Patent ID: 6892460

Claim:
A pliers-type tool for producing a precise parting cut in a length of fiber optic cable, the pliers-type tool comprising: a) a manually operable pair of pliers comprising: i) a pair of handles; ii) a fixed bit jaw; iii) a movable bit jaw; and iv) a toggle lever mechanism coupled to said pair of handles for displacing said movable bit jaw relative to said fixed bit jaw; b) a clamping device for securely holding a portion of the length of fiber optic cable in the pliers-type tool, said clamping device comprising: i) an upper clamping jaw coupled to said fixed bit jaw; ii) a concave clamping face disposed on a surface of said upper clamping jaw facing said portion of the length of fiber optic cable; iii) a lower clamping jaw coupled to said movable bit jaw and having a clearance disposed in an outer region of said lower clamping jaw and extending away from said portion of the length of fiber optic cable; iv) a concave groove disposed on a surface of said lower clamping jaw, facing said portion of the length of fiber optic cable, wherein said portion of the length of fiber optic cable is securely positioned between said concave clamping face and said concave groove when said pair of pliers is in a closed position, and wherein said portion of the length of fiber optic cable is supported by said concave groove arid able to yield into said clearance during a cutting operation; and c) a cutting device comprising: i) a pin; ii) a swivel arm pivotally mounted to said movable bit jaw on said pin, wherein said swivel arm can be actuated independently of a displacement of said movable bit jaw relative to said fixed bit jaw; iii) a bearing pin; iv) a round cutting blade having a beveled edge mounted to said swivel arm on said bearing pin; and v) a ratchet mechanism comprising: (1) a rachet wheel rotationally fixed to said bearing pin of said cutting blade; (2) a pawl eccentrically mounted to said pin of said swivel arm and engaging said rachet wheel such that for each actuation of said swivel arm, said rachet wheel is indexed by one division and said round cutting blade is rotationally advanced by a corresponding amount; (3) an indexing wheel; (4) a cam rotationally fixed to said bearing pin of said cutting blade and engaging said indexing wheel such that for each full rotation of said rachet wheel, said indexing wheel is indexed by one division; and (5) an index pin fixed on said indexing wheel for preventing further actuation of said swivel arm once said indexing wheel has been advanced for a predetermined number of divisions.