scissors

Abstract

To provide scissors configured to be capable of securely holding an object to be cut such as stems and branches at any position along the length of the blade.SOLUTION: In scissors 1 that have a pair of scissors bodies 2 with a grip portion 2a and a blade portion 2b that are piled up and pivotally fitted so as to form an X shape in plan view and that are configured to be opened and closed so that the blade portions 2b form an acute angle by operating the grip portions 2a, a spring holder 4 extending in the direction of the blade portions 2b is attached to the upper surface of the grip portion 2a of the scissors body 2 positioned downward in plan view, a plate 6 with which the object to be cut abuts is attached along the length direction of the cutting edge to the upper surface of the blade portion 2b of the scissors body 2 positioned above, a free end of one bent piece 7a of a leaf spring 7 formed by bending an inverted U shape in plan view is fixed to the spring holder 4, and the free end of the other bent piece 7b of the leaf spring 7 is configured to be pressed against the plate 6 when the blade portions 2b are open and to be elastically pressed against substantially the entire length of the plate 6 when the blade portions 2b are closed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to scissors capable of holding a cut object, such as a cut stem or branch.

[0002] Scissors are used for harvesting fruits such as citrus fruits such as mandarins, grapes, and apples, harvesting fruit vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, and cucumbers, and pruning twigs of garden trees. However, when using ordinary scissors, the object to be cut such as stems and branches falls along with the fruit, fruit vegetables, and branches, so it is necessary to hold the fruit, fruit vegetables, and branches in one hand and use the scissors with the other hand to cut the object. In particular, when cutting at a high place, both hands are used using a stepladder, etc., which makes the efficiency of harvesting work poor and there is a risk of falling from the stepladder. As a solution to such problems, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses scissors that allow cutting work to be performed with one hand by holding the object to be cut such as the cut stem or branch.

[0003] This pair of scissors has a pair of scissors bodies that can be opened and closed freely, and the base end of the retaining piece is pivoted to one of the scissors bodies so that it is parallel to one side of the blade of the scissors body and faces the blade of the other scissors body.A torsion spring wound around the pivotal part urges the retaining piece in the opposite direction to the blade of the other scissors body, so that the cut object, such as a stem or branch, is elastically clamped between the retaining piece and the other blade. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 53-79262 (Page 1, Figures 5 and 6) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the scissors described in Patent Document 1, the holding force of the cut stems, branches, etc. depends on the biasing force of the torsion spring at the pivot of the holding piece, so while the holding force is large at the base side of the holding piece close to the pivot, the holding force becomes weaker at the tip side farther from the pivot due to the moment. Therefore, for example, if the stems of citrus fruits or fruit vegetables are cut at the tip of the blade and then held at the tip of the holding piece, there is a risk that the fruit will fall and be damaged. In addition, because the cut stems are clamped between the holding piece and the blade, the stems are easily damaged.

[0006] The present invention has been made in response to these problems, and its object is to provide a pair of scissors that can securely hold an object such as a stem or branch regardless of where in the length direction the blade is cut. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the scissors of the present invention include: A pair of scissors having a gripping portion and a blade portion are pivotally attached to one another so as to form an X-shape in a plan view, and the blade portion is opened and closed at an acute angle by operating the gripping portion, A spring holder extending in the direction of the blade portion is attached to the gripping portion of the scissors body located at the lower side in a plan view, preferably to an upper surface thereof, and a plate that comes into contact with an object to be cut is attached to the blade portion of the scissors body located at the upper side, preferably to an upper surface thereof, along the length direction of the blade tip; A free end of one bent piece of a leaf spring bent into an inverted U-shape in a plan view is fixed to the spring holder, The other bent piece of the leaf spring is characterized in that its free end is pressed against the plate when the blade portion is open, and is elastically pressed against the plate over substantially the entire length when the blade portion is closed. According to this feature, when the blade section is closed, the object cut by the blade section is sandwiched between the plate and the other bent piece of the leaf spring and is held by the elastic repulsive force of the other bent piece. At this time, the elastic repulsive force of the other bent piece acts on almost the entire length of the plate, so that the object can be securely held regardless of where in the length direction the blade section cuts the object.

[0008] At least the other bent piece of the leaf spring is formed to a length that projects beyond the tip of the plate. According to this feature, the elastic repulsive force of the other bent piece of the leaf spring acts approximately uniformly over the entire length of the plate, so that the workpiece can be more reliably held at any position in the length direction.

[0009] The plate is characterized in that it is provided with a restricting piece for restricting lateral displacement of the other bent piece, preferably the free end thereof. This feature prevents the other folded piece, preferably its free end, from coming off the plate.

[0010] The free end of the other bent piece is bent toward the spring holder, and when the blade portion is closing, the bent free end abuts against the spring holder, and a pressing force acts from the spring holder on the leaf spring. According to this feature, when the blade portion is closed, the other bent piece is strongly pressed toward the plate by the spring holder and strongly pressed against the plate, thereby increasing the holding force of the workpiece.

[0011] The free end of one bent piece of the leaf spring is detachably fixed to the spring holder. According to this feature, the leaf spring can be easily replaced with one having a different spring force or width dimension in accordance with the length, thickness, type, etc. of the workpiece to be cut.

[0012] At least one of the contact surfaces between the plate and the other bent piece is characterized in that it is a rough surface. According to this feature, the cut object is held by the frictional force of the rough surface, so that it can be reliably prevented from falling.

[0013] The leaf spring also functions as an opening spring that biases the blade portion in an opening direction. According to this feature, there is no need to attach a separate opening spring to the scissors, which reduces costs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of scissors according to a first embodiment of the present invention with blades in an open state. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a right side view of the same with the blade portion closed. [Diagram 5] 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main part in a state where an object to be cut is held. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a plan view of scissors according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a plan view of scissors according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a description will be given of an embodiment of the scissors according to the present invention. EXAMPLES

[0016] The scissors according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. As shown in Fig. 1, the scissors 1 includes a pair of scissors bodies 2, 2 having a gripping portion 2a and a blade portion 2b. The opposing inner edges of the blade portions 2b, 2b are sharp blade tips 2c, 2c. The scissors bodies 2, 2 are pivotally attached by a pivot 3 in a stacked manner so as to form an X-shape in a plan view near the bases of the blade portions 2b, 2b, and are opened and closed by operating the gripping portions 2a, 2a so that the blade portions 2b, 2b form an acute angle, more specifically, the acute angle gradually decreases and finally becomes zero. In this embodiment, the maximum opening angle of the blade portions 2b, 2b is set to about 45 degrees, for example, by a stopper (not shown) provided at an appropriate position of the scissors body 2. The blade portions 2b, 2b are symmetrical in the shape of a substantially triangle with a vertex angle of 15 to 20 degrees, and have a small blade width. The present invention has a small blade width and is particularly suitable for picking and thinning fruits such as mandarin oranges and green peppers, because when harvesting mandarin oranges and green peppers, it is necessary to cut small branches near the object to be cut C.

[0017] A metal spring holder 4 has a base end portion that extends toward the blade 2b, more specifically, toward the outside of the base of the blade 2b in plan view, and is fixed to the upper surface of the gripping portion 2a of the lower scissors body 2 by bolts 5, 5. The spring holder 4 is bent upward in an L shape near the fixing portion so as not to interfere with the upper scissors body 2, and the tip side excluding the fixing portion is located higher than the upper scissors body 2 and is parallel to the upper scissors body 2 in side view.

[0018] A metal plate 6 having approximately the same shape as the planar shape of the blade 2b is fixed by bolts 5, 5 to the upper surface of the blade 2b of the upper scissor body 2. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, an upward bent piece 6a is integrally provided on the edge of the plate 6 on the side of the blade tip 2c, and extends upward along the length of the blade tip 2c. An object to be cut C such as a stem or branch comes into contact with the upward bent piece 6a, and the other bent piece 7b of a leaf spring 7 (hereinafter also referred to as a holding member 7) described later is elastically pressed against the upward bent piece 6a. When the blade tip 2b is closed, the base of the upward bent piece 6a faces the tip of the spring holder 4 (see Fig. 3).

[0019] A restricting piece 6b that restricts the lateral shift (upward movement) of the other bent piece 7b of the holding member 7 is provided at the upper edge of the base end of the upward bent piece 6a so as to protrude beyond the cutting edge 2c, and the free end of the other bent piece 7b is prevented from coming off upward from the upward bent piece 6a. If the thickness of the plate 6 itself is made equal to the bending dimension of the upward bent piece 6a, the upward bent piece 6a can be omitted. Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the plate 6 is lightweight because it has a thin plate structure.

[0020] A free end of one of the bent pieces 7a facing each other in the holding member 7 bent into an inverted U-shape in plan view is detachably fixed to the tip of the spring holder 4. That is, the free end of one of the bent pieces 7a is sandwiched in a slit-shaped holding groove 4a formed in the tip of the spring holder 4, which opens in both the up and down directions and the tip direction, and fixed by fixing screws 8, 8 screwed toward the holding groove 4a, so that the free end of one of the bent pieces 7a is detachably fixed to the spring holder 4. The entire length of the holding member 7 in the state fixed to the spring holder 4 is set so as to protrude a required length from the tip of the blade portion 2b and the plate 6. The holding member 7 in this embodiment has a width of about 5 mm and a plate thickness of about 0.5 to 1 mm.

[0021] 1, one end of the leaf spring S, which has a gently curved shape before assembly, is fixed to the spring holder 4 with the blades 2b, 2b open, and then bent toward the blades 2b, and the free end of the other end is pressed against the upward bent piece 6a of the plate 6 to form an inverted U-shape in plan view, which is curved at the curved part 7c between the bent pieces 7a, 7b. Alternatively, a straight spring plate before assembly can be bent to form an inverted U-shape. When the thickness of the holding member 7 is relatively thick and the spring force is strong, a member that is bent in advance into an inverted U-shape can be used.

[0022] The free end of the other bent piece 7b forms a small curved portion 7f in the shape of a small arc toward the tip of the spring holder 4, and the curved free end (tip) 7g is separated from the spring holder 4 when the blades 2b, 2b are open and comes into contact with the spring holder 4 in the process of closing the blades 2b, 2b. Note that when the blades 2b, 2b are open, the other bent piece 7b forms a V-shape in plan view with respect to the upward bent piece 6a, and the small curved portion 7f is slightly separated from the upward bent piece 6a so that the object C to be cut can be inserted.

[0023] 3, when the blades 2b, 2b are closed, the holding member 7 is elastically deformed inward, so that the other bent piece 7b is elastically pressed against the entire length of the upward bent piece 6a. In addition, during the process of closing the blades 2b, 2b, the free end (tip) 7g of the other bent piece 7b abuts against the left side surface of the spring holder 4, so that when the blades 2b, 2b are completely closed, the other bent piece is strongly pressed against the upward bent piece 6a by the spring holder 4, and is strongly pressed against the upward bent piece 6a.

[0024] When the scissors 1 according to the first embodiment described above are used to cut the stem of a citrus fruit such as a mandarin orange as an object C, as shown in FIG. 6, the object C is clamped between the upward bent piece 6a of the plate 6 and the other bent piece 7b of the holding member 7 immediately after the start of cutting. As the blades 2b, 2b are closed, the other bent piece 7b tries to strongly elastically press against the upward bent piece 6a, so that the clamping force of the object C gradually increases. When the blades 2b, 2b are completely closed and the object C is cut, the elastic repulsive force of the other bent piece 7b becomes maximum, and the cut object C is firmly clamped and held between the upward bent piece 6a and the other bent piece 7b. At this time, the elastic repulsive force of the other bent piece 7b acts on the entire length of the upward bent piece 6a, so that the object C can be reliably held regardless of the position in the length direction of the blades 2b. Therefore, even when cutting work is performed at a high place using a stepladder or the like, the work can be performed safely with one hand, and the fruit M can be prevented from falling, allowing the harvesting work to be performed efficiently.

[0025] In addition, during the process of closing the blade portions 2b, 2b, the free end 7g of the other bent piece 7b abuts against the spring holder 4, and the other bent piece 7b is strongly pressed toward the upward bent piece 6a by the spring holder 4, so that it is strongly pressed against the upward bent piece 6a, thereby further increasing the holding force of the object to be cut C.

[0026] The free end of one of the bent pieces of the holding member 7 is removably attached to the spring holder 4, so that the holding member 7 can be easily replaced with one having a different spring force or width dimension in accordance with the length, thickness, type, etc. of the workpiece C to be cut.

[0027] When the blades 2b are in an open state, the free end of the other bent piece 7b of the holding member 7 is elastically pressed against the base end of the upward bent piece 6a of the plate 6, urging the blades 2b in the opening direction. Therefore, the holding member 7 can also serve as an opening spring for the blades 2b, eliminating the need to attach a separate opening spring, thereby reducing costs and weight. EXAMPLES

[0028] The scissors according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted. The scissors 1 according to the second embodiment have sawtooth grooves carved into the upward bent piece 6a of the plate 6, and the contact surface is roughened with surfaces 9, 9. In this way, the cut object C is securely held by the frictional force of the roughened surface 9, so that it is possible to prevent the fruit M or the like from falling and being scratched. Although the sawtooth grooves are exemplified as the rough surface, it may be a matte finish obtained by sandblasting or the like. The other bent piece 7b may be roughened with surface 9. EXAMPLES

[0029] 8, in the scissors 1 according to the third embodiment, the other bent piece 7b is bent into a corrugated shape to form a rough surface 9. Even in this case, the frictional force of the rough surface 9 can reliably hold the object C to be cut.

[0030] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and additions and modifications that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

[0031] In the above embodiment, the free end of the other bent piece 7b of the holding member 7 is in a free state, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, the free end of the other bent piece 7b may be bent so as to be parallel to the tip of the spring holder 4 and fixed by a screw to the left side surface of the tip of the spring holder 4. In this way, the restricting piece 6b for restricting the lateral displacement of the other bent piece 7b can be omitted.

[0032] In addition, in the above embodiment, the spring holder 4 and the plate 6 are fixed to each other using the bolt 5 and the fixing screw 8, but this is not limiting and they may be fixed to each other by, for example, welding.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the spring holder 4 and the plate 6 are fixed to the upper surfaces of the clamping bodies 2, 2 by the bolts 5 and the fixing screws 8, respectively, but this is not limiting and they may be fixed to the side surfaces, for example.

[0034] In addition, in the above embodiment, when the blade portions 2b, 2b are completely closed, the other folded piece 7b is elastically pressed against the entire length of the upward folded piece 6a, but this is not limited to the above, and the other folded piece 7b may be elastically pressed against almost the entire length of the upward folded piece 6a (for example, over more than half the length of the upward folded piece 6a).

[0035] The scissors 1 of the present invention can also be applied to high scissors used for cutting objects at high places, scissors used in automatic fruit and vegetable harvesters, and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1. Scissors 2. Claws 2a Grip part 2b Blade part 2c Cutting edge 3. Axis 4 Spring holder 4a Retaining groove 5 Volts 6 Plate 6a Upward bent piece 6b Regulatory piece 7 Retaining member (leaf spring) 7a One of the folded pieces 7b The other folded piece 7g free end 8 Fixing screw 9 Rough Surface C Object to be cut M Fruit S Leaf spring

Claims

1. A pair of scissors having a gripping portion and a blade portion are pivotally attached to one another so as to form an X-shape in a plan view, and the blade portions are opened and closed by operating the gripping portions so as to form an acute angle, A spring holder extending in the direction of the blade portion is attached to the grip portion of the scissors body located at the lower side in a plan view, and a plate that comes into contact with an object to be cut is attached along the length direction of the blade tip, preferably on the upper surface of the blade portion of the scissors body located at the upper side, A free end of one bent piece of a leaf spring bent into an inverted U-shape in a plan view is fixed to the spring holder, The other bent piece of the leaf spring is configured such that its free end is pressed against the plate when the blade portion is open, and is elastically pressed against the plate over almost the entire length when the blade portion is closed.

2. 2. The scissors according to claim 1, wherein at least the other bent piece of the leaf spring is formed to a length such that it protrudes beyond a tip end of a lower end side of the plate in a plan view.

3. 3. The scissors according to claim 1, wherein the plate is provided with a restricting piece for restricting lateral displacement of the other bent piece.

4. Scissors as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the free end of the other bent piece is bent toward the spring holder, and when the blade portion is closed, the bent free end abuts against the spring holder, and a pressing force acts from the spring holder on the leaf spring.

5. 5. A pair of scissors according to claim 1, wherein a free end of one of the bent pieces of said leaf spring is detachably fixed to said spring holder.

6. 6. The scissors according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the contact surfaces between the plate and the other bent piece is roughened.

7. 7. The scissors according to claim 1, wherein the leaf spring also serves as an opening spring for biasing the blades in an opening direction.

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