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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This is a non-provisional application based upon U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/680,162, entitled “ICE CUTTER”, filed May 12, 2005. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to an ice cutting device, and, more particularly, an ice cutting device for use by ice fishermen.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     The catching of fish utilizing bait on a concealed hook is a practice that goes back before recorded history. Fishing in winter time can be rather arduous and requires making a hole through the ice in order to use the baited hook to attract fish thereto. Ice fishermen have utilized various techniques include chopping holes through the ice and utilizing powered augers to drill holes through the ice. A powered auger may also be utilized for drilling holes in the ground for the placing of fence posts therein. The unit consists of an auger device that is positioned at a desired location and is powered by a motor, which is most often a gasoline powered motor used to drive the auger through the ice or into the ground.  
         [0006]     Once a hole is drilled through the ice the resulting chips of ice that are present in the hole float in the water. The chips generally rise into the hole that has been cut in the ice. Fishermen have ladles with strainer holes in them to remove the ice chips and to clear the hole for the pursuit of fishing.  
         [0007]     What is needed in the art is a cost efficient quick method of cutting through the ice and clearing the chips therefrom.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention relates to an ice cutting device for quickly cutting through a layer of ice on a body of water.  
         [0009]     The invention comprises, in one form thereof, an ice cutting apparatus including a driving mechanism, a shaft, a plate, a web and a blade. The shaft is connected to the driving mechanism. The plate has at least one opening therein, the plate being detachably connected to the shaft. The web borders a portion of the at least one opening. The blade is attached to the plate, and is shaped to accommodate the web.  
         [0010]     An advantage of the present invention is that it quickly shaves through the ice.  
         [0011]     Another advantage of the present invention is that one size auger is utilized for several diameters of holes by the interchanging of the cutting plate on the end of the auger.  
         [0012]     Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a single connector holds the shaped plate and centering bit to the shaft.  
         [0013]     Still yet another advantage of the present invention is that it is very efficient and can be driven by a battery operated drive apparatus. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the ice cutting apparatus of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the ice cutting apparatus of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a perspective exploded view of the ice cutting apparatus of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the shaped plate of the ice cutting apparatus of  FIGS. 1-3  taken along lines  4 - 4 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a bottom view showing each of the cutting blades of the shaped plate of the ice cutting apparatus of  FIGS. 1-4 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the shaped plate of the ice cutting apparatus of  FIGS. 1-5 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  is a partially sectioned view of an upper portion of the shaped plate used in the ice cutting apparatus of  FIGS. 1-6 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 8  illustrates the ice cutting apparatus of  FIGS. 1-7  as it is cutting through a layer of ice;  
         [0023]      FIG. 9  illustrates the disbursement of ice fragments in the hole underneath the ice by utilizing the ice cutting apparatus of  FIGS. 1-8 ; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 10  illustrates the removal of the ice cutting apparatus of  FIGS. 1-9  as it is withdrawn from a hole in the ice. 
     
    
       [0025]     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplification set out herein illustrates one preferred embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 1-3 , there is shown an ice cutting apparatus  10  including a drive unit  12  and a cutter unit  14 . Drive unit  12  includes handles  16 , batteries  18 , a motor  20 , a gear housing  22  and a shaft  24 . Handles  16  are oriented so that the user can easily lift and operate ice cutting apparatus  10  and to prevent the rotation of drive unit  12  so as to allow drive unit  12  to rotate shaft  24  for the driving of cutter unit  14 . Batteries  12  are oriented to balance the weight of motor  20  on alternate sides of shaft  24 . Advantageously, the placing of batteries  18  and motor  20  balance the weight that is supported by way of shaft  24  when ice cutting apparatus  10  is in operation. Gear housing  22  encloses a gear, not shown, that is driven from motor  20  and is attached to shaft  24 .  
         [0027]     Shaft  24  includes a groove  26 , O-rings  28  and a hole  30 . Groove  26  interacts with a roll pin located in shaft  32  of cutter unit  14 . O-rings  28  are situated in annular grooves, not shown, which accommodate O-rings  28  and are used to seal and to provide a cushioned-tight fit between shaft  24  and shaft  32 . Hole  30  is utilized by a connector to attach shaft  24  to cutter unit  14 .  
         [0028]     Cutter unit  14  includes a shaft  32 , an auger  34 , a shaped plate  36 , a centering blade  38 , cutting blades  40  and connectors  42 . Shaft  32  may be completely hollow having two roll pins inserted one at each end. One roll pin is positioned to orient shaft  24  within the hollow portion of shaft  32 . Shaft  32  and auger  34  may be made of a lightweight material, such as aluminum with auger  34  permanently affixed to shaft  32 . Although a single flight auger  34  is illustrated, more than one flight may be utilized. Shaped plate  36  is removably connected to an end of shaft  32  by way of a connector  42 . Centering blade  38  extends into a portion of shaped plate  36  and is also connected to shaft  32  by way of connector  42 . Connector  42  simultaneously connects shaped plate  36  and centering blade  38  to shaft  32 . Cutting blades  40  are removably connected by way of screws to shaped plate  36 . While any number of cutting blades  40  may be utilized, for the sake of clarity two cutting blades  40  are illustrated in the drawings.  
         [0029]     Shaft  42  includes openings  44  and  46  at each end of shaft  32 . Holes  48  and  50  pass through an outer surface of shaft  32  and allow for the insertion of connectors  42  therethrough. Roll pins  52  and  54  are positioned at each end to accommodate grooves  26  and  62  on shafts  24  and  60  that are, respectively, inserted into openings  44  and  46 . Roll pins  52  and  54  serve to orient the shafts that are inserted causing holes in the shafts to align with holes  48  and  50  respectively.  
         [0030]     Shaped plate  36  includes openings  56 , webs  58  and a shaft  60 . Shaped plate  36  generally has a smooth uplifting curve to direct ice that is cut by ice cutting apparatus away from shaped plate  36  directing it towards auger  34  as ice cutting apparatus  10  is used. Openings  56  are partially bounded by webs  58 . Webs  58  generally sweep inwardly from an outer diameter and serve to generally direct ice particles away from an outer edge of the hole and to provide stability to shaped plate  36 . Shaft  60  includes a groove  62 , a hole  64  and O-rings  66 . Groove  62  is positioned to accommodate roll pin  54  when shaft  60  is inserted into opening  46  of shaft  32 . Once shaped plate  36  is properly oriented and shaft  60  has been inserted into opening  46  hole  64  aligns with hole  50  of shaft  32  and a hole  70  of centering blade  38 . Connector  42  is inserted through holes  64 ,  50  and  70 . Centering blade  38  has a cutting edge  68  oriented away from shaped plate  36  yet is inserted into a portion of shaped plate  36  and a portion of centering blade  38  extends into an internal portion of shaft  60 .  
         [0031]     Cutting blades  40  each include a cutting edge  72 , holes  74  and a slot  76 . Shaped plate  36  holds cutting blades  40  at an angle and cutting blades  40  are connected to shaped plate  36  by way of fasteners inserted through holes  74 . The fasteners, which may be screws, are threaded into tapped holes in shaped plate  26 . Slot  76  extends around a portion of web  58  so that a portion of the cutting edge extends underneath web  58 .  
         [0032]     Auger  34  has a diameter  78  and shaped plate  36  as a diameter  80 . Diameter  80  is larger than diameter  78 . For example, diameter  78  may be approximately four inches while diameter  80  may be ten inches. A feature of the present invention is that multiple shaped plates  36  may be included in a kit allowing the user to select the diameter of the hole that is desired and by replacing plate  36  with a different diameter utilizing the same centering blade  38  which is then reconnected to shaft  32  by way of a connector  42 . Auger  34  is mainly utilized to move excessive ice debris from the hole and is such that diameter  78  does not have to extend out to diameter  80 . This advantageously allows the user to drill different sized holes while only using one auger assembly.  
         [0033]     Advantageously, ice cutting apparatus  10  can be easily broken down by the removal of connectors  42  in the disconnecting of shaft  32  from shaft  24  and shaft  60 . The efficiency of the present invention allows for high speed operation of cutting unit  14  thereby allowing the reverse direction to be applied by way of drive unit  12  to drive ice particles underneath the surface of the ice, thereby cleaning the ice hole providing quicker use of the hole.  
         [0034]     To utilize ice cutting apparatus  10 , drive unit  12  is connected to cutter unit  14  having shaped plate  36  attached thereto. Ice cutting apparatus  10  is placed on a desired location on the ice and then an activation switch on drive unit  12  is depressed causing a clockwise rotation of cutter unit  14 . Cutter unit  14  is driven at a high speed thereby allowing blades  38  and  40  to quickly shave and cut through the ice. The high speed operation removes a large amount of the shaved and cut ice, with that which remains in the hole being dispersed by reversing the rotation of cutting unit  14  to operate a counterclockwise manner with shaped plate  36  proximate to the bottom side of the hole. This advantageously, very rapidly clears the ice chips from the hole by dispersing them in the water underneath the ice, causing them to accumulate underneath the layer of the ice. The ice chips escape downwardly through shaped plate  36  by way of openings  56  and the open area that lies beyond web  58 .  
         [0035]     While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.

Summary:
An ice cutting apparatus including a driving mechanism, a shaft, a plate, a web and a blade. The shaft is connected to the driving mechanism. The plate has at least one opening therein, the plate being detachably connected to the shaft. The web borders a portion of the at least one opening. The blade is attached to the plate, and is shaped to accommodate the web.