Cassette for receiving and storing a plurality of tile pieces

Abstract: A method and related apparatus for automatically creating a simulated mosaic controllably discharges tile pieces onto a plate material and secures the tile pieces in place such that the plates bearing the tile pieces are freestanding. This permits the plates themselves to be an ordered arrangement of sections of the mosaic once cemented to the substrate. Many different forms may be taken by the plate material, including forms that are pressure- or heat-activatable in order to facilitate bonding with the tile pieces, and forms that are mechanically connectable.

Description: The present invention relates to a cassette for receiving and storing a plurality of tile pieces in a stacked arrangement. A cassette of this kind is described in EP-A-0 638 443 which relates to an automated tiling system whereby tilings are arranged in an ordered collection of plates in accordance with numeric data representing a pattern to be followed by the tile pieces such that the ordered collection of plates once bonded to a substrate surface depict the pattern initially prescribed by the input data. Hitherto, the creation of tile plates, that is, the pre-made assembly of the tile pieces and the material backing on which they are attached, were manufactured for the most part by hand. This involved the time consuming process of hiring people to pick and place individual tile pieces in a given arrangement on the plate material. The manual arrangement of tilings on a backing material has without doubt many problems associated with it, and among these problems is that the complexity of the design to be carried out is limited by the skill of the worker. Attempts have been made to simplify the creation of designs. One such attempt is disclosed in US-A-2 715 289 wherein fabrication of repetitive or nonrepetitive designs is accomplished using plates having a repeating pattern baked in them. The design is created by varying the orientation of the individual plates relative to one another. A mosaic is thus created by the juxtaposition of each plate with the other. However, the tile pieces used are all of the same shape and size so that there is no aesthetic enhancement through shape and size variances. Also, there is no point-by-point color variation capability with this system, thus making it virtually impossible to portray different designs outside of those which are provided for by the system. With the advancement of new scanning technology, the ability to take an image and transpose it into digital form for use in a computer is readily available. The availability of such scanning technology presents countless possibilities for decorating interiors and exteriors of an environment. In addition, surfaces on commonly found items, such as plazas, walkways, pool areas, coffee tables, dining tables, counter tops, mantle pieces and wall hangings, could all be decorated in tile with exquisite beauty using the data representing the design which is to be represented by the tile pieces. In digital form, a desired design could be projected electronically in a simulation of an environment in which it is to be used. That is, data representing a graphic in digitized form quite easily lends itself to being displayed on a screen, or printed by a multicolored laser jet printer on paper in the case where a hard copy is desired. However, while it is very possible to create and maintain such graphic representations of a given design electronically in a computer, implementing this data to drive numerically controlled machinery to create a simulated mosaic involves correlating the rules of tiling mathematics with the numeric control logic of the implementing machines. Additionally, the capability of computers taken from a stand point of storing and executing complex equations and matrices, such as, equations involving the laws of tessellism or pointillism which govern tiling pattern design, is made virtually automatic through the use of such technology. The placement of the basic geometric shapes often used in creating a mosaic, such as squares, hexagons or triangles, while hitherto primarily arranged in a monohedral relationship, can be integrated with one another by using appropriate software. Examples of such are prototiles in which equilateral triangles, squares and regular hexagons can be arranged in a myriad of different formations by execution of the appropriate algorithm in the computer. The laying out of individual tiles to physically determine whether or not they fit within a given confine, as is presently done by hand, can further be simplified by an overall algorithm for automatically creating a tiling by computer. EP-A-0 638 443 describes a method and related apparatus for creating a desired pattern design wherein tile pieces are arranged on individual plates in accordance with a general panoramic scheme for which each of the plates has a designated position in the overall layout. The system includes, for this purpose, a base support surface for providing a surface upon which a material is supported and onto which material tile pieces are deposited. A delivery apparatus is disposed in a spatial relationship proximate the base support surface for applying tile pieces onto the material supported by the base support surface at predetermined locations thereon. A drive controllably positions the base support surface and the delivery apparatus relative to one another such that the delivery apparatus is positioned relative to the base support surface at the predetermined locations. A supply cassette communicates with the delivery apparatus for providing a supply of tile pieces to be deposited on the base support surface through the delivery apparatus. Control means connects the drive and the delivery apparatus to controllably position the delivery apparatus relative to the base support surface at the predetermined locations and for causing the delivery apparatus to discharge a tile piece at one of the predetermined locations. The predetermined locations are defined for each tile piece discharged by control data used by the control means to effect positioning by the delivery apparatus and the support surface relative to one another and to effect discharge of the tile pieces by the delivery apparatus at the predetermined locations onto the material supported by the base support surface. This enables creating a simulated mosaic whereby an ordered collection of plates is provided and on each of which plates is disposed a plurality of tile pieces in a given arrangement such that the plates collectively, when affixed to a decorated surface as an ordered collection, present a desired artistic effect. The tile pieces are supplied to the delivery apparatus in the order the pieces are to be discharged by the delivery apparatus at the predetermined locations. This can be accomplished by pre-loading the supply cassette with the tile pieces in the order they are to be discharged. The problem to be solved by the invention is to provide a cassette for receiving and storing a plurality of tile pieces of varying thickness as well as tile pieces of differing size and/or shape in a stacked arrangement. The invention solves this problem by the features of the independent claim. Advantageous further developments are specified in the dependent claims. A cassette according to the invention is particularly not only adapted to dispense tile pieces of compatible size and shape, but also tile pieces of differing size and shape. Therefore it permits off-line preloading with all of the tile pieces comprising a mosaic. The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a tile applicator in the form of a cassette dispenser. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the dispensing unit shown apart from the device of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the dispensing unit shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 a-e are partial sectional views illustrating selected tile pieces received within cassette forming a part of the dispensing unit shown in Fig. 3. Turning now to Figs. 1 through 3, and in particular to the cassette type dispensing device 34 shown therein, it should be seen that this dispensing device employs one or more sleeves 79, 79, which are carried by a Y-carriage 86 above a stationary support surface 85 traversed by an X-carriage 88 movable in the X-coordinate direction and carrying the Y-carriage 86 for movement along its length. Each sleeve 79, 79 includes a cassette 82 having an internal passage 81 and a tile delivery means 84 connected for communication with one another and secured to the Y-carriage 86 through the intermediary of a mounting part 83. The X and Y carriages are each driven respectively by positioning motors (not shown) linked to the associated X, Y position control means 31a, 31b of a control system. The delivery means 84 of the device 34 is comprised of a planar holding member 50, a shuttle means 68 drivingly connected to an actuator 70, and a reciprocating rod 66. The delivery means 84 includes a stepper motor 92 mounted to the Y-carriage and linked to a theta control means for controlling the angular orientation of the holding member 50 about the axis 90. Rotation of the holding member 50 occurs through the intermediary of a pinion gear 93 driven by the motor 92 and positively engaging teeth 95 disposed about the outer circumference of the holding member 50. The mounting part 83 is provided as part of the delivery means 84 and is secured to the Y-carriage for supporting the holding member 50 for rotation about the axis 90. The holding member is adapted for connection with the cassette for communication with the delivery means 84. For this purpose, a throat portion 87 is provided and is integrally formed as part of the holding member 50 such that the mounting part is freely rotatably mounted about it. The throat portion 87 and the lower end 109 of the cassette are provided with releasable corresponding mating surfaces in the form of an annular groove 94 formed along the inner wall of the throat portion 87 which cooperates with a radially outwardly extending rib 98 disposed on the lower end of the cassette to create a snap fitting connection therebetween. The cassettes are made from a flexible material, i.e. plastic, to aid in this connection. The open end 109 of the cassette may be chamfered at 99 to effect more effective sliding of the cassette wall between the finger means 108 and the first tile piece 48'. Since the delivery means 84 of each sleeve is capable of being rotated about a rotational axis 90, the tile pieces can be deposited in infinite angular orientations thus leading to the creation of numerous artistic effects. It should be understood that individual cassettes can be loaded with tile pieces varying in dimension and/or appearance. Thus, a cassette or collection of cassettes can be pre-loaded off-line with those tile pieces required to form a mosaic representing a particular graphic according to data defining that graphic. Such off-line loading not only reduces the time required to form a desired mosaic, but also reduces the labor cost associated with loading tile pieces into the cassettes. Moreover, the errors inherent in manual selection of the tile pieces are eliminated, since the pick and place device 100 is automatically controlled by the control means 37 according to the data defining the graphic. Loading the cassettes with tile pieces having the same, size, shape and thickness or varying in appearance only, such as for example, tile pieces varying in color, texture and/or shading, does not present any difficulty. However, where the tile pieces vary in size and shape, only those tile pieces that can be arranged in a stable stack within the cassette and that can be accurately dispensed from the cassette by the dispensing device 34 are permitted. The internal passage 81 of the cassette does not necessarily have to conform exactly to the size and shape of the tile pieces received within it, as long as the shapes and sizes of the various tile pieces are compatible. Thus, a square-shaped passageway is capable of receiving similarly sized square-shaped tile pieces, as well as, for example, similarly sized hexagonal, octagonal or even round tile pieces. Tile pieces having significantly different shapes or sizes cannot be included in the same stack, since individual pieces would likely tilt or skew within the stack, thus rendering the stack unstable and preventing the accurate dispensing of tile pieces by the delivery means 84. Fig. 3 illustrates that the dispensing device is particularly adapted not only to dispense tile pieces of compatible size and shape, but also tile pieces of varying thickness. The device 34 includes a cassette 82 having an internal passage 81 lined with a resilient material 210, such as rubber, which substantially conforms to tile pieces of varying size and shape, and also frictionally engages the tile pieces to retain them within the cassette. As shown in Figs. 4 a-e, the internal passage 81 of the cassette 82 is capable of receiving, for example, square 212, hexagonal 214, diamond-shaped 216, round 218 and octagonal 220 tile pieces of varying size. Those skilled in the art will recognize, that the compatibility requirements for size and shape among the tile pieces are dependent on the type of resilient lining used and the degree to which it is able to conform to the individual tile pieces. Since the resilient lining retains the tile pieces within the cassette, the dispensing device 34 further comprises a plunger 222 operably connected to an actuator 224. The actuator is under the control of the delivery means controller, and the controller directs the actuator to depress the plunger a distance which is equal to the thickness of the bottom tile in the stack to deposit this tile piece onto the planar holding member 50. Since the controller is ultimately directed by a tiling execution program, the dispensing device 34 can be used to dispense tiles of varying thickness, as well as those differing in shape, size and appearance. Thus, in the case where a mosaic requires tile pieces of differing size, shape, thickness and appearance, the tile dispensing unit 34 permits off-line preloading of the cassettes 82 with all of the tile pieces comprising the mosaic, within the limits of compatibility discussed above. It should be appreciated that numerous modifications and substitutions may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, while the shapes of the tile pieces used are assumed to be regular, in actuality, the pieces used may be irregular but will be assumed to have a regular shape based on overall geometry of the piece. Further, where the tile pieces are of uniform thickness but differing in size and/or shape, the resilient lining shown in Fig. 3 need not be made of material which frictionally engages the tile pieces. Thus, such a resilient lining can be added directly to the interior passage 81 of the cassette 82 shown in Fig. 2.

Claims: A cassette (82) for receiving and storing a plurality of tile pieces (48) in a stacked arrangement comprising: a generally elongate tubular member having a first end and an opposite second end and having an interior confine (81) disposed therebetween for receiving said tile piece (48); one of said first and second ends being provided with a means (98) for releasably connecting the cassette (82) to a tile piece delivery apparatus (84); characterized by said interior confine (81) of said tubular member including means (211) which are able to substantially conform to tile pieces (48) of differing size and/or shape. The cassette (82) of claim 1 wherein said tile pieces are stacked according to a predetermined order. The cassette (82) of claim 1 or 2 wherein said means for releasably connecting the cassette to a delivery apparatus (84) is an annularly extending projection (98) correspondingly sized and configured to be received within a similarly sized and shaped groove (94) in the delivery apparatus (84). The cassette (82) of claim 3 wherein the one of said first and second ends (109) is provided with a means for releasably connecting the cassette to a tile piece delivery apparatus (84) and further includes an annular chamfer (99) disposed about that end. The cassette (82) of claim 4 wherein the cassette is cylindrical and formed from plastic. The cassette (82) of any of claims 3 to 5 wherein the interior confine further includes means (211) which substantially conforms to and frictionally engages the tile pieces (48) and retains them within the interior confine (81). The cassette (82) of claim 6 wherein the means which substantially conforms comprises the means which frictionally engages and retains. The cassette (82) of claim 7 wherein the means which substantially conforms and frictionally engages comprises a resilient lining (211) supported within the interior confine (81).

Inventors: GERBER DAVID J, GERBER, DAVID J.
Applicants: GERBER SCIENT PRODUCTS INC, GERBER SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTS, INC.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B44B9
IPC codes: B44B9, B44C3, B44F11