Hand-operated shears
For hand-operated garden shears, in particular tree-pruning shears, with a ratchet mechanism, a ratchet lever may be disposed between a hand lever and a scissor lever and the ratchet lever may engage in different latching positions according to the ratchet mechanism. A rotatable abutment surface may be provided on the hand lever and a mating bearing surface on the lever extension, or vice versa, which, at the end of an initial closing operation with the ratchet lever in a first ratchet position, may allow a continuation of the cutting operation as a direct cut without further use of the ratchet mechanism.
1. Hand-actuated garden shears comprising:
a first shears lever comprising a first shears cheek and a first hand lever;
a second hand lever connected at a first articulation point to the first hand lever;
a second shears lever comprising a second shears cheek and a lever extension, wherein the second shears cheek is connected at a second articulation point to the first hand lever, wherein the second shears cheek and the lever extension are disposed between the first and the second hand levers, and wherein the lever extension faces away from the first shears cheek relative to the second articulation point;
a ratchet lever connecting the lever extension and the second hand lever, wherein the ratchet lever is connected to the second hand lever and to the lever extension by a first end at a third articulation and by a second end in a multi-step catch structure and is enabled to be shifted under spring-loading between different catch positions with engagement into different catch steps of the catch structure around the third articulation, wherein different catch steps are associated with different maximal and minimal opening widths of first and second hand levers and first and second shears cheeks,
wherein a first closing procedure is enabled comprising, starting with the first and second shears cheeks in an initially open position, moving the first and second hand levers in several steps with an alternating closing movement and an opening movement of the first and second hand levers as the ratchet lever shifts between the different catch positions, and
wherein carrying out of a complete cutting procedure with only one closing movement of the hand levers as a direct cut-is enabled, starting from an open position of the first and second hand levers, by transferring force from the first and second hand levers to the first and second shears cheeks in an initial catch step of the different catch steps, and wherein upon reaching an end of the closing movement of the first and second hand levers, which is associated with the initial catch step, contact of a surface of the lever extension against a surface on the second hand lever allows a continuation of the closing movement of the first and second hand levers for a continuation of the cutting procedure as a direct cut as well as enabling a continuation of the cutting process after an opening movement of the hand levers upon another closing movement via a second catch step of the different catch steps.
2. The shears according to claim 1 , wherein a direct cut is possible from each catch step of the different catch steps up to the complete closing of the first and second shears cheeks in a continuous closing movement of the first and second hand levers.
3. The shears according to claim 1 , wherein upon maximal opening width of the first and second hand levers the ratchet lever rests in the catch structure in the first catch step in which the first and second shears cheeks cannot completely close, and when the ratchet lever rests in the first catch step a closing of the hand levers brings about a contacting of the surface of the lever extension comprising an abutment surface against the surface on the second hand lever comprising a mating bearing surface,
wherein a closing movement of the first and second hand levers continued under the force of a user initiates the loosening of the second end of the ratchet lever out of a previously assumed catch step, and during the continued closing movement of the first and second hand levers the abutment surface and mating bearing surface transfer the force of the user onto the second shears lever.
4. The shears according to one claim 3 , wherein the abutment surface or the mating bearing surface are provided with a surface coating.
5. The shears according to claim 3 , wherein the abutment surface runs in a convexly curved manner.
6. The shears according to claim 5 , wherein the mating bearing surface runs in a concavely curved manner.
7. The shears according to claim 3 , wherein the abutment surface is constructed on a bearing element that is enabled to rotate at least in a limited manner.
8. The shears according to claim 7 , wherein the abutment surface is a circumferential surface of a rotatably supported roller.