US2273536A - Electrical shears - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 17, 1942. J. POLLAK y 2,273536 ELECTRICAL SHEARS Filed May 15, 1940 Patented Feb. 17, 1942 ELECTRICAL sHEARs James Pollak, Chicago, Ill., assigner to General Transformer Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a. corporation of Illinois Application May 13, 1940, Serial N0. 334,857

11 Claims.

This invention relates to electrically driven scissors or shears and in particular to scissors which are adapted to be used by children for cutting paper and like material.

It is well known that an ordinary pair of scissors may be a dangerous instrumentality in the hands of children and to remedy this the usual hand scissors have been made with blunt points rather than with sharp points. However blunt scissors may be dangerous inasmuch as a child using the same may inadvertently cut his own fingers.

This invention seeks to overcome the above objection in that the opening between the blades of the scissors is limited to such an extent that a childs fingers cannot be inserted between the blades. Furthermore, the angular displacement of one blade with respect to the other is suiilciently small so that the actual cutting edge of the blades may be conned to a small portion of the total edge portion.

It is an object of my invention to provide a pair of electrically driven scissors which may be safely used by a child. Further objects reside in the provision of improved electric blade actuating means, improved switch means and in an improved housing construction.

I have found it desirable to use a plastic housing for the blade actuating means and in this connection I have so arranged the blades in relation to the housing members that any inherent resiliency of the plastic housing members will not interfere with the free movement of the blades.

Other objects, features and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

With reference to the drawing in which like reference numerals refer to like parts- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of my invention, one of the housing members being removed to better disclose the parts;

Fig. 2 is a section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a partial section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed View showing in perspective certain of the parts;

Fig. 6 is a view taken along line 6--6 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section taken along line I-l of Fig. 1.

With reference to the drawing, reference numeral I0 indicates the housing member shown 55 in Fig. 1, which cooperates with a similar housing member II to completely enclose the working parts of the electric scissors. Bosses I2 and I3 are formed on the interior surfaces in the housing members I0 an-d II, respectively, the bosses I2 being drilled and the bosses I3 being screw threaded so that the two housing members may be held together by means of screws I4. Each screw extends through the aperture drilled in the bosses I2 and is threaded into the threaded aperture formed in the bosses I3, the bosses preferably being of such length that their respective ends abut each other as is shown in Fig. 2. The housing members may be made of any suitable plastic material in the form of a shell, the shape of the two housing members being such that they may be easily grasped by the hand when in assembled position.

An E-shaped laminated core I5 of soft iron is provided with an electromagnetic winding I6. Bosses I'I are formed on the interior surface of the housing I0 near one edge thereof and said bosses are provided with a threaded aperture so that the screws I8 which extend through the core I5 and into the bosses I'I may hold the core and the winding securely with respect to the housing member I0. One or more L-shaped insulation members I9 overlie a portion of the core and are held in position by the screws I8. A contact member 20 in the form of a strip of copper is mounted on the edge of insulating strips I9 and a contact member 2I in the form of a resilient strip of metal cooperates therewith, contact member 2I also being mounted on the edge of the insulating members I9 in the manner shown in Fig. 1. A lead 22 extends from the contact member 20 to a suitable source of alternating current and a conductor 23 extends from the contact member 2I to the electromagnetic winding I6. A lead 24 extends from the winding I6 to a suitable source of alternating current. It will be seen that when the contact member 2I is displaced downwardly into contact with the contact member 20 that the winding will be energized by alternating current. An aperture 25 is formed at one end of the housing in which is positioned a plug 26. The leads 24 and 22 extend through the plug 26 and form, exteriorly of the housing, the usual cable for electrical household appliances.

The winding I6 and the core I5 are so formed that they constitute an alternating current magnet. An armature supporting member 21, which may be lin the form of a strip of angle iron, is secured to the core I5 by means of rivets 28, and is provided with a bent over extension 29 to which the armature 30 is welded. The bent over extension 29 is sufficiently resilient so that the armature 30 may vibrate when the winding I6 is energized` The opposite or unsecured end of the armature 3U is bent up as indicated at 3I and is provided with a cylindrical extension 32 which cooperates with the movable blade as will be hereinafter set forth.

A stationary blade 33 is provided with an edge 34 which terminates adjacent the housing. The blade is provided with an extension 35 which is oil'set from the main portion of the stationary blade `and extends into the housing, overlying boss 36 which is formed at a corner portion of the housing member I0. The boss 36 is provided with two upstanding ribs which form a groove in which the extension 35 lies, the bosses cooperating with the edges of the extension to prevent angular displacement of the stationary blade. A screw 3B is provided for holding the extension securely in the groove formed by the ribs.

A movable blade 39 is pivotally mounted on the stationary blade 33 by means of a rivet 40. The movable blade 39 is provided with an edge portion 4I which also conforms generally to the shape of the housing. A portion of the upper edge of the wall of housing member I is cut away as indicated at 42 to permit an extension 43 of the movable blade 39 to extend into the housing for cooperation with the blade actuating mechanism.

A stub shaft 44 is journalled in extension 43 land is provided with a cylindrical aperture 45 in which the cylindrical extension or pin 32 is located. It will be seen that this linkage between the armature 30 and the movable blade 39 Which is shown in detail in Fig. permits the movable blade to oscillate about the pivot 40 when the armature is vibrated.

The walls of the housing members IIJ and II are cut away as indicated at 46 at a point adjacent the boss 36 to permit a control member 41 in the form of a thumb piece to extend outwardly of the housing. A pivot pin 48 for the control member 41 is formed integrally with the housing member I0 in the cut away portion 46. A boss or lug 49 may be formed in the wall member of housing member I0 to provide reinforcement for the pivot pin 48 on which the control member 41 is mounted. A pin 5U extends outwardly from the control member 41 and contacts the spring contact member 2l in such a manner that when the control member 41 or thumb piece is depressed the contacts will be closed thereby and the alternating current magnet energized to cause operation of the shears. One of the bosses I2 and I3 is located adjacent the control member to limit its outward motion caused by the resilience of the contact spring 2I.

An aperture 5I is formed in the control member 41 into which a plug may be wedged to lock the thumb piece in its open or inoperative position. This expedient may be used to render the device inoperative when a parent desires the child not to use the same.

A strip of insulating material 52 may be inserted between the leads 22 and 24 and the core I5 to prevent any grounding or short circuiting of the leads.

It will be seen that the device comprises generally a stationary blade and a movable blade which are disposed at one end of a housing which contains the blade actuating mechanism. The

blades themselves each comprise an inner portion 53 which is disposed adjacent the housing, and `an outer end portion 54, which portion terminates in blunt ends. The blades are also provided with shearing or cutting edge portions 55, together with extended edge portions 56 which need not be ground or sharpened inasmuch as they serve merely as guides to direct the paper which is to be cut into the shearing edge portions 55. The oscillation of the movable blade is so limited by the construction of the blade actuating mechanism that all shearing or cutting may be conned to the comparatively small shearing edge portions 55. Furthermore, it will be noted that the blades are so disposed that the angle or opening 51 formed between the blades is so small that a childs nngers cannot be inserted therein.

The inner portion 53 of the blades is so constructed that the blades overlap each other and extend right up to the housing. This prevents any auxiliary shearing action at other edges of the blades inasmuch as no other edges are exposed.

The housing is so shaped that when the device is grasped by the hand in the correct position for cutting the thumb naturally overlies the control member 41. Furthermore, the greatest pressure on the housing will occur at that end thereof adjacent the blades. The edge 34 of the stationary -blade which is adjacent the housing overlaps the seam formed by the edges of the two housing members I0 and II to restrain any tendency of the housing member to be elongated to such an extent that it could snap over the edge of the other housing member and bind the movable blade or otherwise hinder its free oscillation.

A resilient stop member, in the form of a rubber collar 58, limits the motion of the armature 30 into the attracted Iposition as well as the motion of the movable blade 39.

The collar 58 is positioned on a boss I2 so that it is contacted -by the stub shaft 44 during the oscillation thereof, and the resiliency of the collar absorbs the shock of impact and deadens vibration. The stop member prevents contact of the armature 30 with the core I5.

While there have been shown and described certain embodiments of the invention it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, may be made Without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the appended claims, in which it is the intention to claim all novelty inherent in the invention as broadly as possible, in View of the prior art.

I claim:

l. An electrically driven childs toy for cutting paper comprising a housing, a stationary blade associated with said housing, a vibrating blade pivotally mounted on said stationary blade exteriorly of said housing and at a point closer to the end of said stationary blade than to said housing, the inner end of said vibrating blade extending into said housing, and electromagnetic means positioned within said housing and associated with' said inner end of said vibrating blade for actuating the same, the outer ends of said blades forming an opening smaller than the diameter of a childs nger.

2. An electrically driven childs toy for cutting paper comprising a housing, a stationary blade associated With said housing, a vibrating blade pvotally mounted on said stationary blade exteriorly of said housing close to the outer end thereof, the inner end of said vibrating blade extending into said housing, and electromagnetic means positioned within said housing and associated with said inner end of said vibrating blade for actuating the same, the inner edge of said stationary blade being extended laterally beyond both side edges of said vibrating blade at the point where the latter extends into said housing and abutting against said housing to form a guard for said vibrating blade.

3. An electrically driven childs toy for cutting paper comprising a stationary blade and a vibrating blade, a plastic housing comprising an upper and a lower shell, a lug integrally molded in a corner of said lower shell and reinforced by the side walls thereof, said lug being provided with upstanding projections and said stationary blade being provided with an extension constructed to t between said projections, means to hold said extension against the upper surface of said lug and in operative relationship with said upstanding projections so as to prevent rotation of said stationary blade with respect to said lug and said shell, and electromagnetic means positioned in said housing for actuating said vibrating blade, said lug being covered by said upper shell.

4. An electrically driven childs toy for cutting paper comprising a stationary blade and a vibrating blade, a plastic housing comprising an upper and a lower shell, a lug integrally molded in a corner of said lower shell and reinforced by the side walls thereof, the said lug being provided with upstanding projections, the inner edge of said stationary blade overlapping the lower wall portion of said upper shell and being provided with an extension constructed to fit between said projections, screw means to hold said extension against the upper surface of said lug and in operative relationship with said upstanding projections so as to prevent rotation of said stationary blade with respect to said lug and said shell, said vibrating blade being pivotally associated with said stationary blade at a point near the outer end thereof, and electromagnetic means positioned in said housing for actuating said vibrating blade.

5. An electrically driven childs toy for cutting paper comprising a stationary blade and a reciprocating blade, a plastic housing comprising an upper and a lower shell, a lug integrally molded in a corner of said lower shell and reinforced by the side walls thereof, the said lug being provided with upstanding projections, the inner edge of said stationary` blade overlapping the abutting edges of the lower and upper shells and being provided with an,4 extension constructed to t between said projections, screw means to hold said extension against the upper surface of said lug and in operative relationship with said upstanding projections so as to prevent rotation of said stationary blade with respect to said lug and said shell, said reciprocating blade being pivotally associated with said stationary blade and positioned ibeneath the same and having a portion thereof extending into said housing, means for securing said shells together, and electromagnetic means positioned in said housing for actuating said reciprocating blade.

6. A childs toy for cutting paper, comprising a housing, shear blades associated therewith and pivotally associated with each other exteriorly of said housing, each of said blades being provided with a shearing edge portion in close proximity to the point where said blades are pivotally associated, and an extended portion, the edges thereof being blunt and serving as guides, and means located in said housing to oscillate one of said blades with respect to the other to a limited extent whereby the shearing action of said blades will be confined to said shearing edge portions.

7. Electric shears comprising a housing formed by an upper and a lower shell, a stationary blade rigidly secured to one of said shells, an oscillating blade pivotally mounted on said stationary blade and having a portion extending into said housing, electromagnetic blade actuating means positioned within said housing, circuit closing means including resilient Contact means and a manually actuated member pivotally mounted on one of said shells and having a portion extending outwardly of said housing and a portion engaging said resilient contact means, said manually actuated member being adapted to be displaced against the resiliency of said contact means to close the circuit through said electromagnetic blade actuating means.

8. Electric shears comprising a housing, a stationary blade rigidly secured to said housing, an oscillating blade pivotally mounted on said stationary blade and having a portion extending into said housing, electromagnetic actuating means for said oscillating blade positioned within said housing, said actuating means comprising a core and an alternating current magnet coil cooperating therewith, an armature for cooperation with said core, resilient contact means mounted on said core, and a contact actuating member pivotally mounted on said housing and having a thumb engaging portion extending outward of said housing and a portion engaging said resilient contact means, said contact actuating member being adapted to be displaced against the resiliency of said contact means to close the circuit through said coil, said armature being operatively associated with said oscillating blade.

9. An electrically driven childs toy for cutting paper comprising a housing, an electromagnetic actuating device positioned within said housing, including a core, an alternating current coil cooperating therewith, and an armature resiliently mounted at one end thereof to said core, said armature being biased to unattracted position, a stationary blade mounted on said housing, a vibrating blade pivotally mounted on said stationary blade near the outer end thereof and having an end portion extending into said housing and linked to said armature whereby said blade may be vibrated by said armature, and a resilient stop member adapted to be engaged by said end portion when said armature is in attracted position to limit the vibratory motion of said armature and of said vibrating blade.

10. In an electrically operated scissors having a casing, an electro-magnetic mechanism housed within said casing and connected to an electrical source of power, an armature positioned within said casing to receive vibratory action from the electro-magnetic mechanism, a stationary scissors blade attached to and extending beyond the casing and a movable scissors blade pivoted to the stationary scissors blade and connected to and movable by the armature, a switch mechanism comprising a stationary member positioned within the upper portion of said casing, a resilient movable member positioned Within the upper portion of said casing adjacent said stationary member, and normally spaced therefrom, a push button member attached to said casing at its upper and forward portion, said push button member manually operable from the exterior of the casing, and extending Within said casing to contact said movable member, said push button member adapted upon being pressed from the outside of the casing to move said movable member into contact with said stationary member to complete the electric circuit and cause the scissors to operate, said movable member adapted by its resiliency upon pressure being released from the push button member to return the movable member to normal spaced relation from said stationary member to stop operation of the scissors.

11. In an electrically operated scissors having a casing, an electric driving mechanism housed within said casing and connected to an electrical 20 source of power, scissors blades attached to and extending beyond the casing and operable by said electric driving mechanism, a switch mechanism comprising a stationary member positioned within the upper portion of said casing, a resilient movable member positioned within the upper portion of said casing adjacent said stationary switch, and normally spaced therefrom, a push button member attached to said casing at its upper and forward portion, said push member manually operable from the exterior of the casing and extending Within said casing to contact said movable member, said push button member adapted upon being pressed from the outside of the casing to move said movable member into contact with said stationary member to complete the electric circuit and cause the scissors to operate, said movable member adapted by its resiliency upon pressure being released from the push button member to return the movable member to normal spaced relation from said stationary member to stop operation of the scissors.

JAMES POLLAK.

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