US 11,911,923 B2Granted

Ergonomic dual mode snips

AssigneeToughbuilt Industries, Inc.

InventorsMichael H. Panosian, Joshua Keeler

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Ergonomic snips have a pair of pivoted levers each having a forward end formed as a cutting blade and a rearward end forming a hand portion. A first handgrip on one hand portion includes a first anti-slip ear suitable for engaging a user's thumb. A second handgrip on the other hand portion includes a second anti-slip ear to form a finger receiving portion to accommodate one or both of the index and middle fingers of a user to allow a user to either place the second anti-slip ear between the user's index and middle fingers to maximize torque or place the second anti-slip ear between said middle and ring fingers to provide greater cutting control or precision. The distances between a user's thumb and the user's index and middle fingers remain substantially the same in both positions of the hand.

Claims12

Dependent claims

Ergonomic snips comprising:

(A) first and second elongate gripping levers, said gripping levers having leading ends and having trailing ends forming respective first and second hand gripping portions;
(B) first pivoting means for pivotally connecting said first and second gripping levers at said leading ends;
(C) first and second elongate blade levers each having a distal end formed as a cutting blade and a proximate actuating end;
(D) second pivoting means for pivotally connecting said first and second blade levers to each other at a point intermediate said distal cutting blade and proximate actuating ends, a line extending through said first and second pivoting means defining an axis of the snips;
(E) third pivoting means for pivotally connecting said proximate end of said first blade lever to said first gripping lever;
(F) fourth pivoting means for pivotally connecting said proximate end of said second blade lever to said second gripping lever;
(G) a first handgrip covering said first hand gripping portion of said first gripping lever and including a first anti-slip ear generally extending in a direction away from said axis and forming a proximate surface for engaging a user's thumb axially spaced from said first pivoting means a distance “f”;
and
(H) a second handgrip covering said second hand gripping portion of said second gripping lever and including a proximate second anti-slip ear generally extending in a direction away from said axis axially spaced a distance “b” from said first pivoting means, and also formed with an outwardly projecting protrusion at a leading end of said second handgrip covering spaced a distance “a”, said second anti-slip ear and said protrusion being spaced from each other along said second handgrip covering to form an elongate finger-receiving portion, a transverse dimension between said finger receiving portion along a direction substantially normal to said axis to said proximate surface of said first anti-slip ear when said first and second hand gripping portions are in a closed configuration is “d”, and b≈2d, a≈d and said finger receiving portion is equal to (b−a).

6 more elements

Ergonomic snips comprising:

(A) first and second elongate gripping levers, said gripping levers having leading ends and having trailing ends forming respective first and second hand gripping portions;
(B) first pivoting means for pivotally connecting said first and second gripping levers at said leading ends;
(C) first and second elongate blade levers each having a distal end formed as a cutting blade and a proximate actuating end;
(D) second pivoting means for pivotally connecting said first and second blade levers to each other at a point intermediate said distal cutting blade and proximate actuating ends, a line extending through said first and second pivoting means defining an axis of the snips;
(E) third pivoting means for pivotally connecting said proximate end of said first blade lever to said first gripping lever;
(F) fourth pivoting means for pivotally connecting said proximate end of said second blade lever to said second gripping lever;
(G) a first handgrip covering said first hand gripping portion of said first gripping lever and including a first anti-slip ear generally extending in a direction away from said axis and forming a proximate surface for engaging a user's thumb axially spaced from said first pivoting means a distance “f”;
and
(H) a second handgrip covering said second hand gripping portion of said second gripping lever and including a proximate second anti-slip ear generally extending in a direction away from said axis axially spaced a distance “b” from said first pivoting means, and also formed with an outwardly projecting protrusion at a leading end of said second handgrip covering spaced a distance “a”, said second anti-slip ear and said protrusion being spaced from each other along said second handgrip covering to form an elongate finger-receiving portion, a transverse dimension between said finger receiving portion along a direction substantially normal to said axis to said proximate surface of said first anti-slip ear when said first and second hand gripping portions are in a closed configuration is “d”, and b≈2d, a≈d and said finger receiving portion is equal to (b−a), and wherein (b−a) is within the range of 39-45 mm.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/916,966Filed 30 Jun 2020
Published: US 2021/0402627 A130 Dec 2021
Granted: 27 Feb 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B26B 13/12
Hand shears; Scissors: characterised by the shape of the handles
B26B 13/16
Without gripping bows in the handle: spring loaded, e.g. with provision for locking the blades or the handles
B25G 1/102
Characterised by material or shape: the shape being specially adapted to facilitate handling or improve grip
B26B 13/20
Characterised by the shape of the handles: with gripping bows in the handle