US3004339A

US3004339A - Cable cutter

Info

Publication number: US3004339A
Application number: US767105A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Henry H Townshend
Original assignee: J T HENRY Manufacturing CO Inc
Current assignee: J T HENRY MANUFACTURING Co Inc
Priority date: 1958-10-14
Filing date: 1958-10-14
Publication date: 1961-10-17
Anticipated expiration: 1978-10-17

Description

H. H. TOWNSHEND, JR

CABLE CUTTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed OCT.. 14, 1958 INV ENTOR Her/rz] H. 7wnoheno, Jr.

ATTORNEY Oct. 17, 1961 H. H. TowNsHEND, JR 3,004,339

CABLE- CUTTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCT.. 14, 1958 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 3,004,339 CABLE CUTTER I-IenryH. Townshend, Jr., New Haven, Conn., 'assigner to J. T. .Henry Manufacturing Co.,` Inc., Hamden, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Oct. 14,1958, Ser. No. 767,105

l n 4 Claims." A(Cl. 30'124) This invention relates to "a cable cutter, and relates more particularly to a cable cutter provided with a holder for holding" stranded cable as it is cut. Heretot'ore cutters have been proposed which'have included a' holder for holding an article while the article is cut. However, these proposed cutters have been open to certain objections. 'I'hey have not been Well adapted to the cutting of stranded cable of relatively small diameters, and they have not been adapted to hold theV article to be cut at both sides of the shear point.y 'I l A stranded cable tends tol be attened by the pressure of the cutting blades. As the' 'cable is ilattened the strands tend to spread alongrthecutting edges. This spreading action presents many strands simultaneously to the cutting edges and, due to this, the closing of the cutter blades is more strongly resisted by the cable than would be the case where the cable tends to remain in its round form as itis being cut. Where the cable tends to remain in its round form as it is cut, only relatively few strands are cut at one time and, therefore, the resistance ofthe cable to the Aclosing movement of the blades is maintained at a minimum. Of course, this is very advantageous because it tends to reduce the force or pressure required to move the cutting blades through aV stranded cable. t

One object of the invention is to provide a cable cutter having a holder which effectively tends to retain a stranded cable in round form as it is cut.

Another object is to provide a cable cutter having cable-holding means including cable-engaging'elements at both sides of the cutter, to simultaneously engage a cable at opposite sides of the point at whichA it is to be cut.A

In Vthe drawings: 1

FIG. l' is a fragmentaryy top plan view loffa cable cutter embodying the invention; u

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the cutter;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the cutter;

FIG. 4 is -a perspective view of the cable holder;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in top plan illustrating the cutter Aduring the cutting of the stranded cable; and A l FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but illustrating the cutting of the stranded cable of smaller diameter.

In the drawings, the blades of the cutter, which may be of identical form, are indicated generally at 10. By Way of example, the blades are shown in association with blade-operating links or levers v11 pivoted to an actuating rod 112, but, if desired, the blades may be operated by conventional handle members instead of the blade-op erating links 11 `and the actuating rod 12. IIn the illustrated form, the blades are mounted on generally triangularly shaped plates 13 at opposite sides of the cutter. A pair of bolts 14 extend through the plates 13 and the respective blades to pivot the blades for movement between the plates.

'Ihe actuating rod 12 is movable lengthwise in a tubu ll-ar member 15 which, at its outer end, is embraced by a sleeve |16 secured to the member 15, as by Welding. The sleeve 16 is shouldered, as at 17, to overlie the outer edge of the tubular member 15 and the sleeve 16 is provided with a attened bifurcated extension 18 extending beyond the outer end of the tubular member 15 and extending between the plates 13 to support the latter, as

i Patented Octfl', 1961 shown in FIG. 2. To mount the plates 13 on the bifurcated extension of the sleevek 116, a bolt 19 extends through the platesr 13 and through the arms of the biiurcated extension 18.` A spacer 20 embraces the bolt between the arms of the bifurcated extension 18 to prevent the collapse of the extension when the bolt 19 is under tension. To prevent angular'movement of the plates .13 on the bifurcated extension a rivet 21 extends through the plates and through the arms of the bifurcated extension.

v lnwardly ofthe bifurcated extension the tubular mem,- ber 15 is provided with longitudinal slots 22 in diametrically opposite relation to one another; The slots 22 register with similar slots 23 formed in the sleeve. Each link 11 has one end thereof extending into one slot -22 and the corresponding slot23.l These ends are provided with a common pivot 24 pivotally co-nnecting the links to the outer end of the actuating rod 12. The other ends of the links are pivotally connected to the respective blades 10, as by bolts 25. The last-mentioned ends of the links yextend into recesses 26 formed in the blades. The blades may have the form shown in the drawings, the blades being providedwith straight cutting edges 27. The -arrangement is such that when the actuating rod 12 is moved toward the outer end of the tubular member 15 the blades are moved in a closing direc tion, and whenfthe rod 12 is moved inthe other direction, the blades are moved in the opening direction. Movement may be imparted to the actuating rod 12 by any suitable means (not shown), such as a fluid operated piston, for example. Y Y

` The cable holder of -the cutter, which is best shown in FIG. 4, is of bifurcated or yoke form and may be const ructed conveniently of sheet metal. The cable holder, indicated generally at 28, has legs or arms 29 of plate form -arranged opposite one another substantially in parallelism and interconnected by an integral substantially at plate portion 30. Each arm -29 has a side-edge 31 which, in top plan, is substantially straight. Intermediate the ends thereof each arm 29 is provided with a shoulder 32 extending transversely of the arm and which is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the arm. The shoulders 32, in effect, fbring the arms 29 to-i ward one another at the inner end portions of the arms, as best shown in FIG. 2. Adjacent their distal ends and also'adjacent the substantially straight edge 31, the arms are providedwith registering holes to receive oneof the pivot pins or bolts 14 mounting one of the cutter blades 10. As shown, the arms 29 of the cableholder partially overlie the respective triangular plates 13 ,on which the blades are pivoted by the bolts 114. The. arrange@ ment is such that the holder 28 embraces a portion of at least one of the cutter blades 10. 'Ihe pivot bolt 14 which extends through the holder 28 mounts the latter for swinging movement relatively to both blades of the ,cable cutter.

The cable holder 28 normally extends over a substantial portion of the cutting edge of the blade mounted on the last-mentioned pivot bolt 14, and the holder 28 is biased by a pair of hairpin springs 33 in a direction toward the other blade. However, movement of the holder 28 in this direction is limited by the shoulders 32 of the holder which engage the respective plates 13 of the cutter when the holder is in the inoperative position of FIG. 1. Each hairpin spring 33 has the outer end of one arm thereof bearing against the edge 31 of the corresponding ann 29 and the other end thereof tixed to the support for the blades, as by the bolt 19. The intermediate portion of each spring 33 may be supported by the bolt 14 which extends through the holder, this support being effected as by a cotter pin 19a extending through the bolt 19 and embracing the spring.

Each arm 29 of the cable holder has a tapered leading edge por-tion 34 -adjacent its outer end. Each arm 29 inwardly of the tapered edge portion 3'41 and adjoining the latter has a substantially straight edge portion 35 terminating at the shoulder 32. Adjacent or immediately inward of the shoulders 32 the side edges of the holder remote from the side edges 31 are provided with aligned cable-holding recesses 36. -Each cable-holding recess 36 is formed, 4at least in part, by what may be termed a reverse curve providing an inturned nose in the side edge of the corresponding arm 29, that is, a nose which is turned generally in the direction of the operator of the cutter, the nose being indicated at 37. The nose 37 provided on each arm Z9 merges with a substantially straight edge portion 38 which, when the blades'are in the open position of PIG. 1, is inclined with respect to the cutting edge which generally opposes the cable holder 28. Y The operation of the cable cutter is as follows. When it is desired to cutV a cable, the cable is thrust between the holder and the blade opposing the holder, when the blades are open. The cable is wedged between the holder and the opposing blade, engaging/the inclined edges 38 of the holder and thrustingV the holder, against the action of the springs 33, in a directionto per-mitthe cable to slip into the recesses 36 in the holder. The movement of the holder in this direction is indicated in broken lines in FIG. 1 of the drawings. When the cable is engaged in the recesses 36 of the holder and the cutter blades are subsequently moved toward their closed positions, the cable tends to t itself snugly under the noses 37 of the holder `and tends to retain its round form, owing to the curvature of the recesses 36, during the cutting operation. After the cable is cut by the blades it may fall free from the holder. As previously indicated, the cable cutter is shown in FIG. 6 cutting a cable of smaller diameter than that shown n PIG. 5.y In this instance the operation of the holder is similar to that described above, but the cable does not lill the recesses 36 in the holder to the same extent. However, it is held under the noses 37 of the holder in such a way that, owing to the curvature of the recesses 36, the cable tends to retain its round -form during the cutting operation.

j Due to the fact that the cable is held at both sides during the cutting operation, the holder is kveryetlective in preventing attening of the cable. The cable cutter provided with the holder also tends to prevent outward dislocationof the cable between the blades and, furthermore, tends to prevent the cable from wobbling during the cutting operation so that a straighter cut isl eiected.

While only one form of the cable cutter has been shown in the drawings land described above, itwill be obvious to those versed in the art that the cutter may take other forms and is susceptible of various changes in details without departing from the principles of the invention and the scope of the claims.

What'I claim is:

l. In a cable holder for use with a cable cutter having a pair of swinging blades, a yoke mounted for swinging movement relatively to the blades, the yoke embracing one of the blades and being spring urged toward the other, the arms of the yoke having generally arcuate aligned recesses therein to receive and hold a cable at both sides of the point at which it is to be cut, the yoke being swingable away from said other blade for entry of the cable in said recesses, and the entire swinging movement of the yoke being independent of movement of the blades.

2. In a cable holder for use with a cable cutter having a pair of swinging blades, aV yoke mounted'for swinging movement relatively Yto the4 blades, the yoke embracing one of the blades and being spring urged toward the other, the arms of the yoke being ofrplate-like form and eachhaving a tapered leading edge portion for abutment by a cable to swing the 4holder away from said other blade as the cable is introduced between the blades when the blades are open, the leading edges of the arms having generally arcuate and aligned recesses therein to receive and hold the cable so that the cable is engaged at both sides of the point at which it is to cut.

3. In a cable holder -for use with a` cable cutter having a pair of swinging blades, a yoke mounted for swinging movement relatively to the blades, the yoke embracing one of the blades and being spring urged toward the other, the arms of the yoke being of plate-like form, the leading edges of the arms having aligned noses formed thereon to slip over and engage a cable at both sides of the point at which it is to be cut.

4.` In a cable holder for use with a cable cutter having a pair of swinging blades, a yoke mounted for swinging movement relatively to the blades and having an axis xed relatively to the swinging axes of the blades, the yoke embracing one of the blades and being spring urged toward the other, the arms of the yoke being of platelike form, the leading edges of the arms having aligned noses lformed thereon to yslip over and engage a cable at both sides of the point at which it is to cut, thevyoke being swingable away from said other blade for entry of the cable under said noses, and the entire swinging movement of the yoke being independent of movement of the blades.

References Cited in the lile ofY this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS