Abstract:
A cutoff apparatus includes a blade and an actuator, the actuator being operatively connected to the blade for selectively moving the blade in a rectilinear direction. A cutting block is disposed adjacent the blade, and the cutting block is positioned off-center with respect to a plane defined by the blade&#39;s rectilinear movement. A depth control mechanism is utilized for selectively controlling a degree of movement of the blade toward the cutting block. Operation of the actuator selectively causes the blade to move in the rectilinear direction thereby impacting the cutting block to an extent in accordance with the depth control mechanism.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is entitled to the benefit of and incorporates by reference in its entirety essential subject matter disclosed in U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/442,617, filed Jan. 24, 2003. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates in general to an insulation cutoff apparatus, and deals more particularly with an insulation cutoff apparatus having increased performance characteristics.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Ducts are extensively utilized in heating and ventilating systems to distribute heated or cooled air throughout a building structure. These ducts are commonly formed from differing gauges of sheet metal, or the like, in sections of predetermined lengths which are then connected to one another to form a continuous duct system for distributing air.  
           [0004]    It is oftentimes necessary to integrate insulation material with ductwork in order to provide the required thermal characteristics for a given application. Typically, the insulation that is utilized is comprised of a fiberglass material and is commonly packaged as a continuous roll of insulation. Known cutting devices are then employed to unroll a predetermined amount of insulation and effect a severing action in accordance with the specific type, size and shape of ductwork that is intended to be insulated.  
           [0005]    A new generation of insulating materials are now being developed apart from the known fiberglass-based insulations. The new insulating materials are designed to be more environmentally friendly and may be comprised of a cotton-based web, or the like. As compared to the known fiberglass-based insulations, the new generation of insulating materials are oftentimes more difficult to cut and, therefore, the known cutting devices—typically employed for fiberglass-based insulations—experience a certain amount of operational difficulties during the cutting process when utilized in conjunction with the new generation of insulating materials. It will be readily appreciated that the operational difficulties in obtaining clean, repetitive cuts of the new insulating materials results in reduced productivity and increased labor costs.  
           [0006]    With the forgoing problems and concerns in mind, it is the general object of the present invention to provide an insulation cutoff device which overcomes the above-described drawbacks.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an insulation cutoff apparatus.  
           [0008]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an insulation cutoff apparatus which is capable of repetitively and effectively cutting sections from a roll of insulating material.  
           [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an insulation cutoff apparatus which is capable of repetitively and effectively cutting insulating materials being more dense than traditional fiberglass-based insulations.  
           [0010]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an insulation cutoff apparatus that includes a variable depth guide for controlling the depth of the cutting action.  
           [0011]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an insulation cutoff apparatus that provides greater speed and force to the cutting implement of the cutoff apparatus.  
           [0012]    These and other objectives of the present invention, and their preferred embodiments, shall become clear by consideration of the specification, claims and drawings taken as a whole.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the cutting implement of the insulation cutoff apparatus, according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the insulation cutoff apparatus depicted in FIG. 1.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional top view of the insulation cutoff apparatus depicted in FIG. 1.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional side view of an insulation feed and cutting machine for supporting the insulation cutoff apparatus, according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the insulation cutoff apparatus  10 , according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the insulation cutoff apparatus  10  includes a pneumatically actuated air cylinder  12  and a cutting assembly  14 . A cutting block  16  is disposed beneath the cutting assembly  12  and provides a resilient medium against which the cutting assembly  16  may selectively and repetitively abut during cutting operations, as will be described shortly hereafter. It will be readily appreciated that the air cylinder  12 , the cutting assembly  14  and the cutting block  16  are intended to be mounted to a suitable machine frame which may or may not support additional apparatuses, without departing from the broader aspects of the present invention.  
         [0018]    As depicted in FIG. 1, the present invention envisions that the cutting assembly  14  includes a knife member  18  that is rectilinearly displaceable via the selective operation of a cutting shaft  20  by the air cylinder  12 . Moreover, the cutting block  16  is preferably fabricated from urethane, however other resilient materials may be utilized without departing from the broader aspects of the present invention. The knife member  18  preferably employs a thin, sharpened steel blade to effect the cutting action.  
         [0019]    Turning now to FIG. 2, a partial cross-sectional front view of the insulation cutoff apparatus  10  is shown. As depicted in FIG. 2, the knife member  18  is mounted in a blade holder  22  which extends the length of the knife member  18  and is secured thereto via a plurality of set screws  24 , rivets, bolts or the like. The blade holder  22  is itself operatively coupled to the cutting shaft  20  so as to enable rectilinear movement of the blade holder  22  and the knife member  18  during actuation of the air cylinder  12 . As compared to known cutting devices, the blade holder  22  is fashioned from a heavier gauge metal, or the like, in order to absorb the additional force necessary to cut the new generation of insulating materials, such as but not limited to a cotton-based web.  
         [0020]    A depth control stop  26  is provided to a control shaft  28  which, in turn, is fixed to a frame member  30 . The frame member  30  is itself secured to the end of the cutting shaft  20 , as is shown in FIG. 2. The stop  26  may be selectively positioned on the control shaft  28  so as to regulate the downward rectilinear movement of the blade holder  22 . As will be appreciated, positioning the stop  26  higher on the control shaft  28  will cause the blade holder  22  to be arrested in its downward movement to a greater extent than would be the case if the stop  26  was alternatively mounted lower on the control shaft  28 . The stop  26  may be positioned on the control shaft  28  via a threaded bolt and nut assembly, linch pin configuration, or the like, without departing from the broader aspects of the present invention.  
         [0021]    It is therefore an important aspect of the present invention that the substantially planar interaction between the stop  26  and a control surface  32  of the blade holder  22  will assuredly and repeatedly prevent the knife member  18  from any excessive impact on the cutting block  16 . That is, the selective placement of the stop  26  on the control shaft  28  is capable of ensuring that any insulation passing through the operative opening  34  will be completely severed, while also precisely regulating the degree to which the knife member  18  impacts the cutting block  16 . In this manner, the insulation cutoff apparatus  10  of the present invention is advantageously capable of minimizing—to the extent possible—gratuitous damage to the cutting block  16  and thus extending the usable life of the cutting block  16  while reducing operating costs.  
         [0022]    In addition to the effect of the stop  26 , the present invention also provides a releasable mounting system for releasably fixing the cutting block  16  to a portion of the frame member  30 . It will be readily appreciated that the releasable mounting system may comprise known torque brackets (such as, but not limited to, clamps or the like)  17 , disposed on either side of the cutting block  16  for securing the cutting block  16  therebetween, or the like, provided that the releasable mounting system is capable of selectively disengaging from the cutting block  16 . Once released from the securing action of the releasable mounting system, the cutting block  16  may be rotated about its longitudinal axis, turned over and repositioned so that an impact line from the knife member  18  can be distributed over a plurality of areas on the cutting block  16 , thus further extending the usable life of the cutting block  16 .  
         [0023]    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cutting block  16  includes a plurality of discreet and substantially planar surfaces  19 . Each of the planar surfaces  19  may, in turn, be alternatively positioned adjacent the knife member  18  so as to sequentially provide a different impact surface for the knife member  18 , as previously discussed. In addition to rotating the cutting block  16  so as to present a different planar surface  19  beneath the knife member  18 , the present invention also contemplates positioning differing areas of the same planar surface  19  in opposition to the knife member  18 . That is, without rotating the cutting block  16  about is longitudinal axis, the cutting block  16  may be shifted slightly, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the rectilinearly movable knife member  18 , thus altering the impact position of the knife member  18  upon the planar surface  19 .  
         [0024]    Moreover, as the cutting block  16  is preferably positioned such that the initial impact line of the blade member  18  is slightly off center with respect to each of the planar surfaces  19 , the cutting block may alternatively be flipped such that each of the planar surfaces  19  provide at least two off-center impact lines.  
         [0025]    It is therefore an important aspect of the present invention that the cutting block  16  may be selectively rotated, shifted or flipped to present differing impact locations for the knife member  18 , thus significantly increasing the usable life-span of the cutting block  16  while reducing operational costs. While a cutting block  16  having four opposing impact surfaces  19  has been shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention is not limited in this regard as the cutting block  16  may have any number of impact surfaces  19  without departing from the broader aspects of the present invention.  
         [0026]    As is also shown in FIG. 2, the present invention includes dual air cylinders  12  on either distal end of the blade holder  22 . As again compared to known cutting devices, the dual air cylinders  12  are larger in size in order to provide the knife member  18  with the greater speed and force necessary to cut the new generation of insulating materials, such as but not limited to a cotton-based web, or the like.  
         [0027]    In addition to their increased size, the dual air cylinders  12  have each been equipped with a quick exhaust valve  36  operatively connected to the air cylinders  12 . The quick exhaust valves  36  are preferably automatically actuated during the downward cutting action of the blade member  18 , although they may be alternative actuated upon the conclusion of a downward cutting action by the blade member  18 . The quick exhaust valves  36  thereby enable a faster resetting of the air cylinders  12 , thus leading to a greater number of possible cuts per unit time than has been known heretofore in the art. The combination of the larger air cylinders  12  and the quick exhaust valves  36  attached thereto give the insulation cutoff apparatus  10  of the present invention the ability cleanly and repeatedly cut through swaths of insulation with an efficiency heretofore unknown in the art.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional top view of the insulation cutoff apparatus  10  illustrating the relative positions of the air cylinders  12 , the blade member  18  and the blade holder  22 . It will be readily appreciated that by orienting the air cylinders  12  on either distal end of the blade holder  22 , the present invention ensures that the force applied by the blade member  18  is substantially equal along the entire longitudinal length of the blade member  18 , thus providing an accurate and even cut to the insulation passing thereunder.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 4 illustrates partial cross sectional side view of an insulation feed and cutting machine  50 , according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the insulation cutoff apparatus  10  is incorporated into and disposed adjacent one distal end of the insulation feed and cutting machine  50 , downstream from an insulation cradle  52  and an optional spray glue assembly  54 .  
         [0030]    The insulation cradle  52  is adapted to hold rolls  56  (shown in phantom in FIG. 4) of insulation thereon for subsequent feeding to the cutoff apparatus  10 . While a roll  56  of insulation has been described, it will be readily appreciated that the present invention is not limited in this regard and that insulation stored as planar sheets, or the like, are also contemplated by the present invention. Indeed, the insulation feed and cutting machine  50  depicted in FIG. 4 is but one embodiment for supporting the cutoff apparatus  10  of the present invention, the structure of which may be changed, e.g., to accommodate planar sheets of insulation for feeding to the cutoff apparatus  10 , without departing from the broader aspects of the present invention.  
         [0031]    As will be appreciated by consideration of FIGS.  1 - 4 , the present invention provides an insulation cutoff apparatus  10  which is capable of repetitively performing a severing action on even the newer generation of insulating materials. It should be noted that although a pair of pneumatically actuated air cylinders  12  have been described in conjunction with the insulation cutoff apparatus  10 , the present invention is not limited in this regard as other thrust architectures, such as but not limited to hydraulic or solenoid actuated assemblies, may be alternatively utilized to drive the knife member  18  without departing from the broader aspects of the present invention. Moreover, it will be readily appreciated that while a thin, sharpened steel blade has been described, the present invention equally contemplates the use of ceramic or composite knife members, or the like.  
         [0032]    While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various obvious changes may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof, without departing from the essential scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the invention includes all equivalent embodiments.