Patent Description:
The invention is applied in the agricultural field, in sectors such as viticulture and floriculture, but it can also be used for other types of fruit plants and vegetable cultivations.

In these sectors it is often necessary to secure the plants or branches to adapted supports in order to guide their growth.

This operation is carried out by means of ties to be applied in a totally manual way or with specific manual or automatic devices.

Tying tools are known among automatic devices; they are motorized and fed continuously with a flexible wire which is cut and tied automatically and in a controlled manner, and they allow to reduce significantly the tying time, thus improving productivity.

Normally, tying tools have a handle from which a tying region extends which in turn comprises:.

In particular, the blade has a substantially cylindrical space occupation, containing a contrast blade also having a substantially cylindrical space occupation.

Such blade has a cutting portion which is arranged at right angles to the sliding direction of the wire and is able to rotate about the axis of the cylindrical space occupation between:.

Tying tools have motor means which feed the tying region with the wire for the ties, making it advance from a wire supporting spool to the sliding guide.

In order to tie, for example, a vine shoot to a support, the sliding guide is positioned so as to surround, at least partially, the shoot resting against the support, and then the tying tool is activated.

Once activated, the wire advances, in the following order, through the blade, the twisting unit and the guide, so that it too surrounds the shoot resting against the support, then the blade cuts it to the appropriate size.

At this point it is twisted by the twisting unit, tightening onto itself and tying the shoot to the support, completing the tie.

First of all, in tying tools of the known type, the blade and the contrast blade are not easily accessible and in case of wire jamming or wedging of residues of ties in the cutting portion it may be necessary to disassemble the entire tying region, or a large part of it, in order to unjam the device and/or remove the residues and the mechanism.

This entails long and awkward operations, resulting in long periods of inactivity of the device itself and consequent interruption of processes.

In addition, tying tools of the known type normally have a large number of components for moving the wire.

For example, if one considers the tying tool taught in <CIT>, in the name of the PELLENC SA company, in this device the wire advances from a wire holder spool to the sliding guide through means driven by a gearmotor, by means of a transmission comprising an annular element engaged with a conical pinion keyed to the output shaft of said gearmotor.

The transmission of motion between the conical pinion and the annular element causes a reduction of the rotation rate.

Such annular element is mounted so as to rotate on a first axis and is coupled to a gear, which in turn is engaged with a pinion mounted on a second axis, which is axially offset with respect to the first one, and integral in rotation with a wire advancement roller, which is coaxial to the pinion and has a peripheral set of teeth for grip on the wire.

The advancement roller is pressed against a supporting roller, which rotates freely so that said wire slides between them.

The transmission of motion between the gear and the pinion causes a multiplication of the rotation rate.

Such known tying tool has the drawback of comprising a considerable number of components for the transmission of motion to the wire.

Furthermore, the tying tool also has a significant space occupation due to the need to accommodate all the components indispensable for the transmission of the motion in the arrangement described above.

Another example of tying tool can be seen in <CIT> which discloses the preamble of claim <NUM>.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a tying tool capable of improving the background art in one or more of the aspects mentioned above.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a tying tool which allows to quickly unjam it and/or disengage the blade and/or the contrast blade if needed, reducing the periods of inactivity of the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tying tool that has fewer components for the transmission of motion to the wire and/or has a lower space occupation, due to said components, than similar tying tools of the known type and is therefore easier to handle.

Moreover, an object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the background art in a manner that is alternative to any existing solutions.

Not least object of the invention is to provide a tying tool that is highly reliable, relatively easy to provide and at competitive costs.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a tying tool according to claim <NUM>, wherein a tying tool comprising a handle containing a gearmotor and a tying region, which extends from said handle and comprises, in the following order:.

said tying tool being characterized in that it comprises means for the quick disassembly of said cutting portion and said cutting portion is contained within a support which has a substantially box-like body interposed between said gearmotor and said guide, said cutting portion comprising a blade which has a substantially tubular space occupation, containing a contrast blade having a substantially cylindrical space occupation which is coaxial to said blade.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred embodiment of the tying tool according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:.

With reference to the figures, a tying tool according to the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral <NUM>.

The tying tool <NUM> comprises a handle <NUM> containing a gearmotor <NUM>, which is kinematically connected to a motor, not shown in the figures, and a tying region <NUM>, which extends from the handle <NUM>.

The tying region <NUM> comprises, in the following order:.

In particular, the cutting portion <NUM> is contained within a support <NUM> which has a substantially box-like body and is interposed between the gearmotor <NUM> and the guide <NUM>.

The cutting portion <NUM> comprises a blade <NUM> which has a substantially tubular space occupation, containing a contrast blade <NUM> having a substantially cylindrical space occupation which is coaxial to the blade <NUM>.

Such blade <NUM> has a cutting sector <NUM> which is arranged at right angles to the sliding direction of the wire and is able to rotate about the axis of the substantially tubular space occupation between:.

The contrast blade <NUM>, in turn, has a passage <NUM> for the tying wire toward the guide <NUM>.

The passage <NUM> of the contrast blade <NUM> is located at the cutting sector <NUM> of the blade <NUM>.

One of the particularities of the invention resides in that the tying tool <NUM> comprises means for the quick disassembly of the cutting portion <NUM>.

In particular, the blade <NUM> is arranged in a receptacle <NUM>, inside the support <NUM>, which is at least partially shaped complementarily thereto.

The blade <NUM> has an appendage <NUM> adapted to interact with a cam element <NUM> of a gear <NUM> moved by motor means, not shown in the figures, for the actuation of the blade <NUM>.

The appendage <NUM> extends from a first end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> on the plane that is perpendicular to the axis of the substantially tubular space occupation of the blade <NUM>.

The blade <NUM> is hinged, at this first end <NUM> thereof, to a first end <NUM> of a supporting arm <NUM> of the blade <NUM>, which in turn is hinged at a second end <NUM>, which is opposite the first end <NUM>, to the support <NUM>.

The arm <NUM> has an extension that is perpendicular to the axis of extension of the blade <NUM> and is substantially parallel to the axis of extension of the tying tool <NUM>.

The contrast blade <NUM> has an end pivot <NUM>, with an axis of extension that coincides with and/or is parallel to the axis of extension of the contrast blade <NUM>.

The pivot <NUM> is inserted in a corresponding through hole <NUM> of the support <NUM>, which is arranged on a first wall <NUM> of the latter that is directed toward the appendage <NUM> of the blade <NUM> and is substantially parallel to said appendage <NUM>.

The hole <NUM> is arranged at the receptacle <NUM>.

The hole <NUM> allows a direct and quick access to the cutting portion <NUM>.

In particular, in the operating configuration, the blade <NUM> contains the contrast blade <NUM>, and the latter is arranged so that the pivot <NUM> is inserted in the hole <NUM>.

In this manner, in practice, the contrast blade <NUM> couples the blade <NUM> to the receptacle <NUM>.

The support <NUM> comprises a second wall <NUM>, which is opposite and parallel to the first wall <NUM> and is provided with a through opening <NUM>, at the receptacle <NUM>, for the insertion and/or extraction of the contrast blade <NUM> from the blade <NUM> and from the support <NUM>.

The first wall <NUM> and the second wall <NUM> of the support <NUM> lie on planes which are perpendicular to the axis of extension of the blade <NUM> and of the contrast blade <NUM>.

If necessary, for example if it is necessary to free the cutting portion <NUM> from a wire fragment, it is sufficient to push the contrast blade <NUM>, by acting on the pivot <NUM> from the hole <NUM>, in order to extract it from the blade <NUM> by making it exit from the opening <NUM>.

At this point it is possible to lift the arm <NUM> and the blade <NUM> in the direction of the arrow <NUM> of <FIG>, in order to be able to remove easily any wire fragments present in the cutting portion <NUM> and/or at the receptacle <NUM>.

Another of the particularities of the invention resides in that the tying tool <NUM> comprises a wire protection sheath <NUM> between a spool holder <NUM> and the handle <NUM> and connected at its ends to both.

With reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, another particularity of the invention resides in the means for moving the wire, which are not shown in the figures.

In particular, the tying tool <NUM> comprises, for moving the wire from the spool, not shown in the figures, toward the guide <NUM>: a gearmotor <NUM>, which interacts with an annular element <NUM> engaged with a conical pinion <NUM> which is keyed on the output shaft of the gearmotor <NUM>.

The annular element <NUM> is mounted rotatably on an axis X and rotating integrally with a roller <NUM> for the advancement of the wire, which is coaxial to the annular element <NUM> and mounted rotatably on the same axis X.

The advancement roller <NUM> has a peripheral set of teeth for grip on the wire.

The advancement roller <NUM> is pressed against a supporting roller <NUM>, which rotates freely, so that the wire slides between them.

The supporting roller <NUM> is supported by the supporting arm <NUM> of the blade <NUM>, at its second end <NUM>.

It should be noted that the tying tool <NUM>, due to the coaxial arrangement between the wire advancement roller <NUM> and the annular element <NUM>, has a smaller number of components and/or a smaller space occupation than similar tying tools of the known type.

In practice it has been found that the invention has achieved the intended aim and objects, providing a tying tool which allows to quick unjam it and/or disengage the blade and/or the contrast blade if needed, reducing the periods of inactivity of the device.

The invention provides a tying tool that has fewer components for the transmission of motion to the wire and/or has a smaller space occupation, due thereto, than similar tying tools of the known type and is therefore easier to handle.

In practice, the materials used, so long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.

Mentioned here the disclosures in <CIT> from which this application claims priority.

Claim 1:
A tying tool (<NUM>) comprising a handle (<NUM>) containing a gearmotor (<NUM>) and a tying region (<NUM>), which extends from said handle (<NUM>) and comprises, in the following order:
- a portion (<NUM>) for cutting the tying wire,
- a twisting unit (<NUM>) for said wire,
- a hook-like terminal guide (<NUM>) for the sliding of said wire,
said tying tool (<NUM>) comprising means for the quick disassembly of said cutting portion (<NUM>), characterised in that said cutting portion (<NUM>) is contained within a support (<NUM>) which has a substantially box-like body interposed between said gearmotor (<NUM>) and said guide (<NUM>), said cutting portion (<NUM>) comprising a blade (<NUM>) which has a substantially tubular space occupation, containing a contrast blade (<NUM>) having a substantially cylindrical space occupation which is coaxial to said blade (<NUM>).