Abstract:
A tube cutting and installation tool having two semi-circular shaped open cutting heads for cutting different sizes of tube diameter and cut-outs for assisting with the installation of the cut tubes.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority from pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/939,828 filed Nov. 12, 2015, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/078,968 filed Nov. 12, 2014, the entire subject matters of which are incorporated herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present application is directed to a hand tool for cutting polymer tube, and more particularly to a tube cutting and installation tool having two heads for cutting multiple sizes of tube diameter and cut-outs for assisting with the installation of the cut tubes. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Typical household plumbing fixtures include a P-trap or an S-trap installed under the sinks in bathrooms and kitchens, depending on local housing code requirements. There are multiple purposes for traps formed in P and S shaped plumbing fixtures. The looped pipes or traps contain debris that has drained from the sink and prevents it from forming a clog deeper within the plumbing system. They also serve to stop sewer gases from passing into the home by forming a water barrier within the trap. In current plumbing systems, waste drains and traps are made from a variety of different materials, but principally metal or polymers such as ABS (or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PVC (or polyvinyl chloride) pipe. 
         [0004]    Replacing or installing traps made of polymer pipe under a sink can be an awkward procedure, given space limitations. The pipe must first be cut to the desired lengths for proper interconnection, and then installed at the desired location. Also, two standard pipe diameters—1¼ inch for bathroom traps and 1½ inch for kitchen traps—frequently require cutting, potentially necessitating multiple tools or one for each pipe size. As a result, a single tool having several features to assist with both the cutting and installation of cut pipe having different diameters would be a useful tool to a plumber or homeowner. 
         [0005]    Numerous prior art devices have attempted to provide solutions to the situation described above, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,743,509, 8,281,492, 7,716,840, 4,438,562, D626,812 and 4,368,577. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    The tube cutting and installation tool is a hand tool including a tool body having a handle portion and cutting portion. The cutting portion includes at least two open cutting heads for engaging and cutting a 1.25 inch plastic pipe in one cutting head opening, and a 1.5 inch plastic pipe in another cutting head opening. The open cutting heads are positioned and arranged so that each of the two open cutting heads makes use of an opposite end or tip of a single standard trapezoidal shaped utility knife blade, where one tip is positioned such that it extends into an internal circumference within each of the open cutting heads. The blade is supported within a blade pocket or compartment within the tool body, and is removable from the tool body for replacement. A removable blade cover plate secures the blade within the tool body by conventional fasteners. 
         [0007]    Each open cutting head enables the plastic pipe to be snapped into a semi-circular shaped opening, and into engagement with a blade tip. The hand tool or pipe may then be rotated to cut the pipe at the desired location into the desired lengths. When not in use, blade tip covers for the blade tips is provided which extends into the semi-circular openings for engagement with the open cutting head, and covers the blade tips to function as safety blade covers. 
         [0008]    Spaced from the cutting heads toward the handle portion of the tool body, a cut-out is provided to assist with both removal and installation of the traps. Specifically, the cut-out is used to engage tabs extending from the pipe nuts which secure the interconnection of the pipes. Upon engagement of the pipe nut tabs within the cut-out, additional leverage for loosening or tightening the pipe nut is provided by rotation of the tube cutter hand tool body, as shown in the Figures provided. The hand tool body is designed with an I-beam configuration in cross-section, to provide the tool and handle with the necessary strength, but with a wider cross beam in the open cutting heads for engagement with the pipe. Finally, an opening is provided at the distal end of the tool handle portion for hanging the tool during storage. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1H  are partial schematic bottom and top views, respectively, of the tube cutting and installation tool. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1B  is an exploded partial side view of the tube cutting and installation tool, with the blade and blade cover plate removed, and showing the blade tip covers pivoted out of the closed positions within the open cutting heads. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1C  is a side view of the blade cover plate removed from the tube cutting and installation tool. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1D  is a partial schematic rear end view of the tube cutting and installation tool. 
           [0013]      FIGS. 1E and 1F  are cross-sectional views of the tool body taken along the lines A-A and B-B, respectively, in the  FIG. 1B  view of the tube cutting and installation tool. 
           [0014]      FIG. 1G  is a partial schematic cut-away top view of the blade tip cover shown in  FIG. 1B  view of the tube cutting and installation tool. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a schematic side view of an alternate embodiment of the tube cutting and installation tool. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a schematic side view of another alternate embodiment along the lines of the embodiment of the tube cutting and installation tool of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a partial side view of the tube cutting and installation tool demonstrating use of the installation aspect of the tool engaged with a pipe nut and the tabs of the pipe nut. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a schematic perspective side view of the alternate embodiment of the tube cutting and installation tool shown in  FIG. 3 , and with the blade cover plate removed. 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is another partial, schematic, cut-away side view of an alternate embodiment of the tube cutting and installation tool along the lines of  FIG. 1B , and showing the blade engaged and covered by the blade cover plate, and showing the blade tips covered by the cut-away illustrations of the blade tip covers in closed positions within the open cutting heads. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is another partial, schematic, cut-away side view of the alternate embodiment of the tube cutting and installation tool of  FIG. 6 , but showing the blade tips ready for engagement with a tube, and the cut-away illustrations of the blade tip covers rotated or pivoted to fully open positions away from the open cutting heads. 
           [0021]      FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate exploded perspective views of the blade tip covers of the tool shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , where the blade tip cover of  FIG. 8  is associated with the open cutting head on the top of the tool, and the blade tip cover of  FIG. 9  is associated with the open cutting head on the end of the tool opposite from the handle portion. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a cut-away top view of the cutting and installation tool of  FIG. 6  with the blade tip covers in closed positions within the open cutting heads. 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is an enlarged, cut-away view of the highlighted section indicated in  FIG. 10 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  is a partial, cut-away side view of a portion of the cutting portion of the tool body with the blade cover plate removed, along the lines of  FIG. 6 , and showing the blade pocket for engagement by the utility knife blade and blade cover plate. 
           [0025]      FIG. 13  is a back side view of a portion of the blade cover plate shown along the lines of  FIG. 6 , and showing the blade pocket for engagement by the utility knife blade and blade cover plate. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    The present tube cutting and installation hand tool  10  includes an approximately  8  inch long tool body  12 , and is illustrated in several embodiments, such as in  FIGS. 1B, 2 and 6 . The tool body  12  includes a handle portion  14  and a cutting portion  16 . The cutting portion  16  has dual or at least two (2) open cutting heads  18 ,  19 . The first open cutting head  18  is positioned on an end  17  of the tool body  12  opposite the handle portion  14 . 
         [0027]    The first open cutting head  18  is configured for engaging the outer diameter of a 1.25 inch plastic pipe P. The second open cutting head is positioned intermediate the first open cutting head and the handle portion, and is configured for engaging the outer diameter of a 1.5 inch plastic pipe P. The arrangement of the cutting heads  18 ,  19  is designed so that each of the two cutting heads makes use of an opposite end or tip of a single standard trapezoidal shaped utility knife blade  20 . When engaged within a blade pocket  30 , formed in part within the cutting portion  16  of the tool body  12  and in part by a blade cover plate  40 , one tip  22 ,  24  is positioned within each of the open cutting heads, as shown in  FIGS. 2-3 and 6-7 . 
         [0028]    The blade  20  is supported within the blade pocket  30  or a compartment of the tool body  12 , and removable from the tool body for replacement, by the blade cover plate  40  which is secured to the tool body  12  by conventional fasteners S. Both the blade pocket  30  of the tool body cutting portion  16  and the blade cover plate  40 , include two raised U-shaped tabs  31 ,  41  for alignment and engagement with mating U-shaped cut-outs C provided on standard trapezoidal utility knife blades  20 . Support posts  38  also extend from the cutting portion  16  of the tool body  12  for supporting a bottom surface of the standard trapezoidal utility knife blade, as shown in  FIG. 12 . Support post cut-outs  42  for engaging the support posts  38  are provided on the blade cover plate  40 , shown in the illustration of the inside surface of the blade cover plate  40  in  FIG. 13 . The depth of the blade pocket  30  is preferably sufficient to receive and capture a standard utility knife blade  20  with the blade cover plate  40 . In the embodiment of  FIGS. 6 to 12 , it is further pointed out that the blade cover plate  40 , which extends to capture the pivot pins  66  of the blade tip covers  60 ,  62 , also includes circular ribs  67 , which extend out of the plane of the blade cover plate  40  to form a continued semi-circle adjacent the arc portion  56 , as best shown in  FIGS. 10 to 12 . Aligned openings, at least four (4) in the illustrated embodiments, are provided in both the cutting portion  16  of the tool body  12  and blade cover plate  40  for receiving and securing the plate with conventional fasteners S. Further alignment portions  47 ,  57  may be provided to properly seat the knife blade  20  within the cutting portion  16 . 
         [0029]    A further cut-out  34 , best shown in  FIG. 2 , may be provided on the tool body  12  and blade cover plate  40  adjacent a portion of the standard trapezoidal shaped utility knife blade  20  intermediate the tips  22 ,  24 , such that a portion of the blade  20  is accessible and may be used for additional purposes such as cutting string or other cutting tasks. It should be understood that where alternative embodiments having similar elements are discussed, the similar elements may be designated with the same reference numeral, but with a prime designation. 
         [0030]    Each open cutting head  18 ,  19  enables the plastic pipe P to be snapped into a semi-circular shaped opening  50 ,  52 , respectively, formed by the tool body  12  and the blade cover plate  40 , and into engagement with the blade tip  22 ,  24 . The hand tool  10  or pipe P may then be rotated to cut the pipe P at the desired location into the desired lengths. When not in use, coverings for the blade tips  22 ,  24 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 6 to 11 , are provided which extend into the semi-circular openings  50 ,  52  for engagement with the open cutting heads,  18 ,  19  and function as safety blade tip covers. The blade tip covers  60 ,  62  are pivotably secured or hinged to the tool at locations  65  adjacent to, but out of the way of, the semi-circular openings  50 ,  52 , so that the safety blade tip covers are easily moved or rotated out of the way during a tube cutting operation, as in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0031]    The blade tip covers  60 ,  62  and  60 ′,  62 ′ each include a tip housing  68  for covering the tip  22 ,  24  when in the closed position. The blade tip covers  60 ,  62  are retained within the semi-circular openings  50 ,  52  by a dimple  69  engaged by a friction fit within a depression  54  formed within the cutting head  18 ,  19 . To move the blade tip covers  60 ,  62  out of the way, a finger tab portion  64  may be used which extends from the blade tip cover beyond the edge of the I-beam cross-sectional configuration, as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , to be easily grabbed and moved by the user. Pivot pins  66  may be either press fit or molded into the blade tip covers  60 ,  62  which pins  66  are engaged and secured for rotation with respect to the tool body  12 , as the pins  66  are in a position trapped or captured between the tool body  12  and the removable blade cover plate  40 , as shown in  FIGS. 6 to 13 , and particularly in  FIG. 11 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 1B , a living hinge formed integral with the tool body  12  to interconnect the blade tip covers  60 ′,  62 ′ may be provided. 
         [0032]    Spaced from the cutting heads  18 ,  19  toward a tool handle portion  14  of the tool body  12 , a U-shaped cut-out  36  is provided to assist with both removal and installation of the traps. Specifically, the cut-out  36  is used to engage tabs T extending from the pipe nuts N which secure the interconnection of the pipes P. Upon engagement of the pipe nut tabs T within the cut-out  36 , additional leverage for loosening or tightening the pipe nut N is provided by rotation of the tool body  12  using the handle portion  14 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The hand tool body  12  is designed with an I-beam configuration in cross-section, as shown in  FIGS. 1E and 1F , to provide the tool  10  and handle portion  14  with the necessary strength and a for secure engagement of the tool  10  with the pipe P to be cut. It is noted that the arc portion  56  of the I-beam forming the semi-circular shaped openings  50 ,  52  has a wider cross portion of the I-beam configuration than the opposite cross portion of the I-beam, as shown in  FIGS. 1E, 10 and 11 . Finally, an opening  13  is provided at the distal end  15  of the tool handle portion  14  for hanging the tool  10  during storage. 
         [0033]    The tube cutting and installation tool, and the tool body specifically, is preferably molded as a one piece polymer, such as of glass filled nylon, however, alternative appropriate polymer materials for the tool body and blade cover plate may also be used. 
         [0034]    Although the exemplary embodiments have been described in detail with references and detail sufficient for one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the device as defined in the attached claims. Moreover, the scope of the present device is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments described here, which are provided by way of example. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present device and its embodiments, other components and means presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function to achieve substantially the same result as those of the corresponding embodiments described here, may be utilized according to the present application. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such other components or means.