Abstract:
The present invention concerns a compact, portable, lightweight, easily transportable, quickly operating wood splitting apparatus, using a knife which cuts a log or piece of wood that is deposed on a platform. This compact and portable wood splitter is actuated by a hydraulic cylinder transmitting a pendulum movement to a knife and onto an upright piece of wood. The apparatus may be attached to a truck box, to a trailer or to a wall by means of a vertical, horizontal, fixed or mobile fixture. The splitter apparatus is compact and portable and it can easily be stored in a car trunk or in a shed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the field of wood splitting using an apparatus which can be carried easily from one place to another. 
     PRIOR ART 
     Our research among patents revealed some systems that caught our attention: 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,779, U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,855, U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,235, U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,759, U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,870, CA 1,084,814 These inventions describe methods of wood splitting using a cutting wedge for splitting wood logs. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,870, CA 1,084,814 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,855, U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,810 These bulky and heavy wood splitters have to be mounted on trailers moved by a car, a truck or a tractor. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,949 utilises a straight blade knife. 
     OBJECTIVES AND ADVANTAGES 
     PA general objective of this invention is the providing of an apparatus for splitting wood logs, particularly providing a portable wood splitter which can be easily carried and lifted up. 
     A specific objective of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can carry out wood splitting quickly. More specifically that the apparatus be light in weight and easily handled; it be easily stored due to its small volume (ex. It can be stored and carried in a car trunk). The splitting process is to be carried out by a pendulum positioned knife moved by an upwardly moving cylinder. The apparatus is used in an upright position while the log to be cut is also stand in an upright position before the splitting and cut in a longitudinal way to make pieces of firewood log for a domestic usage. Furthermore a person positions the firewood log and uses the foot pedal for initiating the cutting while protecting his or her back from aches in safe ergonomic position. The apparatus can adapt to variable log sizes. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the wood splitter. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the knife. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the pivot. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the wood splitter. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the internal elements of the wood splitter: knife with the expanded cylinder. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the internal elements of the wood splitter: knife with the contracted cylinder. 
         FIG. 6A  is a side view of  FIG. 6  superimposed onto  FIG. 5  with the motion of a cutter blade  27  in motion half way into a wood log. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following description and in the accompanying drawings, the numeral numbers refers to identical parts in the various Figures. 
       FIG. 1  shows the wood splitter  22  which possesses a protective enclosure  20 . The protective enclosure  20  is supplied with lateral  34 , top  35  and bottom  37  handles for helping in handling of the wood splitter  22 . At the top of the enclosure  20 , a dorsal hook  39  is used for installation of the apparatus on a wall at a user&#39;s convenience. At a base plate  33  of the enclosure, a lateral shelf  31  is positioned on one or the other side of the enclosure: it can easily be installed or de-installed. There is a front platform  26  for holding a piece of wood log. The platform is provided with a rectangular hole  36  for allowing wood debris and a blade  27  to pass through during and after a log cut. The enclosure is provided with a rigid front part  24  which is vertically sustaining a pivot attachment pin  30 . The main element of the apparatus is a knife  28 , of which the blade  27  is located as an external part with respect to the enclosure  20  and more particularly to the pivot pin  30 , which acts as a rotation pivot for the knife  28 . The knife  28  is inserted in a slit  50  located within the front face rigid part  24  of the enclosure  20 . The slit  50  comprises an internal supporting plate  58  against which the blade  27  of the knife  28  is to rest after the cutting process is done so that the wood splitting is done safely. The knife  28  appears to proceed within an internal part  29  of the enclosure  20 . 
       FIG. 2  shows the knife  28  comprising an external part, the blade  27  and at its edge a cutting blade  41 , and within the internal part  29 , an arched in extension  48  which possesses an attachment hole  23  allowing the knife  28  to rotate around a rotation knife pivot hole  25 . Two small attachment holes  21 A and  21 B in the lower area of the arched extension are used for attachment to a lever part. 
       FIG. 3  shows a lever part  42  used for linking the knife  28  to the cylinder in such a way that a force be efficiently applied from a cylinder to the knife. On the lever part  42 , there are four holes: the pivot hole  43  having the largest diameter corresponds to the pivoting axis of the pivot pin  30 . The smaller diameter holes  45 A and  4513  are linked to attachment points of the knife holes  21 A and  21 B using bolts. A bearing bushing  44  is placed at the edge of the pivot hole  43 . A cylinder attachment hole  417  is used for attachment of the lever to the cylinder. The lever part is linked to the cylinder using a pivot pin inserted in the hole, so that a rotation movement around the hole  47  is performed. 
       FIG. 4  shows a side view of the main external parts of the wood splitter  22 : the blade  27  of the knife, the lower platform  26 , the pivot axis pin  30 , the support pin  32  for the cylinder and the two hydraulic connectors  64  for connecting pipes or hose for fluid  63  coming from an external hydraulic unit or through a foot pedal  62 . One sees a lateral plate  52  forming a L with the base plate  33 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  show the internal assembly and operation of the portable wood splitter with the main elements such as the knife  28 , the lever  42  and the cylinder  40 .  FIG. 5  shows the first configuration of the elements where the knife  28  is in closed position after a cut has been performed or when the knife is in storage position. 
       FIG. 6  shows the second configuration of the elements where the knife  28  is in open position before a cut is performed. Between the two configurations, a movement of rotation according to revolution angle  60  of the knife is performed during the cutting process of a piece of wood. The rotating movement is produced by the action of the cylinder  40  which produces a mechanical force to the lever  42  which transfer; the force to the arched extension  48  of the knife  28 . In  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the cylinder head  66  is attached to the lever  42  using a cylinder attachment hole  47  connected to the lever. A cylinder foot  68  is attached to the system by the support pin  32 . The knife  28  is attached to the lever  42  using the set of holes  21 A,  21 B,  45 A and  45 B. The rotation of the knife  28  is done around the axes passing through the knife pivot hole  25  and the lever pivot hole  43 . 
       FIG. 6A  shows a wood log  70  in position being cut, with the cutting blade  41  having rotated about the knife pivot hole  25  −210° from a horizontal direction to the right. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention consists of a compact and portable wood splitter which can be easily carried and handled. 
     It possesses handles  34 , 35 , 37  for easy transportation and a dorsal hook  39  that allows the invention to be installed on a wall or a mobile support such as a truck or car trailer. The wood splitter functions with the use of a hydraulic cylinder  40 , which actuates the knife so that it carries out a pendulum movement against a piece of wood during the cut process. The piece of wood is placed in an upright position on a platform  26  at the base of an enclosure provided with a rigid front part  24  which sustains a pivot point  25  and the force of the cylinder is transmitted through the lever about the pivot point to the knife which follows a curved trajectory against the piece. 
     The action of the cylinder is carried out from a control valve within a foot pedal system linked to a hydraulic unit which controls the pressure of the cylinder. 
     APPLICATIONS 
     A compact and portable wood splitter, comprises a front platform with a rectangular hole at the base of said wood splitter for allowing the support of a wood log to be cut, a knife located in the head of the wood splitter and used for wood log splitting, a hydraulic cylinder which actuates the knife, a lever linking the knife to the cylinder so that the force applied by the cylinder be transmitted to the knife. 
     The wood splitter comprises an “L” shaped enclosure which is composed of a material such as sheet iron, aluminium, magnesium, iron, glass, plastic or steel. 
     The knife comprises an external part and an internal part with regard to the enclosure. The external part of the knife comprises a blade which penetrates the wood piece and the internal part of the knife comprises a curved extension. 
     The curved extension comprises attachment means for the lever and comprises rotation means of the knife. 
     The rotation means comprises attachment means of the lever to the cylinder. 
     The cylinder comprises a cylinder head located at the upper extremity of the cylinder and a cylinder foot located at the lower extremity of the cylinder: the hydraulic cylinder being oriented vertically, almost perpendicular to the platform; 
     The rotation means of the knife comprises a pivot point and in which a pivot pin is inserted, which is also inserted inside the rotation hole of the lever, the whole assembly allowing the knife to rotate around a rotation axis located at the pivot point. 
     The attachment means of the knife on the lever comprise at least one attachment point comprising one hole on the knife and one hole on the lever in which a bolt is inserted for attaching the knife to the lever. The attachment means of the lever on the cylinder comprise a pin inserted in the cylinder head and inserted in the attachment hole of the lever. 
     A centrally pivoted lever  42  linking the knife  28  to the cylinder  40  so that a push applied upwardly onto an end of the lever by the cylinder, be transmitted downwardly an opposite end of the lever and onto the knife, thereby splitting the wood log positioned between the knife and the base. The attachment means of the knife on the lever comprise at least one attachment point comprising one knife hole  25  and one lever hole  43  wherein a bolt is inserted for attaching the knife to the lever. 
     A pin is inserted in the head  66  of the cylinder  40  and inserted in a hole located on the lever  42 . 
     The blade  27  of the knife follows a circular trajectory realized according to a revolution angle limited by an extension of the cylinder: when the cylinder is contracted, being on its low level, the blade of the knife is on standby for cutting, when the cylinder is released, the blade of the knife is essentially parallel with the rigid front part  24  of the enclosure. 
     The enclosure comprises a vertical slit  50  on its front face and comprises a safety plate  58 , the blade slipping inside the slit and being brought against the safety plate  58  when the cylinder is released. The hydraulic cylinder  40  is activated from a pedal which slackens a fluid for moving a stem of the cylinder. 
     A method of for splitting firewood log having the following steps: 
     (a) select a platform  26  located at the base, for holding a piece of wood to be cut in an upright position, comprising a rigid front part  24 ; 
     (b) provide a knife to locate in the head and intended to slice the piece of wood; the knife consisting of two parts: a blade  27 , and a curved extension  29  of the blade; 
     (c) provide cylinder means comprising a head  66  and a foot  68  to locate inside the enclosure and to be oriented perpendicularly of the platform; 
     (d) provide a lever  42  comprising attachment means for the knife and for the cylinder in order to transmit the power provided by the cylinder to the knife and provide pivot means in the lever and in the rigid front part for moving the cylinder in one direction while the knife moves in one opposite direction by seesawing the lever about the pivot. 
     It is to be clearly understood that the instant description with reference to the annexed drawing is made in an indicative manner and that the preferred embodiments described herein are meant in no way to limit further embodiments realizable within the scope of the invention. The matter which is claimed as being inventive and new is limited only by the appended claims. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                   
                 20- Enclosure 
               
               
                   
                   
                 21A and B- Attachment holes 
               
               
                   
                   
                 22- Portable wood splitter 
               
               
                   
                   
                 23- Bearing bushing for the knife 
               
               
                   
                   
                 24- Rigid front part 
               
               
                   
                   
                 25- Knife pivot hole 
               
               
                   
                   
                 26- Platform 
               
               
                   
                   
                 27- Blade 
               
               
                   
                   
                 28- Knife 
               
               
                   
                   
                 29- Internal part 
               
               
                   
                   
                 30- Pivot pin 
               
               
                   
                   
                 31- Lateral shelf 
               
               
                   
                   
                 32- Support pin 
               
               
                   
                   
                 33- Base plate 
               
               
                   
                   
                 34- Lateral handle 
               
               
                   
                   
                 35- Top handle 
               
               
                   
                   
                 36- Rectangular hole 
               
               
                   
                   
                 37- Bottom handle 
               
               
                   
                   
                 39- Dorsal hook 
               
               
                   
                   
                 40- Cylinder 
               
               
                   
                   
                 41- Cutting blade 
               
               
                   
                   
                 42- Lever part 
               
               
                   
                   
                 43- Lever pivot hole 
               
               
                   
                   
                 44- Bearing bushing of the lever 
               
               
                   
                   
                 45A and B- Attachment holes 
               
               
                   
                   
                 47- Attachment hole of the cylinder 
               
               
                   
                   
                 48- Arched extension 
               
               
                   
                   
                 50- Slit 
               
               
                   
                   
                 52- Lateral plates 
               
               
                   
                   
                 58- Support plate 
               
               
                   
                   
                 60- Revolution angle 
               
               
                   
                   
                 62- Foot pedal 
               
               
                   
                   
                 63- Hose for fluid 
               
               
                   
                   
                 64- Hydraulic connectors 
               
               
                   
                   
                 66- Cylinder head 
               
               
                   
                   
                 67- Driving pin 
               
               
                   
                   
                 68- Cylinder foot 
               
               
                   
                   
                 70- Wood log