Decorating scissors

A novel scissors assembly having cooperating mating surfaces including a) cutting edges that fit into grooves to longitudinally slit a ribbon, b) a straight edge and cooperating groove to form the ribbon into a spiral loop, c) star wheels to corrugate a ribbon, and d) pinking shears to provide the ends with a zigzag cut.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a scissors assembly which can be used to form 
ribbon material into various sizes, shapes and configurations. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Scissors have long been used to cut ribbons into different sizes, shapes or 
configurations. However, it has been necessary to use separate scissors to 
cut or form ribbons into the various desired shapes or arrangements. For 
example, you would use pinking shears with a saw toothed inner edge on the 
blades for making a zigzag cut. A different device would be needed if you 
wanted a corrugated effect or conventional scissors would be used for 
cutting a ribbon into narrower sections. Also, those who have wrapped 
ribbons around packages often use the edge of a scissors as a base upon 
which a ribbon is pressed to form the ribbon into a spiral loop. 
It can be appreciated that it would be desirable to have available a single 
scissors assembly containing a plurality of different features whereby 
ribbons, or the like, can be cut into variously shaped or sized segments 
and also include the ability to form the ribbon into different attractive 
arrangements. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a unique 
scissors construction which includes a plurality of cooperating mating 
surfaces, which surfaces are designed so that ribbons can be cut into 
various segments or made into various configurations. Depending on the 
design of the mating surfaces the ribbon designs can take the form of 
serrated sections having saw-toothed edges, spiral loops, a corrugated 
design or slit sections, and other possible designs that are only limited 
by the configurations of the anvils and mating surfaces through which the 
ribbon is moved. In addition, the novel scissors can provide not only a 
plurality of different ribbon configurations and cuts, but is capable of 
performing the traditional scissors cutting function. 
Specifically, when it is desired to slit a ribbon into plurality of 
longitudinally extending strips the mating surfaces consist of cutting 
edges that fit into grooves to perform the slitting action. To provide for 
spiraling a ribbon end the mating surfaces include a transversely 
extending V-shaped groove into which a straight edge moves so that the 
ribbon end will be spiraled but not cut as it is pulled therethrough. To 
provide for corrugation of the ribbon mating star wheels are provided and 
if desired one of the star wheels can be manually rotated to move the 
ribbon between the star wheels. A fourth ribbon treatment arrangement that 
can be incorporated in the novel scissors assembly includes a conventional 
pinking shears construction wherein the ribbon ends can be provided with a 
zigzag cut. One or more of these arrangements can be included along with a 
conventional scissors cutting blade arrangement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the novel scissors assembly, there is illustrated a unique 
scissors construction comprising two pivotally connected elongated members 
10, 12 having handles at both ends thereof The members 10, 12 contain 
along their length various anvils and shapes in opposing relationship to 
provide for shaping or cutting of the ribbon disposed therebetween as it 
moved therethrough. Specifically, the two members 10, 12 of the scissors 
are pivotally connected by screw 14. The member 10 has handles 16, 18 at 
its ends and member 12 has handles 20, 22 at its ends. The handles 16, 20 
and 18, 22 are disposed in opposed relationship and as shown in FIG. 1. 
The handles 16, 20 are shown gripped by hand 24 to provide the scissors 
action. The various pairs of mating surfaces on the members 10, 12 will be 
described in detail hereinafter. It is to be noted that located adjacent 
the pivot 14 are cooperating cutting blades 26, 28 on the members 10, 12, 
respectively, which is a conventional scissors construction that can be 
used to cut the ribbon from its source when desired. 
Reference will now be made to the unique construction that enables the 
novel scissors assembly to form a variety of individual patterns be 
configuring the mating surfaces of the members in a particular way along 
their lengths. With the present invention a single scissors assembly can 
perform that which in the past has required a number of separate scissors. 
Referring first to FIG. 4 this arrangement provides for cutting a single 
ribbon section into separate strips as shown in FIG. 10. The 
cross-sectional view of the mating surfaces consists of a series of 
cutting members 30 located in recess 32 in handle 16. The handle 20 
defines a plurality of grooves 34 in which the cutting members 30 fit when 
the handles 16, 20 are pulled together. Thus, when a ribbon 36 is pulled 
therethrough in the manner as shown in FIG. 2 the ribbon is slit into 
three separate longitudinal segments 36a, 36b and 36c (FIG. 10). 
When it is desired to form the end of the ribbon into a spiral loop the 
mating surfaces shown in FIG. 5 are employed. Heretofore this has been 
accomplished by holding the ribbon against the edge of a scissors which is 
awkward and can lead to an injury. As illustrated in FIG. 5 the mating 
surfaces consisting of a transversely extending groove 38 in handle 16 and 
a transversely extending blade 40 in handle 20 having a flat surface 42 
that does not come together as shown with the result that the ribbon being 
pulled therethrough will not be severed, but will be formed into the 
spiral loop such as shown in FIG. 8. 
On the right hand side of the pivot 14 there are provided mating surfaces 
that creates a saw toothed cut 43 at the end of a ribbon comparable to 
that obtained by a pinking shears. This includes an anvil 44 which mates 
with a serrated section 46 as shown in FIG. 6. The zigzag cut 43 is shown 
in FIG. 9. 
The double-handled scissors further includes a pair of mating star wheels 
50, 52. The ribbon moved between the star wheels will take the form of a 
corrugated strip as shown in FIG. 11. As illustrated, the star wheel 50 is 
provided with a handle 54 which when rotated will positively move the 
ribbon between the star wheels 50, 52 to form the corrugations. 
It can be seen that this novel double handled scissors assembly is a single 
unitary unit that can be used to form ribbons into a spiral shape, slit 
them into separate segments, corrugate them, or cut them with saw-toothed 
edges, as desired. 
It is intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications that 
fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.