Laser assembly for marking a line on a workpiece for guiding a cutting tool

• US 5,446,635 A
• Filed: 06/24/1993
• Issued: 08/29/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Quatron Incorporated (Quatron)
• Original Assignee: Quatron Incorporated (Quatron)
• Inventors: Jehn, E. F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, Geoffrey S.
• Application Number:
  US08/080,813
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 219/121.6, 219/121.73, 219/121.75, 372/109, 362/259, 362/362, 362/368, 362/372, 362/374, 362/375, 83/520, 83/521
• US Class Current: 362/259
• CPC Class Codes: B23D 33/12 Equipment for indicating where to cut
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 17/24 using optics or electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 17/2419 by projecting a single light beam
• CPC Class Codes: B27B 31/06 Adjusting equipment, e.g. using optical projection see also B27L5/022
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/20 for imaging minute objects, e.g. light-pointer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/839 Mirror or lens

Abstract

A laser marker including a laser marker body to hold a battery power supply and a control circuit, a laser module pivotably connected to the laser marker body and controlled by a push-button switch of the control circuit board to emit a laser beam, a set of laser firing caps alternatively mounted on the laser module to refract the laser beam by a respective plano-convex length of different focal length for marking a line of light on a workpiece for guiding a cutting tool to cut the workpiece. The laser module can be turned on laser marker body around the X-axis; the laser firing cap can be turned on the laser module around the Y-axis.

Claims

1. A laser marker comprising:

a laser marker body, said laser marker body being comprised of a substantially rectangular bottom cover, a top cover covered on said bottom cover, a battery lid, and a control circuit board, said bottom cover comprising a plurality of transversely spaced parallel division boards, pairs of half-round recesses respectively formed on the division boards at the top, an upright center locating pin in the middle, pairs of opposite retaining notches symmetrically disposed on two opposite lateral sides thereof at the top, two upright front pins bilaterally disposed on a front side thereof, a smoothly curved front opening on the front side thereof in the middle, two opposite axle supports disposed on two opposite sides by the front opening, two contact metal plates respectively fastened to two holder frames being bilaterally spaced between the axle supports and the division boards, and a rear opening transversely disposed on a rear side thereof, said top cover comprising pairs of half-round recesses on pairs of spaced division boards thereof respectively fitted over the half-round recesses on the division boards of said bottom cover to hold dry battery cells between said top and bottom covers, pairs of opposite side hooks respective hooked on the retaining notches of said bottom cover, two pin holes bilaterally disposed on the front side thereof into which the upright front pin of said bottom cover fit respectively, a smoothly curved front opening on the front side thereof in the middle fitted over the front opening of said bottom cover at the top, two opposite axle supports disposed on two opposite sides by the front opening thereof and respectively fitted over the axle supports of said bottom cover, a push-button mounting hole and a lamp hole spaced in the middle, a rear opening disposed on a rear side thereof fitted over the rear opening on said bottom cover to hold said battery lid, and a rear hook in the rear opening thereof in the middle, said battery lid being received in the rear openings of said bottom and top covers and having a hooked portion hooked with the rear hook on said top cover and a small projection to prevent reverse installation of dry battery cells, said control circuit board comprising a center pin hole into which the upright center locating pin of said bottom cover fits, a push-button switch controlled by a push-button extended out of the push-button mounting hole of said top cover, and an indicator lamp extended out of the lamp hole of said top cover;

a laser module pivotably fastened to said laser marker body and electrically connected to said control circuit board, said laser module comprising a cylindrical casing fastened to the axle supports of said top and bottom covers by two symmetrical half-round mounting sockets to hold a laser diode and a lens behind a front projecting hole thereof, said cylindrical casing comprising a plurality of longitudinal grooves equiangularly spaced around the periphery; and

a set of laser firing caps alternatively mounted on said cylindrical casing of said laser module, each laser firing cap comprising a laser firing hole in line with the projecting hole on said cylindrical casing of said laser module, a plano-convex lens disposed between the laser firing hole thereof and the projecting hole on said cylindrical casing of said laser module, a rear mounting hole, which receives said cylindrical casing of said laser module, and a positioning rib engaged into either longitudinal groove on said cylindrical casing of said laser module for positioning;

the plano-convex lens of each of said laser firing caps having a different focal length;

whereby pressing on the push-button of said push-button switch of said control circuit board causes said laser diode to emit a laser beam through the plano-convex lens on the laser firing cap being mounted on said laser module for drawing a line of light on a workpiece for guiding a cutting tool to cut said workpiece.