Cutting – With product handling means – Means to move – guide – or permit free fall or flight of product
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-27
2001-02-20
Rada, Rinaldi I. (Department: 3724)
Cutting
With product handling means
Means to move, guide, or permit free fall or flight of product
C083S397000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189428
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a safety device for a power tape cutter that leads out an end of wound adhesive tape through an outlet of a casing and cuts it by driving a power blade provided at the outlet. In this way, fingers are prevented from being inserted into the outlet, thus reducing the chance of accident due to the power blade.
PRIOR ART
A power tape cutter which leads out a required length of adhesive tape through an outlet of a casing and cuts the tape by driving a power blade provided at the outlet has been known from, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-71972. During the use of these tape cutters, fingers are often brought close to an outlet to properly lead out adhesive tape through the outlet. Thus an injury may occur despite safety precautions if a power blade is operated, with a finger mistakenly inserted into the outlet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a safety device having a simple structure which is adapted to prevent an accident due to a power blade in the above-described power tape cutter.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to prevent a finger from being inserted into an adhesive tape outlet by using a movable shutter, and to provide a safety device arranged to discontinue a cutting operation if the movable shutter does not operate properly.
A safety device of the present invention intended to attaint the above objectives is characterized in that a power tape cutter leads out a length of wound adhesive tape through an outlet and cuts it by driving a power blade at the outlet; a movable shutter which prevents a finger from being inserted into the outlet is disposed outside the power blade at the outlet so that the shutter is pushed in a closing direction by spring and can open or close; the movable shutter is provided with (a) a means to retain the movable shutter to lock it in an open position and which unlocks the shutter when an operator operates according to a signal for starting to cut adhesive tape and (b) a power blade drive switch which operates in cooperation with the retaining means when the movable shutter is substantially closed; a power blade drive means is provided which starts to cut adhesive tape using the power blade when the power blade drive switch operates and which opens the movable shutter and then returns it to a state in which the retaining means locks the shutter in an open position when the power blade returns to its original position after cutting adhesive tape.
For the safety device, it is effective to (a) lift the power blade from below a fixed blade above the adhesive tape outlet, (b) provide a retaining plate, which ascends or descends together with the power blade, with a retaining edge that retains a claw of the movable shutter when the power blade drive means lowers the power blade and that returns the movable shutter to a position where the retaining means can keep the shutter locked in the open position, and (c) from the retaining means with a retaining piece that has a retaining hook that separates from a retaining step according to the command of the operator and a pressing part for separating the claw from the retaining edge of the retaining plate. It is desirable that the operator, which unlocks the movable shutter, which is in turn locked by the retaining means, be formed with a solenoid.
For a power tape cutter arranged as described above, a sensor senses whether a length of adhesive tape, delivered through the outlet and cut, has been removed. Alternately when an operation button is pressed to cause adhesive tape to be delivered and cut, a signal for starting tape cutting is output; the operator, consisting of a solenoid or the like, operates according to the signal; the retaining hook of the retaining piece separates from the retaining step in the movable shutter; and the pressing part of the retaining piece separates the claw of the movable shutter from the retaining edge of the retaining plate after a predetermined length of tape is delivered, so that the movable shutter is unlocked and closes the outlet using force from the spring, thus preventing fingers from being inserted into the outlet. The closure of the outlet by the movable shutter causes the power blade drive switch to operate, so that the power blade starts a cutting operation. However, if the movable shutter does not close the outlet properly because a finger or the like has been inserted into the outlet or because tape has been attached to the surroundings of the outlet, the power blade drive switch does not operate, which in turn means that the power blade does not cut adhesive tape.
When the power blade drive switch operates, the power blade drive means are driven, the power blade moves up to cut adhesive tape which has been led out until it projects a required length from the outlet, and then the power blade returns down to its original position. When the power blade returns to its original position, the retaining edge of the retaining plate, which ascends or descends together with the power blade, retains the claw and opens the movable shutter to return it to a state where the retaining means can keep the shutter in the open position; that is, to a position where the retaining hook of the retaining piece retains the retaining step of the movable shutter, thus keeping the shutter in the open position, and makes the movable shutter wait for a signal for starting the next cutting and delivery operation.
Thus when adhesive tape starts to be delivered and cut, the movable shutter prevents a finger from being inserted into the outlet for adhesive tape. Moreover, if the movable shutter does not operate properly, the delivery and cutting operation is discontinued, thus preventing an accident due to the power blade as much as possible.
REFERENCES:
patent: 495999 (1893-04-01), Quigg
patent: 2290223 (1942-07-01), Black et al.
patent: 2496080 (1950-01-01), Wimer
patent: 4157670 (1979-06-01), Herring
patent: 4488466 (1984-12-01), Jones
patent: 4732068 (1988-03-01), Yasuda et al.
patent: 5579669 (1996-12-01), Kind et al.
patent: 0216794 (1989-08-01), None
Elm International Corporation
Flores-Sańchez Omar
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Rada Rinaldi I.
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