Abstract:
A punching apparatus includes a platform for placing thereon an object to be punched, a rail body coupled to the platform and having two oppositely arranged rail elements and a cutting-pin receiving space between the two rail elements, a cutting tool including a plurality of cutting pins movably installed in the cutting-pin receiving space, a sliding member slidable along the rail body, and a first sustaining member disposed between the rail elements and carried by the sliding member for sequentially forcing the cutting pins to protrude toward the platform, thereby creating through holes in the object.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a punching apparatus and more particularly to a punching apparatus making serial punching.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     A conventional manual punching apparatus for creating through holes in an object is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The user exerts a force on a lever  11  to pivot the lever  11  as indicated by the arrow, thereby moving a plurality of punching pins (not shown) downwards to simultaneously penetrate through the object  10  placed on a platform  12 . Since a plurality of punching pins are operated at the same time to create a plurality of holes, lots of efforts have to be made. In addition, for stabilizing the machine when pushing the lever  11  downwards, the platform  12  should be large enough so as to occupy much space on the working table.  
         [0003]     For solving the bulky and exertive problems, a punching apparatus making serial punching was developed, as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 5,463,922 and shown in  FIG. 2A . In the punching apparatus, a sliding member  21  is moved along with a rail  20  while pushing the punching pins  22  sequentially so as to create holes on the object  10 . Since the punching operation is performed by simply moving the sliding member  21  and only one or two punching pins  22  will be pushed at the same time, as shown in  FIG. 2B , the punching operation can be performed with little effort. Moreover, since a sliding force rather than a pushing force is exerted, no large platform is required for stabilizing the machine. The punching apparatus of  FIG. 2A , on the other hand, suffers from a weak sustaining structure of the punching pin  22 , as shown in  FIG. 2C .  
         [0004]     In this punching apparatus, a sustaining bar  220  is coupled to and crossing each pin body  221 . The sustaining bar  220  is sequentially guided up and down with the movement of the sliding member  21 . When the sustaining bar  220  is pressed down by the sliding member  21 , it transmits the corresponding pin body  221  to move downward, thereby punching through the object  10 . Afterwards, the sustaining bar  220  is lifted up to transmit the corresponding pin body  221  to move back to the standby position. As a result, the joint of the sustaining bar  220  and the pin body  221  will be greatly subjected to forcible action and thus subject to distortion or damage.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     Therefore, the present invention provides a punching apparatus involving in minimized forcible action on the sustaining bar.  
         [0006]     The present invention relates to a punching apparatus, which comprises a platform for placing thereon an object to be punched; a rail body coupled to the platform and having two oppositely arranged rail elements and a cutting-pin receiving space between the two rail elements; a cutting tool including a plurality of cutting pins movably installed in the cutting-pin receiving space; a sliding member slidable along the rail body; and a first sustaining member disposed between the rail elements and carried by the sliding member for sequentially forcing the cutting pins to protrude toward the platform, thereby creating through holes in the object.  
         [0007]     In an embodiment, the rail body includes guiding elements arranged at the rail elements for guiding the movement of the cutting pin in the cutting-pin receiving space.  
         [0008]     In an embodiment, the guiding elements are guiding slots symmetrically arranged in the rail elements and elongated in a direction conforming to the moving direction of the cutting pins.  
         [0009]     In an embodiment, each of the cutting pins is cross-shaped and includes a pin body for punching through the object and a traverse bar having two ends thereof protruding from and moving in opposite two of the guiding slots for guiding the pin body between a standby position and a punching-through position, and the first sustaining member directly depresses and moves the pin body from the standby position to the punching-through position.  
         [0010]     In an embodiment, the pinching apparatus further comprises a second sustaining member for pushing the traverse bar up so as to retract the pin body from the punching-through position to the standby position after the pin body has been depressed by the first sustaining member to punch through the object. Each of the two guiding opposite slots preferably has a width approximating to a diameter of the traverse bar engaging therewith so as to exhibit a certain level of frictional force between the traverse bar and walls of the two opposite guiding slots, thereby stopping the traverse bar from arbitrarily moving in the two opposite slots before being pushed by the first or second sustaining member.  
         [0011]     In an embodiment, the second sustaining member includes a spring sleeved on the pin body under the traverse bar, wherein the spring is compressed by the traverse bar when the first sustaining member depresses and moves the pin body from the standby position to the punching-through position and restoring to push the traverse bar up when the force for protruding the cutting pins toward the platform is released.  
         [0012]     In an embodiment, the pinching apparatus further comprises a second sustaining member coupled to the sliding member and disposed downstream of the first sustaining member in a first sliding direction of the sliding member on the rail body for sequentially forcing the cutting pins to retract away from the platform.  
         [0013]     In an embodiment, the pinching apparatus further comprises a third sustaining member coupled to the sliding member and symmetrically arranged relative to the first sustaining member so that the third sustaining member is disposed downstream of the first sustaining member when the sliding member moves along the rail body in a second sliding direction opposite to the first sliding direction, thereby sequentially forcing the cutting pins to retract away from the platform.  
         [0014]     In an embodiment, each of the second and third sustaining members has a surface of an inclined curve for gradually pushing the cutting pins up. Alternatively, each of the second and third sustaining members has a surface of an inclined plane for gradually pushing the cutting pins up.  
         [0015]     In an embodiment, the punching apparatus further comprises a second sustaining member coupled to the cutting pins for forcing the cutting pins to retract away from the platform as soon as the force for protruding the cutting pins toward the platform is released. For example, the second sustaining member is a spring element.  
         [0016]     In an embodiment, the first sustaining member includes a handle disposed at an exterior side of the sliding member for exerting thereon a depressing force; a roller rotatably disposed at an interior side of the sliding member and sustaining against the top surface of the cutting pins for sequentially forcing the cutting pins to protrude toward the platform; and a shaft penetrating through the roller and the sliding member and coupled to the handle for depressing the roller against the cutting pins when the depressing force is exerted on the handle.  
         [0017]     Preferably, the first sustaining member further comprises a resilient element interfacing the handle with the sliding member, and the resilient is deformable in response to the depressing force exerted on the handle and restoring to retract the roller from the cutting pins when the depressing force is released from the handle. The resilient element, for example, is a spring element.  
         [0018]     In an embodiment, the sliding member has a slot elongated in a direction conforming to a moving direction of the handle and roller so that the sliding member does not move with the handle and roller in response to the depressing force.  
         [0019]     The present invention also relates to a punching apparatus, which comprises a rail body arranged therein and exposed therefrom a series of cutting pins; a sliding member slidable along the rail body; a handle disposed at an exterior side of the sliding member for exerting thereon a depressing force; and a roller rotatably disposed at an interior side of the sliding member and sustaining against the top surface of said cutting pins for sequentially forcing the cutting pins to protrude toward an object to be punched in response to the depressing force. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]     The present invention may best be understood through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a schematic top perspective view showing a conventional punching apparatus;  
         [0022]      FIG. 2A  is a schematic top perspective view showing another conventional punching apparatus;  
         [0023]      FIG. 2B  is a schematic side view showing the punching mechanism of the punching apparatus of  FIG. 2A ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 2C  is a schematic diagram showing one of the punching pins of the punching apparatus of  FIG. 2A ;  
         [0025]      FIG. 3A  is a schematic top-left perspective view showing a first embodiment of a punching apparatus according to the present invention;  
         [0026]      FIG. 3B  is a schematic top-front perspective view of the punching apparatus of  FIG. 3A ;  
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is a schematic top-left perspective view showing a second embodiment of a punching apparatus according to the present invention; and  
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment of a punching apparatus according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0029]     The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.  
         [0030]     Please refer to  FIG. 3A and 3B . A punching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a rail body  30 , a cutting tool  31 , a sliding assembly  32  and a platform  33 . For punching holes in an object (not shown), e.g. paper, the object is fed into the platform  33  from the entrance  34 , and the sliding assembly  32  is moved along the rail body  30 . While the sliding assembly  32  slides along the rail body  30 , the cutting tool  31  is forced down to punch through the object.  
         [0031]     The rail body  30  includes two oppositely arranged rail elements  301 , i.e. rail walls, and has a cutting-pin receiving space  302  between the rail elements  301 . The sliding member  320  has two hooked walls  3202  for engaging with and sliding along the two rail elements  301 , respectively. Outside the sliding member  320 , a handle  329  is arranged. Further, a roller  322  is disposed inside the sliding member  320  and a spring  328  is disposed between the sliding member  320  and the handle  329 . The sliding member  320  has elongated slots  3201  arranged in the hooked walls  3202  so that a shaft  321  can penetrate through the roller  322  and the elongated slots  3201  of the sliding member  320  and coupled to the handle  329 . In this configuration, the roller  322  can be transmitted down to sustain against the top of the cutting pins  311  of the cutting tool  31  when a depressing force F 1  is exerted on the handle  329 . Since the elongated slots  3201  extends in a direction conforming to a moving direction of the handle  329  and roller  322 , the sliding member  320  does not move downwards with the handle  329  and roller  322 .  
         [0032]     When the depressing force F 1  is exerted on the handle  329 , the roller  322  is transmitted down via the shaft  321  so as to sustain against and push down one or two of the cutting pins  311 , depending on the size of the roller  322 . The pushed cutting pin protrudes toward the platform  33  so as to punch through the object to create a hole. Then, the roller  322  rotates and moves with the sliding member  320  to depress another cutting pin  311  to create another hole in response to a forwardly moving force F 2  exerted on the handle  329 . Therefore, a series of through holes can be sequentially created in the object in the journey of the roller  322  from one end of the rail body  30  to the other. After the journey ends, the depressing force F 1  and forwardly moving force F 2  are removed. Meanwhile, the previously compressed spring  328  due to the depressing force F 1  restores to push the handle  329  up. Accordingly, the roller  322  is also transmitted up via the shaft  321  so as to separate from the cutting pins  311 .  
         [0033]     During the journey of the roller  322  from one end of the rail body  30  to the other, once the roller  322  moves forwards, the preceding pushed cutting pin  311  in a punching-through position is released and should be pushed back to a standby position. For achieving this purpose, a sustaining member  323  coupled to the sliding member  320  and arranged downstream of the roller  322  is provided. In this embodiment, each of the cutting pins  311  has a shape similar to that shown in  FIG. 2C  and includes a pin body  3111  and a traverse bar  310 . The sustaining member  323  has a surface of inclined curve. It is the top surface of the pin body  3111  directly depressed by the roller  322  to move the cutting pin  311  to the punching-through position. On the other hand, it is the traverse bar  310  directly pushed up by the sustaining element  323  to return the cutting pin  311  to the standby position. Preferably, the sliding assembly  32  further includes another sustaining member  324  coupled to the sliding member  320  and symmetric to the sustaining member  323  relative to the roller  322 . In this way, another punching operation can be performed when the sliding assembly  32  moves reversely.  
         [0034]     In the two rail elements  301 , pairs of guiding slots  3010  are arranged. Two ends of the traverse bar  220  penetrate through a pair of the guiding slots  3010  and protrude from the two rail elements  301 , respectively. Each of the guiding slots  3010  preferably has a neck portion  30101  whose width approximates to a diameter of the traverse bar  310  engaging therewith so as to exhibit a certain level of frictional force between the traverse bar  310  and the neck portion  30101 , thereby stopping the traverse bar  310  from arbitrarily moving in the guiding slot  3010  before being pushed by the roller  322 . When the roller  322  sustains against the top surface of one of the pin bodies  3111  and forces that cutting pin  311  down, the traverse bar  310  of that cutting pin  311  will be forced through the neck portion  30101  of the corresponding guiding slots  3010  and move down to punch through the object. On the other hand, when the traverse bar  310  is pushed up to retract the pin body  311  away from the platform  33  by the sustaining member  323 , the cutting pin  311  can be fixed at the standby position with the traverse bar  310  stuck by the neck portion  30101 .  
         [0035]     The sustaining members  323  and  324  have curved surfaces in the above-mentioned embodiment. Alternatively, the surfaces  423  and  424 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , can also be inclined planes to achieve the similar purpose.  
         [0036]     In a further embodiment with reference to  FIG. 5 , the sustaining members  323  ( 423 ) and  324  ( 424 ) illustrated above can be omitted. In stead, a spring  40  is sleeved on the pin body  3111  under the traverse bar  310  of each cutting pin  311 . When the roller  322  sustains against the top surface of one of the pin bodies  3111  and forces that cutting pin  311  down, the spring  40  is compressed. Once the roller  322  moves forwards, the preceding pushed cutting pin  311  is released. Thus, the spring  40  restores to push the traverse bar  310  up, thereby recovering the cutting pin  311  from the punching-through position to the standby position.  
         [0037]     It is understood from the above embodiments that the present invention involves in minimized forcible action by exerting a depressing force on the top surfaces of the cutting pins. Furthermore, the punching-pin moving operation is made smooth due to implementation with a rotating roller.  
         [0038]     While the invention has been described in terms of what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and structures.