Cutting – Means to drive or to guide tool – With simple oscillating motion only
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-31
2002-02-05
Peterson, Kenneth E. (Department: 3724)
Cutting
Means to drive or to guide tool
With simple oscillating motion only
C083S602000, C083S695000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06343533
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cutter, a method of making a cutter and an apparatus for shaping and cutting the end of tape.
2. Description of the Related Art
For such a purpose of simplifying the operations of applying sheet-like members, a laminated sheet has recently been used in various applications. The laminated sheet includes a self-adhesive sheet which comprises base sheet, a pressure-sensitive adhesive applied onto the base sheet and a release paper disposed on the adhesive.
We have attempted to develop an electronic information processor known as a tape printing apparatus as shown in
FIG. 1. A
sheet having the aforementioned structure is severed into tape having a width of 5 mm to 40 mm. The tape is coiled into a roll which is in turn disposed in a tape cartridge. The tape cartridge is received in the tape printing apparatus.
The tape is delivered out by a tape delivery mechanism. The necessary letters are printed on the substrate surface of the delivered tape by an operator through a keyboard. Thereafter, the delivered tape is cut away into the necessary length.
Plan and enlarged side views of self-adhesive tape
5
with release paper used in such an apparatus are shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, respectively.
After release paper
9
has been stripped from the self-adhesive tape
5
, its base sheet
7
having a pressure-sensitive adhesive
8
is applied to a requisite place to display letters printed thereon.
Such a display is more attractive than hand written letters. Since the tape can be applied to any requisite place without application of any adhesive, an user will not be contaminated on hand and can more rapidly perform the necessary operation. For such a usefulness, the self-adhesive tape with release paper is now being used over a wide range from business use to home use.
Such a self-adhesive tape
5
as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
is linearly cut by a known cutter which is disposed adjacent to the tape delivery slit
4
of the tape printing apparatus
1
.
When the self-adhesive tape
5
is linearly cut by the cutter, the cut tape has such a rectangular contour as shown in FIG.
2
. Such a rectangular contour is not only hard but also uniform in appearance. It has been frequently desired that the cut tape has a soft appearance.
When the self-adhesive tape is cut into a rectangular configuration and is applied to a member, the rectangular tape end is likely to be separated from the member at its corners.
To avoid such a problem, one approach may effectively made that the rectangular cut end of the self-adhesive tape
5
is chamfered or rounded as shown in FIG.
4
.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-22654 discloses a cutter which has a shape formed into the configuration of tape end to be cut, the cutter being pressed against the tape to cut the tape end into a desired configuration.
In such a structure, however, it is difficult to cut a part of tape by utilizing a so-called shear angle like known scissors since the cutter is pressed against the tape to be cut. Moreover, since the tape end is at once cut through the whole width thereof, the pressing force must be substantially strong. Otherwise, the whole thickness of the tape end can not be cut through the whole width thereof. However, an unreasonable pressing force to the cutter is likely to raise a problem in durability.
These problems are promoted in cutting a laminated sheet such as the self-adhesive tape
5
rather than a simple sheet of paper, since the thickness of the laminated sheet is larger and the adhesive functions as a cushion.
Furthermore, many types of cutters must be provided for various widths of tape. A structure for selecting and driving one cutter will be complicated with an increased cost. It is further difficult to deal with variability in tape width. In such a case, the chamfered or rounded right- and left-hand corners in the cut tape end became unbalance, leading to an unsatisfactory appearance in the cut tape end.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to solve above problems and to provide a cutter which can efficiently cut a sheet such as self-adhesive tape with release paper with reduced load and cost in an automatic manner, a method of making such a cutter and an apparatus for shaping and cutting the end of tape.
To this end, the present invention provides a cutter comprising:
a stationary cutting blade having at least one stationary cutting edge;
a movable cutting blade having at least one movable cutting edge which moves along a locus including a position opposed to the stationary cutting edge; and
a pair of connecting means for connecting the stationary cutting blade with the movable cutting blade, the pair of connecting means having flexible means for flexibly supporting the movable cutting blade relative to the stationary cutting blade;
wherein a closed loop is formed by the stationary and movable cutting blades and the pair of connecting means.
Since a member to be cut is cut by the stationary and movable cutting blades connected through a pair of connecting means in a closed loop according to the present invention, a cutting stress can be counteracted by the resistance force of the closed loop. Thus, the cutter can be of a simplified structure with an increased rigidity.
Since the stationary and movable cutting blades are formed by the flat sheet members, the cutter can be more inexpensively manufactured.
Since the stationary and movable cutting edges are located opposed to each other on the plane, the cutter can be reduced in thickness and more compactly formed.
Since the member to be cut is sandwiched and cut between the stationary and movable cutting edges located opposed to each other on the plane, the cutting can be more efficiently made with a reduced load than the case where the cutter is pressed against the tape. Furthermore, means for driving the movable cutting blade may be lower in output and smaller in size. The cutter can be more compactly and inexpensively produced.
It is preferable that the stationary cutting blade includes a base portion to be fixed to an apparatus body and a free end portion having the stationary cutting edge. Moreover, it is also preferable that the pair of connecting means extend in a direction perpendicular to a cross direction of the base portion of the stationary cutting blade.
Thus, the connecting means can be disposed parallel to the direction of a tensile stress acting on the pair of connecting means due to the cutting resistance force to improve the cutter strength.
It is preferable that the pair of connecting means have tensile strength which counteracts tensile stress which acts on the pair of connecting means on cutting operation. It is further preferable that the stationary cutting blade has buckling strength which counteracts buckling stress which acts on the stationary cutting blade on cutting operation.
Since the pair of connecting means can counteract the cutting resistance force through the tensile strength when the member to be cut is cut, the strength can be sufficient even if the flexible means formed on the pair of connecting means is flexible. As a result, the cutting can be efficiently made with a reduced load. The drive means can be reduced in output and size. Thus, the cutter can be produced with reduced cost and compactness. Although the stationary cutting blade can counteract the cutting resistance force with the buckling strength, the stationary cutting blade will not be deformed.
It is further preferable that the flexible means has a swing center on the side of the stationary cutting blade, rather than a cutting position between the stationary cutting edge and the movable cutting edge.
Thus, a swing locus of the movable cutting edge is positioned most remote from the central point in the direction of thickness of the movable cutting edge. Therefore, the movable cutting edge will not hit into the stationary cutting edge when the movable cutting edge swings. This avoids such a malfunction as being provided by an
Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.
Peterson Kenneth E.
Seiko Epson Corporation
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