Cable and wire stripper

Abstract

A tool for stripping the sheath from a cable including a plunger slidably positioned in a housing. A cable opening in the side is provided enabling a user to position the cable between a roller inside the housing and the end surface of the plunger. The end surface of the plunger has a cutter blade that penetrates the sheath of the cable positioned between the roller and the surface of the plunger so that, when the cable is pulled through the cable opening, an axially directed slit is formed in the sheath of the cable enabling the user to peel off the sheath.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A tool for stripping an insulating sheath from a cable which comprises: 
 a plunger;    one cutting blade mounted on said plunger with a cutting edge extending from one surface of said plunger;    a housing configured to permit positioning said plunger inside said housing in a cutting location and a retracted location; 
 means for positioning said plunger in a selected one of said cutting and retracted locations;  
   a single roller rotatably mounted inside said housing;    said housing having a cable opening means for permitting said cable to be located through said housing;    said housing, single roller, plunger, one cutting blade, and cable opening means arranged in operable combination to enable a user to insert said cable through said cable opening means with one side of said cable facing said roller and an opposite side of said cable facing said one surface of said plunger, then force said plunger from said retracted location to said cutting location where said one cutter edge is positioned through said sheath, then pulling said cable through said cable opening means whereby an axially directed slit is formed in said sheath enabling said user to peel and cut said sheath from said cable.    
     
     
         2 . The tool of  claim 1  wherein said means for positioning comprises:: 
 said housing having a plunger opening;  
 said plunger dimensioned to telescope through said plunger opening into said housing providing a user access to force said plunger from said retracted location to said cutting location.  
 
     
     
         3 . The tool of  claim 1  wherein said cable opening means comprises a pair of cable openings, each one of said cable openings on a side of said housing opposite a cable opening on an opposite side of said housing.  
     
     
         4 . The tool of  claim 1  wherein said cable opening means comprises a single cable opening arranged to enable a user to position said cable between said roller and said one surface of said plunger at any selected location on said cable.  
     
     
         5 . The tool of  claim 1  wherein said single roller rotates on its axis perpendicular to a sliding direction of said plunger and perpendicular to an axis of said cable positioned in said housing through said cable openings.  
     
     
         6 . The tool of  claim 1  wherein said plunger comprises; 
 a slot extending from said one surface of said plunger;  
 said one cutting blade secured in said slot having one cutter edge engagable with said sheath of said cable positioned through said aperture in said housing when said plunger is forced against said cable.  
 
     
     
         7 . The tool of  claim 2  wherein said housing and said bar have a cylindrical cross section.  
     
     
         8 . The tool of  claim 2  wherein said housing and said bar have a rectangular cross section.  
     
     
         9 . The tool of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a pair of rollers mounted on said one surface of said plunger, each one of said pair of rollers rotatably mounted on a side of said cutter blade opposite said other roller on another inside of said cutter blade;  
 said pair of rollers and said single roller rotatably positioned inside said housing all arranged in operable combination to permit that said cable pulled through said pair of cable openings is rotatably supported on said pair of rollers on one side of said cable and said single roller on an opposite side of said cable;  
 
     
     
         10 . The tool of  claim 9  wherein each one of said pair of rollers has a concave surface substantially conforming to a curvature of a surface of said cable.  
     
     
         11 . The tool of  claim 1  wherein said single roller has a concave surface substantially conforming to a curvature of a surface of said cable.  
     
     
         12 . The tool of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 an axially directed slot in a side of said housing;  
 a pin having one end secured in a side of said plunger and extending through said axially directed slot in said side of said housing whereib said plunger located at said cutting location corresponds to said pin abutting one end of said slot and said plunger located at said retracted location corresponds to said pin abutting another end of said slot.  
 
     
     
         13 . The tool of  claim 12  further comprising: 
 a compression spring located between another surface of said plunger opposite said one surface of said plunger and an internal surface of said housing operably arranged to force said one surface of said plunger toward said roller.  
 
     
     
         14 . The tool of  claim 1  further comprising another cutter blade slideably secured on a side of said housing and arranged to slide another cutting edge of said another cutter blade against said cable extending out through one of said cable openings providing that, when said one cutting edge is disengaged from said cable, a user is enabled to pull said cable positioned in said cable openings through said housing thereby forming an axially directed slit in said sheath, and said user is then enabled to slide said another cutter blade into contact with said sheath and circularly cut said sheath by rotating said housing around an axis perpendicular to said cable.  
     
     
         15 . A tool for stripping an insulating sheath from a cable which comprises: 
 a housing;    a plunger configured to permit positioning said plunger inside said housing in a selected one of a cutting location and a retracted location;    one cutting blade having a cutting edge;    said cutting blade mounted on said plunger and extending from one surface of said plunger;    a single roller rotatably mounted inside said housing;    an axially directed slot in a side of said housing;    a pin having one end secured in a side of said plunger and extending through said axially directed slot in said side of said housing whereby said plunger located at said cutting location cooresponds to said pin abutting one end of said slot and said plunger located at said retracted location corresponds to said pin abutting another end of said slot; a compression spring located between a surface of said plunger opposite said one surface of said plunger and an internal surface of said housing operably arranged to force said one surface of said plunger toward said roller; 
 said housing having a cable opening means for enabling said cable to be located through  
 said housing between said roller and said one surface of said plunger;  
   said housing, single roller, plunger, one cutting blade, and cable opening means arranged in operable combination to enable a user to insert said cable through said cable opening means with one side of said cable facing said roller and another side of said cable facing said one surface of said plunger, then force said plunger from said retracted location to said cutting location where said one cutter edge is positioned through said sheath, then pulling said cable through said cable opening whereby an axially directed slit is formed in said sheath enabling said user to peel and cut said sheath from said cable.