BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of the present invention, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective assembled view of the present invention, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of the present invention, wherein the pressing lever is not pressed downward, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the present invention, wherein the pressing lever is not pressed downward, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view according to FIG. 4, wherein the pressing lever is pressed downward to punch the paper or the sheet, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a top-down view of the underside of cutting block 20, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is an overhead view of female die 14, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is an overhead view of the sheet medium after use with the present invention, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the sheet medium from FIG. 8, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In one embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the punch device of the present invention includes a seat body 10 formed with a horizontal fissure 11 at one end and a vertical chamber 12. The bottom of the chamber 12 is formed with an opening 121 communicated with the fissure 11. An insertion cavity 13 is disposed on seat body 10 in front of opening 121. The bottom of the seat body 10 is formed with a female die 14 communicated with the fissure 11 opposite to the opening 121.
A cutting block 20 is disposed on the seat body 10. One face of the cutting block 20 facing the fissure 11 is disposed with a solid cutter 21 in the shape of the desired design such as a symmetrical shape. The present example of solid cutter 21 is in the shape of a butterfly, but any similar design is within the contemplation of the present invention. The other face of the cutting block 20 is disposed with a channel passing through the cutting block 20, forming walls 22 and 23.
The cutting block 20 is disposed with a projection 23 corresponding to the extension 122 to be fitted therein. A recess 221 is created on the underside of each of the protrusions of walls 22 and 23 for the purpose of engaging with resilient member 40, as described below.
A pressing lever 30 is disposed in the cutting block 20. One end of the pressing lever 30 is disposed with a pivot shaft 31 for rotatably inserting in the insertion cavity 13 of the seat body 10, whereby the pressing lever 30 is pivotally disposed on the seat body 10.
The other end of the pressing lever 30 is disposed with an upward bent pressing section 32. In addition, the pressing lever 30 is formed with a protuberance 33 extending in a direction reverse to that of the pressing section 32 for fitting in the recesses 221 of the cutting block 20.
At least one resilient member 40 is fitted into recess 221. As illustrated in FIG. 1, preferably two resilient members 40 are used where at least one resilient member 40 comprises first and second oppositely disposed springs adjacent to said die. The first resilient member 40 is disposed along a second axis and the second resilient member 40 disposed along a third axis, the third axis spaced apart from the first solid cutter 21 axis and the second resilient member 40 axis.
A housing 50 covers the seat body 10 and is formed with a window 51, whereby the pressing section 32 of the pressing lever 30 can extends through the window 51 out of the housing 50. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, housing 50 preferably maintains an indication 53 corresponding to the shape of cutter 21, in the present example, a butterfly.
In use, a paper or a sheet media 60 is horizontally placed in the fissure 11 of the seat body 10 and pushed inward to a true position. Fissure 11 is maintained perpendicular to the movement axis of cutter 21. Then the pressing section 32 of the pressing lever 30 is pivotally depressed about the pivot shaft 31, whereby the protuberance 33 of the pressing lever 30 is moved downward to exert a force onto the cutting block 20. Accordingly, the cutting block 20 is forced downward with the cutter 21 passing through the opening 121 of the chamber 12 to punch the paper or the sheet placed in the fissure 11 through the correspondingly shaped die 14. Thus, a perforation is created in the sheet medium as defined by the periphery of the cutter 21 which engages with the female die 14 as shown in FIG. 5 The resilient member 40 serves to restore the cutting block 20 to its home position. At this time, the pressing section 32 of the pressing lever 30 is moved upward along with the cutting block 20 to its home position. The above operation can be repeatedly performed to create the same partial cutout.
As shown in FIG. 6, cutter 21 is ideally a sharpened tapered metal blade, shaped as a three dimensional projection of the outline to be created. In one embodiment of the present invention, cutter 21 is tapered such that its highest point is furthest away from the vertical, or shorter, axis of the cutter. For example, in FIG. 6, cutter 21 is configured to cut deepest into sheet media 60 by the edges of the butterfly wings and is correspondingly configured to cut shallowest near the center longitudinal axis running along the same axis as lever 30.
In an alternate embodiment, the edge on cutter 21 can be serrated. Both approaches are designed to make the perforations for the cutouts as cleanly as possible, without any wrinkling or warping in the sheet medium 60. Cutter 21 may also be surrounded by a rubber or plastic insert 26, which is inserted into a recess in the center of the underside of cutting block 20. Insert 26 is used to make the perforations as cleanly as possible, without any wrinkling or warping of the sheet medium.
In one embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 7, die 14 is designed to engage with cutter 21 and is shaped as a female version of cutter 21. Die 14 is also equipped with a series of holes 41, through which the portions of the sheet medium which form holes 81 (FIG. 8) may be punched. A rubber or similar insert 42 may be placed into the recesses of die 14 to block all but the deepest portions of cutter 21 from entering die 14. This ensures that the perforations are made as precisely as possible.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, sheet medium 60 has been punched with the present invention. Sheet medium 60 can be made of paper, fabric, plastic, foil, or the like. Perforation 80 has been created by cutting along part of the outline of the desired design. As noted above cutter 21 is angled so that it cuts deepest away from the center longitudinal axis and shallowest near the center axis such that towards the center of the design sheet media is not cut at all along the outer edge as shown by element 82. In this arrangement, perforation 80 allows for a portion of the design to be bent upwards while also allowing the design to remain affixed to sheet media 60.
This allows for the portion of the design interior of perforation 80, to be bent upwards away from the plane of sheet media 60 to protrude from the surface creating a three dimensional effect. Holes 81 have been created by punching a portion of sheet medium 60 with cutter 21 through holes 41 in die 14. Both perforation 80 and holes 81 may be in any shape, and thus can create and two dimensional design. FIG. 9 shows a planar elevation view of FIG. 9 to better illustrate the wings of the butterfly design cut along perforation 80 in a raised from the plane of sheet media 60 for three dimensional effect.
It is to be understood that the above description and drawings are only used for illustrating one embodiment of the present invention, not intended to limit the scope thereof. Any variation and derivation from the above description and drawings should be included in the scope of the present invention.
Patent Application
20080066599
