Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BLIND CUTTER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
S This invention relates to a blind cutter,
particularly to one possible to cut many different sizes
and types of blinds such as vertical blinds and lateral
blinds.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are; no special regulations for the sizes of
window blinds, so special blind cutters have to be used
for each kind of blind having different lengths and
width.
Conventional blind cutters are very simple, can cut
only one size and also are operated manually without any
guide devices or positioning devices, taking much time
and work, hardly ensuring the good quality of cut blinds.
There is also a conventional cutter using a motor for its
power source, cutting with plural knife modules driven
synchronously by a pushing device for cutting blinds
positioned on each knife module.
However, the conventional electric cutter has a
pushing device for the knife of each knife module, and
the force exercising point of the pushing device does not
constitute a straight line with the force receiving points
of all the knives, with different bias distances. So in
cutting process, the bias distances may produce twisting
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torque, which may cause damage to the relative
transmitting components of the knife modules and the
pushing device, Besides, The knife of each knife module
has to be assembled together or taken off the knife base,
not designed to form an independent unit. Therefore, in
replacing a knife with new one, it must be assembled
with the knife base, and adjusted together for correcting
the cutting location of the knife, quite inconvenient in
handling, in addition to difficulty for ensuring the
accuracy of the sizes of cut blinds.
SUMMAF~Y OF THE INVENTION
The blind cutter according to the invention
includes at least a worktable, a drive device and a
number of knife modules. The drive device has a
speed-reducing motor for rotating a rotary shaft, which
has a number of gears for engaging and moving a number
of racks. The knife modules respectively have a module
base arranged in a lengthwise line on the worktable, and
each module base has a special hole for blind material to
pass through, with a knife' fitted slidably in each module
base and moved laterally together with the racks for
cutting blind material placed on the module base.
The key point in the invention is that each knife
module is separately moved laterally by gears and racks
so that the force exercising point aad the force receiving
point form a straight line, avoiding happening of
twisting torque so that the transmitting structure of the
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drive device may not be damaged by twisting torque and
accordingly the components can have a long service life,
ensuring the good quality of finished products, with the
knife module possible to be altered with that with other
sizes to match with different kinds of blinds.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
This invention will be better understood by
referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a blind cutter in
the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the inner
structure of the blind cutter in the present invention;
Figure 3 is a partial perspective view of the blind
cutter in the present invention;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a drive device
and a knife module in the present invention;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the drive device
in the present invention;
Figure 6 is a rear perspective view of the drive
device and the knife module in the present invention;
Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the
knife module irr the present invention;
Figure 8 is an upper view of the blind cutter being
used for cutting; vertical blinds in the present invention;
and,
Figure 9 is an upper view of the blind cutter being
used for cutting lateral blinds in the present invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
EMBODIMENT'
A preferred embodiment of a blind cutter in the
present invention, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, includes a
worktable 10, a drive device 20, a pressure absorbing
device 30, two knife modules 40, a stop device 50, a
guide device 60 and a control case 70.
The worl~; table 10 is composed of a foot frame 11,
a table 12 fixed on a proper location on the upper surface
of the foot frame 11, and a module base fixing plate 13
fixed on a proper location on the table 12, as shown in
Fig. 6. The module base .fixing plate 13 has a vertical
plate 131 and .a guide base 14 fixed at the rear surface,
and the vertical plate 13 is bored with a horizontal
elongate slot 132. Further, a shell 15 is provided to
cover on the worktable 10 for protecting the components
fixed on the table 12.
The drivE; device 20, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5,
consists of a speed-reducing motor 21, a fix plate 211
fixed on the speed-reducing motor 21 and also fixed on
the table 12 of the work table 10, and a shaft base 212
combined between the fix plate 211 and the guide base 14
of the work table 10. The motor 21 has a rotary shaft 22
as an output shaft, and the end of the rotary shaft 22 is
connected rotatably with the center of the shaft base 212.
Further, an upper gear 23 and a lower gear 23 are
respectively fixed around the upper and the lower end of
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the rotary shaft 22,- and two racks (one upper the other
lower) 24, 24 respectively engaging the upper and the
lower gear 23, 23 and fitting stably in the guide base 14
of the work table 10. An L-shaped strip 241 is provided
to have its lower end fixed with the outer end of the
upper rack 24, with one sensor 242 fixed on the elongate
upper portion o~f the L-shaped strip 241 and twv switches
25, 25 spaced apart on the shaft base 212 to interact with
the sensor 242 so as to receive a control signal from the
sensor 242 in case of the sensor 242 moving near to
either of the two switches 25 for positioning accurately
the two racks 24, 24 in shifting.
The pressure absorbing device 30 shown in Fig. 6
consists of a front guide block 31 fixed with the outer
end of the lower rack 24, and a rear guide block 32 fixed
on a rear side of the vertical plate 131. Further, a push
rod 33 is provided to extend through the front and the
rear guide block 31 and 32, having a rear end engaging
the rear guide block 32 and an intermediate portion
provided with a position , member 331, and in this
embodiment a ring around the push rod 33 is used as the
positioning member 331. Between the positioning
member 331 and the rear guide block 32 is placed a coil
spring 3. The push rod 33 further has a pressing member
332 fixed at its front end and properly received in the
elongate horizontal hole 132 of the vertical plate 131 so
that the coil spring 34 may produce resilience and
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pressure absorbing function when compressed. ,
The knife module 40 shown in Fig. 7 consists of
two module bases 41, 41, two knife bases 42, 43, a first
knife 44, a second knife 45 and a third knife 46.
The two module bases 41, 41 are fixed respectively
on an upper and lower surface of the front wall of the
vertical plate 131 of the module fixing plate 13 on the
work table lO.The upper module base 41 has an upper rod
hole 411 matching with the cross-sectional shape of the
upper rod of a vertical blind, and the lower module base
41 has an upper-rod hole 412 matching with the
cross-section of an upper rod of a lateral blind and a
guide slot 413 beside the upper-rod hole 412 for a slide
block 415 fitting slidably therein, with the slide block
415 having a lower rod hole 414 matching with the
cross-section of the lower rod of a lateral blind. Then
the slide block 415 and the upper rod hole 412 define the
slide slot 413 between them as a blind-strip slot 416. At
the same time, the push member 332 of the pressure
absorbing device 30 can fit in the guide block 413 to
face the slide block 415, which then receives elastic
pressing of the push member 332 before performing
cutting.
The two knife bases 42 and 43 are fitted slidably
and respectively in the upper and the lower module bases
41, 41, The upper knife base 42 consists of two - one
upper and other lower - rail blocks 421, 421 and a
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position block 422 connected between the two rail blocks
421, 421. The upper and the lower rail blocks 421, 421
are provided with plural threaded holes 423, so the first
knife 44 for cutting a vertical-blind upper rod may be
fixed by screws with the upper and the lower rail block
421, 421 after placed to contact with the sidewall of the
posi tionblock 422. The lower knife base 43 consists of
two - other lower - rail blocks 431.
one
upper
and
the
431 and two position blocks
432, 433 fixed
between the
two railblocks 431, 431 so that the second knife 45 for
cutting a lateral blind strip may be fixed by screws
engaging with the threaded holes 434 of the upper and
the lower rail blocks 431, 431 after placed to contact the
sidewall of the position block 432. In the same way, the
third knife 46 for cutting a lateral blind is fixed by
screws engaging with the threaded holes 434 of the upper
and the lower rail blocks 431, 431 after placed to contact
the sidewall of the position block 433.
The upper and the lower knife bases 42 and 43 are
connected firmly with the drive device 20 by the two
position block,. 422, 432 fixed with the relative ends of
the two racks 24, 24 so that the first, the second and the
third knife 44, 45 and 46 may shift along the two module
bases 41, 41 laterally for carrying out cutting action
against blind material.
The stop device 50 shown in Fig. 3 is fixed on the
table 12 of the work table 10, consisting of a motor 51, a
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belt 52, a counter 53, a U-shaped frame 54, two guide
rods 55, 55, a threaded rod 56, and a position base 57 and
a stop plate 58.
The belt 52 is driven by the motor 51, rotating the
counter 53, which is fixed on one of two vertical plates
541 of the U-shaped frame 54, with the guide rod 55
positioned between the two vertical plates 541, and with
the threaded rod 56 extending through the intermediate
portion for rotating the counter 53. The position base 57
engages with the threaded rods 56, guided by the upper
and the lower guide rods 55, 55 to shift. Then the stop
plate 58 is connected firmly with the position base 57,
facing the relative location of the upper and the lower
module bases 41, 41 and properly pressing the end of the
blind material, with the threaded rod 56 adjusting the
position of the stop plate 58 to control the exact length
of the blind material to be cut off.
The guide device 60, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,
consists of a first bracket 61 for guiding a vertical blind
material, a second bracket for guiding a lateral blind
material.
The first bracket 61 is composed of two support
rods 611, 611 fixed properly on the work table 10, and a
support block Ei 12 fixed respectively on the two support
rod 611, 611 and provided with a recessed guide groove
613 for receiving, supporting and guiding an upper rod
passing through the upper rod hole 411 of the upper
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module base 41. The second bracket 62 is composed of
two bottom blocks 621, 621 fixed properly on the
worktable 10, and a U-shaped plate 622 with a guide
groove 623 fixed on top of each bottom block 621. The
guide groove 623 is for receiving, supporting and
guiding the upper rod, blind strips and the lower rod of a
lateral blind to pass through the upper rod hole 412, the
blind strip hole 416 and the lower rod hole 414 of the
lower module base 41
The control case 70 shown in Fig. l, is fixed
properly on the: work table 10, consisting of a faceplate
71 for indicating input values to be controlled, such as
the length of the blind to be cut, Then the counter 53
driven by the motor 5 calculates the value and feeds it
back to automatically adjust the position of the stop
plate 58, for quickly controlling the length of the blind
material.
Next, as shown in Figs., 1 and 3, this blind cutter
can cut vertical blinds and lateral blinds at the same
time, and how to operate the blind cutter is described as
follows.
( 1 ) Cutting vertical blinds: Firstly, a user puts
in the length of the blind to be cut on the control
facepla~te 71, and adjusts the stop plate 58 o_f the stop
device 50. Then as shown in Fig. 8, the user places the
upper rod 80 on the guide groove 613 of he bracket 61
of the upper module base 41, and also slides it toward
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the upper module base 41 and lets it pass through the
upper rod hole 411 until it contacts the stop plate 58
at its upper end. Then the upper rod 80 is quickly
located just at the right position for being cut. After
that, the speed-reducing motor 21 is started to rotate
the rotary shaft 22, which then moves the upper gear
23 to shift the upper rack 24, and consequently the
first knife 44 of the upper knife module 40 moves
along the upper module base 41, cutting the upper rod
positioned in the upper module 41. Meanwhile the
switch 25 on the shaft base 212 interacts with the
sensor 242 to move back the first knife 44 after
cutting, finishing cutting process of the upper rod of
the vertical blind.
(2) Cutting lateral blinds: Firstly, a user puts
in the length of a lateral blind through the faceplate
71 of the control case 70, and adjusts the location of
the stop plate 58. After that, as shown in Fig. 9, the
lateral blind 90 is placed on the guide groove 623 of
the second bracket 62 of the lower module base 41, and
slid toward the lower module base 41, letting the
upper rod 91 , blind strips 92 and the lower rod 93
respectively pass through the upper rod hole 412, the
blind strip hole 416 and the lower rod hole 414 until it
contacts the stop plate 58. The lateral blind 90 is
quickly located just at the right position for being cut.
Then the speed-reducing motor 21 of the drive device
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20 is stared to rotate the rotary shaft 22, which then
moves the lower gear 23 to shaft the lower rack 24,
letting the second knife 45 of the lower knife module
40 shift slang the upper module base 41. Now it is
important to mention that the pressure-absorbing
device 30 is connected with the lower rack 24, so the
lower rack 24 is shifted at the same time. Therefore,
the push member 33 of-the pressure absorbing device
30 will first contact the slide block 415 before
contacting the lower rod 93, so the push rod 33 may be
pushed back., and at the same time the intermediate
portion 331 compresses the coil spring 34, which
produces recovering elasticity to force the terminal
pressing member 332 elastically compress the slide
block 415 to shift, and slide block 415 with the lower
rod 93 together shifted toward the blind strips 92.
Thus, the lower rod 93 and the blind strips 92 are
clamped closely together, producing
pressure-absorbing function. After that, the second
knife 45 ma;y orderly cut the lower rod 93, the blind
strips 92 and the upper rod 91, and guide the angles of
the lower rod 93 and the blind strips 92 as well.
Finally, the switch 25 on the shaft base 212 may
interact with the sensor 242 on the rack 24, letting the
second and the third knife 45 and 46 move back to
their original position, finishing the whole cutting
process of the lateral blind.
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The blind cutter according to the invention has the
following advantages.
1. The ls:nife bases 41, 41 and the first, the second
and the third knife 44, 45 and 46 of the knife module 40
are moved separately by the two gears 23, 23 and the
two racks 24, 24 of the rotary shaft 22, so the three
knives 44, 45 and 46 have their cutting force points
aligned to the force points of the two gears 23, 23 and
the two rack s 24, 24 so that the force of the knife
module 40 caused by cutting may directly be
transmitted to the relative gear 23 and the relative rack
24, preventing twist torque from happening, ensuring
that the knife bases 41, 41 and the three knives 44, 45
and 46 together with the two gears 23, 23 and the two
racks 24, 24 may not be damaged by twisting torque,
with its service life prolonged accordingly.
2. As described above, each knife module 40 is
matched with a, separate pushing structure, possible to
avoid twisting torque or damage unjustifiable, so except
changing the knife module 40, the knife module 40 can
be increased, with their cutting efficiency and quality
able to be maintained as good as possible.
3. As the knife module can be augmented
according to necessity, the blind cutter can be made to
have various kinds of functions for vertical binds and
later blinds common seen, by designing special holes 411,
414 and 416 in the knife modules 40.
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4. The three knives 44, 45 and 46 can be
assembled and disassembled easily, quickly and
accurately to secure smoothness and precision in cutting,
without need o~f adjusting and correction each time after
each assembly process, as the three knives 44, 45 and 46
are correctly positioned in the knife bases 42, 42, fixed
with the rail blocks 421, 431 and facing the position
blocks 422, 432, keeping the cutting direction and the
sliding direction definite and correct.
5. The pressure absorbing device 30 man help
cutting blinds for maintaining the good quality of
finished cut blinds, and prevent them from clamping
scars by absorbing pressure and clamping elastically the
lower rod 93 and each blind strip 92 for cutting.
6. The cutting operation can be carried out
conveniently, quickly and accurately by putting in the
value of the length needed for blinds in the faceplate 71
and adjusting the location of the stop plate 58 of the stop
device 50.
While the preferred embodiment of the inventin
has been described above, it will be recognized and
understood that various medications may be made therein
and the appended claims are intended to cover all such
modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of
the invention.
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