Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1(~790S~
This invention relates to tools used for cutting paper
or similarly thin materials.
There has long been a need for a simple and handy tool
for cutting the top sheet of a pile of papers or similar materials.
In particular, it is often desirable to cut the top page of a
newspaper or a magazine which one is reading without cutting the
pages below, for example, to cut out a valuable coupon or an in-
teresting article. It is also desirable to be able to cut a coupon
from a bond.
A conventional cutting tool, such as a pair of scissors,
is often not available and in many situations is not even practical.
For example, to use scissors to remove a small clipping from the
center of-a page, one must either start the cut from the nearest
edge of the paper or stah the page near the desired article in
order to begin the cut. ; r
A simple device such as a single edge razor blade might be
useful in some instances, but there would obviously be little to
prevent the user from cutting not only the top sheet, but also one
or more sheets below it. In addition, a bare razor blade can be
quite dangerous.
Tools specifically designed for cutting articles out of
newspapers have been suggested in the past. For the most part,
these tools have been mechanically complex and consequently quite
expensive to manufacture and to purchase. Many of these prior
cutting tools have had sharp and pointy blades which protrude
from the tool in a dangerous fashion. This inherently dangerous
feature has made such tools particularly inappropriate for use
by children.
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A further problem with many earlier cutting tools
has been the necessity of orienting the tool relative to the
paper and maintaining that orientation while moving the tool
along the line to be cut. This is often dificult and awkward
and may make it difficult to see the area on the paper which
one desires to cut.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide
a cutting tool ~or cutting the top sheet of a pile of papers which
is mechanically simple, uncomplicated to operate and inexpensive
to manufacture.
It is a further object of the invention to provide
such a cutting tool which is sa~e to use and which does not have
sharp blade points protruding from the tool.
It is another object of the invention to provide a cutting
tool which may be comortably held in the hand and easily operated.
It is yet another object o~ the invention to provide
a cutting tool ~or cutting the top sheet o a pile of paper which
is small, light in wèight and which may readily be carried in a
pocket or purse.
These and other objects and features o~ the invention are
accomplished according to the invention by providing a blade mounted
ln a holder. The holder has first and second ends and a flat
sur~ace along one side between the ends. The blade has a cutting
surface and is mounted in the holder with at least a portion of the
cutting surface extending from a predetermined part of the flat
surace between the irst and second ends of the holder. When the
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flat surface of the holder is placed on a sheet of paper and slid
along the paper, the cutting surface o~ the blade cuts the sheet of
paper.
In one preferred ~orm of the invention, the holder has
a body portion and a back plate which cooperate to form a slot near
one end of the holder oriented at an angle to the flat surface and
adapted to receive the blade. The blade, which preferably has an
elongated shape, has a cutting surface on-one of the edges and is
mounted in the slot with the long edges parallel to the slot and
only a portion of the cutting sur~ace extending beyond the flat
surface. The blade is held in place by the back plate.
The above description as well as further objects, features
and advantages of the present invention will be more fully under-
stood by reference to the folLowing description of the presently
pre~erred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments in accordance
with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is an exploded side view of a cutting tool of the
present invention, showing the holder, the blade oriented relative
to the holder, and the back plate, prior to assembly of the cutting
tool.
FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the cutting tool showing
the blade and the back plate secured in place.
FIG. 3 is a view along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2 and looking
~ in the direction of the arrows.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line 4-4 in FIG.
2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.
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FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along the line 5-5 in
FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the cutting tool of the present
invention shown in position cutting the top sheet of a stack of
papers when it is moved in the desired direction.
FIG. 7 is a partial side view of one end of a second
embodiment of the present invention wherein the slot and the blade
are displaced from the end of the holder.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along the line 8-8 in
FIG. 7 and looking in the direction of the arrows.
Referring now to the figures, and mpre particularly,
FIGS. 1 through 5, it is seen that the-cutting tool of the present
invention includes a bLade 10 and a holder 11 having a body portion
12 and a back plate 14. Body portion 12 is preferably made of
plastic and has two ends which, for"'convenience only, will be
referred to as the left-hand and the right-hand ends. Body portion
12 has a flat surface 15 between the left-hand and right-hand ends
and a roughly tear-drop shaped side face, and is thin relative to
its length, as may be more ~ully appreciated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.
The right-hand end of body portion 12 is of such a size whereby it
can be conveniently gripped between two fingers, as is illus~rated
in FIG. 6. A hole 16 may be provided so that the cutting tool
may be carried on a keychain or hung on a hook.
The left-hand end of holder 11 includes a slot 28, which,
in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6, extends to the
left-hand end of holder 11. Slot 28 is oriented with respect to
flat surface 15 at an angle X, which will preferably be an obtuse
angle.
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Body portion 12 of holder 11 preferably has a recess 32,
which receives a boss 34 formed on back plate 14, as described
below. Slot 28 is preferably formed in body portion 12 of holder
11, although i~ will be appreciated that the slot could also readily
be formed in back plate L4 .
Back plate 14 has a flat surface 17 which is aligned with
flat surface 15 of body portion 12 when back plate 14 is mounted
on body portion 12, as illustrated in FIG. 2.
Blade 10 is elongated and pre~erably rectangular in
æhape, thus having long edges 24 and short edges 26, one of which
has a cutting surface 18. It has been found that a blade which
is approximately a quarter inch long by a tenth of an inch wide and
one hundredth of an inch thick will function well in the cutting
tool.
The cutting tool is assembled by placing blade 10 in
slot 28 of body portion 12 with cutting edge 18 proximate to flat
sùrface 15. Since slot 28 is preferably at an obtuse angle with
respect to flat surace 15, cutting surface 18, which is preferably
at substantially right angles to long edges 24 of blade 10, will
also be oriented at an obtuse angle with respect to flat surface
15. It will be readily appreciated that blade 10 may be placed
in slot 28 so that all or part of cutting surface 18 extends -
beyond flat surface 15. It will be readily seen that if all of
cutting surface 18 is allowed to extend below flat surface 15,
blade 10 will tend to catch the edge of the paper rather than cut
it.
It has been tound that most newsprint and similar paper
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has a thickness of approximately three thousandths of an inch.
Consequently, it has been found that the best results are obtained
when cutting surface L8 extends approximately 0.004 inches below flat
surface 15. This provides a blade which is not long enough to cut
the paper underneath the top sheet. Furthermore, the blade does not
constitute a danger to the user.
With blade 10 mounted in slot 28 of body portion 12 as
indicated, back plate 14 is mounted to body portion 12 with boss
34 in recess 32 and is permanently sealéd using well known plastic
forming techniques. Thus, when the cutting tool is fully assembled,
blade 10 is embedded between body portion 12 and back plate 14
- with only a portion of cutting surface 18 exposed, as can be seen in
FIGS. 2 and 3.
To use my cutting tool, body portion 12 is grasped near
the right-hand end between two fingërs, and flat surfaces 15 and 17
are placed on the top sheet of paper Pl as illustrated in FIG. 6.
Blade 10 will pierce top sheet Pl but it will not cut the second
sheet P2 or anything underneath it, since blade 10 does not
protrude far enough to do so. The cutter need only be slid toward
the right-hand end, in the direction shown by arrow 36 in FIG. 6,
while keeping flat surfaces 15 and 17 flush with the paper~ The
cutting tool will neatly cut the top sheet Pl as it is moved along
the paper.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show another embodiment of the present
cutting tool. To the extent that this embodiment is the same as
the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used. In this
embodiment, slot 28 is displaced from the left-hand end of body
portLon 12, a5 can best be seen Ln FIG. 8. With thLs arrangement,
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it will be readily appreciated that bLade 10 is surrounde~ by
plastic material on four sides, instead of three sides as was
the case with the previous embodi~ent, which provides additional
support for the blade. Furthermo~e, since the cutting edge 18
of blade 10 is slightly offset from the left-hand edge of the
holder, a portion of flat surfaces 15 and 17 are located to the
left of cutting edge 18. This has the added advantage of holding
down the portion of the paper that has already been cut, which
normally might have a tendency to curl upward.
As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art,
the invention may be used in other specific forms without departing
from its spirit or essential characteristics. For example, instead
of orienting the slot and the blade at an obtuse angle with respect
to the flat surface, it would be possible to orient them at an
acute angle. Then, if the cutting surface is placed on the long
edge of the blade which is nearest to the right-hand end of the
cutting tool, a similar result will be achieved. The present
embodiments are, therfore, to be considered as illustrative and
not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by
the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes
which come within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims
are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
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