Abstract:
A slide lock includes a slide lock base having a plurality of grip element openings; a slide lock handle carried by the slide lock base and positional in a released position and a locked position relative to the slide lock base; and a plurality of grip elements carried by the slide lock handle and disposed in the grip element openings, respectively. The grip elements are retracted in the grip element openings, respectively, when the slide lock handle is in the released position and the grip elements protrude from the grip element openings, respectively, when the slide lock handle is in the locked position.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The disclosure generally relates to devices used to cut sheet material such as fabric. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a slide lock which securely holds a sheet of fabric or other material in place against a support surface for cutting to ensure that the material is uniformly cut along straight lines. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Quilting is a popular worldwide pastime. Over the years, the art of quilting has undergone numerous changes. These changes include the use of new and better quilting fabrics, techniques and tools. One type of tool which is extensively used by quilting enthusiasts is the rotary cutter, which includes a rotatable round blade attached to a handle. The rotary cutter can be used to cut multiple fabric pieces out of a sheet of fabric material at the same time. The cut fabric pieces are sewn together in a selected pattern to form the quilt. 
     One of the drawbacks of using a rotary cutter to cut pieces of fabric from a fabric sheet includes the difficulty of accurately cutting all the fabric pieces to a uniform and exact size as may be required for knitting of a quilt. Therefore, a cutting guide such as a ruler which enables the rotary cutter to cut the fabric in a straight line may be necessary. This procedure requires that the quilter place his or her hand at the center of the ruler, press down as hard as possible and begin cutting the fabric sheet in a straight line along the edge of the ruler using the rotary cutter. Depending on the length of the fabric sheet which is being cut, however, this process may require that the cutting process be periodically stopped as the quilter repositions his or her hand further along the ruler. This repositioning effort may result in inadvertent sliding of the ruler in a sideways motion and consequently, uneven cutting of the fabric sheet. Although it may be possible to trim the cut fabric piece or strip to the desired size using this procedure, it is frequently necessary that the incorrectly-cut pieces be discarded. 
     Accordingly, a slide lock which holds a sheet of fabric or other material in place against a support surface as the material is cut to ensure that the material is uniformly cut along straight lines is needed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The disclosure is generally directed to a slide lock which holds a sheet of fabric or other material in place against a support surface as the material is cut to ensure that the material is uniformly cut along straight lines. An illustrative embodiment of the slide lock includes a slide lock base having a plurality of grip element openings; a slide lock handle carried by the slide lock base and positional in a released position and a locked position relative to the slide lock base; and a plurality of grip elements carried by the slide lock handle and disposed in the grip element openings, respectively. The grip elements are retracted in the grip element openings, respectively, when the slide lock handle is in the released position and the grip elements protrude from the grip element openings, respectively, when the slide lock handle is in the locked position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded front perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the slide lock for sheet cutting; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded front perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the slide lock; 
         FIG. 2A  is a side view of an exemplary grip element of an illustrative embodiment of the slide lock; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of an exemplary slide lock handle of an illustrative embodiment of the slide lock; 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the exemplary slide lock handle; 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the exemplary slide lock handle; 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom view of an exemplary slide lock base of an illustrative embodiment of the slide lock; 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of an illustrative embodiment of the slide lock in exemplary application thereof, with the slide lock initially disengaging a fabric sheet on a support surface; 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of an illustrative embodiment of the slide lock in exemplary application thereof, with the slide lock engaging and securely holding the fabric sheet against the support surface for uniform cutting of the sheet along the slide lock; 
         FIG. 9  is a top view of an illustrative embodiment of the slide lock in exemplary application thereof, with the slide lock placed on a material sheet preparatory to cutting of the sheet; and 
         FIG. 10  is a top view of an illustrative embodiment of the slide lock in exemplary application thereof after cutting of a piece of the material sheet. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. Relative terms such as “upper” and “lower” are used for descriptive purposes only herein and shall not be construed in a limiting sense. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. 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 inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. 
     Referring initially to  FIGS. 1-8  of the drawings, an illustrative embodiment of the slide lock for sheet cutting, hereinafter slide lock, is generally indicated by reference numeral  1 . The slide lock  1  includes a slide lock base  2  which may be generally elongated. The slide lock base  2  may be wood, metal, plastic and/or other rigid material and may include a generally flat or planar base lower surface  3  and a generally flat or planar base upper surface  4 . Multiple grip element openings  8  may extend through the slide lock base  2  from the base upper surface  4  to the base lower surface  3 . The grip element openings  8  may be disposed in spaced-apart, adjacent relationship to each other. In some embodiments, the slide lock base  2  may have 11 grip element openings  8  which may be generally equally-spaced with respect to each other along the length of the slide lock base  2 , as illustrated. In other embodiments, the slide lock base  2  may have as few as two or more than 11 grip element openings  8 . 
     A slide lock handle  20  is provided on the slide lock base  2 . The slide lock handle  20  may be generally elongated with a generally flat or planar grip element engaging surface  21  and an exposed handle surface  22 . In some embodiments, the slide lock handle  20  may have a pair of beveled handle surfaces  23  which extend from opposite ends of the exposed handle surface  22 . Side handle edges  24  may extend between the grip element engaging surface  21  and the corresponding beveled handle surface  23 . The slide lock handle  20  may be wood, metal, plastic and/or other rigid material. 
     Multiple grip elements  14  are provided on the grip element engaging surface  21  of the slide lock handle  20 . The grip elements  14  register with and insert into the respective grip element openings  8  in the slide lock base  2 . Each grip element  14  may be a resilient, deformable material such as polyurethane, for example and without limitation. As illustrated in  FIG. 2A , each grip element  14  may generally have the shape of a dome or a half-globe with a generally convex gripping surface  16  and a generally flat or planar handle attachment surface  15  which is opposite the gripping surface  16  and attached to the grip element engaging surface  21  of the slide lock handle  20  using glue and/or other suitable attachment technique known by those skilled in the art. As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , each grip element  14  may be oriented in each corresponding grip element opening  8  with the handle attachment surface  15  disposed generally at the base upper surface  4  and the gripping surface  16  disposed generally at the base lower surface  3  of the slide lock base  2 . 
     At least one fastener opening  10  may extend through the slide lock base  2 . In some embodiments, a pair of fastener openings  10  may extend through the slide lock base  2  in spaced-apart relationship to each other, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  6 . At least one fastener opening  26  may extend through the slide lock handle  20  from the grip element engaging surface  21  to the exposed handle surface  22  of the slide lock handle  20 . A bushing  31  may be provided in each fastener opening  26 . Each handle fastener  30  may extend through the corresponding fastener opening  10  in the slide lock base  2  and through the corresponding and registering bushing  31  in the fastener opening  26 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , a washer  32  and a nut  33  may be placed on each handle fastener  30 . A lock nut  34  may be threaded on each handle fastener  30  inside the fastener opening  26  to loosely secure the slide lock handle  20  on the slide lock base  2 . 
     The slide lock handle  20  may be loosely mounted on the slide lock base  2  in such a manner that the slide lock handle  20  can be selectively deployed in a raised or released position ( FIG. 7 ) or a lowered or locked position ( FIG. 8 ) with respect to the slide lock base  2 . In the released position, a handle gap  38  ( FIG. 7 ) may normally exist between the slide lock base  2  and the slide lock handle  20 . At least one handle spring  35  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) may be interposed between the slide lock base  2  and the slide lock handle  20  to normally bias the slide lock handle  20  in the released position. Depression of the slide lock handle  20  against the slide lock base  2  from the released position in  FIG. 7  to the locked position in  FIG. 8  closes the handle gap  38  and facilitates protrusion of the gripping surfaces  16  on the respective grip elements  14  through the respective grip element openings  8  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) and beyond the base lower surface  3  of the slide lock base  2 , as illustrated in  FIG. 8 . Conversely, release of downward pressure from the slide lock handle  20  causes the handle spring or springs  35  to return the slide lock handle  20  to the raised released position of  FIG. 7  and facilitates retraction of the gripping surfaces  16  of the grip elements  14  into the respective grip element openings  8 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in some embodiments, each handle spring  35  may be seated in a corresponding spring cavity  28  which is recessed into the grip element engaging surface  21  of the slide lock handle  20 . The end of the handle spring  35  which protrudes from the spring cavity  28  engages the base upper surface  4  of the slide lock base  2 . 
     Referring next to  FIGS. 7-10  of the drawings, in exemplary application the slide lock  1  may be used to facilitate uniform and straight cutting of a material sheet  41 . In some applications, the material sheet  41  may be a fabric sheet which is cut for quilting applications. Accordingly, the material sheet  41  which is to be cut is initially placed on a flat support surface  40 . As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , with the slide lock handle  20  of the slide lock  1  initially deployed in the released position, the slide lock base  2  is placed on the material sheet  41 . The slide lock base  2  is oriented along the desired cut line  43  ( FIG. 9 ) which is to be cut in the material sheet  41 . Next, the slide lock handle  20  is manually depressed against the bias which is imparted by the handle spring or springs  35  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) from the released position of  FIG. 7  to the locked position of  FIG. 8 . Therefore, the slide lock handle  20  pushes the grip elements  14  and the convex gripping surfaces  16  of the grip elements  14  protrude from the respective grip element openings  8  in the slide lock base  2  against the material sheet  41 , as illustrated in  FIG. 8 . Thus, the grip elements  14  tightly engage the material sheet  41  and securely hold the material sheet  41  against the support surface  40 . A cutting implement (not illustrated) such as a conventional rotary cutter, for example and without limitation, may then be used to cut the material sheet  41  along the cut line  43 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the slide lock  1  is amenable to use by right-handed or left-handed persons and prevents sideways and other movement of the material sheet  41  and the cutting implement during the cutting operation. Moreover, the slide lock base  2  of the slide lock  1  may serve as a template for the cutting implement and facilitates uniform, precise and straight cutting of the material sheet  41  along the cut line  43  for quilting or other applications. As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , after the cutting operation, the cut piece  42  is separated from the material sheet  41  from which it was cut. Downward pressure against the slide lock handle  20  may then be released such that the handle spring or springs  35  return the slide lock handle  20  to the released position of  FIG. 7 . Simultaneously, the grip elements  14  disengage the material sheet  41  and retract into the respective grip element openings  8  in the slide lock base  2 . The slide lock  1  can then be slid along the material sheet  41  and repositioned to cut another piece  42  from the material sheet  41 , as desired. 
     While illustrative embodiments of the disclosure have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications can be made and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.