US2951288A

US2951288A - Wire snipping tool

Info

Publication number: US2951288A
Application number: US810384A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward M Holmes
Original assignee: ROBERTS MACHINE CO Inc
Current assignee: ROBERTS MACHINE CO Inc
Priority date: 1959-05-01
Filing date: 1959-05-01
Publication date: 1960-09-06
Anticipated expiration: 1977-09-06

Description

Sept. 6, 1960 E. M. HOLMES 2,951,288

WIRE SNIPPING TOOL Filed May 1, 1959 INVENTOR. EDWARD M. HOLMES ATTORNEY 2,951,288 Patented Sept. 6, 1960 WIRE SNIPPING TOOL Edward M. Holmes, Bridgeport, Cnn., assignor to Roberts Machine Co. Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed May 1, 1959, Ser. No. 810,384

2 Claims. (Cl. 30-240) The present invention relates to an improved wire snipping tool, particularly for use in the snipping of wires in hard to get at places, such as in the Wiring of radio and television sets, where it is difiicult or impossible to reach the wire connections with conventional cutting pliers.

An object of the invention is to provide a tool of this character of simple and inexpensive construction, wherein a minimum number of parts is employed, and which may be quickly assembled or disassembled for replacement or sharpening of the cutting elements of the tool.

A further object is to provide manipulating means for actuating the cutting elements disposed in such relation to the handle that maximum force may be applied to the cutting elements by pressure of the thumb of the hand holding the tool.

Another object is to provide a tool wherein the cutting elements are so disposed that in their open position they may be accurately guided into engagement with a wire to be cut by orienting such cutting elements in relation to the handle, so that the position in which the handle is held will determine the position of the cutting elements.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

j In the drawings:

,Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a wire snipping tool according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view;

Fig. 4 is a view partially in side elevation and partially in vertical section, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation showing the cutting elements in their open wire-receiving position; and

Fig. 6 is a front elevation showing the cutting elements in their closed wire-cutting position.

Referring to the drawings, the wire snipping tool, according to the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the invention shown therein, comprises a pistol grip handle 10 disposed at a downwardly and rearwardly inclined angle and provided at its upper end with a forwardly disposed upwardly extending mounting head 11 having a transverse vertically disposed forward face 12 and a transverse vertically disposed rearward face "13, the latter extending upwardly from the forward end of a horizontal transversely extending upper end surface 14 of the handle to define a right angular recess 15 in which the cutting element actuating means is received, as will presently more fully appear.

The mounting head 11 is provided with a horizontal longitudinally extending passage 16 in which the rearward end portion of a cylindrical tubular member 17 is fitted and rigidly secured, as by brazing the tube to the mounting head, the rearward end of the tube being flush with the rearward surface 13 of the head and opening to the recess 15. The tube may be of any suitable length,

. depending upon the particular type of work to be performed, i.e., it may be of the order of about four inches for normal use, or it may be substantially longer where the tool is intended for use in structures where such length is desirable to reach the Wires to be snipped.

Upon the forward end of the tube there is integrally formed a forwardly projecting cutting element 18 having a straight cutting edge 19 disposed substantially parallel to the axis of the tube and outwardly ofiset therefrom. Within the tube 17 there is rotatably engaged a rod 20 having enlarged

diameter bearing portions

21 and 22 adjacent its ends, so that the rod is rotatable within the tube with a minimum of frictional resistance.

The forward end of the bearing portion 21 is substantially flush with the forward end of the tube 17, and a forwardly projecting cutting element 23 is formed thereon in normally opposed spaced relation to the cutting element 18. The cutting element 23 is provided with a flat inner surface 24 terminating in its upper end in a straight cutting edge 25, the surface 24 being parallel to the axis of the rod and offset outwardly therefrom, so that, in the normal open position of the tool, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a vertical space is provided between the cutting elements in substantially centered relation to the axis of the rod to receive a Wire to be cut.

An integral stud end 26 of slightly less diameter than the bearing portion 22 extends rearwardly therefrom into the recess 15, and has rigidly mounted thereon a manipulating thumb lever 27. This thumb lever is preferably formed of sheet metal bent to shape, and its body portion is disposed in a vertical plane normal to the axis of the rod 20. In its lower portion there is provided a flanged hole 28 fitted upon the stud end 26 with the inner end of theflange abutting the shoulder formed by the outer end of the bearing portion 22, which is substantially flush with the inner end of the tube 17 and the vertical surface of the mounting head '11, so that the end of the flange limits the position of the rod 20 against forward movement within the tube 17. The thumb lever is rigidly secured to the stud end 26 as by brazing the parts together.

-A thumb engaging pad 29 is bent at right angles from the upper portion of the thumb lever, and is disposed in an inclined plane for convenient engagement byjthe thumb of the hand holding the tool, as will presently more fully appear. At its lower end the thumb lever is provided adjacent one side edge with a position limiting lug 30 adapted to engage the horizontal surface 14 of the handle in the normal open wire-receiving position of the cutting elements, as seen in Figs. 1-5, and the other side edge of the lever being adapted to engage the upper surface 14 in the closed wire-cutting position of the cutting elements, as seen in Fig. 6.

The stud 26 projects rearwardly from the thumb lever and has engaged thereon the coils of a hair-pin spring 32, one leg 32 of the spring having a hook end 33 which is hooked over the edge of the thumb lever at the opposite side from the thumb pad 29, and the other leg 34 being extended in downwardly inclined position beneath the stud into engagement with one side edge of the horizontal surface 14 where it seats in a positioning notch 35. The combined action of the hook 33 and the notch 35 retains the spring upon the stud 26, and also restrains the rod 20 against rearward movement in the tube 17, so that in order to remove the rod it is only necessary to disengage the spring leg 34 from the notch 35 and thereupon draw the rod rearwardly from the tube.

In assembling the rod with the tube it is engaged therein from the rearward end of the tube, its forwardly moved position being limited by engagement of the top flange 28 against the rearward end of the tube. Thereupon the spring is engaged upon the stud, its end 33 is hooked over the edge of the thumb lever, and its leg 34 is engaged in the notch 35, thus retaining the rod against rearward movement. The spring normally positions the thumb lever in a substantially vertical position, so that the thumb of the hand gripping the handle may be engaged in a natural comfortable position upon the thumb pad 29. In this position the cutting elements are open, so that a wire to be cut may be engaged in the space between them. Thereupon the thumb lever is pressed downwardly by the thumb to the position as seen in Fig. 6, causing the cutting edge carried at the end of the rod 20 to be rotated past the cutting edge 19 carried by the fixed tube 17 to thus snip the wire. Upon release by the thumb, the thumb lever is moved by the spring to its normal vertical position, at the same time moving the cutting elements to open position.

What is claimed is:

1. (In a wire shipping tool of the character described, a handle including a hand grip portion, and a mounting head at the upper end of said hand grip portion having forward and rearward surfaces disposed transversely of said hand grip portion and having a longitudinal passage extending therethrough and opening to said rearward surface, said hand grip portion having an upper end surface extending rearwardly from said rearward surface of said mounting head and forming therewith a recess, an interiorly cylindrical tube having its rearward end engaged and secured in said passage of said mounting head, a forwardly projecting fixed cutting element integral with the forward end of said tube, a rod rotatably engaged in said tube having a rearward end portion projecting from the rearward end of said tube into said recess, a forwardly projecting movable cutting element integral with the forward end of said rod having an open position normally laterally spaced from said fixed cutting element and a closed position wherein through rotation of said rod within said tube it cooperates with said fixed cutting element to snip a wire engaged between said cutting elements, a thumb lever non-rotatably secured upon said rearward end portion of said rod in abutting relation to the rearward end of said tube to restrain forward movement of said rod in said tube and adapted for movement between an open position in which said movable cutting element is in open position and a closed position in which said movable cutting element is in closed position, stop lug means carried by said thumb lever engaged with said upper end surface of said hand grip portion in said open position, spring means carried by said rod normally yieldably retaining said lever in said open position, and retaining means carried by said handle and removably engaged by said spring means to restrain rearward movement of said rod in said tube.

2. In a wire snipping tool of the character described, a handle including a hand grip portion, and a mounting head at the upper end of said hand grip portion having forward and rearward surfaces disposed transversely of said hand grip portion and having a longitudinal passage extending therethrough and opening to said rearward surface, said hand grip portion having an upper end surface extending rearwardly from said rearward surface of said mounting head and forming therewith a right-angular recess,.an interiorly cylindrical tube having its rearward end engaged and secured in said passage of said mounting head, a forwardly projecting fixed cutting element integral with the forward end of said tube, a rod rotatably engaged in said tube having a rearward end portion projecting from the rearward end of said tube into said recess, a forwardly projecting movable cutting element integral with the forward end of said rod having an open position normally laterally spaced from said fixed cutting element and a closed position wherein through rotation of said rod within said tube it cooperates with said fixed cutting element to snip a wire engaged between said cutting elements, a thumb lever non-rotatably secured upon said rearward end portion of said rod in abutting relation to the rearward end of said tube to restrain forward movement of said rod in said tube and adapted for movement between an open position in which said movable cutting element is in open position and a closed position in which said movable cutting element is in closed position, stop lug means carried by said thumb lever engaged with said upper end surface of said hand grip portion in said open position, a stud portion carried by said rod and projecting rearwardly from said thumb lever, and a hairpin spring having a coil portion engaged upon said stud, a first leg hooked about an edge of said lever and a second leg engaged with said upper end surface of said hand grip portion to normally yieldably retain said lever in said open position, said hand grip portion having a notch in Which said second leg of said spring is removably seated to restrain rearward movement of said rod in said tube.

Alpert Oct. 23, 1945 =Rogal Oct. 23, 1956