US2637395A

US2637395A - Rotary cutter with variable spacing means

Info

Publication number: US2637395A
Application number: US116345A
Authority: US
Inventors: Muller Otto
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-09-17
Filing date: 1949-09-17
Publication date: 1953-05-05
Anticipated expiration: 1970-05-05

Description

y 1953 o. MULLER 2,637,395

ROTARY CUTTER WITH VARIABLE SPACING MEANS Filed Sept. 17-, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. OTT O MULLER AT TORNEY y 1953 o. MULLER 2,637,395

ROTARY CUTTER WITH VARIABLE SPACING MEANS Filed Sept. 17, 1949 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. OTTO MULLER ATTORNEY y 1953 o. MULLER 2,637,395

ROTARY CUTTER WITH VARIABLE SPACING MEANS Filed Sept. 17, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN OTTO MULL.

ATTORNEY Patented May 5, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROTARY CUTTER WITH VARIABLE SPAGIN'G MEANS 4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to rotary cutters with variable spacing means for slitting cloth materials and has particular reference to the provision of a device of this nature which is simple and durable in construction and extremely positive efficient in function.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide simple, adjustable means for slitting cloth materials whereby groups of strips of different desired widths may be simultaneously formed.

Another object is to provide a device of the above nature whereby the material to be slit will be guided and controlled in. its path of movement during the slitting operation.

Another object is to provide a device of the above character with for yieldingly holding the slitting means in engagement with the means over which the material is guided during the slitting operation.

Another object is to provide a plurality of cutting members, and a plurality of spacing members of different controlled widths selectively movable in groups into cooperative relation with the cutting members whereby the spaced relation of. said members may be varied according to the width ofv strips desired. 7

Another object is to provide a device of the above nature wherein groups of slitting means of different desired characteristics may be selectively used, with one group of said slitting means embodying the use of conventional safety razor blades.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and it will be apparent that many changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction and arrangement of parts shown and described as the preferred forms only have been given only by way of illustration.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of said device;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of said device;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating the, function of the cutter spacing means;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken as on. line 5.-5 of Fig. 3;

- tion of movement of the cloth i3.

Fig. 6- is a fragmentary side elevational view of a modified form of the invention; and I Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken a on line l''i of Fig. 6.

The invention is directed particularly to the provision of a device for slitting cloth material to form strips of said material for use in the fabrication of hook rugs and the like and is directed particularly to the provision of means for slitting said material simultaneously into a plurality of strips of controlled widths. in a simple, efficient and positive manner.

Referring to the drawings wherein like charactors of reference designate like parts throughout the several views, the device embodying the invention, as shown in Figures 1 through 5, comprises a base 8 having an upright 9 adjacent the rear end thereof to which a head iii is pivotally connected by a pivot bolt 01' the like i i.

The base 8 has cloth spreading means !2 thereon over which the cloth it to be slitted is drawn. The spreading means it has a plurality of grooves Hi formed in the effective surface thereof and in divergent relation with each other in the direc- This causes the cloth tospread prior to its reaching the slitting means 15.

The slitting means [5, in this instance, comprises a plurality of roll type cutters mounted on a shaft 15 carried by the bifurcated portions ll of the head H].

The cutter members it are in the form of discs having sharp cutting edges iii. The discs are slidably keyed to the shaft if; by a key l9 which fits within a longitudinal slot 2! formed in the shaft and which causes the cutters to rotate as a single unit when the shaft is rotated. The keying of the cutter members to the shaft It permits the cutters to be moved longitudinally of the shaft whereby they may be positioned in different spaced relations with each other. This is accomplished by moving one of a plurality of different groups of. spacer members 2 I of different given thicknesses between the respective cutters IS. The cutters E5 are mounted on the shaft it between bearing

members

22 and 23 having ball races therein for permitting free rotary movement of said cutters. The bearing 22' is free to slide on the shaft i6 and is urged by the coil spring 24 toward the cutters. The coil spring 24, functioning cooperatively with the bearing 22, resiliently retains the cutter members it in intimate side surface engagement" with the respective 5d s acer members 2 I and thereby supports the cutters in controlled spaced relation with each other while permitting free rotary movement thereof.

The spacer members 2| are formed in three groups of different widths, see Fig. 1, and are slidably keyed to a shaft 25 by key members 26 fitting within a longitudinal slot 2'! formed in the shaft. The shaft is rotatably carried by a bifurcated arm 28 and thereby permits the different groups of spacer members to be rotated into position of use.

The arm 28 is pivotally connected at 29 to the head l and is adapted to be raised to disassociate one group of spacer members from the cutters and to permit another selected group to be moved into operative relation therewith. The ends of the spacer members are each provided with a semi-circular recess 30 of a size to closely fit over the shaft U8. The ends of said spacer members are further provided with bevelled edges 3| so as to introduce a wedging action when moved downwardly into engagement with the cutters to cause said cutters to spread and receive the spacer members therebetween under the yielding action of the coil spring 24. This allows any selected group of spacer members to be used according to the width of strips to be cut.

The arm 28 is provided with a projection 32 adapted to engage a blade spring 33 which, when the arm is raised to a position such as shown in Fig. 5, will hold said arm in said position and when the arm is moved downwardly to position the spacer members 2| between the cutters will resiliently retain said spacer members in said latter position. This results from moving the projection 32 from one side to the other of a vertical line intersecting the center of the shaft 29. The blade spring 33 is attached to the head it by screws or the like 3 3.

The head iElis provided with a handle 35 whereby it may be manually raised or lowered with respect to the base 8 about its pivot l i.

The cutters I are adapted to be moved downwardly into engagement with a roller or drum 3'6 keyed to a shaft 31. The shaft 3'! is rotatably supported in bearings 38 formed in the base 8 and is adapted to be rotated by a crank 33. The roller or drum 35 may be made of any desired soft metal, plastic, fibre or other suitable material and is adapted to draw the material [3 to be slit beneath the cutters while the said cutters are resiliently held in engagement with the roller or drum. This is brought about through the provision of a member 50 pivotally connected at 4| to the base 8 and having a latch 32 carried thereby. The latch is adapted to engage a shelf #3 formed on the side of the handle 35 and has a portion M fitting the telescoped relation with the member 4i} and constantly urged in a direction inwardly of said member 40 by a coil spring 45. The coil spring engages a pin 36 carried by the portion 44 and which lies within a longitudinal slot 4'! formed in the side of the member 40.

The latch :32 is provided with a finger grip 38 which may be engaged by the operator to engage or disengage the latch and shelf.

In operation, the device functions substantially as follows:

The base 3 is first clamped to a table top or the like by a clamp member 49, as shown best in Fig. 5.

The desired group of spacer members 2| is then moved downwardly to a position between the respective cutters [5 to retain said cutters in desired spaced relation with each other under the compressing action of the coil spring 24.

The handle 35 is then gripped by the operator and moved to a raised position.

The cloth material 13 to be slitted is placed on the top of the base 8 in overlying relation with the cloth spreading means l2 and roller or drum 38, see Fig. 1.

The cutters l5 are then moved downwardly into engagement with the cloth material and with the roller or drum 36 and are resiliently held in engagement with said drum by lifting the latch member 42 into overlying relation with the shelf 43 against the action of the coil spring 45.

The slitting is accomplished by rotating the roller or drum 36 by turning the handle 39. This causes the material to be advanced between the cutters and the roller or drum and to be simultaneously slit by the sharp edges l8 of said cutters which penetrate the material during said advancing movement. This causes a plurality of strips of controlled width to be simultaneously formed, with the width of strips controlled according to the thickness of the spacer members 2] selected.

To aid in controlling the path of movement of the cloth relative to the roller or drum, the head i0 is provided with a guide bar or roller 49a which engages the top of the cloth as it is drawn over the drum.

In Figures 6 and '7, there is illustrated a slight modification of the invention wherein, instead of using a plurality of disc type cutters, a head 50 is shown having a plurality of safety razor blades 5! detachably supported thereby.

The head, similar to the head H), has an end portion, not shown, adapted to be pivotally connected at II to the base 8. The head 50 is provided with spaced bars 52 and a central bolt-like member 53 of a diameter similar to the diameter of the bars 52 and adapted to fit snugly within the spaced openings which exist in conventional safety razor blades. The razor blades 5| are supported between spacer members 54 of different controlled thicknesses simulating the spacer members 2| and may be formed of metal, fibre or plastic or any other desired material. The spacer members 54 are provided with three spaced recesses 5'5 extending inwardly of one side thereof and which are shaped to straddle the respective bars 52 and bolt-like member 53 between the blades 5!. The spacer members are of a size to extend beyond the contour edges of the blades throughout the sides and upper edges thereof to function as means for shielding the edges of the blades, as shown best in Fig. 6. v

The base 8, in this instance, is provided with a contact plate 58 of soft metal, plastic or other suitable material with which the cutting edges of the blades 5| engage.

The blades 5!, when in engagement with the plate 56, are disposed at an angle thereto, as shown in Fig. 6, and the cloth material to be slittecl is manually drawn between the angled portions of the blades and plate to cause the engaging ends of the blades to perform the slitting operation or the cloth may be engaged with a barbed roller 60 pivotally carried by a bracket 6| on the base and which may be rotated by the crank 62 to draw the cloth through the blades.

The head 50 is designed to be interchangeably used instead of the head it] on the base 8.

The head 58 is provided with a handle 51 having a shelf 58 thereon, simulating shield 43, and adapted to be engaged by the latch member 42, as described above, to resiliently-hold the blade members 5| in engagement with the plate 55.

If desired, the roller or drum 36 may be used instead of plate 56 to afford greater ease in manually drawing the cloth material through the blades 5|.

The blades and spacer members are held in clamped engaged relation with each other by a hand nut or the like 59 threadedly connected with the bolt-like member 53.

All that is required when interchanging spacer members is to loosen the hand nut 59 an amount sufficient to permit the spacer members 54 to be lifted out from between the blade members and to be replaced by a group of other spacer members of different desired thicknesses. The hand nut is again tightened an amount sufficient to clamp and hold the blades and spacer members in intimate contact with each other. The cutting edges of the blades can be shifted around as desired or the blades may be completely replaced by removing the hand nut and replacing the same after the shifting or replacing has been completed.

The operation of the latter device is similar to the first with the exception that the cloth material is initially positioned in the device so as to protrude sufficiently forwardly of the cutters so that it may be grasped and manually drawn through the cutters.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that simple, efficient and economical means have 1 been provided for accomplishing all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a base having a supporting surface thereon, cloth spreading means adjacent one end of said base and a contact member rotatably supported adjacent its opposite end and having an effective surface protruding slightly above the supporting surface of said base, said base having a pivot support adjacent the end thereof opposite the contact member, a head pivotally connected to said pivot support, said head having a plurality of disc-like cutter members mounted thereon in axial relation with each other and movable along said axis to different spaced relations with each other, a member pivotally connected to said head, said member having a plurality of different groups of spacer members of different controlled thicknesses rotatably carried thereby and selectively movable to a position intermediate said respective cutter members for controlling the spaced relation of said cutter members and means for yieldingly urging said cutter members into engagement with the contact member.

2. A device of the character described comprising abase having a supporting surface thereon, cloth spreading means on said surface adjacent one end of said base, said base having a pivot support adjacent said cloth spreading means and having an opening in the supporting surface thereof adjacent its end opposite the cloth spreading means, a cylindrical-shaped contact member rotatably connected with said base and having its effective surface extending through the opening in said base, means for rotating said cylindrical-shaped contact memher, a head pivotally connected to said pivot support, said head having a rotatable stub shaft connected thereto in overlying relation with and extending in a direction longitudinally of the cylindrical-shaped contact member and having a longitudinal slot therein, a plurality of cutter members keyed to said shaft and being adjustable with respect to each other in a direction longitudinally of said shaft, a member pivotally connected to said head having a plurality of groups of spacer members of varying thicknesses rotatably carried thereby and selectively movable into spaced relation with the respective cutters, means for yieldingly urging said cutters and said spacer members into relatively intimate side surface relation with each other for retaining said cutter members in given spaced relation, and means for yieldingly urging said cutter members into engagement with the contact member.

3. A device of the character described comprising a base having a pivot support adjacent one end thereof and a contact member rotatably supported adjacent its opposite end, ahead having a plurality of cutter members rotatably supported thereon and movable to varying spaced relation with each other, said head being pivotally connected to said pivot support, means for positioning and supporting said cutter members in given spaced relation with each other, said means comprising an arm pivotally connected to said head and having a plurality of different sized spacer members rotatably attached adjacent the free end of said arm for selective positioning between said cutter members, means for retaining said cutter members and spacer members in operable relation with each other, and means for resiliently urging said cutter members into engagement with the contact member.

4. A device of the character described comprising a base having a pivot support adjacent one end thereof and a contact member supported adjacent its opposite end, cloth spreading means on said base below the pivot support, a head having a plurality of cutter members rotatably supported thereon and movable to varying spaced relation with each other, said head being pivotally connected to said pivot support, means for retaining said cutter members in given spaced relation with each other, said means comprising an arm pivotally connected to said head and having a plurality of different sized spacer members rotatably attached adjacent the free end of said arm for selective positioning between said cutter members, means for retaining said cutter members and spacer members in operable relation with each other, and means for resiliently urging said cutter members into engagement with the contact member.

OTTO MULLER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 385,201 Remus June 26, 1888 1,695,715 Merrick Dec. 18, 1928 2,199,648 Parkhurst May '7, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,489 Great Britain Aug. 16, 1886 560,550 Great Britain Apr. 7, 1944