Patent Application
20140290457
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a window covering, and more particularly to a cutting machine for window coverings,
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, there are two types of window blinds, which are venetian blinds and vertical blinds. In the present days, a consumer can buy window blinds in a store, and the window blinds are cut right in the store to meet the demand of the consumer.
The conventional venetian blind has several components, typically including a top rail, a bottom rail, and slats. Each component may have specified size and material. For example, the top rail and the bottom rail usually are made of strong metal, and the slats are made of light materials, like aluminum or PVC. It is obvious that these components shouldn't be cut by the same cutter due to different properties of different materials. However, the common cutting machine in the market only has one cutter, and such cutting machines are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,761,099 and 6,681,673.
An improved cutting machine is provided with various cutters for different components of window blinds. Such cutting machine has two or more motors to drive the cutters respectively. But such cutting machines are complex and expensive.
Furthermore, all the conventional cutting machines as mentioned above can only cut one type of window blinds, which is not efficient.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a cutting machine for window coverings, which may cut two or more types of window blinds. It has a simple structure and is easy to operate.
According to the objective of the present invention, the components of the window coverings include a horizontal top rail, a horizontal bottom rail and horizontal slats of a venetian blind, and a vertical top rail and vertical slats of a vertical blind, and a cutting machine for cutting the components of window coverings includes a machine base for the components, a first cutting unit and a second cutting unit; the machine base is a substantially elongated member, which has a long axis and a short axis, wherein the machine has a first side and an opposite second side along the long axis, and has a third side and an opposite fourth side along the short axis; the first cutting unit is provided on the machine base and adjacent to the first side, including a base, a slat holding device, a cutter device, and a driving device; the base has a first bore and a first positioning bore to receive the horizontal slats and the horizontal top rail respectively; the slat holding device has a pressing block and a pushing member, wherein the pressing block is movably received in the first bore of the base and has a bore to receive the horizontal bottom rail; the pushing member moves the pressing block toward the first positioning bore; the cutter device is movably provided on the base, which has a first cutter and a second cutter which are adjacent to the first bore and the first positioning bore respectively, and the first cutter is used to cut off the horizontal slats and the horizontal bottom rail, the second cutter is used to cut off the horizontal top rail; and the driving device has a connecting member and an operating member, wherein the connecting member is connected to the cutter device, and the operating member is connected to the connecting member to move the cutter device; the second cutting unit is movably mounted on the machine base, which comprises a frame, a cutter, and a controller; the frame is movably provided on the machine base for a movement along the long axis of the machine base; the cutter is movably provided in the frame, wherein a second bore is formed between the cutter and the frame to receive the vertical slats; and the controller is connected to the cutter to move the cutter; wherein the frame has a movable base and two rails; the movable base is movably mounted on the machine base, and the rails are connected to the movable base; the rails are vertical to the movable base and are parallel to the short axis of the machine base; the cutter is provided between the rails with opposite sides engaging the rails; and the controller moves the cutter to move in the rail to cut the vertical slats off.
In an embodiment, the pushing member of the slat holding device of the first cutting unit has a block, a shaft, and a flexible member; the block is connected to the connecting member; the block has a opening, and the base has an opening; the shaft passes through the opening of the block and the opening of the base to connect to the pressing block; the flexible member is provided on the shaft and is between the block and the base to move the pressing block.
In an embodiment, the shaft has a protrusion at a side adjacent to the pressing block; the protrusion is outside of the base; and the flexible member is between the protrusion and the block.
In an embodiment, the second cutting unit's cutter is provided with a slot parallel to the short axis of the machine base; and the controller includes a sliding block, a linkage, and a control bar; the sliding block is received in the slot of the cutter to move in the slot; the linkage is pivoted on the sliding block; and the control bar is pivoted on the frame and engages the linkage, whereby when the control bar is moved, the cutter is moved via the linkage and the sliding block.
In an embodiment, the cutting machine further comprises a second restricting unit which has a fixing base and a restricting board; the fixing base is connected to the second side of the machine base, and the restricting board is movably provided on the fixing base to move along the long axis of the machine base.
In an embodiment, the cutting machine further comprising a first restricting unit provided on the machine base, wherein the first restricting unit is closer to the first side than the first cutting unit; the first restricting unit has a stop device, a transmitting device, and a fixing device; the stop device is beside the first cutting unit; the transmitting device is connected to the stop device and the driving device; when the driving device moves the cutter along the short axis of the machine base, the driving device moves the stop device between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is closer to the cutter device than the second position; at the first position, the stop device rests against ends of the horizontal bottom rail and the horizontal slats in the first bore and the horizontal top rail in the first positioning bore; the fixing device is connected to the machine base; the transmitting device rests against the stop device when the stop device is on the first position, and the transmitting device leaves the stop device when the stop device moves toward the second position from the first position.
In an embodiment, the transmitting device has a transmitting board, a transmitting shaft, a first supporting shaft, a second supporting shaft, and a locking member; the transmitting board is pivoted on the machine base through an axle; the transmitting board has a slot; the transmitting shaft has an end connected to the connecting member of the driving device to move with the cutter device; the transmitting shaft has a post on an opposite end to engage the slot of the transmitting board; the first supporting shaft has an end fixed to the machine base and an opposite end engaging and passing through the stop device, whereby the stop device is free to move between the first position and the second position relative to the first supporting shaft; the second supporting shaft has an end engaging the base and an opposite end pivoted on the transmitting board; the locking member is connected to the second supporting shaft; the locking member is provided with a scale to secure the stop device at a specific position on the second supporting shaft; when the driving device moves the cutter device and the transmitting shaft, the post moves in the slot to swing the transmitting board which will move the second supporting shaft in a direction away from the base, as a result, the stop device is moved in a direction away from the first bore and the first positioning bore.
In an embodiment, the transmitting board of the transmitting device is closer to the first cutting unit than the fixing device of the first restricting member to be move to rest against or leave the fixing device.
In an embodiment, the connecting member of the driving device is a rack; the rack has teeth meshed with a gear set; and the gear set is connected to the operating member.
In an embodiment, the base is further provided with a second positioning bore adjacent to the first positioning bore to receive the vertical top rail; the first bore, the first positioning bore and the second positioning bore are located in order along the short axis of the machine base; the cutter device further has a third cutter beside the second positioning bore to cut the vertical top rail.
Therefore, the aforementioned cutting machine for window coverings has a simple structure, and is easy to operate. Moreover, it has the ability to cut components of different types of window blinds.
The machine base 1 is a substantially elongated rectangular member. The components of the window blinds are put on the machine base 1 parallel to a long axis of the machine base 1, and are movable along the long axis. The machine base 1 has a first side 11 and a second side 12 at the opposite sides of the long axis, and has a third side 13 and a fourth side at the opposite sides of a short axis which is vertical to the long axis. The machine base 1 is provided with a first scale 15 and a second scale 16 on a top side thereof. The first scale 15 is located adjacent to the second side 12, and the second scale 16 is adjacent to the first side 11.
As shown in
The base 21 is provided on the machine base 1, and has a first bore 211, a first positioning bore 212, and a second positioning bore 213 located in order from the third side 12 to the fourth side 14. The horizontal slats, the horizontal top rail and the vertical top rail may respectively engage the first bore 211, the first positioning bore 212, and the second positioning bore 213. The first positioning bore 212 and second positioning bore 213 respectively have a specified shape which fits cross sections of the horizontal top rail and the vertical top rail.
The cutter device 23 is provided on the base 21, and is able to move along the short axis of the machine base 1. The cutter device 23 has a first cutter 231, a second cutter 232, and a third cutter 233, which are in association with the first bore 211, the first positioning bore 212, and the second positioning bore 213 respectively.
The driving device 24 is provided on the machine base 1, which has a connecting member 241 and an operating member. The connecting member 241 is connected to the cutter device 23, and is controlled by the operating member to move along the short axis of the machine base 1. In this embodiment, the connecting member 241 is a toothed rack parallel to the short axis of the machine base 1, and the operating member has a handle 242 and a gear set 243. The gear set 243 is meshed with the rack 241, and is connected to the handle 242. Therefore, turning the handle 242 may rotate the gear set 243, and then move the rack 241, as well as the cutter device 23.
The slat holding device is provided on the machine base 1, which has a pressing block 22 and a pushing member 25. The pressing block 22 is received in the first bore 211 and is adjacent to the third side 13. The pressing block 22 is able to move along the short axis of the machine base 1 within the first bore 211. The pressing block 22 has a bore 221 to engage the horizontal bottom rail, and the shape of the bore 221 fits the cross section of the horizontal bottom rail. The pushing member 25 has a block 251, a shaft 252, and a flexible member 253. The block 251 is provided on the connecting member 241. The block 251 has an opening (not shown). The shaft 252 is inserted into the opening of block 251 and an opening (not shown) on the base 21, and then the shaft 252 is connected to the pressing block 22 in the first bore 211. The shaft 252 has a protrusion 254 at a side adjacent to the pressing block 22, and the protrusion 254 is outside of the base 21. The flexible member 253 is a spring in the present embodiment. The spring 253 fits the shaft 252, and is located between the protrusion 254 and the block 251 to push the block toward the fourth side 14 through the shaft 252.
As shown in
The stop device 31 is a substantially elongated plate on a side of the base 21 where corresponding to the first bore 211, the first positioning bore 212 and the second positioning bore 213. The stop device 31 is closer to the first side 11 than the base 21. The stop device 31 has a slot 311 on a bottom side thereof. The slot 311 is an elongated slot parallel to the long axis of the machine base 1.
The transmitting device 32 is connected to the stop device 31 and the driving device 24 to move the stop device 31 between a first position (
The fixing device 33 is a cube in the present embodiment. The fixing device 33 is fixed to the machine base 1, and is adjacent to the transmitting board 321. The transmitting board 321 is closer to the first cutting unit 2 than the fixing device 33. The transmitting board 321 touches the fixing device 33 when the stop device 31 is moved to the first position (
When a user wants to cut the horizontal slats, the horizontal top rail and the horizontal bottom rail of a venetian blind with the cutting machine of the present invention, the user has to adjust the location of the stop device 31 using the third scale 329 of the locking member 325, and then lock the locking member 325 to secure the stop device 31 at a specified position on the second supporting shaft 324. At this time, the stop device 31 is at the first position, as shown in
Next, the user operates the handle 242 to move the cutter device 23 toward the fourth side 14. As a result, the cutters 231-233 will cut the components off respectively.
As shown in
The top and bottom rails of the blinds usually are bent plates, and the rails all have a transverse middle section and two vertical side sections at opposite ends of the middle section. The bores 212, 213, 221 are shaped respectively to fit the rails, and they have a middle portion for fitting the middle section of the rails, and two side portions for fitting the side sections. The middle portions of the bores 212, 213, 221 are closer to the corresponding cutters 231-233 than the side portions. In other words, the middle section of the rails will be first portion to be cut when the cutters 231-233 are used to cut the rails.
When the user put horizontal slats in the first bore 211, he/she may operate the handle 242 to move the pressing block 22 via the connecting member 241, the block 251, the flexible member 253, the protrusion 254, and the shaft 252, so that the pressing block 22 presses the slats to hold them. The flexible member 253 cushions the pressure on the slats to avoid making indents on the slats.
While the stop device 31 is at the first position, and the rails or slats are put in the corresponding bores, the transmitting board 321 is rested against the fixing device 33 to avoid the transmitting device 32 and the stop device 31 from being moved by the rails or slats. It will firmly secure the stop device 31 to increase the accuracy in cutting.
As shown in
The second restricting unit 5 has a fixing base 51 and a restricting board 52. The fixing base 51 is provided to the second side 12 of the machine base 1. The fixing base 51 has a slot 511 along the long axis of the machine base 1. The restricting board 52 is provided on the fixing base 51 and engages the slot 511, therefore the restricting board 52 is able to move along the long axis of the machine base 1.
While operating, a user moves the second cutting unit 4 to a specified position according to the first scale 15, and then puts the vertical slats in the second bore 46 and lets the vertical slats touch the restricting board 52 of the second restricting unit 5. After securing the vertical slats, the user moves the restricting board 52 in a direction away from the second cutting unit 4 to separate the restricting board 52 from the vertical slats, and then operates the control bar 45 to let the cutter 42 cut the slats.
As a result, the vertical slats are precisely cut with the help of the restricting board 52. If another vertical slats have to be cut for the same size, it doesn't need to move the second cutting unit 4. Furthermore, moving the restricting board 52 in a direction away from the second cutting unit 4 before cutting is helpful to a fine cut of the slats. The waste materials of cutting are left between the second cutting unit 4 and the second restricting unit 5. The user may remove the waste material easily because of moving away of the restricting board 52 before cutting.
The cutting machine of the present invention may cut the components of blinds in an easy way. It may cut different components by different cutters at the same time. The description above is only a few preferred embodiments of the present invention and the equivalence of the present invention is still in the scope of claim construction of the present invention.
