Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SHEATHED CUTTING APPARATUS AND METHOD
BACKGROUN~ OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improved sheathed cutting
means for cutting seals around windows in vehicles.
Both manual and automatically driven cutting mechanisms
have been known in the art for quite some time. Most
windshields and windows placed in vehicles are sealed by
means of a urethane seal. When it is desired to remove
and/or replace such windows, a variety of cutting mechanisms
known in the art are employed. Such a mechanism is the
"Fein AStlxe 636-5 Special Cutter" sold by Fein Power Tools,
Inc. of Pittsburg, PA. This device oscillates from right to
left without any up and down movemPnt. A "wild cat knife
and blade pneumatic oscillating tool" is produced by C. R.
Laurence ~o., Inc. These tools must urge the blade of the
device around the bottom edge of the windshield in order to
cut the urethane underneath the windshield. Often the
urethane is too far away for blades to reach. Further, at
the bottom corners o~ the windshield, the fenders of the
automobile inhibit the use of existing devices. Further,
panels covering the bottom of the windshield must be
removed, and chrome moldings or other combination chrome and
plastic moldings will not allow the blade to reach
completely around the windshield. Each of these tools is
deslgned to be utilized from the outside of the windshleld
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with the blade reachiny underneath the lip of the windshield
in order to cut the urethane. Thus, the operator's ability
to control the blade is limited from the outside of the car
and, as a result, interior moldings are often damaged.
Additional damage is caused by existing devices because of
rigid blades which are incapable of conforming to the
curvature of the windshield as it cuts through the urethane.
Further, exposed blade portions of existing devices
unintentionally damage other parts of the vehicle.
SHORT STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the sheathed cutting apparatus of the
present invention includes a power source, portable or
otherwise, to which one end of a flexible cutting blade is
attached. The opposite end of the blade is sharpened for
cutting purposes. A rigid, slightly curved blade sheath is
further attached to the power source and conformed to just
cover the blade. There is an opening in the tip o~ the
rigid sheath through which a portion o~ the cutting blade
protrudes, when driven by the power source for cutting, so
that the cutting blade is exposed only where cutting is
needed. Further, a mounting is provided to which the shPath
may be easily attached and removed. The mounting and sheath
may then be attached to the power source and removed at
will. A variety of lengths of sheaths and cutting blades
are provided.
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The invention in one broad aspect provides a
method for cut-ting the seal positioned around a vehicle
window between the inside surface of the window and the
vehicle structure. The method comprises the steps of
providing a flexible elongated power transmission member
having a first end and a second end, the second end
including a cutting portion adapted for cutting the seal
between the window and the vehicle structure, completely
encasing the power transmission member with a slightly
curved sheath over substantially its entire length, the
sheath having an open end through which the cutting
portion of the power transmission member is adapted to
extend a desired cutting distance, inserting the open end
of the sheath, along with the substantially covered
power, transmission member into the space between the
inner surface of the window and the vehicle structure to
the seal and reciprocating the power transmission member
in the sheath so that the cutting portion of power
transmission member reciprocates back and forth out of
the open end of the sheath to the desired cutting
distance to cut the seal without substantially damaging
the vehicle structure adjacent the window.
Another aspect of the invention as claimed
provides a cutting apparatus for cutting the seal
positioned around a vehicle window between the surface of
the window and the vehicle struc~ure, the cutting
apparatus including an elongated and flexible power
transmission member, and power means connected to a first
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end of the power transmission member for reciprocating
the power transmission member along its longitudinal
axis. A cutting por-tion is on a second end of the power
transmission member and is adapted for cutting the seal
material between the window and the vehicle structure.
An elongated sheath is removably a-ttached at one end to
the power means and is adapted to cover the power
transmission member along substantially its entire
length. There is an open sheath end, opposite the end
removably attached to the power rneans, through which the
cutting portion of the power transmission member is
adapted to extend a desired cutting distance as the power
means reciprocates the power transmission member, the
open sheath end being adapted to be positioned adjacent
to the seal material so as to prevent the cutting portion
from cutting through the seal material more than the
desired cutting distance.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. l is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the
sheathed cutting means of the present invention attached to
a portable power source.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the slightly curved sheath
attached to a mounting means with the blade located within
the sheath.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the invention shown on the
interior of a vehicle windshield in position for cutting a
urethane seal.
FIG. 4 is a side view of three embodiments of the
flexible cutting blade.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheathed cutting apparatus 10
includes power source 12 shown as a portable jig saw, but
which may be of any fixed or portable power source known in
the art. The primary requirement of the power source 12 is
that it have a connection 14. Power transmission member 16,
in the`form of a flexible thin cutting blade 18, has a
connection end 20. Connection end 20 is designed, in a
manner commonly known in the art, to connect with power
source connection 14 in a removably attachable manner.
Cutting blade 18 also has the capability of being sharpened
along its length. In the present invention, cutting blade
18 is sharpened only along the tip 22.
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A rigid sheath 24 is conformed to just fit around
cutting blade 18 so that cutting blade 18 can move back and
forth within sheath 24. Sheath 24 may be any rigid material
such as stainless steel, aluminum, PVC, or the like. The
purpose of rigid sheath 24 is to serve as a guide and
protector for cutting blade 1~. It further protects other
portions of the vehicle from contact with the moving blade
18.
Rigid sheath 24 (FIG. 2) has a slight curvature along
its length from top ~6 to bottom 28. This curvature is
designed to allow power source 12 to be operated away from
the windshield while work is being conducted and yet at the
same time enable cutting blade 18 to be directed in a
direction conformable to the curvature of the windshield.
Removably attachable mounting 30 is designed to
securely hold rigid sheath 24 in position by means of
attachment 3Z. Sheath 24 and mounting 30 thus form a
unified whole which may be transported together and placed
on a power source 12 as desired. Once sheath 24 is attachad
to mounting 30, mounting 30 in turn may be mounted to power
source 12 by means of attachments 34.
FIG. 3 shows a side view of a vehicle windshield 36
with exterior side 38 and interior side 40 with apparatus 10
in use, with seal 42, commonly of polyurethane, connecting
windshield 36 with the interior dash 44 of a vehicle. The
top 46 of w:indshield 36, and bottom 48, are also shown. As
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shown in FIG. 3, apparatus 10 is utilized from the interior
of a vehicle. In use, the portable power supply power
source 12 is capable of being held away from the interior
side 40 of windshield 36 and, because of the curvature in
rigid sheath 24, flexible thin cutting blade 18 can still be
brought into proper position to cut seal 42.
FIG. 4A is a view of cutting blade 18 showing the
cutting blade tip 22 formed with rip teeth on both sides of
the blade.
FIG. 4B shows cutting blade 18 with a knife edge around
the tip and FIG. 4C shows cutting blade 18 with saw teeth on
one side only.
Utilizing cutting apparatus 10 from the inside
eliminates the necessity of removing parts from the car in
order to bring the cutting blade 18 into cutting position on
seal 42. A variety of similar blades of various lengths 18
may be utilizsd but in general the blades 18 are made, in
the preferred embodiment, of 0.020 inch thick, .50 inch
wide, mild steel. Any suitable substitute which is firm yet
flexible and capable of acquiring a sharp edge may be used.
The blades 18 are sharpened only on the part of power
transmission member 16 that extends out opening 17 of sheath
24. Sheath 24, in the preferred smbodiment, is produced in
four inch, eight inch and fourteen inch sections. The
blades 18 are made in different lengths so that they will
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extend out of each sheath 24 from 1/4 inch to 1 1/2 inches
depending on the job.
By use of sheathed cutting apparatus 10, automobile
windshields may be removed after cutting urethane seal 42
from the inside of the vehicle, without the necessity of
removing the dash or any other parts of the vehicle, and
without breaking the glass.
Blade 18 has most of its length contained within sheath
24. The advantage of sheath 24 is that it serves as a guide
for blade 18 and a protector of dash 44 and any other parts
of the vehicle with which the blade 18 might come in
contact. The tip 22 of blade 18, reciprocating in and out
of the end of sheath 24, is the only portion of the blade
that comes in contact with seal 42.
The total width of sheath 2~ and blade 18 is less than
1/8 inch. This very narrow width allows sheath 24 with
blade 18 to go between the windshield 36 and dash 44.
Further, the narrowness of sheath 24 and blade 18 enables
them to slide easily under any garnish moldings of the
vehicle.
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