Patent Grant
8425139
The present invention relates to a sheet holder and to an edge pattern making apparatus incorporating the same for making a pattern along an edge of a sheet of material.
Edge or border punches come in different styles and are used to create a beautiful die-cut border design for cards and other paper crafts. Some of the punches are designed to emboss and cut simultaneously or separately.
Guides printed on the tool are used for alignment so that a neat continuous pattern along the edge can be obtained, but good alignment is not always guaranteed. To ensure perfect alignment a physical guide is available in some models, which is an independent piece and must be removed or detached each time after use before the punch can be deployed.
The invention seeks to mitigate or at least alleviate such a problem by providing a new or otherwise improved sheet holder and to an edge pattern making apparatus incorporating the same.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a sheet holder for holding a sheet of material and exposing an edge thereof, comprising:
Preferably, the abutment is connected with the operator for simultaneous movement.
More preferably, the abutment is an integral part of the operator.
In a preferred embodiment, the operator is supported above the holding mechanism for pivotal movement between the released position and the holding position on opposite sides of the holding mechanism.
It is further preferred that the operator has an edge portion acting as the abutment which in the released position of the operator extends downwards for abutment by the edge of the sheet.
It is yet further preferred that the edge portion is a flange of the operator.
It is advantageous that the holding mechanism comprises a press that includes a rubber member to provide a rubber grip.
In a preferred embodiment, the sheet holder includes a wall along which the exposed edge of the sheet is to be positioned, and a series of locating formations at regular intervals along the wall for locating an edge pattern maker successively along the wall for repeated operations upon and along the exposed edge.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an edge pattern making apparatus for making a pattern along an edge of a sheet of material, comprising:
Preferably, the abutment is connected with the operator for simultaneous movement.
More preferably, the abutment is an integral part of the operator.
In a preferred embodiment, the operator is supported above the holding mechanism for pivotal movement between the released position and the holding position on opposite sides of the holding mechanism.
It is further preferred that the operator has an edge portion acting as the abutment which in the released position of the operator extends downwards for abutment by the edge of the sheet.
It is yet further preferred that the edge portion is a flange of the operator.
It is an advantage that the holding mechanism comprises a press that includes a rubber member to provide a rubber grip.
The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to the drawings, there is shown a sheet holder 100 and an edge pattern making apparatus 300 incorporating the same, embodying the invention, for making a pattern along an edge 10E of a sheet of material such as a paper sheet 10. The edge pattern making apparatus 300 includes an edge pattern maker, such as a border punch 200, designed for use with the sheet holder 100. An alternative could be an embosser that produces embossed patterns rather than perforations, and a combo is also intended.
The sheet holder 100 incorporates a holding mechanism 110 for locating and holding the paper sheet 10 and exposing an edge 11 thereof in a predetermined position for cutting by the border punch 200. An operating lever is attached to an oblong rectangular base 119 of the holding mechanism 110, which base 119 provides a horizontal platform 118 for placing the paper sheet 10. Opposite ends of the platform 118 support an inverted rectangular-section channel member 111 by its opposite ends 111E, which spans across and runs lengthwise of the platform 118, together defining a narrow gap G therebetween into which the paper sheet 10 is to be inserted from one side.
On one side of the base 119 opposite to the side from which the paper sheet 10 is to be inserted, there is a series of locating formations 111X at regular intervals along the wall of the channel member 111 for locating the border punch 200. The formations 111X are round knobs.
The holding mechanism 110 incorporates a press formed by a press bar 114 which has a rectangular comb-like cross-section facing downwards and by a rubber strip 115 located in and running along the press bar 114. The press bar 114 is received as a sliding fit inside, and almost fully within, the channel member 111 from below. A lateral edge 115E of the rubber strip 115 protrudes downwardly out from the press bar 114 into the gap G for pressing the paper sheet 10 against the platform 118 below, thereby holding the paper sheet 10 stationary on the platform 118. By virtue of its material, the rubber strip 115 ensures a firm grip upon the paper sheet 10.
The press bar 114, along with the rubber strip 115, is slidable upwards and downwards within the channel member 111, thereby closing and revealing the gap G respectively. A pair of coil springs 116 housed within respective ends 111E of the channel member 111 are compressed between the press bar 114 and the base 119 to resiliently bias the press bar 114 upwards, whereby the gap G is normally-open to permit insertion of a paper sheet or the like.
The lever 120 is an oblong member of a similar but slightly smaller footprint than the base 119, co-extending therewith. The body of the lever 120 has three portions across its width, namely inner and outer edge portions or flanges 121 and 122 inclined at about right angles 90° with each other and an oblique middle portion 123, together forming a generally trapezoidal hollow cross-section or in general a crooked cross-section.
Projecting at regular intervals laterally from the inner flange 121 are five identical legs 125 which are hinged to a top wall 111W of the channel member 111. This arrangement makes the lever 120 pivotable about the channel member 111 to either side thereof, between a released position crooked downwards (
Each leg 125 is flat along an imaginary vertical plane and has a pair of small hinge pins 125P aligned on opposite sides thereof. The leg 125 is sandwiched between an associated pair of tabs 111T upstanding integrally from the top wall 111W of the channel member 111, with its hinge pins 125P snap-fitted with aligned recesses 111R in the tabs 111T (
At between the tabs 111T of each pair, there is a slot 111S through the top wall 111W of the channel member 111, which reveals the press bar 114 inside the channel member 111 and permits access thereto from above by the corresponding leg 125.
Each of the flat legs 125 has a part-circular peripheral profile which bears upon the press bar 114 through the relevant slot 111S, against the lifting bias of the springs 116. The part-circular peripheral profile is formed by a circular peripheral portion 125A and a flat peripheral portion 125B.
With the flat peripheral portion 125B bearing flat against the press bar 114, the lever 120 is in the released position and stays under the action of the springs 116 acting via the press bar 114 (
In this position, the outer flange 122 hangs down to one side of the base 119, opposite to the side from which the paper sheet 10 is to be inserted into the gap G.
The outer flange 122 extends downwardly to a level lower than the bottom of the gap G (i.e. the surface of the platform 118), such that the tip of the flange 122 acts as an abutment for blocking the paper sheet 10 soon after its leading edge has come out of the gap G (
If the paper sheet 10 does not take up the entire width of the platform 118, it should be aligned with either upper or lower side of the platform 118 as appropriate.
Once the paper sheet 10 has reached the predetermined position as blocked by or upon abutting the tip of the outer flange 122 in the released position, the lever 120 may be flipped over up to the opposite side (
As the legs' peripheral portions 125A in engagement with the press bar 114 are circular, the engagement is stable so long as the lever 120 is pivoted up. The preferred position is the end position to which the lever 120 has been turned the farthest i.e. the aforesaid holding position.
As illustrated in
The border punch 200 has a base 210 and an operating lever 220 thereon for operating a pair of punch dies for holes (or a composite punch die assembly for cutting out a more complex pattern) in the base 210. This is a typical construction as generally known in the art.
For this particular border punch 200, on the front for example on the front of its lever 220 there is a central recess 220X. The recess 220X has a complementary cross-section as the knobs 111X for mating engagement, or alignment in general, with the knobs 111X sequentially so as to align the punch 200 with the sheet holder 100 along successive locations at regular intervals apart (
The outer flange 122 for abutment by the paper sheet's edge 10E is an integral part of the lever 120. In addition to operating the holding mechanism 110, the lever 120 is also used initially to position the paper sheet 10 in the proper place before operating the holding mechanism 110 to fix the paper sheet 10. The lever 120 is convenient to use with dual functions but no increased part count.
In a different embodiment, a separate abutment may be used instead such as a bracket which is mechanically linked or otherwise associated with the lever for movement thereby such that the bracket will move away from and thus expose the edge of the sheet simultaneously as the lever moves towards the holding position. This operation is no less convenient.
In the actual products, the patterns to punch out are more complex patterns formed by perforations of various shapes and designs.
The invention has been given by way of example only, and various other modifications of and/or alterations to the described embodiment may be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as specified in the appended claims.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20110103881 A1 | May 2011 | US |
