Abstract:
The strap and band cutter is specially configured to produce smoothly rounded corners on the ends of a cut band or strap when opening palletized loads and other materials secured together by straps or bands for shipping. The cutter is a manually operated shear having two elongate lever arms joined by a pivot. The arms terminate in handles at one end and cutting jaws at the other. The cutter operates in double shear, i.e., a central jaw having two cutting edges passes through the opposite jaw and its two shear faces. The jaws are specially configured to produce rounded corners on the two cut ends of the strap or band after cutting, thus greatly reducing or eliminating the chance of injury from contact with one of the ends of the cut strap.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/202,536, filed Mar. 10, 2009. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates generally to manually operated cutting tools, and particularly to a strap and band cutter having specially configured jaws for leaving safely rounded corners on the two ends of a strap or band after cutting. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Steel and plastic banding straps are used to secure pallet loads, crates, and other materials for shipping and transport. Such straps and bands are formed of relatively thin material, resulting in quite sharp edges, particularly in the case of steel straps and bands. The use of such straps and bands has become so commonplace that many special tools have been developed for installing such straps and bands about the material to be shipped. The tools are generally capable of applying considerable tension to the straps and bands in order to hold the strapped or banded articles securely. 
         [0006]    The bands or straps used in such packaging are considered to be expendable, throwaway items. When the goods are to be removed from their shipping pallet or separated from their packaged or banded state, the bands or straps are cut and discarded. Conventionally, a manually operated shears, such as sheet metal shears or the like, is used to cut the strapping material. It will be seen that the thin material of which such straps and bands are formed, along with the use of a conventional cutting tool, results in the cut ends of the strap having corners that are quite sharp and capable of inflicting serious cuts or wounds to persons handling them. 
         [0007]    Thus, a strap and band cutter solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The strap and band cutter is a manually operated device having elongate handles, with each handle having a jaw extending therefrom. The two portions are joined at a pivot between the jaws and the gripping portion of the handles. The device operates in double shear, i.e., a central jaw passes through a slot in the opposite jaw. The cutting or shearing edges of the two jaws are configured to produce rounded corners on the cut ends of the strap after it has been cut, thus greatly reducing or eliminating the danger of a cut or wound from the otherwise sharp corner of the cut strap or band. A short section of the strap or band is removed from between the two cut ends. While this short section has quite sharp corners, it is very small and lightweight and does not pose the potential hazard of the ends of the longer cut strap, and is easily discarded with minimal handling. 
         [0009]    These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is an environmental, left side perspective view of a strap and band cutter according to the present invention, showing its operation. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a partial perspective view of the jaw portion of the strap and band cutter of  FIG. 1  as seen from the left side, showing further details thereof. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a front environmental perspective view of the jaw portion of the strap and band cutter of  FIG. 1 , with a cut band disposed across the jaws. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a bottom perspective view of the strap and band cutter of  FIG. 1 , showing further details thereof. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is an exploded bottom perspective view of the strap and band cutter of  FIG. 1  as seen from the right side, showing the two components separated from one another. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a left side elevation view of an alternative embodiment of a strap and band cutter according to the present invention, showing various features thereof. 
       
    
    
       [0016]    Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0017]    The strap and band cutter provides a tool for cutting packing straps and bands, such as those used to secure articles to one another and to pallets for shipping and transport. Each of the embodiments of the strap and band cutter includes means for producing smoothly rounded corners on the ends of the strap material when it is cut, thus greatly improving safety when working with such cut strap material. 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  of the drawings is an environmental perspective view of a first embodiment of the strap and band cutting tool or cutter  10 , showing its general features and use. The cutter  10  includes elongate first and second lever arms  12  and  14 , joined by a pivot  16 . Each of the lever arms  12  and  14  includes a handle end  18  and  20 , respectively, and a corresponding jaw  22 ,  24  opposite the handle ends  18 ,  20 . 
         [0019]      FIGS. 2 through 5  provide more detailed views of the jaw configuration of the strap and band cutter  10 . As best shown in  FIG. 3 , the first jaw  22  includes mutually opposed first and second internal edges  26  and  28 . The two edges  26 ,  28  define a slot  30  therebetween. The slot  30  has a relatively narrow throat and relatively wide, mutually opposed first and second ends  32 ,  34 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The narrow throat flows smoothly into each of the two ends  32 ,  34  at the smoothly curved junctures  36  thereof. The curved areas  36  may be circular arcs, or some other smooth curves as desired. 
         [0020]    The second jaw  24  comprises a double shear plate with mutually opposed parallel first and second faces  38  and  40 , respectively, shown most clearly in  FIGS. 2 and 5 . The two faces  38  and  40  of the second jaw  24  have smoothly curved ends  42  that flow outwardly to conform closely to the curved areas  36  of the first jaw  22 , with the second end terminating in a relatively wide anvil  44  that fits closely within the wider second end  34  of the first jaw slot  30  when the two jaws  22 ,  24  are closed together. The first and second edges  26 ,  28  of the first jaw  22  and their curved ends or areas  36 , along with the first and second faces  38 ,  40  of the second jaw  24  and their curved ends  42 , define first and second shear planes when the two handles  18  and  20  are closed to drive the second jaw  24  through the slot  30  and its wider ends  32 ,  34  in the first jaw  22 . 
         [0021]    It will be seen in the various drawings that the first handle end  18  and first jaw  22  of the first lever arm  12  are axially offset from each other, i.e., they do not form a straight line. The first handle end  18  and first jaw  22  are joined by a first medial portion  46  therebetween, with the pivot  16  passing through the first medial portion  46  of the first member  12 . This first medial portion  46  is formed of two parallel plates  48 ,  50  that define a slot  52  therebetween. 
         [0022]    The second handle end  20  and the second jaw  24  of the second member  14  are also joined by a medial portion, i.e., second medial portion  54 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The second handle end  20  and second jaw  24  are also axially offset from one another, as shown in the various drawings. The second medial portion  54  passes through and is captured closely within the slot  52  of the first medial portion  46 , with the pivot pin  16  passing through both medial portions  46  and  54 . 
         [0023]    The two lever arms  12  and  14  are both axially symmetrical.  FIG. 3  shows this clearly for the jaw portions  22  and  24  and medial portions  46  and  54  of the strap and band cutter  10 . It will be noted in  FIG. 3  that the two plates  48  and  50  of the first medial portion  46  are symmetrically disposed about the lateral plane indicated by the line LP. Similarly, the second medial portion  54  (concealed by the anvil  44  of the second jaw in  FIG. 3 ) is symmetrically captured between the two plates  48  and  50  of the first medial portion  46  of the tool. The remainder of each arm  12 ,  14  of the tool  10 , and thus the entire strap and band cutter  10 , is laterally symmetrical as well. 
         [0024]      FIGS. 1 and 2  clearly show the angle formed between the two jaws  22 ,  24  when they are open. The strap and band cutter  10  functions similarly to other pivoting shears, e.g., sheet metal shears, scissors, etc., with the actual shear point or line moving progressively away from the pivot point of the tool as the two jaws or blades close upon one another. However, the cutter  10  has a double shear configuration, the second jaw  24  being disposed symmetrically through the first jaw  22 . When the two handle ends  18 ,  20  are spread apart, a corresponding angle A is defined between the first and second jaws  22 ,  24 . As the two handles  18 ,  20  are moved together to close the jaws  22 ,  24 , the angle between the two jaws  22 ,  24  narrows. The actual shear or cutting line across the two jaws  22 ,  24  moves away from the pivot point  16  and toward the wider second end  34  of the first jaw slot and the anvil  44  of the second jaw  24  as the second jaw passes through the first jaw  22 . 
         [0025]    As the shear line or point where the cutting plane or surface of the first jaw  22  is coplanar with the cutting edge of the second jaw  24  is constantly moving away from the pivot point  16  when the handles  18  and  20  are squeezed together, it will be seen that a force is developed urging the material being cut (i.e., strap or band) outwardly from the two jaws  22 ,  24 . The strap and band cutter  10  includes means for securing the strap or band therein to prevent movement of the strap or band during the cutting operation. A shallow, lateral strap and band retaining recess or receptacle  56  is formed across the upper surface of the first jaw  22 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The recess  56  has a steep and abrupt forward or outer edge  58 . The depth of the recess  56  need not be great, i.e., only about equal to the thickness of the strap or band material being cut by the tool  10 . The abrupt edge  58  of the band retaining recess  56  engages the edge of the strap or band to prevent the band from sliding out of the jaws  22 ,  24  as the jaws are closed during the cutting operation. A similar edge  58  may be provided at the rearward edge of the recess  56 , if desired. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  of the drawings illustrates the appearance of a packing strap or band after being cut by the strap and band cutter  10 . In  FIG. 3 , the strap or band S has already been cut, and the jaws  22  and  24  have been opened after the cutting operation. The strap S now has two separate ends E 1  and E 2 , each having two smoothly rounded or curved corners C that have been cut in conformance with the rounded or curved areas  36  and  42  of the two jaws  22  and  24 . It will be understood that the strap or band S is generally under considerable tension before cutting, and the two ends E 1 , E 2  will usually fly apart as they are cut. The illustration of  FIG. 3  does not indicate this, as  FIG. 3  is intended to show the appearance of the ends of the strap S after cutting with the strap and band cutter  10 . The resulting smoothly curved or rounded corners C of the cut strap or band S, greatly reduce the chances of injury as the ends of the band S fly apart immediately after being cut, and as the cut strap or band S is handled for disposal after cutting. The cutting operation using the cutter  10  results in a small section of cut strap material (not shown in the drawings) having sharp points or edges extending therefrom, but this section of cut material is pushed downwardly into the throat or slot  30  of the first jaw  22  as the strap or band S is cut and drops out harmlessly therebeneath where it can be picked up and disposed of. 
         [0027]      FIG. 6  provides a left side elevation view of a slightly different embodiment of the strap and band cutter, designated as strap and band cutter  110 . The strap and band cutter  110  has lever arms having handle portions differing somewhat from those corresponding portions of the tool  10  of  FIGS. 1 through 5 , but has first and second medial portions  46 ,  54  and first and second jaws  22 ,  24  identical to the first embodiment tool  10  of  FIGS. 1 through 5 . It will be noted that the second handgrip portion  120  of the tool  110  is axially offset toward the first handgrip portion  118 , providing clearance between the underlying surface U for the lower hand of the user of the tool between the lower or first handgrip  118  and the underlying structure U. It should also be noted that each of the handgrip ends  118 ,  120  is provided with a handgrip of cushioned or other material providing a good grip for the user to facilitate operation of the tool  110 . Regardless of the specific configuration of the handles of the tool, the strap and band cutter  10  or  110  greatly facilitates the cutting of straps and bands used in securing shipments of various articles, and greatly reduces the risk of injury to persons cutting such straps and bands due to the removal of the sharp corners of such straps and bands otherwise resulting from their cutting with conventional cutting tools. 
         [0028]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.