Improvements in Shears; Pincers, and analogous Tools.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shears; Pincers, and analogous Tools.
I, JOHANN ALBERT HENCKELS, Manufacturer, of Solingen, Germany, do
hereby, declare the nature of my 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 shears, pincers, pliers and similar tools, in which a
spring is employed for keeping the two jaws apart, or for replacing them into the
open position, after the tool has been used.
In these instruments, the said spring is usually fixed to one of the legs or holders,.
in such a manner, that the two blades or jaws must be held together by a.hoop
or other means, when out of use, in order to protect the cutting edge, and that the
spring is always in action and therefore subject to fatigue.
The present invention. has for its object, to avoid this defect, and to call the
spring into action or to subject it to strains only when the tool is being used.
In the following description, reference will be made to the accompanying
drawings, of which
Fig. 1 is a side view of a pair of shears with the spring in action.
Fig. 2 a side view of the same, with the spring released.
Fig. 3 a longitudinal section showing the flat side of the spring.
Fig. 4 a side elevation of a tool having two springs, and when the latter are out
of use.
Fig. 5 represents a pair of shears in an open position, and with a different
arrangement of springs.
Figs. 6 to 13 represent certain details, as will be hereafter described.
In carrying out my invention, I employ a spring a hinged at the lower end b to
one of the legs or holders of the shears.
The free or upper end of the spring rests against the opposite leg of the shears,
when the spring is in action, and is slightly bent upward; but the lower end which
is pivoted to the hinge, has a small lateral tooth a¹, and to the same leg of the
shears is fixed at a small auxiliary or locking spring c, which serves to set the
spring a in action. The upper or free end of this spring c is slightly bent upward
and rests upon the outer face of the tooth a' of the spring a, when the latter is not
in action (that is not under strain), as represented by Figs. 2 and 7.
For setting the spring a in action, I place the spring c into the position repre-
sented by Figs. 1 and 6, where its front edge is situated in the angular recess
formed between the tooth a' and the extremity of the spring a.
In this position
the extremity of the spring c pressing against the tooth a, resists the turning of the
spring a on its pivot band serves to keep the spring a in a state of tension, as
represented by Fig. 1.
с
Το
For releasing the spring a, the front end of c is simply pressed back, so as to
recede from the face of the tooth a¹ into the position represented by Fig. 7.
allow the necessary motion of the spring c, the corresponding leg of the shears has
a recess d.
To provide, that in the case of shears with short handles or legs the spring a
may be as long and therefore as vigorous as possible, I apply the spring c in the
manner shown by Fig. 5, that is to say, between the spring a and the corresponding
leg or handle of the shears. The upper end of the spring c is fixed, while the
lower end passes through a recess in the extremity of the handle, and projects over
the same, so that the spring c may be released by a pressure on the projecting end
In this case the spring c has a slot for the reception of the tooth a',
and the latter is held by the oblique face of the slot, instead of abutting against the
extremity of the spring c.
of the same.

page_text: In order that the free end of the spring a may slide more easily on the
opposite shear handle, it is provided with a small friction roller, as shown
by Fig. 5.
Instead of a single spring a, I may employ a pair of springs, as shown by Fig. 4,
and give to their front ends such a shape, that they may cross each other, as shown
by Figs. 9 and 10.
If the main spring a, or the pair of springs, is not in action, the handles or legs
of the shears lie close together, as in ordinary tools, and as represented by.
Figs. 2 and 4.
The spring a may be straight or bent or twisted to any suitable shape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said.
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In shears, pincers and analogous tools, the combination of a spring pivoted
between the legs or handles, with means for setting the said spring in action, and
for releasing the same, when desired, substantially as described.
2. Shears, pincers, and analogous tools, having one or more main springs and
one or more auxiliary springs arranged and adapted to operate substantially as
described and shown by the drawings.
Dated this 20th day of February 1891.
Dated Guis 20th (ay of February 1891.
J. A. HENCKELS.
By Fairfax & Wetter,
433, Strand, London, Agents.
J. A. HENCKELS.
By Fairfax & Wetter,
433, Strand, London, Agents.