Abstract:
An interchangeable blade scissors assembly is provided. The interchangeable blade scissors assembly has a pair of scissors frame members each having a blade receiving portion and a handle, a pivot connection of the pair of scissors frame members, and a plurality of pairs of cutting blades. Each of the cutting blades has a mounting plate and a latch. Each of the blade receiving portions has a channel for receiving the cutting blade mounting plate and a latch receiving area for securing the cutting blade to the blade receiving portions. The cutting blades are easily removed from the blade receiving portions by telescopic movement along the channel.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/293,235 filed on Nov. 13, 2002, which is related to and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/338,576 filed on Nov. 13, 2001, the entirety of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to cutting instruments. More particularly, the present invention relates to scissors having interchangeable blades.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Stationary products such as shears, trimmers, and scissors have evolved in functionality in recent years due to improvements in manufacture, assembly, operation, and design. The result has been development of safer and more efficient, as well as more innovative cutting instruments.  
         [0004]     The industry continues to place increasing demand on manufacturers of stationary products to increase the ease of consumer operation of cutting instruments, as well as to provide an instrument, which can be rapidly manufactured and assembled. For example, scissors specifically designed for use by children require durability, safety, and novelty. By further example, scissors designed for adult use require efficiency in production and assembly in order to produce a market competitive product.  
         [0005]     While various attempts have been made to achieve a product construction and assembly which enables a cutting instrument to be manufactured and produced at minimum expense, such efforts have failed to provide a final product which is capable of meeting all user demands. Prior efforts have also failed to produce scissors that meet design, structure, assembly, and operational ease. Consequently, a need exists for improvements in the manufacture and assembly of cutting instruments such as scissors.  
         [0006]     Specifically, a need exists for an integrally formed cutting system having rapidly and easily changeable cutting elements. Such a cutting system would allow the user to quickly and safely change the cutting edge in order to enable the same scissors handles to be used in a wide variety of cutting configurations to achieve a wide variety of visual appearance for the paper or other medium being cut, while being easily transformable and safe for use by children.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     It is an object of the present invention to provide scissors having interchangeable blades, in which the scissors are constructed in a manner to enable it to be quickly and easily assembled, yet also easily and conveniently employed and adapted to multiple cutting styles.  
         [0008]     It is also an object of the present invention to provide scissors having interchangeable blades, in which the blade assembly system is rugged and wear-resistant.  
         [0009]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide scissors having a minimal number of components to produce the interchangeable blade construction.  
         [0010]     It is a still further object of the present invention to provide scissors having interchangeable blades in which the blades may be removed and replaced with substantial ease and simplicity.  
         [0011]     These and other objects and advantages are achieved by a cutting instrument having integrally formed, pivotally attached handles, which are capable of securely retaining a wide variety of cutting blades which are easily mounted thereto.  
         [0012]     By employing the present invention, any user, including a child, can quickly and easily mount any desired cutting blades to the handles of the scissors. In order to attain this quick, simple, easily employed construction, cutting blade support members are constructed for telescopic sliding engagement with the support handles of the scissors. In addition, by incorporating a latch, which is easily locked in place, a unique scissor construction assembly is achieved.  
         [0013]     In addition, the latch preferably also has an easily reached release member so that the removal of any desired cutting blade assembly is achieved, whenever the user desires to change or replace a cutting blade. In the preferred embodiment, the release member is integrally formed with the latch to assure a quick, simple and easy operation.  
         [0014]     The foregoing and still other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed explanation of the preferred embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, specification, and claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the interchangeable cutting blade scissors assembly of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of the interchangeable cutting blade scissors assembly of the present invention, shown in the open position;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of the interchangeable cutting blade scissors assembly of  FIG. 2 , shown in the closed position;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side view depicting two interchangeable cutting blade members being  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of the interchangeable blade scissors assembly of the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross sectional view of the scissor blades taken along line  6  of  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the interchangeable cutting blade scissors assembly of the present invention is generally referred to as reference numeral  200 . In the preferred embodiment, interchangeable cutting blade scissors assembly  200  incorporates scissors frame members  20  and  25 . Each scissors frame member  20 ,  25  has a blade receiving arm portion  30 ,  35 , respectively, at one end thereof, and a handle bow  40 ,  45 , respectively, at an end opposite the blade receiving arm portions. Blade receiving arm portions  30 ,  35  serve as a support for interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55 , respectively.  
         [0022]     Referring to FIGS.  1  to  4 , handle bows  40 ,  45  may be openings of identical size and shape, that can accommodate either right handed or left handed use. Preferably, as shown in FIGS.  1  to  4 , a first scissors frame member has a substantially oblong finger or handle bow  45 , sized to accommodate several fingers, and a second scissors frame member  20  has a substantially round thumb or handle bow  40  sized to accommodate the user&#39;s thumb.  
         [0023]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , scissors frame members  20 ,  25  are securely mounted to each other by a pivot assembly  60 , for cooperative movement about the axis defined thereby. Pivot assembly  60  may be a pin, screw, nut and bolt or any functional equivalent thereof. In the preferred embodiment, pivot assembly  60  has a post  90  integrally formed in scissors frame member  20 . Post  90  has post through opening  70 . Scissors frame member  25  has an aperture  75  formed therein. Interchangeable cutting blade scissors assembly  200  is assembled by passing post  90  through aperture  75 . Bolt  95  and nut  100  secure scissors frame members  20 ,  25 .  
         [0024]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , depressions  105 ,  107  (not shown) are preferably located in the outward facing side of each of scissors frame members  20 ,  25 , respectively. In the preferred embodiment, caps  110 ,  120  are secured by snap-fit into depressions  105 ,  107 , respectively, for concealing pivot assembly  60 .  
         [0025]     Interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55  each have an elongated, generally tapered body portion  51  that incorporates a mounting plate  52 , and a lip  62  at an edge of the mounting plate and a cutting surface  53  formed along one edge of the mounting plate. As depicted, cutting surface  53  has a generally sinusoidal, sawtooth, or angular configuration. However, cutting surface  53  may have any desired alternate configuration formed thereon, in order to achieve any desired cutting configuration.  
         [0026]     To provide rapid engagement and disengagement of interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55  with scissors frame members  20 ,  25 , respectively, the interchangeable blade members each have a locking finger  54  extending from mounting plate  52 , positioned for engagement with its respective scissors frame member. In the preferred embodiment, locking finger  54  has a latch element  57  and a release surface  58 . Latch element  57  is preferably a hook-type catch. In addition, interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55  are configured substantially identically to blade receiving arm portions  30 ,  35  respectively. Also, interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55  are constructed for secure, mounted engagement to blade receiving arm portions  30 ,  35  of scissors frame members  20 ,  25 , respectively. For securement, lip  62  of each interchangeable blade member  50 ,  55  is positioned in a channel  80  of the respective blade receiving arm portion  30 ,  35 .  
         [0027]     To accommodate the secure, mounted engagement of interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55  with scissors frame members  20 ,  25 , blade receiving arm portions  30 ,  35  of the scissors frame member have a mounting channel  80 . The mounting channel  80  receives mounting plate  52  by telescopic movement of the mounting plate along the mounting channel, thereby enabling interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55  to be securely mounted blade receiving arm portions  30 , 35  in a rapid, easily achieved manner. In a preferred embodiment, a flange may be positioned on mounting plate  52  for providing increased stability of interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55  within blade receiving arm  30 ,  35 .  
         [0028]     Now referring to  FIG. 5 , the preferred embodiment is shown from an alternate angle than the previous Figures. Blade receiving arm portions  30 ,  35  have a channel  80  on each respective arm portion. The dashed lines in  FIG. 5  represent the structure of channel  80 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , Channel  80  has a hairpin-like shape when viewed from the cross section. The channel structure  80  is the same as shown in  FIGS. 1-4  and is configured to telescopically engage the blade receiving arm portions  30 ,  35  with the interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55 . In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the channel  80  may have a reverse triangular cross sectional shape. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the semi-circle shape of the hairpin channel  80  may be rectangular.  
         [0029]     Each scissors frame member  20 ,  25  also has a latch receiving zone  85  formed along blade receiving arm portions  30 ,  35 . The latch receiving zone  85  is positioned, and preferably configured, for cooperative engagement with locking finger  54  and latch element  57  thereof. Application of pressure to release surface  58  acts to bow locking finger  54  by flexible deformation of the locking finger, thereby disengaging latch element  57  from latch receiving zone  85  and allowing the respective interchangeable blade member  50 ,  55  to slide along mounting channel  80 . Preferably, locking finger  54  is made of a flexible material, such as, for example, plastic or aluminum, that permits flexing of the locking finger.  
         [0030]     Once interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55  have been mounted to blade receiving arm portions  30 ,  35 ,  25  respectively, the user can employ interchangeable cutter blade scissors assembly  200  of the present invention to attain the precisely desired cutting design provided by the blade members. In addition, whenever an alternate cutting design is desired, release surface  58  of interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55  are pressed towards each other, thereby releasing latch element  57  of each locking finger  54  from latch receiving zone  85 , to enable the interchangeable blade members to be telescopically removed from blade receiving arm portions  30 ,  35  along mounting channel  80 . Once removed, any alternate blade configuration can be employed by simply mounting the desired interchangeable blade members  50 ,  55  to blade receiving arm portions  30 ,  35 , respectively.  
         [0031]     Interchangeable cutting blades scissors assembly  200  preferably has an overmold of soft rubber, resin or similar material such as Sanaprene. The overmold provides safe and comfortable gripping of handle bows  40 ,  45 .  
         [0032]     The present invention has been described with particular reference to the preferred embodiments. It should be understood that the foregoing descriptions and examples are only illustrative of the present invention. Various alternatives and modifications thereof can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims.