NZ335307A - Hand operated punch with actuating means comprising pivotally interconnected gripping members - Google Patents

Abstract

A hand-operated punch including an anvil portion (7), a punch member (5) and an actuating means. The actuating means includes pivotally interconnected handle members (3,6) wherein one of the handle members (3) includes an integral cam (27,31) positioned adjacent to the pivotally interconnected end of the handle member. The cam (27) is configured to transfer a pivotal force applied to the handle member to the punch member.

Description

Patents Form No. 5 Our Ref: JM502176 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 Complete After Provisional No. 335307 Filed: 20 April 1999 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION A PUNCH We, CIRCLE LINE ENGINEERING LIMITED, a New Zealand company of 37 Saleyards Road, Otahuhu, Auckland, New Zealand hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: PT0510828 i intellectual property office OF NZ. - 2 MAY 2000 RECEIVED A PUNCH FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to a punch, and in particular a hand-operated punch BACKGROUND Punch tools are a necessity in many industries, from agriculture (for example ear tag applicators), to metal work, to the leather and fabric industries In the leather industry punches are particularly important in saddlery, as well as in the manufacture of leather clothing, bags and shoes Hand-operated punches must be able to produce a neat and tidy hole, and have a comfortable grip and easy operating mechanism There are many different types of hand-operated ear tag applicators Most of these punch-type devices include a scissor-type operation with two handles pivotally connected at a mid point, and the punch components at the opposite end Such punches generally require a reasonably wide starting grip to provide the necessary clearance between the punch and anvil. Furthermore, the pivotal action of the punch in relation to the anvil may not facilitate a clean and symmetrical cut, and may not allow for optimum application of the force applied by a user Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a punch, and in particular a hand-operated punch, which reduces or overcomes the above mentioned problems or which at least provides the public with a useful alternative.

Other objects of the invention may become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a hand-operated punch including an anvil portion, a punch member and actuating means, the actuating means including pivotally interconnected handle members wherein one of said handle members includes an integral cam positioned adjacent the pivotally interconnected end of the handle member.

Preferably the cam is configured to transfer a pivotal force applied to the handle members to the punch member.

Preferably the hand-operated punch further includes biasing means adapted to bias the punch member away from the anvil.

Preferably the punch member is removable, to enable the introduction of a punch member of different diameter.

Preferably the punch member includes a plurality of interchangeable cutting end portions.

Preferably the anvil portion includes a punch seat including one or more orifice adapted to correspond with a diameter of the or each cutting end of the punch member.

According to a further aspect of this invention there is provided a hand-operated punch including a body portion, a punch member and actuating means, said body portion including a first gripping member at one end, an anvil portion with a punch seat at the other end of the body portion, and the body portion being adapted to house the punch member in a mid-part, said punch member including a cutting end and a head end, the punch member being movable longitudinally within the body portion such that the cutting end is movable into and out of contact with the punch seat of the body portion, and wherein the actuating means includes said first gripping member and a second gripping member, said first and secorrcl gripping members being pivotally interconnected and said second gripping member integrally including a cam positioned adjacent the pivotal interconnection and being capable of transferring force applied to the gripping members to the punch member to move the punch member longitudinally within the body portion.

Preferably the hand-operated punch further includes biasing means adapted to bias the cutting end of the punch away from the punch seat.

Other aspects of the present invention may become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1: shows a side view of a punch of the present invention in one preferred form; Figure 2: shows an end view from A of the punch of Figure 1, Figure 3: shows a longitudinal section through the punch of Figure 1; Figure 4: shows a side view of the actuating handle member of the punch of Figure 1, and Figure 5: shows a longitudinal section through the main body portion of the punch of Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference to the figures, a punch 1 of the present invention includes a main body portion 2, actuating handle member 3, pivot pin 4 and punch member 5.

The main body portion 3 includes handle member 6 at one end and anvil portion 7 at the opposite end. Hole 8 is included for receiving the pivot pin 4, and cavity 9 is included at a mid portion for housing the punch member 5. The anvil portion 7 includes first orifice 10 which corresponds with second orifice 11 at the end of the cavity 9 The first and second orifice's 10, 11 have substantially the same diameter, being fractionally less than the diameter of the pin 12 of the punch member 5 The anvil portion 7 and its first orifice 10, are separated from the mid portion of the main body portion 2 and its orifice 11 by a channel 15. The second orifice 11 is formed by a guide bush 16, an outer end 17 of which forms the second orifice 11, and an inner end 18 of which forms a stop or support for a punch return spring 19 Punch member 5 includes pin 12, punch head 21 and punch return spring 19 Punch member 5 is engaged in cavity 9 through an open rear end 22 of the cavity (see Figure 5) In use, the actuating handle member 3 retains the punch member 5 within the cavity 9 In a "resting" state (as shown in Figure 3), the cutting end 23 of the pin 12 is positioned within the second orifice 11 adjacent the outer end 17 of the guide bush 16 The punch return spring 19 is engaged between the punch head 21 and the inner end 18 of the guide bush 16 to bias the punch member 5 away form the channel 15 The actuating handle member 3 includes a handle member 25, a pivot pin hole 26 and a cam 27 (see Figure 4) The handle members 25, 6 of the actuating handle member and the main body portion are adapted to facilitate gripping Thus, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, at least the actuating handle member 3 may be curved to facilitate leverage during operation, and outer surfaces 28 of each handle may be flattened to provide for more comfortable operation Adjacent an upper inner portion of the open rear end 22 of the main body portion 3 is a shoulder 30 into which an apex 31 of the cam 27 may engage with the punch 1 in a "resting" position, as in Figure 3 The profile of the cam 27 is most clearly seen in Figure 4 It has a front face 32 which is substantially flat and at an angle of about 90 degrees or greater in comparison with the part 33 of the handle member 25 adjacent the pivot hole 26 The front face 32 extends away from the pivot hole 26 to the apex 31 from which the cam forms a substantially smooth curve 34 back to the handle member 25 When the punch 1 is assembled, the apex 31 of the cam 27 may rest in the shoulder 30 of the main body portion In this position the handle members 6, 25 are spaced apart but grippable in one hand The cam shape enables a higher punching force to be generated by the initial movement of the actuating handle member 3 relative to the final movement. Conversely, less effort is required in the initial gripping action to achieve the same punching force In operation, the material to be punched is positioned in the channel 15 and the punch operated (as described below). A disc of the material is severed by the action between the cutting end 23 of the pin 12 and the internal rim 41 of the first orifice 10 This first orifice 10 may extend right through the anvil portion 7 in which case the disc or discs of material punched can exit out of the end of the orifice It will be appreciated, however, that the punch 1 could operate with this first orifice 10 simply being a recess in the anvil, so long as it includes an internal cutting rim It may be less practical to employ a recess than a hole extending right through the anvil since discs punched out of the material may need to be removed from the recess The punch member 5 is readily removable from the punch 1. Thus, a series of punch members may be provided with different diameters of pin, for punching holes of different diameter To accommodate the different pin diameters the anvil portion 50 may, for example, and as shown in Figure 6, have a threaded socket 53, into which a punch seat 52 with a corresponding external threaded surface may be engaged A series of punch seats would be provided, each with a central orifice corresponding with the pin diameter of a given punch member The head 53 of the punch seat 52 may be adapted for easy tightening and removal of the punch seat 52, eg, adapted for spanner or alien-key type engagement, or with a finger grip portion Alternative embodiments of a punch of the invention, to accommodate a preference for a punch able to punch holes of different diameters, may, for example, involve the cutting end of the punch member comprising a plate or disc including a plurality of pins of different diameters, and a corresponding disc or plate-shaped anvil portion with corresponding recesses or orifices to accommodate the or each pin Operation of the punch will now be described with reference to Figure 3 With the punch assembled, the application of pressure to the actuating handle member 3, by a squeezing movement causes the actuating handle member to pivot about the pivot point 8 towards the handle member of the main body portion 2 The cam 27 therefore rotates forwards, forcing the punch head 21 towards the anvil portion 7, against the bias of the return spring 19. The cutting end 23 of the pin 12 forces material in the channel into contact with the internal rim 41 of the orifice 10 Continuing pressure causes the pin to punch a disc of material into the orifice 10 When the handle members 6, 25 are substantially together, the apex 31 of the cam 27 will have forced the pin end 23 into the orifice 10. When the applied pressure is released the punch return spring 19 forces the pin back and returns the cam and handles to their resting position It will be appreciated that by this mechanism the pin of the punch moves longitudinally within the punch, and perpendicular to material positioned in the channel This ensures that a neat and regular hole will be punched in the material In addition the punch of the invention enables an effective punch operation to be completed with a smaller leverage action than is required with conventional scissor-type mechanisms This means that the punch can be operated by individuals having a smaller grip (such as women and children) Where in the foregoing description, reference has been made to specific components or integers of the invention having known equivalents then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth Although this invention has been described by way of example and with reference to possible embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that modifications or improvements may be made thereto without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention

Claims (9)

8 What We Claim Is:

1. A hand-operated punch including an anvil portion, a punch member and actuating means, the actuating means including pivotally interconnected handle members wherein one of said handle members includes an integral cam positioned adjacent the pivotally interconnected end of the handle member.

2. A hand-operated punch according to Claim 1 wherein the cam is configured to transfer a pivotal force applied to the handle members to the punch member.

3. A hand-operated punch according to either Claim 1 or Claim 2 further including biasing means adapted to bias the punch member away from the anvil.

4. A hand-operated punch according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the punch member is removable, to enable the introduction of a punch member of different diameter.

5. A hand-operated punch according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the punch member includes a plurality of interchangeable cutting end portions.

6. A hand-operated punch according to Claim 5 wherein the anvil portion includes a punch seat including one or more orifice adapted to correspond with a diameter of the or each cutting end of the punch member.

7. A hand-operated punch including a body portion, a punch member and actuating means, said body portion including a first gripping member at one end, an anvil portion with a punch seat, at the other end of the body portion, and the body portion being adapted to house the punch member 9 in a mid-part, said punch member including a cutting end and a head end, the punch member being movable longitudinally within the body portion such that the cutting end is movable into and out of contact with the punch seat of the body portion, and wherein the actuating means includes said first gripping member and a second gripping member, said first and second gripping members being pivotally interconnected and said second gripping member integrally including a cam positioned adjacent the pivotal interconnection and being capable of transferring force applied to the gripping members to the punch member to move the punch member longitudinally within the body portion.

8. A hand-operated punch according to Claim 7, further including biasing means adapted to bias the cutting end of the punch away from the punch seat.

9. A hand-operated punch substantially as herein described and with particular reference to any one of the accompanying drawings. - 2 NOy 2001