The present invention is directed to a tool for crimping, embossing, cutting, perforating, slitting and/or die cutting paper or other materials and, more particularly, to an electrically powered paper detailing tool.
There are currently several different cutting tools or implements and texture wheels for use with various crafts, such as scrapbooking. However, these devices are manually operated. Thus, these devices can prove difficult to use and can be a strain on the hands or arms of the user.
Furthermore, existing devices only have the capability of conveniently rendering one distinct pattern or design. Thus, if multiple patterns or designs are desired, a separate device is required to create each of these different patterns or designs.
It is an object of this invention to provide a versatile and easy-to-use detailing device that makes the crimping, embossing, texturing, cutting, perforating, slitting, die-cutting, etc. of paper, ribbons and other materials a quick and easy process.
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to electrically powered paper detailers that may be used in crafts, such as scrapbooking, to crimp, emboss, texture, and/or die-cut paper, ribbons, cardboard, fabric, photographs, foils, metals and other materials. One embodiment of the detailer generally includes a housing that supports a pair of rollers. At least one of the rollers may have a pattern that projects from or is defined within the surface of the roller. One roller may have a positive design, while the other roller has a corresponding negative design to reinforce the crimp, embossment, or die-cut shape created on the paper.
When a piece of paper or other material is passed through the rollers of the illustrated embodiment, the rollers rotate together. As the paper travels through the detailer, the rollers crimp, emboss, or die-cut the paper, thereby transferring the pattern from the roller to the paper or other material. In various embodiments of the detailer, the rollers are removable from the housing to allow for various rollers of different design to be used with the detailer to create various patterns.
An advantage of the detailer is the ease in which it can be used for embossing and die-cutting paper. Due to the ease with which the detailer can be used, the detailer can be operated by a wide range of users, from the very young to the elderly or even those who have health problems that limit the use of their hands, such as arthritis. Additionally, another advantage of the illustrated embodiment of the present invention is that the user may render different textures, designs, and patterns onto paper or other material with one detailer. Since various rollers each having the capability to produce different textures, designs or patterns may be used with the detailer of the illustrated embodiment, there is no need to purchase a different detailer to achieve different textures, patterns, or shapes. Another advantage of the detailer of the illustrated embodiment is that due to its compact size, the detailer is easily stored and transported.
A complete understanding of the invention will be obtained from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing figures wherein like reference characters identify like parts throughout. For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as it is oriented in the drawing figures. However, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative variations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the invention. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics related to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting.
The present invention relates to a tool for crimping, embossing, and/or die cutting paper or other materials and, more particularly, to an electrically powered paper detailing tool. The invention is applicable to tools of varying constructions for crimping, embossing, and/or die cutting paper or other materials. As representative of the invention,
As shown in
The configurations of the housing 110 is adapted to support and enclose other components of the detailer 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing has a generally bottom wall 111, a front wall 112, a back wall 113, and a pair of opposable side walls 114, 115 that extend from the bottom wall to form a partially closed space that encloses other components of the detailer. The housing also includes an opening 117 that permits paper to be inserted into and through the housing. In the illustrated embodiment, the opening is defined within both the front wall 112 and back wall 113. The detailer of the illustrated embodiment also includes a top cover 116. In the illustrated embodiment, a portion of the top cover 116 of the illustrated embodiment is translucent, thereby allowing the inner contents of the housing including the rollers 121, 122 to be visible from the exterior of the housing 110. It should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the housing 110 could consist of multiple parts assembled together or could have a one piece, unitary construction. In addition, all of the cover or a portion of the cover 116 or other portion of the housing could be translucent or transparent or the cover 116 or housing 110 could not include such a translucent or transparent section. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 110 is formed of multiple parts, which are connected and secured to one another using inter-engaging tabs and slots, and screws inserted through screw holes. While the tabs slots, and screw holes are shown in the embodiment of
The detailer of the illustrated embodiment includes a roller cartridge 120 including a pair of rollers 121, 122. The roller cartridge 120 is adapted to be mounted and at least partially enclosed within the housing 110. In additional embodiments, the roller cartridge could be adapted to be completely enclosed within the housing. The roller cartridge 120 of the illustrated embodiment has the general shape of an irregular cylinder; however the roller cartridge could be shaped differently in various embodiments. For example, the roller cartridge 120 could have a rectangular shape. The roller cartridge 120 of the illustrated embodiment is preferably molded from plastic but other suitable materials could also be used.
The roller cartridge 120 has a pair of end walls 123, 124 and a side wall 125 that to form a partially closed space that encloses the rollers 121, 122 and the other contents of the roller cartridge 120. The rollers 121, 122 are mounted within the roller cartridge 120 such that each roller is rotatable around one of a pair of parallel axes. An opening 126 is defined within the side wall 125 of the roller cartridge of the illustrated embodiment to permit paper or other material to enter the roller cartridge and contact the rollers 121, 122 when the roller cartridge is mounted within the housing 110 of the detailer 100, yet the opening is adapted to be small enough so as to prevent the fingers of a user or other objects from entering into the roller cartridge. It should be apparent that the opening in the roller cartridge could be configured differently in additional embodiments. The roller cartridge 120 of the illustrated embodiment includes a gear assembly 127 that is accessible via the exterior of the roller cartridge 120 by an opening 128 defined within one or more of the end walls 123, 124 and/or the side wall 125 of the roller cartridge. The gear assembly mechanically engages with at least one of the rollers 121, 122.
The illustrated embodiment of the detailer 100 includes a pair of rollers 121, 122; however it should be apparent that different numbers of rollers could be provided with various embodiments of the detailer 100. For example, the detailer 100 could include only one roller. One of the pair of rollers 121,122 could includes a template. The template is a shape or design that will be cut or pressed into or transferred onto a paper or other suitable material. For example, the pair of rollers 121,122 may be crimping rollers, embossing rollers, die cutting rollers, or any combination of crimping, embossing, die cutting rollers or any other type of roller that renders or transfers a pattern onto paper or other material. In addition, one or more of the rollers may include one or more cutting blades having a wheel shape or other shape. The cutting blades may possess a pattern. A roller may have one cutting blade or multiple cutting blades. If a particular roller includes multiple cutting blades, each blade may possess the same pattern or they each may possess a different pattern from each other or be provided in various combinations.
One roller of the pair of rollers 121, 122 may have a positive design, while the other roller has the negative design to reinforce the crimp, embossment, cut, slit, perforation or die-cut shape created on the paper. Conversely, both of the rollers 121, 122 could each include a different pattern. In additional embodiments, one of the rollers may include a template or pattern while the other roller is simply a plain surface. Also, in additional embodiments one of the rollers may include a template or pattern while the other roller has a padded surface. This padded surface helps to increase the effectiveness of the pattern or template rendering process and/or may also serve to prolong the life of the template or pattern. For example, if one of the rollers includes a cutting blade, the other roller may include a padded surface that either has ridges defined within it which correspond to the shape of the cutting blade or is adapted to be cut by the cutting blade. In this manner, the padded surface of the roller ensures that the blade cuts completely through the paper or other media that is passed through the paper detailer. The padded surface also helps to prolong the life of the cutting blade, as the cutting blade could tend to grow dull more quickly if it was cutting against a hard surface.
The rollers could also be adapted to transfer ink, glitter or other material onto the paper or other material. The rollers that include a template or pattern could include a continuous pattern that runs along the entire length of the roller or they could include a template or pattern that only exists on a portion of the roller. Additional embodiments, could include rollers that include multiple templates or patterns that each occupy a portion of a single roller. Finally, additional embodiments of the detailer could include rollers that include countless combinations of different patterns, templates, cutters, slitters, perforators, crimpers, embossers, die cutters, ink, glitter, or adhesive transferring pattern, etc., each occupying a portion of a single roller.
The rollers 121, 122 of the present embodiment are permanently enclosed within the roller cartridge 120. In the illustrated embodiment, a ejection button 127 is provided to allow the user to eject the cartridge from the paper detailer. It should be apparent to one skilled in the art that various types of ejection mechanisms could be utilized to accomplish this. To achieve the desired pattern of crimp, embossment, or die-cut shape, etc. that will be created on the paper or other material, the user will be able to mount different roller cartridges 120 within the housing 110 that include various combinations of rollers 121, 122. For example, to render a certain crimped pattern into a piece of paper, the user will locate a roller cartridge 120 that includes rollers 121, 122 which possess the desired pattern and insert the roller cartridge 120 into the housing 110. It should be apparent to one skilled in the art that an endless variety of different patterns could be cut by various die-cutting rollers that could be used with the detailer. Various roller cartridges 120 will be provided with the detailer 100 or will be available separately from the detailer. It should also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the rollers could be removable from the roller cartridge 120 such that various rollers could be exchanged in and out of one roller cartridge 120. Also the detailer 100 could be provided without a roller cartridge 120. The rollers 121, 122 could simply be either removably or permanently mounted directly within the housing 110. Finally, the paper detailer 100 could be adapted to include multiple roller cartridges 120 or multiple sets of rollers and the multiple openings could be defined within the housing 110 of the paper detailer to allow for paper or other media to be inserted into each of the multiple cartridges or multiple pairs of rollers.
According to various embodiments of the paper detailer 100, the rollers 121, 122 are driven to rotation by a drive mechanism 130. As illustrated in representative
According to some embodiments, the detailer 100 of the illustrated embodiment includes a drive mechanism that includes an electric motor 132. In alternate embodiments, the detailer 100 could also manually powered, such as by a hand-crank or other device. The detailer 100 could also include both an electric motor and an apparatus that manually drives the detailer, such as a hand crank. In this manner, the detailer could be both electronically and manually powered. Accordingly, the device could then be manually driven if a power supply is not available or if the detailer becomes jammed and the user wished to manually drive the rollers 121, 122 to rotate in order to remove the material jamming the device.
Referring again to
The drive mechanism 130 of the illustrated embodiment of the detailer 100 also includes a gear assembly 135, also supported and enclosed within the housing 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the gear assembly 135 is fashioned out of plastic, but other suitable materials, such as metal, or combinations of metal and plastic could be used. The gear assembly 135 mechanically connects the electric motor 132 with the gears, which in turn are connected to and drive rotation of the pair of rollers 121, 122. When the electric motor 132 is activated, the gear assembly 135 drives the rollers 121, 122. The gear assembly 135 of the illustrated embodiment includes a series of optional step-down gears, which are adapted to increase the torque output of the electric motor. It should be apparent to one skilled in the art that several configurations of gear assemblies could be utilized. Additionally, the electric motor 132 could be directly engageable with the rollers 121, 122.
In some embodiments, a gear assembly 135 comprises reduction gears. As used herein in the context of gears, the term “reduction” means gearing that reduces an input speed to a slower output speed. In some embodiments, reduction gears having a planetary arrangement are used to drive rotation of the rollers 121, 122. As used herein, the term “planetary gearset” refers to a gearset in which all of the gears are in one plane, grouped around each other like the planets around the sun. The central gear is called the “sun gear.” In mesh with it is a circular grouping of gears, called “planet gears,” mounted on a rotating carrier. The planet gears also engage teeth on the inner periphery of the “ring gear.” By holding any one of the three gear elements motionless, different ratios can be produced between the other two. In other embodiments, reduction gears having a compound arrangement are used to drive rotation of the rollers 121, 122. As used herein, the term “compound gearset” means a gearset in which two or more gears are fixed on the same shaft.
When the electric motor 132 is activated and the output shaft of the electric motor 132 rotates, a cylindrical gear mounted on the output shaft rotates and drives the main gear of the gear assembly 135. In the illustrated embodiment, the main gear is mechanically connected with the gear assembly 127 of the roller cartridge 120. The main gear, together with the gear assembly receiver portion of the rollers 121, 122, transfer the rotational motion of the cylindrical gear mounted on the output shaft of the electric motor 132 to the pair of rollers 121, 122. Accordingly, as the cylindrical gear turns, the main gear of the gear assembly 135 turns; as the main gear turns, each of the one or more additional step gears are driven to rotate, and in turn, the gear assembly receiver portion of the pair of rollers 121, 122 is driven to rotate. The number, sizes, and ratios of the gears in the gear assembly 135 influence whether the rate of rotation of rollers 121, 122 is the same as or different from the rate of rotation of the output shaft of the electric motor 132. Good results have been obtained using step gears according to the embodiment illustrated in
The detailer 100 of the illustrated embodiment includes a forward activation switch 140 and a reverse activation switch 142 (connected to the electrical motor 132 by wires not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, the forward activation switch 140 is mounted within the front wall 112 of the housing 110 and the reverse activation switch 142 is mounted within the back wall 113 of the housing 110. The location and orientation of the forward and reverse activation switches 140, 142 of the illustrated embodiment are adapted to allow a user to easily grasp the detailer 100 and manipulate both the forward and reverse activation switches with the same hand. However, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the switches 140, 142 could be mounted to the housing or other portion of the detailer 100 in different places. In addition, it should be apparent that the forward and reverse activation switches 140, 142 are optional and need not be included with all embodiments of the detailer 100.
When a user wishes to feed paper or other material into the detailer 100, the forward activation switch 140 is pressed, which activates the electric motor 132 and causes the top roller 121 to rotate in a counter-clockwise manner and the bottom roller 122 to rotate in a clockwise manner, i.e. when viewed from the right side in
In the illustrated embodiment, the switches 140, 142 are momentary switches but many different types of switches could be used. The electric motor 132 continues to run until the momentary switch 140 is released. However, alternative embodiments may include switches that do not have to be continuously pressed to activate the electric motor 140. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention could include many different types of switches. For example, the detailer 100 could include an automatic start mechanism which would activate the electric motor 132 when a piece of paper or other material comes within a predetermined distance of the rollers 121, 122. Finally, additional embodiment of the detailer may not include a reverse activation switch.
The detailer 100 of the illustrated embodiment includes four 1.5 volt AA alkaline batteries 150 that are supported and enclosed within the housing 110. The batteries 150 are electronically connected with the electric motor 132 and the activation switches 140, 142 of the detailer by wires not shown and they power the electric motor. Different types and numbers of batteries could be effectively used. The detailer 100 could also be powered by other power sources, for example the detailer of the present invention could be adapted to be powered by standard household electrical current or a direct current power sources, such as a vehicle's cigarette lighter. In addition, the detailer 100 could also be manually powered by a hand-crank or other device.
In the illustrated embodiment, the housing includes an optional paper feeder 160 with a paper guide 162. In the illustrated embodiment, the paper feeder 160 is a generally planar member that is pivotally mounted to the housing 110 and may be selectively flipped up and locked in a position that is generally perpendicular to the housing 110. The optional paper feeder 160 supports the weight of the paper or other material that is being fed into the detailer 100 and assists the user in feeding the paper or other material into the detailer. By supporting the weight of the paper or other material, the paper feeder 160 helps to ensure that the pattern or design will be clearly and evenly rendered onto the paper or other material.
The optional paper guide 162 of the illustrated embodiment is mounted within a groove 164 defined within the paper feeder 160 and is selectively moveable within the groove 164 to accommodate various shapes and sizes of paper or other material. The paper guide 162 may be aligned with the edge of the paper or other material being inserted into the detailer 100 by the user to ensure that the paper or other material enters the detailer 100 properly and does not become crooked when entering the detailer 100. In the illustrated embodiment, a portion of the cover 116 is translucent so as to allow the user to see the rollers and thereby line up a piece of paper or other material in coordination with the rollers so as to cut a strip of paper of a desired width or imprint an embossment or crimp on a certain portion of a piece of paper or other material. It should be apparent to one skilled in the art, that the paper feeder 160 and paper guide 162 are not limited to the shape and configuration shown in the illustrated embodiment but could be shaped and configured differently. For example, the paper feeder 160 could simply be an opening defined within the housing 110 that included a surface the paper or other material being fed into the detailer could rest on. In addition, it should be apparent that the paper feeder 160 and paper guide 162 are optional and need not be included with all embodiments of the detailer 100. Optionally, various embodiment of the detailer 100 could also include a blade or other cutting device to cut the paper to a desired length once it exits the detailer 100.
In use, the user mounts the desired roller cartridge 120 into the housing 110, the pair of rollers 121, 122 including a template desired by the user. The user then feeds a piece of paper, a photo or other material between the rollers 121, 122. The powered rollers 121, 122 roll the paper/photo through the paper detailer 100. The forces of the rollers 121, 122 transfer the design of the template onto/into the paper/photo. Thus, the paper receives a crimp, embossment, texture, or cut corresponding to the pair of rollers installed by the user. Thus, the illustrated embodiment of the present invention is a portable, easy-to-use, battery-operated paper detailer used mainly in crafts and scrapbooking, but suitable for other similar uses.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that while the foregoing description sets forth in detail preferred embodiments of the present invention, modifications, additions, and changes might be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/687,595, filed Jun. 3, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60687595 | Jun 2005 | US |