Abstract:
A cutting tool includes a first grip portion, a second grip portion, and a first head portion coupled to the first grip portion to define a first handle. The first head portion includes a cutting blade having a cutting portion and a slitting portion. A second head portion is coupled to the second grip portion to define a second handle. The second head portion includes an arcuate portion sized and configured to support the tube and a concave portion sized to receive a portion of the tube. The first handle is pivotally coupled to the second handle to move between an open position and a closed position, wherein the cutting portion is operable to cut the tube as the handles move from the open position and the closed position, and wherein the slitting portion is operable to slice the tube supported in the concave portion when the handles are in the closed position.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/408923 filed Nov. 1, 2010, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to hand operated cutters. More specifically, the present invention relates to hand operated cutters for cutting and splitting tubes. 
         [0003]    The use of tubes, including PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) tubes has become popular in plumbing. The tubes are lower cost than copper and are suitable for use in the construction of new buildings and homes. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present invention provides a tube cutter that can be used to cut a tube and to slit a tube along the length of the tube. The cutter is movable between an open position in which it can receive a tube to be cut and a closed position in which a blade passes through the tube to cut the tube. The cutter is movable to a third slitting position in which a portion of the blade extends into a concave tube receiving space defined by a concave surface. The cutter also includes a locking mechanism that is operable to lock the cutter in the closed position. 
         [0005]    In one construction, the invention provides a cutting tool adapted to cutting a tube. The cutting tool includes a first grip portion, a second grip portion, and a first head portion coupled to the first grip portion to define a first handle. The first head portion includes a cutting blade having a cutting portion and a slitting portion. A second head portion is coupled to the second grip portion to define a second handle. The second head portion includes an arcuate portion sized and configured to support the tube and a concave portion sized to receive a portion of the tube. The first handle is pivotally coupled to the second handle to move between an open position and a closed position, wherein the cutting portion is operable to cut the tube as the handles move from the open position and the closed position, and wherein the slitting portion is operable to slice the tube supported in the concave portion when the handles are in the closed position. 
         [0006]    In another construction, the invention provides a cutting tool adapted to cutting a tube. The cutting tool includes a first grip portion, a second grip portion, and a first head portion coupled to the first grip portion to define a first handle. The first head portion also includes a first channel. A second head portion is coupled to the second grip portion to define a second handle. The second head portion also includes a second channel and a third channel. The first handle is pivotally coupled to the second handle to move between an open position and a closed position. A pin is connected to the first handle and the second handle to define a pivot access about which the first handle and the second handle pivot in a scissors-like motion. A locking pin is movable between a locked position where the locking pin is positioned within the first channel and the second channel and an unlocked position where the locking pin is positioned within the first channel and the third channel. 
         [0007]    Other features and aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cutter according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the cutter of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view of another portion of the cutter of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is partially broken away perspective view of a portion of the cutter of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a section view of a portion of the cutter taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a section view of a portion of the cutter taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of the cutter of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    Before any embodiments of the invention are explained 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 components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  illustrates a cutter  10  that is well-suited to the task of cutting tubes. In particular the cutter  10  is well-suited to cutting plastic tubes such as PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) tubes. The cutter  10  includes a first handle  15  (sometimes referred to as an outside handle) and a second handle  20  (sometimes referred to as an inside handle). 
         [0017]    The first handle  15  includes a first grip portion  25  disposed at one end of the first handle  15  and a first head portion  30  disposed at the opposite end of the first handle  15 . The first grip portion  25  is preferably curved to better fit into a user&#39;s hand. However, straight portions or different ergonomically-shaped first grip portions  25  could also be employed. In the illustrated construction, a soft grip  35  is positioned over a portion of the first grip portion  25  to improve the grip between the user and the cutter  10 . In some constructions, the soft grip  35  is formed as a separate piece and is then positioned on the first grip portion  25 . In preferred constructions, the soft grip  35  is over molded or co-molded into position. Of course, other constructions form the soft grip  35  and position the soft grip  35  using other processes and methods. 
         [0018]    The first head portion  30  includes two spaced apart side portions  40  that cooperate to define a space  45  between the side portions  40 . The side portions  40  each include an arcuate aperture  50  that in some constructions is semi-circular. A smaller pivot aperture  55  extends through the first head portion  30  and defines a first pivot axis  60 . A first end of the first head portion  30  includes a concave surface  65  that defines a slot  70  or opening (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The slot  70  extends in a slitting direction  75  and the concave surface  65  is preferably arranged such that the slitting direction  75  is parallel to an axis defined by the focus or center of the concave surface  65 . Preferably, the slitting direction  75  is also normal to the first pivot axis  60 . 
         [0019]    In preferred constructions, the first head portion  30  and the first grip portion  25  are formed as a single piece to improve the strength of the first handle  15 . Of course, other constructions could form the first head portion  30  separate from the first grip portion  25  and attach them using a suitable attachment means (e.g., welding, soldering, brazing, co-molding, fasteners, adhesives, etc.). 
         [0020]    The second handle  20  includes a second grip portion  80  and a second head portion  85 . The second grip portion  80  is similar to the first grip portion  25  of the first handle  15  and will not be described in detail. In addition, the second grip portion  80  and the second head portion  85  can be formed as one piece or multiple pieces in much the same way as has been described with regard to the first handle  15  and will not be described in detail. 
         [0021]    The second head portion  85  includes a second arcuate aperture  90  that in preferred constructions is semicircular. A slot  95  is formed in a portion of a wall  100  that defines the second arcuate aperture  90  and is sized to receive a portion of a cutting blade  105 . In the illustrated construction, the cutting blade  105  fits within the slot  95  and is attached to the second head portion  85  using two fasteners  110 . Thus, the cutting blade  105  is easily removable and replaceable. The second head portion  85  also includes a pivot aperture  115  (shown in  FIG. 7 ) that extends along the pivot axis  60 . 
         [0022]    The second head portion  85  is sized to fit within the space  45  between the first side portion  40  and the second side portion  40  of the first head  30 . The first pivot aperture  55  aligns with the second pivot aperture  115 . A pin or fastener  120  passes through the pivot apertures  55 ,  115  to pivotally connect the first handle  15  and the second handle  20 . Once connected, the first grip portion  25  and the second grip portion  80  cooperate to define a comfortable and convenient grip for a user. 
         [0023]    The cutter  10  of  FIG. 1  is movable between a closed or slitting position (shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) and an open position. In preferred constructions, a biasing member  121  (shown in  FIG. 7 ) is positioned to bias the first handle  15  and the second handle  20  toward the open position. Suitable biasing members  121  could include springs (e.g., coil, leaf, torsional, etc.) or other biasing members that function to move the handles  15 ,  20  toward the open position. 
         [0024]    In the open position, the first grip portion  25  and the second grip portion  80  are separated, thereby separating the first head portion  30  and the second head portion  85 . In this position, the arcuate apertures  50 ,  90  are spaced apart from one another a distance sufficient for the positioning of a tube within the arcuate apertures  50 ,  90 . The tube can rest against the aperture walls formed in the first side portion  40  and the second side portion  40 . As the cutter  10  (or handles  15 ,  20 ) moves toward the closed position, a bottom cutting edge  125  of the blade  105  contacts the tube and begins cutting the tube. In the closed position, the blade  105  has moved through the tube and the cutting edge  125  of the blade  105  is disposed beneath the arcuate apertures  50  of the first head portion  30  and in the space  45  between the first side portion  40  and the second side portion  40 . In the illustrated construction, the cutting edge  125  includes a first corner, a second corner, and a point in the middle and is therefore substantially V-shaped. However, other constructions could use straight cutting edges that are normal to the tube or angled with respect to the tube, curved blades, or other suitable shapes. 
         [0025]    If the user further squeezes the first grip portion  25  and the second grip portion  80 , the cutter  10  will move toward the closed or slitting position as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In the slitting position, a slitting portion  130  of the cutting edge  125  of the blade  105  extends through the slot  70  defined in the concave surface  65  of the first head portion  30 . In this position, the cutter  10  can be positioned against a tube to slit the tube in a lengthwise direction. The concave surface  65  engages the outer surface of the tube being slit to improve the contact between the tube and the cutter  10 . In the illustrated construction, the slitting portion  130  is at least partially defined by the first corner of the cutting edge  125 . 
         [0026]      FIGS. 3-4  illustrate a locking mechanism  135  that is suited to locking the first handle  15  and the second handle  20  in the slitting position. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the first head portion  30  includes an external channel  140  that receives a slider  145 . The channel is substantially rectangular and extends in a substantially linear direction. The slider  145  is movable between a locked position in which the first handle  15  and the second handle  20  are inhibited from moving with respect to one another and an unlocked position in which the first handle  15  and the second handle  20  are substantially free to pivot about the pivot axis  60 . 
         [0027]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the slider  145  includes a pin  150  that extends through the external channel  140  and into the second head portion  85 . The pin  150  has a groove  151  that runs around an outer perimeter of the pin  150 . A spring plate  152  is disposed, and preferably fixedly attached to the pin  150 , and is secured to the pin  150  by an e-clip  153 . The spring plate  152  includes two legs that extend from the pin  150  (when the spring plate  152  is attached to the pin  150 ) in a cantilever fashion and define two protrusions  154 . In the illustrated construction, the pin  150  is cuboidal, with other shapes being possible. 
         [0028]    As best seen in  FIG. 5 , when the slider  145  is in the locked position (i.e., when the slider is pushed toward the blade  105  in the illustrated construction) the protrusions  154  contact a wall  155 , the wall  155  defining a side of the external channel  140 . The interference between the wall  155  and the protrusions  154  serves to inhibit the slider  145  from leaving the locked position while still allowing the pin  150  and protrusions  154  to move within the channel  140 . The user may move the slider  145  out of the locked position by applying a force to the slider  145  (in a direction away from the blade  105 ), thus forcing the protrusions  154  to move along the wall  155  and onto an internal surface  160  of the first head portion  30 . After moving along the internal surface  160 , the protrusions  154  will engage an indentation  165  formed in the first head portion  30  that cooperates with the protrusions  154  to bias the slider  145  into the unlocked position and inhibit movement out of that position. Thus, the spring plate  152 , and more specifically the protrusions  154  cooperates with the first head portion  30  to bias the pin  150  into one of the locked position and the unlocked position 
         [0029]    The slider  145  serves to place the cutter  10  in the locked position or the unlocked position. In the unlocked position the first handle  15  and second handle  20  are biased away from each other by the biasing member  121 , however, the biasing member  121  is sized and configured so that the user may overcome the biasing force so that the cutter  10  may be operated in a scissors motion. 
         [0030]    As best seen in  FIG. 6 , the second head portion  85  includes a first channel  205  and a second channel  157  that cooperate with one another to define a V-shaped channel  210 . In the illustrated construction, the first channel  205  is substantially rectangular or linear and defines a substantially linearly extending leg and the second channel  157  is arcuate and defines a substantially arcuate leg. The second channel  157  is arranged such that it curves around a center  215  that resides on or near the pivot axis  60  of the first handle  15  and the second handle  20 . When the handles  15 ,  20  are in the closed position, the first channel  205  substantially overlies the channel  140  formed in the first head portion  30 . Thus, the slider  145  and the pin  150  are free to move along the entire length of the first channel  205 . When the pin  150  is moved toward the cutting blade  105  as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , it moves out of the space defined by the second channel  157  such that the walls that define the first channel  205  inhibit movement of the pin  150  around the pivot axis  60 . If the pin  150  cannot move around the pivot axis  60 , the handles  15 ,  20  cannot pivot about each other and the device is fixed in the locked position. When the user moves the slider  145  away from the cutting blade  105  and into the second channel  157 , the pin  150  becomes free to move about the pivot axis  60 , thereby freeing the handles  15 ,  20  for movement to the open position. 
         [0031]    In the locked position, the first handle  15  and second handle  20  are held proximate to each other, as seen in  FIG. 1 , and the slider  145  inhibits the first handle  15  and second handle  20  from moving relative to one another. In the locked position, the cutter is in the slitting position so that the slitting portion  130  is disposed as seen in  FIG. 1  so that a user may slice a tube as has been described. 
         [0032]    Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects of the invention as described. 
         [0033]    Thus, the invention provides, among other things, a tube cutter. Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.