Patent ID: 7096760

Claim:
A pliers-type insulation stripping tool for cutting and removing from an insulated conductor ( 16 ) a length ( 17 ) of the insulation layer thereof, comprising: (a) a base ( 4 ); (b) a pair of pivot levers ( 19 , 20 ) pivotally connected with said base for pivotal movement about first (P 1 ) and second (P 2 ) pivot axes, respectively wherein the first and second pivot axes are spaced apart from one another; (c) a pair of clamping jaws ( 26 , 37 ) mounted on one of said pivot levers ( 19 ) for relative displacement in the longitudinal direction thereof between separated and adjacent clamping positions, respectively; (d) a pair of cutting jaws ( 28 , 38 ) mounted on the other of said pivot levers ( 20 ) for relative displacement in the longitudinal direction thereof between separated and adjacent cutting positions, respectively; (e) first and second springs ( 39 , 40 ) biasing said clamping jaws and said cutting jaws toward their relative separated positions, respectively, thereby to permit the insertion of the insulated conductor between said pairs of clamping jaws and cutting jaws, respectively; (f) a pair of handles ( 2 , 3 ) connected with said base for relative pivotal movement about a third pivot axis (P 3 ) between a normal separated position and an adjacent position, respectively; and (g) first operating means ( 14 , 45 , 46 ) operable upon initial displacement of said handles from said separated position toward an intermediate position between said separated and adjacent positions for displacing said clamping jaws and said cutting jaws toward their adjacent clamping and cutting positions, respectively, thereby to clamp the insulated conductor and to sever the insulation layer with a certain degree of tolerance relative to the diametric dimensions of the insulated conductor.