Abstract:
A clamp is provided that is capable of restraining an item during cutting and rotating the item between cutting a first end of the item and cutting a second end of the item. The clamp includes an upper jaw, a lower jaw, and a backplate that pivotally connects the lower jaw and the upper jaw. The clamp includes a latch that restrains the lower and upper jaws against movement relative to one another. Also provided is an apparatus for cutting an item. The apparatus includes a table and the clamp described above. Optionally, the apparatus can also include a cutter for cutting the item.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/160,273, filed Oct. 19, 1999, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention is generally directed to clamps for holding items, and more particularly to clamps for retaining items to be cut. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Window blinds, referred to as Venetian blinds or mini-blinds, are well-known window treatments. Generally, window blinds include a top header, slats or louvers, and a bottom header (also known as a footer). These pieces are usually held together with cords, strings, or the like. Manufacturers and retailers sell window blinds in various standardized sizes, with custom sizes available. However, custom-sized window blinds are costly. Furthermore, time is required to measure the window and to make the custom-sized blind, and then to deliver it to the consumer. To be cost-efficient, it is desirable to have the cutting process take less than four minutes. 
   Efforts at providing a faster and cost-effective way to generate custom-sized blinds have been made. In general, these devices first cut one side of a blind and then the other side, such that the end cords are symmetrically disposed with equal lengths of blind on either side of each end cord. 
   Some of the conventional cutting machines employ air cylinders for driving the cutters. The air cylinders automate the cutting of the blinds, thereby requiring less manual input from the user. 
   In conventional blind cutters, blinds are held in place in numerous ways. For example, some cutters have openings that fit the header, footer, and slats of the blind. Others use a clamp for fixing the blinds in position. 
   Examples of U.S. patents for machines that cut blinds include U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,557 to Wang, U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,126 to Pluber, U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,172 to Wang, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,394 to Marocco. 
   The conventional cutters are used in stores that sell blinds to consumers. Relatively unskilled workers perform the cutting. However, the workers using these cutters must be strong enough to lift and rotate the blind after a cut is made on the first side of the blind. Blinds can weigh up to thirty pounds. This heavy weight makes rotating the blinds a difficult task for many workers. 
   Furthermore, holeless blinds, such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,140 to Tuzmen, which lack cords that hold each slat in place, have recently been introduced into the market. Many of these holeless blinds have slats or blades that are free to move. This further complicates the rotating process that must be performed between cutting the two ends, because slats can slip out of the blind. Thus, rotation of blinds is difficult for many workers, with the accidental disassembly of blinds sometimes occurring. Reassembling a disassembled blind is difficult, if not impossible. 
   Moreover, a rotating clamp is useful for clamping and cutting additional items, such as louver packs (i.e., packages of blind slats), and materials made of wood, plastic, and the like. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention, which is defined by the claims set out at the end of this disclosure, is intended to solve at least some of the problems noted above. A clamp is provided that includes an upper jaw, a lower jaw, and a backplate. The lower jaw and the upper jaw are pivotally connected to the backplate. Also included in the clamp is a latch that restrains the lower and upper jaws against movement relative to one another. The clamp is capable of retaining an item to be cut, translating on the table, and rotating on an axis parallel to the plane of the table. 
   An apparatus for cutting an item to be cut is also provided. The apparatus includes a table and a clamp for retaining the item. The clamp is capable of translating on the table and rotating on an axis parallel to the plane of the table between cutting a first end of the item and cutting a second end of the item. 
   Also provided is a clamp that retains and rotates a window blind between cutting a first end of the window blind and cutting a second end of the window blind. The clamp is capable of translating on the table and rotating on an axis parallel to the plane of the table. The clamp includes an upper jaw, a lower jaw, and a backplate that pivotally connects the lower jaw and the upper jaw. The clamp includes a latch that restrains the lower and upper jaws against movement relative to one another. The clamp is capable of retaining a window blind, translating on the table, and rotating on an axis parallel to the plane of the table. 
   The invention also provides an apparatus for cutting a window blind. The apparatus includes a table and a clamp for retaining the window blind. The cutting table can also include a cutter for cutting a window blind. The cutter is disposed on the table. The apparatus has optional pull-out shelves for stabilizing the cut blinds while they are repackaged. 
   Further advantages, features, and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the associated drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the rotating clamp  40  with the rotating clamp  40  having a blind  20  inserted therein in a cutting position. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the rotating clamp  40  showing the details of the rotating clamp  40 , mount  44 , shaft  46 , track  74 , and tray  76 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the rotating clamp  40  with the rotating clamp  40  holding a blind  20  while the blind  20  is being rotated. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   In the drawings, a preferred embodiment of an apparatus for cutting an item is illustrated in  FIG. 1  at the reference numeral  10 . The apparatus  10  is particularly useful in cutting window blinds  20 , which typically include a header  22  that is attached to a frame of a window, a plurality of slats  24  that are typically strung together and attached to the header  22 , and a footer  26  below the last slat  24 . 
   The apparatus  10  has an upper surface  12  on which the clamping, aligning, and cutting takes place. The upper surface  12  of the apparatus  10  includes a cutter  30  on one end of the apparatus  10 , a rotating clamp  40  in the middle of the apparatus  10 , and an alignment assembly  32 , which is preferably near the end opposite the cutter  30 . 
   As can be best seen in  FIG. 2 , the preferred embodiment of the rotating clamp  40  includes an upper jaw  50  and a lower jaw  60 . The upper jaw  50  has two arms  54  that are fixedly attached by fasteners  59  to a front plate  58 . The lower jaw  60  includes two arms  64  that are fixedly attached through fasteners  69  to a front plate  68 . Arms  54  of upper jaw  50  and arms  64  of lower jaw  60  are connected to backplate  56  at pivots  51  and  61 , respectively. 
   The preferred embodiment for the rotating clamp  40  employs two latches  70 ,  71 . The latches  70 ,  71  are located on the front plate  58  of the upper jaw  50 , and the front plate  68  of the lower jaw  60 . The two latches  70 ,  71  retain and stabilize the blind  20  in the rotating clamp  40  by restraining the lower jaw  60  and upper jaw  50  against movement relative to one another. 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , the rotating clamp  40  opens to receive a blind  20  to be cut. To open the rotating clamp  40 , the latches  70 ,  71  are disengaged, and the upper jaw  50  is upwardly rotated away from the lower jaw  60 . A blind  20  is placed in the rotating clamp  40 . The rotating clamp  40  then is closed over the blind  20  by downwardly rotating upper jaw  50  toward lower jaw  60 . Then, the rotating clamp  40  is secured by engaging latches  70 ,  71  thereby retaining the blind  20  in place. As detailed below, the rotating clamp  40  allows the blind  20  clamped therein to be rotated, preferably after the first side of the blind  20  has been cut. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the apparatus  10  optionally includes alignment pins  34  on both sides of the rotating clamp  40 . The alignment pins  34  are rotatably attached to the upper surface  12  of the apparatus  10  by hinges or the like (not shown) so that they may fold from a position parallel to the upper surface  12  of the apparatus  10  to a position perpendicular to the upper surface  12 . The alignment pins  34  can be inserted into channels  36  of the upper surface  12  of the apparatus  10 . When in an upright position, the alignment pins  34  provide a stop and further assist in the alignment of an item to be cut. When folded into channels  36 , the alignment pins  34  are level with or below the surface  12  of the apparatus  10 . As such, the alignment pins  34  do not interfere with the movement along the apparatus  10  of the item to be cut. 
   To further aid in aligning the blind  20 , the apparatus  10  also includes alignment assembly  32 , which includes header insert  38 . After the blind  20  is placed in clamp  40 , but before the upper jaw  50  is rotated toward the lower jaw  60 , the alignment assembly  32  is moved toward the side of the blind  20  that is away from the cutter  30 . The header  22  of the blind  20  can be inserted into the header insert  32 . By holding the alignment assembly  32  against the side of the blind  20 , the blind is aligned with the apparatus  10  and movement of the blind  20  is reduced or eliminated. Another benefit of the alignment assembly  32  is that when the alignment assembly  32  is pushed against the blind  20  (or vice versa) to align the edge of the blind  20 , the blind  20  is cut straight. Once the blind  20  is aligned, the upper jaw  50  is rotated downwardly toward the lower jaw  60 , and secured by latches  70 ,  71 . Once the blind  20  is secured in the clamp  40 , the alignment assembly  32  can be translated away from the blind  20 . 
   Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the apparatus  10  also includes a mount  44  that has a shaft  46  that is fixed to the rotating clamp  40  at the backplate  56  at opening  48 . The mount  44  slides along a track  74 , which is attached to tray  76  of the apparatus  10 . The track  74  permits the rotating clamp  40  to be translated on the upper surface  12  of the apparatus  10 . Front plate  58  of upper jaw  50  and front plate  68  of lower jaw  60  have recesses  52 ,  62 , respectively, that permit sliding of the clamp  40  over track  74 . Preferably, shaft  46  is fixed to the mount  44 , and the mount  44  slides over the track  74 . Once the blind  20  is translated beyond the edge of the apparatus  10 , a plunger  72  on the mount  44  is disengaged from the shaft  46  to permit rotation of the blind  20 . Preferably, the plunger  72  is spring loaded, although it need not be. The plunger  72  is used in conjunction with a shaft  46  having two holes (not shown) on opposites of the shaft  46 . The two holes are located such that when the plunger  72  is inserted into them, the clamp  40  stops at a position that is parallel to the apparatus  10 . Thus, when the plunger  72  is disengaged from the holes, the shaft  46  rotates freely. When the plunger  72  is inserted into one of the holes, the blind  20  is held in a fixed rotational orientation. The spring-loaded plunger  72  pushes the plunger  72  into the holes. This combination of the plunger  72  and the holes provides a way to lock the shaft  46  and clamp  40  in place after the clamp  40  is rotated 180°. 
   A preferred cutter  30  is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,394. The cutter  30  is preferably at the opposite end of the apparatus  10  from the alignment assembly  32 . Cutting can be performed by methods known to the art, such as those described in the above-mentioned patents, which are incorporated herein by reference for their description of cutting methods and devices. For example, cutting can be done with a single blade that slides and cuts the entire blind  20 . Alternatively, multiple blade assemblies can be used, such as one with a separate blade for each of the top header  22 , slats  24 , and footer  26 . Cutting can be manual, such as by a hand crank, or powered, such as by a cylinder stroke. 
   With the blind  20  placed in the cutter  30 , the first side of the blind  20  is cut.  FIGS. 1 and 3  show a blind  20  that is shortened such that the apparatus  10  can be seen. After the first side of the blind  20  is cut, the blind  20  is then rotated by disengaging the plunger  72  of the mount  44 , which permits the rotating clamp  40  containing the blind  20  to be translated toward the edge of the apparatus  10 . The translation is achieved by sliding the mount  44  along the track  70  of the upper surface  12  of the apparatus  10 - or by other modes of translation previously noted. 
   Next, the rotating clamp  40  and the blind  20  secured therein are extended beyond the edge of upper surface  12  of the apparatus  10  as illustrated in FIG.  3 . Then, the blind  20  is rotated about 180° such that the uncut end of the blind  20  now is on the side of the apparatus  10  that includes the cutter  30 . The rotation of the clamp  40  is shown in  FIG. 3  with arrows indicating the movement of the rotating clamp  40 . After the blind  20  is rotated, the other side of the blind  20  is then cut. In general, equal lengths are cut from each side of the blind  20 . After both sides of the blind  20  have been cut, the latches  70 ,  71  are disengaged, thereby releasing the blind  20 . 
   As is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the apparatus  10  optionally includes recesses  78  through which optional shelves  80  can be accessed. The shelves  80  are pulled out from the apparatus  10  and remain fixed to the apparatus  10 . Before the latches  70 ,  71  are released, the blind  20  is translated beyond the apparatus  10 . After the latches  70 ,  71  are released, and the blind  20  is moved onto the shelves  80 , which hold the blind  20  while the blind  20  is repackaged. 
   The rotating clamp  40  can be used with any apparatus  10 , including, but not limited to, those described in the patents listed above. For example, the rotating clamp  40  can be used with a home workbench. 
   In addition, the rotating clamp  40  can be used to clamp and cut a variety of items such as louver packs (i.e., packages of blind slats), and materials made of wood, plastic, and the like. For example, the rotating clamp  40  can be used to clamp and cut PVC pipe, gutters, and lumber. 
   It is understood that while description of the rotating clamp  40  refers to an upper jaw  50  and a lower jaw  60 , once rotated, the upper jaws will then be below the lower jaw  60 , and vice versa. It is also understood that the rotating described above could take place in other orientations and directions. For example, the shaft  46 , mount  44 , and clamp  40  could be in a horizontal plane (as described above) or in a vertical plane. Likewise, the cutting, rotating, and other operations could take place in other orientations and directions. For example, the cutting can take place in the horizontal plane or the vertical plane. The cutting can be accomplished by the downward movement of a cutting blade toward the blind  20  or by the horizontal translation of a cutting blade toward the blind  20 . 
   It is also understood that the various preferred embodiments are shown and described above to illustrate different possible features of the invention and the varying ways in which these features may be combined. Apart from combining the different features of the above embodiments in varying ways, other modifications are also considered to be within the scope of the invention. Certain preferred options follow. 
   First, the upper jaw  50  and lower jaw  60  can be of unitary construction. For example, instead the upper jaw  50  consisting of a front plate  58  and two arms  54 , the upper jaw  50  could consist of one U-shaped piece. 
   Second, the upper jaw  50  and the lower jaw  60  can be directly connected to each other, as opposed to having both the upper jaw  50  and the lower jaw  60  connected to the backplate  56 . 
   Third, the latch  70  can be a single latch, multiple latches, or any similar latching device. If multiple latches  70 ,  71  are employed, one can be located on the upper jaw  50  and the other on the lower jaw  60 . Alternatively, the latches  70 ,  71  can both be on the same jaw. 
   Fourth, as noted above, the clamp  40  described herein can also cut louver packs, which are packages of blind slats  24 . The packs may be aligned with alignment assembly  32 . Pins  34  and channels  36  are particularly useful for aligning louver packs. 
   Fifth, other methods can be used to translate the rotating clamp  40 . For example, the shaft  46  can be a telescoping shaft that telescopically elongates to permit the translation of the rotating clamp  40  on the upper surface  12  of the apparatus  10 . 
   Sixth, the plunger  72  can be replaced with a different mechanism for locking the shaft  46  and clamp  40  in place after the clamp  40  is rotated 180°. For example, a male and female connector can be used, with one located on the mount  44  (or a fastener connected to the mount  44 ) and the other located on the shaft  46 . Other examples include, but are not limited to, a threaded fastener that pushes against the shaft  46  to prevent rotational movement, a latch, and a bolt. 
   The invention is not intended to be limited to the preferred embodiments described above, but rather is intended to be limited only by the claims set out below. Thus, the invention encompasses all alternate embodiments that fall literally or equivalently within the scope of these claims.