Cordless circular saw

#The present invention generally relates to circular saws, and more particularly to cordless circular saws.

#Circular saws are in widespread use for cutting materials such as wood. An example of such circular saws are those produced under the Skil brand by S-B Power Tool Corporation of Chicago, Ill. Cordless versions of the circular saws generally include a rotary blade assembly, a motorized drive unit disposed within a housing, a single handle disposed on the housing, and a battery pack affixed to a bottom end of the handle. However, because each of the circular saw components has a predetermined weight, the assembled circular saw may be somewhat heavy or cumbersome for the user. While efforts have been made to maximize ease of use of cordless circular saws, no effort has been made to align the cordless circular saw components in a manner that would optimize the overall balance of the circular saw. The conventional alignment fails to adequately account for imbalances resulting from the handle-mounted battery configuration or to provide unique handle configurations that confer better balance to the cordless circular saw.

#The present invention is related to a particularly convenient cordless circular saw assembly that reduces or eliminates imbalances due to misalignment or disproportioned alignment of assembly components, and additionally provides handle means for enabling a user to position and guide the cordless circular saw assembly in a desired direction.

#FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the cordless circular saw of the instant invention.

#FIG. 2 is side elevational view of the cordless circular saw assembly illustrated in FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the cordless circular saw assembly illustrated in FIG. 1.

#Cordless circular saws typically include a blade assembly for engaging and cutting a work surface and a motor encased by a motor housing mounted to one side of the blade assembly. An arched handle assembly extends from and around a portion of the motor housing, wherein the handle assembly includes a first handle portion and a second handle portion, and these handle portions are typically in front to back alignment with one another. The motor housing extends beneath the handle assembly on either side of the handle assembly. Thus, a user grasping the tool with both hands grips the first handle portion with one hand and the second handle portion with the other hand, so that the hands are in vertical alignment with one another. A blade assembly is generally attached to a first end of the motor housing, and a battery pack is ordinarily attached at a distal end of the second handle portion. Typically, the three heaviest components of the conventional circular saw assembly are the battery pack, the blade assembly and the motor. Since these components are typically arranged as described, there is a pronounced lack of linearity or longitudinal balance of the conventional cordless circular saw assembly along the work surface.

#Turning now to FIGS. 1-3, the cordless circular saw assembly of the instant invention, designated generally at 10, includes a blade assembly 12, a motor (not shown) encased in a motor housing 14, and a battery pack 16. As is typical of conventional circular saws, the blade assembly 12 is attached to a first end portion 18 of the motor housing 14. However, the instant cordless circular saw assembly 10 is configured and arranged so that the battery pack 16 or other auxiliary or modular power supply is removably secured to a second end portion 20 of the motor housing 14. In this way, the heaviest components of the instant saw assembly 10, the blade assembly 12 and the battery pack 16, are in longitudinal alignment with one another, conferring greater stability and balance to the cordless circular saw assembly 10. The longitudinal alignment of the blade assembly 12 with the battery pack 16 promotes a longitudinal counterbalancing of the respective predetermined weights of each. This is achieved because the housing is configured to have a predetermined length, so that a moment arm of the battery pack is substantially equal to a moment arm of the rotary blade assembly.

#Moreover, a handle assembly provided with the instant invention, generally indicated at 22, is provided that allows a user to optimize the balance afforded by the alignment of the blade assembly 12 and the battery pack 16 by having a first handle portion 24 and a second handle portion 26 that provide for longitudinal as well as vertical displacement of the user's hands while operating the cordless circular saw assembly 10.