WO2017126962A2

WO2017126962A2 - Cutting device

Info

Publication number: WO2017126962A2
Application number: PCT/NL2017/050031
Authority: WO
Inventors: Johannes BOUCHIER
Original assignee: Bouchier Johannes
Priority date: 2016-01-20
Filing date: 2017-01-19
Publication date: 2017-07-27
Also published as: WO2017126962A3; NL1041680B1; EP3405313A2; WO2017126962A4

Abstract

A manually operable cutting device for cutting flexible sheet material, the cutting device comprising a main body to move over a working surface and an integrated guiding body to slidably engage a lateral edge of a working surface on which the flexible sheet being cut can rest, producing a straight cut. The lightweight, hand held, portable cutting device enables cutting material free and independent from other tools in such a way that the length or the location of the cut and the amount of material cut at a time is not constrained by the tool and in such a way that the working surface is not damaged. The cutting device further is relatively safer in comparison to conventional cutting tools.

Description

CUTTING DEVICE

This invention relates to a cutting device suitable for manually and straight cutting of flexible material such as for example paper, cardboard, foil, vinyl, fabric, leather,

photographs, plastics and the like.

Producing straight cuts in materials such as paper,

cardboard, foil, textile, photographs, plastics and the like is cumbersome and, with existing solutions, often constrained by the tools used. In addition existing solutions are relatively unsafe and carry some risk of injuring the user.

Conventional scissors are not ideal to produce straight cuts, especially if the length of the cut is greater than the size of the scissors, without first drawing a help line on the material along which the material can be cut. Additionally a steady hand is needed to handle the scissors and a hand is needed to handle the material being cut. Even then it is hard to produce a continuous straight cut.

Conventional hand or craft knives require an extra tool such as a ruler to serve as a guide for the knife to produce a straight cut. To prevent damage of the surface on which the material being cut rests, a protective sheet or cutting mat must be placed under the material. In addition the external ruler or guide for the knife can shift easily if it is not fixed onto a steady object.

Conventional guillotine or rotary slide cutters are suitable to produce straight cuts but the length of a cut is constrained to the size of the cutting machine or guidance system. Also

guillotine and rotary slide cutters are less manageable and often bulky, heavy and relatively expensive.

Other conventional options require an external guidance system, constrain the length of a cut or constrain the location of a cut (for example related to the edge of the material) and therefore the size of material that can be cut off at a time.

Producing straight cuts in material such as paper and the like using conventional tools requires extra preparation time and additional aids and/or is constrained by the tools used.

Furthermore conventional solutions are relatively less safe to use. The invention described here is intended to provide a cutting device that alleviates one or more of the aforementioned

disadvantages .

The invention presented here combines guiding and cutting in a handy design to produce straight cuts in a safe and easy way using a handy device.

The invention will be explained below using a possible example embodiment of the invention with reference to the

accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of an example embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of an example embodiment of the invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic rear view of an example embodiment of the invention. Fig. 4 is a isometric front, side and underside view of an example embodiment of the invention. Fig. 5 is a isometric view of an example embodiment of the invention placed on a table and shown cutting a flexible sheet material .

The invention presented here provides a manually operable cutting device for cutting paper, cardboard, foil, fabric, photographs, plastics and the like, including a main body (1) that can slide over a work surface on which the material being cut (6) rests, with a mounted guiding body (2) that can slide along the edge (7) of the work surface, and further including a cutting blade (3) mounted on the main body (1) or guiding body (2) that cuts the material parallel to the edge of the work surface while running the device along the edge of the work surface.

The invention provides an unique design for a cutting device where a main body (1) and a guiding body (2) are connected under an angle (a) in such a way that the cutting device can be placed against the edge (7) of a work surface on which the material being cut is placed and the cutting device can slide along the edge of the work surface while cutting the material at the same time. The connection (5) between the guiding body (2) and the main body (1) further includes a longitudinal notch, or narrowing or offset (5) on the upper part in such a way that the upper part of the guiding body does not make contact with the side edge of the work surface but creates space between the side edge (7) of the work surface and the upper part of the guiding body (2) . This space causes the material not being cut exactly along the edge of the work surface but at an offset and therefore prevents possible damage to the edge of the work surface. In addition the created space allows the trimmed material to run smoothly under the main body and along the guiding body while moving the cutting device forward. The cutting blade (3) is mounted in line with and in front of the connection

(5) between the guiding body (2) and the main body (1) . The main body is designed in a way that it can be held easily and firmly to gain optimal control during cutting. On the main body a hand grip

(4) can be mounted to control the cutting device. The design of the main body or guiding body can be altered to guide the trimmed material as is shown in the accompanying drawings (8) . In addition a scale or help lines can be indicated on the main body, for example to check if the cut is being made along a cutting line on the material.

The embodiment presented in drawings 1 to 5 represent an example of a possible embodiment of the invention. Variations in the embodiment are possible, for example in size and dimensions, the material out of which the cutting device and parts are made, design, size and mounting of the cutting blade, movable or rotating cutting blade instead of a fixed cutting blade, a mirrored design for left-handed users, etcetera. All possible variations are supposed to fall within the general description of the invention presented here.

Unique compared to existing solutions is that this cutting device uses the availability in the working area of a surface with a (straight) edge (for example a table or a desk) to produce a straight cut without damaging the work surface and where the length of the cut and/or the location of the cut and therefore the amount of material that can be cut off at a time is not

constrained and without the use of extra tools. In the space

(office, home, working area, etc.) where use of this cutting device is foreseen, as a rule a surface with a straight edge

(table, desk, etc.) is available. The unique design of a cutting device including a main cutting body with a mounted guiding body allows for the use of in the working area available guidance. Advantages of the invention compared to conventional olutions are:

There is no need for an additional separate guiding tool or other guidance aid because a surface (for example desk, table, etc.) already available in the working area is used for guidance .

There is no need to first draw a cutting line as would be needed if scissors were used.

The stability of the work surface (for example a table) on which the material being cut rests is used while cutting.

Therefore the guidance is more stable than using an hand held external separate guiding tool (for example a ruler) .

The length of the cut is not constrained.

The location of the cut relatively to the dimensions of the material being cut and the amount of material being cut off is not constrained.

The surface on which the material rests is not damaged and there is no need to use a protective sheet (for example a cutting mat) under the material being cut.

The device is relatively small, lightweight and handy and therefore easy to use, easy to carry and easy to stow.

The device is relatively safe to use because the cutting blade is partially protected, making it less likely to inflict injuries .

The device can be operated with one hand and demands less power and less coordination capacity.

The device is relatively cheaper compared to (rotation and guillotine) cutting machines.

Claims

1. A manually operable cutting device comprising a cutter body (1) and a fixed, movable or rotating cutter blade (3) and comprising a guiding body (2) connected to the cutter body (1) in an angle (a) and in line with the cutting direction and wherein the guiding body (2) can be placed against and can run along the edge of a surface available in the working space (for example a desk, table, workbench) and is movable free from other external guiding tools to cut material such as for example paper,

cardboard, foil, fabric, photographs, plastics, etc.

2. A cutting device according to claim 1 wherein the upper part of the guiding body (2) includes a narrowing or notch or offset (5) along the length in the cutting direction so that the upper side of the guiding body has no contact with the edge of a working surface but creates a space between the edge of the working space and the upper part of the guiding body such that the material being cut can smoothly run under and along the cutter body and guiding body when the cutting device is pushed forward and such that the location of the cut or the amount of material being cut off at a time is not constrained.

3. A cutting device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein a guidance (8) is included to guide the material being cut and prevent the trimmed material to hinder movement of the cutting device and prevent accumulation of material. . A cutting device according to claim 1 to 3 wherein the bottom side of the cutting body (1) and both sides of the guidance body (2) have a smooth surface existing of strong and firm material to cause as little friction as possible and no damage to the material being cut or the used work surface.