Patent Document ID: 4467525
Application ID: 06401722
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. Apparatus for plotting and cutting large scale text in sheet materials for signs and the like comprising: movable support means for moving the sheet material back and forth in one coordinate direction during plotting and cutting operations including a rotatable feed roller having an axis of rotation and a work-engaging surface circumscribing the roller axis and against which the sheet material rests as plotting or cutting operations are carried out; a tool carriage supported adjacent the rotatable feed roller and movable relative to the roller in a second coordinate direction parallel to the roller axis; interchangeable cutting and plotting tools; a tool support movable on the tool carriage between an elevated and lowered position relative to the feed roller and having a tool mount accepting the interchangeable cutting and plotting tools one at a time for movement with the support between the elevated and lowered positions and into and out of working engagement with the sheet material on the roller; a lift motor mounted on the tool carriage and connected to the support for moving the support and the tool between the elevated and lowered positions; drive motor means connected with the tool carriage and the support means for moving the tool and the sheet material on the feed roller relative to one another; control means connected with the drive motor means and the lift motor for controlling the tool and sheet material movements during cutting and plotting operations; and including memory means for storing a font of text characters in terms of tool strokes suitable for moving both of the interchangeable cutting and plotting tools in the tool mount to trace on the material the profiles of each character in a sign text; and text entry means coupled with the memory means for selecting text characters in the font of the memory means and composing a desired sign text to be traced by any one of the interchangeable tools.