US3844032A

US3844032A - Nail nippers

Info

Publication number: US3844032A
Application number: US00467429A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Siegal
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-06-23
Filing date: 1974-05-06
Publication date: 1974-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 1991-10-29

Abstract

A double-edged cutting tool which has a spring biased handle and blades forming at least one pair of opposed cutting edges which can be used to perform a cutting operation on an object in a forward or reverse direction without changing the orientation of the handles with respect to the object.

Description

States Patent 1 in [111 3,844,032 i ga [45] Oct. 29, 1974 [54] NAIL NIPPERS 529,258 11/1894 Gardner 30/226 W61 Inventor: Jack Siegal, 84-20 Britten 1%?335 73%; 3338511333: IIIIIIIIIII.. 3i /i7 Elmhurs" 11373 1,845,434 2/1932 Moskow 0. 30/176 22 Filed: May 6 1 74 2,146,132 2/1939 Scholl 30/28 PP 467,429 Primary ExaminerAl Lawrence Smith R l t d Us. A D ta Assistant Examiner-Gary L. Smith [63] C e f s 2 a 72 Attorney, Agent, or FirmLadas, Parry, Von Gehr,

ontinuatlon 0 er. 0. 6 71, June 23, 19 Goldsmith & Deschamps abandoned.

52 US. Cl 30/28, 30/176, 30/193 [571 ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl B26b 17/04, B45d 29/02 A double-edged cutting tool which has a spring biased [58] Field of Search Q 30/28, 29, 145, 176, 177, handle and blades forming at least one pair of opposed 30/178, 193, 212, 226, 227, 229 cutting edges which can be used to perform a cutting operation on an object in a forward or reverse direc- [56] References Cited tion without changing the orientation of the handles UNITED STATES PATENTS Huntington 30 226 with respect to the object.

2 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures NAIL NIPPERS This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 265,871 filed June 23, 1972, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Art The present invention relates to a cutting tool for cut- 'ting or .trimming an object, particularly fingernails or toenails.

2. Description of Prior Art The conventional nail nippers or cutting tools have single opposed cutting edges attached to pivoted handles. For a person using the nippers or tool in his right hand, for example, there is no difficulty in cutting the left side of a nail. However. it is extremely difficult with such tool to cut or trim the right side of the same nail without changing the orientation of the tool with respect to the nail or shifting the tool to be held in the left hand. A right handed person would normally have difficulty in exerting the sameamount of operating force on the handles with his left hand.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cutting tool which can cut both the left and right sides of a fingernail or toenail without any necessity for the user to change hands operating the tool.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cutting tool which has pointed ends on the pairs, of cutting edges which can be used for cutting the corners of a fingernail or toenail.

' SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The cutting tool of the present invention comprises a pair ofhandles, each of which has a blade portion providing at leastone pair of cutting edges. and which v is pivoted about a fulcrum to form opposed cutting BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a plan view of a cutting tool in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cutting tool of FIG. .1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views of the two elements of the cutting tool of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of one of the cutting elements with a different type handle;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a cutting tool in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the cutting tool of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are plan views of the two elements of the cutting tool of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIRST EMBODIMENT With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a cutting tool (1) which has a pair of curved handle portions (2,3) adapted to be gripped in the hand of a person for movement abut a pivot (4) toward and away from each other. The handle portions (2,3) have a free end (5,6) and at the other end are provided with a blade portion (7,8). The handle portion (2,3) may be shaped with a double curvature, that is, one part (9) having a small radius nearer the pivot or fulcrum and another part (10) thereof which is adapted to be gripped in a person's hand with a larger radius of curvature. It will be understood that the handle portions could be formed as well with a single curvature as shown in FIG. 5. The interior surface of the handle portion of smaller curvature facing the opposed handle portion may be provided with a projection or peg (I2) thereon upon which is preferably mounted a coil spring, helicalleaf-type spring (13) or any like spring member, which acts to bias the handles into an open position. Of course, without any spring the movement of the handle portions could be performed manually. The opening movement of the handles could be limited to a distance apart easily gripped in a persons hand by opposed shoulders on the blade portions (not shown).

Each of the handle portions has a blade portion (7,8) as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings which has a cutting edge on each side of the pivot or fulcrum. Each cutting edge (14) on each of the handle portions is adapted for cooperation with a cutting edge on the other said handle portion so that two pair of cutting edges are provided. The pairs of coacting cutting edges are brought together for a cutting operation by movement of the handle portions (2,3) toward each other.

In the FIG. 1 embodiment of the cutting tool, each of the blade portions (7,8) preferably is curved in an are through the pivot or fulcrum (4) in a vertical plane at an acute angle to the handle portion (2,3). Thus in FIG.

1 the tips (15,16) of each blade portion are spaced from a horizontal plane through the pivot or fulcrum (4).

The blade portions as illustrated in FIG. 1 are each shaped with a straight cutting edge (17) on each side of the fulcrum (4) and a curved outer edge (18) connecting the tip 15,16) ofone said cutting edge with the other end of the cutting edge on the other side of the pivot or fulcrum, somewhat in the shape of a flattened S.

The pivot or fulcrum (4) forms the connecting point between handle portions and may be provided by cooperating elements'formed on the .blade portions. One blade portion may have a pin member (19) connected thereto or form integrally therewith and the other blade member may be provided with an aperture (20) in register with the pin member on the other blade portion and in which the pin is mounted for pivotal movement. Likewise, each blade portion could be provided with an aperture therethrough at the pivot point and a separate pin member or threaded lug can be mounted in said apertures to facilitate pivotal movement of the blade portions about said pivot.

In the FIG. 1 embodiment the cutting edges (17) of each of the blade portions meet each other upon closing movement of the handle portions. It should be understood, however, that with only slight modification the cutting edges of each of the blade portions could be arranged to perform a scissor-like action or alternatively the same blade portions can be made adjustable by the pivot or fulcrum constructions so that they can be made to perform a nipper operation or a shearing operation as desired.

SECOND EMBODIMENT In FIGS. 6 to 9 of the drawings another embodiment of the invention is illustrated. However, in this construction the blade portion (7,8') of the respective handle portions (2,3') is arranged entirely on one side of the pivot or fulcrum (4' The blade portions (7,8')

coact to provide cutting edges which meet to form nippers or pass each'other in a scissor-like action, but provide a curved cutting surface with two pair of points. Like the first embodiment both sides of a fingernail or toenail can be trimmed or cut without changing the orientation of the instrument with respect to the object being cut.

The basic construction of the handle portions and the pivot or fulcrum is identical with that of the first embodiment. The construction of this embodiment differs only in the manner in which the blade portions are mounted on the handle portions and are located with respect to the pivot or fulcrum.

With reference to the foregoing description of the embodiments, 1 claim:

1. A cutting tool for manicuring finger and toe nails, which comprises a pair of handle portions pivotally connected at a fulcrum, each of which has curved elongate blade portions providing at least one pair of opposed abutting longitudinally oriented cutting edges terminating at their outer tips in two pairs of pointed ends, one pair directed forwardly and the other pair directed rearwardly towards the handle, wherein said pointed end of said opposed cutting edges directed rearwardly toward said handle lies out of the plane formed by said handle and said fulcrum, said curved rearwardly blade portion curving from the plane of said fulcrum and handle to said pointed end, whereby a cutting operation can be performed on the right and/or left side of the desired object without reversing the orientation of the cutting tool with respect to the object.

2. A cutting tool according to claim 1 wherein both said pointed ends of said opposed cutting edges lie out of the plane formed by said handles and said fulcrum.