Cutting – Tool or tool with support – Joint or connection
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-16
2003-03-25
Goodman, Charles (Department: 3724)
Cutting
Tool or tool with support
Joint or connection
C083S571000, C083S618000, C083S698910
Reexamination Certificate
active
06536321
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to automatic paper hole punches, for preparing paper for binding into a spiral notebook, for example. More specifically, this invention relates to a punch machine that has an improved die assembly and mounting means, allowing the die assembly to be quickly installed and removed without bolts, screws or housing panel removal.
2. Related Art
Many automatic punch machines have been built with die assemblies for punching holes through a stack of papers prior to binding. Typically, these die assemblies are bolted into the machine and can be removed for cleaning, replacement or adjustment only by partially disassembling the machine. Bolts, screws, housing panels, and sometimes other machine parts must be removed to remove and replace the die assembly. Although such punch machines can be built to operate effectively and reliably, maintenance of the die assembly is not quick or easy.
One automatic punch with a bolt-in die assembly is the “Versa-Punch™”, model VP-6000, made by Performance Design, Inc., of Boise, Id. This punch
100
is shown in
FIGS. 1A and 1B
. This punch machine includes a die assembly with a plurality of punch pins that are forced generally perpendicularly through the paper near the paper edge. The paper is held vertically with its edge inserted into a slot in the die assembly. The punch pins are then driven across the slot to cut through the paper, creating a hole in each paper at the location of each punch pin.
In order to access the die assembly
102
of the Versa-Punch™machine, the user must unscrew four screws or bolts
104
to remove a top cover
106
and a front cover
108
. Then, to remove the die assembly, four bolts
110
must be removed to detach the die assembly from the machine frame and three more bolts
112
must be removed to detach the assembly
102
from the push-bar
114
. To replace the die assembly, the procedure is repeated in reverse, with the user having to hold the die assembly in place to align it with the various bolt holes.
The die assembly
102
shown in
FIG. 1B
is a square-hole design, which includes a die and a pull-back bar that each have square holes and that are connected by stripper bolts and bushings. This die assembly
102
also includes push-pins and square-end punch pins. The push-pins are pushed into bores in the top of the pull-back bar to engage each punch pin, that is, to secure each punch pin in a position in the pull-back bar that will result in punching of the paper.
Another example of a prior art die assembly that may be used in the bolt-in system is illustrated in FIG.
2
. This die assembly
102
′ typically includes a die
116
with paper slot and die holes, a pull-back bar
118
with holes for receiving a plurality of punch pins
120
, and a backup bar
122
screwed onto the pull-back bar for keeping the pins in the pull-back bar. The pull-back bar
118
is connected to the die
116
by means of the stripper bolts. To punch paper, the push-bar
114
drives the pull-back bar
118
forward and backward on bushings on the stripper bolts
126
, thus moving the punch pins
120
forward and backward in the die holes
128
. The push-bar
114
is supported inside the punch machine
100
only by its attachment to the connecting rods and its being bolted to the die assembly
102
.
These die assemblies
102
,
102
′, and the many other typical assemblies made for various binding coils and combs, each has a uniquely sized, spaced and shaped set of holes which typically are centered along about a 14 inch length of the die that is typically centered between the two ends of the die. Therefore, when the user wishes to punch standard 8-½-×-11-inch paper instead of the 14-inch paper, the user must move the paper stop
60
to accommodate the paper and also move the stop each time he/she changes the die assembly. If this adjustment is not made, the punched holes are not centered along the 11-inch paper edge. The holes may be slightly offset to the right or left, and a partial hole may be cut at one or both ends of the paper edge. This results in inferior binding and an unprofessional appearance. For example, as shown with the prior art die assembly
130
of
FIG. 7A
, the paper stop and left edge of the paper are set at “S” for punching the 14-inch paper. When the same paper stop setting is used for 11-inch paper in this same die
130
, the holes in the 11-inch paper are not centered and the far right hole
132
extends to or past the 11 inch paper edge. When maintaining the same paper stop position and switching to another prior art die assembly
134
, again the holes are centered within the 14-inch length, but punching 11-inch long paper results in the holes not being centered along the 11-inch length and the far right hole
136
being nearly at the paper edge. To properly punch the 11-inch paper with these two dies
130
,
134
requires adjustment of the paper stop to a different position than used for the 14 inch paper and to different positions for the two dies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention comprises a punch machine and quick-change die assembly for punching holes in paper or other sheets of material. The die assembly is supported and secured inside the punch machine housing by a lateral slidable connection with the push-bar and by clamp means that may be easily operated from outside the machine housing. The die assembly need not be bolted to the machine frame or the push-bar and may be quickly removed simply by being un-clamped, preferably by simply swinging a clamp handle, and slid out of the machine housing.
The invented punch machine also comprises an improved push-bar system for driving the die assembly. The push-bar is slidably supported in the punch machine, preferably by bushings in the side plates of the machine housing. Thus, the push-bar stays in place when the die assembly is removed, so that the die assembly may easily be reinserted without manually moving and aligning the die assembly and push-bar.
The preferred die assembly is simplified in structure compared to conventional die assemblies and comprises a die, pins, and pin retainer (also referred to as a “pin retainer plate”) that slidably receives the pins, and, in an especially-preferred embodiment, also a moveable pin strap for keeping the pins in place during handling and installation of the die assembly, and a positioning system for optimizing the position of the pins and the pin retainer relative to the die during the installation of the die assembly into the punch machine. When the die assembly is installed in the punch machine, the die and pin retainer are mounted in the machine housing by the clamp(s) and push-bar slot, respectively, with the punch pins extending from the retainer to the die. The push-bar then moves the pin retainer relative to the die, thus, pushing and pulling the punch pins in and out of the die holes.
The die and pin retainer need not be bolted together or connected by any bushings or stripping bolts. However, in the especially-preferred embodiment, the invented positioning system includes a connecting mechanism for connecting the pin retainer to the die, so that the pin retainer will not fall away from the die. The positioning system preferably holds the pin retainer at the desirable distance from the die during handling and installation. The positioning system may be designed to bias the pin retainer out from the die at a set distance (that is, the “biased position”), which is the distance that is proper for the die assembly to slide smoothly into the machine, with the pin retainer sliding into the push-bar slot and the die sliding into proper clamping position. The positioning system with its biasing system is adapted so that, once the die assembly is installed, it does not interfere with forward and rearward movement of the pin retainer and pins during punching. The positioning system may also be adapted to include a floating feature that allows some leeway in the biased position of the pin retainer (and i
Malmstrom Wayne
Whiteman Marvin
Pedersen Barbara S.
Pedersen Ken J.
Pedersen & Co. PLLC
Performance Design, Inc.
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