Patent Publication Number: US-9903156-B2

Title: Cutting machine for window covering

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/852,339 filed on Mar. 28, 2013. The content of the above-referenced application is incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates generally to a window covering, and more particularly to a cutting machine for cutting rails and window covering material of a window covering. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Typically, there are a variety of sizes of windows, so the manufactures sell the window coverings to retailers, and the retailers cut the window covering to fit a specific window. A conventional cutting machine for cutting a window covering is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,066 (hereafter the &#39;066 patent), titled “Cutting apparatus for window covering and methods therefor”, which provides a cutting device on a machine base to cut the window covering. 
     The &#39;066 patent teaches that a blade, which is used to cut the window coverings, has to simultaneously touch the headrail, the bottom rail, and the window covering material before cutting. However, when the cutting machine of the &#39;066 patent is used to cut a blind with a cellular shade or slats, it would have an uneven cutting result when the blinds are not pressed enough. Therefore, the key to have a nice cutting result is how to firmly press the blinds. However, the clamping device of the &#39;066 patent can&#39;t provide sufficient clamping force. On the contrary, if power of the clamping device is too large, it might damage some slats of the blinds. 
     Furthermore, the &#39;066 patent teaches that the blade simultaneously touches the headrail, the bottom rail, and the window covering material before cutting. It makes the user have to exert a large strength to cut the window coverings, and sometime it will damage the elements with such large strength. Beside, the &#39;066 patent provides a rigid machine base to sustain the window coverings that would damage the blade after the blade cutting the window coverings several times, and that is bad to the afterwards cutting tasks. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary objective of the present invention directs to a cutting machine for a window covering, which could evenly cut the window covering with a good cutting quality. 
     The secondary objective of the present invention directs to a cutting machine for a window covering, which provides a design for a safe operation, and a controllable clamping force. 
     In order to achieve the objectives of the present invention, the present invention provides a cutting machine for cutting a window covering, wherein the window covering includes a first rail, a covering material, and a second rail, the cutting machine including a machine base having a sustaining face for putting the window covering thereon; and a cutting device provided on the machined base, and including a cutter, which is controllable to reciprocate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the sustaining face, wherein the cutter has a blade edge, and an angle is formed between the blade edge and the sustaining face to cut the first rail, the covering material, and the second rail of the window covering in sequence. 
     In an embodiment, the angle between the blade edge and the sustaining face is between the 0 and 90 degrees. 
     In an embodiment, the machine base is provided with a non-rigid pad, and the sustaining face is formed on the non-rigid pad; the cutter crosses an edge of the non-rigid pad and is adjacent to the edge of the non-rigid pad when the cutter is moved to cut the window covering. 
     In an embodiment, the machine base further includes a rigid board and a guiding board; the non-rigid pad and the guiding board are fixed to the rigid board, and a cutting slot is formed between non-rigid pad and the guiding board for the cutter to pass therethrough; the rigid board is provided with a discharging opening, which is lower than the sustaining face; and a waste part of the window covering after being cut leaves the machine base through the guiding board and the discharging opening in sequence. 
     In an embodiment, the cutting device further includes a frame and a control bar; the cutter is slidably connected to the frame for reciprocation; the control bar is pivoted on the frame to be moved between a first position and a second position; and the cutter is moved by moving the control bar. 
     In an embodiment, the cutting device further includes a positioning post and a locker; the positioning post is fixed to the frame; the locker is pivoted on the control bar; the locker has a hook to engage the positioning post when the control bar is moved to the first position, and disengages the positioning post when the control bar is moved to the second position. 
     In an embodiment, the cutting device further includes a stopping member fixed to the locker to separate the control bar from the hook. 
     In an embodiment, the hook of the locker has a round edge to abut against the positioning post and move the locker off when the control bar is being moved to the first position from the second position, and then the locker automatically moves back to engage the positioning post because of gravity when the control bar arrives at the first position. 
     In an embodiment, the cutting device further includes a connecting bar, a stopping block, and a movable block; the connecting bar is pivotally connected to the frame to drive the stopping block to reciprocate along the machine base; the connecting bar has an elongated slot; the elongated slot is oblique to an axial line, which is perpendicular to the sustaining face; the movable block has a portion received in the elongated slot to be moved along with the control bar between a third position and a fourth position; the movable block drives the connecting bar to move when the movable block is moved between the third position and the fourth position; the connecting bar drives the stopping block to move toward the cutter when the movable block is moved to the third position, and the connecting bar drives the stopping block to move away from the cutter when the movable block is moved to the fourth position. 
     In an embodiment, the cutting device further includes at least one bar; the at least one bar has an end proximal to the sustaining face and an end distal to the sustaining face; the stopping block is connected to the at least one bar, and is movable on the at least one bar and fixed at a position by operating a knob. 
     In an embodiment, the cutting machine of the present invention further includes a clamping device having two fixed bases, a clamping block, a screw rod, an operating wheel, and a spring. The fixed bases are mounted on the machine base, the clamping block is movable between the fixed bases, the screw bar is fixed to the fixed bases while the clamping block is screwed with the screw bar, and the operating wheel is fixed to an end of the screw bar; the spring fits the screw bar and has opposite ends urging the operating wheel and one of the fixed bases, whereby the clamping block is moved between the fixed bases by turning the operating wheel. 
     In an embodiment, the clamping device further includes a first stopping block and a second stopping block; the first stopping block is fixed to the operating wheel, and the second stopping block is fixed to one of the fixed bases; turning the operating wheel will make the first stopping block abut against the second stopping block that makes the operating wheel may not be turned anymore. 
     With the design of above, the cutting machine of the present invention could provide the window covering a stable and consistent clamping force that could have a nice cutting task. The present invention further provides several function, including safe operation, automatically collecting the waste parts of the window covering after being cut, and elongating the life of the cutter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of  FIG. 3 , showing the control bar at the first position and the cutter at the pre-cut position; 
         FIG. 5  is a rear view of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a right view of  FIG. 3 , showing the movable block at the third position; 
         FIG. 7  is a partial perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the relative positions between the first stopping block and the second stopping block; 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of  FIG. 3 , showing the control bar at the second position and the cutter at the post-cut position; 
         FIG. 9  is a right view of  FIG. 3 , showing the movable block at the fourth position; and 
         FIG. 10  is a front view of  FIG. 3 , showing the relationship of the locker and the positioning post. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , a cutting machine  100  of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is used to cut a window covering including a first rail  201 , a covering material  202 , and a second rail  203 . The covering material could be a cellular shade or slats, and the first rail  201  could be a headrail of the covering material  202  while the second rail  203  is a bottom rail, or reverse. The cutting machine  100  includes a machine base  610 , a clamping device  620 , and a cutting device  630 . 
     As shown in FIGS. from  FIG. 3  to  FIG. 6 , the machine base includes a main rail  611 , a rigid board  612 , a non-rigid pad  613 , and a guiding board  614 . The main rail  611  and the rigid board  612  are connected together for the window covering to stably rest thereon. The rigid board  612  has an elongated cutting slot  612   a  ( FIG. 6 ) and a discharging opening  612   b  next to the cutting slot  612   a . The non-rigid pad  613  is fixed to the rigid board  612 , and has a flat sustaining face  613   a  on a top side thereof to sustain the window covering  200 . The guiding board  614  is fixed to the rigid board  612  in an oblique direction, and has a guiding surface  614   a  which slopes towards the discharging opening  612   b . The cutting slot  612   a  of the rigid board  612  is between the non-rigid pad  613  and the guiding board  614 , and the discharging opening  612   b  is lower than the sustaining face  613   a  of the non-rigid pad  613 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the clamping device  620  is mounted on the machine base  610  to firmly hold the window covering  200  for the cutting operation. The clamping device  620  includes two fixed bases  621 ,  622 , a screw rod  623 , an operating wheel  624 , and a clamping block  625 . The fixed bases  621 ,  622  are fixed to the machine base  610 , and keep a distance from each other. The screw rod  623  has two round sections  623   a  passing through the fixed bases  621 ,  622  respectively, so that the screw rod  623  is able to move in an axial direction and rotate. The operating wheel  624  is connected to an end of the screw rod  623  to be operated by a user to rotate the screw rod  623  in both directions. The clamping block  625  is provided with a threaded hole (not shown) to be meshed with a thread section, which is between the round sections  623   a , of the screw rod  623 . Therefore, when the operating wheel  624  is turned, the clamping block  625  moves on the screw rod  623  between the fixed bases  621 ,  622 . The window covering  200  is place in a space between the clamping block  625  and the fixed base  621  to be clamped by turning the operating wheel  624 . It is noted that while the operating wheel  624  is being overturned, the screw rod  623  is moving toward the fixed base  622  instead of the clamping block  625  that could limit the pressure on the window covering  200 . 
     The clamping device  620  further includes a spring  626 , a hub  627 , a first stopping block  628 , and a second stopping block  629 . The spring  626  and the hub  627  fit the round section  623   a  of the screw rod  623 , the hub  627  abuts against the fixed base  621 , and the spring  626  has opposite ends urging the hub  627  and the operating wheel  624  respectively. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the first stopping block  628  is fixed to the operating wheel  624  to move together with the operating wheel  624 . The second stopping block  629  is fixed to the fixed base  621 . While the operating wheel  624  keeps being turned, the screw rod  623  is moved toward the fixed base  622  until the first stopping block  628  abuts against the second stopping block  629  that results in the operating wheel  624  not being turned anymore. At the same time, the spring  626  urges the operating wheel  624  in a direction opposite to that of the screw rod  623  to hold the clamping block  625  at a position which may firmly press the window covering  200 . As a result, the clamping device  620  would provide the window covering a suitable and consistent pressure which is benefit to the following cutting operation, and would not damage the window covering  200 . 
     The cutting device  630  is mounted on the rigid board  612  of the machine base  610  and adjacent to the clamping device  620  which has several functions, including cutting the window covering  20  in a safe way, blocking the window covering, and discharging the window covering. The detail of the cutting device  630  is hereafter. 
     The cutting device  630  includes a frame  631  and a stopping block  632 . The frame  631  is vertically mounted on the rigid board  612  and between the clamping device  620  and the stopping block  632 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the stopping block  632  is fixed to two bars  633 , and each of the bars  633  pass through a fixed block  634  to reciprocate the stopping block  632  along the machine base  610  and relative to the frame  631 . An end of the window covering  200  abuts against the stopping block  632  for the following cutting operation. A knob  635  is provided to be operated to lock and unlock the stopping block  632  that could move and position the stopping block  632  at any desired position on the bars  633 . It controls a length of the window covering  200  to be cut. 
     As shown in FIGS. from  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 8 , the cutting device  630  further includes a cutter  636  and a control bar  637 . The cutter  636  is fixed to a guiding block  638 , and the guiding block  638  engages the frame  631  for reciprocation. The guiding block  638  has a transverse guiding slot  638   a , in which a sliding block  639  is received for reciprocation. The control bar  637  has an end pivoted on a back board  631   a  of the frame  631 , and connected to a linkage  640 , which has an end pivoted on the sliding block  639 . The control bar  637  is operated to be swung between a first position P 1  ( FIG. 4 ) and a second position P 2  ( FIG. 8 ) to move the sliding block  639  along the guiding slot  638   a , so as to move the cutter  636  in a vertical direction between a pre-cut position S 1  ( FIG. 4 ) and a post-cut position S 2  ( FIG. 8 ). In order to have a clear showing of the elements of the present invention, the back board  631   a  is omitted in some drawings 
     The cutter  636  has a blade edge  636   a  and a body  636   b . The blade edge  636   a  is oblique to the sustaining face  613   a , and an angle between the blade edge  636   a  of the cutter  636  and the sustaining face  613   a  is between 0 and 90 degrees. The angle of the blade edge  636   a  of the cutter  636  is determined by the window covering  200  to be cut. A preferable angle between the blade edge  636   a  of the cutter  636  and the sustaining face  613   a  is 45 degrees. While the cutter  636  is being moved from the pre-cut position S 1  to the post-cut position S 2 , the first rail  201 , the covering material  202 , and the second rail  203  of the window covering  200  are cut by the lade edge  536   a  in sequence. As a result, the window covering  200  is cut in an easy way when the cutter  636  is moved to the post-cut position S 2  from the pre-cut position S 1 . Besides, in order to ensure the cutting quality, the cutter  636  is parallel to an edge of the non-rigid pad  613 , and is very close to the edge when the cutter  636  arrives at the post-cut position S 2  to provide the window covering a strong support. While the blade edge  636   a  of the cutter  636  passes through the cutting slot  612   a , the body  636   b  would abut against the edge of the non-rigid pad  613  that makes the window covering  200  have a flat cutting facet. In the event that the cutter  636  might cut the sustaining face  613   a  of the non-rigid pad  613  if the cutter  636  is tilted. The property of the non-rigid pad  613  would protect the blade edge  636   a  from being damaged. In the present invention, the non-rigid pad  613  is made of reinforced plastics, which is softer than the blade edge  636   a  of the cutter  636 . In practice, any material softer than the blade edge  636   a  could be selected to be the non-rigid pad  613 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 6 , the cutting device  630  further includes a connecting bar  641 , a connecting block  642 , and a movable block  643 . The connecting bar  641  is pivotally connected to the frame  631  by a pin  644 . The connecting block  642  has an end fixed to the bar  633 . A rod  645  is transversely connected to the connecting block  642 , and engages a slot  641   a  of the connecting bar  641 . Since the stopping blocks  632  are fixed to the bars  633 , the connecting bar  641  is linked to the stopping blocks  632  through the connecting block  642 . The connecting bar  641  further has an elongated slot  641   b . An axial line L 1  and a central line L 2  are defined here, wherein the axial line L 1  is an imaginary line perpendicular to the sustaining face  613   a , and the central line L 2  is an imaginary line passing through a long axis of the elongated slot  641   b . The central line L 2  of the elongated slot  641   b  is oblique to the axial line L 1 . In other words, when the cutter  636  is at the pre-cut position S 1  and the connecting bar  641  is upright, there still is a small angle between the elongated slot  641   b  and the axial line L 1  to make the elongated slot  641   b  oblique. 
     The movable block  643  is fixed to the guiding block  638 , and has a portion received in the elongated slot  641   b . While the control bar  637  is swung between the first position P 1  and the second position P 2  to move the cutter  636  between the pre-cut position S 1  and the post-cut position S 2 , it will move the movable block  643  along the elongated slot  641   b  between a third position P 3 ( FIG. 6 ) and a fourth position ( FIG. 9 ). For the movable block  643  at the third position P 3 , the connecting bar  641  moves the stopping blocks  632  approaching the cutter  636 . At this time, the stopping blocks  632  are a stopper of the window covering  200 , which is, the window covering  200  has an end abutting against the stopping blocks  632  for positioning. On the contrary, when the movable block  643  is moved toward the fourth position P 4 , with the design of the oblique elongated slot  641   a , it could push the connecting bar  641  outwards to move the stopping blocks  632  away from the cutter  636 . At this time, the discharging opening  612   b  under a space between the guiding surface  614   a  of the guiding board  614  and the stopping blocks  632  gradually enlarges. As a result, the waste part of the window covering  200  after the cutting task would automatically drop off the machine base  610  through the discharging opening  612   b . On the other hand, the stopping blocks  632  will return to wait for the next window covering when the movable block  643  is moved back to the third position P 3 . 
     The cutting device  630  further includes a positioning post  646  and a locker  647 . As shown in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 8 , and  FIG. 10 , the positioning post  646  is fixed to the back board  631   a  of the frame  631 , and the locker  647  is an L-shaped plate pivoted on the control bar  637  to be operated. The locker  647  has a hook  647   a  at an end thereof, and the hook  647   a  has a round edge. The hook  647   a  of the locker  647  engages the positioning post  646  when the control bar  637  is moved to the first position P 1  ( FIG. 4 ) to prevent the control bar  637  from being moved unexpectedly. On the contrary, if the locker  647  is moved to disengage the hook  647   a  with the positioning post  646 , the control bar  637  is free to be moved to the second position P 2  ( FIG. 8  and  FIG. 10 ) that will move the cutter  636  downwards for the cutting task. 
     The locker  647  is fixed with a stopping member  648 , which is a bolt for example in the present invention, to separate the control bar  638  from the hook  647   a  of the locker  647 . As a result, when the control bar  637  is swinging toward the first position P 1  from the second position P 2  ( FIG. 10 ), the hook  647   a  will not touch the control bar  637 , and keeps in a suspended status. It would makes the round edge of the hook  647   a  abut against the positioning post  646 . While the control bar  637  continually approaches the first position, it will move the locker  647  to make the hook  647   a  automatically engage the positioning post  646  because of gravity. As a result, the control bar  637  is locked automatically when the control bar  637  arrives at the first position P 1 . 
     In conclusion, the cutting machine  100  provides the blade edge  636   a  of the cutter  636  oblique to the sustaining face  613   a  that would make the window covering have a nice cutting facet. For the sustaining face  613   a  of the non-rigid pad  613  softer than the blade edge  636   a  of the cutter  636 , it could protect the blade edge  636   a  and elongate the life of the cutter  636 . The unique clamping device  620  of the present invention provides a consistent pressure to all kinds of the window coverings. It could avoid the bad effect while the pressure to the window coverings is too large or too small. The cutting machine  100  of the present invention further provides the safe design, which avoid the cutter from be activated unexpectedly, and auto-discharging function. It is a nice design. 
     It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are only some preferred embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention.