SHEARS FOR CUTTING STALKS OF FLOWERS, STEMS OF SMALL PLANTS, AND THE LIKE

Abstract: Shears for cutting stalks of flowers, stems of small plants and the like, comprising a first handle element (2) and a second handle element (3) that end respectively with a cutting blade (6) and with an extension element that is arranged opposite the blade, the cutting blade and the opposite element being suitable to perform a rotation about a central pivot that mutually connects the blade and the extension element; the shears further comprising means (8) for retaining the cut portion of the stem, stalk or the like, the retention means being arrangeable on the blade (6) so that they can be detached.

Description: SHEARS FOR CUTTING STALKS OF FLOWERS, STEMS OF SMALL PLANTS, AND THE LIKE Technical Field The present invention relates to shears for cutting stalks of flowers, stems of small plants, and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to shears that allow to cut stalks of flowers, stems of small plants and the like so as to retain the cut part. Background Art It is known, for example in the case of grape picking or in general in all those situations in which it is indispensable to cut the stalk or stem of a small plant while having to retain the cut part, that it is usually necessary to perform the cutting action with two hands. One hand is used to grip the stalk or stem of the plant to be cut, while the operator grips, with his other hand, a pair of shears and performs the cut so that the cut portion remains firmly retained in the opposite hand. However, this cutting operation is highly awkward, since the operator has to use both hands and therefore the working speed is certainly limited by this factor. For example, in the case of grape picking or vine pruning, the operator, in order to increase his picking speed, should be able to cut the bunch from the vine with the aid of a single hand while preventing the bunch from falling to the ground. However, currently available cutting shears do not allow optimum retention of the part that is cut from the plant, since even shears provided with means for engaging the cut portion are shaped so that said engagement means have a very low grip force that in any case does not ensure for example the cutting with retention of a bunch of grapes, which can be quite heavy. Summary of the Invention The aim of the present invention is to provide shears for cutting the stalks of flowers, the stems of small plants and the like that allows optimum retention of the cut portion of plant, allowing to perform the cutting operation with a single hand. Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide shears in which the means for retaining the cut portion of the plant allow to greatly speed up the cutting operation performed by an operator. Another object of the present invention is to provide shears that can apply a high cutting force and at the same time ensure optimum retention of the cut portion. Another object of the present invention is to provide shears that are absolutely conventional as regards the cutting blades and can be coupled to a device that allows optimum retention of the cut portion. Another object of the present invention is to provide shears that are highly reliable and have a low cost. This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by shears for cutting stalks of flowers, stems of small plants and the like, which comprises a first handle element and a second handle element that end respectively with a cutting blade and with an extension element that is arranged opposite said blade, said cutting blade and said opposite element being suitable to perform a rotation about a central pivot that mutually connects said blade and said extension element, characterized in that they comprise means for retaining the cut portion of said stem, stalk or the like, said retention means being arrangeable on said blade so that they can be detached. Brief description of the drawings Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of preferred embodiments of the shears according to the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the shears according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a view of the shears according to the invention with the retention means shown partially removed from the blade; Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the shears according to the invention in the open condition before cutting; and Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of the shears according to the invention in the closed condition after cutting has been performed; and Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the retention means of the shears according to the present invention. Ways of carrying out the Invention With reference to the figures, the shears according to the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprise two handles 2 and 3, each ending with an extension element 5 and 6, which constitute the jaws of the shears. The extension elements 5 and 6 are mutually pivoted at a pivot 4, and damping means 7 are provided between the two handles 2 and 3. The particularity of the invention is that on the extension element 6, which is constituted by a blade that is suitable to allow the cutting of a stem of a plant, a stalk of a flower, and the like, it is possible to insert retention means 8 that allow to retain the portion of stem or stalk cut by the blade 6 when said blade closes by rotation in a position that is snugly adjacent to the extension element 5. Conveniently, the extension element 5 has a flat surface 5a that allows to rest thereon the portion of stem or stalk to be cut. As shown in Figure 1 and in detail in Figures 3 and 4, the retention means 8 are constituted by a cap that is fitted over the blade 6 of the shears and is shaped so as to have, at the flat surface 5a of the extension element 5, a similar substantially flat surface 8a, which accordingly faces the flat surface 5a of the extension element 5. Substantially, the fitting of the cap 8 over the blade 6 causes the blade to still protrude below the cap 8 to allow cutting and causes the flat surface 8a of the cap to substantially face the flat surface 5a of the extension element 5, so as to allow to retain a portion of stem or stalk between the two flat portions 8a and 5a, once cutting has been performed by the blade 6. The cap 8 can be made of any kind of material, as long as it is sufficiently strong. Conveniently, the flat surface 8a of the cap 8 might be knurled so as to allow to further improve the retention effect caused by the abutment of the surface 8a against the surface 5 a. Conveniently, it is possible to provide a sort of locking of the cap 8 against the blade 6 and particularly, as shown in Figure 3, it is possible to provide locking means that protrude from each side of the slot 10 in which the blade 6 is inserted in order to lock the cap 8 on said blade. Conveniently, the locking means comprise, for each side of the slot 10, a ball 11 that is connected to elastic means 12 and is inserted in the thickness of the cap 8, so that the ball protrudes from the side walls of the slot 10 and can be made to retract into the thickness of the cap 8 as a consequence of a compression action. Substantially, the fitting of the cap 8 over the blade 6 causes each ball 11 present at each side of the slot 10 to be pushed inward in its seat formed within the thickness of the cap and, once the cap has been inserted, the ball 11 abuts against two mutually opposite recesses formed in the opposite surfaces of the blade 6. In this manner, the cap 8 is locked against the blade 6 and said locking can be in any case eliminated by pulling the cap 8 in order to slide it off the blade 6. In this case, the respective balls 11 are induced to exit from the recesses provided in the mutually opposite lateral surfaces of the blade 6, and therefore the thrust applied by said blade 6 causes the balls 11 to retract into the seats formed within the thickness of the cap 8, allowing therefore the removal of the cap from the blade 6. Figure 5 is a view of a second embodiment of the retention means of the shears according to the present invention. The retention means, designated in this case by the reference numeral 18, comprise a cap that is fitted over the blade 6 of the shears and is conveniently constituted by two half-shells 18a and 18b, which can be coupled to each other, and by an additional element 18c, which is suitable to be coupled by interlocking in a groove 19 formed at the half-shell 18b and is provided in a downward region with means suitable to produce friction, which are conveniently constituted for example by a portion 20 made of spongy material, which is shaped like the element 18c and is arc-like in order to follow substantially the profile of the blade of the shears. In this case, therefore, the spongy element 20 behaves like the surface 8a of the preceding embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4. The two half-shells 18a and 18b are conveniently mutually assembled and are engaged with the blade 6 of the shears by virtue of locking means 21, which are conveniently constituted by the element provided with two protruding pins 22 and 23 that are respectively suitable to engage in seats 24 and 25. The seat 24 contains the entire pin 22 with the corresponding coupling between the two half-shells 18a and 18b. The seat 25 allows the engagement of the pin 23 and its corresponding engagement in a hole suitably formed in the blade 5 of the shears. The operation of the shears according to the invention is as follows. The operator initially opens the shears, as shown in cross-section in Figure 3, and places the stem or stalk to be cut transversely to the blade 6 and to the extension element 5, resting the stalk or stem on the flat surface 5a of the extension element 5. As a consequence of the cutting action applied by mutually closing the handles 2 and 3, the blade 6 cuts the stem or stalk and the surface 8a of the cap 8 abuts against said surface 5a of the extension element 5, obviously with the interposition of the portion of stalk or stem to be retained, which is thus firmly locked between the two surfaces 8a and 5a. In this manner, the portion of stalk or stem that is cut remains firmly locked between the surface 8a of the cap 8 and the surface 5a of the extension element 5. If the operator intends to use the shears in a conventional manner, it is sufficient to remove, by sliding it off, the cap 8 from the blade 6, with a very simple operation. Accordingly, the shears according to the present invention can be used both as conventional shears and, by fitting the cap 8, as shears provided with a high ability to retain the cut portion, according to the requirements of the operator. In practice it has been observed that the shears according to the invention fully achieve the intended aim and objects, since they can be used in a dual manner, both as conventional shears and as shears with a high ability to retain the cut portion, simply by fitting a cap on the blade 6 with an extremely simple operation. In practice, the materials employed, so long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art. The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Application No. MI2000U000601, from which this application claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Shears for cutting stalks of flowers, stems of small plants and the like, comprising a first handle element and a second handle element that end respectively with a cutting blade and with an extension element that is arranged opposite said blade, said cutting blade and said opposite element being suitable to perform a rotation about a central pivot that mutually connects said blade and said extension element, characterized in that they comprise means for retaining the cut portion of said stem, stalk or the like, said retention means being arrangeable on said blade so that they can be detached. 2. The shears according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for retaining the cut portion of stem or stalk comprise a cap that is suitable to be fitted over said blade, said cap being provided with a central slot that is suitable to allow the passage of said blade. 3. The shears according to claim 2, characterized in that said extension element is provided with a flat surface that allows the resting of said stem or stalk. 4. The shears according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cap is provided with a flat surface that is suitable to be arranged laterally with respect to said blade and to face said flat surface of said extension element. 5. The shears according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said flat surface of said cap is knurled. 6. The shears according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cap is provided with locking means suitable to allow the locking of said cap against said blade. 7. The shears according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said locking means comprise, at each side of said slot of the cap, a ball that is connected to elastic means and is suitable to slide, within the thickness of said cap, transversely to the surface of said blade. 8. The shears according to one or more . of the preceding claims, characterized in that each one of said balls arranged at the lateral surfaces of said slot is suitable to engage respective recesses on the mutually opposite surfaces in said blade. 9. The shears according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cap is formed by two mutually coupled half-shells and by an additional element that is suitable to be coupled to one of the two half-shells, said additional element being provided with a portion of material that is suitable to generate friction, said portion suitable to generate friction being suitable to be arranged laterally to said blade and to face said flat surface of said extension element. 10. The shears according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said locking means comprise an element provided with two protruding pins, a first one of said pins being suitable to engage in a hole for the assembly of said half-shells, a second one of said pins being suitable to engage in a hole of one of said half-shells and in a corresponding hole formed in the cutting blade of said shears. 11. The shears according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said material suitable to generate friction is a spongy material.

Inventors: LUCERA GENNARO, LUCERA, GENNARO
Applicants: LUCERA GENNARO, LUCERA, GENNARO
Application year: 2001
Main classification: A01G3
IPC codes: A01G3