GB2605456A

GB2605456A - Apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2605456A
Application number: GB2104774.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Fakey Satyen; Yadav Akshay; Rokde Prayas; Sudhir Sanandan
Original assignee: Crafti Tech Ltd
Current assignee: Crafti Tech Ltd
Priority date: 2021-04-01
Filing date: 2021-04-01
Publication date: 2022-10-05
Also published as: GB202104774D0; WO2022208110A1

Abstract

The automated crafting apparatus 100 includes a turret component 102 coupled to multiple tools 104a, 104b, 104c. The tools are for performing one or more actions on a material pertaining to a craft activity. Each tool is mounted in a slot provided on the turret component. An actuating component 110 is operatively coupled with at least one of the turret component and each of the tools. The actuating component is configured to perform an actuation operation selected from at least one of a rotation of the turret component, a selection or deployment of a tool for performing an action of the one or more actions, an independent rotation of each of the deployed tool from each other, a movement of the turret component along a pre-defined axis along the material, an automated selection or deployment of the tool, an automated movement of the tool in any of an upward direction and a downward direction with respect to the material, and a movement of the material along a predefined direction with respect to the deployed tool. The tool may be e.g. a blade, pen, eraser, pencil, brush, additive tool, laserhead, printing nozzle, milling head, or adhesion tool etc.

Description

APPARATUS

TECUNICAL FIELD

[1] The present disclosure relates to field of crafting apparatus. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a. crafting apparatus with an automated mechanism for performing one or more craft activities.

BACKGROUND

[2] The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

[3] Crafters and hobbyists perform various craft activities that quire manual cutting, decorating, marking of materials such as, for example, paper, cloth" cardboard and other such materials. Manually performing these tasks may be tedious" such as, for example, manual cutting done by use of cutters or scissors may be time-consuming and may demand appropriate skillset of the crafter. Although conventional automated equipment may enable reducing the manual tasks, however, they involve various limitations. For example, electronic cutting machines may enable automated cutting of a material by use of one or more affixed blades such that upon movement of the blade over the material, the machine may cut the material as desired. However, cutting machines involve a need for manual intervention for changing blades after each craft action/activity. For example, a craft activity may involve a series of cutting actions that use different blades. In this case, using the conventional cutting machines, a user may need to manually disengage and engage a blade each time from its respective holder for enabling usage of a desired blade. This may lead to halting the machine operation until the blades are changed, thus making it time-consuming. Further, an activity requiring a frequent change of blades can prove to be very frustrating and can nullify the merits of automation. The conventional devices may thus be limited in terms of overall flexibility. For example, the device may be able to move only along a certain pre-defined axis or along a particular direction only. This may further impose a limitation on the creativity of the user, who may need to plan a cut-our/activity for a workpiece based on features/limitations of the cutting device. The devices in the a 't also lack alternatives to load various accessories Mat may enable to perform multiple creative actions in generating an artwork.

[004i Several automated apparatus may be known in the art that use an automated apparatus for performing one or more functions. For example, one such apparatus is disclosed in the United States Patent application published as US10562338132. In this disclosure, a heat pen is assembled with and secured to a cradle that moves along a carriage of an electronic cutting and/or drawing system, wherein the heat pen is used to provide heat to define text and/or designs on a substrate. The operation of the cradle along the carriage may lead to bringing a tip of a heating element of the heat pen into contact with a substrate and by movement of the cradle through the carriage enables the movement of the heat pen. The cited reference indicates that the motion of the pen may be in line with the restricted motion of the cradle/carriage. While cited document mentions about couplingthe heat pen with an existing electronic device, there is no indication of an automated selection of one tool from multiple tools and also independent rotation of each tool. Another US patent application published as US8201484 discloses an electronic cutting apparatus. This cited document mainly focusses on a blade housing to which a blade is rotatably coupled such that the blade is releasahly coupled to an inner housing by a. magnetic force supplied by a magnetic blade stop. However, the apparatus mainly relies on the manual change of the blade that may be performed by pulling the blade from the housing; wherein the replacement of the blade is accomplished by inserting another blade into tile housing. As mentioned hereinabove, the manual changing of the blades can be very tedious and time-consuming, which can halt/delay the crafting process of crafting. Another US patent application published as US20160026168A1 discloses an electronic cutting machine including a housing to which a drive roller is coupled to move a sheet that is Lobe cut in a first direction, whereas a cutter assembly that is coupled to the housing moves in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction. The machine discloses automation through a motor for providing feedback based motion of the blades and also discloses themeasurement of a force necessary to cut through a given. material. Although a z-axis movement is mentioned, the cutter assembly seems to lack flexibility in the overall movement of the cutter assembly and also the machine includes anti-rotation members to avoid flexible movements. The limited mobility may prevent a user from exploring different designs or cut-outs that may not be possible by using the described system. Further, such machines are limited only to cutting and so different types of tools are not disclosed therein. Yet another US patent application published as US20160303892A1 discloses an electronic cutting apparatus that discloses automated cutting based on pressure sensing over a. series of cuts, wherein the Change in pressure is determined by performing an algorithm. The ientioned reference Focussed on the nature of the contact that a blade may have with a material, however, similar to the previous cited reference, a drive roller is coupled to move a sheet that is to be cut in. a first direction, whereas a cutter assembly that is coupled to the housing moves in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction in addition, this reference indicates pausing the apparatus for changing working tools, which indicates a manual change in the working tools.

[005] There is therefore a need to provide a craft tool or an apparatus that can perform a craft related activity in an automated manner without any manual intervention, while overcoming the aforementioned limitations, to allow better flexibility of tools and enhanced choice and utility to a user.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

10061 A general object of the present disclosure is to overcome drawbacks of the conventional crafting apparatuses [7] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an automated apparatus that enables implementation of an improved crafting apparatus to overcome drawbacks of the conventional crafting apparatuses or techniques.

[8] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an automated apparatus that does not require manual changing or replacement of a crafting tool.

[9] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an automated apparatus that provides automated selection of a crafting tool from multiple tools.

[0010] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an automated apparatus that provides greater flexibility and multiple utility based crafting tools for greater freedom of creativity to a user.

SUMMARY

[0011] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a crafting appara s with an automated mechanism for performing one or more craft activities.

[0012] An aspect of the present invention relates to an automated crafting apparatus.

The apparatus may include a turret component coupled to a plurality of tools. The plurality of tools may perform one or more actions on a material pertaining to a craft activity. Each tool of the plurality of tools may be mounted in a slot provided on the turret component. The apparatus may include an actuating component operatively coupled with at least one of the turret component, and each of the plurality of tools. The actuating component may be configured to perform an actuation operation selected from at least one of a rotation of the turret component, a selection or deployment of a tool among the plurality of tools for performing a.n action of the one or more actions, an independent rotation of each of the deployed tool from each other, a movement of the turret component along a pre-defined axis along the material, an automated selection or deployment of the tool, an automated movement of the tool in any of an upward direction and a downward direction with respect to the material and a movement of the material along a predefined direction with respect to the deployed tool 100131 In an embodiment, each of the plurality of took may be mounted at a pre-defined angle in the slot of the rotatable member. In an exemplary embodiment, the pre-defined angle may be in the range of 40 degrees to 50 degrees.

100141 In an embodiment, the plurality of tools include any or a combination of a blade, a pen, a marking tool, a highlighting tool, a colourin.g tool, a decorating tool, an eraser, a pencil, a brush, a peeling tool, a weeding tool, an additive tool, a spraying tool, a hole forming tool, a stationery item, a laserhead, a 3-dimensional printing nozzle, milling head and an adhesion tool.

100151 In an embodiment, the actuating component may include any or a combination of an actuator, one or more moving parts, one or more locking components and one or more stationary parts [0016] In an embodiment, the actuator is any or a combination of a. mechanical actuator, an electrical actuator, a pneumatic actuator, an electromechanical actuator and a hydraulic actuator. In an exemplary embodiment, the actuator includes a motor.

100171 In an embodiment, the moving parts comprise at least one of a gear, a shaft, a belt, a movable component, a cain and a rotatable component 100181 in an embodiment, the actuation related to the independent rotation of each tool may be performed by any of a direct contact or an indirect contact of the tool with the actuating component.

[00191 In another aspect the present disclosure relates to an automated craft n apparatus. The automated crafting apparatus may include a turret component comprising a disc.-shaped rotatable member. The turret component may be configured to flexibly move in a predefined direction. The turret component may include a plurality of took for performing one or more actions on a material pertaining to a craft activity. Each tool of the plurality of tools may be mounted in a slot provided on the rotatable member such that the circular rotation of the rotatable member facilitates a coupled movement of the mounted tools. The coupled movement facilitates automated selection or deployment of a. tool for performing an action of the one or more actions. The automated crafting apparatus may include an actuating component comprising a first actaating component, a second actuating component and a third actuating component. The first actuating component may include a first actuator operatively coupled with the rotatable member and the turret component to perform any or a combination of a circular rotation of the rotatable member and an elliptical rotation of the rotatable member, for the consequent automated selection of the tool. The second actuating component may be operatively coupled with the turret component, wherein the second actuating component may facilitate the movement of the turret component. The second actuating component may enable rotation of the deployed tool around its own axis. The third actuating component is operatively coupled with a support member of the turret component and configured to perform the actuation operation associated with at least one of the movement of the turret component along the pre-defined axis and the automated Idling of the tool. The third actuating component may include a third actuator operatively coupled with a belt, Which upon actuation, moves between two fixed ends to facilitate movement of the support. member in any of an upward direction and a downward direction. In an embodiment, the third actuating component may include a lead screw member comprising a positive threaded member and a negative threaded member to perform inter-translation motion to enable movement of the support member. In an embodiment, a spring counter may be coupled to the lead screw member to enable exertion of a pre-determined force on the actuator to translate sufficient force on to the material.

[0020] In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to an automated crafting apparatus. The automated crafting apparatus may include a movable component including a protruding portion capable of a vertical movement along a vertical axis. The automated crafting apparatus may include a turret component comprising a cylindrical member holding a plurality of tools. The cylindrical member may be horizontally positioned such that a circular face of the cylindrical member lies perpendicular to a vertical axis. The cylindrical member may rotate along the vertical axis of the turret component, upon actuation. The plurality of tools may perform one or more actions on a material pertaining to a craft activity. Each tool of the plurality of tools being mounted in a slot provided on the cylindrical member. An actuating component may be operatively coupled with at least one of the turret component and each tool. The apparatus may include a fourth actuating component including a fourth actuator and a set of gears coupled to respective shafts to perform the independent rotation of each tool. The apparatus may include a fifth actuating component comprising a fifth actuator to enable the movable component to perform the vertical movement selected from an upward motion and a downward motion. The protruding portion may be coupled to a fifth shaft from the respective shafts, the vertical movement of the movable component enables a vertical movement of the fifth shaft. The fifth shaft may be operatively coupled to the turret component and one or more deployment gears connected to each tool. The fifth shaft may be concentrically coupled to a cam to mechanically operate in any of an engaged mode and a disengaged mode to facilitate performing at least one actuation operation selected from the automated selection of the tool; the deployment of the tool and the independent rotation of the tool along its own axis. In an embodiment, if the fifth actuator enables upward motion of the movable component, the fifth shaft may move to a raised state and operate in the engaged mode In an embodiment, in the raised state, the cam may engage with the fifth shaft through a locking gear to lock the engaged mode. In the engaged mode, the cam may be rotated automatically till an extending portion of the cam aligns with a hemi-spherical head member of the deployment gear associated with a selected tool such that the cam may push the head member downwards to lower the position of the selected tool for deploying the selected tool. In an embodiment, if the fifth actuator enables downward motion of the movable component, the fifth shaft moves to a lowered state and operates in the disengaged mode, wherein in the lowered state, the cam may disengage with the shaft by disengaging with the locking gear to maintain the disengaged mode. In the disengaged mode, the fourth actuator 'nay facilitate a rotational inotion of a gear connected to the fifth shaft for translating the rotational motion to the fifth shaft to cause the independent rotation of the tool connected thereto. The rotation of the fifth shaft translates the rotational motion to the respective deployment gears connected to the tool to enable the independent rotation of the tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

100211 In the figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.

[00221 FIGs. IA-IC illustrate an automated crafting apparatus (100' in accordance

with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

100231 FIG 2 illustrates an automated crafting apparatus (200) including an additional gear (240) and a shaft (242) in comparison to the apparatus ( IOU) of FIG. IA-IC, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

100241 FIG 3 illustrates an automated crafting apparatus (300) including a different configuration of a gear component (312) in comparison to the apparatus (100) of FIG 1.A, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

10025] FIG. 4A illustrates another exemplary automated crafting apparatus (400), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 4B illustrates inner components of the automated crafting apparatus (400) of FIG. 4, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

10027] FiGs. 5A-5I3 illustrate an exemplary perspective view of an overall automated crafting machine or apparatus (500) including the automated crafting apparatus (100) of FIG. 1A-IC inside a housing (502), and the material (504) on which the crafting action is to be performed, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

100281 In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details.

[0029] If the specification states a component or feature "may", "can", "could", or might' be included or have a characteristic, that particular component or feature is not required to be included or have the characteristic.

[0030] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of "a," "an," and "the" includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of "in" includes "in" and "on" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0031] While embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications,: changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as described in the claim.

10032] The present disclosure relates to the field of crafting apparatus. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a crafting apparatus with an automated mechanism for performing one or more craft activities.

[0033] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides an automated crafting apparatus to perform one or more actions associated with a craft activity. The actions may be performed in an automated manner without any manual intervention. The actions may include, without limitation, at least one of a cutting operation, a drawing operation, a colouring operation, a peeling operation and various such operations that may be required by a user for generating at least one of an intermediate artwork or a final artwork product. The actions associated with the craft activity may be performed on a material including, without limitation, any or a combination of a paper, a cloth, a cardboard, a thermocol, a polymer, a metal, and any other such materials that ma.y be used for craft activity or any creative application. It may be appreciated that the actions may not be limited by the mentioned materials and various other materials may be used within the scope of the present disclosure 190341 In an embodiment, the automated crafting apparatus may include a turret component and a plurality of tools mounted on the turret component. In an embodiment, the plurality of tools may enable performing a. desired action associated with the craft activity based on an input received from a user through a computing device communicably coupled with the crafting apparatus. The plurality of tools may include at least one tool selected from a cutting tool, a drawing tool, a colouring tool, a peeling tool and any other such tools that inay be required by a user for the craft activity. In an embodiment, the tools may be any or a. combination of a blade, a pen, a marking tool, a highlighting tool, a colouring/decorating tool, an eraser" a pencil, a brush, a peeling tool, a weeding tool, a tube, a spraying tool, a hole forming tool, an adhesive tube, and other such took that may be used in a craft activity. Each tool may be used for different actions and/or a same action but different sub--actions. For example, in an embodiment, a blade may be engaged to cut the desired portion and a weeding tool may be engaged to peel off the edges of the selected cut-outs for easy removal. Various such combinations may be used to minimize or reduce human involvement. The automated crafting apparatus may also be coupled to one or more accessories to support an action performed by a tool. For example, the accessory may enable the turret component or any other components to house multiple pens with multiple colour cartridges for automatic coloured creative operations. It may be appreciated that the tools and/or accessories may not be limited by the mentioned list and various other tools and/or accessories may be used within the scope of the present disclosure 100351 an embodiment, the plurality of tools may be mounted on the turret component at a pre-determined angle based on an operation. In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of tools may be mounted at an angle in a range of 0 to 90 degrees and in one example at an angle in the range of 40 degrees to 50 degrees. For example, a tool such as a brush mounted at 45 degree angle along the z axis movement may allow for fluid brush lettering strokes. Various other range/value of mounting angles are possible within the scope of the present disclosure to achieve a desired effect in an action. The automated crafting apparatus may include a housing that may accommodate one or more components of the apparatus. The housing may be single or independent for components. In an embodiment, the housing may be partially open or enclosed.

[00361 The automated crafting apparatus may further include one or more actuating components. In an embodiment, the actuating component may include any or a combination of one or more actuators, one or more moving parts, one or more locking components and one or more stationary parts. The one or more actuators may be operatively coupled to the one or more moving parts and the turret component to enable an operation involved in the craft activity. In an embodiment, the actuating component may facilitate the operation associated with an automated selection and/or deployment of the desired tool from the plurality of tools without any manual intervention. In another embodiment, the actuating component may also facilitate automated rotation of a selected or a deployed tool around its axis of rotation. In vet another embodiment, the actuating component may also facilitate the automated movement of a tool along one or more pre-defined direction. In yet another embodiment, the actuating component ma.y also facilitate automated lifting and placement of a tool in a single action or between multiple actions of a craft activity. It may be appreciated that the crafting apparatus of the present disclosure may be able to perform several other such automated operations within the scope of the present disclosure. In another embodiment, the selection of the tool can be manual or semi-automated wherein a user may be able to rotate a disc of the turret component in the first one and push the tool in the second one to engage or disengage the tools.

100371 In an embodiment, the automated crafting apparatus may enable the turret component to hold a selected tool or a deployed tool in such a manner that the tool may contact the material (or workpiece) at a definite angle to perform the desired action associated with the craft activity. In an embodiment, the turret component may include a rotatable member that may be configured to interact with the a.ctuating component to turn, the turret component in a clockwise or an anticlockwise direction to allow a change of a tool or deployment of the desired tool from the plurality of tools mounted thereon. Thus, the apparatus allows automatic engaging and disengaging of the tools for an operation as needed without manual intervention by a user, which may save time and efforts of a user. The apparatus of the present disclosure may also allow performing multiple sequential actions associated with the craft activity in a desired manner such as; for example, cutting and peeling followed by cutting. In an embodiment; the apparatus may include separate actuating means (e.g. actuators) to enable individual operationshnovement of the tool along multiple pre-defined axes in a single action or multiple actions of a craft activity. In an embodiment, one OF more components may move/operate in conjunction to facilitate a desired action/operation pertaining to the craft activity. In another embodiment, all components of the apparatus may move/operate in conjunction to facilitate a desired action/operation pertaining to the craft activity.

[0038] The automated crafting apparatus may be operatively coupled with a computing device of a user. In an embodiment, the automated crafting apparatus may receive an input from the computing device, wherein the input may pertain to one or more attributes of the craft activity. The automated crafting apparatus may be coupled with the computing device by wired or wireless connection. in an exemplary embodiment, a user may select a craft activity for generating an intermediate artwork or a final artwork product. The selection of a craft activity may require a series of actions or sub-actions, for example, marking an area, cutting the area, peeling off a boundary outside the area, colouring/decorating the area and so on. Each of these actions/sub-actions may require any or a combination of multiple tools for different actions or the same tool of varying sub-types for sub-actions. For example, the action may be a cutting action that may require blades of different types to achieve different cut-outs (sub-action), or the actions may be separate such as a blade and a pen for cutting and colouring actions respectively. Depending on the series of action required for the craft activity, the apparatus may perfl)rin the action based on the instructions received from the computing device and by referring to pre-stored parameters corresponding to the action. In an embodiment, for a turret component with the attached tools, the apparatus may enable automated changing of tools and/or performing a series of actions without any manual intervention. In an embodiment, the apparatus enables a motion of the tool alongside all possible directions/axes. In another embodiment, the apparatus may enable movement of the material (such as paper) in a predefined direction along an axis, for example, y-axis, and the movement of turret or tool along the remaining axis (pre-defined axis) such as x-axis and z-axis. Various other possible movements/motion of the tools and/or materials are possible within the scope of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, if a turret component includes all necessaix,-tools for a series of actions:, then the apparatus may automatically perform the series of actions without manual intervention. In another embodiment, a. part of the turret may include a detachable member that may be replaced by another:Inember holding a new set of tools. This allows changing a whole set of tools rather than a single tool change as done in conventional devices.

10039] FIGs. IA-1C illustrate various perspective views of an automated crafting apparatus (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG IA-IC, the automated crafting apparatus (100) may include a turret component (102) holding multiple tools at a pre-defined angle (three tools shown as 104a, I 04b, 104c, hereinafter also referred to as 104). The number of tools (104) may be not be limited to three but a plurality of tools may be held by the turret component (102) The automated crafting apparatus (100) may include a housing (106) to accommodate the various components of the apparatus (100). The turret component (102) may include a rotatable member in the form of a disc-shaped member (102a). In an embodiment, the disc-shaped member (102a) may be detachable from the turret component (102) to enable replacing the disc-shaped member (102a) with another member holding another set of multiple tools.

100401 The actuating component may include, without limitation, actuators such as, for example, motors, and moving parts may include, for example, gears, shafts, belts, movable components, cam or rotatable components and the like. Various other actuators and moving pans or components may be used within the scope of the present disclosure. In reference to FIG. I, the automated crafting apparatus (100) tray include one or more actuating components to perform one or more operations associated with the craft activity. As observed from FIGs. IA and 1B,, the actuating component of the apparatus (100) may include one or more actuators (110, 120 and 130). The actuating component of the apparatus may also include moving parts operatively coupled to the actuators such as gears (112, 112) coupled to shafts (114, 124) and moving belt (136) moving along / around ends (132, 134). In an exemplary embodiment, the actuators may be a motor. Various other actuators and/or other moving pans may be used within the scope of the present disclosure.

100411 The various parts of the actuating component may coordinate with each other and allow at least one operation, including, but not limited to selection/deployment of a tool (104), the movement of the selected tool along its own axis, movement of the selected tool (104) in an upward or downward motion and other such operations. The operation pertaining to selection/deployment of a tool (104) may be done to allow a desired tool (104) to come in contact with material during any action of a craft activity. The automated selection/deployment of the tool (104) may be perfoi rued by a first actuating component including an actuator (110).

The actuator (110) may be operatively coupled with the disc-shaped member (102a) of the tunet component (102) to allow rotation of the disc-shaped member (102a.) to enable deployment of the selected tool (104). For example, if the tool (104a) may be already in use/ill contact with a material for a specific action of craft activity and subsequent action may require the deployment of tool (104b), then the actuator (110) may enable rotation of the disc-shaped member (102a) of the turret component (102) in a clockwise or an anti-clockwise direction till the tool (104b) is deployed/ aligned over the material. In another embodiment, die selection of the tool (104) can be manual or semi-automated wherein a user may be able to rotate the disc-shaped member (102a) of the turret component (102) to facilitate selection of the tool (104). Various other such scenarios are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0042-1 The operation pertaining to the movement of a selected tool (104) along its own axis may be done to allow the selected/deployed tool (104) to move flexibly along its own axis while performing the desired action of craft activity. The movement of the selected tool (104) along its own axis may be enabled by a second actuating component including the actuator (120) and a set of gears (112) and (122) operatively coupled to corresponding shafts (114) and (124) respectively, at the centre of the gears (112, 122). The gear (112) and shaft (114) may be supported on a support member (150). The rotation of the selected tool (104) along its own axis may be enabled by the rotation of the shaft (114). The actuator (120) may enable rotation of the shaft (124) that may nigher rotate the gear (122). When the gear (122) rotates, the gear (I 1:!) that is in contact with the gear (122) also rotates and the shaft (114) is thus rotated to enable movement of the turret component (102) along multiple axes for consequent rotation of the selected/deployed tool (104) around its own axis.

[0043] The operation pertaining to automated lifting and placement of a tool in a single action or between multiple actions of a craft activity (1 ng/landing motion) may be done to allow the selected tool. (104) to moye from one area/portion of the material to another area/portion of the material to perforn the action associated with a craft activity. The automated lifting and placement of a tool (104) may be facilitated by a third actuating component including an actuator (130) (FIG. 1B) and a moving belt (136) that moves between / around two end members (132) and (134) (FIG. 1A). The actuator (130) in coordination with the moving belt (136) may be enabled to move the support member (150) in an upward and a downward direction supported by a spring (118). In an embodiment, the third actuating component may include a lead screw member comprising a positive threaded member and a negative threaded member to perform inter-translation motion to enable movement of the support member (150). In an embodiment, a spring counter may be coupled to the lead screw member to enable exertion of a pre-determined pressure on. the actuator to translate sufficient force on to the material. As observed in FIG. IC, a rear portion of the support member (150) is visible that is depicted to be in a lifted/raised position, b may be appreciated that the configuration of the actuating components, the turret component and the tools as well as the operations performed as discussed in the embodiments hereinabove are only exemplary and several other on figurations and combination of interactions between different components are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0044] FIG. 2 illustrates an automated crafting apparatus (200) including an additional gear (240) and a coupled shaft (242), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the configuration of the apparatus is the same as in FIGs IA-IC, except that the additional gear (240) and the coupled shaft (242) are also provided to facilitate better stability to the apparatus during operation/action. To support the inclusion of the additional gear (240) in the apparatus, the moving parts of the second actuating component (of FIG. IA) may also be modified to include a gear (222) with a relatively broader shaft (224) that may be actuated by an actuator (220) (which may be similar to the actuator (120) of FIG. 1A). The actuator (220) may enable movement of the shaft (224) that may further rotate the gears (222, 240, 112) to pass on the rotation motion to the shaft (114). The broader nature of the shaft (224) may be necessary to perform effective actuation. It may be further possible within the scope of the present disclosure to include one or more moving parts and/or actuators to the actuating components for enhancing performance, stability and other such characteristics of the apparatus.

00451 FIG. 3 illustrates an automated crafting apparatus (300) including a different configuration of gears/shafts in comparison to the apparatus (100) of FIG. IA, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the configuration of the apparatus is the same as in FIGs 1A-1C, except that the moving parts (gears 112, 122 and shafts 122, 124) of the second actuating component in FIGs. IA-IC are replaced by a different configuration of the moving parts. The different configuration includes a gear (312), a shaft (314) and a rolling component (318) supported on a horizontal shaft (316). The actuation may be performed by an actuator (320) through the horizontal shaft (316). This in turn may enable rolling action of the rolling component (318) that co-ordinates with the gear (312) to rotate the gear (312), wherein the rotational motion is passed on to the shaft (314) for performing the desired operation related to the movement of the turret component (102) and/or rotation of the tools around its own axis. The configuration of this embodiment is provided to display the possible versatility of implementing various actuating techniques to achieve the same effect. It may be appreciated that several other configurations are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0046] EEGs. 4A and 4B illustrates an exemplary automated crafting apparatus 400), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4A, the apparatus may include a turret component (402) and multiple blades (404a, 404b, 404c) (hereinafter also referred to as 404). The number of tools (404) may be not be limited to three but a plurality of tools (404) may be held by the turret component (402). The automated crafting apparatus (400) may include a housing (406) to accommodate various components of the apparatus (400). The turret component (402) may include a rotatable member in the form of a cylindrical-shaped member (402a) that may be detachable. The automated crafting apparatus (400) may include a movable component (460) that may be able to move along a vertical direction to perform any of an upward motion and a downward motion. The apparatus (400) may include one or more actuating components to perform one or more operations involved in the craft activity.

100471 FIG. 413 illustrates inner components of the automated crafting apparatus (400) of FIG. 4, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As observed in FIG. 4B, the automated crafting apparatus (400) may include an actuating component including a set of actuators (410) and (420) and a set of gears (412) and (422) coupled to corresponding shafts (414) and (424) respectively at a central portion of the gears (412, 422). The movable component (460) may have a protruding portion (460a). The protruding portion (460a) may be coupled to the shaft (414) at a portion (432). The movable component (460) may be actuated by the actuator (420) to enable the motion of the movable component (460) along a vertical direction" supported by a spring (426) and other supporting parts that may be used (not shown in the figure). The upward and the downward motion of the movable component (460) may also enable the movement of the shaft (414) along a vertical direction (with respect to the ground). The shaft (414) may also be concentrically coupled to a cam/rotatable component (452) and a plate (456). The shaft (414) may be configured to be in any one of an engaged mode and a disengaged mode with the cam (452) to enable performing one or more operations such as selection/deploying, a particular tool (404), rotation of the tool (404) along its own axis and other such operations. Various other modes and operations are also possible within the scope of the present disclosure 10048-1 The disengaged mode of the shaft (414) may occur when t le protruding portion (460a) (or the movable component (460)) may he in a lowered state/position (achievable upon automated downward motion of the movable component (460)). in a lowered position, the gear (454) may move downwards and may disengage the coupling of the cam (452) with the shaft (414) that enables to the maintenance of the disengaged state of operation. In such a disengaged state, the rotation of the shaft (414) may cause rotation of the tools (404). The engaged mode of the shaft (414) may occur when the protruding portion (460a) (and the movable component 460) may be in a raised state position (achievable after automated lifting/upward motion of movable component (460) by actuator (420)). In the raised position, the cant (452) may be engaged with the shaft (414) through a gear (454) (partially visible in FIG. 4B) that enables to maintain the engaged state of operation. In the engaged state, the cam (452) may be freely rotatable to enable the deployment of the desired tool (104) by lowering the desired tool (404) connected to the turret (402) In an embodiment; each tool (404) may be operatively coupled to the turret component (402) by independent members such as head members ((458) for tool (404a), (462) for tool (404c) and so on), deployment gears (such as (472) for (404a) and (464) for (404c) and so on) and other components within the turret (not shown in the figure). As per the instant embodiment, the deployment of a selected tool may be facilitated by spring action. For example, it' the tool (404) may need to deployed then in the engaged state, the cam (452) may be rotated automatically till the extending portion of the cant (452a) may push a head member (such as (458) shown in FIG. 4B) connected to the tool (404a) downwards to lower the position of the tool (404a) relatively than the other tools (404b, 404c). The deployed tool in the lowered position may make the tool (depicted in FIG. 4B as 404a) available for the craft activity. In an embodiment, the selection or the deployment of a selected tool (404) may be supported by spring action such that upon the deployment of a selected tool (404)" the previously deployed tool (404) may automatically return to a raised position. Various other operations and mechanisms may be possible within the scope of the present disclosure. In another embodiment, the selection of the tool can be manual or semi--automated wherein a user may manually push the tool to deploy a selected tool.

100491 EEGs. 5A-513 illustrate an exemplary perspective view of an overall automated crafting, machine or apparatus (500) including the automated crafting apparatus (100) of FIG. IA-IC inside a housing (502), and the material (504) on which the crafting actions are to be performed. in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the automated crafting apparatus (100) including the turret component holding the plurality of tools may be movably configured inside a housing (502) to form the overall crafting apparatus (500). The housing (502) may enclose the automated crafting apparatus (100) and allow for the positioning of the material (504) under the apparatus (100) for performing one or more actions pertaining to a crafting activity on the material (504). In an embodiment; the overall apparatus (500) may include a shaft (506) and a rotatable shaft (508), each extending between two ends of the housing (502), wherein the rotatable shaft (508) may be configured in parallel with and below the shaft (506). The automated crafting apparatus (100) may be movably configured over the shaft (506), and may move along a first horizontal axis (A) between the two ends of the shaft (506) or the housing (502). The automated crafting apparatus (100) and the corresponding tools may be movably configured over the shat (506) by a first driving mechanism (not shown) comprising any or a combination of a motor, gear, belt, but not limited to the likes. Further, the tools may be configured to vertically move along a vertical axis (B) perpendicular to the first horizontal axis (A), in an upward and a downward direction with respect to the material (504)" using the arrangement as already illustrated in FIG. IA-1C. In an exemplary embodiment, the first horizontal axis (A) may be the x-axis, and the vertical axis (B) may be the z-axis. The first horizontal axis (A) and the vertical axis (B) may be collectively designated as the pre-defined axis.

10050] In an embodiment, the rotatable shaft (508) may be configured with one or more rings (510) to enable the movement of the material (504) in a predefined direction with respect to the tools. along a second horizontal axis (C) (for example y-axis) perpendicular to the predefined axis (A, B) (x-axis, z-axis), The shaft (508) may be rotatably configured using a second driving mechanism (not Shown) comprising any or a combination of a motor, gear, belt, but not limited to the likes. Upon rotation of the shaft (508) in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, the rings (510) may enable movement of the material (504) along the second horizontal axis (C). Further, the turret component (102) of the apparatus (102) may rotate along a first direction (E) to select or deploy the tool, and the deployed tool may independently rotate along a second direction (D) about its axis as illustrated in FIG. 513. The rotation and movement of the deployed tool along the direction (D) and axes (A and B), respectively, over the material (504), and the movement of the material (504) along the axis (C) with respect to the deployed tool, may allow controlled and precise application of the one or more crafting actions on the material (504).

100511 In an embodiment, the housing (502) may include a door or opening to allow placement of the material (504) to be crafted under the tool of the automated crafting apparatus (100) The dimensions of the housing (502) and the corresponding door or opening of the overall automated crafting apparatus (500) may be based on the dimensions of the material (504) to be crafted. The door may be movably configured to move between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, the overall automated crafting apparatus (500) may allow positioning of the material (504) under the tool for performing the crafting actions. In the closed position, the housing (502) may protect the components of the automated crafting apparatus (100) from the outside environment.

[0052] It is to be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that while various embodiments, working, and drawings pertaining to the overall apparatus (500) of FIG. 5A and 5B of the present disclosure have been elaborated by disclosing that the crafting apparatus (100) of FIG. IA-1C is inside the housing (502), however., the overall apparatus (500) may also include the crafting apparatus (200, 300 or 400) being configured inside the housing (502), and may also enable the application of one or more crafting actions on the material (504), and all such embodiments are well within the scope of the present invention, without any limitations.

[0053] In an embodiment, the automated crafting apparatus may primarily be used for cutting operations, while enabling additional features. In another embodiment, the automated crafting apparatus may be used for perfottning a combination of operations within the scope of the present disclosure. in another embodiment, the apparatus of the present disclosure may also be connectable to additional machines or devices, such as, for example, computers, printers, crafting machines and other such devices, for co-operatively performing one or more operations in union with the devices. The automated crafting apparatus and the corresponding components, configuration and/or operations as described in the above embodiments are only exemplary and various embodiments are possible within the scope of the present disclosure. The automated crafting apparatus as described in the present disclosure may lead to multiple advantages. Some of these advantages may be recited as provision of multiple tools and/or accessories provided on a turret for performing wide range of craft activities" automated engaging and disengaging of the tools for an operation/action without any manual intervention, provision of tools that may be capable of rotation on their own axis; movement of turret, ability to mount tool at desired angle to perform varied actions for enabling greater freedom of creativity, varied nature of tools for automating actions such as peeling off cut-outs, housing multiple colour tools with multi colour cartridges for automatic multicolour creative operations and improved capability of supporting/generating creative artwork. Several other advantages may be derived from the proposed invention of the present disclosure.

100541 While embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention; a,s described in the claim_ [0055] in the fcregoing description; numerous details are set forth. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, welt-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, to avoid obscuring the present invention.

100561 As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwtsx the term "coupled to" is intended to include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements). Therefore, the terms "coupled to" and "coupled with" are used synonymously. Within the context of this document terms "coupled to" and "coupled with are also used euphemistically to mean "communicatively coupled with" over a network, where two or more devices are able to exchange data with each other over the network, possibly via one or more intermediary device 100571 It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps tha.t are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C.... and N, the text Should be interpreted as requiring only one element front the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc. 100581 While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art. I/

Claims

1. An automated crafting apparatus comprising: a turret component coupled to a plurality of tools; said plurality of tools for performing one or more actions on a material pertaining to a craft activity, each tool of the plurality of tools being mounted in a slot provided on the turret component, and an actuating component operatively coupled with at least one of the turret component, and each of the plurality of tools, said actuating component configured to perform an actuation operation selected from at least one of a rotation of the turret component, a selection or deployment of a. tool among the plurality of tools for performing an action of the one or more actions, an independent rotation of each of the deployed tool from each other, a movement of the turret component along a pre-defined axis along the material, an automated selection or deployment of the tool; an automated movement of the tool in any of an. upward direction and a downward direction with respect to the material, and a movement of the material along a predefined direction with respect to the deployed tool.

2 The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the Wrathy of tool is mounted at a pre-defined angle in the slot of the rotatable member, and wherein the pre-defined angle is in the range of 40 degrees to 50 degrees 3 The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim I, wherein die plurality of tools comprise any or a. combination of a blade, a. pen, a marking tool, a highlighting tool, a. colouring tool, a decorating tool, an eraser, a pencil, a brush, a peeling tool, a weeding tool, an additive tool, a spraying tool, a hole forming tool, a stationery item, alaserhead, a 3-dimensional printing nozzle, a milling head and an adhesion tool.4 The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim t wherein the actuating component comprises any or a combination of an actuator, one or more moving parts, one or more locking components, and one or more stationary parts.The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the actuator is any or a combination of a mechanical actuator, an electrical actuator, a pneumatic actuator, an electromechanical actuator and a hydraulic actuator, 6. The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the actuator includes a motor.7. The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the one or more moving parts comprise at least one of a gear, a shaft, a belt, a movable component, a cam and a rotatable component.8 The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim I, wherein said actuation related to the independent rotation of each tool is performed by any of a direct contact or an indirect contact of the tool with the actuating component 9. The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim wherein: the turret component comprises a disc-shaped rotatable member, the turret component configured to move in said pre-defined axis; and said actuating component comprising a first actuating component, a second actuating component and a third actuating component, the first actuating component comprises a first actuator operatively coupled with the rotatable member and the turret component to perform said any or a combination of a circular rotation of the rotatable member, and an elliptical rotation of the rotatable member for said consequent automated selection of the tool, the second actuating component is operatively coupled with the turret component, wherein the second actuating component facilitates said movement of the turret component, wherein said second actuating component enables rotation of the deployed tool around its own axis, and the third actuating component is operatively coupled with a. support member of the turret component and configured to perform said actuation operation associated with at least one of said movement of the turret component along the pre-defined axis and said automated lifting of the tool, the thin actuating component comprising a third actuator operatively coupled with a belt, which upon actuation, moves between two fixed ends to facilitate movement of the support member in any of an upward direction and a downward direction, wherein the third actuating component comprise a lead screw member comprising a positive threaded member and a negative threaded member to perform inter-translation motion to enable movement of the support member, wherein a spring counter is coupled to the lead screw member to enable exertion of a pre-defined pressure on the actuator to translate sufficient force on to the material.10. The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the rotatable member is cylindrical or disc-shaped, wherein the rotatable member is detachable from the turret component such that upon detachment, the plurality of tools are also detached from the turret component.11 The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second actuating component comprises a second actuator operatively coupled with a first shaft, wherein the first shaft is coupled with a first gear and is capable of translating a rotational motion to the first gear upon actuation by the second actuator, wherein the first gear translates the rotational motion to a second gear and a second shaft coupled to the second gear such that the rotational motion of the second shaft facilitates said movement ofthe turret component.12. The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second actuating component comprises a third gear coupled between the first gear and the second gear to facilitate better stability to the apparatus.13 The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second actuating component comprises a third actuator that actuates a. rolling motion of a horizontal rolling component that is operatively coupled with the third actuator and is concentrically supported on a horizontal shaft, wherein the rolling motion, is translated to a third clear and a corresponding third shaft coupled thereto for facilitating the movement of the turret component.1 rot:rimed crafling apparatus as claimed in claim la Wherein the apparatus comprises a movable component including a protruding portion capable of a vertical movement along a vertical axis, the rotatable member of the turret component is a cylindrical member holding said plurality of tools, the cylindrical member is horizontally positioned such that a circular face of the cylindrical member lies perpendicular to a vertical axis, the cylinchical member rotates along said vertical axis of the turret component, upon actuation; the apparatus comprises a fourth actuating component comprising a fourth actuator and a set of gears coupled to respective shafts to perform said independent rotation of each tool; and the apparatus comprises a fifth actuating component comprising a fifth actuator to enable the movable component to perform said vertical movement selected from an upward motion and a downward motion.The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the protruding portion is coupled to a fifth shaft from the respective shafts., said vertical movement of the movable component enables a vertical movement of the fifth shaft, the fifth shaft being operatively coupled to the turret component and one or more deployment gears connected to each tool, and wherein the fifth shaft is concentrically coupled to a cam to mechanically operate in any of an engaged mode and a disengaged mode to facilitate performing said at least one actuation operation selected from the automated selection of the tool, the deployment of the tool and the independent rotation of the tool along its own axis.16, The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein if the fifth actuator enables upward motion of the movable component; the fifth shaft moves to a raised state and operates in said engaged mode, wherein, in the raised state, the cam engages with the fifth shaft through a locking gear to lock the engaged mode and wherein in the engaged mode, the cam is rotated automatically till an extending portion of the cam aligns with a hemispherical head member of the deployment gear associated with a selected tool such that the cam pushes the head member downwards to lower the position of the selected tool for deploying the selected tool.17_ The automated crafting apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein if the fifth actuator enables downward motion of the movable component, the fifth shaft moves to a lowered state and operates in said disengaged mode, wherein in the e, the cam disengages with he shaft by disengaging with the locking gear to maintain the disengaged mode, and wherein the disengaged mode, the fourth actuator facilitates a rotational motion of a gear connected to the fifth shaft for translating the rotational motion to the fifth shaft to cause said independent rotation of the tool connected thereto, and wherein the rotation of the fifth shaft translates the rotational motion to said the respective deployment gears connected to the tool to enable the said independent rotation of the tool.I S. An automated crafting apparatus co a turret component comprising a disc-shaped rotatable member, the turret component configured to move in. a pm-defined direction; a plurality of tools for performing one or more actions on a material pertaining to a craft activity, each tool of the plurality of tools being mounted in a slot provided on the rotatable member such that a circular rotation of the rotatable member facilitates a coupled movement of the mounted tools, wherein said coupled movement facilitates automated selection or deployment of a tool for performing an action of the one or more actions; and an actuating component comprising a first actuating component. a second actuating component, and a third actuating component, the first actuating component comprises a first actuator operatively coupled with the rotatable member, and the turret component to perform any or a combination of the circular rotation of the rotatable member, an elliptical rotation of the rotatable member, and said movement of the turret component for said consequent automated selection of the tool, the second actuating component is operatively coupled with the turret component, wherein the second actuating component facilitates said movement of the turret component, wherein said second actuating component enables rotation of the deployed tool around its own axis, and the third actuating component is operatively coupled with a support member of the turret component and configured to perform said actuation operation associated with at least one of said movement of the turret component along the pre-defined axis and said automated lifting of the tool, the third actuating component comprising a third actuator operatively coupled with a belt, which upon actuation, moves between two fixed ends to facilitate movement of the support member in any of an upward direction and a downward direction, wherein the third actuating component comprise a lead screw member comprising a positive threaded member and a negative threaded member to perform inter-translation motion to enable movement of the support member, wherein a spring counter is coupled to the lead screw member to enable exertion of a pre-defined pressure on the actuator to translate sufficient force on to the material.19. An automated crafting apparatus comprising: a movable component including a protruding portion capable of a vertical movement along a vertical axis, a turret component comprising a eylindncal member holding a plurality of tools, the cylindrical member is horizontally positioned such that a circular face of the cylindrical member lies perpendicular to a vertical axis, the cylindrical member rotates along said vertical axis of the turret component, upon actuation; said plurality of tools for performing one or more actions on a material pertaining to a craft activity, each tool of the plurality of tools being mounted in a slot provided on the cylindrical member; and an actuating component operatively coupled with at least one of the turret component" and each of the plurality of tools, wherein the apparatus comprises a fourth actuating component comprising a fourth actuator and a set of gears coupled to respective shafts to perform said independent rotation of each of the plurality of tools from each other; and the apparatus comprises a fifth actuating component comprising a fifth actuator to enable the movable component to perform said vertical movement selected from an upward motion and a downward motion, wherein the protruding portion is coupled to a fifth shaft from the respective shafts, said vertical movement of the movable component enables a vertical movement of the fifth shaft, the fifth shaft being operatively coupled to the turret component and one or more deployment gears connected to each tool, and wherein the fifth shaft is concentrically coupled to a cam to mechanically operate in any of an engaged mode, and a disengaged mode to facilitate performing said at least one actuation operation selected front the automated selection of the tool, the deployment of the tool, and the independent rotation of each of the plurality of tools along its own axis.wherein if the fifth actuator enables upward motion of the movable component, the fifth shaft moves to a raised state and operates in said engaged mode, wherein in the raised state, the cam engages with the fifth shaft through a locking gear to lock the engaged mode, wherein in the engaged mode, the cam is rotated automatically till a.n extending portion of the cam aligns with a hemispherical head member of the deployment gear associated with a selected tool such that the ca.m pushes the head member downwards to lower the position of the selected tool for deploying the selected tool.wherein if the fifth actuator enables downward motion of the movable component, the fifth shaft moves to a lowered state and operates in said disengaged mode, wherein in the lowered state, the cam disengages with the shaft by di sengaging with the locking gear to maintain the disengaged mode, and wherein the disengaged mode, the fourth actuator facilitates a rotational motion of a gear connected to the fifth shall for translating the rotational motion to the fifth shaft to cause said independent rotation of the tool connected thereto, and wherein the rotation of the fifth shaft translates the rotational motion to said the respective deployment gears connected to the tool to enable the said independent rotation of the tool.