Abstract:
A hedge having two opposing cutting blades connected to handles. Both of the cutting blades and both of the handles have gear elements formed as part of the blade or handle. The gear element of one handle engages the gear element of one of the cutting blades, while the gear element of the other handle engages the gear element of the other cutting blade so that a variable force is provided throughout the cutting stroke.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/203,653, filed May 12, 2000, the entire disclosure of which is included herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This application relates to double gear hedge shears. More particularly, it relates to a hedge shear that uses gears between the handles and the blades to improve cutting efficiency.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    In the cutting process using traditional hedge shears, branches are collected within the sector covered by the cutting blades at the beginning of the cutting stroke. As the cut proceeds, most of the branches are cut using the outermost parts of the blades. This is a disadvantage, because the force there is at its lowest. Thus, the user of typical hedge shears must apply additional effort to cut branches at the outermost points, resulting in increased strain on the user and inefficiency in the cutting operation.  
           [0004]    In most known devices, the force available for cutting remains constant throughout the cutting process. As a result, the amount of output force used when cutting branches is the same as when collecting the branches in the initial stages of the cut. Since collecting the branches requires less force than cutting the branches, a constant output force results in additional inefficiency in the cutting operation.  
           [0005]    Gear and linkage systems are widely used in different kinds of cutters. The purpose of these systems is to increase cutting force. This usually also results in increased movement of the handles, which forces the user to extend further than would normally be the case.  
           [0006]    The use of gears in hedge shears is known in the art. For example, Gardena sells a geared model which is said to increase the cutting force by 35%. While the Gardena system does increase cutting force, it suffers from a deficiency in that the cutting force remains constant through the cutting process, resulting in the inefficiency described above. In contrast, an efficient pair of hedge shears would perform the collecting stage of the cutting process quickly and with minimum power, while reserving most of the force and handle movement for the cutting stage.  
           [0007]    Progressive cutting force systems are also known. Fiskars, the assignee of this application, has U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,888 on such a variable force tool. The gearing is constructed so that there is the greatest force in use when actually needed: in the middle of the branch. This tool makes use of a planetary gear mechanism is ideally suited to cutters where the movement of the handles and blades is asymmetrical. Using such a mechanism with hedge shears is problematic, however, since typically the movement of the blades and handles is symmetrical. Additionally, since head shears generally have symmetrical movement of parts, the parts themselves used to make the shears can be made symmetrical. Fabrication of hedge shears in this manner reduces the manufacturing cost of the shears, since the entire product can be made using only one mold for the blades and one mold for the handles.  
           [0008]    Accordingly, there is a need to provide a hedge shear in which the cutting force ratio varies throughout the cut, with the greatest force reserved for the cutting action. Further, there is a need to provide a hedge shear in which the cutting force ratio varies throughout the cut, and where the blades and handles of the hedge shear are symmetrical.  
         SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION  
         [0009]    The present invention relates to a cutting tool. The cutting tool includes a first handle having a first gear element and a second handle having a second gear element. The cutting tool also includes a first cutting blade having a third gear element and a second cutting blade having a fourth gear element. The first cutting blade is connected to the first handle, and the second cutting blade is connected to the second handle. The first gear element engages the fourth gear element and the second gear element engages the third gear element.  
           [0010]    The present invention also relates to a hedge shear having improved cutting ability. The hedge shear includes a first cutting element, which includes a first handle, a first blade, a first handle gear, and a first blade gear. The hedge shear also includes a second cutting element, which includes a second handle, a second blade, a second handle gear, and a second blade gear. The hedge shear also includes a connector for pivotably connecting the first and second cutting elements such that the first handle gear engages the second blade gear and the second handle gear engages the first blade gear.  
           [0011]    The present invention also relates to a cutting tool having two sets of meshing gears for generating increased output force. The cutting tool includes first and second handles, where the first handle includes a first handle gear and the second handle includes a second handle gear. The cutting tool also has first and second blades, where the first blade includes a first blade gear and the second blade includes a second blade gear. The first and second handle gears and first and second blade gears are symmetrical. The cutting tool also includes means for attaching the first handle to the first blade and the second handle to the second blade and means for pivotably connecting the first blade to the second blade. The first handle gear meshes with the second blade gear and the second handle gear meshes with the first blade gear to increase the cutting force as the first and second blades are moved to a closed position.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the invention shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a top view of the invention shown in FIG. 1 with the blades and handles in the closed position;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a side view of the invention shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is an enlarged top view of gear portions of the invention shown in FIG. 1 taken along line  5 - 5  in FIG. 3; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a top view of the invention shown in FIG. 1 with blades and handles in the open position. 
     
    
       [0018]    Before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]    Referring to the figures, a cutting tool in the form of a hedge shear  10  is shown. Hedge shear  10  includes handles  12  and  14 . Handles  12  and  14  are generally straight, elongated members and may be formed from steel, plastic, aluminum, or any other suitable material as is well known in the art. Additionally, handle  12  includes gripping portion  15   a  and handle  14  includes gripping portion  15   b . In a preferred embodiment, gripping portions  15   a ,  15   b  are made of rubber material ideally suited to provide increased grip for a user of the hedge shear  10 . These gripping portions can be placed on the end of handles  12  and  14  or can be integrally formed with the handles. Alternatively, the entire handles  12  and  14 , including gripping portions  15   a  and  15   b , can be made of the same material. In this alternative embodiment, the surface of the handle forming the gripping portion can include raised ribs or dots to further enhance the user&#39;s grip on the hedge shear  10 .  
         [0020]    Hedge shear  10  also includes cutting blades  16  and  18 . Blades  16  and  18  have cutting edges  17  and  19 , respectively. Cutting edges  17  and  19  have opposable faces, such that when the blades  16  and  18  are brought together to cut vegetation or other material, cutting edges  17  and  19  act to shear the object being cut. Blades  16  and  18  are preferably formed from steel or aluminum, but may also be formed from other materials as are well known in the art.  
         [0021]    As shown particularly in FIG. 2, blade  16  is connected to handle  14 , and blade  18  is connected to handle  12 . The result is the formation of two separate cutting elements  30  and  31 , in which cutting element  30  includes handle  12  and blade  18 , and cutting element  31  includes handle  14  and blade  16 . In a preferred embodiment, fasteners  20  are used to pivotably connect the handles and blades. In a preferred embodiment, fasteners  20  include a pivot pin with a nut attached to allow twisting motion at the location of the fastener. Alternatively, fastener  20  can be any other type of fastener which allows rotation about the fastener.  
         [0022]    As shown clearly in FIGS. 2 and 5, handle  12  includes gear elements or segments  25  and handle  14  includes gear elements or segments  27  on one end of the handle. Blades  16  has gear elements or segments  29  and blade  18  has gear elements or segments  31  formed as part of the blade. In using the hedge shears  10 , the blade gear of one cutting element will engage the blade gear of the other cutting element. As illustrated most clearly in FIG. 6, when assembled, handle gear  25  on handle  12  engages blade gear  29  on blade  16 , while handle gear  27  on handle  14  engages blade gear  31  on blade  18 .  
         [0023]    In a preferred form of the invention, handles  12  and  14 , including the handle gears  25  and  27 , are identical in shape. Similarly, in a preferred form of the invention, the cutting blades  16  and  18  and their associated blade gears  29  and  31  are also identical in shape. This symmetry of parts enables a manufacturer to cost-effectively produce hedge shears by reducing the number of different parts that must be separately formed in the manufacturing process. Since the blades and handles are identical, only one mold or other forming process for each of the components must be used to produce the necessary parts.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3 shows the hedge shear  10  in the closed position, while FIG. 6 shows the hedge shear in the open position. As the handles are moved from the closed position of FIG. 3 to the open position of FIG. 6, handle gear  25  and blade gear  29  engage and cause the blades  16  and  18  to move apart. A pivot pin  33  acts as a pivot point about which the cutting elements  30  and  31  rotate. Thus, as the head shears are opened, the handles and blades will pivot about fasteners  20  and the blades will pivot about pivot pin  33 . Pivot pin  33  can be a typical straight shaft pivot pin secured by a nut or any other type of fastener that allows cutting elements  30  and  31  to rotate about a fixed point. Additionally, pivot pin  33  can be coated with grease or any other lubricant to reduce the friction involved in opening and closing the hedge shears  10 .  
         [0025]    The geometry of the handle gears  25  and  27  and blade gears  29  and  31  is selected to result in an increase in the output force generated during the cutting motion. In a preferred embodiment, handle gears  25  and  27  and blade gears  29  and  31  are formed to resemble a series of rounded and elongated teeth or fingers. Other configurations are also possible, and will yield similar results. For example, the teeth in an alternative embodiment could be widened or lengthened to alter the performance of the hedge shears. In a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the handle gears include teeth portions which increase in length toward the outside of the hedge shears. The blade gears have an opposite geometry which allows the teeth of the handle gears to mate with the blade gears.  
         [0026]    As the handles  12  and  14  are moved from the open position of FIG. 6 to the closed position of FIG. 3, the force exerted by the cutting portion of the blades will vary as a result of the gear configurations. Thus, in the beginning stages of the cut, in which the branches or other objects are being gathered within the cutting range of the hedge shears, the cutting force ratio approximately a 1:1. As the cut proceeds, the cutting force ratio increases in relation to the input force, with maximum cutting force achieved as the ends of blades  16  and  18  come together. In a preferred embodiment, a cutting force ratio of at least 2:1 can be achieved in this manner. In yet another preferred embodiment, a cutting force ratio of approximately 3:1 can be achieved in this manner. The use of hedge shears in accordance with the present invention thus requires less effort by the user, since the maximum amount of force is reserved for the latter stages of the cut, when the branches or other material are actually being severed by the shears. This in turn results in less strain on the user, who may then operate faster and more efficiently. Additionally, the increased cutting force allows a user to cut using the outermost portion of the blades, where the cutting force is generally the weakest.  
         [0027]    Thus, it should be apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the present invention a double gear hedge shears that fully satisfies the objectives and advantages set forth above. Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.