EP3771534B1 - Roller cutter with interchangeable blade - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a rotary cutter with a replaceable blade. Rotary cutters that are used to cut various types of materials, in particular for cutting textile materials, for example for handmade items of clothing. Such handheld rotary cutters typically include a handle and a round blade disposed on the handle. Rotary cutters with exchangeable blades are already known, namely from the documents WO 00/07783 A2 , U.S. 6,438,850B2 , U.S. 5,144,749

A, WO2009 / 091697 A2 and EP 1 525 959 B1 . All known rotary cutters have the disadvantage that when the blade is changed, contact with the edge of the blade is possible and there is therefore a risk of injury. The object of the present invention is to provide an improved rotary cutter with an exchangeable blade, which enables the blade to be exchanged easily with a low risk of injury and which can be used in a variety of ways.

This object is achieved with a rotary cutter with the features of claim 1. The subclaims contain further advantageous features for such a device.

This new rotary cutter with exchangeable blade has a handle for the user of the rotary cutter. At one end of the handle, the holding area, the handle is connected to a blade holder which comprises a blade. The connection between the handle and the blade holder is detachable, which enables the blade holder and thus the blade stored in the blade holder to be changed. Here, the blade holder represents a solid sheath for the blade and holds at least half of the blade in the receiving space of this sheath. The shape of the solid sheath of the blade holder is chosen so that the blade is between the two semicircular side walls the sheath is arranged and these semicircular side walls cover the blade on both sides. The blade edge is protected in this covered area by the curved outer wall of the sheath of the blade holder. The course of the outer wall is adapted to the radial course of the blade edge so that, on the one hand, the blade mounted in the blade holder can be freely rotated around its axis of rotation without touching the outer wall and, on the other hand, the smallest possible size for the blade holder can be selected. For the rotatable mounting of the blade, a bearing bush is provided on the two side walls of the blade holder in the area around the axis of rotation of the blade and the blade has a slide bearing in the middle, which engages with its cylinder protruding over the blade surface on both sides in the respective bearing bush of the side walls of the blade holder .

It is particularly advantageous that the blade holder itself is also mounted on the handle so that it can rotate about the same axis of rotation. Here, the rotary movement of the blade holder is limited, namely between two rotary end positions. In the first end of rotation position - the safety position - the sheath of the blade holder is outside the handle and thus covers the blade from the outside. As a result, in this securing position, which is assumed during assembly and when the rotary cutter is not used, injuries to the edge of the blade cannot occur. In the second end of rotation position - the working position - the blade holder is twisted into the handle, whereby the blade protrudes from the handle and a sufficiently large circumference of the blade edge is exposed for a desired use. The rotary movement of the blade holder is made possible by a corresponding guide on the handle, namely a guide running in a semicircle around the common axis of rotation of the blade and the blade holder. This guide is arranged in an area on the rear wall of the handle, which is extended beyond the grip area. This area represents the holding area. The guide is provided as a recess in the rear wall. A rotary knob of the blade holder engages in this guide and protrudes outward from a side wall of the blade holder.

The aforementioned end-of-rotation positions of the blade holder can each ensure that the rotary knob is held securely in the respective end-of-rotation position by the provision of clamping or fixing elements.

As described above, the blade holder is mounted at one end of the handle. For this purpose, the rear wall has a hole in the holding area for a pivot bolt that extends through the bearing bushes of the blade holder. In one embodiment, a screw is advantageously used as a connecting means between the handle and the blade holder, which runs along the axis of rotation of the blade and the blade holder through the rotary cutter and also takes on the function of the pivot pin.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the blade holder is arranged between the rear wall of the handle and a cover connected to the handle. This cover is connected to the handle, for example via the same screw that is used to connect the blade holder and handle. For this purpose, the cover has a threaded sleeve on its inner surface facing the handle, which cooperates with a thread which is provided on the end of the shaft of the screw. The screw can also reach through the cover and be connected on the outside with an additional nut.

The cover also advantageously has a recess in the form of a semicircular guide, comparable to that on the rear wall of the handle. Both guides have the same shape and size. The width of the guides is adapted in each case to the diameter of the rotary knobs, so that they can easily be moved along the guides from one end of rotation position to the other end of rotation position. Both guides are arranged parallel to one another and at the same distance from the axis of rotation. Another knob of the blade holder engages in the guide in the cover. Both knobs are arranged on the blade holder so that they are the same size and have the same central axis. she each point outwards, on the one hand from the front side wall to the front and on the other hand from the rear side wall of the blade holder to the rear. Guiding the blade holder on both sides by means of the two rotary knobs in the two semicircular guides ensures uniform support of the blade holder and safe movement of the blade while working.

The blades of this new rotary cutter can also be exchanged in an advantageous manner. To do this, the blade holder is released from the handle. When the blade holder is connected to the handle by means of a screw, this screw is loosened and a unit comprising the blade holder with the blade is removed from the handle. The removal takes place in the safety position of the blade holder, so that the user can grasp the blade holder on the side surfaces of the solid sheath and remove the blade holder with the blade without touching the blade, in particular the blade edge, and in the same way a unit consisting of a blade holder and a can use a new blade. It is not necessary to touch the edge of the blade during assembly, so that the user is protected from injury. In addition, the blade holder protects the blades - even when stored outside of the rotary cutter - from dulling and prevents damage to work materials.

The detachable connection between the handle and the blade holder advantageously consists of a screw connection. The screw runs along the axis of rotation, rests with the screw head on the rear wall of the handle, passes through the hole on this rear wall, the bearing bushes of the blade holder and the sliding bearing of the blade and is connected at the other end to the threaded sleeve on the inside of the cover, for example. In the case of a simpler design, for example without a cover, it is also possible to use a nut.

In one embodiment of the rotary cutter, it is particularly advantageous that the tool for forming or releasing the connection between the handle and the blade holder, e.g. a screwing tool, is arranged on the rotary cutter itself. For this purpose, in the grip area of the handle, there is a recess, in particular reaching through the handle, in which the tool is held. The tool can therefore be easily inserted or removed from both sides. The head of the tool is adapted to the shape of the recess, so that a form-fitting receptacle is realized. In addition, fixing elements for a secure hold of the tool can be provided in the recess and on the tool.

In addition, the new rotary cutter has a shape that is comfortable for the user. In one embodiment, the handle is formed from two shells made of plastic, the front shell leaving the holding area of the blade holder free and the rear wall of the rear shell extending into this holding area. In addition, at least one upper part and one lower part made of softer plastic are provided in this advantageous embodiment. The upper part and the lower part can also encompass the holding area of the handle in one piece. The shape of the upper part and the lower part is ergonomic so that the rotary cutter lies comfortably in the user's hand when working. The ergonomic shape of the handle allows comfortable use in different grip positions.

This new ergonomic rotary cutter advantageously includes the function of safe blade change. Blade holder and blade form a unit that can be assembled and disassembled, so that each blade is provided with a blade guard. Different blades can be used with the rotary cutter for different separating cuts. For example, a blade holder with a round blade with a flat blade is used for a straight severing cut; for zig-zag dividing lines, round ones are used Blades with corrugated blade and round blades with teeth on the peripheral edge of the blade are used for perforation lines.

The different blades with a comparable outer diameter advantageously each form a unit with a blade holder of the same size. For better differentiation, these blade holders can be designed in different colors. The units, e.g. stored in a plug-in container, form a rotary cutter set together with the rotary cutter.

It is advantageous that the blade, which is clearly visible in the working position, facilitates precise work. In addition, the new rotary cutter can be operated equally well by left-handers and right-handers thanks to the provision of two rotary knobs. The ergonomic shape of the handle makes it comfortable to use. Separating cuts and the rotation of the blade holder from one end of rotation position to the other can easily be carried out with one hand.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht der Einzelteile eines Rollschneiders vor der Montage des Klingenhalters,

Fig. 2

eine Vorderansicht des montierten Rollschneiders von Fig. 1 in Arbeitsposition,

Fig. 3

eine Rückansicht des montierten Rollschneiders von Fig. 1 in Sicherungsposition,

Fig. 4

eine perspektivische Ansicht des Klingenhalters von Fig. 1 vor dem Einsetzen der Klinge,

Fig. 5

eine perspektivische Ansicht des Werkzeugs von Fig. 1,

Fig. 6

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines gefüllten Einsteckbehälters.

Further measures and advantages of the invention are set out in the description below. The invention is based on all of the new features evident therefrom. The following drawing shows:

Fig. 1

a perspective view of the individual parts of a rotary cutter before the assembly of the blade holder,

Fig. 2

a front view of the assembled rotary cutter of Fig. 1 in working position,

Fig. 3

a rear view of the assembled rotary cutter of Fig. 1 in safety position,

Fig. 4

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the blade holder of FIG Fig. 1 before inserting the blade,

Fig. 5

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tool of FIG Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 6

a perspective view of a filled plug-in container.

The embodiment shown in FIGS Figures 1 to 3 , shows a particularly advantageous rotary cutter 10. In the Figure 1 the individual parts of the rotary cutter 10 are shown before assembly, namely the handle 20, the blade holder 30, the cover 28, the connecting means 40 and the tool 50 for creating a screw connection.

The handle 20 in this case consists of two shells 25, 26 made of plastic, namely the front shell 25 and the rear shell 26, which together with the upper part 21 and the lower part 22 form the handle area 23 of the rotary cutter 10. The rear wall 241 of the shell 26 extends from this handle area 23, the right part of the handle 20 in FIG Figs. 1 to 3 , to the holding area 24, the left part of the handle 20 shown. The blade holder 30 is placed on this rear wall 241 for assembly, with its rear rotary knob 31 inserted into a semicircular guide 27 and connected to the handle 20 via a screw connection. After assembly, the screw 40 shown runs along the axis of rotation D, about which the blade 33 and the blade holder 30 can be moved. To form the connection, the screw 40 is inserted into the bore 242 on the rear wall 241 of the rear shell 26 of the blade holder 30, pushed through the blade holder 30 and blade 33 until the shaft of the screw with its end-side thread 42 points out of the blade holder 30 at the front. The cover 28 is then placed on the blade holder 30. This cover 28 can optionally also be fixed on the rotary cutter 10 by clamping means. For the connection of the cover 28 to the handle 20, this cover 28 has a threaded sleeve on its inside, which cooperates with the thread 42 of the screw 40. The screw 40 has between the screw head and thread

42 a central shaft area without a thread, which functions as a pivot bearing pin for the blade holder 30 and the blade 33. The tool 50 shown, which in this example has a shaft 51 with a hexagonal cross-section, is provided for easier assembly and connection formation. The screw head of the screw 40 has a corresponding driving profile, in this case a hexagon socket 41, shown in FIG Fig. 1 or Fig. 3 .

When changing the blade, the blade holder 30 is to be rotated into the safety position and can be grasped by the person to be used on its fixed cover, consisting of side walls 36, 37 and outer wall 38, and removed from the rotary cutter after loosening the screw connection and removing the cover 28. The blade holder 30 can, for example, be safely inserted into a plug-in container 60, where unused blade holders 30 ', 30 ", 30'" are stored. To insert a new blade 33, a new unit of blade holder 30 ′ with blade 33 is removed from insertable container 60. The blade holder 30 is held on its solid sheath by the person to be used and is thus inserted into the handle 20 without touching the blade edge 331. In this case, the blade 33 points upwards and, after being inserted in the holding area 24 of the handle 20, is already essentially covered by the handle 20. The cover 28 is then put on and the screw connection is made by means of the tool 50. After assembly, a rotary cutter 10, shown in FIG Fig. 3 , namely in the secured position of the blade holder 30 received. In an advantageous manner, damage to the blade edge 331 of the blade 33 can therefore be prevented when the blade is changed.

The slitter winder 10 is in Fig. 3 with a view of the rear shell 26, which comprises the rear wall 241 reaching into the holding area 24 with the guide 27 running semicircular about the axis of rotation D. The width of this guide 27 is adapted to the diameter of the rear knob 31 protruding from the blade holder 30, so that it can easily be removed from the locking position - shown in FIG Fig. 3 - in the working position - shown in Fig. 2 - Can be moved in the direction of the arrow. Since the rotary knob 31 is an integral part of the fixed sheath of the blade holder 30, the sheath of the blade holder 30 is also carried along during this displacement. After moving, the rotary knob 31 is again in an end-of-rotation position, shown in FIG Fig. 2 , in this case at the left end of the guide 27 and the fixed sheath of the blade holder 30 has moved about the axis of rotation D and is in the working position within the handle 20, namely between the rear wall 241 and the cover 28 and covered by them. the Fig. 2 shows the working position. The rotary cutter 10 is shown from its front, namely with a view of the front shell 25 and the cover 28. This cover 28 also has a semicircular guide 29 running around the axis of rotation D which, after the cover 28 has been mounted, is parallel to the guide 27 the rear wall 241 of the handle 20 extends and has the same shape and size as the guide 27. A further rotary knob 31 ′ engages in this guide 29 and projects outward from the front side wall 37 of the blade holder 30. Both rotary knobs 31, 31 'have the same central axis and move in parallel within their guides 27, 29. In the respective end-of-rotation positions, the rotary knobs 31, 31' are fixed by constrictions 271 of the guides 27, 29. They can, however, be moved with one hand from their end-of-rotation positions in the direction of the arrow by applying little force. Since the rotary knobs 31, 31 'are provided on both sides of the rotary cutter 10, their movement can be carried out easily by both right-handers and left-handers in the same way.

In the example shown, a round blade 33 with a corrugated blade is held in the blade holder 30 so that it can rotate, so that when the rotary cutter 10 is used, the circumferential blade edge 331 can produce zig-zag-shaped separating cuts. Again Fig. 4 As can be seen, the blade 33 is held on the solid sheath of the blade holder 30, consisting of two side walls 36, 37 and the outer wall 38 arranged around the blade edge 331, and about half of it is covered to the outside by these walls 36, 37, 38. The outer wall 38 is located at such a distance after assembly the axis of rotation D, that a rotary movement of the blade 33 is easily possible in the working position. This distance is therefore slightly larger than the diameter of the blade 33. The blade holder 30 and the blade 33 represent a unit in the new rotary cutter 10. The blade 33 is changed by changing the blade holder 30 in which the blade 33 is received. For the respective rotational movement of the blade 33 about the axis of rotation D, the blade 33 is provided with a slide bearing 34, which is, for example, molded onto the metallic blade 33 and includes a cylinder 35 which protrudes outward on both sides over the surface of the blade. With this cylinder 35, the blade 33 engages in bearing bushings 32 of the blade holder 30, which are part of the side walls 36, 37, shown in FIG Fig. 4 . As described above, this preassembled unit is then inserted into the handle 20 and the screw connection is made by means of the tool 50.

The tool 50 is always available with the new rotary cutter 10. It is held on the handle 20. The handle 20 has a recess 231 in the handle area 23, into which the tool 50 can be inserted. For this purpose, the tool head 52 is adapted to the shape of this recess 231. The length of the recess 231 is selected so that the shaft 51 can also be accommodated. To ensure that the tool 50 is securely held in this recess 231 when working with the rotary cutter 10, additional fixing elements are provided both on the tool head 52 and within the recess. In this example, the tool head 52 has tooth-like protruding fixing elements 53, shown in FIG Fig. 5 which fit into a central groove 232 of recess 231 shown in FIG Fig. 1 intervene. The tool 50 can easily be pushed out of this fixing position in one direction or the other by lateral pressure and is then available for a blade change.

The new winder 10 can be equipped with different blades, which are each held in blade holders 30. A rotary cutter set includes, for example, in addition to the rotary cutter 10 shown with a blade 33 corrugated blade also blade holder 30 'with a blade with a flat blade for straight separating cuts, blade holder 30 "with a blade with serrated peripheral edge for perforation lines and another blade holder 30'" for another desired blade. The various blade holders 30 ', 30 ", 30'" are advantageously stored in the plug-in container 60 such that the blades 33 reach into the plug-in container 60 and the blade holders 30 ', 30 ", 30'" point outwards. To change the blade, a desired unit can be securely gripped by the fixed sheath of the respective blade holder 30 ', 30 ", 30'" and inserted into the handle 20 without touching the blade. In order to facilitate the selection of the correct blade holder 30 ', 30 ", 30" when changing the blade, the fixed sheaths of the blade holders 30', 30 ", 30 '" with the different blades 33 are designed in different colors.

The rotary cutter 10 can be operated with one hand, ie the blade holder 30, which is guided on both sides, can easily be moved from its secured position into the working position and back. If the blade holder 30 is in its working position, the user can make any separating cuts. Here, the ergonomic shape of the handle 20 facilitates the comfortable use of the rotary cutter 10. Here the upper part 21 and the lower part 22 of the handle 20 are ergonomically shaped and made of a soft plastic material, which provides a comfortable grip. The upper part 21 is slightly indented at the transition between the grip area 23 and the holding area 24 and provides a surface for the thumb or forefinger to exert pressure when using the rotary cutter 10. The lower part 22 offers an ergonomically designed surface for the encompassing fingers. In this rotary cutter 10, the upper part 21 and lower part 22 are connected to one another, so that the user's comprehensive hand is also in contact with soft plastic on the right-hand side of the rotary cutter 10. The rotary cutter 10 can be used in various hand positions and guided during the severing cut. During the severing cut, the blade edge 331 of the blade 33 is always clearly visible. After a severing cut can be easy the safety position can be set again in order to prevent injuries to the user or damage to the textile materials used.

List of reference symbols

10

Rotary cutter

20th

Grab handle

21

Top

22nd

Lower part

23

Grip area

231

Recess

232

Rib, gutter

24

Holding area

241

Back wall, integral

242

drilling

25th

peel

26th

peel

27

semicircular guide

271

Constrictions

28

cover

29

semicircular guide

291

Constrictions

30, 30 ', 30 ", 30' ''

Blade holder

31.31 '

Knob

32

Bearing bush

33

blade

331

Blade edge

34

bearings

35

cylinder

36, 37

Side wall of 30

38

Outer wall of 30

40

Screw, metal

41

Driving profile, hexagon socket

42

Threaded shaft

50

Tool, screw head drive

51

hexagonal shaft

52

Tool head

53

Fixing element

60

Insertable container

D.

Axis of rotation

Claims (16)

1. Rotary cutter with replaceable blade (33) comprising

   - a handle (20) and

   - a blade holder (30) which is detachably connected to the handle (20) at one end of the handle (20) - the holding area (24),

   - wherein the blade holder (30) supports a blade (33) having a circumferential blade edge (331), the blade being rotatable about an axis of rotation (D),

   characterised in that

   - a fixed sheath of the blade holder (30) accommodates the blade (33) at least halfway therein, thereby covering the blade (33) on both sides by side walls (36, 37) of the sheath in a semicircular manner and protecting the blade edge (331) over half its circumference by an outer wall (38) of the sheath, wherein the outer wall (38) connects the side walls (36, 37) of the blade holder (30) and is adapted in its course to the blade circumference,

   - wherein a bearing bush (32) is provided for rotatably mounting the blade (33) on both side walls (36, 37) of the blade holder (30) in the region around the axis of rotation (D) and the blade (33) has a plain bearing (34),

   - the blade holder (30) is arranged rotatably movable about the axis of rotation (D) on the handle (20), wherein two rotational end positions are provided, namely a first rotational end position - the securing position - where the blade (33) projecting from the handle (20) is covered by the blade holder (30) and a second rotational end position - the working position - where the blade (33) projecting from the handle (20) is exposed,

   - wherein a rotary knob (31) projects from the rear side wall (37) of the blade holder (30) and this rotary knob (31) engages in a semi-circular guide (27) at the rear side (241) of the handle (20) and is movable within the guide (27) between two end points, the rotary end positions.
2. Rotary cutter according to claim 1, characterised in that a cover (28) is provided in the holding region (24) of the handle (20), so that the blade holder (30) is arranged between a rear wall (241) of the handle (20) and the cover (28).
3. Rotary cutter according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that, in the safety position, the blade holder (30) protrudes from the holding area (24) of the handle (20) and the blade (33) is arranged inside the blade holder (30) and the handle (20).
4. Rotary cutter according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the cover (28) has a semi-circular guide (29) which is arranged around the axis of rotation D at the same distance as the semi-circular guide (27) on the rear wall (241) of the handle (20) and which is of the same size.
5. Rotary cutter according to claim 4, characterised in that a further rotary knob (31') projects from the front side wall (36) of the blade holder (30) and this further rotary knob (31') engages in the semicircular guide (29) of the cover (28).
6. Rotary cutter according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the semicircular guide (27) of the handle (20) and, if applicable, the semicircular guide (29) of the cover (28) are adapted in their width to the diameter of the rotary knob (31, 31') and that the two rotary positions for the rotary knob (31, 31') are effected by narrowing sections (271) of the guide width.
7. A rotary cutter according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that a unit comprising a blade holder (30) and a blade (33) is removable from the handle (20) by releasing the connection between the handle (20) and the blade holder (30).
8. A rotary cutter according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the releasable connection between the holding area (24) of the handle (20) and the blade holder (30) is a screw connection, the screw (40) extending along the axis of rotation (D) and passing through a bore (242) in the rear wall (241) in the holding area (24) of the handle (20), the bearing bushes (32) of the blade holder (30) and the plain bearing (34) of the blade (33).
9. Rotary cutter according to claim 8, characterised in that a thread (42) is provided at the end on the shank of the screw (40), which thread cooperates with a separate nut or with a threaded sleeve on the inside of the cover (28), and wherein the screw (40) has a driving profile (41) on the screw head, preferably an internal hexagon.
10. Rotary cutter according to one of the claims 1 to 9, characterised in that a recess (231) is provided on the handle part (23) of the handle (20), which recess preferably extends through the handle (20) and can hold a tool (50), which serves to form the connection or to release the connection between the handle (20) and the blade holder (30), wherein the tool (50) is a screw head drive and has a screw shank (51) of hexagonal cross-section and a tool head (52) adapted to the recess (231) of the handle (20).
11. Rotary cutter according to one of the claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the handle (20) consists of two composite shells (25, 26) of plastic and in addition an ergonomically designed upper part (21) and an ergonomically designed lower part (22) are present, wherein the upper part (21) and the lower part (22) consist of a softer plastic than the two shells (25, 26) and are possibly designed in a different colour than the shells (25, 26) of the handle (20).
12. Rotary cutter according to claim 11, characterised in that in the recess (231) of the handle (20) there is additionally at least one fixing element (231) for the tool (50), preferably a circumferential groove or rib present between the shells (25, 26), and the tool (50) has on the screw head (52) at least one fixing element (53) which cooperates with the fixing element (231) in the recess (231) of the handle (20).
13. A rotary cutter set comprising a rotary cutter (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and several units each consisting of a blade holder (30) and a blade (33).
14. Rolling cutter set according to claim 13, characterised in that the blades (33) each have the same diameter but exhibit a different course of the circumferential blade edge (331).
15. Rolling cutter set according to claim 13, characterised in that the blade holders (30, 30', 30", 30"') for the different blades (33) are designed in different colours.
16. A rotary cutter set according to one of claims 13 to 15, characterised in that an insertion container (60) for the unused blade holders (30', 30", 30'") not inserted in the rotary cutter (10) is additionally provided, in which the blade holders (30', 30", 30'") are held in such a way that the respective blade (33) is concealed from the outside.

Images