Patent Publication Number: US-8533962-B1

Title: Clipper lever

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to devices for clipping hair on animals and humans, for clipping fabrics such as carpets and other products that may be groomed using cutting clippers that use a lever or engagement element between the clipper motor and the blades to move the blades. The new lever may have a rotator bearing or roller bearing positioned in a rotator member cavity to facilitate lubrication and a motor lever arm end shaped to retain bearing lubrication and allow oscillating motion adjacent a motor shaft drive end. 
     Clipper levers also known as engagement elements are often used as part of the drive apparatus to transfer clipper electric motor power to an oscillating or reciprocating motion for movement of cutting blades for use in cutting hair on animals and humans. The lever may be fabricated from metal, plastic, composite material and the like. An often used material is plastic that may be molded as a lever. The levers may not have a roller bearing positioned in the central portion of the lever that may have an aperture for rotatable positioning on a lever shaft or pins. While bushings may be known for lever pins or shafts, the use of these elements may allow rapid wearing of the pin and rotating lever. There may also be no structure to aid in lubricating or maintaining lubricant in a central rotator member. Poor retention of lubricant for a bearing in a motor end cavity may also cause problems with clipper levers as a cavity for receipt of a motor drive shaft bearing may allow lubricant to escape. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to devices that may oscillate a movable blade of a clipper. A lever may be a drive finger attached to a rotator member and a motor lever arm attached to the rotator member approximately opposite the drive finger along a longitudinal axis. A rotator bearing cavity of generally cylindrical shape may be formed in the rotator member and may be sized for insertion of a rotator bearing. A bottom wall of the rotator bearing cavity may have an aperture sized to allow fluid to flow through the aperture adjacent a lever shaft inserted through the rotator bearing and the aperture. A motor end of the motor lever arm may have a motor end cavity therein with two opposed spaced apart side walls. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective partially disassembled top view of a clipper and bottom view of a lever cover assembly according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a plan view of the lever and blade portion of a clipper according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a plan view of the lever and blade portion of a clipper with a blade moved to the left according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of a lever according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a bottom plan view of a lever according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a motor end view of a lever according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a top plan view of a lever according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description represents the best currently contemplated modes for carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 3 , a clipper  10  may have an electric motor  12  and a blade drive apparatus  14  that may have a front lower portion  16  and a lever cover  18 . A lever  20  may be rotatably mounted on a lever shaft  22 . The lever  20  may have a drive finger  24  and motor end  26 . The motor end  26  may have a motor end cavity  28  for receipt of a motor end bearing  30  that may engage a motor shaft drive end  32  that may have an off center shaft  34  to translate motor shaft rotation to an orthogonal lever shaft to oscillate a blade. The lever  20  may be viewed in a centered position in  FIG. 2  and a left position in  FIG. 3 . The lever  20  is engaged at the drive finger  24  with the movable blade  50  in a drive recess slot  54  to oscillate the movable blade  50  back and forth relative to the fixed blade  52  for the cutting action. While a particular eccentric motor shaft drive end  32  has been illustrated, this is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principals of a blade drive mechanism to oscillate a cutting blade for a clipper. Any motor shaft drive and blade drive mechanism using a lever may benefit from use of a support insert. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 7 , the lever  20  may have the drive finger  24  attached to a rotator member  23  and a motor lever arm  25  attached to the rotator  23  generally opposite the drive finger  24  along a longitudinal axis  60 . There may be a rotator bearing cavity  27  of generally cylindrical shape formed in the rotator member  23  to form a cylindrical wall  21  with an open top and a bottom wall  40 . A rotator bearing  29  may be positioned in the rotator bearing cavity  27  and may be retained by a friction fit at the bearing  29  outside circumference. The rotator bearing  29  may be of the roller ball type with an inside and an outside race with ball bearings. 
     The bottom wall  40  may have an aperture  42  centrally formed therethrough and the aperture  42  may be sized for insertion of a lever shaft  22 . The aperture  42  may have a diameter larger than the diameter of the lever shaft  22  to allow fluid lubricant or oil to flow through the aperture adjacent to the lever shaft  22 . The aperture  42  may have an approximate diameter between 0.062 inches and 1.062 inches that may depend on the size of the blade drive aperture  14 . A general purpose hair clipper drive may use an approximately 0.255 inches diameter aperture. 
     The aperture  42  at its center may be spaced apart from the lever tip end  44  a distance of approximately between 0.125 and 1.950 inches. A general purpose hair clipper drive may use a distance of approximately 1.210 inches. The aperture  42  center may also be spaced apart from the motor lever arm  25  motor end  26  back edge  36  a distance of approximately between 0.125 inches and 1.950 inches depending on clipper size. A general purpose hair clipper drive may use an approximately 0.810 inches distance. 
     The bottom wall  40  of the rotator bearing cavity  27  in a lower or outer surface may have an annular groove  48  formed adjacent to the aperture  42 . The annular groove  48  may be sized to overlay openings of one or more lubrication passages  62  that may be in a rotator mount  64  in the front lower portion  16 . 
     The motor lever arm  25  may have a motor end  26  with a motor end cavity  28  that may have two opposed spaced apart side walls  31 . Each side wall  31  at a back edge  36  may be angled at most 80 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis  60 , as best viewed in  FIG. 5 , reference angle a. This may allow the oscillating motion of the motor end  26  to occur as close as possible to the motor shaft drive end  32  as compared to an edge  36  that might be a right angle edge. 
     The motor end cavity  28  may have a top wall  33  that may have a concave arch shape. The interior surface  35  of the top wall  33  may have a concave arch shape. This may allow the top wall  33  to be positioned as close as possible to the area of travel of the motor end bearing  30  when the motor shaft drive end  32  may be rotating. This top wall  33  may aid in retaining lubricant for the motor end bearing  30 . 
     The motor end  26  may be sized for the motor end cavity  28  to receive the motor end bearing  30  to maintain continuous contact of the bearing  30  with the interior of the side walls  31  as the bearing  30  rotatably positioned on an off center shaft  34  attached to the motor shaft drive end  32  may be rotated. This may reduce or eliminate jamming or jerking at each end of the reciprocating cycle. The distance between the side walls  31  outside surfaces may be approximately between 0.062 and 2.875 inches. The motor end cavity  28  may have a height between the bottom edges  38  of the side walls  31  and the interior surface  35  of approximately between 0.025 and 2.625 inches. A general purpose hair clipper drive may have a side wall  31  distance of approximately 0.600 inches and a motor end cavity  28  height of approximately 0.585 inches. 
     The motor end  26  may be relatively larger than the motor lever arm  25  and the motor lever arm  25  may be attached to the motor end  26  by a radiused material structure to improve the strength of the juncture. The motor lever arm  25  may have a slot  72  formed in a lower portion between the rotator member  23  and the motor end  26 . This may form two parallel rib or beam like members that may reduce flexing or wrenching under stressful torque conditions, and may improve heat transfer from the lever arm  25 . 
     The drive finger  24  may also have an elongated slot  70  formed in a lower portion between the rotator member  23  and the lever tip end  44 . This may form two parallel rib or beam like members that may reduce flexing or wrenching under stressful torque conditions, and may improve heat transfer from the drive finger  24 . The lever tip end  44  may have a top surface  46  that may have a slope angle relative to the longitudinal axis  60  of between approximately 1 degree and 121 degrees. An angle of approximately 45 degrees has been found useful in some general purpose hair clipper drives, but the angle may depend on the clipper drive apparatus structure. 
     The lever tip end  44  may have a transverse thickness of approximately between 0.025 and 0.625 inches. A general purpose hair clipper drive may use a thickness of approximately 0.290 inches. There may also be a generally transverse lever cavity  56  formed in the drive finger  24  adjacent the lever tip end  44 . The lever cavity  56  may be positioned such that the ends of a rod  58  positioned in the lever cavity  56  will be located to engage a clipper blade  50  drive finger slot  54 . The rod  58  may be formed of a rigid, durable material to aid in reducing wear of the drive finger  24  as it is oscillated to move the clipper blade  50 . 
     The lever shaft  22  may be attached to and extend outwardly from a lever cover  18 . A rotator cup  66  may be annularly positioned around the lever shaft  22  and may be attached to the lever cover  18 , as best viewed in  FIG. 1 . The wall of the rotator cup  66  may have one or more wall slots  68 . The rotator cup  66  may aid in lubricating and heat dissipation for the rotator bearing  29 . 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to the illustrated embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.