Patent ID: 7415915

Claim:
A blade cartridge for use in a rotary cutting tool, the blade cartridge comprising: a cartridge housing comprising a front cartridge housing portion and a rear cartridge housing portion attached to the front cartridge housing, the cartridge housing defined by a sidewall, the sidewall including a receiving aperture disposed for receiving a blade activation device and a blade deployment aperture sized to permit a rotary blade to protrude from the cartridge housing when the blade activation device is inserted into the receiving aperture, wherein the cartridge housing further comprises means for mounting the blade cartridge into the cutting tool; and a rotary blade assembly contained within the cartridge housing, the rotary blade assembly comprising: a piston assembly comprising a piston and a spring, the piston having a first end aligned with the receiving aperture of the cartridge housing and an opposite second end for receiving the spring, the piston further including a piston axle aperture located between the first end and the opposite second end, the spring mounted so as to bias the first end of the piston towards the receiving aperture of the cartridge housing; a rotary blade having a central blade aperture therein for rotatable mounting onto the piston assembly; and an axle inserted through the central blade aperture and the piston axle aperture to rotatably couple the blade to the piston assembly.