Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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PISTON BLIND CUTTER
Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of sizing window coverings,
including such
window coverings as roller shades, mini blinds, pleated shades and vertical
blinds. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a system for sizing a variety
of window coverings.
This invention also generally relates to blind cutting systems combined with a
drive such as
pneumatic device.
Background of Invention
Numerous types of window coverings are now being sold in a variety of outlets.
Window
coverings of the type with which the present invention is concerned include,
mini blinds and
vertical blinds, as opposed to draperies and curtains which may be sold in the
same outlets but
which involve different sizing requirements.
Blinds and window coverings are available in a variety of materials. Venetian
blinds are
available in which the head and bottom rails are formed of aluminum steel, and
in which the slats
are formed in most cases of sheet steel or aluminum. In other cases the
components can be
formed of other materials such as thermoplastics.
Also, blinds are available that are formed of fabric, and are folded into
pleats, the fabric being
secured usually at the top to a head rail typically made of steel. Bottom
rails are formed on some
blinds of steel and on other blinds of other materials.
Such blinds must be fitted to the width, or in some cases the height, of the
window or other
opening for which they are intended. In the past blinds have been made in a
factory, on a custom
basis to a particular width specified by the purchaser. A salesperson would
usually have had to
call on the customer and take an order. However, it is more convenient to
manufacture blinds and
other window coverings in certain standard widths, and stock these standard
widths in a retail
store. A customer may then simply come into the store and buy a blind slightly
wider than the
desired width (or longer than the height) and have it trimmed at the ends to
the desired width (or
height). This is both more economical, and thus more readily saleable, and at
the same time
provides the customer with an opportunity to purchase blinds in a retail
establishment and walk
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out of the store with them in his possession, rather than meeting a
salesperson at home, and
waiting a few weeks for them to be fabricated in a factory.
In the past, various apparati have been designed for cutting down widths of
blinds of specific
designs and specific materials. However, in general terms, these machines have
not been
completely suitable for cutting down blinds of a variety of different
materials.
In addition to these factors, blinds and window coverings are also available
in which blind slats
are suspended vertically from a head rail. These blind slats may be drawn to
one side or the other
of the window opening, or in some cases to both sides, and may be rotated
between open and
closed positions, by a mechanism located in the head rail. Again, these blinds
usually required a
sales call, at the home, followed by custom fabrication in a factory.
Advantageously, these blinds are now provided in standard widths in a retail
store and an
apparatus is known for cutting down the width of the head rail and also the
lengths of the vertical
slats in the store. One such apparatus is described below. Preferably, in
order to economize in-
store installations of cut-down equipment and also to simplify instruction of
staff, a single cut-
down machine is used, which enables a greater variety of different types of
blinds to be cut down
to the desired width (or height).
One of the considerations in designing such a mufti-purpose cut-down machine
is the manual
effort that is required to operate the machine to cut through the various
different materials.
Clearly, material used in head rails, is relatively hard to cut. On the other
hand, since the head
rail sections used in this type of product are relatively thin, the die for
cutting the metal or plastic
components of the blind may only be required to move a short distance.
Consequently, so long as adequate leverage is provided to move the steel
cutting die a relatively
short distance, this problem can be addressed.
On the other hand, the cutting of the blind slats themselves presents entirely
different problems.
The slats are usually made of relatively soft material which is easy to cut,
and requires less
manual effort. On the other hand, the thickness of all of the blind slats when
bundled together for
cutting is considerable. Consequently, the die for cutting the blind slats
must move a
considerable distance.
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The complexity of the design is further aggravated by the fact that the head
rail is located at the
head of the blind and the bottom rail is located at the bottom rail of the
blind, both usually made
of steel, and the blind slats or blind fabric are located between the head
rail and the bottom rail.
Consequently, when trimming the blind it is necessary to provide cutting dies
for cutting both the
head rail and the bottom rail, which are spaced apart from one another, and
for substantially
simultaneously cutting the blind slats or blind fabric (referred to herein as
closure "closure
elements") located between the head rail and bottom rail. It will of course be
appreciated that in
the case of horizontal, i.e. Venetian blinds or fabric blinds, all of these
cuts must be made in a
common plane, so as to provide a uniform end trimming function on the blind.
Even for vertical
blinds, the vertical blind slats must be trimmed, along their lower ends, by
cutting all the slat
ends along a common plane.
United States Patent No. 6,089,134 (' I 34) issued to Shade-O-Matic Limited
discloses a manually
operable mufti-purpose blind cutdown apparatus for cutting a blind having at
least a head rail
component, and closure elements suspended from the head rail, and comprising a
blind holding
plate having at least a blind component opening and a closure element opening
formed therein
for receiving respective components and elements of a blind there through, and
holding them
into position for cutting, a closure element cutting bar moveable relative to
said holding plate
(and defining an opening), and carrying closure element cutting means for
cutting blind closure
elements extending through said holding plate, a cutting die plate adjacent to
said cutting bar,
said cutting die plate carrying at least one cutting die for receiving said
blind at least one
component there through, and being moveable relative to said holding plate for
cutting at least
one said component, and wherein said cutting die on said cutting die plate
extends through said
opening formed in said closure element cutting bar, and including movement
means for moving
said closure element cutting bar and said cutting die plate substantially
simultaneously, whereby
both said closure elements and said blind components may be cut substantially
simultaneously
along the surface of said holding plate.
United States Patent No. 6,9196,099, issued to Shade-O-Matic Limited discloses
an apparatus for
trimming the width of blinds of the type having a head rail, and a bottom
rail, and a plurality of
blind slats, each having a predetermined profile, and comprising, a support
body, said body
defining a head rail opening, and a bottom rail opening, and blind slat
opening means, in which
the recesses and opening means are aligned along a common, horizontal axis,
respective said
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blind components being insertable into respective said openings from one side
of said support
body, a die plate means located on the other side of said support body, a head
rail cutting recess
in said die plate means, guide means on said support body for movably
supporting said die plate
means, said guide means defining a predetermined movement axis, whereby said
die plate can
move relative to said head rail opening in said support body between two
positions, a first
position in which said support body opening and said die plate cutting recess
are in alignment
with one another, and a second position in which said cutting recess is out of
alignment with said
opening, and, means for moving said die plate means, between said two
positions, and further
having a bottom rail and blind slat cutter means moveable along a horizontal
axis and means for
moving said cutter means to cut said bottom rail and said blind slats. The die
plate movement
axis is substantially diagonal to said axes of said openings and said
recesses; is in order to
achieve the mechanical advantage of beginning to cut at the corner of the head
rail.
United States Patent No. 6,366,388, also issued to Shade-O-Matic Limited,
describes a blind
cutdown apparatus for cutting and sawing a blind having at least a head rail
component of thin
material, and blind slats of thicker material suspended from the head rail,
and comprising a blind
holding plate having at least a head rail opening and a slat opening formed
therein for receiving
respective components of a blind there through, and holding them in position
for cutting, a slat
cutting saw moveable relative to said holding plate, for cutting blind slats
extending through said
holding plate, a cutting die holder adjacent to said cutting saw, said cutting
die holder carrying at
least one cutting die for receiving said head rail there through, and being
moveable relative to
said holding plate for cutting said head rail, and including movement means
for moving said
cutting saw and said cutting die holder substantially simultaneously, whereby
both said blind
slats and said head rail may be cut substantially simultaneously and in a
common plane along the
surface of said holding plate. The invention further provides such an
apparatus and further
having a saw blade guide attached to said holding plate and said saw blade
being moveable there
along relative to said holding plate.
In certain applications, the manual pressure that is required to operate a
multi-purpose blind
cutting apparatus, such as the type described in ' 134 in particular, can be
quite significant. What
is required is a multi-purpose blind cutting apparatus that addresses the
aforesaid design issues
and that includes a drive mechanism, as well as a relatively simple structure
that nonetheless
permits the cutting of window covering components. In addition, a multi-
purpose blind-cutting
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apparatus with a driving means is desired that achieves the aforesaid
objectives, and that is
relatively easy to manufacture and to operate. A particular structure for a
mufti-purpose blinding
cutting apparatus including a driving apparatus is also required that does not
place undue stress
on the drive mechanism and/or it requires a relatively inexpensive and low
energy drive
mechanism.
Ease of operation is a significant issue in that otherwise the training costs
required to enable in-
store operation might be prohibitive. Also, ease of operation is also
important to ensure that
personnel operating blind cutting apparatus can size blinds relatively
quickly, thereby also
minimizing customer wait times, and reducing the number of personnel required
to operate the
apparatus, and also the number of apparati required in each store. There is
also a need for a
window covering sizing system having a driving means that takes relatively
little place, which is
a desirable characteristic in a retail environment.
Furthermore, there is a need to provide cutting dies which are relatively easy
to manufacture less
costly to produce and less bulky and more light weight.
Summary of Invention
The present invention features a mufti-operational, compact system for sizing
a plurality of
window coverings at a single location by operation of a window covering sizing
apparatus with a
driving means.
With a view to providing a window covering sizing system that addresses the
various foregoing
conflicting problems, the invention comprises a mufti-purpose window covering
sizing system
for cutting a window covering having at least a head rail component, and
closure elements
suspended from the head rail, and comprising at least one holding plate having
at least a window
covering component opening and at least one cutting plate also having a
corresponding window
covering component opening, each of which opening for receiving respective
components and
elements of a window covering there through, and holding them in position for
cutting, a cutting
arm moveable relative to said holding plate (and defining an opening), said
cutting arm being
operable to cut a plurality of closure elements extending through the holding
plate, the cutting
plate and the cutting arm being coupled to a driving mechanism operable to
pivot the cutting
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plate and slide the cutting arm with respect to the holding plate, thereby
cutting the respective
window covering components.
The holding plate and cutting plate are part of a modular structure that
permits holding plates and
corresponding cutting plates for cutting different sized and shaped window
covering components
to be mounted on the window cover sizing assembly.
The invention also relates to apparatus for cutting elements of a window
covering. Such
elements including at least a head rail, the apparatus comprising a holding
plate having an
opening for holding the head rail in a selected position, a cutting die
disposed adjacent to the
holding plate and having an opening for receiving the head rail extending
therethrough, and a
drive operable to pivot the cutting die relative to the holding plate so as to
cut the head rail.
The invention also relates to an apparatus for cutting elements of a window
covering with cutting
means driven by a piston.
The invention also relates to apparatus for cutting elements of a window
covering with cutting
means driven by a piston.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed
out with more
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
For a better
understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects
attained by its use,
reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter
in which there
are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.
Other ways in which the features of the invention are accomplished will become
apparent to
those skilled in the art after the present specification is read and
understood.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 a is an upper perspective illustration of the window covering sizing
system of the present
invention;
Fig. 1b is a partial view of the window covering sizing system illustrating
the holding plates of
the present invention;
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Fig. 2 is a further upper perspective illustration of the window covering
sizing system of the
present invention;
Fig. 2a is a further upper perspective illustration of the window covering
sizing system of the
present invention illustrating that the moveable sizing apparatus is operable
to abut against a
recessed surface disposed on the cutting plates;
Fig. 3 is another upper perspective illustration of the same system as shown
in Fig. 2, shown
from the opposite side;
Fig. 4 is a perspective illustration of the window covering sizing system of
the present invention,
illustrating the cutting mechanism in a first, pre-cutting position;
Fig. 5 is a further perspective illustration of the window covering sizing
system, also as shown in
Fig. 4, wherein the cutting mechanism is in a second, post-cutting position;
Fig. 6a is a broken away illustration of the holding plate/cutting plate
aspect of the invention,
illustrating the pivoting action of the cutting plate;
Fig. 6b is a top view of the portion of the window covering sizing system
illustrated in Fig. 6a,
illustrating in particular the openings of the holding plate and the cutting
plate that are moveable
with respect one another to achieve a cutting action for cutting a blind
component;
Fig. 6c and 6d are similar to fig. 6a and 6b except that they show the pivot
point being lower to
increase the leverage action;
Fig. 7a is a broken away illustration of the operation of the cutting arm,
wherein the cutting arm
is in the first, pre-cutting position;
Fig. 7b is a top view of the illustration of Fig. 7a;
Fig. Fig. 7c is a broken away illustration of the operation of the cutting
arm, wherein the cutting
arm is in the second, post-cutting position;
Fig. 7d is a top view of the illustration of Fig. 7c;
Fig 7e illustrates the blade
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Fig. 8a is a view of the vertical blind slat cutting portion of the window
covering sizing system in
a first, pre-cutting position thereof;
Fig. 8b is a view of the vertical blind slat cutting portion of the window
covering sizing system,
in a second post-cutting position thereof; and
Fig. 9 is a partial perspective view of the window covering sizing system of
the present
invention, illustrating a further holding plate.
In the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way
of example. It is
to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the
purpose of
illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended as a
definition of the limits of the
invention. In the various FIGURES, like reference numerals are used to denote
like components.
Detailed Description
Referring next to Fig. 1 a, a mufti-operation, window covering sizing system
10 is shown from
one side thereof (referred to in the disclosure as the "front") in perspective
to include a base plate
12, and a channel formation 14 disposed in the base plate 12, and a driving
means 16, which in
this particular embodiment is a pneumatic cylinder or alternatively a
hydraulic cylinder). For
example, the driving means 16 would include (these particular features are not
shown), a
cylinder including a piston within the cylinder that is activated and
deactivated by air pressure
directed through conduits 3 and 5. In other words air pressure introduced
through conduit 3
would push the piston (not shown) to the right and move the rod 45 (connected
to the piston) to
the right. Upon deactivation of air pressure in conduit 3 if introduction of
pressure through
conduit 5 will move the piston back to the left or original rest position.
Other drive means 16 are
possible, such as for example an electric motor for rotating rod 45.
In one particular embodiment of the present invention, the window covering
sizing system 10
also includes a measuring apparatus 17 connected to the base plate 12 and
extending from said
base plate 12. The operation of the measuring apparatus 17 is further
described below.
The window covering sizing system is generally designed for sizing window
coverings, e.g.
consisting of a head rail and a fabric portion (such as a pleated blind), a
Venetian blind
consisting of a head rail, a plurality of closure elements or slats or blinds
and a bottom rail; or a
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vertical blind consisting of a head rail and vertical slats (as explained
below). Thus the apparatus
is adaptable to a wide variety of different types of blinds and closure
elements and materials.
The purpose of the window covering sizing system is that it can be installed
in a retail store or
blind outlet. The store will stock blinds in various standard widths, or in
the case of vertical
blinds, lengths. Customers will then come in having measured the blind opening
and will specify
the dimensions of the blind to be purchased. The personnel in the retail store
will then select the
appropriate blind and trim it to the appropriate dimensions and supply it to
the customer while he
waits or at least, only with a brief delay.
The entire process therefore of satisfying a customer's needs is speeded up as
compared with the
former practice in which sales persons would make a call on the premises of
the customer, take
measurements and then order blinds of specific dimensions from a factory. The
window
covering sizing system might also be operated by a customer himself or
herself.
One aspect of the window covering sizing system 10 of the present invention is
that it presents a
modular structure. As best shown in Fig. 1 a, one feature of this modular
structure is that the
channel formation 14 is operable to receive a plurality of holding plates 18,
each holding plate 18
generally including an opening corresponding in profile to a cross section
portion of a window
covering requiring sizing, as particularized below. The holding plates 18 are
operable to hold the
portions of the window coverings to which the profile of their opening
corresponds. As shown
in Fig. 1 a, the window covering sizing system 10 also includes a plurality of
cutting dies or
cutting plates 20, wherein each cutting plate 20 also includes an opening that
corresponds in
profile to the opening of the particular holding plates 18, such that when
each cutting plate 20 is
mounted to the base plate 12 (by operation of the modular mounting structure
described below),
the pivotal cutting functions described below are permitted. One aspect of the
modular mounting
structure is that holding plates 18 and corresponding cutting plates 20 can be
added or removed,
or their order changed, as required by the window covering sizing task
undertaken. This
provides flexibility so that, in operation, stores can alter the configuration
of the window
covering system 10, for example, to respond to changes in window sizing
requirements due to
introduction of window coverings having different profiles or to respond to an
increase in
popularity of certain window coverings.
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The holding plates 18 are generally secured in position by means of any
suitable fastenings or
threaded devices, for example the bolts 22 shown in Fig. 1 a.
In the particular arrangement illustrated of the present invention shown in
Fig. 1 b, a first holding
plate 24 and a corresponding first cutting plate 26 are arranged proximal to
the driving means 16.
S Each of the first holding plate and the first cutting plate 26 includes an
opening corresponding to
the cross section of the bottom rail (bottom rail opening 27) of a
conventional Venetian blind, or
a blind having closure elements formed of folded or pleated fabric, as well as
an opening
corresponding to the top rail (top rail opening 29) of a conventional Venetian
blind, or a blind
having closure elements formed of folded or pleated fabric.
It should be understood that the first holding plate 24 could also consist of
two separate holding
plates, one providing the bottom rail opening 27 and the other providing the
top rail opening 29,
both of which being attached to the modular structure described.
A further holding plate 32 is shown mounted further from the driving means 16
than the first
holding plate 24, for receiving a further type of blind in the example shown
the further type blind
would have a different configuration and cross section and size of the head
rail. The window
covering sizing system 10 is operable to permit a third cutting plate 34 to be
mounted adjacent to
the further holding plate 32, as shown in Fig. 9.
In addition to the various head rail openings illustrated, other head rail
openings may be provided
if desired for other types of blinds, the three types of head rail openings
illustrated, being merely
shown by way of example and without limitation. Further holding plates 18 and
cutting plates
20 corresponding to such other head rail opening can be provided and mounted
on to the base
plate 12.
Closure element openings are provided, for receiving a plurality of closure
elements for example
blinds from a Venetian blind or for receiving the multiple folds of closure
elements from a
typical fabric or pleated blind. In particular, as shown in Fig. 2, a first
(larger) closure element
opening 36 and a second (smaller) closure element opening 38 is provided
adjacent to the first
closure element opening 36, for the reasons stated below.
As best illustrated in Fig. 8A, a third opening 39 disposed closer to the
driving means is provided
for vertical slats 41 of vertical blinds, as explained below. Usually such
blinds have slats which
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are of greater width than the width of, for example, the Venetian blind slats
and thus a separate
opening is required for such blind slats.
It will thus be seen that in the illustrated embodiment a provision is made
for a wide variety of
different head rails and a wide variety of different closure elements.
In a typical Venetian blind the head rail, slats and bottom rail are all
preassembled on ladder
tapes (not shown), such as are well known in the art, in the factory before
they are shipped out.
The slats are thus located a predetermined distance apart from one another and
although they can
be closed up and sandwiched together they cannot be spread apart more than the
distance
allowed by the ladder tapes.
In order to facilitate the cutting of the head rail of such a Venetian blind
which is usually made
of sheet metal and the bottom rail, which is also usually made of sheet metal
although it may be
made of extruded plastic, which are located at the top and bottom of the
blind, and the
simultaneous cutting of the blind slats, which are located between the head
rail and the bottom
rail, it has been found to be particularly convenient, in accordance with the
invention, to provide
1 S for the bottom rail opening 27 and the top rail opening 29 to be spaced
apart a substantial
distance. As will be understood however, due to the restrictions imposed by
the ladder tapes, at
least the first blind slat below the head rail, can be only displaced away
from the head rail
opening, by a distance equal to the spacing defined by the ladder tapes.
Similarly, at the bottom
end of the blind, the spacing between the bottom blind slat and the bottom
rail is restricted by the
length of the ladder tapes.
In order to accommodate these restrictions, and to facilitate this, the narrow
first blind closure
element opening 36 is provided and spaced along side it the wider second
closure element
opening 38 is provided. This enables the insertion of the various blind
closure elements and the
head rail and bottom rail, in a convenient manner, without straining the
ladder tapes, and without
producing distortion or damage to the blinds themselves. This aspect of the
invention is also
illustrated in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 illustrates the opposite side of the window
covering sizing system 10
and in particular shows how the window covering components are inserted
through the various
opening described. All of these openings are obviously sized such that the
corresponding
window covering elements can be relatively easily inserted therethrough. In
the mounting
portion, the openings of the holding plate are aligned with the opening of the
cutting plate.
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Reference will now be made to Fig. 4. In this drawing, the operation of
closure element cutting
arm 42 is illustrated. The cutting arm 42 is illustrated in isolation in Fig.
7c.
As illustrated in Fig. la, the driving means 16 is attached to a vertical
support 43. A rod 45
(preferably threaded) is inserted through an opening (not shown) in the
vertical support 43. The
driving means 16 is connected to the rod 45, and the driving means 16 is
operable to displace or
move the rod 45. A plurality of stroke selecting means or, in one particular
embodiment, nuts 47
and lugs 49 are disposed along the length of the rod 45. Each of the lugs 49
includes a hole
through which the rod 45 is inserted. This hole is generally of an oblong
shape to support the arc
of the swing of the cutting plates 20 described below. The operation of the
nuts 47 and lugs 49 is
further explained below. As particularized below, the nuts 47 and reciprocal
lugs 49, arranged
along the length of the rod 45 are operable to determine the stroke of the rod
45 and thereby the
actuation of the sizing components (cutting arm 42 and cutting plates) 20)
described below.
In these drawings, the cutting arm 42 is mounted on support arm 44.. The
connection of the
cutting arm 42 to the support arm 44 is generally adjustable, thereby
permitting the adjustment of
the distance of travel of the cutting arm 42, in order to accommodate
different cumulative
thicknesses of cover elements to be cut, as particularized below. The cutting
arm 42 is located
along side the inwardly facing surface of the holding plates) 24 and is
slidable along that surface
which defines a cutting arm for procuring trim cuts of the various blind
elements along the
common plane. The cutting arm 42 includes a blade 46, and the cutting arm 42
defines a U-
shaped opening for reasons described below. The operation of the cutting arm
is best understood
by reference to Figs. 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d, also based on the description of the
cutting action
described below.
The blade 46 is releasably mounted on the cutting arm 42, so that they may
periodically be
resharpened or remade and then reinserted.
As shown in Fig. 3, the top rail, slats and bottom rail are each placed
through the various
openings. As shown in Fig. 4, a measuring apparatus 17 is used to measure the
length to be cut
form the various components of the window coverings. The measuring apparatus
includes a
ruler 51 and a sizing support frame 53 and a moveable sizing plate 55
connected to the sizing
support frame. The sizing support frame 53 is moveable in relation to the
ruler 51 to enable the
cutting of the window covering to be sized, by the moveable sizing plate 55
abutting against the
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window covering components, as shown in Fig. 4. As illustrated in Fig. 6a,
each cutting plate 20
(in one particular embodiment of the present invention) includes a recessed
surface 56 disposed
adjacent to the opening. As best shown in fig. 2a, the moveable sizing plate
55 is sized to fit the
recess that defines the recessed surface 56. This feature of the invention
permits the sizing of
window covering components that are smaller than the width of the cutting
plates 20.
Accordingly, for clarity, it is not necessary that the window components
protrude from the
opening in order to achieve sizing of such components by operation of the
cutting plates) 20.
As best shown in Fig. 5, the first and second cutting plates 26, 30 are
rotatably mounted to a lug
49 at one end thereof, and also mounted to a pair of mounting plates 57. The
first and second
cutting plates 26, 30 are mounted to pivot around pivot points 59. This
pivoting action is further
illustrated in Fig. 6a. Also the communicating openings that co-operate with
the pivoting action
to provide the cutting action of the cutting plate 26 is best understood by
reference to Fig. 6b,
which illustrates the cutting of a bottom rail component by operation of such
cutting action.
As best shown in Fig. 5, when the driving means 16 is engaged, the rod 45 is
displaced to the
right, and by arrangement of the various components described above the window
covering
system 10 in sequence operates as follows: ( 1 ) the cutting arm 42 begins
cutting the closure
elements in the direction of the arrow shown adjacent to the closure elements;
(2) the nut 47a
engages lug 49a, which in turn engages the first cutting plate 26 to pivot
around the pivot point
59, thereby snipping the bottom rail; and (3) the nut 47b engages lug 49b,
which in turn engages
the second cutting plate 30 to pivot around the pivot point 59, thereby
snipping the top rail. As
shown in Fig. 5, the cut portions 61 of the window coverings drop between the
base plate 12 and
the measuring apparatus 17. Specifically, the rod 45 has a stroke that is
defined by the piston.
The reciprocal movement of the lugs 49a and 49b, on the one hand, and the
respective first
cutting plate 26 and the second cutting plate 30 depends on the placement of
nuts 47a and 47b.
It should be understood that the arrangement of nuts 47 and lugs 49 along the
rod 45 are one
particular means of stroke selection. The nuts 47 can be arranged to select
the cutting pressure,
for example, to account for different thicknesses of window covering
components to be cut, etc.
For example, if nut 47a is arrange in closer proximity to the first cutting
plate 26 in the pre-
cutting position, then the movement of the rod 45 between the pre-cutting
position and the post-
cutting position will cause the first cutting plate 26 to achieve a larger arc
and therefore provide
more force to cut. The arrangements of nut 47b can be modified accordingly.
Further nuts 47
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arranged in relation to further cutting plates arranged along the rod 45 (as
described above) can
be used to regulate the movement of the various cutting plates 20. As shown in
Fig. S, the nuts
47 are generally organized in pairs so that they can be tightened against one
another to keep them
in a fixed position along the rod 45.
It should be understood that the arrangement disclosed in this invention of
the holding plates 18
and pivoting cutting plates 20 provides an effective structure that is easy to
mount and dismount
as is required to vary the particular holding plate / cutting plate
combinations that is relatively
inexpensive to produce.
The present invention permits the head rails, bottom rails and closure
elements to be cut in a
common plane, in a relatively rapid sequence, or at least with all of the
window covering
components. This produces the most advantageous result in practice, and
enables the ends of
blinds, typically Venetian blinds, but also in other forms of window
coverings, to be trimmed
down each side edge, so as to produce the desired amount of end trim on all
components equally.
The various components can be cut sequentially or simultaneously or selected.
The pivotal
cutting produced by the cutting plates 26, 30 has advantages in cutting
metallic components that
pass through the openings provided therefor.
Figures 8a and 8b illustrate another feature of the invention. Specifically, a
vertical blind blade
is mounted on the support arm 44, whereby the rod 45 when returning toward the
driving means
16 is operable to cut a stack of vertical blind slats placed between the
vertical support 43 and
support arm 44, by operation of vertical slat blade 70.
It should be understood that the design of Venetian blinds requires at least
two cords and in some
cases more raise cords and tilt cords. These cords are generally arranged at
equal distances from
each side of the blind. Consequently, sizing the blind to width required
trimming each side, by
an amount equal to one half of the desired total trim amount, so as to ensure
the blind had a
satisfactory symmetrical appearance.
Also if the cutting plate becomes worn they can be easily removed and replaced
at a relatively
low cost.
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The foregoing is a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention
which is given here by
way of example only. The invention is not to be taken as limited to any of the
specific features as
described, but comprehends all such variations thereof as come within the
scope of the appended
claims.
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