Cutting – Means to drive or to guide tool – With simple oscillating motion only
Reexamination Certificate
2003-06-04
2004-12-14
Choi, Stephen (Department: 3724)
Cutting
Means to drive or to guide tool
With simple oscillating motion only
C083S647500, C083S946000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06829971
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1) Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to manufacturing equipment, specifically an improved cutting fixture for heat-shrink film sleeve labeling machines.
2) Description of the Prior Art
The operating approach of conventional sleeve labeling machines involves pulling heat-shrink film past a center guide post such that after the heat-shrink film is drawn into a tubular state, it is cut to the required length, slipped over a container such as a bottle, and then heated to fix the already cut heat-shrink film onto the container.
The arrangement of the cutting fixture in such conventional heat-shrink film sleeve labeling machines, as shown in
FIG. 1
, typically consists of revolving blade mounts
2
each carrying a blade
3
and disposed at equal intervals apart in a circular star pattern surrounding the center guide post
1
, a circular groove
4
around the center guide post
1
facing towards the blades
3
, a gear (not shown in the drawings) situated on the revolving blade mount
2
, and a motor
5
driving two cogged belts
6
and
7
that are coupled to the revolving blade mount
2
via a transmissive wheel which enables the simultaneous rotation of all the revolving blade mounts
2
, while causing the blades
3
to rotate within the circular groove
4
of the revolving blade mount
2
and thereby cut the heat-shrink film sleeving. Since the cogged belt
7
drives all of the said revolving blade mounts
2
to rotate simultaneously such that a synchronized 360-degree rotation occurs prior to each instance of cutting by the blades
3
. Although such an operating approach achieves the objective of cutting the heat-shrink film sleeving, the following shortcomings happen:
1. Since the said revolving blade mount
2
and blade
3
must rotationally travel 360 degrees to perform a cut, a minimum of 180 degrees or more of travel and time are wasted because no work is done, a shortcoming which obviously hampers cutting rate and makes it impossible to increase production efficiency.
2. Since the cogged belt
7
of the said revolving blade mount
2
is a looped construct, long-term usage gives rise to elastic fatigue and results in elongation from stretching such that after a period of cutting operation, the revolving blade mount
2
and blades
3
are no longer capable of synchronized rotational cutting and fully cutting the heat-shrink film sleeving, leaving partially cut areas or slashes that impart unevenness. Although Idler wheel
8
constantly exerts pressure against the cogged belt
7
and remedies the said drawback, this is still a troublesome and inconvenient operating fault.
3. Since the blades
3
must be replaced regularly to maintain edge sharpness and smoothness, and the said revolving blade mounts
2
have to be kept capable of 360-degree free rotation, during blade
3
replacement, the operator must grasp or exert force against the cogged belts
6
and
7
with one hand and then remove and install the blade screws
9
with the other hand, a procedure that is obviously troublesome, inconvenient, and hazardous, while also adversely affecting the usable service life of the cogged belts
6
and
7
.
To improve upon the said shortcomings, manufacturers have introduced another type of cutting fixture, as indicated in
FIG. 2
,
FIG. 3
, and
FIG. 4
, consisting of a plurality of blade assemblies
20
pivotably disposed on an upper and a lower mounting frame
11
and
12
surrounding the outer periphery of the center guide post
1
; a shaft
201
in each blade assembly
20
, the bottom extremity of which is fitted though an identical bearing
202
and into a connecting socket
203
; a dial plate
204
, a mounting base
205
, a blade adjustment base
206
, a blade
207
, and a clamp plate
208
respectively positioned under the bottom portion of the connecting socket
203
; and an eccentric shaft
209
at the top extremity of each shaft
201
that is pivotably disposed facing the hole area of a drive plate
200
; additionally, a belt wheel N is installed on the shaft
201
of one blade assembly
20
that enables 360-degree driven rotation via a cogged belt P connected to an external power structure (such as a motor), the resultant coordinated operation of the eccentric shaft
209
and the drive plate
200
causing all the blades
207
to synchronously rotate 360 degrees while projecting and retracting (as shown in FIG.
4
). Such an operating approach is undeniably workable as there is a solution for the drawback of the prior art revolving blade mount
2
and blade
3
due to the elastic fatigue of the cogged belt
7
that results in a loss of synchronized cutting performance; however, what has not been improved is the shortcoming wherein the said minimum of 180 degrees of travel and time are wasted and no work is done because the said blades
207
must rotate 360 degrees to complete a single instance of projection and retraction for the cutting operation; at the same time, since the said blades
207
all freely rotate 360 degrees, replacing the blades
207
as previously stated is a troublesome, inconvenient, and unsafe procedure and, furthermore, the service life of the cogged belt P is shortened; additionally, since the bearing
202
is situated at the top end of the said connecting socket
203
and the dial plate
204
, the mounting base
205
, the blade adjustment base
206
, the blade
207
, and the clamp plate
208
are at its lower end, the overall weight is so excessive that when driven at a high rate of rotation, stability is compromised, resulting in slashes that impart an uneven quality and poor appearance in the heat-shrink film.
To further enhance the practicality and performance of the cutting fixture of the said heat-shrink film sleeve labeling machine, manufacturers introduced the cutting fixture shown in FIG.
5
and
FIG. 6
, which consists of a plurality of blade assemblies disposed in circular pattern at equal intervals apart on a mounting frame
11
; a separate, vertical first and second shaft
30
and
50
along which the said blade assemblies traverse; and an eccentric rod
32
of a different angle at the bottom extremity of the first shaft
30
in the hole of a drive plate
40
, wherein the blade assembly first shaft
30
has a drive wheel
35
that enables 360-degree driven rotation via a cogged belt P connected to an external power structure (such as a motor), causing all the first shafts
30
to synchronously rotate in the same direction.
The said first and second shaft
30
and
50
have an upper eccentric rod
31
and
51
at their respective distal extremities and, furthermore, each group of two upper eccentric rods
31
and
51
is linked by a connecting rod
60
such that the first shaft
30
, via the upper eccentric rod
31
and
51
as well as the connecting rod
60
, cause each second shaft
50
and blade
70
at the bottom end to swing to the left and right, alternately projecting and retracting for the cutting operation.
Such an operating approach is arguably better than the preceding prior art; since the blade cutting action consists of a left and right reciprocation, not the said 360-degree rotation, that results in less idle time and travel, the arrangement provides for higher efficiency; however, the aspect of inadequacy is that achieving the projecting and retracting cutting action of the blade assemblies on the said drive plate
40
requires the installation of the connecting rod
60
between the first shaft
30
and the second shaft
50
of each blade assembly as well as other components (such as bearings and bearing seats, etc); as such, the structure is obviously of greater complexity and, furthermore, fabrication and assembly as well as maintenance and repair are more difficult, inconvenient, and uneconomical; additionally, since the projecting and retracting cutting action of the blades is based on the coordinated articulation of the connecting rod
60
along with the upper eccentric rod
31
and
51
of the first and second shaft
30
and
50
, an unobstructed free swinging capability
Huang Chien-Tsai
Huang Chun-Hsiang
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