Patent Publication Number: US-9883694-B2

Title: Cigar cutter

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Cigars are typically manufactured, either by hand or by machine, with one end that is cut and an opposite end that is closed off to form a cap. The cap must be cut or punctured prior to smoking to allow air and smoke to be drawn through the cap end of the cigar. A variety of devices are known in the art for preparing the cap of the cigar for smoking including punches, V-cutters or notch cutters, knives, scissors, and guillotine cutters. 
     Exemplary guillotine cutters are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,656,595 to Wong and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0162569 to Smith. These cutters include a housing with a central aperture in which a cigar can be inserted. A pair of oppositely oriented guillotine blades are provided that intersect the aperture and are slideably movable across the aperture to engage and cut through the cigar inserted therein. Each of the blades is biased by a spring to move outwardly away from the aperture to allow insertion of the cigar therein, or the blades can be depressed toward one another and locked in a position lying across the aperture. 
     U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0089299 to Belaubre discloses a scissor-like cigar cutter device that discloses the use of cutting blades with toothed portions that cooperate with a gear wheel to enable the blades to move simultaneously and symmetrically about a middle axis. The blades are locked in the closed position using hooks. The blades are unlocked by manually separating the hooks. Once unlocked, a spring forces the blades pivotally apart to an open position. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the invention are defined by the claims below, not this summary. A high-level overview of various aspects of the invention is provided here to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described in the Detailed-Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. In brief, this disclosure describes, among other things, a cigar cutter. 
     The cigar cutter includes a torus-shaped or doughnut-shaped body with a central aperture extending therethrough and sized to receive at least an end portion of a cigar therein. A pair of oppositely oriented blade assemblies are provided and are translationally moveable between an extended position and a collapsed position. In the extended position leading edges of the blades lie outside of the aperture and in the collapsed position the leading edges of the blades are moved toward one another such that the blades overlap and fully obstruct the aperture. 
     A gear train is provided that maintains symmetrical movements of the blade assemblies between the extended and collapsed positions. The gear train also provides bias of the blade assemblies toward the extended position and retention of the blades in the collapsed position when a locking arm is engaged therewith. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cigar cutter is a closed state depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the cigar cutter of  FIG. 1  in an open state depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an internal view of the cigar cutter of  FIG. 1  depicted with a top cover removed to show an internal gear train in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an internal view of the cigar cutter of  FIG. 2  depicted with a top cover removed to show the internal gear train in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the cigar cutter of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The subject matter of select embodiments of the invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. But the description itself is not intended to necessarily limit the scope of claims. Rather, the claimed subject matter might be embodied in other ways to include different components, steps, or combinations thereof similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described. The terms “about” or “approximately” as used herein denote deviations from the exact value by +/−10%, preferably by +/−5% and/or deviations in the form of changes that are insignificant to the function. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1-5 , a cigar cutter  10  is described in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The cutter  10  is described herein as a cigar cutter but embodiments of the invention are not so limited. For example, the cutter  10  may be employed and/or configured for cutting various other objects, such as cigarettes, cigarillos, little cigars, and other tobacco and non-tobacco products. 
     The cutter  10  includes a body  12 , a first and second blade assembly  14 ,  16  that are translationally moveable between a collapsed position shown in  FIG. 1  and an extended position shown in  FIG. 2 . In the collapsed position, the body  12  and handle portions  18  of the blade assemblies  14 ,  16  form a ring torus or doughnut shape with an aperture  20  extending coaxially therethrough. The cutter  10  can take other overall forms that include the aperture  20  extending therethrough, e.g. non-torus forms. 
     The body  12  comprises a front plate  22  and a back plate  24  that when coupled together form a slot  26  extending through a central portion of the body  12  across the width of the body  12 , e.g. along a diameter of the body, and perpendicular to the central axis of the aperture  20 . The front and back plates  22 ,  24  also form an opening in which a latch lever  28  is disposed as described more fully below. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 5 , the blade assemblies  14 ,  16  each include a blade  30 ,  31  respectively, with the handle portions  18  coupled to a first ends thereof. The handle portions  18  are coupled to the blades  30 ,  31 , such as by fasteners, adhesives, welding or the like, and preferably have a form that compliments or completes the overall torus shape of the body  12  when in the collapsed position. However, the handle portions  18  may take any desired form. The handle portions  18  may define a maximum extent of travel of the blade assembly  14 ,  16  into/toward the body  12  and preferably provide a distal surface upon which a user can apply an inwardly directed force for moving the blade assemblies  14 ,  16  toward one another. 
     An opposite second end of the blades  30 ,  31  forms a sharp cutting edge  32 ,  33 . The cutting edges  32 ,  33  are depicted in  FIGS. 1-5  as being curved to follow the circumference of the aperture  20 ; the radius of the curvature is approximately the same as or just larger than that of the aperture  20 . In another embodiment, the cutting edges  32 ,  33  are straight, serrated, faceted, or otherwise arranged. For example, the cutting edges may be linear and aligned at an angle relative to the direction of travel of the blades  30 ,  31 . Or the cutting edges might be bifurcated into two linear facets arranged at angles to one another to provide a V-shaped cutting edge, among a variety of other configurations. 
     Upper and lower lateral edges of the blades  30 ,  31  include toothed portions  34 U,  34 L,  35 U,  35 L that extend along all or a portion of the respective edges. The blade assemblies  14 ,  16  are oppositely oriented to direct their cutting edges  32 ,  33  toward one another. The blades  30 ,  31  are offset in the axial direction of the aperture  20  so as to enable the blades  30 ,  31  to move toward and/or slide past one another in an overlapping relationship. The blades  30 ,  31  are also offset in a lateral direction perpendicular to their direction of translational movement and parallel to the plane of the blades  30 ,  31 . 
     A gear train  36  is disposed within the body  12 . The gear train  36  provides synchronous and symmetrical movement of the blade assemblies  14 ,  16 , provides a bias on the blade assemblies  14 ,  16  toward an extended position, and enables locking of the blade assemblies  14 ,  16  in the collapsed position against the outward bias. Although a particular gear train  36  is described herein, it is understood that the gear train  36  may be configured in other ways to perform the same or similar function. Such other configurations are within the scope of embodiments of the invention described herein. 
     The gear train  36  includes a ring gear  38  disposed to circumscribe the aperture  20  and that engages an upper spur gear  40  and a lower spur gear  42 . The ring gear  38  includes a plurality of gear teeth along at least a portion of the outer circumference thereof that are configured to mesh with the upper and lower spur gears  40 ,  42 . The upper and lower spur gears  40 ,  42  are disposed at diametrically opposite sides of the aperture  20  and/or the body  12 . A secondary upper spur gear  44  is disposed alongside and in engagement with the upper spur gear  40  and a secondary lower spur gear  46  is disposed alongside and in engagement with the lower spur gear  42 . Each of the gears  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46  are of substantially the same radial dimensions and tooth pattern and provide a substantially 1:1 gear ratio. It is however, understood that other configurations can employ other gear ratios and gear configurations without departing from embodiments of the invention described herein. 
     The gear train  36  operates in three parallel planes that are stacked in the axial direction of the aperture  20 . The ring gear  38  lies in a first plane that is nearest to the back plate  24 . The upper and lower spur gears  40 ,  42  engage the toothed portion of the ring gear  38  in the first plane and extend from the first plane through an intermediate second plane and into a third plane. 
     The secondary upper spur gear  44  and the blade  30  of the first blade assembly  14  lie in the second plane. The secondary upper spur gear  44  is simultaneously enmeshed with the upper spur gear  40  and the toothed portion  34 U of the blade  30  of the first blade assembly  14 . The toothed portion  34 U thus functions as a rack gear in a rack-and-pinion-style configuration. The toothed portion  34 L on the opposite lateral edge of the blade  30  engages the lower spur gear  42  in the second plane. 
     The blade  31  of the second blade assembly  16  is positioned in the third plane along with the secondary lower spur gear  46 . The toothed portion  35 L of the blade  31  engages the secondary lower spur gear  46  while the toothed portion  35 U on the opposite edge of the blade  31  engages the upper spur gear  40 . The toothed portions  35 L and  35 U of the blade  31  thus function as rack gears in rack-and-pinion-style configurations. 
     The gear train  36  thus maintains synchronous movements of the blades  30 ,  31  relative to one another and maintains the alignment and movement of the blades  30 ,  31  along a diametrical path extending across the aperture  20 . The blades  30 ,  31  are prevented from moving at different rates toward/away from one another. The upper and lower edges of each respective blade  30 ,  31  are also prevented from moving at different rates which would result in the blade  30 ,  31  becoming crocked or misaligned with the slot  26 . 
     A coil spring  48  is disposed between the ring gear  38  and the back plate  24  within a channel  50  that generally follows the ring gear  38  along an arcuate path. The coil spring  48  is coupled at one end to a first stud (not shown) extending from the back plate  24  within the channel  50  and to a second stud  52  on the ring gear  38 . The coil spring  48  thus rotationally biases the ring gear  38  in a first direction, e.g. counter-clockwise as depicted in  FIGS. 1-5 . Hereinafter clockwise/counterclockwise rotational movement of the components of the gear train  36  are described relative to their orientation depicted in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
     A cam wheel  54  is coupled to an axle of the upper spur gear  40  and lies in a fourth plane. The cam wheel  54  includes a circumferential cam surface  56  that includes a stop  58  and a catch or notch  60 . The stop  58  is depicted and described herein as a radially outwardly extending protuberance and the notch  60  is depicted as a radially inwardly extending depression. However the stop  58  and notch  60  can be otherwise configured but still perform the same functions as described herein. For example, the notch  60  might be configured as a radially outwardly extending bump or a protruding or depressed catch. Such other configurations are within the scope of embodiments of the invention described herein. The cam surface  56  is engaged by a pawl  62  extending from the latch lever  28 . The latch lever  28  is pivotable about an axis  64  and is biased by a spring  66  toward engagement of a distal end of the pawl  62  with the cam surface  56 . 
     A pair of spacers (a first spacer  68  and a second spacer  70 ) is provided within the body  12 . Each of the spacers  68 ,  70  includes a ring portion  72 ,  74  and a wing portion  76 ,  78 . The ring portion  72  of the first spacer  68  is disposed between the ring gear  38  and the blade  30  of the first blade assembly  14 , e.g. between the first and second planes of the gear train  36 . The ring portion  72  thus separates the blade  30  from the ring gear  38 . The wing portion  76  of the first spacer  68  is configured to substantially fill a space within the slot  26  between back plate  24  and the blade  31  of the second blade assembly  16  that is not occupied by the blade  30  of the first blade assembly  14  in either the collapsed or extended positions. An edge of the wing portion  76  nearest the cutting edge  32  of the blade  30  may be contoured to match or mate with the cutting edge  32  of the blade  30  when in the collapsed position. The second spacer  70  is similarly configured and is disposed between the blade  31  of the second blade assembly  16  and the front plate  22  of the body  12 . The ring portion  74  of the second spacer  70  separates the blade  31  from contact with the front plate  22 . The wing portion  78  substantially fills a space within the slot  26  in the third plane of the gear train  36  that is not occupied by the blade  31  in either the collapsed or extended positions. 
     The spacers  68 ,  70  may be formed from a plastic or similar material with a low coefficient of friction so as to aid sliding motion of the blades  30 ,  31  therealong as well as rotational motion of the ring gear  38  which may contact the ring portion  72  of the first spacer  68 . 
     With continued reference to  FIGS. 1-5 , operation of the cutter  10  is now described in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In the collapsed position, the cutter  10  takes a torus-like form comprised of the body  12  and the handle portions  18 . The blades  30 ,  31  extend in an overlapping relationship across and obstructing the aperture  20 . In this collapsed position, the cutter  10  is easily handheld and may be placed in a pocket, carrying case, or handbag for storage or transport. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , in the collapsed position, the pawl  62  of the latch lever  28  is engaged with the notch  60  in the cam wheel  54 . Pivotal bias provided by the spring  66  on the latch lever  28  maintains the engagement between the pawl  62  and the notch  60 . Additionally, the coil spring  48  applies a bias on the ring gear  38  to rotate counterclockwise as depicted in  FIGS. 3-4 . The counterclockwise bias on the ring gear  38  further biases the gear train  36  and thus the blade assemblies  30 ,  31  toward the extended position. And the counterclockwise bias on the ring gear  38  also provides a clockwise bias on the cam wheel  54  which may also aid to maintain engagement of the pawl  62  with the notch  60 . 
     Movement of the cutter  10  from the collapsed position to the extended position depicted in  FIG. 4  is initiated by a user depressing a distal end  80  of the latch lever  28  thereby compressing the spring  66 , pivoting the latch lever  28  counterclockwise about the axis  64 , and disengaging the pawl  62  from the notch  60  in the cam wheel  54 . Bias on the gear train  36  provided by the coil spring  48  rotates the cam wheel  54  in the clockwise direction to move the notch  60  away from a position in which the notch  60  is engageable by the pawl  62 . Release of the latch lever  28  by the user allows the pawl  62  to move back toward the cam wheel  54  and to engage and/or ride along the cam surface  56  as the cam wheel  54  continues to rotate with the gear train  36 . The rotation of the cam wheel  54  may continue until the pawl  62  contacts the stop  58  which may define a maximum travel distance of the gear train  36  and of the blade assemblies  14 ,  16  outwardly from the body  12 . The maximum travel distance might also be defined by a length of toothed sections on the circumference of the ring gear  38  or the length of the toothed portions  34 U,  34 L,  35 U,  35 L among other features configured to limit or obstruct further rotation of the gear train  36  or travel of the blade assemblies  14 ,  16 . The stop  58  may have a radial height sufficient to engage the pawl  62  when the latch lever  28  is depressed or released such that the gear train  36  cannot exceed the maximum travel distance when the user maintains the latch lever  28  in the depressed position. 
     The gear train  36  operates to provide synchronous and symmetrical movement of the blade assemblies  14 ,  16  between the collapsed and extended positions. After release of the cam wheel  54  from the pawl  62 , the coil spring  48  operates to rotate the ring gear  38  counterclockwise. This acts to rotate the upper spur gear  40  and the lower spur gear  42  in the clockwise direction. 
     The upper spur gear  40  is engaged with the secondary upper spur gear  44  and the upper toothed portion  35 U of the blade  31  of the second blade assembly  16 . The secondary upper spur gear  44  is thus rotated counterclockwise. The second blade assembly  16  is moved outwardly away from the aperture  20 . 
     The secondary upper spur gear  44  is further engaged with the upper toothed portion  34 U of the blade  30  of the first blade assembly  14 . The first blade assembly  14  is thus moved outwardly away from the aperture  20  in a direction opposite that of the second blade assembly  16 . 
     Similarly, the lower spur gear  42  is engaged with the secondary lower spur gear  46  and with the lower toothed portion  34 L of the blade  30  of the first blade assembly  14 . The secondary lower spur gear  46  is thus rotated counterclockwise and the first blade assembly  14  is moved outwardly away from the aperture  20 . 
     The secondary lower spur gear  46  is further engaged with the lower toothed portion  35 L of the blade  31  of the second blade assembly  16 . The second blade assembly  16  is thus moved outwardly away from the aperture  20 . 
     The blade  30  of the first blade assembly  14  is thus driven outwardly by engagement with both the lower spur gear  42  and the secondary upper spur gear  44 . The blade  31  of the second blade assembly  16  is driven outwardly by engagement with both the upper spur gear  40  and the secondary lower spur gear  46 . As such, the blades  30 ,  31  are supported along each edge by respective spur gears  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46  and are driven at equal rates relative to one another. The upper and lower edges of the blades  30 ,  31  are also driven or guided at equal rates which prevents the blades  30 ,  31  from becoming misaligned or crooked within the slot  26 . 
     The blades  30 ,  31  are moved outwardly away from the aperture  20  a distance sufficient to place their respective cutting edges  32 ,  33  flush with or sub-flush with the perimeter of the aperture  20 . As such, the risk of a user cutting themselves on the cutting edges  32 ,  33  while the cutter  10  is in the extended position is reduced or eliminated. 
     In the extended position, the cap end of a cigar, or a portion of another product to be cut, can be inserted at least partially into the aperture  20  and through the second and third planes occupied by the blades  30 ,  31 . To cut the cigar, an inwardly directed force is applied to one or both of the handle portions  18  of the first and second blade assemblies  14 ,  16 . It is preferable to apply an equal force on each of the first and second blade assemblies  14 ,  16  but such is not required; the configuration of the gear train  36  distributes the forces (equal or unequal) applied on the blade assemblies  14 ,  16 , to move the blades  30 ,  31  at equal rates and with equal cutting force. 
     Application of the inwardly directed force on the blade assemblies  14 ,  16  moves the cutting edges  32 ,  33  toward one another to cut into and through the cigar from opposite sides thereof in a guillotine fashion. The synchronous and symmetrical movement of the blades  30 ,  31  provides self-centering of the cigar within the aperture  20  which may aid to ensure an even and clean cut. The rounded shape of the cutting edges  32 ,  33  may also aid center the cigar within the aperture  20  and to evenly apply the cutting force around the circumference of the cigar. Even application of the cutting forces may provide a cleaner cut without deforming the shape of the cigar. 
     Movement of the blade assemblies  14 ,  16  inward toward the aperture  20  operates to move the gear train  36  in the opposite direction to that described above and thus rotates the cam wheel  54  in the opposite direction (e.g. clockwise). Upon realignment of the pawl  62  with the notch  60 , the spring  66  biases the pawl  62  into engagement with the notch  60  to again retain the cutter  10  in the collapsed position. 
     Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the scope of the claims below. Embodiments of the technology have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to readers of this disclosure after and because of reading it. Alternative means of implementing the aforementioned can be completed without departing from the scope of the claims below. Identification of structures as being configured to perform a particular function in this disclosure and in the claims below is intended to be inclusive of structures and arrangements or designs thereof that are within the scope of this disclosure and readily identifiable by one of skill in the art and that can perform the particular function in a similar way. Certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims.