Improvements in Shears or Scissors.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1896-Accepted, 25th July, 1896
Improvements in Shears or Scissors.
I, JACOB FULTON SHULTZ, of San Jacinto, in the County of Riverside, and
State of California, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and, in what manner the same is to be performed, to. be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
This invention relates to an improvement in shears or scissors, and has for its
object to provide a simple and efficient fastening and tension device whereby
provision is made for readily connecting and disconnecting the blades and for
regulating the relative pressure of said blades upon each other.
With the above objects in view, the invention consists in a pair of shears ór
scissors comprising a pair of blades united by a common pivot formed with
oppositely-disposed notches, and a spring tension key slotted to engage with said
notches, and provided at its forward end with an inclined edge or cam face bearing
against the beveled portion of the adjacent blade, said spring tension key having
its rear end hooked or deflected to engage with any one of a series of sockets or
depressions formed in the face of the blade upon which said tension device rests.
The invention also consists in certain novel features and details of construction
and arrangement of parts as hereinafter fully set forth illustrated in the drawings
and finally embodied in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pair of shears, showing the manner of
applying my improved fastening and tension device thereto.
Figure 2 is a transverse section through the same showing the manner in which
the inclined or cam edge of the spring tension key co-operates with the beveled
face of the contiguous blade for adjusting the relative. pressure of the blades.
Figure 3 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the spring tension key.
Figure 4 is a similar view of the pivot.
Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several
figures of the drawings.
Referring to the accompanying drawings 1 and 2 designate the two blade
members of a pair of shears of the ordinary construction, the same being united by
means of a common pivot 3. For the purpose of carrying out the present
invention this pivot 3 is formed with an oppositely-disposed pair of notches 4,
adjacent to one end thereof, and the opposite end of said pivot is headed, as shown,
such head being adapted to be received into a countersunk perforation in the
blade 2 in the usual manner. The notched end of said pivot projects through the
perforation in the blade 1 in such manner as to bring the oppositely-disposed
notches of said pivot adjacent to the outer face of said blade adapting them to
receive and be engaged by a spring tension key 5. This spring tension key, which
is best illustrated in Fig. 3 is made from a single piece of spring metal and is
provided at the forward edge of its main body portion with an inwardly-extending
triangular or cam-shaped lip 6 which, when the tension key is in position, rests
against the beveled face of the blade 2, as clearly shown in the drawings. This
spring. tension key is further provided with a pair of rearwardly-extending
fingers 7 and 8, which are spaced a sufficient distance apart to stride the shank
portion of the pivot 3 in such manner as to rest within the notches 4 in opposite sides
thereof. One of said. rearwardly-extending arms 7 is made shorter than the other
and is extended but a slight distance in rear of the pivot, where it is deflected
downwardly so as to rest upon the face of the blade 1. The other arm or finger 8
is made of greater length. than the finger 7 in order to impart the necessary spring
D

page_text: thereto and is deflected inwardly or hooked at its rear extremity to enter and
engage with any one of a series of sockets or depressions 9 formed directly in the
adjacent face of the blade 1 as shown.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that by disengaging the hooked
extremity of the finger 8 of the spring tension key from the sockets or depressions 9
and moving the same outwardly, said tension key may be moved longitudinally in
such manner as to disengage it from the notches in the pivot, whereupon the pivot
may be removed from the blades and the latter separated for the purpose of
cleaning and sharpening the same. By reversing this operation, the blades may
again be connected, the hooked extremity of the finger 8 being moved into engage-
ment with the first one of the series of sockets or depressions in the face of the
blade. The tension of the spring key may be further increased by moving the
hooked extremity of its long finger into engagement with the second socket or
depression during which movement the inclined or cam-shaped lip 6 of said key
will ride upwardly upon the beveled face of the blade 1, thereby serving to lift said
key and cause the same to operate with greater force upon the blade and pivot.
In this manner the pressure of the blades with relation to each other may be
increased or diminished at pleasure for adapting the shears to the particular kind
of work required. The shears or scissors hereinabove described will be found
particularly useful in surgical work as the blades and other parts thereof may
be separated with ease and rapidity and be cleansed by the proper antiseptic.
It is possible also to apply the hereindescribed improvement to any ordinary
shears or scissors already in use, it being necessary only to ream out the pivot
holes of the blades for the reception of the pivot described, and to form the
sockets or depressions 9 in the face of one of the blades for engaging the hooked
extremity of the finger 8, in a manner that will be readily understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The hereindescribed fastener and spring tension device comprising a spring
key having a loose pivotal connection at a point intermediate its ends with the
pivot of the shear blades and formed with a triangular or cam-shaped lip disposed
substantially at right angles to the body of the key and resting as to its inclined
edge against and adapted to be moved transversely of the wide beveled face of one
of the blades of the shears or scissors, and provided with finger portions in
engagement with oppositely-disposed notches in the pivot of said shears or scissors,
and means for swinging said tension key and holding the same at any desired
adjustment for the purpose of regulating the relative pressure between the blades,
substantially as set forth.
2. The hereindescribed fastener and spring tension device comprising a spring
key having a loose pivotal connection at a point intermediate its ends with the
pivot of the shear blades and formed with a triangular or cam-shaped lip disposed
substantially at right angles to the body of the key and resting as to its inclined
edge against and adapted to be moved transversely of the wide beveled face of one
of the blades of the shears or scissors, said key being formed with rearwardly-
extending fingers engaging oppositely disposed notches in the pivot of the shears
or scissors, one of said fingers being deflected or hooked at its extremity to engage
with any one of a transversely extending series of sockets or depressions formed in
the face of the blade against which said key rests by means of which the tension
which the spring key exerts on the blades may be regulated, substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
Dated this 25th day of June 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.