Portable, one man operated, large sheet glass cutting table

• US 3,881,618 A
• Filed: 11/15/1972
• Issued: 05/06/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Christine Crawley, Eric Tausheck, Tausheck Eric Trustee
• Original Assignee: Russell W. Tausheck
• Inventors: Tausheck, Russell W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Werner, Frank E.
• Application Number:
  US05/306,720
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 214/1S,1SW,1H,1Q,1R,501,506,505,784,85.5 83/10,417 225/96.5
• US Class Current: 414/728
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2249/04 Arrangements of vacuum systems or suction cups
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 49/067 Sheet handling, means, e.g. manipulators, devices for turning or tilting sheet glass suction cups B65G49/061; combined with vertical conveyors C03B33/00 - C03B33/10; stacking and destacking B65G49/068
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 33/0207 the sheet being in a substantially vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 33/03 Glass cutting tables; Apparatus for transporting or handling sheet glass during the cutting or breaking operations

Abstract

A portable, one man operated large sheet glass handling and cutting table which includes a portable frame and a tiltable table top that can be swung from a horizontal position into an upright position where the plane of the table top is inclined at an angle of about 5* from a vertical plane. Novel means is provided for removing a large sheet of glass or other material edgewise from a casing and pulling this sheet onto the table top while it is in an upwardly and slightly inclined position, the table top being provided with a plurality of rubber rollers disposed adjacent to the lower edge of the table top for supporting the lower edge of the glass sheet. These rubber rollers can individually be moved from operative to inoperative position and vice versa. A plurality of spherical balls are removably mounted in spaced arrangement over the table top for supporting the large glass sheet above the table top. The table top can handle flat sheet material other than glass if desired.

Claims

1. A portable table top for receiving flat sheet material, comprising:

a. a portable frame;

b. a table top pivotally carried by said frame;

c. means for swinging said table top from a horizontal position into an upwardly slightly inclined position from a vertical plane;

d. a row of flat sheet supporting rollers arranged near the lower edge of said table top when the latter is in a raised position;

e. a winch mounted at one side of said table top and having a cable with a vacuum cup attached to the free end of said cable and being attachable to a flat sheet of material for moving the sheet edgewise in the direction of its plane when said winch is operated;

f. whereby the cable from said winch can be stretched across the front of the upwardly inclined table top and the vacuum cup attached to a flat sheet of material and then the winch can be operated for causing the cable and vacuum cup to pull the flat sheet edgewise onto the table top, the lower edge of the flat sheet riding on the rollers;

g. a plurality of rotatable balls removably mounted on the table top and are spaced the same distance from the table top surface so as to support the flat sheet material a predetermined distance from the table top surface;

h. each ball being rotatably mounted in a cup that has a threaded shank removably received in a threaded bore provided in the table top, the cup being enclosed in a rubber sleeve.

2. A portable table top for receiving flat sheet material, comprising:

a. a portable frame;

b. a table top pivotally carried by said frame;

c. means for swinging said table top from a horizontal position into an upwardly slightly inclined position from a vertical plane;

d. a row of flat sheet supporting rollers arranged near the lower edge of said table top when the latter is in a raised position;

e. a winch mounted at one side of said table top and having a cable with a vacuum cup attached to the free end of said cable and being attachable to a flat sheet of material for moving the sheet edgewise in the direction of its plane when said winch is operated;

f. whereby the cable from said winch can be stretched across the front of the upwardly inclined table top and the vacuum cup attached to a flat sheet of material and then the winch can be operated for causing the cable and vacuum cup to pull the flat sheet edgewise onto the table top, the lower edge of the flat sheet riding on the rollers;

g. means provided for moving the rollers into inoperative position so that their outer ends will lie substantially flush with the surface of the table top when the latter is returned to a horizontal position;

h. the means for moving said rollers into inoperative position comprises;

i. a shaft for rotatably supporting each roller;

j. an elongated frame member slidably supporting each shaft; and

k. an inverted L-shaped pin having a first arm secured to said shaft and extending radially therefrom, the second arm of said pin paralleling the shaft axis and extending away from said roller that is carried by said shaft;

l. whereby a radially extending handle on said shaft and lying in the same plane as said first arm can be swung for rotating said shaft and L-shaped pin through an angle of 90* for swinging said second arm free of said elongated frame member and permitting said second arm to move along the side of said frame member as the shaft and roller move into an inoperative position.

3. A portable table top for receiving flat sheet material, coMprising:

a. a portable frame;

b. a table top pivotally carried by said frame;

c. means for swinging said table top from a horizontal position into an upwardly slightly inclined position from a vertical plane;

d. a row of flat sheet supporting rollers arranged near the lower edge of said table top when the latter is in a raised position;

e. a winch mounted at one side of said table top and having a cable with a vacuum top attached to the free end of said cable and being attachable to a flat sheet of material for moving the sheet edgewise in the direction of its plane when said winch is operated;

f. whereby the cable from said winch can be stretched across the front of the upwardly inclined table top and the vacuum cup attached to a flat sheet of material and then the winch can be operated for causing the cable and vacuum cup to pull the flat sheet edgewise onto the table top, the lower edge of the flat sheet riding on the rollers;

g. said portable frame having a front portion with a pair of caster wheels supporting the front portion and a rear portion with a rear caster wheel supporting the rear portion;

h. said table top having a rear portion with at least one leg adapted to contact the floor when the table top is in a horizontal position;

i. whereby the leg when contacting the floor will prevent the accidental movement of said portable frame over the floor, said table top swinging means being adapted to swing said table top about its pivot to lift said leg to just clear the floor whereupon said portable frame can be moved over the floor.

4. A portable table for receiving flat sheet glass and comprising:

a. a portable frame;

b. a table top pivotally carried by said frame;

c. means for swinging said table top from a horizontal position into an upwardly slightly inclined position from a vertical plane;

d. a row of flat sheet supporting rollers arranged near the lower edge of said table top when the latter is in a raised position;

e. said portable frame having a front portion supported by caster wheels and a rear portion with at least one rear caster wheel supporting it;

f. said table top having a rear portion with at least one leg adapted to contact the floor when the table top is in a horizontal position;

g. whereby said leg when contacting the floor preventing the accidental movement of said portable frame over the floor, said table top swinging means being adapted to swing said table top about its pivot to lift said leg to just clear the floor whereupon said portable frame can be moved over the floor.

5. A portable table for receiving flat sheet glass and comprising:

a. a portable frame having a front portion supported by casters;

b. a table top pivotally carried by said frame, the pivot point for the table top being at a predetermined distance above the floor and at the front portion of said frame, said table top when in a horizontal position having a front portion projecting beyond the front of said portable frame a distance greater than the vertical distance between the pivot point for said table top and the floor; and

c. means for swinging said table top from a horizontal position into an upwardly slightly inclined position from a vertical plane, said front portion of said table top being swung downwardly into contact with the floor and raising the front portion of said frame above the floor to prevent any accidental movement of the frame over the floor;

d. the front portion of said portable frame having a pair of caster wheels supporting it and the rear portion of said frame having a caster wheel supporting it;

e. said table top having a rear portion with at least one leg adapted to contact the floor when the table top is in a horizontal position;

f. whereby the leg when contacting the floor will prevent the accidental movement of said portable frame over the floor, said table top swinging means being adapted to swing said table top about its pivoT to lift said leg to just clear the floor whereupon said portable frame can be moved over the floor.