Patent Abstract:
A replaceable shear blade for a book trimming apparatus, the latter comprising a shear carriage having the replaceable shear blade mounted thereon. The shear blade has a sharp cutting edge for shearing a book between an anvil and the cutting edge. The shear blade is removably mounted with respect to the shear carriage for replacement of the shear blade, where the shear blade is removably secured relative to the shear carriage by a plurality of fasteners accessible from above. A removable sheath encloses the cutting edge. At least one removable handle is secured to the shear blade so that the shear blade and the sheath may be handled as a unit, with this handle being grippable from above for installation of the shear blade on the shear carriage, and with the handle and the sheath being removable from the shear blade upon installation of the shear blade on the shear carriage. A method of installation and removal of the shear blade is also disclosed.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application relates to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/287,510 filed on Dec. 17, 2010, and incorporates this application by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0003]    As described in my above-noted U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/576,923, which is herein incorporated by referent in its entirety, a shear blade  189  (referring to the reference characters in the aforesaid patent application and in  FIG. 1  of the present disclosure), preferably a carbide blade, has an elongate sharp shear edge  191 . The shear blade is removably mounted in a recess  199  in a shear blade carrier  185  and is held in place by bolts (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) received in openings  195 ,  197 . The shear blade edge  191  is exceedingly sharp. However, after shearing thousands or even tens of thousands of books, the cutting edge may become dull and would require replacement. Because access to the bolts holding the blade in place was from below, it was difficult for a technician to access these bolts to effect changing of the blade. In addition, the sharpness of the shear edge  191 , posed a safety problem for the technician as he removed the blade from the book shear. Thus, there was a need to provide easier access to the bolts securing of the blade to the blade carriage and there was a need to protect the technician from the sharp edge both during both installation of a new blade and removal of a used blade. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0004]    A replaceable shear blade for a book trimming apparatus is disclosed. The book trimming apparatus comprises a shear carriage having the replaceable shear blade mounted thereon. The shear blade has a sharp cutting edge for shearing a book between an anvil and the cutting edge. The shear blade is removably mounted with respect to the shear carriage for replacement of the shear blade by a plurality of fasteners accessible from above. A removable sheath encloses the cutting edge. At least one removable handle is secured to the shear blade so that the shear blade and the sheath may be handled as a unit, with this handle being grippable from above the shear carriage for installation of the shear blade on the shear carriage, and with the handle and the sheath being removable from the shear blade upon installation of the shear blade on the shear carriage. 
         [0005]    A method of installing a shear blade in a book shear is disclosed. This method involves fitting a sheath around a cutting edge of the shear blade so as to protect the cutting edge during installation. Then, the shear blade is installed in a recess in a shear carriage such that a rear face of the shear blade is in engagement with a rear shoulder of the shear carriage. The shear blade body is secured to the shear carriage by means of a plurality of fasteners accessible from above. Then, the sheath is removed from the shear blade. 
         [0006]    Other objects and features of the disclosure will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a view similar to FIG. 17 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/576,923 illustrating a shear blade installed in a shear assembly for trimming a perfect bound book between the shear blade and an anvil; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective top view of a book shear assembly similar to the shear assembly shown in  FIG. 1  illustrating the system for the installation and removal of the shear blade while the cutting edge of the shear blade is enclosed in a sheath to protect the technician changing the blade and to protect the blade, and illustrating that the fasteners holding the blade are accessible from above; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3A  is a vertical sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2  illustrating the system for the installation and removal of the shear blade while the cutting edge of the shear blade is enclosed in a sheath to protect the cutting edge and the technician changing the blade and illustrating that the fasteners holding the blade are accessible from above; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3B  is a view similar to  FIG. 3A  illustrating in cross section an eccentric adjustment fastener installed in the replaceable blade body for aiding in positioning the blade body and the blade carried thereby relative to the blade carrier and relative to the anvil against which the book it to be sheared; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view on an enlarged scale of the replaceable shear blade and its sheath; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of an eccentric adjustment fastener installed in an eccentric hole in the replaceable blade body for aiding in positioning the replaceable blade. 
       
    
    
       [0013]    Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawing. 
       DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    Referring now to the drawings and particularly to  FIG. 1 , a book trimming station is indicated in its entirety by reference character  61 . This book trimming station is similar to the book trimming station disclosed in the above-discussed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/576,923, filed on Oct. 9, 2009, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Reference should be made to this &#39;923 application for a full description of the trimming station  61 . In this disclosure, some of the more salient features of the trimming station will be disclosed in order to specifically describe certain features that may be important to the understanding of the present disclosure. However, reference nevertheless should be made to the above-noted &#39;923 application for a more complete description. It will be understood that reference characters below number 500 refer to structure described in the above-noted &#39;923 U.S. patent application and that reference characters above 500 refer to newly disclosed subject matter described herein. However, it will be understood that the subject matter described in the above-noted &#39;923 application is not prior art with respect to the instant application just because it was first disclosed in the above-noted application. 
         [0015]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , trimming station  61  includes a book clamp  135  and a book shear  137  mounted on a frame bed  133 . The book clamp  135  clamps a book B, as shown in FIG. 15 of the above identified application, between a stationary, fixed anvil  139  and a movable clamp member  155  by means of clamp motor  145  and its drive. The details of the clamp drive and motor are fully disclosed in the above-noted patent application. Further, shear  137  includes a shear carriage  185  mounting a shear blade  189 . The shear carriage and shear blade are movable by a shear motor  175  and its associated drive between a retracted position in which the cutting edge  191  of shear blade  189  is clear of a book clamped on anvil  139  by book clamp  135  and a shearing position in which the shear blade shears through such book. 
         [0016]    Blade  189  is preferably a carbide blade having a sharp shearing or cutting edge  191 . In order to shear books, this shearing edge must be exceedingly sharp. Because the preferred blade is a carbide blade, it remains sharp so that it may shear thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of books. However, the cutting edge will eventually become dull and need to be changed. The number of books that blade  189  may shear before its cutting edge  191  dulls is somewhat dependent on the paper used for the book block and the covers of the books being printed and sheared. It will be understood that some paper stocks may be somewhat more abrasive than other papers and that the more abrasive papers may cause more wear on the blade. Also, such carbide blades are fragile and may be subject to breakage or nicking of the cutting edge for a variety of reasons. Accordingly, it may be necessary to change blade  189  from time to time so as to insure that the shear  137  satisfactorily shears the books. 
         [0017]    As shown in FIG. 17 of in the above-noted patent application, the shear blade  189  is removably secured to the shear blade assembly  187  by bolts (not shown in FIG. 17). The shear blade assembly  187  has a plurality (e. g., four) of elongate slots  195  that extend generally perpendicular to blade edge  191 . These elongate slots in the blade assembly cooperate with mating elongate slots  197  in the blade carrier  185  and receive bolts (not shown). These elongate slots and the bolts permit the shear blade assembly  187  to be precisely positioned within the shear blade carrier  185  so that the cutting edge  191  of blade  189  uniformly contacts the book along the width of the book side to be sheared. The blade is firmly held in place relative to blade carrier  185  when the bolts (again, not shown in FIG. 17 of the above-noted application) in slots  195 ,  197  are tightened. However, it was necessary for the technician changing the blade to access these bolts from below to loosen these bolts so that an old blade may be removed. It was also necessary for the technician to access these bolts from below to tighten these bolts upon the installation of a new blade. This either required two technicians to change the blade or required a technician positioned below the blade carriage to reach between the anvil and the cutting edge  191  of blade  189  to access the bolts. This exposed cutting edge posed a hazard to the technician both on installing and removing the blade. In addition, because the preferred blade  189  was a carbide blade, it was subject to breaking or nicking upon installation. 
         [0018]    In accordance with the present disclosure, an improved blade installation and removal procedure is disclosed in which the bolts  502  securing the blade in place on the blade carriage  185  are accessible from above and in which the cutting edge  191  of the blade  189  is protected within a sheath S, as shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , as the blade assembly is installed or removed. This sheath S is preferably made of a suitable plastic material, such as High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), or other suitable plastic or other frangible. 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , a replaceable shear blade assembly, as generally indicated at  501 , is shown. This replaceable shear blade assembly comprises a blade body  503 , preferably of a suitable carbon steel material or the like, to which a carbide blade insert  505  is adhered by a suitable adhesive as is well known in the art. Preferably, blade insert  505  is of a suitable carbide material, such as a tungsten carbide material commercially available from Alliance Knife Co. of Germany, which is inlaid or bonded to the carbon steel blade body  503 . Blade insert  505  has a sharp cutting edge  507  facing forward toward anvil  139 . As shown best in  FIG. 4 , blade insert  505  has a flat, planar top horizontal surface  509  that is generally co-planar with the top surface  511  of blade body  503  when the blade body is installed in blade carriage  185 . Further, blade insert  507  and blade body  503  have a wedge-shaped or inclined lower surface  513  angling upwardly toward cutting edge  507  to form the cutting edge. It will be understood that as cutting edge  507  shears through a book B held between the clamp member  155  and anvil  139 , this angled lower surface pushes the sheared margin of the book downwardly away from the underside of the blade insert and the blade body. 
         [0020]    As previously noted, the cutting edge  507  of blade insert  505  is preferably enclosed or protected by a plastic sheath S, as shown in  FIGS. 2-4 . This sheath S has an upper surface  515 , a front, vertical portion  517  disposed in front of cutting edge  507 , and a lower portion  519  underlying the blade insert so that the full length of the cutting edge is enclosed within the sheath. It will be appreciated that the lower portion  519  of the sheath may be formed so as to resiliently grip the lower surface  513  of the blade body  503  so as to aid in holding the sheath in its protective position as the blade is shipped and as the blade is handled at the installation site. 
         [0021]    As indicated at  521  in  FIG. 4 , the upper surface  515  of sheath S has a pair of spaced holes therein for receiving a threaded stud  523  protruding from a respective handle  525 , where the stud is received in a respective threaded hole  527  in the upper face of blade body  503  so as to secure the handles to the blade body and to hold the sheath in position on blade assembly  501 . Handles  525  allow the technician to readily handle the replaceable blade (which may weigh several pounds) during installation and removal of the blade from the blade carriage, and the technician is protected from the sharp cutting edge  507  by the sheath S. 
         [0022]    Blade body  503  has a plurality of circular bolt holes  529  (five such bolt holes are shown) in the rear portion of the blade body. These bolt holes  529  are aligned with threaded bolt holes  531  in blade mounting body  203 , which is similar to body  203  described in the afore-mentioned &#39;923 application. The bolt holes  529  are preferably countersunk so that when bolts or fasteners  533  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) are inserted from above the heads of the bolts are below the upper surface of the blade body. The shanks of these fasteners threadably engage their respective threaded hole  531  in blade mounting body  203 . As shown in FIG.  3 . In addition, two spaced eccentric holes  537  are provided in blade body  503  for receiving a respective eccentric, adjustable fastener, as generally indicated at  539 . 
         [0023]    Blade body  503  is received in a recess  541  provided in blade mounting body  203 . It will be understood that the eccentric fasteners  539  may be used to accurately position the blade assembly  501  within recess  541  so that a rear edge  543  of blade body  503  is in abutting relation with a forward facing shoulder  545  of recess  541  in blade mounting body  203 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . It will be understood that rear edge  543  is parallel to the shear surface of anvil  139  such that when rear edge  543  is in abutting relation with shoulder  545 , cutting edge  507  is substantially parallel to the cutting surface of anvil  139 . However, it may be desired to use the adjustable eccentric fasteners  539  to precisely adjust the blade edge  507  to be parallel to the cutting surface or cutting stick  217  of anvil  139 . With the blade body  503  so positioned in recess  541 , bolts  533  are tightened, the blade assembly  501  is secured in position relative to body  203 . 
         [0024]    In accordance with the present disclosure, in order to install blade assembly  501  in shear carriage  185 , the clamp jaw  155  is moved to a retracted position clear of anvil  139  and shear carriage  185  is advanced to approximately its position shown in  FIG. 2  or  3  such that the blade assembly  501  is clear from above. Assuming that no blade assembly is installed on blade carriage  185 , the new blade assembly is removed from its shipping container (not shown). Preferably, sheath S is shipped with each new blade assembly and the sheath is installed over the cutting edge  507  of blade insert  505  so as to protect the blade during shipping. While handles  525  may be shipped installed on the blade assembly, it may be preferable that the handles are removed from the new blade assembly within its shipping container or box. If that is the case, before the blade assembly is removed from its shipping container, the handles  525  are installed by inserting handle studs  523  (which are preferably installed on the handles) through holes  521  in sheath S and are threadably engaged in holes  527  in blade body  503 . With the handles  525  so installed, sheath S is fixedly held in place on blade assembly  501  in such manner that it cannot be inadvertently dislodged from the blade insert  505  during installation of the blade assembly. In this manner, cutting edge  507  remains covered during installation of the blade until the sheath S is removed. It will be further appreciated that the handles  525  allow the technician to readily hold the blade assembly as it is positioned within recess  541  in blade mounting body  203 . 
         [0025]    As previously noted, eccentric fasteners  539  are inserted in eccentric holes  537  in blade mounting body  203  so as to insure that blade body  503  is properly positioned within recess  541  with its rear wall  543  in firm engagement with shoulder  545  of the blade mounting body  203 . As noted, this insures that cutting edge  507  is parallel to the cutting surface of anvil  139 . In addition, recess  541  may be provided with side walls  547  of recess  541  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ) which abut corresponding side walls  549  (see  FIG. 4 ) of blade mounting body  203  so as to effectively prevent side-to-side shifting or movement of blade assembly  501  with respect to the blade mounting body  203 . 
         [0026]    Once blade assembly  501  has been so installed on blade carriage  185  (and more precisely has been installed in recess  541  of blade mounting body  203 ), handles  525  may be unscrewed so as to remove the handles and their respective studs  523  from blade mounting body  503 . Then, sheath S may be slipped off blade insert  505  so as to expose cutting edge  507  and the sheath is removed from the trimming station. Alternatively, sheath S may remain in place and the shear carriage  185  may be extended toward anvil  139  so that the cutting edge  507  may forcefully shear the front, vertical portion  517  of the sheath between the cutting edge and the anvil so that a portion of the sheath below a shear line approximately halfway down the sheath portion  517  so that the sheared portion will drop into the waste chute of the book trimming station  61 . Then, as the shear carriage is moved toward its retracted position, the rear edge of the top portion  515  of sheath S will engage the clamp surface  170  of clamp bar  155 . Because the sheath is no longer held in position by handles  525 , this retraction of the shear carriage will sweep the remaining upper portion  515  of the sheath from the blade assembly and this upper portion will also be discarded into the waste chute. In this manner, the cutting edge  507  is not exposed at any time during the installation of the blade assembly  501 . 
         [0027]    In order to remove the blade assembly  501 , the above-described process is reversed. Specifically, to remove the blade assembly the clamp bar  155  is moved to a retracted position, such as shown in  FIG. 2  so that the blade assembly and the fasteners  529  and  539  are accessible from above. Then, a new sheath S is positioned around the cutting edge  507 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , and handles  525  are installed so that the handle studs  523  are inserted through holes  521  in the upper portion  515  of the sheath and are threadably engaged in holes  527  in the blade mounting body  503 . Then fasteners  529  and  539  may be then removed from above and the entire blade assembly and the sheath may be removed from the shear carriage from above as a unit. Again, except during installation of sheath S on cutting edge  507 , the cutting edge is enclosed by and protected by the sheath during removal of the blade assembly. 
         [0028]    As indicated at  209  in  FIG. 3 , the rear edge of mounting body  203  is in camming engagement with cam  209  so that the position of cutting edge  507  of blade assembly  501  may be accurately adjusted toward and away from anvil  139 . As described in the afore-mentioned &#39;923 application, cam  209  may be adjusted by means of a cam actuation screw  215 . 
         [0029]    As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the broad scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8