Patent Publication Number: US-2004040158-A1

Title: Cable cutter

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates to a cable cutter for cutting cables. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cable cutter having a blade configuration which enables the cable cutter to efficiently and effectively cut aluminum cable steel reinforced (“ACSR”) cable.  
       [0002] Cables commonly used in the electrical industry are typically formed of copper and/or aluminum and may be of the type which are solid or stranded. Prior art cable cutters, with the application of sufficient manual force, serve adequately to cut the copper and/or aluminum cables. It has been found, however, that these prior art cable cutters do not adequately cut cables formed of materials harder than copper or aluminum, such as steel. Thus, persons using such cable cutters may also find it necessary to have another cable cutter which is specifically designed for cutting steel.  
       [0003] The use of ACSR cable has been increasing in the electrical industry. ACSR cable includes one or more center reinforcing steel strands which are surrounded by outer strands of softer metal, such as aluminum. Both of the prior art cable cutters discussed above are inadequate for cutting ACSR cable; the cable cutters made for aluminum and/or copper are inappropriate or ineffective in cutting steel while the cable cutters made for steel would crush or otherwise damage copper or aluminum cables beyond the point at which the cut ends are useful.  
       [0004] Therefore, an improved cutter for cutting ACSR cables is needed, which can also cut cables formed of aluminum and/or copper, as well as cables formed of steel. The present invention provides such a cutter. Features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a reading of the attached specification, in combination with a study of the drawings.  
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005] A primary object of the invention is to provide a tool which is capable efficiently and effectively cutting ACSR cable using manual force.  
       [0006] An object of the invention is to provide a tool which is capable of efficiently and effectively cutting cables made of softer material, such as aluminum or copper, using manual force, and which is capable of efficiently and effectively cutting cables made of harder, material, such as steel, using manual force.  
       [0007] Another object of the invention is to provide a tool which has sharp edges for cutting cables made of soft material, such as aluminum or copper.  
       [0008] Another object of the invention is to provide a tool which has blunt edges for cutting cables made of hard material, such as steel.  
       [0009] Yet another object of the invention is to provide a tool having blunt edges having a small radius to nearly match the diameter of a center steel core of ACSR cable and entrap it in near perfect circle to provide a shearing action.  
       [0010] An object of the invention is to provide a tool having opposite blades which are moved toward one another to cut cable preferably by the movement of handles attached to the blades, but which could also be moved toward one another by other mechanisms such as a ratchet and pawl, by a hydraulic ram and hydraulic pump, or a driven pinion and gear mechanism.  
       [0011] Still another object of the invention is to provide a tool having cutting configurations which allow for the outer aluminum stranded configuration of ACSR cable to be cut prior to the harder central steel core of the ACSR cable being cut, which reduces the required force to make the cut.  
       [0012] Another object of the invention is to provide a tool having cutting configurations which do not allow the harder central steel core of ACSR cable to be cut by the sharp edges of the blade members, which are designed to cut the softer outer aluminum stranded configuration of the ACSR cable, thus preventing the dulling of the sharp edges of the blade members which reduces the wear life of the sharp edges.  
       [0013] Briefly, and in accordance with the foregoing, a tool having an improved cutting edge configuration for use with ACSR cable is provided. The tool includes a first blade having a cutting configuration and a second blade having a cutting configuration. A pivot point connects the first and second blades. A handle is attached to the first blade and a handle is attached to the second blade. Movement of the handles rotates the blades about the pivot point. Cable positioned between the cutting configurations is systematically cut by the cutting configurations as the blades are rotated toward each other. The cutting configurations are mirror images of each other. Each cutting configuration includes a first sharp edge and a second sharp edge. Positioned between the sharp edges is a blunt edge defining a concave recess. The first and second sharp edges are used to cut the aluminum strands surrounding the steel cable. During the cutting of the aluminum strands, the steel portion of the ACSR cable is urged into the concave recess of the blunt edges of the cutting configurations. Thus, the sharp edges are not used to cut the steel. Instead, the steel is fractured or severed using the generally blunt edges. In this manner, the sharp edges are preserved for cutting the softer aluminum material. Since the blunt edges are already blunt, they do not lose their edge when cutting the steel. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0014] The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are described in detail hereinbelow. The organization and manner of the structure and operation of the invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals identify like elements in which:  
     [0015]FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a cable cutter of the present invention;  
     [0016]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing a cable to be cut by the cable cutter of FIG. 1; and  
     [0017] FIGS.  3 - 6  show the cutting blades of the cable cutter of FIG. 1, progressively cutting through the cable of FIG. 2.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT  
     [0018] While this invention may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail, a specific embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated and described herein.  
     [0019] A tool  20  which is used to cut a workpiece  22 , such as cable, is provided and is illustrated in FIG. 1. The tool  20  is preferably used to cut aluminum cable steel reinforced (“ACSR”) cable  22 , which is illustrated in FIG. 2, but can also be used to cut cables made of soft material, such as aluminum or copper, or cables of hard material, such as steel.  
     [0020] As shown in FIG. 2, ACSR cable  22  typically includes a single strand center core  24  formed of steel and an outer stranded cable configuration  26  formed of a plurality of strands of aluminum. The harder central steel core  24  is used as a reinforcing strand providing structural stability to the cable  22 . The outer aluminum stranded configuration  26  serves as the electrically conductive portion. It should be noted that another form of the ACSR cable (not shown) could have multiple steel cores surrounded by the outer aluminum stranded configuration.  
     [0021] The tool  20  includes a first jaw or blade member  28   a  and a second jaw or blade member  28   b.  The first and second blade members  28   a ,  28   b  are identical to one another. The first blade member  28   a  has an outer surface  30   a  and an inner surface (not shown). The second blade member  28   b  has an outer surface (not shown) and an inner surface  32   b . The inner surface of the first blade member  28   a  is in opposing relation to the inner surface  32   b  of the second blade member  28   b  and the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  are connected to one another by appropriate means about a pivot  34  such that the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  can be rotated relative to one another. The blade members  28   a ,  28   b  are offset from one another. The inner and outer surfaces  32   b ,  30   a  of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  are generally planar.  
     [0022] Each blade member  28   a ,  28   b  has an outer edge  36   a ,  36   b  which is arcuate. Each blade member  28   a ,  28   b  has an inner edge  38   a ,  38   b  which extends from the respective outer edge  36   a ,  36   b  generally toward the pivot  34 , extends generally around the pivot  34 , and then extends back to the respective outer edge  36   a ,  36   b.    
     [0023] As best illustrated in FIG. 1, the first blade member  28   a  includes a cutting configuration  40   a  provided along a portion of the inner edge  38   a . The cutting configuration  40   a  includes a first sharp edge  42   a , a second sharp edge  44   a  and a blunt flat edge  46   a  provided between the first and second sharp edges  42   a ,  44   a . It should be noted that the second blade member  28   b  also includes a cutting configuration  40   b  identical to that of the first blade member  28   a . Thus, it is to be understood that the structure described in connection with the cutting configuration  40   a  of the first blade member  28   a  is also provided on the cutting configuration  40   b  of the second blade member  28   b . It should further be noted that the cutting configurations  40   a  of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  are provided in opposing relation to one another.  
     [0024] The first sharp edge  42   a  is provided proximate to the pivot  34  such that the first sharp edge  42   a  curves around the pivot  34  in a convex manner, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The first sharp edge  42   a  has a first end  48   a  and a second end  50   a . The first end  48   a  of the first sharp edge  42   a  also forms an end of the cutting configuration  40   a . From the first end  48   a  of the first sharp edge  42   a , a portion  52   a  of the inner edge  38   a  extends straight to the outer edge  36   a.    
     [0025] The blunt edge  46   a  has a first end  54   a  and a second end  56   a . The first end  54   a  of the blunt edge  46   a  is connected to the second end  50   a  of the first sharp edge  42   a  such that the blunt edge  46   a  extends therefrom. The blunt edge  46   a  curves in a concave manner, as illustrated in FIG. 1, from the first sharp edge  42   a.    
     [0026] The second sharp edge  44   a  has a first end  58   a  and a second end  60   a  and is generally straight. The first end  58   a  of the second sharp edge  44   a  is connected to the second end  56   a  of the blunt edge  46   a  such that the second sharp edge  44   a  extends therefrom. The second sharp edge  44   a  extends from the blunt edge  46   a  toward, but does not extend to, the outer edge  36   a  generally in the opposite direction as the portion  52   a  of the inner edge  38   a  extends from the first sharp edge  42   a  to the outer edge  36   a . A portion  62   a  of the inner edge  38   a  extends straight from the second end  60   a  of the second sharp edge  44   a  to the outer edge  36   a .  
     [0027] The concavity of the blunt edge  46   a  relative to the first and second sharp edges  42   a ,  44   a  defines a recess or pocket  64   a  proximate to the cutting configuration  40   a  of the first blade member  28   a.    
     [0028] The first and second sharp edges  42   a ,  44   a  and the blunt edge  46   a  have a beveled side  66   a ,  68   a ,  70   a , respectively, which extend from the inner edge  38   a  of the first blade member  28   a  to the outer planar surface  30   a  of the first blade member  28   a . The beveled sides of the second blade member  28   b  are not shown in the drawings because the outer planar surface of the second blade member  28   b  is not illustrated.  
     [0029] First and second elongated levers or handles  72   a ,  72   b  are connected to the first and second blade members  28   a ,  28   b , respectively. The handles  72   a ,  72   b  may have a gripping material (not shown) wrapped at least partially therearound such that a user&#39;s hand can easily grip the handles  72   a ,  72   b . The length of the handles  72   a ,  72   b  may be varied as desired. An end  74   a ,  74   b  of each handle  40   a ,  40   b  is connected to the respective outer edge  36   a ,  36   b  of the blade member  28   a ,  28   b , opposite the inner edges  38   a ,  38   b , as illustrated in FIG. 1, in an appropriate manner known within the art, such as by welding.  
     [0030] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a guide member  76   b  extends from the handle  72   b  proximate to the end  74   b  thereof. The guide member  76   b  is generally L-shaped such that a first portion  78   b  thereof extends parallel to the handle  72   b  and a second portion  80   b  extends generally perpendicularly from the first portion  78   b  along the curvature of the outer edge  36   b  of the second blade member  28   b . The guide member  76   b  is offset from the inner surface  32   b  of the second blade member  28   b  such that a space (not shown), which must be large enough to accommodate the first blade member  28   a , is provided between the inner surface  32   b  of the second blade member  28   b  and the guide member  76   b . The handle  72   a  has a guide member which extends therefrom in an identical manner to the guide member  76   b  of the handle  72   b , but which is not illustrated in the drawings.  
     [0031] Operation of the tool  20  will now be discussed with reference to FIGS.  3 - 6 . As illustrated in FIG. 3, the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  are rotated about the pivot  34  such that a gap  82  is provided between the cutting configurations  40   a ,  40   b  of the first and second blade members  28   a ,  28   b . The cable  22  is then positioned within the gap  82 , between the cutting configurations  40   a ,  40   b.    
     [0032] Upon movement of the handles  72   a ,  72   b , as in FIG. 4, with handle  72   a  moving clockwise and handle  72   b  moving counter-clockwise as shown in FIG. 4, the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  to rotate relative to one another about the pivot  34 . The rotation of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  causes the cutting configurations  40   a ,  40   b  to move toward one another such that the first and second sharp edges  42   a ,  42   b ;  44   a ,  44   b  of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  come into contact with the outer aluminum stranded configuration  26  of the ACSR cable  22 .  
     [0033] As illustrated in FIG. 5, continued movement of the handles  72   a ,  72   b  in the same direction causes the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  to continue to rotate relative to one another about the pivot  34 . The continued rotation of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  causes the first and second sharp edges  42   a ,  42   b ;  44   a ,  44   b  of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  to cut through the outer aluminum stranded configuration  26  of the ACSR cable  22  and causes the harder central steel core  24  of the ACSR cable  22  to be moved into the pockets  64   a ,  64   b  defined by the cutting configurations  40   a ,  40   b . As the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  cut through the outer aluminum stranded configuration  26  of the ACSR cable  22 , the pockets  64   a ,  64   b  move into alignment with one another such that the pockets  64   a ,  64   b  are in communication with one another. The blunt edges  46   a ,  46   b  of the cutting configurations  40   a ,  40   b  of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  are curved to have a small radius to nearly match a diameter of the harder central steel core  24  of the ACSR cable  22 , thus entrapping the harder central steel core  24  in near perfect circle. The guide member  76   b  on the second handle  72   b  moves over the outer surface  30   a  of the first blade member  28   a . Similarly, although not illustrated in the drawings, the guide member on the first handle  72   a  moves over the outer surface of the second blade member  28   b.    
     [0034] Continued upward movement of the handles  72   a ,  72   b  in the same direction, as illustrated in FIG. 6, causes the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  to continue to rotate relative to one another about the pivot  34 . The continued movement of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  forces the blunt edges  46   a  of the cutting configurations  40   a  of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  to shear the harder central steel core  24  of the ACSR cable  22 , thus completely cutting through the ACSR cable  22 . The guide member  76   b  continues to move over the outer surface  30   a  of the first blade member  28   a . Similarly, although not illustrated in the drawings, the guide member on the first handle  72   a  continues to move over the outer surface of the second blade member  28   b.    
     [0035] The handles  72   a ,  72   b  can then be moved in the opposite direction to the position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 to allow for the cutting of another workpiece  22 .  
     [0036] It should be noted that instead of providing the handles  72   a ,  72   b  of the tool  20  to perform the rotation of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  toward one another in order to cut through the ACSR cable  22 , the tool could be provided with other mechanisms to accomplish the same purpose, such as a ratchet and pawl, a hydraulic ram and hydraulic pump, and a driven pinion and gear mechanism.  
     [0037] It should also be noted that the tool  20  could be used to cut many different types of workpieces other than ACSR cable  22  as the sharp edges  42   a ,  44   a  of the tool  20  can effectively and efficiently cut through material which is generally soft in nature, such as aluminum or copper, while the blunt edges  46   a  of the tool  20  can effectively and efficiently cut through material which is generally hard in nature, such as steel.  
     [0038] The cutting configurations  40   a  of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  provides for an improved cutting configuration for cutting ACSR cable  22  efficiently and effectively using manual force, in comparison to prior art cutters, in that the outer aluminum stranded configuration  26  need not be cut at the same time as the harder central steel core  24  is cut, which would require additional force. Additionally, the harder central steel core  24  is not cut by the sharp edges  42   a ,  44   a  of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b , which are designed to cut the softer outer aluminum stranded configuration  26 , thus preventing the dulling of the sharp edges  42   a ,  44   a  of the blade members  28   a ,  28   b  which reduces the wear life of the sharp edges  42   a ,  44   a.    
     [0039] While a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown and described, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.