US2431970A

US2431970A - Wire-cutting pliers

Info

Publication number: US2431970A
Application number: US584980A
Authority: US
Inventors: Swartz Claude
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1945-03-26
Filing date: 1945-03-26
Publication date: 1947-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 1964-12-02

Description

' Dec. 2, 1947. c, SWARTZ 2,431,970

WI RE-CUTTING PLIERS Filed March 26, 1945 Inventm Patented Dec. 2, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OF'FI-(IE WIRE-CUTTING PLIERS Claude Swartz, West Chicago, Ill.

Application March 2.6, 1945, Serial No. 584,980

1 Claim.

This invention relates to pliers, and has particular reference to improved pliers of the type designed to be used by electricians for cutting and completely severing wires.

Heretofore, the jaws of wire-cutting pliers have been provided with straight coacting cutting edges that afford initial contact with the wire at only two points adjacent the side of the wire nearest the user of the pliers. As a result of this, a rather inefficient cutting action was had and the cutting edges acted to force the wire from between the jaws. Successful use of such prior pliers accordingly necessitated application of considerabe power by the use of one hand to effect the cutting action and the use of considerable force by the use of the other hand to prevent the wire from being forced from between the cutting edges.

An important object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide wire-cutting pliers having cutting edges so formed as to overcome the common objections mentioned above. I attain this object by providing the coacting cutting edges of uniformly undulated form and with the undulations of the cutting edges interfitting so that said edges contact throughout their length when the jaws of the pliers are fully closed. The result of this construction is that a three-point contact of the cutting edges with the wire is had when the jaws of the pliers are separated and the wire is engaged therebetween. Also, two points of contact are afforded by one cutting edge in a manner to retain the wire in place between the cutting edges. As a result, cutting of the wire may be efiected without grasping and holding the wire between the cutting edges and by the application of a minimum amount of power for cutting through the wire. 7

The present invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of wire-cutting pliers constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the pliers shown in Figure 1, but with the jaws of the pliers separated and a wire positioned between the cutting dges thereof preparatory to being severed.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section through the jaws of th pliers, taken on line 3-4 of Figure'l.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the present pliers embody jaws Ill and H pivotally connected by means of a pivot pin l2 in the usual way, said jaws having crossed handles I3 and I4 extending upon the opposite side of the pivot pin 12 from the jaws l0. and H, to permit manual operation of the jaws.

The facing edges or sides of the jaws Ill and II are cut away or recessed from one side, as indicated at [5 in Figure 3, thereby providing the jaws with relatively thin inner blade portions I6. In accordance with the present invention, the abutting cutting edges l! and I8 of these blades are of uniformly undulated form and arranged so that their undulations interfit when the jaws are completely closed and the cutting edges then contact each other throughout their length, as shown in Figur 1. This should not be confused with cutters of the shear type in which the cutting blades move past each other. The result of this formation and arrangement is that when the jaws l0 and II are separated and a wire [9 is placed therebetween, as shown in Figure 2, the wire will seat in an undulation of the cutting edge of one blade so as to effectively offset tendency of the wire to. become wedged out from between the jaws when the latter are forced together. In addition, the cutting edges contact the wire at three points, as indicated at a, b and 0, so that severance of the wire may be effected by the application of a minimum amount of power in forcing th jaws together. The user need not employ a hand to hold the wire between the jaws, and the pliers may be operated entirely by one hand so that the user has his other hand free for any other purpose desired. The utility and advantage of the cutting edge formation illustrated and described has been definitely demonstrated in actual practice.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

In wire-cutting pliers, the combination of a pair of pivoted jaws, each of said jaws having a wide fiat-faced outer portion and an inner portion cut away upon one side and face to reduce the thickness thereof through a certain length of its face, the reduced faces of said jaws each having uniformly undulated cooperating cutting edges arranged in the same plane, the undulations of said cutting edges being arranged to 3 4 interfit so that the cutting edges abut each other throughout their length when the jaws are com- UNITED STATES PATENTS pletely closed and provide a three-point contact Number Name Date of the cutting edges with a. wire disposed there- 355,103 Sagendorph De 1 betwee transversely thereof. 5 617,964 F k J 899 DE TZ, 1,578,438 Hintz Mar. 30, 1926 2,302,810 Steegmuller Nov. 24, 1942 REFERENCES CITED 119,485 Warner Oct. 3, 1871 file of this patent: 10