BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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The present invention relates to a cigar cutter and more particularly pertains to a cigar cutter with a safety device.
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To smoke a cigar, one has to first snip off the closed end cap of the cigar, roast it a bit with flame, and then light its foot. Ideally a round opening is cut with a diameter equivalent to three quarters of that of the cigar, but without damaging the wrapper. There are various cigar cutters in the marketplace, including cigar cutters, cigar scissors, cigar punches and so on. Among these tools, cigar cutters are more popular with smokers. This is because cigar scissors and cigar punches are more difficult to use requiring some skills. The users have to be skilful with the hands and have good eyesight.
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At present, guillotine type is the most popular type of cigar cutters. A guillotine cigar cutter generally comprises a casing and a movable blade which is vertically disposed inside the casing. The blade is connected to a grip which is disposed outside the casing. The casing has a through hole in the middle, and the through hole can receive a section of the cigar's end cap being inserted. While in use, the user puts a finger of one hand into the grip to control the upward and downward movements of the blade. He uses another hand to insert the front section of the cigar's end cap into the through hole. He then controls the upward and downward movements of the blade, and when the blade passes through the through hole, it cuts off the front section of the cigar directly. The cross section of the front part of the cigar after being cut is in circular shape. For ease of single-handed control of the upward and downward movements of the blade, some guillotine cigar cutters have two grips one on each end. One grip is for the thumb to pass through and the other is for the forefinger to pass through. In order to avoid compressing the tobacco leaves during the cutting process causing a difficult draw of smoke, the cutting edge of the blade must be sharp. To ensure that it is safe to use or carry around, most available cigar cutters have card buttons to lock the blades, and some others use spring components. However, these are not safe enough as the blades are not securely locked, thereby causing accidents easily. Therefore, there are some cigar cutters with safety mechanisms provided in the marketplace. But, they are all of rather complicated construction. For example, a lockable outer casing can be added to the original casing, but this is not convenient to use or light and compact to be carried around. Its production cost is also high. Smokers are therefore expecting new cigar cutters which are safe, practical and portable.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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In view of the aforesaid disadvantages now present in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a cigar cutter with a safety device which is of simple construction, safe and reliable, convenient to use and easy to carry around, and it meets the market demands.
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To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a casing and a blade. The casing has a through hole in the middle. The blade is connected to a grip, which is disposed outside the casing. The grip can be flexibly pulled out or pushed in as against the casing, thereby actuating the blade to move away from or pass through the through hole. It also comprises a movable ring, one end of which is connected to near the middle part of the casing, and which can rotate at least 180° as opposed to the casing. The casing and the grip have a groove along their peripherals. The shape and size of the groove correspond to the shape and thickness of the movable ring; the shape and size of the movable ring correspond to those of the casing and the grip and can fit onto the grip and part of the casing.
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A projection is disposed on the movable ring. The projection and the movable ring are formed as a whole.
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The hollow in the middle of the grip is of size into which two fingers can be inserted at the same time.
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The present invention operates as follows:
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When the user stores and carries around the present invention, he first pushes the grip which brings along the blade with it into the casing completely. He then turns the movable ring onto the grip. The movable ring is fixed inside the groove along the peripherals of the casing and the grip, thereby fixing the grip and the casing together and the grip cannot be pulled out. The blade passes through the through hole and covers the entire through hole, and thus the cutting edge of the blade is hidden inside the casing. When the present invention is in use, he removes the movable ring from the grip and turns it to another direction until it is level with the grip. The movable ring becomes fixed inside the groove of the casing's peripheral, and thus the movable ring forms a second grip corresponding to the grip. This facilitates the user to insert his thumb into the grip and his forefinger and middle finger into the second grip or, alternatively, to insert his thumb into the second grip and his forefinger and middle finger into the grip. The user can then control the blade using only one hand. He may first pull out the grip from the casing, thereby actuating the blade to move away from the through hole. The user can use another hand to insert the front section of a cigar's end cap into the through hole. He can then push the grip into the casing, thereby actuating the blade to pass through the through hole and directly cut off the cigar's end cap.
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The present invention, in comparison with known arts, has the following advantages and effects:
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First, the present invention has a movable ring, which is simple and practical, and can securely lock the blade inside the casing and the grip cannot be pulled out. The cutting edge of the blade is hidden inside the casing and covers the entire through hole. Therefore, the cigar cutter is safe and reliable, and the disadvantage of the prior art of being not sufficiently safe can be overcome.
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Secondly, the safety device of the present invention is of simple construction, thus effectively reducing the production cost. Further, the present invention does not require to be set up and is ready for immediate use. The disadvantage of the prior art of being complicated in construction can thus be overcome.
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Thirdly, as the present invention is of simple construction, it can be easily stored and is portable, thus overcoming the disadvantage of the prior art of being not convenient to be carried around.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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FIG. 1 shows the perspective view of the present invention.
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FIG. 2 is a view of the present invention when it is in use.
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FIG. 3 is another view of the present invention when it is in use.
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FIG. 4 shows a side view of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
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The present invention is further described in detail with the following embodiment and the accompanying drawings, which should not be regarded as limiting:
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FIGS. 1 to 4 show the construction of the embodiment of the present invention in detail. As illustrated in the drawings, the embodiment comprises a casing 1, a blade 2, a through hole 3, a grip 4 and a movable ring 5. The casing 1 has the through hole 3 in the middle. The blade 2 is connected to the grip 4, and the grip 4 is disposed outside the casing 1. The grip 4 can be flexibly pulled out or pushed in as against the casing 1, thereby actuating the blade 2 to move away from or pass through the through hole 3. The hollow in the middle of the grip 4 is of size into which two fingers can be inserted at the same time. One end of the movable ring 5 is connected to near the middle part of the casing 1, and the movable ring 5 can rotate at least 180° as opposed to the casing 1. The casing 1 and the grip 4 have a groove 6 along their peripherals. The shape and size of the groove 6 correspond to the shape and thickness of the movable ring 5, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The shape and size of the movable ring 5 correspond to those of the casing 1 and the grip 4 and can fit onto the grip 4 and part of the casing 1. A projection 7 is disposed on the movable ring 5. The convex projection 7 and the movable ring 5 are formed as a whole.
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When the user stores and carries around the embodiment, he first pushes the grip 4 which brings along the blade 2 with it into the casing 1 completely. He then turns the movable ring 5 onto the grip 4. The movable ring 5 is fixed inside the groove 6 along the peripherals of the casing 1 and the grip 4, thereby fixing the grip 4 and the casing 1 together and the grip 4 cannot be pulled out, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The blade 2 passes through the through hole 3 and covers the entire through hole 3, and thus the cutting edge 8 of the blade 2 is hidden inside the casing 1. When the embodiment is in use, he removes the movable ring 5 from the grip 4 and turns it to another direction until it is level with the grip 4. The movable ring 5 becomes fixed inside the groove 6 at the peripheral of the casing 1, and thus the movable ring 5 forms a second grip corresponding to the grip 4. This facilitates the user to insert his thumb into the grip 4 and his forefinger and middle finger into the movable ring 5 or, alternatively, to insert his thumb into the movable ring 5 and his forefinger and middle finger into the grip 4. The user can then control the blade 2 using only one hand. He may first pull out the grip 4 from the casing 1 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, thereby actuating the blade 2 to move away from the through hole 3. The user can use another hand to insert the front section of a cigar's end cap into the through hole 3. He can then push the grip 4 into the casing 1, thereby actuating the blade 2 to pass through the through hole 3 and directly cut off the cigar's end cap.
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The above embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is capable of other embodiments and is not limited by the above embodiment. Any other variation, decoration, substitution, combination or simplification, whether in substance or in principle, not deviated from the spirit of the present invention, is replacement or substitution of equivalent effect and falls within the scope of protection of the present invention.
