Abstract:
A removable storage compartment assembly for a material cutter comprising a compartment placement region and a removable storage compartment. The storage compartment includes a compartment lower portion removably engaged to the compartment placement region and a compartment upper portion removably and mateably engaged to the compartment lower portion. A biasing member is operatively connected to the compartment lower portion. When the compartment lower portion is disengaged from the compartment placement region, the biasing member biases the compartment lower portion away from the compartment placement region.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention is directed to a material cutter. More particularly, the present invention is related to a material cutter that is relatively simple to use and incorporates an easily replaceable cutting edge.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    A number of cutting boards with material cutting devices attached thereto are conventionally known. One type of “paper trimmer” comprises a cutting board with a rail assembly coupled thereto. A carriage assembly is mounted on the rail assembly for translational movement across the cutting board, thereby cutting or trimming various materials. A circular blade is mounted in the carriage assembly for rotary motion.  
           [0003]    Although such cutting assemblies are conventionally known, conventional paper trimmers include a number of limitations. For example, the cutting blade on the paper trimmer often becomes worn, bent or irregularly configured over time, resulting in a non-uniform cut of the paper or other material. For this reason, it is necessary to provide a number of replacement blades for the paper trimmer. A number of replacement blades may be sold with the original paper trimmer for this purpose. Over time, however, the user may run out of replacement blades, requiring that he or she purchase separately new replacement blades from the paper trimmer.  
           [0004]    Furthermore, the cutting blades for the paper trimmer often include a very sharp edge in order to provide for a clean cut. Therefore, it is desirable that the replacement blades be packaged in a manner such that the likelihood of accidental injury is minimized. Furthermore, many currently existing paper trimmers include no storage mechanism for storing the replacement blades. While some paper trimmers do include a storage area, the storage area is often exposed to the outside environment, resulting in the blade edge also being exposed and potentially injuring the user and/or damaging the blade. It would therefore be desirable to provide a storage assembly for blades which minimizes the exposure of the cutting blades to the user and the environment, while also being easily incorporated into the paper trimmer.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a removable storage compartment for a material cutter.  
           [0006]    It is another object of the invention to provide a replaceable blade storage compartment for a material cutter.  
           [0007]    It is still another object of the invention to provide a storage compartment for cutting blades that is relatively simple to manufacture.  
           [0008]    It is finally another object of the present invention to provide an improved storage compartment for cutting blades which is relatively simple to replace.  
           [0009]    In accordance with the above objects, a blade storage compartment comprises a base, a compartment lower portion removably engaged to the base, a compartment upper portion removably and mateably engaged to the compartment lower portion, and a biasing member operatively connected to the compartment lower portion. When the compartment lower portion is disengaged from the base, the biasing member biases the compartment lower portion away from the base. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The foregoing advantages and features of the invention will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, of which:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a storage compartment assembly in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a sectional perspective view of the storage compartment assembly of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the combination compartment upper portion and compartment lower portion of FIG. 1;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a top view of the compartment placement region;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cutting board showing a carriage assembly mounted on the rail assembly and the storage compartment assembly of FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the cutting board of FIG. 5, showing the carriage assembly mounted on the rail assembly;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of one end of the rail assembly;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is a cross section view taken on line  8 - 8  of FIG. 6;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the carriage assembly;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the trolley;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the back of the cover;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 12 is a cross section view of the carriage assembly taken on line  12 - 12  of FIG. 6 of the front of the trolley;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 13 is a cross section view similar to FIG. 12 showing a pinking blade in the carriage assembly;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 11 shown in the cutting position;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 15 is a top view of the paper cutter mounted on a craft cutter board; and  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 16 is an elevation view of the craft cutter board. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]    A storage compartment assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown generally at  20  in FIGS. 1 and 2. The storage compartment assembly  20  includes a compartment placement region  22 , an abutment member  24 , a biasing member  26 , a compartment lower portion  28  and a compartment upper portion  30 .  
         [0028]    The compartment placement region  22 , as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and  4 , includes a central depression  32  and an elevated portion  34 . The central depression  32  is sized to accept the abutment member  24  while also including a stud  36  upon which the biasing member  26  may be placed. Above and substantially around the central depression  32  is the elevated portion  34  which is sized to accept the compartment lower portion  28 . The elevated portion  34  also includes a plurality of locking grooves  38 . Each of the locking grooves  38  includes a large groove portion  40  and a small groove portion  42  (best shown in FIG. 4). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there are three locking grooves  38  along the outer edge of the elevated portion  34 , with the large groove portion  40  being substantially the same length as the small groove portion  42 . The locking grooves  38  are used to secure and unsecure the compartment lower portion  28  from the compartment placement region  22  as will be described hereinafter.  
         [0029]    The compartment lower portion  28  and the compartment upper portion  30  are removably attached to each other, enclosing a region in which one or more cutting blades  58  may be placed. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the compartment lower portion  28  comprises a lower portion bottom  52  that is bounded by a lower portion side wall  50 . In one embodiment of the invention, a central opening  48  is located in the center of the lower portion bottom  52 . The lower portion bottom  52  of the compartment lower portion  28  also includes a plurality of hook members  46  located along the outer edge of the lower portion bottom  52 . The hook members  46  are positioned to substantially correspond to the locking grooves  38  within the compartment placement region  22 . The compartment upper portion  30  includes an upper portion top  54  that is bounded by an upper portion side wall  56 . In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the compartment upper portion  30  also includes a plurality of finger tabs  60  in the form of depressions. The plurality of finger tabs  60  may be used by the user to rotate the compartment upper portion  30 .  
         [0030]    The compartment lower portion  28  and the compartment upper portion  30  are sized to mate with each other. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper portion side wall  56  fits within the region defined by the lower portion side wall  50 . The compartment lower portion  28  and the compartment upper portion  30  combine to provide a region in which a plurality of cutting blades  58  may be placed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, several of the cutting blades  58  may be placed between the compartment lower portion  28  and the compartment upper portion  30 . Additionally, the user may place his/her finger within the central opening  48 , pushing up the individual cutting blades  58 , providing an easier method of removing the cutting blades  58  from the compartment lower portion  28  with a reduced risk of injury.  
         [0031]    The abutment member  24  is positioned to fit between the compartment placement region  22  and the compartment lower portion  28 , while also being sized slightly larger than the central opening  48 . In one particular embodiment of the invention, the under side of the abutment member  24  includes an abutment member stud (not shown) for receiving one end of the biasing member  26 . Preferably the biasing member  26  comprises a standard coil spring, although other types of biasing members may also be used. The biasing member  26 , being bounded by the abutment member stud and the compartment placement region stud  36 , is snugly positioned between the abutment member  24  and the compartment placement region  22 .  
         [0032]    The operation of the storage compartment assembly  20  is generally as follows. As discussed above, the compartment lower portion  28  and the compartment upper portion  30  removably engage each other to house a plurality of cutting blades  58 . Both the compartment lower portion  28  and the compartment upper portion  30  are completely removable from the compartment placement region  22 , permitting that portion of the storage compartment assembly  20  to be sold as a separate unit with a plurality of the cutting blades  58 .  
         [0033]    The abutment member  24  and the biasing member  26  remain secured to the compartment placement region  22 . When a user desires to fasten the compartment upper portion  30  and the compartment lower portion  28  to the remainder of the storage compartment assembly  20 , the user places the compartment lower portion  28  into the storage compartment assembly  20  such that the hook members  46  substantially align with the large groove portion  40  of each of the locking grooves  38 . By depressing the compartment upper portion  30 , both the compartment upper portion  30  and the compartment lower portion  28  act against the abatement member  24  and the biasing member  26 , moving the hook members  46  into the large groove portions  40 . Once the hook members  46  are within the large groove portions  40 , the user rotates the compartment upper portion  30 , along with the compartment lower portion  28 , in a clockwise direction. This rotation moves the hook members  46  into engagement with the small groove portions  42 , effectively locking the compartment lower portion  28  to the compartment placement region  22 .  
         [0034]    In the event that the user desires to remove one of the cutting blades  58  from the storage compartment assembly  20 , the user simply rotates the compartment upper member  30  and the compartment lower member  28  in a counterclockwise direction, disengaging the compartment lower portion  28  from the compartment placement region  22 . The user is then free to remove the compartment upper portion  30  from the compartment lower portion  28  and remove one or more cutting blades  58 .  
         [0035]    The storage compartment assembly  20  of the present invention could be used with a variety of office tools, including material cutters and material trimmers of different sizes and functions. For example, one paper cutter with a circular blade which could include a storage compartment in accordance with the present invention is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,001, issued to Boda on Jun. 21, 1994 and incorporated herein by reference. A paper cutter  210  as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 generally includes a cutting board  212 , a rail assembly  214  pivotally mounted on one end of the cutting board and a carriage assembly  216  mounted on the rail assembly  214  for movement across the cutting board. The carriage assembly  216  includes a circular cutting blade  218  for cutting or trimming various materials aligned with the rail assembly  216 . Although a flat circular cutting blade is described herein, circular pinking, perforating or wave blades can be used to provide different shaped edges on the paper or material sheets.  
         [0036]    The cutting board  212  includes a paper guide  20  on each side of the cutting board  212  for aligning paper stock under the carriage assembly  216 . A self-healing pad  222  may be mounted in a groove  223  in the cutting board  212  beneath the carriage assembly  216 . An additional recess  215  may be provided in the cutting board  212  for providing additional storage space for the various cutting blades on pins  217 . A cover  219  is pivotally mounted on the board to enclose the additional recess  215 .  
         [0037]    The rail assembly  214  as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 includes a rectangular rail  224  having an opening  225  on one side. The rail is supported at each end by pivot posts  226  which are pivotally mounted on pivot blocks  227 . The ends of the rail  224  are seated in rectangular grooves  228  at the upper end of each of the pivot posts  226 . A foam pad  232  is mounted on the bottom of the rail  224  to engage and hold the paper or other material in position on the cutting board  212  when moved to the cutting position. A guide  233  is provided on the side of each of the pivot posts  226  which is aligned with a recess  235  in the cutting board to stabilize the rail assembly above the paper.  
         [0038]    The pivot posts  226  are pivotally mounted on the pivot blocks  227  mounted on each side of the cutting board  212 . In this regard, each of the posts  226  has a pair of legs  241 . Each of the legs  241  includes openings  243  which matingly engage protrusions  245  provided on each side of the pivot blocks  227 . A limit stop  229  is provided on the top and side of each of the pivot blocks  227  to engage a latch  231  in the pivot post  226  to hold the rail assembly in the open or operative position.  
         [0039]    The carriage assembly  216  as shown in FIGS.  9 - 12  includes a trolley  234  and a cover  236 . The trolley  234  is in the form of a molded plastic piece having a semi-circular body  235 . A flange  238  is provided around the upper edge of the body  235  which terminates at a ledge  240 . A flange  244  depends from the ledge  240  downward to form a space  246  to accommodate the upper portion of the rail  224 . A pair of leaf springs  248  are molded on a support member  242  below the flange  244  which extend outwardly and downwardly therefrom. The ends  250  of the springs  248  are in the form of pads which slide across the inside of the rail  224  as described hereinafter. The front side of the body  235  includes a hole  252  centrally located on the face of the body  235  and surrounded by a circular support surface  254 . A set of three L-shaped flanges  256  are molded on the perimeter of the front of the body  235 .  
         [0040]    The cover  236  is in the form of a semi-circular housing  255  having a flange  258  around the outer perimeter. A number of tabs  260  corresponding to the number of flanges  256  on the trolley are located around the edge of the flange  258 . A hub  262  having a blind bore  263  is provided in the center of the housing  255 . A steel pin  264  is positioned in the bore  263 . A circular ridge  265  is formed around the hub  262  which forms a recess  270  between the ridge  265  and the ridge  258 . On assembly the cover  236  is rotated far enough for the tabs  260  to clear the flanges  256 . The pin  264  is aligned with the hole  252  in the trolley  234  and the cover rotated to interlock the tabs  260  with the flanges  256 .  
         [0041]    The rotary cutting blade  218  includes a center opening  269  and is mounted on the pin  264  in abutting engagement with support surface  254  when the cover  236  is mounted on the trolley  234 . It should be noted that the recess  270  provided around the periphery of the ridge  265  accommodates the cutting blades  218  having cutting edges offset from the center of the blade. In this regard a pinking blade  272  or other types of blades can be stored on the pins  217  in recess  215 . A pinking blade  272  is shown in FIG. 13 mounted on pin  264 . The pinking blade  272  has a center section  282  and a cutting edge  284  offset from the center section  286  into the space  270  provided in cover  236 .  
         [0042]    The trolley  234  is mounted on the rail  224  by sliding the leaf springs  248  into the inside of the rail with the flange  244  aligned with the outside of the rail  224 . One of the cutting blades is mounted on pin  264  and the cover  236  mounted on the trolley  234 . In operation the paper sheets are aligned with one edge of the groove  223  and moved under the rail assembly  214 . The rail assembly  214  is pivoted to the operative position with the foam pad  232  resting on the edge of the paper. The carriage assembly is pushed down as shown in FIG. 14 far enough for the blade  218  to engage the self-healing mat  222 . The carriage assembly is then pushed across the rail assembly. The blade will roll across the mat cutting or trimming the edge of the paper sheet. When released the springs  248  will bias the carriage assembly upward to clear the blade from the paper.  
         [0043]    The paper cutter as described herein can also be used in combination with a craft cutter board  100  as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. The craft board is in the form of a semi-circle having a pivot point  102  at the mid point of the straight edge  104 . Radial lines  106  are drawn outwardly from the pivot point  102  at fifteen degree intervals. The rail assembly  214  has been modified by removing the pivot posts  226  and mounting a center post  108  on one end of the rail  224  and a clamp assembly  112  at the other end of the rail  224 . The center post  108  is free to pivot about pivot point  102  and the rail  224  is free to pivot about pivot pin  110  at the top of center post  108 . The clamp assembly  112  includes an end cap  114  mounted on the rail  224  and an over center latch  116  which is free to pivot about end cap  114  into engagement with the edge of board  100 . Paper aligned with the 0 degree radial line  106  will be secured to the board  100  by the pad  232  when the rail assembly  214  is latched to the board  100 . The carriage assembly can then be pushed down and moved across the rail assembly  214  to cut the paper.  
         [0044]    It should be understood that the above description of the invention and specific examples and embodiments, while indicating the preferred embodiments of the present invention are given by demonstration and not limitation. For example, the shapes and sizes of the storage system components may vary, along with the types of biasing mechanisms and latching mechanisms. Many changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention may therefore be made without departing from the spirit thereof and the present invention includes all such changes and modifications.