Cable armor stripper

Abstract

A cable armor stripper is configured to have a blade controllably penetrating the armored cable at the desired depth in response to applying an external sforce.

1 . A cable armor stripper for producing a cut in an armored cable comprising: 
 a body having a distal end;    a clamp shaped to retain an armored cable and coupled to the distal end of the body;    a blade mounted rotatably to the distal end of the body in juxtaposition with the clamp; and    a flexible handle pivotally mounted to the clamp and configured to displace the body with the blade and the clamp in response to an external compressive force to a cutting position of the blade, in which the blade penetrates the armored cable at a desired depth.    
   
   
       2 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 1 , further comprising a body support having a proximal portion coupled to the body and a distal portion attached to and movable with the clamp so that applying the external compressive force displaces the body and a unit including the clamp, the distal portion of the body support and the handle relative to one another in order to bring the blade to the cutting position thereof.  
   
   
       3 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 2 , wherein the clamp has a generally U-shaped body including opposing jaws which define a frontal channel therebetween configured to receive the armored cable, one of the jaws having a slit traversed by the blade as the blade is displaced to the cutting position upon applying the external compressive force to the handle and to the body.  
   
   
       4 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 3 , further comprising a stopper extending through the body support between the handle and the body and operative to controllably vary a distance at which the unit, which includes the clamp, the body support and the handle, and the body move relative to one another to establish the cutting position of the blade upon applying the external compressive force.  
   
   
       5 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 4 , wherein the stopper has one of opposite ends thereof mounted either on clamp or the handle so that a free end thereof is controllably spaced therebetween to define a depth at which the blade penetrates the armored cable in the cutting position thereof before the free end is abutted by one of the clamp and the handle.  
   
   
       6 . The cable armor stripper if  claim 5 , wherein the stopper is rotatably mounted on the body or on the handle.  
   
   
       7 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 a first resilient element extending between and biasing the unit and the body in opposite directions to a rest position of the blade,    a second resilient element extending between the handle and the clamp and biasing the handle away from the clamp in the rest position of the blade, and    a stud provided on the handle and operative to extend through the clamp to press against and secure the armored cable in response to the external compressive force exceeding a force generated by the first and second resilient elements and sufficient to bring the blade to the cutting position.    
   
   
       8 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 7 , wherein the external compressive force is applied so that the handle pivots relative to the clamp to extend the stud through the clamp, and upon further application of the external compressive force, the unit, which includes the handle, the clamp and the distal portion of the body support, and body move relative to one another to the cutting position of the blade.  
   
   
       9 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 8 , wherein the handle includes a core made from flexible material and a cover enveloping a proximal part of the core, which abuts either the distal portion of the body support or the body upon initial application of the external compressive force and presses thereagainst to allow a distal part of the core to transfer the persisting external compressive force to the clamp and to the distal portion of the body support to move the unit and the body relative to one another to the cutting position of the blade.  
   
   
       10 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 3 , wherein the body has a blade guard extending laterally from the body and configured to surround the blade, the blade guard including a pair of spaced apart channels each configured to receive a respective guiding pin having one of opposite ends thereof fixed to the one jaw, so that the body is guided along the pins in response to application of the external compressive force.  
   
   
       11 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 10 , wherein the one jaw is relatively narrow and the other jaw is relative broad to define therebetween a frontal channel.  
   
   
       12 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 2 , wherein the body support and the clamp are coupled detachably to one another.  
   
   
       13 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 2 , further comprising a folding lever mounted on a proximal end of the body and coupled to the blade to translate a torque applied by the user to rotational motion of the blade.  
   
   
       14 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 13 , further comprising a shaft received in the body and having a distal end thereof coupled to the blade and a proximal end of the shaft coupled to the folding lever.  
   
   
       15 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 14 , wherein the shaft is directly connected to the folding lever rotatable about the body in opposite senses to allow the blade provided with isometric teeth to produce a cut in either of the opposite senses.  
   
   
       16 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 14 , further comprising a ratchet lever pivotally coupled to the folding lever to allow the folding lever to pivot between a rest position, in which the flexible lever extends substantially parallel to the shaft, and an operative position, in which the folding lever extend substantially perpendicular to the shaft.  
   
   
       17 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 16 , further comprising a ratchet shaft coupleable with a ratchet lever and rotatably fixed to the shaft to translate displacement of the folding lever rotatable in one sense into rotation of the blade and to prevent translation of the torque applied to the folding lever to the blade when the folding lever rotates in an opposite sense.  
   
   
       18 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 17 , further comprising a lever spring and ball assembly located between the folding lever and the ratchet lever to provide a desired positioning between the folding and ratchet lever during rocking of the folding lever, and a ratchet spring braced between the ratchet lever and the body and biasing the ratchet lever towards the ratchet shaft.  
   
   
       19 . The cable armor stripper of  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 a battery extending in the body and terminating at a distance from the blade,    a motor coupled to the battery and extending in the body towards the blade;    a shaft extending in the body between and coupled to the motor and the blade, and    a switch mounted on the body and coupled to the battery so that an arm bent relative to and formed on a proximal end of the handle comes into contact with the switch upon applying the external compressive force, the motor is selectively energized to rotate the blade brought in the cutting position thereof.    
   
   
       20 . A kit comprising: 
 a cable armor stripper for producing a cut in an armored cable and configured to have 
 a body having a longitudinal axis extending proximally from a distal end of the body,  
 a blade mounted rotatably to the distal end of the body, and  
 a flexible handle operatively connected to the body and configured to displace the blade in response to an external compressive force to a cutting position the blade, in which the blade penetrates the armored cable at a desired depth;  
   a first elongated clamp shaped to retain the armored cable and removably coupled to the distal end of the body so that a longitudinal axis of the first clamp extends perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the body; and    a plurality of second elongated clamps each shaped to retain the armored cable and removably coupled to the distal end of the body so that a longitudinal axis of a respective elongated clamp extends a desired angle, which differs from a right angle, relative to the longitudinal axis of the body.