Patent Publication Number: US-9884429-B2

Title: Band cutter

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to New Zealand patent application No. 629038 filed Aug. 20, 2014, and incorporated herewith by reference in its entirety. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a Band Cutter for removing bands or rings from tubing joints such as those on and associated with plumbing fittings, in particular where the band or ring has been used to secure plastic plumbing pipe or tubing over a fitting. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     The introduction of plastic piping to the plumbing industry has achieved a significant saving of time. The piping used in plumbing is referred by a variety of terms such as hose, piping or tubing. Steel piping requires a labour and time intensive fitting and threading process. Rigid copper piping avoids the threading process but replaces it with the need for soldering. Plastic tubing requires less fitting and the resulting joints are easy to use and assemble. Tubing used for household plumbing is placed over a fitting&#39;s barbed or ribbed end and secured with a clamp of some sort. It is known to use bands or rings, such as annealed copper rings, over plastic plumbing tubing attached to a plumbing fitting&#39;s end to provide a sealed and secure joint. Since the tubing is resilient it is caused to deform over the contour of the fittings end thus preventing the tubing&#39;s removal therefrom. 
     On occasions it is necessary to change the connection at the joint such as to remove or replace the fitting. The fitting can be salvaged for reuse. However in order to be able to reuse the fitting the band or ring has to be removed. Such removal can be challenging and demanding. A hacksaw can be used to angle cut the ring from the tubing and the fitting. However this may result in damage to the fitting and not all fittings are in positions to which a hacksaw can always be easily used. 
     There are a number of tools used to hold and cut pipes or tubes, however, these pipe-cutters cut the pipe circumferentially. None of these tools could be used to remove a band or ring from a fitting without causing deformation or damage to the fitting. All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinence of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications may be referred to herein; this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country. 
     It is acknowledged that the term ‘comprise’ may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, the term ‘comprise’ shall have an inclusive meaning—i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements. This rationale will also be used when the term ‘comprised’ or ‘comprising’ is used in relation to one or more steps in a method or process. It is an object of the invention to provide a Band Cutter that ameliorates some of the disadvantages and limitations of the known art or at least provide the public with a useful choice. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     In a first aspect the invention resides in a band cutter for removing bands or rings from tubing joints such as those on and associated with plumbing fittings, in particular where the band or ring has been used to secure plastic plumbing pipe or tubing over a fitting, the band cutter including: a main tool body defining an upper portion and a lower portion, a fixed jaw situated on the upper portion of main tool body, a moveable lower jaw slidably attachable to the main tool body and situated below the fixed jaw, the lower jaw adapted to support thereon a band of a banded plumbing fitting, a moving means adapted to move the lower jaw toward and away from the fixed jaw, and a cutting blade situated within and extending downwardly and outwardly from the fixed jaw in a direction toward the lower jaw, wherein the band cutter is adapted to clamp the band of the banded fitting between the jaws as the lower jaw is moved by the moving means toward the fixed jaw so that as the fitting and band is moved toward the fixed jaw the band is pressed against the blade until such time as the blade tangentially cuts through the band and then once the band is cut the moveable lower jaw is caused to move away from the fixed jaw by the moving means so as to allow fitting to be removed from the band cutter and thus allow the cut band to be removed from the fitting. 
     Preferably, the main tool body has a moving means guide situated at a lower portion of the main tool portion directly opposite and spaced apart to the fixed jaw such that the main tool body, fixed jaw and guide form a substantially c-shape in cross-section. 
     Preferably, the lower jaw is positioned such that the lower jaw is able slide up and down the main tool body within the opening of the c-shape. 
     Preferably, the lower jaw is releasably attached to main tool body. 
     Preferably, the lower jaw has a longitudinal slot dimensioned and sized so that the depth of the slot is slightly greater than the thickness of the main tool body and the depth of the slot is equal or slightly greater than the depth of the main tool body so that the slot is able to accommodate therein the main tool body so that the lower jaw is able to slide up and down the length of the main tool body. 
     Preferably, the lower jaw has a band receiving portion adapted to retain a portion of the band therein as the band is moved toward and been cut by the blade. Preferably, the band receiving portion is a tangential slot for accommodating and supporting the band. 
     Preferably, the tangential slot is V-shaped. Preferably, the fixed jaw releasably accommodates the cutting blade therein such that the cutting edge of the cutting blade extends downwardly from the fixed jaw whereby the cutting edge is aligned tangentially relative to the longitudinal axis of the main tool body so that the cutting blade cuts the band tangentially. 
     Preferably, the fixed jaw has fixed part attached to the main tool body and a releasably blade clamp part in between which the cutting blade is situated. 
     Preferably, the fixed part has an indentation therein configured and sized to accommodate the cutting blade therein such that the blade is securely held and unable to move vertically, horizontally or twist when the band cutter is use. 
     Preferably, the surface of the blade clamp part in contact with the fixed part has a protrusion shaped and sized to the shape of the blade such that the protrusion pushes the blade into the indentation in the fixed part in order to securely hold and support the blade within the indentation. 
     Preferably, the guide has a hole there through to accommodate a spindle of the moving means that is attached at one end to the lower jaw. 
     Preferably, the hole and spindle are threaded to allow the spindle to rotate within the threaded hole of the guide so that as the moving means when activated causes the spindle to be wound in one direction to cause the lower jaw to move upwards and to be wound in the opposite direction to cause the lower jaw to move downwards. 
     Preferably, the moving means has a handle to assist in the winding of the spindle. 
     Preferably, the moving means has a motor to assist in the winding of the spindle. 
     Preferably, the motor is a hydraulic, pneumatic, servo, solenoid or electric motor. 
     Preferably, the spindle is adapted to move in a linear and non-rotational upward and downward movement. 
     Preferably, the spindle is moved by a motor. 
     Preferably, the motor is a hydraulic, pneumatic, servo, solenoid or electric motor. 
     Preferably, the blade has a width that is at least equal to the width of the band being cut. 
     Preferably, the cutting edge of the blade is presented at 90° relative to the band when cutting edge makes contact with the band. 
     Preferably, the cutting edge of the blade is presented at angle between 0° and 180° relative to the band when cutting edge makes contact with the band. 
     Preferably, the moving means has a quick release mechanism to allow the quick release of the clamping action once the band is cut. Any other aspects herein described. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described, by way of example only, by reference to the accompanying drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a band cutter in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective exploded view of the band cutter as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
     The following description will describe the invention in relation to preferred embodiments of the invention, namely a band for removing bands or rings from tubing joints such as those on and associated with plumbing fittings, in particular where the band or ring has been used to secure plastic plumbing pipe or tubing over a fitting. 
     The invention is in no way limited to these preferred embodiments as they are purely to exemplify the invention only and that possible variations and modifications would be readily apparent without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     Note for ease of showing and describing the inventive features of the band cutter clearly, the drawings do not show an actual fitting only the band or ring which would be attached to a fitting. The band cutter  20  has a main tool body  24  having a fixed upper jaw  22 , a guide  243  and moveable lower jaw  21  situated between the upper jaw and the guide  243 . The upper jaw is situated at an upper portion of the main tool body  24  and the guide  243  is situated at a lower portion of the main body portion such that both the main body portion  24  upper jaw  22  and the guide  243  are configured and dimensioned to form a substantially c-shape (in cross-section). The moveable lower jaw  21  is able to slide up and down the main body  24  and within the opening of the c-shape toward and away from the upper jaw  22  so as to releasably clamp a band between the two jaws  21 ,  22 . 
     As shown in the drawings the lower jaw  21  is attached and able to slide along the vertical portion  242  of the main body  24  between the upper jaw  22  and the guide  243 . The lower jaw  21  is shown as having a cylindrical body  213  with ends  211  &amp;  212 . A longitudinal slot  217  extends a distance in to the cylindrical body  213  from the end  212 . The longitudinal slot  217  is dimensioned so that the depth of the slot  217  is slightly greater than the thickness of the vertical portion  242  and the depth of the slot  217  is equal or slightly greater than the depth of the vertical portion  242 . An end cap  2112  is secured (by way of screws  2113  and holes  2114 ) to the end  212  of the cylindrical body  213  in order to slidingly retain the lower jaw to the main body  24 . The cylindrical body  213  has on its upper surface a tangential slot  214  for accommodating and supporting the band  10 . The tangential slot  214  is shown as having a V-shape with sides  215  &amp;  216  which allows for different sized bands to be cut. It is envisaged that other shapes for the tangential slot  214  could be used. The lower part of the cylindrical body  213  beneath the tangential slot  214  has two pin receiving holes  218  to accommodate pins  219  used to retain an upper end  231  (via slot  232 ) of a spindle  233  with in a hole (not shown) in the bottom of the cylindrical body  213 . 
     The upper jaw  22  consist of a fixed part  241  that includes an indentation  245  therein configured and sized to accommodate a cutting blade  25  therein such that the blade  25  is securely held and unable to move vertically, horizontally or twist when the band cutter  20  is use. The fixed part has screw receiving holes  244 . A blade clamp  221  is removable secured to the fixed part by way of screws  222  passing through holes  223  in the blade clamp and into the screw receiving holes of the fixed part  241 . The blade clamp  221  clamps the blade  25  to the fixed part  241 . The surface of the blade clamp  221  in contact with the fixed part  241  can have a protrusion shaped and sized to the shape of the blade such that the protrusion (not shown) pushes the blade  25  into the indentation  245  in the fixed part  241  so that the blade  25  is securely held and supported within the indentation  245 . The cutting edge of the blade  25  extends downwardly and outwardly from the lower edge of the fixed jaw  22  such that cutting edge of the blade  25  is able to contact and apply a cutting force to a band  10  when the band  10  is moved by the lower jaw  21  upwardly to the fixed jaw  22 . 
     The guide  243  has a hole  246  there through to accommodate spindle  233  of a mechanism  23  for moving the lower jaw  21 . The hole  246  is threaded to threadingly accommodate the spindle  233  which also threaded so that as the spindle wound by way of a handle  234  the lower jaw  21  is caused to move upward when wound in on direction and downward when wound in the opposite direction. As mentioned previously the upper part of the spindle is fixed to the lower jaw by way of pins  219  passing through slot  232  on the spindle. Whilst the drawings show a hand operated mechanism  23  it is envisaged that the handle could be removed  234  and the spindle attached to a hydraulic, pneumatic, servo, solenoid or electric motor. 
     In use a fitting with a band  10  is placed between the jaws  21 ,  22  of the band cutter  20  such that the band  10  is situated in the tangential slot  214  of the moveable jaw  21 . In this position the band is ready for cutting by the blade  25  in the jaw  22 . Jaw  21  is activated to move by winding the spindle  233  so that the fitting and band  10  is moved toward jaw  22  and the band pressed against the blade  25  until such time as the blade  25  tangentially cuts through the band  10 . Once the band  10  is cut the moveable jaw  21  is caused to move away by winding the spindle in the opposite direction so as to allow fitting to be removed from the band cutter  20  and thus allow band  10  to be removed from the fitting. 
     Whilst the drawings show a threaded spindle  233  and threaded hole  246  in the guide  243  it is envisaged that both the spindle  233  and guide and hole  246  are not threaded such that the spindle can move linearly (without rotation) in order to vertically move the lower jaw  21  which is preferable when the band cutter is operated by either a hydraulic, pneumatic, servo, solenoid or electric motor. 
     The blade  25  has a width that is at least equal to the width of the band being cut. The cutting edge of the blade  25  is preferably at 90° to the band  10  when cutting edge makes contact with the band  10 . It is envisaged that the blade  25  could be adapted to be at an angle relative to the band without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     The lower jaw mechanism  23  could include a quick release so that in order to release the clamping action once the band is cut the quick release is activated to allow the spindle and hence the lower jaw to move downwardly quickly. A band cutter that: is easy to use; is able to accommodate differing sized fittings and bands; is hand held and hand operated; uses replaceable blades; is able to be used in tight spaces or areas hard or difficult to get at, and is portable. 
     The Invention may also broadly be said to consist in the parts, elements and features referred or indicated in the specification, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any of two or more parts, elements, members or features and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents such equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth. The examples and the particular proportions set forth are intended to be illustrative only and are thus non-limiting. 
     The invention has been described with particular reference to certain embodiments thereof. It will be understood that various modifications can be made to the above-mentioned embodiment without departing from the ambit of the invention. The skilled reader will also understand the concept of what is meant by purposive construction. It will also be understood that where a product, method or process as herein described or claimed and that is sold incomplete, as individual components or steps, or as a “Kit of Parts”, that such exploitation will fall within the ambit of this invention even though there may not be any claim to a kit of parts included in the following claims.