Hole cutter with multiple fulcrums

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019201986-A1
Application number	US-201916294155-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 6, 2019
Priority date	Jan 13, 2010
Publication date	Jul 4, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A hole cutter has a cylindrical blade body including a cutting edge and one or more axially-elongated apertures formed within a side wall of the blade body. The axially-elongated aperture is configured to receive a lever, such as a screwdriver, therethrough. Each axially-elongated aperture includes a first fulcrum axially spaced adjacent to the cutting edge, a second fulcrum axially spaced further away from the cutting edge than the first fulcrum, and optionally a third fulcrum axially spaced between the first and second fulcrums. A lever, such as a screwdriver, can be inserted into the aperture and placed against each of the fulcrums to lever slugs out of the interior of the blade body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A hole cutter comprising:
a substantially cylindrical blade body having a cutting edge at a top end of the blade body and a base portion at a bottom end of the blade body, the blade body defining a longitudinal axis extending from the bottom end to the top end; a first aperture portion formed through the blade body and spaced from the cutting edge such that a portion of the blade body is disposed between the cutting edge and the first aperture portion, the first aperture portion configured to receive therethrough a lever for removing a work piece slug from an interior of the blade body and defining a first fulcrum configured for engaging the lever and for levering the slug out of the interior of the blade body; a second aperture portion formed through the blade body and spaced from the cutting edge such that a portion of the blade body is disposed between the cutting edge and the second aperture portion, the second aperture portion configured to receive therethrough a lever for removing a work piece slug from an interior of the blade body and defining a second fulcrum configured for engaging the lever and for levering the slug out of the interior of the blade body; wherein the first fulcrum is axially spaced from the cutting edge by a first distance, the second fulcrum is axially spaced from the cutting edge by a second distance that is greater than the first distance, and at least a portion of the first aperture portion and at least a portion of the second aperture portion are aligned along a first aperture axis at a first acute angle to the longitudinal axis; and wherein the first aperture portion is at least partially bounded by a first bottom edge facing the bottom end and a first side edge, the second aperture portion is at least partially bounded by a second bottom edge facing the bottom end and a second side edge, and at least one of the first side edge and the second side edge is oriented at the acute angle.

2 . The hole cutter of claim 1 , wherein the first aperture portion is in communication with the second aperture portion.

3 . The hole cutter of claim 1 , wherein the first fulcrum and the second fulcrum are aligned along a line along or substantially parallel to the first aperture axis.

4 . The hole cutter of claim 1 , wherein the first bottom edge is substantially parallel to the cutting edge and the second bottom edge is substantially parallel to the cutting edge.

5 . The hole cutter of claim 4 , wherein the first fulcrum is defined by the first bottom edge and the second fulcrum is defined by the second bottom edge.

6 . The hole cutter of claim 4 , wherein the first aperture portion is further bounded by a third side edge and the second aperture portion is further bounded by a fourth side edge, the first fulcrum is defined at a first junction between the first bottom edge and one of the first and third side edges, and the second fulcrum is defined at a second junction between the second bottom edge and one of the second and fourth side edges.

7 . The hole cutter of claim 6 , wherein the first fulcrum is defined by a first curvilinear portion at the first junction and the second fulcrum is defined by a second curvilinear portion at the second junction.

8 . The hole cutter of claim 4 , wherein the first aperture portion is further bounded by a first top edge that is substantially parallel to and spaced from the cutting edge, and the second aperture portion is further bounded by a second top edge that is spaced from and substantially parallel to the cutting edge.

9 . The hole cutter of claim 1 , wherein each of the first aperture portion and the second aperture defines a minimum width to allow insertion of a number 2 screwdriver therethrough.

10 . The hole cutter of claim 1 , wherein the second fulcrum is angularly spaced around a circumference of the blade body relative to the first fulcrum.

11 . The hole cutter of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first aperture portion and the second aperture portion is elongated along the aperture axis.

12 . The hole cutter of claim 1 , further comprising a third aperture portion formed through the blade body and spaced from the cutting edge such that a portion of the blade body is disposed between the cutting edge and the third aperture portion, the third aperture portion configured to receive therethrough a lever for removing a work piece slug from an interior of the blade body and defining a third fulcrum configured for engaging the lever and for levering the slug out of the interior of the blade body, wherein the third fulcrum is axially spaced from the cutting edge a third distance that is greater than the first distance and less than the second distance, and at least a portion of the third aperture portion is aligned with at least a portion of the second aperture portion along a second aperture axis at a second acute angle to the longitudinal axis.

13 . The hole cutter of claim 12 , wherein the third aperture portion is at least partially bounded by a third bottom edge facing the bottom end and a third side edge, and the third side edge is oriented at the second acute angle.

14 . The hole cutter of claim 13 , wherein the second acute angle is substantially the same as the first acute angle.

15 . A hole cutter comprising:
a substantially cylindrical blade body having a cutting edge at a top end of the blade body and a base portion at a bottom end of the blade body, the blade body defining a longitudinal axis extending from the bottom end to the top end; a first aperture portion formed through the blade body and spaced from the cutting edge such that a portion of the blade body is disposed between the cutting edge and the first aperture portion, the first aperture portion configured to receive therethrough a lever for removing a work piece slug from an interior of the blade body and defining a first fulcrum configured for engaging the lever and for levering the slug out of the interior of the blade body, the first aperture portion at least partially bounded by a first bottom edge, a first top edge closer to the cutting edge than the first bottom edge, a first left side edge extending from the first top edge away from the cutting edge, and first right side edge extending from the first top edge away from the cutting edge; and a second aperture portion formed through the blade body and spaced from the cutting edge such that a portion of the blade body is disposed between the cutting edge and the second aperture portion, the second aperture portion configured to receive therethrough a lever for removing a work piece slug from an interior of the blade body and defining a second fulcrum configured for engaging the lever and for levering the slug out of the interior of the blade body, the second aperture portion at least partially bounded by a second bottom edge, a second top edge closer to the cutting edge than the second bottom edge, a second left side edge extending from the second bottom edge toward the cutting edge, and second right side edge extending from the second bottom edge toward the cutting edge, wherein the first fulcrum is axially spaced from the cutting edge a first distance and the second fulcrum is axially spaced from the cutting edge a second distance that is greater than the first distance, and wherein at least a portion of the first aperture portion and at least a portion of the second aperture portion are aligned along an aperture axis at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis and at least one of the first left side edge, the first right side edge, the second left side edge, and the second right side

Assignees

• Black & Decker Inc

Inventors

• Novak Joseph Thomas
• Green Matthew Christopher

Classifications

• B23B51/0453 Primary

  with ejecting devices · CPC title

• B23B2260/082

  Holes · CPC title

• Y10T408/895

  Having axial, core-receiving central portion · CPC title

• B23B51/0406

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B23B2251/428

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic