Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6691599
-
Patent Number
6,691,599
-
Date Filed
Friday, January 11, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, February 17, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Ashley; Boyer
- Druan, Jr.; Thomas J.
Agents
- Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 083 860
- 083 814
- 083 820
- 083 829
- 083 544
- 083 545
- 083 546
- 083 DIG 1
- 074 616
- 144 2511
- 144 2513
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International Classifications
-
Abstract
A cutter guard device is adapted for use in a belt saw machine, and includes a stationary hinge leaf formed with a first knuckle unit, a movable hinge leaf formed with a second knuckle unit, and a hinge pin extending through the first and second knuckle units, thereby permitting rotation of the movable hinge leaf between cutter concealing and cutter exposing positions. The movable hinge leaf is further slidable along the hinge pin between retaining and pivoting positions. The movable hinge leaf is movable between the cutter concealing and cutter exposing positions when disposed in the pivoting position on the hinge pin. A retention unit retains releasably the movable hinge leaf in the cutter concealing position when the latter is further disposed in the retaining position on the hinge pin.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a belt saw machine, more particularly to a cutter guard device for a belt saw machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a conventional belt saw machine is shown to comprise a C-shaped frame
1
and upper and lower drive rollers
2
mounted on the frame
1
. An endless belt cutter
3
is trained on the drive rollers
2
. A cutter replacement device
4
is mounted on the frame
1
, and includes a push rod
401
coupled operably to the upper drive roller
2
for moving the same downwardly when replacement of the belt cutter
3
is intended.
The frame
1
is formed with a notch
101
through which a work piece (not shown) extends when cutting the latter. A portion of the belt cutter
3
is exposed from the frame
1
at the notch
101
. The belt saw machine further includes a cutter guard device
6
for protecting the hands of the operator of the belt saw machine when cutting the work piece. The conventional cutter guard device
6
is formed as an angled plate, and includes amounting plate portion
601
and a blocking plate portion
602
transverse to the mounting plate portion
601
. The mounting plate portion
601
is mounted adjustably on the frame
1
via a guard adjustment device
5
. By operating an adjustment bolt
501
of the guard adjustment device
5
, the cutter guard device
6
can be adjusted vertically relative to the frame
1
to correspond with the thickness of the work piece to be cut. As such, when cutting the work piece, the part of the belt cutter
3
that is exposed from the frame
1
at the notch
101
and that is above the work piece can be concealed by the cutter guard device
6
for enhancing safety during use.
A main drawback associated with the use of the conventional cutter guard device
6
resides in that the latter renders replacement of the belt cutter
3
inconvenient to conduct. In view of the integral construction of the cutter guard device
6
, it has to be removed from the frame
1
before replacement of the belt cutter
3
can be conducted, and reassembled onto the frame
1
after completing replacement of the belt cutter
3
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a cutter guard device that does not require removal from a frame of a belt saw machine when replacing a belt cutter of the latter.
According to the present invention, a cutter guard device is adapted for use in a belt saw machine, and includes a stationary hinge leaf formed with a first knuckle unit, a movable hinge leaf formed with a second knuckle unit, and a hinge pin extending through the first and second knuckle units, thereby permitting rotation of the movable hinge leaf relative to the stationary hinge pin about the hinge pin for movement between a cutter concealing position and a cutter exposing position. The movable hinge leaf is further slidable relative to the stationary hinge leaf along the hinge pin between a retaining position and a pivoting position. The movable hinge leaf is movable between the cutter concealing and cutter exposing positions when the movable hinge leaf is disposed in the pivoting position on the hinge pin. A retention unit retains releasably the movable hinge leaf in the cutter concealing position when the movable hinge leaf is further disposed in the retaining position on the hinge pin.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
FIG. 1
is a fragmentary partly exploded perspective view of a conventional belt saw machine;
FIG. 2
is a fragmentary assembled perspective view of a belt saw machine that incorporates the preferred embodiment of a cutter guard device according to the present invention;
FIG. 3
is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment;
FIG. 4
is a perspective view illustrating the preferred embodiment when mounted on a guard adjustment device of the belt saw machine;
FIG. 5
is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment, taken along lines V—V in
FIG. 4
; and
FIGS. 6
to
8
are views similar to
FIG. 4
, illustrating how the preferred embodiment is operated when it is desired to replace a belt cutter of the belt saw machine.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to
FIG. 2
, the preferred embodiment of a cutter guard device
40
according to the present invention is shown to be adapted for use in a known belt saw machine that includes a C-shaped frame
10
and upper and lower drive rollers
20
mounted on the frame
10
. An endless belt cutter
30
is trained on the drive rollers
20
. The frame
10
is formed with a notch
11
through which a workpiece (not shown) extends when cutting the latter. A portion of the belt cutter
30
is exposed from the frame
10
at the notch
11
. The cutter guard device
40
is mounted on the frame
10
adjacent to the portion of the belt cutter
30
that is exposed from the frame
10
so as to protect the hands of the operator of the belt saw machine when cutting the work piece.
With further reference to
FIGS. 3 and 4
, the cutter guard device
40
includes a stationary hinge leaf
41
, a movable hinge leaf
42
, a biasing member
43
, and a hinge pin
44
.
The stationary hinge leaf
41
is adapted to be mounted adjustably on the frame
10
in a known manner via a guard adjustment device
50
. The stationary hinge leaf
41
has a vertically extending coupling edge formed with a first knuckle unit that includes coaxial upper and lower knuckles
4121
and
4122
. The knuckles
4121
and
4122
respectively have bottom and top ends that are vertically spaced apart from each other and that confine a knuckle recess
411
therebetween.
The movable hinge leaf
42
has a vertically extending coupling edge formed with a second knuckle unit that includes coaxial upper, middle and lower knuckles
4271
,
4272
, and
4273
. The upper and middle knuckles
4271
and
4272
respectively have top and bottom ends that are vertically spaced apart by a distance shorter than the length of the knuckle recess
411
, and are to be disposed in the knuckle recess
411
. The middle and lower knuckles
4272
and
4273
respectively have bottom and top ends that are vertically spaced apart from each other and that cooperate to form a knuckle recess
423
having a vertical length longer than an axial length of the lower knuckle
4122
of the stationary hinge leaf
41
. The lower knuckle
4122
of the stationary hinge leaf
41
is to be disposed in the knuckle recess
423
. The coupling edge of the movable hinge leaf
42
is further formed with an upper notch
421
above the upper knuckle
4271
, and a lower notch
422
between the upper and middle knuckles
4271
and
4272
. The upper notch
421
extends to a top edge of the movable hinge leaf
42
. Due to the presence of the upper and lower notches
421
,
422
, the coupling edge of the movable hinge leaf
42
is thus configured with an upper tab
424
connected to the upper knuckle
4271
, and a lower tab
425
connected to the middle knuckle
4272
. The movable hinge leaf
42
further has a bottom edge that is bent to form an operating part
429
that projects transversely from an outer side surface of the movable hinge leaf
42
.
The biasing member
43
, which is in the form of a compression spring coil, is disposed in the knuckle recess
423
between the middle knuckle
4272
of the movable hinge leaf
42
and the lower knuckle
4122
of the stationary hinge leaf
41
. The biasing member
43
biases the middle knuckle
4272
of the movable hinge leaf
42
away from the lower knuckle
4122
of the stationary hinge leaf
41
.
The hinge pin
44
extends in sequence through the upper knuckle
4121
of the stationary hinge leaf
41
, the upper and middle knuckles
4271
and
4272
of the movable hinge leaf
42
, the biasing member
43
, the lower knuckle
4122
of the stationary hinge leaf
41
, and the lower knuckle
4273
of the movable hinge leaf
42
. The movable hinge leaf
42
is thus rotatable relative to the stationary hinge leaf
41
about the axis of the hinge pin
44
for movement between a cutter concealing position (see
FIG. 4
) and a cutter exposing position (see FIG.
8
).
The movable hinge leaf
42
is further slidable relative to the stationary hinge leaf
41
along the hinge pin
44
between a retaining position (see
FIG. 4
) and a pivoting position (see FIG.
6
). The biasing member
43
biases the movable hinge leaf
42
to the retaining position on the hinge pin
44
. The movable hinge leaf
42
is movable between the cutter concealing and exposing positions when the movable hinge leaf
42
is moved to the pivoting position on the hinge pin
44
against the action of the biasing member
43
.
The stationary hinge leaf
41
is provided with a retention unit that includes a pair of vertically spaced apart first and second limit plates
413
,
414
. Each of the first and second limit plates
413
,
414
has a mounting end part fixed to the coupling edge of the stationary hinge leaf
41
, such as by welding. The first and second limit plates
413
,
414
are disposed between the knuckles
4121
and
4122
of the stationary hinge leaf
41
. Each of the first and second limit plates
413
,
414
further has a distal end part that extends from the mounting end part, that is transverse to the stationary hinge leaf
41
, and that is adjacent to the knuckle recess
411
. The first and second limit plates
413
,
414
are capable of retaining releasably the movable hinge leaf
42
in the cutter concealing position when the movable hinge leaf
42
is further disposed in the retaining position on the hinge pin
44
. As shown in
FIG. 4
, the distal end parts of the first and second limit plates
413
,
414
are disposed to abut respectively against the upper and lower tabs
424
,
425
at the outer side surface of the movable hinge leaf
42
, thereby arresting counterclockwise rotation of the movable hinge leaf
42
relative to the stationary hinge leaf
41
from the cutter concealing position to the cutter exposing position.
In use, when it is desired to replace the belt cutter
30
(see FIG.
2
), a downward pressing force is applied on the operating part
429
of the movable hinge leaf
42
, as shown in FIG.
6
. At this time, the movable hinge leaf
42
moves downwardly along the hinge pin
44
from the retaining position to the pivoting position, and compresses the biasing member
43
. The distal end parts of the first and second limit plates
413
,
414
cease to be aligned with the upper and lower tabs
424
,
425
and are aligned instead with the upper and lower notches
421
,
422
, respectively. Because the first and second limit plates
413
,
414
no longer engage the upper and lower tabs
424
,
425
, the movable hinge leaf
42
can be rotated in the counterclockwise direction about the axis of the hinge pin
44
from the cutter concealing position of
FIGS. 4 and 6
to the cutter exposing position shown in FIG.
7
.
With further reference to
FIG. 5
, the movable hinge leaf
42
is formed with an L-shaped stop member
428
having a connecting end part that is connected to the movable hinge leaf
42
between the upper and lower tabs
424
,
425
and that projects transversely from an inner side surface of the movable hinge leaf
42
, and a stopping end part that extends transverse to the connecting end part in a direction toward the coupling edge of the movable hinge leaf
42
. As shown in
FIG. 7
, when the movable hinge leaf
42
reaches the cutter exposing position, the stop member
428
initially engages the second limit plate
414
to limit further counterclockwise rotation of the movable hinge leaf
42
.
Subsequently, with reference to
FIG. 8
, when the operating part
429
of the movable hinge leaf
42
is relieved from the downward pressing force, the biasing member
43
expands to move the movable hinge leaf
42
upwardly along the axis of the hinge pin
44
from the pivoting position back to the retaining position. At this time, because the distal end part of the first limit plate
413
, which is disposed above the second limit plate
414
, has a bottom edge formed with an engaging groove
415
, the top edge of the upper tab
424
can extend into the engaging groove
415
to retain releasably the movable hinge leaf
42
in the cutter exposing position. Replacement of the belt cutter
30
can be conducted at this time.
Accordingly, to restore the movable hinge leaf
42
from the cutter exposing position of
FIG. 8
to the cutter concealing position of
FIG. 4
, a downward pressing force is once again applied on the movable hinge leaf
42
to move the latter from the retaining position to the pivoting position on the hinge pin
44
. Thereafter, the movable hinge leaf
42
is rotated in the clockwise direction about the axis of the hinge pin
44
until the stopping end part of the stop member
428
abuts against an inner side surface of the stationary hinge leaf
41
, thereby limiting movement of the movable hinge leaf
42
from the cutter exposing position to the cutter concealing position, as best shown in FIG.
5
. Then, when the movable hinge leaf
42
is relieved from the downward pressing force, the biasing member
43
expands to restore the movable hinge leaf
42
to the state shown in FIG.
4
.
It has thus been shown that the cutter guard device
40
of this invention permits replacement of the belt cutter
30
without the need for removing the former from the frame
10
. The object of the present invention is thus met.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Claims
- 1. A cutter guard device for a belt saw machine, said cutter guard device comprising:a stationary hinge leaf having a coupling edge formed with a first knuckle unit; a movable hinge leaf having a coupling edge formed with a second knuckle unit; a hinge pin extending through said first and second knuckle units, thereby permitting rotation of said movable hinge leaf relative to said stationary hinge pin about said hinge pin for movement between a cutter concealing position and a cutter exposing position; said movable hinge leaf being further slidable relative to said stationary hinge leaf along said hinge pin between a retaining position and a pivoting position; said movable hinge leaf being movable between the cutter concealing and cuter exposing positions when said movable hinge leaf is disposed in the pivoting position on said hinge pin; and a retention unit capable of retaining releasably said movable hinge leaf in the cutter concealing position when said movable hinge leaf is further disposed in the retaining position on said hinge pin; wherein said coupling edge of said movable hinge leaf is formed with a notch, thereby configuring said coupling edge of said movable hinge leaf with a tab that is adjacent to said notch, said retention unit including a limit plate having a mounting end part mounted to said coupling edge of said stationary hinge leaf, and a distal end part that extends from said mounting end part and that is transverse to said stationary hinge leaf, said distal end part of said limit plate abutting against said tab at an outer side surface of said movable hinge leaf to arrest rotation of said movable hinge leaf from the cutter concealing position to the cutter exposing position when said movable hinge leaf is disposed in the retaining position on said hinge pin, and said distal end part of said limit plate being aligned with said notch in said coupling edge of said movable hinge leaf to permit rotation of said movable hinge leaf from the cutter concealing position to the cutter exposing position when said movable hinge leaf is disposed in the pivoting position on said hinge pin.
- 2. The cutter guard device of claim 1, wherein said limit plate has a bottom edge formed with an engaging groove for engaging releasably said movable hinge leaf in the cutter exposing position when said movable hinge leaf is further disposed in the retaining position on said hinge pin.
- 3. The cutter guard of claim 1, further comprising a biasing member for biasing said movable hinge leaf to the retaining position on said hinge pin.
- 4. The cutter guard device of claim 3, wherein said biasing member includes a compression spring coil sleeved on said hinge pin and disposed between said first and second knuckle units.
- 5. The cutter device of claim 1, wherein said movable hinge leaf is formed with an operating part to facilitate movement of said movable hinge leaf between the retaining and pivoting positions on said hinge pin.
- 6. The cutter guard device of claim 1, wherein said movable hinge leaf is formed with a stop member that abuts against an inner side surface of said stationary hinge leaf to limit movement of said movable hinge leaf from the cutter exposing position to the cutter concealing position.
US Referenced Citations (13)