Abstract:
A hand tool that is self-adjusting by alternately squeezing and relaxing the hand grip on the two handles, and that has substantially parallel jaws during closing adjustment. In one embodiment, the jaws have opposing gripping surfaces. In another embodiment, the jaws have opposing cutting blades. All of the operations, except the resetting of the adjustable jaw to a wide open position, can be accomplished with just one hand holding the tool.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/858,686 filed on May 19, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,716, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to hand tools in general, and more particularly to a tool that firmly grips a work object, is adjustable, can be locked on the work object easily and quickly, and can be released from the locked position just as easily and quickly. 
     2. Description of the Background Art 
     This invention is an improvement over the hand tool described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,904 issued on Apr. 25, 1995 “QUICK-ADJUSTABLE AND LOCKING TOOL”, incorporated herein by reference, and the hand tool described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,049 issued on Jan. 5, 1993 “COMPOUND LEVERAGE GRIPPING TOOL WITH CONSTANT PARALLEL JAWS”, also incorporated herein by reference, both of which are owned by the assignee hereof. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally comprises a hand-held tool for firmly gripping or advancing a cutting blade on a work object, that is adjustable, that can grip or engage a cutting blade on a work object easily and quickly, and can be released from the gripping or cutting position just as easily and quickly. By way of example, and not of limitation, the invention comprises a body with an integral fixed jaw extending from one end and an integral fixed handle extending from the opposite end, a jaw adjusting handle pivotally coupled to the body, and an adjustable jaw slidably and pivotally coupled to the body. 
     Both the adjustable jaw and the jaw adjusting handle carry gear teeth that are normally maintained in engagement under the tension of a spring. The gear teeth, which are of a conjugate involute design, are positioned such that the gripping surfaces of the jaws are maintained in a substantially parallel orientation when the adjustable jaw moves toward the fixed jaw and, in particular, the gear teeth on the adjustable jaw are positioned along an axis that is canted by approximately one to four degrees in relation to a line perpendicular to the axis along the gripping or cutting surface of the adjustable jaw. As the jaw adjusting handle is pivoted toward the fixed handle, a jacking action quickly adjusts the adjustable jaw toward the fixed jaw for engaging and cutting an object. In order to open the jaws, the user can grasp the lower portion of adjustable jaw and pull it outward from the body to disengage the gears and then away from the fixed jaw in a single motion. 
     In an embodiment configured for gripping an object, each jaw carries a set of teeth which, instead of directly opposing each other, are laterally offset to reduce the likelihood of the teeth cutting into the object being gripped. Alternative embodiments include jaws with smooth gripping surfaces, jaws with arcuate teeth for gripping cylindrical objects, and jaws with V-shaped gripping surfaces. 
     In an embodiment configured for cutting an object, the engaging surface of each jaw has an elongate blade which faces the engaging surface and blade of the opposing jaw. The blades are preferably positioned in the same vertical plane such that the blades are brought together as the jaws advance. However, a configuration where the blades are brought together side by side is also contemplated. Yet other embodiment includes a number of cutting discs mounted within the jaws of the tool. The cutting disks engage the surface of a pipe and the tool is revolved around the pipe as the jaws are slowly advanced together. 
     An object of the invention is to provide a hand-operated tool for gripping or cutting objects that is self-adjusting. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a hand-operated tool for gripping or cutting objects that has jaws that maintain substantially parallel alignment while being closed. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a hand operated tool for gripping or cutting objects that has a self-adjusting jaw that will close and lock against an object. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a hand-operated tool for gripping or cutting objects that has locking jaws that can be easily opened for removal of the tool from an object being gripped or cut. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a hand operated tool with cutters that apply constant force to the cutting surfaces as the jaws close incrementally. 
     Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodiments of the invention without placing limitations thereon. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an apparatus in accordance with the present invention, shown in the form of a plier having gripping surfaces with serrated teeth. 
     FIG. 2 is assembled side elevation sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the jaws shown in the fully open position. 
     FIG. 3 is an assembled side elevation view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the jaws shown in the fully open position. 
     FIG. 4 is an assembled front view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the jaws shown in the fully open position. 
     FIG. 5 is an assembled side elevation view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the jaws shown in the fully closed position and the handles locked. 
     FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the adjustable jaw portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the positional relationship between the gear teeth and the gripping surface of the jaw. 
     FIG. 7 is an assembled view in side elevation showing an alternative embodiment of the invention in the form of an adjustable wrench having jaws with smooth gripping surfaces. 
     FIG. 8 is an assembled view in side elevation showing an alternative embodiment of the invention in form of an adjustable wrench having jaws with arcuately configured teeth for gripping cylindrical objects. 
     FIG. 9 is an assembled view in side elevation showing an alternative embodiment of the invention in the form of an adjustable wrench having jaws with opposing V-shaped gripping members. 
     FIG. 10 is an assembled view in side elevation showing an alternative embodiment of the invention in the form of an adjustable pipe or rod cutter having jaws with opposing cutting disks configured to have two disks on the bottom jaw member and one disk on the top jaw member. 
     FIG. 11 is an assembled front view of the cutting apparatus shown in FIG. 10 with the jaws shown in the fully open position. 
     FIG. 12 is an assembled view in side elevation showing an alternative embodiment of the invention in the form of an adjustable pipe or rod cutter having jaws with opposing cutting disks configured to have two disks on the bottom jaw member and two disks on the top jaw member. 
     FIG. 13 is an assembled view in side elevation showing an alternative embodiment of the invention in the form of an adjustable bolt cutter having jaws with opposing blades with cutting edges disposed within the same vertical plane. 
     FIG. 14 is an assembled front view of the cutting apparatus shown in FIG. 13 with the cutting blades and jaws shown in the fully open position. 
     FIG. 15 is an assembled view in side elevation showing an alternative embodiment of the invention in the form of a cutter with an elongate head having jaws with opposing blades with cutting edges disposed within the same vertical plane for cutting leather and the like. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposes the present invention is embodied in the apparatus generally shown in FIG.  1  through FIG. 15, where like reference numerals denote like parts. It will be appreciated that the apparatus may vary as to configuration and as to details of the parts without departing from the basic concepts as disclosed herein. 
     Referring first to FIG. 1, a quickly-adjustable gripping tool  10  in accordance with the present invention is generally shown. The apparatus includes a body  12  with an integral fixed jaw  14  extending from one end, and an integral fixed handle  16  extending from the other end with the longitudinal axis of fixed handle  16  being offset by approximately 0 degrees to 45-degrees from a perpendicular orientation relative to the longitudinal axis of fixed jaw  14 . 
     The apparatus also includes a jaw adjusting handle  18  that is pivotally coupled to body  12 . Extending from the distal end of jaw adjusting handle  18  is an integral bifurcated coupling  20  that straddles body  12 . A pin  22 , or like fastener, extends through holes  24  in the sides of coupling  20  and a hole  26  in body  12  for pivotally coupling jaw adjusting handle  18  to body  12 . It will be appreciated that, in the configuration shown, the diameter of hole  26  must be slightly larger than that of pin  22  to allow for free pivotal movement of jaw adjusting handle  18 , while holes  24  in coupling  20  must be sized to provide for tight frictional engagement of pin  22 . 
     An adjustable jaw  28  is slidably and pivotally coupled to body  12 . Adjustable jaw  28  generally comprises an integral bifurcated coupling section  30  extending from jaw section  32 . The bifurcated coupling section  30  straddles a rail section  34  on body  12  and is coupled to body  12  using a pin  36  or like fastener. Pin  36  extends through holes  38  in the side walls of coupling section  30  and an elongated slot  40  in body  12  to allow for both pivotal and sliding motion of adjustable jaw  28 . Note that the rail section  34  is substantially perpendicular to fixed jaw  14  and elongated slot  40  is substantially parallel to rail section  34 . 
     Referring also to FIG. 2, the lower end  42  of a jaw tensioning spring  44  extends into a retention recess  46  in wall  48  of coupling section  30  on adjustable jaw  28 . Jaw tensioning spring  44  includes an arcuate upper end  50  that bears forcefully against rail section  34 , pushing the upper portion  52  of adjustable jaw  28  away from rail section  34 . Referring also to FIG. 3, jaw tensioning spring  44  pushes gear teeth  54  on adjustable jaw  28  toward gear teeth  56  on jaw adjusting handle  18  so that gear teeth are normally engaged. Jaw tensioning spring  44  also holds adjustable jaw member  28  in position by frictional contact with rail section  34  until moved by pivoting motion of jaw adjusting handle  18  or until adjustable jaw  28  is pulled away from rail section  34  for repositioning away from fixed jaw  14  as described below. Referring also to FIG. 4, if desired the upper end  50  of jaw tensioning spring  44  can optionally fit into a central groove  58  in the face of rail section  34  so as to keep jaw tensioning spring  44  centered. 
     Referring again to FIG.  1  and FIG. 2, a first end  60  of a handle return spring  62  fits into and rests against an inner shoulder  64  between body  12  and fixed handle  16 . A second end  66  of handle return spring  62  fits into recess  68  in jaw adjusting handle  18 . Handle return spring  62  is also coupled to body  12  using a screw  70  that engages a threaded bushing  72  that extends through coil  74  in handle return spring  62  and hole  76  in yoke  78  that extends from body  12 . A handle locking lever  80  and spring washer  82  are also positioned between screw  70  and yoke  78  as shown. 
     It will be appreciated that handle locking lever  80  is pivotally coupled to yoke  78  on body  12  as described above. When fixed handle  16  and jaw adjusting handle  18  are in their fully compressed (closed) position as shown in FIG. 5, handle locking lever  80  can be pivoted into a position where a tab  84 , that extends from handle locking lever  80 , rests against shoulder portion  86  on one side of bifurcated coupling  20 . In this position, handle locking lever  80  prevents jaw adjusting handle  18  from pivoting into an open position. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, FIG.  3  and FIG. 5, a jacking action that quickly adjusts jaw  32  toward jaw  14  is accomplished by the conjugate involute design of gear teeth  54  on adjustable jaw  28  and gear teeth  56  on jaw adjusting handle  18 . Both sets of gear teeth have long flat sides  88 ,  90 , and shorter flat sides  92 ,  94  that join together at radiused edges to form angled teeth. As jaw adjusting handle  18  pivots away from fixed handle  16 , the long flat sides  88  on gear teeth  54  slide down the long flat sides  90  and over the radiused edges on gear teeth  56  while adjustable jaw  28  is held substantially stationary by the friction of jaw tensioning spring  44  against rail section  34  until gear teeth  54  and  56  are re-engaged at a lower position on adjustable jaw  28 . The pivoting of jaw adjusting handle  18  back toward fixed handle  16  brings short sides  92 ,  94  into contact and, because of their relatively obtuse angle in relation to rail section  34 , they remain engaged until the movement of jaw adjusting handle  18  is again reversed, thereby moving adjustable jaw  28  toward fixed jaw  14  in a series of jacking movements. Repeated pivoting of jaw adjusting handle  18  will close jaws  14  and  32  on an object very quickly in just a few seconds. Alternatively, adjustable jaw  28  can be grasped by the user and slid toward fixed jaw  14  to initially grip the work object, and jaw adjusting handle  28  then used to tighten the grip. The travel of jaw adjusting handle  18  away from fixed handle  16  is limited by the depth of the bifurcation  96  in coupling  20  which terminates in a shoulder  98  that will abut against the edge  100  of body  12  in the fully opened position. Limiting the degree of rotation of jaw adjusting handle  18  prevents the handle from pulling handle return spring  62  apart and facilitates gripping by ensuring that the handle does not open too wide. 
     To reset jaw  32  to an open position in relation to fixed jaw  14 , concave finger grips  102  are provided on each side of adjustable jaw  28  so that the user can easily grasp the lower portion of adjustable jaw  28  and pull it outward and downward in a single motion. This will result in gear teeth  54  and  56  being disengaged and, while disengaged, adjustable jaw  28  may be set at any point between the top and bottom of its travel within the confines of elongated slot  40  and re-engaged at the option of the user. 
     Referring now to FIG.  3  and FIG. 6, it can be seen that jaws  14  and  32  each have longitudinal gripping surfaces  104  and  106 , respectively. It is important that, when the jaws are being adjusted toward each other as well as tightened against an object to be gripped, the longitudinal axis along those gripping surfaces are maintained in a substantially parallel orientation. In order to maintain such an orientation while the jaws are being closed and to facilitate a quick closing motion of adjustable jaw  28  from any retracted position, a critical aspect of the invention is the positioning of the conjugate involute gear teeth  54  on adjustable jaw  28 . As can be seen from FIG. 6, the longitudinal axis A along gear tooth surface  108  is not perpendicular to the longitudinal axis B along the gripping surface  106  of adjustable jaw assembly  28 . Instead, the two axes are offset by an angle X relative to a line C that would be perpendicular to axis B, where angle X is preferably between approximately one and approximately four degrees. In this way, gear teeth  54  are canted inward toward jaw  32  and offset from the gripping surface by approximately eighty-six to eighty-nine degrees instead of ninety degrees. 
     Referring to FIG.  3  and FIG. 5, gripping surfaces  104  and  106  are shown as including two sets of teeth as gripping members, a set of small teeth  110   a ,  110   b  and a set of large teeth  112   a ,  112   b , similar to conventional pliers. Referring specifically to FIG. 5, however, note that the teeth  112   a  on jaw  14  do not directly oppose the teeth  112   b  on jaw  32 . Instead, teeth  112   b  are laterally offset by an amount equal to approximately thirty percent of the distance between adjacent teeth  112   a . As a result, when an object is gripped by jaws  14  and  32  it is less likely that teeth  112   a ,  112   b  will cut into the object. Instead, the object may simply undergo slight deformation in the area of contact with the teeth. 
     Referring now to FIG. 7, an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown where gripping surfaces  104 ,  106  do not include gripping members such as teeth but, instead, are smooth. This embodiment is particularly suited for use in turning nuts and bolts. FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the invention where gripping surfaces  104 ,  106  include a large set of teeth  114   a ,  114   b  arranged arcuately in jaws  14  and  32 . This is embodiment is particularly suited to gripping pipes, pipe connections, or other cylindrical-shaped objects. 
     FIG. 9 shows still another embodiment where gripping surfaces  104 ,  106  including opposing V&#39;s  116   a ,  116   b  with the corners having small radiused recesses to prevent the jaws from contacting the corners of hexagonal fittings, especially those made of materials that are softer than steel such as brass, copper, aluminum, and plastic. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other jaw/gripping surface configurations could be employed for gripping objects of varied shapes. 
     The jaws of the device can alternatively be fitted with rotary disks or horizontally oriented cutting blades as shown in FIG.  10  through FIG. 15 for cutting generally cylindrical or planar objects. Referring now to FIG.  10  and FIG. 11, an embodiment with cutting disks is shown. Jaw member  14  has a cutting disk  118   a  held in place by an axle  120   a  which allows cutting disk  118   a  to rotate freely about axle  120   a  as shown in FIG.  10 . Lower or advancing jaw  28  has a pair of disks  118   b ,  118   c  which are secured to jaw  28  by axles  120   b ,  120   c , respectively, such that disks  118   b ,  118   c  can rotate freely about the axles. As shown in FIG. 11, the cutting disks  118   a ,  118   b ,  118   c  are oriented in the same vertical plane. In use, the pipe or other object to be cut is placed between the disks  118   a ,  118   b  , and  118   c  in jaw members  14  and  28 . The jaws advance until the disks engage the workpiece. The tool is then rotated about the pipe while pressure is maintained by the jaws allowing the cutting disks to cut incrementally through the pipe. 
     A second cutter embodiment with disks is shown in FIG.  12 . Cutting disks  122   a ,  122   b  can rotate about axles  124   a ,  124   b  mounted in jaw member  14 . Within jaw  28  are mounted cutting disks  122   c ,  122   d  which rotate about axles  124   c ,  124   d , respectively. The disks  122   a ,  122   b  of jaw member  14  are preferably positioned directly above discs  122   c ,  122   d  of jaw member  32  within the same vertical plane. 
     While multiple cutting disks are preferred, it is understood that the tool could be configured with at least one cutting disk and one or more guide disks, rollers or other guide members (not shown) positioned within the same vertical plane as the cutting disk. 
     Turning now to the alternative embodiment found in FIG.  13  and FIG. 14, a pair of opposing fixed blades  126   a  and  126   b  are mounted on the horizontal inner surfaces of jaw  14  and opposing jaw  28 , respectively. As can also be seen in FIG. 14, the horizontal blades  126   a  and  126   b  are preferably aligned in the same vertical plane such that the cutting edges of the blades are brought together when the jaws  14  and  28  are fully closed. This embodiment is useful for cutting metal sheets, nails, screws, bolts and the like. 
     Alternatively, the blades may be configured to lie in parallel vertical planes such that one side of blade  126   a  can engage the side of blade  126   b  when the jaws are fully closed (not shown). 
     Finally, FIG. 15 is an alternative embodiment showing a fixed elongate jaw  128  and an adjustable jaw  130 . Elongate blades  132   a ,  132   b , which are similar to blades  126   a ,  126   b  described above, are mounted to jaws  128 ,  130 , respectively. Blades  132   a  and  132   b  are preferably oriented within the same vertical plane so that the opposing blades are drawn together when jaws  128 ,  130  are closed. With this embodiment, a very straight cut in leather or like materials can be achieved without the material rolling across the blade as often occurs with conventional scissors or snips. 
     While it is preferred in the embodiments shown in FIG.  14  and FIG. 15 that blades  126   a ,  126   b  or blades  132   a ,  132   b  reside within the same vertical plane, it is understood that the blades may be aligned in adjacent vertical planes. Alternatively, the tool may be configured to have one or more blades on one jaw and a blade stop on the corresponding jaw (not shown). In this configuration, a single blade is driven through the workpiece when the jaws are brought together. 
     Accordingly, it will be seen that this invention provides a hand-operated tool that can quickly be adjusted to grip or cut a work object. Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus the appended claims and their legal equivalents should determine the scope of this invention.