose pliers.

FIG. 2 shows a three-dimensional exploded view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of a portion taken along the line 4-4 as shows in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows a front view of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a front view of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a sectional view of a portion taken along the line 7-7 as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows a front view of a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a sectional view of a portion taken along the line 9-9 as shown in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 2-4, a multipurpose pliers 20 of the present invention is shown comprising a first handle 30 and a second handle 40, which are pivoted together. The first and the second handles 30 and 40 are symmetrically provided with a first curved portion 32 and a second curved portion 42, which are mounted on a pivot 31. Located at the rear ends of the first handle 30 and the second handle 40 are a first hand grip 34 and a second hand grip 44. A first rear gripping portion 36 and a second rear gripping portion 46 are located respectively between the curved portions 32 and 42 and the hand grips 34 and 44. Located in front of the pivot 31 and on the sides opposite to the hand grips 34 and 44 are a first front gripping portion 38 and a second front gripping portion 48.A cross-sectioning portion 50 is formed jointly by the curved portions 32 and 42. A wire stripping portion 60, a wire cutting portion 70, a gripping portion 75, and a jaw portion 80 are formed jointly by the gripping portions 36,38,46 and 48.

The cross-sectioning portion 50 is provided with five first threaded holes 52 which are of different diameters and located in the first curved portion 32, and with five first through holes 54 which are located in the second curved portion 42 and are of diameters corresponding to diameters of the first threaded holes 52.

The first threaded holes 52 and the first through holes 54 are arranged equidistantly from the pivot 31. In operation, the tail end 55 of a screw 56 intended to be cut short is fitted into a first threaded hole 52 in such a manner that a portion of the tail end 55 remains inside a first through hole 54 corresponding to the first threaded hole 52. The tail end 55 of the screw 56 can be cut by grasping the hand grips 34 and 44 in opposite directions. Since the screw 56 is kept securely in the first threaded hole 52, the threads located on the screw 56 will not be damaged by the cutting operation described above.

The wire stripping portion 60 comprises a first and a second bevel slots 62 of a predetennined length, each of which is provided with six arcuate cutters 64 parallel to one another. The corresponding arcuate cutters 64 of the first and the second bevel slots 62 form the circular dents of different diameters when the first and the second bevel slots 62 are joined together. The circular dents of different diameters are used to accommodate therein the wires (not shown in the drawings) of different diameters, so as to facilitate the operation of stripping the insulation sheath of the wire.

The wire cutting portion 70 is provided with a cutting blade 72 located on the first rear gripping portion 36 and with a plane 74 located oppositely to the cutting blade 72 and on the second rear gripping portion 46. A wire intended to be cut is placed on the plane 74 and cut subsequently by grasping the hand grips 34 and 44 in opposite directions.

The gripping portion 75 is composed of a pair of arcuate dents located respectively on the first and the second rear gripping portions 36 and 46 in such a way that they are adjacent to the pivot 31. The gripping portion 75 can be used to take hold of an object securely in view of the fact that its exerting lever arm is much greater than its resisting lever arm.

The jaw portion 80 comprises a pair of first dents 81, a pair of second theraded holes 84, a first serrated jaw 85, and a second serrated jaw 90.

The first dents 81 are arranged respectively and oppositely on the front gripping portions 38 and 48. Each of the first dents 81 has a first receiving surface 82 and a shoulder 83 perpendicular to the first receiving surface 82.

The second threaded holes 84 penetrate respectively the front gripping portions 38 and 48.

The first serrated jaw 85 has a third threaded hole 86 penetrating therethrough laterally, a first jaw slot 87 extending axially from its front end to its rear end in such a manner that it meets the third threaded hole 86, and three jaw teeth 88 perpendicular to the axis of the first serrated jaw 85.

The second serrated jaw 90 has a fourth threaded hole 91 penetrating therethrough laterally, a second jaw slot 92 extending axially from its front end to its rear end in such a manner that it meets the fourth threaded hole 91, and three jaw grooves 94 perpendicular to the axis of the second serrated jaw 90.

In combination, the first and the second serrated jaws 85 and 90 are joined respectively with the front gripping portions 48 and 38 by means of the first and the second jaw slots 87 and 92, which are so dimensioned as to fit over the receiving surfaces 82 of the front gripping portions 38 and 48 in such manners that the bottoms 871 and 921 of the jaw slots 87 and 92 make contact with the receiving surfaces 82 and that the inner sides 89 and 95 of the first and the second serrated jaws 85 and 90 are respectively in contact with the shoulders 83.

Therefore, the first and the second serrated jaws 85 and 90 can be fastened securely to the front gripping portions 48 and 38 by means of two bolts 96 which are received respectively in the second threaded holes 84, the third threaded hole 86, and the fourth threaded hole 91.

As shown in FIG. 5, the jaw portion 80 is mounted on a pair of second dents 95 instead of front gripping portions 38 and 48 upon which the wire cutting portion 70 and the gripping portion 75 are mounted.

Now referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the serrated jaws 85 and 90 are shown to have respectively an inverted U shape and a U shape in their cross sections, or an L shape in their cross sections. They are provided with a first seat 100, three jaw teeth 102 or jaw grooves 104 located on the first seat 100, a second baffle 108 extending perpendicularly from the lateral side of the first seat 100, and an urging surface 106 disposed in the inner side of the first seat 100. In combination, the first seat 100 is arranged in such manners that its edges are placed against the receiving surface 82 and the shoulder 83 and that the inner sides of its second baffles 108 are arranged against the outer edges of the front gripping portions 38 and 48.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the serrated jaws 85 and 90 are shown respectively to have a shapes, so as to have two second seats 110 and 112 which are parallel to each other and provided thereon with the jaw teeth 113, 114 of different shapes or the jaw grooves 115, 116 of different shapes. In combination, the seats 110, 112, and the inner edge of a second baffle 118 are placed against the shoulders 83, the receiving surfaces 82 and the outer edges of front gripping portions 38 and 48. Therefore, the serrated jaws 85 and 90 can be detachably mounted so as to change the shape of the jaw portion 80. In addition, the serrated jaws 85 and 90 can be so arranged as to permit the jaw portion 80 to have two different shapes to facilitate the use of the jaw portion 80.

Claims (5)

WHAT IS CL D IS:

1. A multipurpose pliers comprising a first handle and a second handle, which are fastened together by means of a pivot and provided respectively with a hand grip portion, a wire cutting portion, a wire stripping portion, a crosssectioning portion, and a jaw portion; wherein said jaw portion is characterized in that it comprises: (a) a pair of coupling seats located on corresponding positions on said first handle and said second handle and provided respectively with a dent, a receiving surface extending along a longitudinal axis of said first handle or said second handle, and a shoulder located between said receiving surface and said pivot; and (b) a pair of serrated jaws each having a first seat which is provided with first jaw teeth and first jaw grooves disposed on an outer side thereof, an urging surface located on an inner side thereof, and a baffle extending outward from a side thereof; wherein each of said serrated jaws is arranged in said dent in such manners that its end is placed against said shoulder, and that its urging surface is in contact with a side of said handle, and further that it is fastened securely to said handle by means of a fastening means.

2. The multipurpose pliers of claim 1 wherein said baffle further comprises a second seat, which is parallel to said first seat and provided with second jaw teeth and second jaw grooves.

3. The multipurpose pliers of claim 1 wherein each of said coupling seats is provided with a threaded hole, and wherein said baffle is provided with a through hole located in a position corresponding to said threaded hole.

4. Multipurpose pliers comprising two operating members pivotably connected together and each provided with a hand grip, a wire cutting portion, a wire stripping portion, a cross-sectioning portion and a serrated jaw, the serrated jaws being releasably connected to the operating members so as to be interchangeable with other serrated jaws of different configurations.

5. Multipurpose pliers substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.