Claims
- 1. An apparatus for forming grooves in boards, comprising:
- a feeding station for feeding said boards one at a time from a supply of said boards;
- a board-receiving table disposed in a generally horizontal plane for supporting said boards upon receipt from said feeding station;
- said boards being generally planar so as to be supported flat on said table, said table supported by a frame, said frame including a first location generally adjacent said feeding station for receiving said boards from said feeding station, said frame also including a second location and a third location;
- said second location being positioned on one side of said first location and spaced from said feeding station, said third location being positioned on the other side of said first location and spaced from said feeding station;
- groove forming means for forming said grooves while said boards are supported including:
- material removing means for removing a portion of the material comprising said boards to form said grooves therein, and means for imparting reciprocating movement to said table relative to said material removing means and said frame, said table being movable relative to said frame to transfer one of said boards between said first location and said second location, said table also being movable relative to said frame to transport another of said boards between said first location and said third location;
- said material removing means removing material as a first one of said boards moves with said table from said first location to said second location and also as a second one of said boards moves with said table from said first location to said third location;
- material separating means for separating the portion of the material comprising said grooves from the remainder of said boards after said grooves have been formed in said boards by said material removing means;
- said material separating means separating material removed from said boards by said material removing means as said first one of said boards moves from said second location to said first location and also as said second one of said boards moves from said third location to said first location; and
- a removing station located generally adjacent said first location for removing said boards from said after said grooves have been formed and said material has been separated;
- said material removing means operating on said second one of said boards while said material separating means is operating on said first one of said boards;
- said first one of said boards being removed from said table at said removing station when said table is at said first location after said material separating means has separated material from said first one of said boards; and
- a third one of said boards being fed to said table from said feeding station while said table is still at said first location following removal of said first one of said boards.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said board feeding station is positioned on one side of said board-receiving table and said board removing station is positioned on the other side of said board-receiving table.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 including vacuum means associated with said table for maintaining said generally planar board in a flat position in said generally horizontal plane on said board-receiving table.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said board-receiving table includes a stop for positioning one edge of said boards thereagainst and a marking for positioning another edge of said boards thereagainst.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said material removing means includes a pair of blades positioned closely adjacent and above said board-receiving table for forming said groove in a generally V-shape.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said movement imparting means includes a track and roller system for supporting said table for linear motion relative to said material removing means.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6 further including a drive cylinder associated with said table for imparting linear motion to said table through said track and roller system.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said material separating means includes a plurality of reciprocating pins for engaging the portions of the material comprising said grooves after said grooves have been formed by said material removing means.
- 9. An apparatus for cutting V-shaped grooves in boards of foam having a facing material thereon, comprising:
- a feeding station for feeding said boards one at a time from a supply of said boards;
- a board-receiving table disposed in a generally horizontal plane for supporting said boards upon receipt from said feeding station;
- said boards being generally planar so as to be supported flat on said table, said table supported by a frame, said frame including a first location generally adjacent said feeding station for receiving said boards from said feeding station, said frame also including a second location and a third location;
- said second location being positioned on one side of said first location and spaced from said feeding station, said third location being positioned on the other side of said first location and spaced from said feeding station;
- groove forming means for forming said grooves while said boards are supported including:
- foam removing means for removing a portion of said foam comprising said boards to form said V-shaped grooves therein and means for imparting reciprocating movement to said table relative to said foam removing means and said frame, said table being movable relative to said frame to transfer one of said boards between said first location and said second location, said table also being movable relative to said frame to transport another of said boards between said first location and said third location;
- said reciprocating movement imparting means including a track and roller system for supporting said table for linear motion relative to said foam removing means and said frame and a drive cylinder associated with said table for imparting linear motion to said table through said track and roller system, said foam removing means including a pair of blades positioned closely adjacent and above said table for forming said V-shaped grooves in said foam of said boards during relative movement therebetween;
- said pair of blades of said foam removing means removing foam as a first one of said boards moves with said table from said first location to said second location and also as a second one of said boards moves with said table from said first location to said third location;
- foam separating means for separating the portion of the foam comprising said grooves from the remainder of said boards after said grooves have been formed in said boards by said foam removing means;
- said foam separating means including a pin for separating each portion of the foam comprising each of said grooves in said boards as said first one of said boards moves from said second location to said first location and also as said second one of said boards moves from said third location to said first location; and
- a removing station located generally adjacent said first location for removing said boards from said table after said grooves have been formed and said foam has been separated;
- said foam removing means operating on said second one of said boards while said foam separating means is operating on said first one of said boards;
- said first one of said boards being removed from said table at said removing station when said table is at said first location after said foam separating means has separated material from said first one of said boards;
- a third one of said boards being fed to said table from said feeding station while said table is still at said first location following removal of said first one of said boards.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said board feeding station is positioned on one side of said board-receiving table and said board removing station is positioned on the other side of said board-receiving table.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 9 including vacuum means associated with said table for maintaining said generally planar board in a flat position in said generally horizontal plane on said board-receiving table.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said board-receiving table includes a stop for positioning one edge of said boards thereagainst and a marking for positioning another edge of said boards thereagainst.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said foam separating means includes a plurality of reciprocating pins for engaging the portions of the foam comprising said grooves after said grooves have been formed by said foam removing means.
- 14. An apparatus for cutting a plurality of V-shaped grooves in a board of foam having a puzzle facing material thereon to form foldable corner pieces for a three-dimensional puzzle, comprising:
- a generally rectangular frame supported by a plurality of legs;
- a station centrally positioned along one side of said frame for feeding said board from a supply of said boards;
- means for supporting said board upon receipt from said station comprising:
- a generally rectangular board-receiving table supported by said frame so as to be disposed in a generally horizontal plane and said board being generally rectangular and planar so as to be positioned flat upon an upper surface of said table;
- means for forming said grooves in said board while said board is supported on said table including:
- means for removing a portion of said foam comprising said board to form said V-shaped grooves therein and means for imparting relative movement between said board-receiving table and said foam removing means, said relative movement imparting means including a track and roller system for supporting said board-receiving table for linear motion toward and away from opposite ends of said rectangular frame and relative to said foam removing means and a drive cylinder associated with said board-receiving table for imparting linear motion of a preselected distance to said board-receiving table through said track and roller system, said foam removing means including a plurality of fixedly mounted cutters each having a pair of blades positioned closely adjacent and above said board-receiving table for forming said V-shaped grooves in said foam of said board during relative movement therebetween;
- means for separating the portion of the foam comprising said groove from the remainder of said board after said groove has been formed in said board by said groove forming means; and
- a station centrally positioned along the other side of said frame from said feeding station for removing said board after said grooves have been formed;
- said foam separating means including a plurality of reciprocating pin assemblies each including a reciprocating pin pivotally mounted on a supporting block positioned on a rod extending generally from one side of said frame to the other side of said frame for engaging the portion of the foam comprising said groove after said groove has been formed by said groove forming means.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said rod is supported at opposite ends by said frame and said pins are each carded by one end of an arm having an intermediate pivot point and including spring means for normally biasing said pin in a direction away from the portion of said foam comprising said groove.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said pin assemblies each include means for releasably securing said supporting block in a selected horizontal position of adjustment along said rod and including means for imparting pivotal movement to said pin against normal biasing by said spring means.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said pin assemblies each include a pin stripper mounted on said supporting block through which said pin moves first to engage and separate the portion of said foam comprising said groove from said board and then to discard the portion of said foam comprising said groove.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said pivotal movement imparting means includes a pivotally mounted rod assembly overlying said arms of said pin assemblies opposite said pins and a drive cylinder associated with said pin assemblies for pivoting said arms and pins against normal biasing by said spring means.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said cutters are positioned on each side of and generally adjacent said feeding and removing stations, and said pin assemblies are positioned generally outwardly of and in longitudinal alignment with said cutters in proximity to each of said opposite ends of said frame.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said drive cylinder associated with said board-receiving table first imparts linear motion of a preselected distance toward one end of said frame, stops, and then imparts linear motion of a preselected distance toward the other end of said frame.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 26 including control means for controlling operation of said drive cylinder associated with said board-receiving table and said pin assemblies such that said pins engage the portion of said foam comprising said grooves after said board-receiving table has travelled said preselected distance.
- 22. An apparatus for cutting a plurality of V-shaped grooves in a board of foam having a puzzle facing material thereon to form foldable corner pieces for a three-dimensional puzzle, comprising:
- a generally rectangular frame supported by a plurality of legs;
- a station centrally positioned along one side of said frame for feeding said board from a supply of said boards;
- means for supporting said board upon receipt from said station comprising:
- a generally rectangular board-receiving table supported by said frame so as to be disposed in a generally horizontal plane and said board being generally rectangular and planar so as to be positioned flat upon an upper surface of said table;
- means for forming said grooves in said board while said board is supported on said table including:
- means for removing a portion of said foam comprising said board to form said V-shaped grooves therein and means for imparting relative movement between said board-receiving table and said foam removing means, said relative movement imparting means including a track and roller system for supporting said board-receiving table for linear motion toward and away from opposite ends of said rectangular frame and relative to said foam removing means and a drive cylinder associated with said board-receiving table for imparting linear motion of a preselected distance to said board-receiving table through said track and roller system, said foam removing means including a plurality of cutters each having a pair of blades positioned closely adjacent and above said board-receiving table for forming said V-shaped grooves in said foam of said board during relative movement therebetween, wherein said cutters each include a supporting block mounted on a pair of rods extending generally from one side of said frame to the other side of said frame so as to be supported at opposite ends by said frame and a blade carrying face plate mounted to said supporting block, and wherein said face plates each include a generally V-shaped blade carrying extension disposed below said supporting block and said blades comprise razor blades secured to said blade carrying extension inclined downwardly and rearwardly in the direction of travel of said board;
- means for separating the portions of the foam comprising said grooves from the remainder of said board after said grooves have been formed in said board by said foam removing means; and
- a station centrally positioned along the other side of said frame from said feeding station for removing said board after said grooves have been formed;
- said foam separating means including a plurality of reciprocating pins for engaging the portions of the foam comprising said grooves after said grooves have been formed by said groove forming means.
- 23. A method for cutting a plurality of V-shaped grooves in boards of foam having a puzzle facing material thereon to form foldable corner pieces for a three-dimensional puzzle, comprising:
- feeding said boards one at a time from a supply of said boards at a feeding station onto a generally rectangular board-receiving table where said boards are generally rectangular and planar;
- supporting said boards on said board-receiving table so as to be disposed flat and in a generally horizontal plane after said boards have been fed at said feeding station;
- said table being supported by a frame, said frame including a first location generally adjacent said feeding station for receiving said boards from said feeding station, said frame also including a second location and a third location;
- said second location being positioned on one side of said first location and spaced from said feeding station, said third location being positioned on the other side of said first location and spaced from said feeding station;
- forming said grooves in said boards while said boards are supported on said table including the steps of:
- removing portions of said foam comprising said boards to form said V-shaped grooves therein by imparting reciprocating movement to said board-receiving table relative to a foam removing means and said frame, said table being movable relative to said frame to transfer one of said boards between said first location and said second location, said table also being movable relative to said frame to transport another of said boards between said first location and said third location, said relative movement being imparted by causing oppositely directed linear motion of said board-receiving table of a preselected distance in each direction relative to said foam removing means, said foam removing means including a plurality of fixedly mounted cutters each having a pair of blades positioned closely adjacent and above said board-receiving table;
- said fixedly mounted cutters of said foam removing means removing foam during relative movement between said table and said fixedly mounted cutters of said foam removing means as a first one of said boards moves with said table from said first location to said second location and also as a second one of said boards moves with said table from said first location to said third location;
- separating the portions of the foam comprising said grooves from the remainder of said boards by operation of a foam separating means after said grooves have been formed in said boards in said groove forming step;
- removing said board from said board-receiving table at a removing station after forming said grooves in said groove forming step and separating the portion of the foam comprising said grooves;
- said foam separating means separating foam during relative movement between said table and said foam separating means as said boards move from said second location to said first location and also during relative movement between said table and said foam separating means as said boards move from said third location to said first location;
- removing the portions of said foam comprising said grooves on a second one of said boards while separating the portions of said foam comprising said grooves on a first one of said boards;
- removing said first one of said boards from said first location at said removing station after said foam separation;
- and feeding a third one of said boards to said first location at said feeding station following removal of said first one of said boards.
- 24. The method of claim 23 wherein separating the portions of the foam includes the step of:
- pivoting a plurality of pins to engage and separate each of the portions of said foam comprising one of said grooves in said board from the remainder of said boards and thereafter discarding the portions of said foam removed to form said grooves.
- 25. The method of claim 24 wherein forming said grooves includes the step of:
- providing foam removing means on each side of and generally adjacent said feeding and removing stations, and providing said pins generally outwardly of and in longitudinal alignment with said foam removing means.
- 26. The method of claim 24 wherein the method includes the step of:
- controlling operation by causing said pins to engage the portions of said foam comprising said grooves after said board-receiving table has travelled in linear motion by said preselected distance relative to said foam removing means.
Parent Case Info
This is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/175,592, filed Dec. 30, 1993, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (17)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2009016 |
Jun 1979 |
GBX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
175592 |
Dec 1993 |
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