Notching tool with presser foot

• US 4,667,553 A
• Filed: 05/23/1985
• Issued: 05/26/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gerber Scientific Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Gerber Scientific Incorporated
• Inventors: LeBlond, Claude, Gerber, Heinz J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weidenfeld, Gil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bishop, Steven C.
• Application Number:
  US06/737,391
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 408/95, 408/97, 408/98, 408/99, 408/100, 408/3, 118/37, 493/61, 493/229, 493/237, 493/355, 493/370, 493/372, 83/917, 83/925 CC, 83/49, 83/389, 83/561, 83/639
• US Class Current: 83/389
• CPC Class Codes: A41H 25/00 Appliances or methods for marking-out, perforating or making buttonholes
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 3/12 Slitting marginal portions of the work, i.e. forming cuts, without removal of material, at an angle, e.g. a right angle, to the edge of the work
• CPC Class Codes: B26F 1/38 Cutting-out; Stamping-out
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 83/917 Notching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 408/5627 Having sliding engagement therewith
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0572 Plural cutting steps effect progressive cut
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/5796 Drive means is resilient
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/8745 Tool and anvil relatively positionable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/8858 Fluid pressure actuated

Abstract

A compact notching device comprises a single piston and cylinder assembly including a piston rod, a shaft axially and rotatably mounted within the piston rod, and means for longitudinally coupling the shaft to the piston rod such that when the piston rod reciprocates, the shaft reciprocates, means for attaching an instrument in fixed relation to the shaft, means for rotating the shaft and the instrument, and a presser foot assembly mounted in fixed relation to and carried by the piston rod or the shaft.

Claims

1. In a machine for cutting sheet material, the combination comprising:

means providing a penetrable horizontal support surface for supporting sheet material in a spread condition,

a fluid actuator supported above said support surface for movement in a plane parallel to said support surface, said actuator having a housing non-rotatable relative to said support surface, a piston contained in and reciprocable vertically relative to said housing, and a piston rod fixed to said piston for reciprocation with said piston relative to said housing, said piston rod extending downwardly from said piston through the bottom of said housing and also extending upwardly from said piston through the top of said housing, said piston having a normal raised position relative to said housing and said actuator having an operating cycle during which said piston moves downwardly from said raised position and then back again to said raised position,

a positioning shaft extending axially though said piston rod, rotatably mounted within said piston rod, extending downwardly below the bottom of said piston rod and also extending upwardly above the top of said piston rod,

means for vertically coupling said positioning shaft to said piston rod so that when said piston rod reciprocates relative to said housing said positioning shat reciprocates with said piston rod,

a support member fixed to the lower end of said positioning shaft for rotation and reciprocation therewith relative to said housing,

a presser foot carried by said support member for vertical movmement relative to said support member, said presser foot having an elongated aperture passing therethrough and having a downwardly facing pressing surface,

means for biasing said presser foot downwardly relative to said support member toward a downwardly limited position relative to said support member and resiliently resisting upward movement of said presser foot relative to said support member,

a knife fixed to said support member for vertical reciprocation and rotation therewith relative to said housing and having a downwardly facing elongated cutting edge located entirely above said pressing surface when said presser foot is in its downwardly limited position relative to said housing and which cutting edge moves downwardly through said elongated aperture and past and below said pressing surface when said piston is moved downwardly from said raised position relative to said housing to first bring said pressing surface into engagement with the sheet material spread on said support surface and to then move said presser foot upwardly relative to said support member to thereby cause said cutting edge to cut a slit in said sheet material and to penetrate said supporting surface, and

means for establishing a desired angular position of said positioning shaft relative to said housing prior to each cycle of operation of said actuator to bring both said cutting edge of said knife and said elongated aperture of said presser foot to a corresponding angular orientation relative to the sheet material spread on said support surface so that the slit cut by said cutting edge in said sheet material will have a corresponding desired angular orientation relative to the sheet material.