Patent ID: 8209871

Claim:
A cutting apparatus comprising: a housing having a first end wall, a second end wall and a perimeter wall being attached to and extending between said first and second end walls, said perimeter wall including a first side wall, a second side wall, a front wall and a rear wall, said first end wall having a blade aperture extending therethrough; a fixed blade being mounted in said housing and extending through said blade aperture, said fixed blade including a sharp edge facing said second side wall; a pivoting blade being pivotally mounted in said housing and extending through said blade aperture, said pivoting blade lying in a plane being parallel to a plane of said fixed blade, said pivoting blade including a sharp edge facing said first side wall and said fixed blade, said pivoting blade being movable from an open position forming an open space between said fixed and pivoting blades adjacent to said first end wall to a closed position having no open space between said fixed and pivoting blades adjacent to said first end wall; and an actuator being mechanically coupled to said pivoting blade, said actuator pulling said pivoting blade toward said fixed blade when said actuator is actuated; wherein said actuator comprises; a pulley being rotatably mounted in said housing and having an axis of rotation that extends through said front and rear walls, said axis of rotation being fixed relative to said fixed blade, said pulley being positioned between said first side wall and said fixed blade wherein the minimum distance from said axis of rotation to the first end wall is less than the minimum distance from a pivot axis of said pivoting blade to the first end wall; a lever being slidably mounted to said housing and extending outward of said housing through said first side wall, said lever being positioned between said first and second end walls, said lever including an outer portion positioned outside of said housing, said outer portion having a distal end with respect to said housing; and a cable being positioned within said housing and being coupled to said pivoting blade and said lever, said cable extending over said pulley and pulling said pivoting blade toward said fixed blade when said lever is moved toward said second end wall of said housing.