Abstract:
An automated material jam release system adapted for an impression system is disclosed in which various material presence sensing arrangements transmit “present” or “absent” signals that control automatic release and locking systems to either (a) remain in a first or operating position with a head holding an anvil in a predetermined position adjacent to a frame mounted die holder roller or (b) move to a second or open or jam release position where the anvil is not in an operating relationship to the roller. Movement of the head may be by various arrangements including (1) using a pair of actuators to respectively move an eccentric cam and release a spring; (2) using a single actuator such as an air cylinder mounted between the head and the frame to contract to hold the head in contact with the frame or automatically extend to lift the head from the frame and the corresponding anvil away from the die holder; and (3) using a single actuator to rotate an eccentric cam having a captured cam follower to positively move the head and anvil between and lock them in the two positions.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation in part of pending Ser. No. 08/855,858 filed May 12, 1997, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/536,702 filed Sep. 29, 1995, now abandoned, which is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 08/419,184 filed Apr. 10, 1995, now abandoned. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to an impression system and particularly to a method and apparatus for jam detection and jam clearing in an impression system.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Impression systems comprising a die plate mounted on a die holder are utilized to process and finish predetermined patterns in sheet-like material typically found in web or blank form.  
           [0004]    Typical die plates include perforating plates, scoring plates, embossing plates, cutting plates and the like. The die plate is attached to the die holder, sometimes called a die cylinder or drum. The die holder is usually cylindrical in shape. The die holder is mounted for rotation on a drive shaft synchronized with a conveyor system for the web or blank. As the web or bank enters the impression system from the conveyor system, it is moved between the die holder and an anvil which may take the form of a roller, which turns with the die holder roller, or a stationary bar called a widia bar. Clearance between the die holder and anvil is such that the die plate, integral with the die holder, contacts the web or blank for successfully impressing, embossing, cutting or the like. Each web or blank is thus brought into successive contact with the impression system, the drive shaft of the die holder synchronized with the conveyor system so that the die engages a different web or blank for each rotation of the die holder.  
           [0005]    The conveyor system may be of a flat conveyor belt type, it may have transfer cylinders before and/or after the die holder which rotate cooperatively with the die holder, or it may be of any type which cooperates with the die holder. Using the transfer cylinders, the web or blank is transferred from the lead transfer cylinder to the die holder where it is processed and then transferred to the trailing transfer cylinder to be carried away from the die holder.  
           [0006]    In the impression system, the die plate is accurately aligned and positioned longitudinally and circumferentially on the die holder in order to insure that the die plate accurately and repeatedly engages the web or blank.  
           [0007]    In the art of the present invention, it is difficult to maintain the accurate alignment and positioning of the die plate as it relates to the web or blank due to wear, abrasion and shifting of the die plate over a period of time. As the accuracy of the alignment and positioning of the die plate degrade with continued use, the web or blank is caused to be out of position relative to the die plate. Although the die plate may be in its intended location, the conveyor system may also suffer from misalignment causing the web or blank to be misaligned when it is fed to the impression system; the alignment of the conveyor system for positioning the web or blank is not always accurate. Unfortunately, because of the close tolerances between the die plate and the anvil, when misalignment occurs between the die plate and the web or blank, the impression system cannot compensate for the misalignment resulting in jamming of the apparatus.  
           [0008]    In the prior art, methods used to avoid or clear a jammed apparatus suffer from several drawbacks. The prior art procedure was typically manual and operator intensive, causing a very slow response time. That is, an operator continuously visually inspected the impression system until it jammed. When the impression system jammed, the conveyor system was manually shut down, with substantial lag time between the operator&#39;s visual acknowledgment of a jam, and the bringing of the conveyor system off line. The lag in the conveyor system&#39;s ability to respond quickly caused additional web or blank material to be lost by being jammed into the impression system, and backed up in the conveyor system.  
           [0009]    When the impression system jammed, not only was there loss of web or blank material and sometimes damage to the cutting die, but the impression system down time caused loss of productivity. With an average of speed of the die holder of 1500 rpm, the operator&#39;s ability to visually detect and respond to a jam was slow in comparison to the feed rate of the web or blank (one web or blank is fed through the impression system with each revolution of the die holder). This slow response time meant that much more web or blank material would be pushed up into the impression system after the jam of a web or blank. The additional web or blank material increased the difficulty in clearing the path through impression system thereby increasing downtime and decreasing productivity. There is a resulting need for an impression system that detects and clears the material jams more efficiently.  
           [0010]    Also, the mechanisms used in the prior art to open the roller hip to release pressure was typically manual and labor intensive, e.g., a pair of hold down clamps on each side of the head and rolls would have to be individually released.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    The present invention encompasses a material jam release and locking system for an impression system. The jam release system comprises a movable head having mounted thereon a roller or stationary anvil which head is coupled to a machine frame. A die holder rotatably mounted on the frame is in proximity to the movable head. In the preferred embodiment, the die holder incorporates a die that cuts, scores, or otherwise marks a material that is fed along a material path between the anvil and the die holder.  
           [0012]    A sensor arrangement along the material path detects the material and provides a first signal in response to sensing the material. The sensor also provides a second signal when the material is not present.  
           [0013]    A release and locking system including actuating means which may take the form of a pneumatic or hydraulic actuator cylinder is coupled to the sensor and the movable head. The hydraulic actuator of the release and locking system operates and moves the head away from the die holder in response to the first and the second signals indicating a jam condition. This automatic, immediate response minimizes or avoids loss of material, damage to dies and equipment, and enables the material jam to be detected and cleared quickly without waiting for operator intervention.  
           [0014]    Several embodiments of the lifter are disclosed. In the first embodiment, a first activator rotates an eccentric cam from (a) a first position in which the outer surface of the cam bears against a hard surface to lock the head and cylinder in its normal operating position to (b) a second position in which the hold down pressure provided by the cam is released, thereby allowing a tension spring connected to a second actuator to move the head and top roller out of engagement with the cooperating roller.  
           [0015]    In the second embodiment, a single actuator, having one ed connected to the frame and the other end connected to the head, holds the head in operating position until a jam is detected, after which it moves the head away from the frame to release a jam.  
           [0016]    In a third embodiment, a single actuator also rotates an eccentric cam and moves a captured cam follower on the head between (a) a first position locking the head and roller into operating engagement with a second roller and (b) a second position in which the cam itself positively cams the head and roller and locks them out of operating position.  
           [0017]    These and other aspects and attributes of the present invention will be discussed with reference to the following drawings and accompanying specification. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIGS. 1A and 1B show a jam detection and clearing assembly for an impression system in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 shows a schematic of a jam detection and prevention method for an impression system in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-section of the present invention taken along line III-III in FIGS. 1A;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 shows a die plate of one embodiment of the sensing arrangement of the present invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 shows an elevational view and enlargement with parts in cross-section of a first embodiment of an automatic release and locking system for moving the anvil away from the die holder as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of a sensor arrangement in an automatic system for moving the anvil away from the die holder;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIGS. 7A and 7B show a second embodiment of an automatic release and locking system for moving the anvil away from and toward the die holder;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the present invention using multiple sensors to determine the jam condition;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a release and locking system for camming the head toward and away from the machine frame; and  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the body of the eccentric cam of FIG. 9 shown from the opposite side along lines X-X. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0028]    While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.  
         [0029]    Referring to the drawings, a jam detection and prevention method and apparatus for an impression system in accordance with the present invention is shown.  
         [0030]    Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of a jam detection and prevention apparatus  10  is shown. FIG. 1A shows the apparatus in a closed position while FIG. 1B shows the apparatus in a released or open position. A die holder  20  has a cylindrical shape and is mounted to a shaft  12  for rotation so that a die plate  30  mounted on holder  20  engages a web or blank material  80 . The die holder  20  has a longitudinal axis  23  generally extending along the axis of the drive shaft  12  of a motor (not shown).  
         [0031]    Typically, a different blank is engaged for each rotation of the die holder  20 . However, alternate embodiments can use multiple dies on the die holder to engage each blank material multiple times.  
         [0032]    Typical die plates  30  for processing a web or blank can comprise perforating plates for cutting perforation slots in the material, scoring plates for forming grooves in the material, embossing plates for pressing one side of a material to form a raised pattern on the opposing side of the material, and cutting plates for cutting a pattern in the material.  
         [0033]    Although the invention is described using a cutting plate and blank material in the following embodiments, it will be appreciated that the invention is adaptable to any impression plate. Further, the invention is described in the embodiments as processing a blank material as the raw material, however, the invention is adaptable to a web or to a blank as the feed material.  
         [0034]    The die plate  30  is a flexible sheet of metal that is attached to the die holder  20 . As shown in FIG. 4, the die plate  30  has a leading edge  32 , a trailing edge  34 , and opposing side edges  36  and  38 . The die plate  30  has a surface  31  and a raised pattern surface  50  having a contour corresponding to the outline of the pattern to be formed in the blank. In the illustrated embodiment, the pattern surface  50  has a rectangular contour to cut a rectangular window panel from an envelope blank.  
         [0035]    It will be appreciated that the pattern surface  50  may also have other appropriate shapes and patterns known to those skilled in the art including, for example, a pattern surface adapted to cut the sides of an envelope blank. The die plate  30  may be manufactured from any suitable material. The present invention extends to both magnetic and non-magnetic die holder systems.  
         [0036]    Referring to FIG. 1A, an anvil in the form of roller  25  that is rotatably mounted on a head  26  which, in turn, is pivotally attached at one end to a frame  27 . The roller  25  is located proximately to the die holder  20 . In the preferred embodiment, this distance is measured in thousandths of an inch. Other embodiments use other distances depending on the thickness of the blank material being processed.  
         [0037]    The anvil  25  can be a stationary, non-rotating widia bar, or can rotate complementary to the die holder  20  so that a blank (not shown) can be processed by contacting it with the cutting die plate  30  as the blank moves down the material path and between the die holder  20  and the anvil  25 .  
         [0038]    In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the anvil  25  is maintained in position at a fixed relative spacing from the holder during processing of the blank by the head  26 . The head  26  is mounted on a frame  27 , movable around a pivot point  28 . The anvil  25  may be moved away from the die holder  20  by moving the head  26  around the pivot point  28 , such as when the impression system is not in operation. A counterweight  29  is often added to the head  26  to facilitate and balance the movement of the head  26  around the pivot point  28 .  
         [0039]    Details of the first embodiment of an automatic head release system of FIGS. 1A and 1B for moving the anvil away from the die holder is shown in FIG. 5. An actuator in the form of a pneumatic solenoid can be used to hold or push away the head from the lowered position responsive to the sensor detecting a jam condition and signaling an alarm.  
         [0040]    In an automatic system for moving the anvil away from the die holder, as in FIG. 5, a pneumatic mechanical release for a jam detection and prevention system is shown. The anvil  25  is an integral part of the movable head  26  that is attached to a frame  27 . The movable head  26  rotates about an axis  28  for moving the anvil  25  away from the die holder  20  (not shown).  
         [0041]    The head releases structure  100  shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B includes an inverted U-shaped support  110  having a pair of pivot points  120  connecting the support  110  to the machine frame  27 . Support  110  comprises a pair of legs  112 ,  113  having respective first ends  112   a ,  113   a  through which pivot point  120  pass to secure it to frame  27 . Respective second ends  112   b ,  113   b  of legs  112 ,  113  have secured thereto on opposite sides a pair of plates  115  so that plates  115  are spaced apart by the width of the legs  112 ,  113 . In the space between plates  115 , there is provided an eccentric cam  130  rotatably mounted on a pivot pin  28 . The pivot pin  28  is secured in and between the plates  115 .  
         [0042]    Cam  130  is pivotably connected to the second air cylinder actuator  84  at a pivot point  132 . The actuator  84  in turn is pivotably mounted between plates  115  by a pivot pin  86  extending between plates  115 .  
         [0043]    In FIG. 5, the spring  81  is mechanically held in tension. When the jam detection of the present invention indicates a jam condition, a signal is sent to a solenoid valve (not shown) that may be pneumatic or electrical. The solenoid valve activates the air cylinders  82  and  84 . The air cylinders  82  and  84  are interlocked and cooperate, the first cylinder  82  releasing the spring  81  and the second cylinder  84  moving a cam shaft to lift the head  26 . The counterweight  29  facilitates the lifting of the head  26  upward, thus moving the anvil  25  away from the die holder. The automatic system for moving the anvil away from the die holder can be used with any of the jam detection systems of the present invention for automatic prevention of jams and damage to the die system.  
         [0044]    Referring next to the flow diagram of FIG. 2, depicting one embodiment of a method for automatic jam detection and prevention, in accordance with certain objectives of the invention, the apparatus  10  has a sensor  40  for sensing the leading portion of a blank  80  as illustrated in FIG. 3. The sensor  40  provides a first signal  42  when the leading portion of the blank is sensed and a second signal  44  when the leading portion of the blank is not sensed.  
         [0045]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the first and second signals  42  and  44  are used to alert an operator that the system is either functioning properly or to take remedial action if necessary. This alert may take the form of lights or aural alarms to alert the operator.  
         [0046]    The sensor  40  may be optical, so that sensing of the leading portion of a sufficiently opaque (or reflective) blank is by its interruption (or reflection) of an optical path. The optical sensor may use a light beam for sensing whether the material is present in the leading portion. Further, a light source and light receptive sensor  40   a  may be used to sense the leading portion.  
         [0047]    The sensor  40  may be also be electrical, magnetic, or electro-mechanical so that the sensing of the leading portion of a sufficiently insulative blank is by its interruption of an electrical or magnetic circuit The sensor  40  may alternatively be mechanical, so that the sensing of the leading portion of a sufficiently thick blank is by its physical displacement of the sensing element of a mechanical sensor such as a lever or leaf.  
         [0048]    One embodiment of the present invention uses multiple sensors along a conveyor system having multiple anvil/die holder combinations. The multiple sensors may be all of the same type or a mixture of the various types. The sensors are distributed along the conveyor system and can be located in approximately the same positions as the sensors in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1A&amp;B, FIG. 6, and FIGS. 7A&amp;B. Upon sensing a jam condition, any one of the sensors can stop the entire conveyor system and raise the particular anvil involved in the jam away from the die holder. In another embodiment, all of the anvils in the conveyor system are raised away from all of the die holders.  
         [0049]    Referring to FIG. 2, for a jam detection and prevention system, the second signal  44  communicates with a moving means  46  for moving the head  26  and anvil  25  away from the die holder  20 .  
         [0050]    As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, a piece of reflective tape  62  is located ahead of the leading portion  52  of the die plate  32 . The reflective tape  62  is adhered to and becomes integral to the die plate  30  and rotates with the die plate  30  and die holder  20 .  
         [0051]    An optical sensor  60  is positioned to align with the reflective tape  62  for sending and receiving an optical signal from the reflective tape  62  each time the reflective tape is left uncovered as it rotates around the axis  23  of the die holder  20 . Alternatively, the tape  62  can be non-reflective, while the web or blank is reflective (relative to the tape), so that failure to detect a reflected light signal indicates a jam condition alarm.  
         [0052]    Similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the sensor  40  in the FIG. 3 embodiment is comprised of the optical sensor  60  and the reflective tape  62 . During normal operation of the impression system, a blank is processed with each rotation of the die holder  20 . The leading portion of the blank moves in and across the die plate  30  toward the leading portion of the die plate  32  thereby covering the reflective tape  62 . The optical sensor  60  detects the presence of the blank (by the lack of a signal from the reflective tape  62 ), thus providing a first signal  42  responsive to sensing the leading portion of the blank. The optical sensor  60  detects the absence of the blank by receiving a signal generated by the optical path between the optical sensor  60  and the reflective tape  62  thus providing a second signal  44  responsive to not sensing the leading portion of the blank.  
         [0053]    In another embodiment, the sensor  10 , shown in FIG. 1, is comprised of an optical sensor  70 , a mirror  10 , and a signal processor  41  that interprets the responses of the optical sensor  70 . The optical sensor  70  sends a light beam to the mirror  10  that reflects it back to the sensor  70 . The beam is in the same plane as the clearance area  68  between the die holder  20  and the anvil  25  along the length of the clearance area  68 .  
         [0054]    As a blank is fed through the impression system for processing, it will move into and through the clearance area  68 . With each rotation of the die holder  20 , one blank is processed through the impression system.  
         [0055]    The optical sensor  70  detects the presence of the blank when the blank blocks the optical path along the length of the clearance area  68 , and provides a first signal responsive to sensing at least the leading portion of the blank. The optical sensor  70  detects the absence of a blank when the optical path along the length of the clearance area  68  remains undisturbed thereby providing a second signal responsive to not sensing the leading portion of the blank.  
         [0056]    The first signal and the second signal are communicated to the signal processor  41  for interpretation. An automatic response mechanism provides communication to an operator, and/or automatically separates the anvil (or widia bar) from the die holder when interpretation by the signal processor  41  indicates a jam condition.  
         [0057]    In accordance with certain objects of the invention, the detection by the present invention of the absence of a blank may indicate that there is a failure of the conveyor system. It may also indicate that feed material has jammed upstream of die plate processing or that the web has broken. Detection by the present invention of the continuous and uninterrupted presence of feed material in the clearance area  68  after the die holder may indicate that feed material has jammed between the anvil  25  and die holder  20 , or that the die holder  20  or anvil  25  are not rotating properly.  
         [0058]    To avoid damage to the die plate and other parts of the impression system, loss of raw materials and downtime, the automatic jam prevention system can be implemented to receive the first and second signals  42  and  44  from the sensor  40 , diagnose the problem (from the signals  42  and  44  being analyzed and determined to be out of normal range of operation), and cause the impression system to respond to correct the problem or prevent jamming and damage. The diagnosis can be of time since the last of the first and/or second signal, relative timing of the first and second signals, or absolute timing of the first and second signals.  
         [0059]    Referring now to FIG. 6, there is schematically shown another embodiment of the present invention for jam detection. In FIG. 6, the conveyor system has transfer cylinders  90  and  92  located before and after the die holder  20 , respectively. The transfer cylinders  90  and  92  rotate cooperatively with the die holder  20  having a die plate  30 .  
         [0060]    The lead transfer cylinder  90  transfers the web or blank to the die holder  20  where it is processed and onto the trailing transfer cylinder  92  to be carried away from the die holder  20 . In this alternate embodiment, the sensor  60  is placed next to the trailing transfer cylinder  92 . The sensing of the leading portion of a blank occurs after the blank has been processed and has passed beyond the die holder  20 .  
         [0061]    A piece of reflective tape  62  is located on the trailing transfer cylinder  92 . The reflective tape  62  is adhered to and becomes integral with the trailing transfer cylinder  92 . The optical sensor  60  is positioned to align with the reflective tape  62  for sending and receiving an optical signal from the reflective tape  62  each time the reflective tape is left uncovered as it rotates around the axis  93  of the trailing transfer cylinder  92 . The tape  62  may also be non-reflective with a reflected signal from the web or blank to the optical sensor  60  indicating a jam condition.  
         [0062]    [0062]FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a second alternate embodiment of the automatic head release. Using an air cylinder  100 , this embodiment raises the head  26  or anvil  25  from the lock position, illustrated in FIG. 7A, to the released position, illustrated in FIG. 7B.  
         [0063]    Using the jam detection process of the present invention, with the second embodiment of the automatic head release system, a material jam signal from the sensor  60  signals the electronic control box  105  to instruct the air control box  110  to increase air pressure in the upper portion  100 a of air cylinder  100 . The air control box  110  has an air valve (not shown) that controls the flow of the air between the air lines, so that air pressure may be fed alternatively to a top portion  100   a  of cylinder  100  through line  100   a  to urge a piston therein down to force head  26  against frame  27  or to feed air through  110   b  to a lower part  100   b  of cylinder  100  to urge the piston (not shown) upwardly and thereby move head  26  away from frame  27  to avoid the jam. In other embodiments, both the electronic control box  105  and the air control box  110  can be combined into one box.  
         [0064]    The increase in pressure in the air cylinder  100  raises the anvil  25  or the head  26  away from the die holder  20 . Once the jam condition has been cleared, the air pressure is decreased in line  110   b  and increased in line  110   a , and the air cylinder  100  lowers the head  26  or anvil  25  back to the lock position.  
         [0065]    The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B can use fluids other than air, such as hydraulic fluid, to raise and lower the head  26  or anvil  25 . Additionally, the head  26  may be configured with levers and/or a cam such that increasing the fluid pressure in the cylinder  100  moves the head  26  to the lock position and decreasing the pressure moves the head  26  to the open position.  
         [0066]    A third embodiment of a head release and lock is represented in structure  200  as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. This structure  200  includes a support  210  attached to the machine head  26 . The support  210  supports an eccentric rotatable cam  230  which is moved by an actuator  250  between a first closed operating position  230 . As shown in FIG. 9 in which a release pin  272  mounted on the frame  27  is cammed at or near an inner end  282  of a cam recess  280  and a second released position  230 ″ in which the release pin  272  is cammed to an open end  284  of the cam recess  280  and forces the head  26  to be spaced away from machine frame  27 . In this position as shown in FIG. 10, it may be understood that the cam opening  280  allows the whole head  26  to be raised vertically about pivot  28  without interference from the cam.  
         [0067]    Cam opening  280  includes an upper surface  283  which bears against the top of release pin  272  as actuator  250  rotates cam  230  counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 9, to cam head  26  positively upwardly and open the space between head  26  and frame  27 . Conversely, during clockwise movement, as shown in FIG. 9, a lower camming surface  286  bears against release pin  272  to positively mechanically lock the head  26  in a precise predetermined position whereby the anvil/widia bar is positively locked in a rigidly fixed predetermined position relative to the die roller  20 . This precise positively fixed relationship has been found to produce improved die cutting results over all other known head release structures. Moreover, it is less expensive to manufacture and has a more efficient operation.  
         [0068]    As shown in FIG. 9, the release pin  272  projects from a block  275 , shown in dotted lines, that is secured to frame  27 . In response to a possible jam signal, air or fluid under pressure is fed through lines  210   b  to the upper end  250   b  to move an interior piston down and the cam  230  counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 9, to a position  230 ″, as shown in FIG. 10. When the head  26  is to be returned to its operating position, air or fluid under pressure fed through line  210   a  to lower end  250   a  moves cam  230  clockwise to position  230 ″.  
         [0069]    The multiple sensors S a , S b , S c , and S d  of one embodiment of the present invention are shown in FIG. 8. The sensors are distributed along the material path to sense the jam condition. The sensors can be mounted above or below the material path. Additionally, the sensors can be distributed such that some of the sensors are above the material path S b , S c  and others are below S a , S d .  
         [0070]    In the preferred embodiment, the sensors operate such that one sensor, for example S a , shuts down the material path and raises the anvil away from the die holder. In alternate embodiments, the sensors work in conjunction with each other to cause the material path to stop and the anvil to be raised away from the die holder.  
         [0071]    An alternate embodiment might include one sensor working together with at least one other sensor. An example of such an embodiment is that two sensors, such as S b  and S d , in sensitive areas of the material path agree that the material is jammed. Another alternate embodiment uses all the sensors working together. An example of such a case is that all of the sensors agree that the material is jammed and the material path should be shut down. Other embodiments use other combinations of the number and position of the sensors to determine when to shut down the material path and raise the anvil away from the die holder.  
         [0072]    As in the other embodiments, the sensors of the embodiment of FIG. 8 are coupled to a controller  805 . The controller  805  interprets the signals from the required sensors to determine if the material has jammed. The controller  805 , either by itself or with other controllers, instructs the material path to stop and raises the anvil away from the die holder to clear the jammed material.  
         [0073]    Examples of typical controllers that are used by the present invention include microprocessors such as Intel&#39;s 80XXX family and Motorola&#39;s 680XX family. Additionally, microcontrollers such as an Intel 8020 or a Texas Instruments SN74LS481 can be used. Other controllers of various speed and complexity can be used while remaining within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0074]    It can be seen that a method and apparatus for jam detection and prevention have been provided that attain the aforementioned objects. Although the structure and operation of the apparatus has been described in connection with the cutting of paper-like material, and as to illustrated embodiments, it is not intended that the invention be limited to such operations. Various additional modifications to the specifically illustrated and described embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the teachings of this invention.  
         [0075]    The invention may be utilized in the formation of any pattern in any thin and flexible sheet-like material, including, for example, paper, cloth or plastic materials to form envelopes, labels, sanitary napkins, window patterns and the like. It is intended that the invention cover all modifications and embodiments which fall within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.