US2618058A - Sportsman's nipper - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 18, 1952 c. A. SUNDSTRAND 2,618,058

SPORTSMAN'S NIPPER Filed April 2. 1947 4 .1 E five/257 .7 f0 19 Carlflfiwzdsbmd Patented Nov. 18, 1952 ram" OFFICE SPORTSMANS NIPPER CarlA. Sundstrand, Rockford, 111.

Application April 2, 1947, Serial No. 739,035

1 Claim.

This invention relates to nippers and is more particularly concerned with an improved design and construction of wide and thin jawed nippers especially adapted for use by fishermen, and other sportsmen, for clipping horns and fins, and for skinning fish and animals, and doing various other jobs, these tools having also been found to be handy for various purposes around the home, such as trimming and pruning vines and shrubs, and picking flowers and fruit, the powerful pinching action afiorded with the jaws making these tools also handy for use around shops for a wide variety of jobs where other pinchers are commonly used, and on some jobs where pinchers of the old conventional designs are not suitable.

The principal object of my invention is to provide nippers, the wide, thin sheet metal jaws of which are channel-shaped for stifiness and strength throughout the length of their posterior portions where the greatest strains are concentrated in heavy pinching operations, the jaws being gradually widened toward their gripping extremities as the channels thereof are made shallower, and the jaws being, furthermore, curved quite sharply toward each other at their extremities to meet at such a small angle that there will be no likelihood of the metal bending even under heaviest closing pressure applied to the handles. In other words, the bending to nearly semi-cylindrical curvature of the web portion combined with the bending to channel section of the curved jaw and the flaring outwardly of the flanges as they are gradually diminished in height toward the gripping end of the jaw serve to provide great strength and rigidity so that no other reinforcement is needed although comparatively light gauge sheet metal is used for the sake of economy as well as lightness of the tool.

Another object is to provide a tool of the kind described in which a secondary set of narrower nipping and pinching jaws are provided on the inner ends of the web portions of the channel section jaws to provide either limit stops for the closing of the jaws to avoid likelihood of the jaws getting bent out of shape in the hands of an unusually strong operator, or to permit applying a much more powerful pinching and nipping action with these secondary jaws due to their closer spacing to the pivotal axis of the jaws and the increased mechanical advantage which results from that, there being many times in the use of pinchers where such increased pressure is desirable.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figs. 1 and 2 are two views of the nippers of 'my invention, Fig. 1 showing in dotted lines the closed position of the jaws;

Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 1; v

Fi s. 4-7 are sectional details of one of the jaws taken at the points correspondingly numbered in Fig. l, and

Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional details of one of the handles taken at the points correspondingly numbered in Fig. 1.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts in these nine views. l

The reference numerals l0 and H designate the jaws of the nippers which are pivotally connected by a pin l2 and have the ends of a spring l3, thatis coiled around the pin,. engaging the inner sides of the handles l4 and [5 to hold the jaws'open. The two working parts In and II of the tool are sheet metal stampings for lightness, strength and economy, substantially identical blanks being used for both parts. The jaw end of both parts, aside from the nearly semi-cylindrical curvature lengthwise shown in Fig. 1, is formed to the square-cornered channel section, shown in Fig. 4, the channel gradually widening outwardly and becoming shallower, as shown in Figs. 5 and'6', and ending in the straight end portion shown in Fig. 7, and the handle end is formed to the round-- ed channel section shown in Figs. 8 and 9; all channel'sections being open on the same'side of each part, as clearly appears in Fig. 1. The parts are both slotted open between the jaw and handle at the pivot portions I6, and the sides of the one slotted pivot portion are spread to permit the other part to be inserted therein and the interfitted parts to be pivotally connected by the pin 12. The semi-cylindrically curved channelshaped jaw portions of parts IE] and II have the open sides turned away from each other so that the longitudinally extending flanges 11 which give strength and rigidity to the jaws are on that side of the webs l8 away from the work and the inside surfaces of said jaws are smooth and Will not mar or scratch the work with which they may come in contact. The flanges I! are decreased gradually in height from the pivot pin [2 outwardly as the jaws are widened, as shown in Fig. 2, toward the outer end or tip portions l9, so that there is the greatest strength and rigidity nearest the pivot l2 where the greatest strains are usually concentrated in working with the tool. The tips H! are made V-shaped so as to provide reasonably well sharpened edges 20 for easily clipping horns and fins and taking a good hold on the work when skinning fish and animals. The tool is made of high grade sheet steel, heavily zinc or cadmium plated to resist corrosion, and the jaws ill and l l are therefore hard enough for good service, but not too hard to permit sharpening of the V-edges 20 on the jaws with a file when they become dulled by rough usage. The tapering of the jaws down toward the tip portions 19 to the thinness of the sheet metal used enables easier and cleaner cutting, and the widening of the jaws toward the tip portions enables taking a good hold on the work when that is desired or making a wide cut in the work when that is desired. It is the curvature of the webs I8 to substantially semicylindrical form combined with the flanging lengthwise at I! along both longitudinal edge portions which accounts for the strength and rigidity of the jaws despite the factthat fairly light gauge sheet metal is used in the construction of the tool. The tip portions 19 are disposed at such a small angularity relative to one another when the jaws are closed, as appears in Fig. 1, that there is no danger of the parts-bendingeven under application of fairly heavy pressure. The inner ends 2| of the webs 18 on the twojaws are defined by square shoulders parallel to one another and projecting appreciably by reason of the cutting away of the flanges H, as at 22, and are arranged to come into engagement simultaneously with the outer ends 20, as clearly appears in the dotted line closed position shown in Fig. 1. In that way, a two-fold purpose is served, firstly, these abutting ends -2l serve as limiting stops to protect the tip portions 19 against likelihood of bending, in the event of unusually heavy pressure being applied to the handles I l-45, and, secondly, these abutting ends 2| may be used as a'secondary set of narrower but much more powerful nipping and pinching jaws, the greater power being due to the closer spacing of these abutting ends 2| relative to the pivot I2 and the increased mechanical advantage which is accordingly realized. There are many times in the use of pinchers where such increased power is desirable.

Itis believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claim has been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim A device of the character described, comprising a pair of elongated sheet metal members pivotally connected together intermediate their ends and each including a handle portion and a jaw portion, the jaw portions being of channel-shaped cross-section transversely thereof and arranged with the web portions of the channels innermost and the side walls of the channels extending outwardly, the web portions of the jaws gradually increasing in width in a direction away from the pivotal axis and terminating in straight flattened web portions defining the outer ends of'the jaws, and the side walls of the jaws diverging in the same direction and gradually diminishing in height to the flattened web portions of the outer ends of the jaws, the web portions being arched substantial-1y semi-circularly lengthwise thereof outwardly relatively to one another and having their straight wide outer ends provided with sharp edges and arranged to come into abutment when the handles and jaws are closed, and having their narrower inner ends also provided with sharp edges and arranged to come into abutment-rat the same time as the outer ends. the web portions; due to the semi-circularly arched form thereof; defining therebetween in the closed position of the handles and jaws a substantially circular opening for clearance with respect to work pinched or clipped between either-set of cooperate ing sharp edges.

CARL A. SUNDS'IRAND;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file "of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS;

Number Name Date Re. 11,868 Bernard Nov: 6, 1-900 519,550 Riordan a May 3, 1894 782,654 Hart Feb. 14, 1905' 866,253 Bernard Sept. 1.7, 1907 975,385 Chappel Nov. 8.,v 1910 1,399,958 Gilbert i Dec. 13, 1921 1,910,750 Clark May 2 3,. 1938 2,328,866 Van Sittert et a1. Sept. 7, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 335,068 France hfih Jan. 11, 1-904

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