US3677123A

US3677123A - Penetrable bed used for cutting sheet material

Info

Publication number: US3677123A
Authority: US
Inventors: Heinz Joseph Gerber; David Raymond Pearl
Original assignee: Gerber Garment Technology Inc
Current assignee: Gerber Technology LLC
Priority date: 1970-12-09
Filing date: 1970-12-09
Publication date: 1972-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 1989-07-18
Also published as: GB1339079A; FR2117519A5; DE2144855A1

Abstract

A penetrable bed includes bristles fixedly connected to a base portion thereof with a penetrable filler material disposed in the area around the bristles thereby providing additional support thereto. The penetrable filler material may be selected from a group consisting of a granular substance, a self-healing material or mixtures thereof.

Description

United States Patent Gerber et al. [4 July 18, 1972 PENETRABLE BED USED FOR [56] References Cited CUTTING SHEET MATERIAL UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Inventors Helm Joseph Gerber: Remind 245,149 8/1881 Fowler ..83/658 ux Wm 24s,1s0 8/1881 Fowler ..83/658 ux [73] Assignee': Gerber Garment Technology Iue., East Hartford, Conn. Primary Examiner-James M. Meister [22] Filed: M 9 1970 Attorney-McCormick, Paulding & Huber [21] Appl. No.: 96,385 [57] ABSTRACT A penetrable bed includes bristles fixedly connected to a base FIE-(9" 83/561, p rti thereof a peneu'able filler material in n the area around the bristles thereby providing additional sup- [58] Fwd of Search "83/6581 65.9, 925 port thereto. The penetrable filler material may be selected from a group consisting of a granular substance, a self-healing material or mixtures thereof.

13 Chins, 5 Drawing Figures PATENIED JUL! 8 M2 3577} 123 sum 1 or 2 INVENTORS HE/NZ JOSEPH GERBER DAV/D RAYMOND PEA/2L ATTORNEYS mamas JUL18|972 3517.123

SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTORS HE/NZ JOSE PH GERBER DA V/D RA YMO/VD PEA/EL BY% M7 1% ATTORNEYS PENETRABLE BED USED FOR CU'ITING SHEET MATERIAL RELATED APPLICATION This application is related to subject matter disclosed in the co-pending U.S. application, Ser. No. 821,723, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,647, filed May 5, 1969.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of a bed of penetrable material together with a sheet material cutting apparatus is generally known in the prior art as evidenced by the subject matter of the above mentioned co-pending application. Such beds are used with apparatus adapted for cutting garment components or the like from either a layup of sheets arranged in vertically stacked relationship or a single sheet which is spread out in a generally flat condition prior to the cutting operation.

The general use of a penetrable material bed composed of a plurality of flexible bristles fixedly connected to a bottom base portion is also known. In the prior art bristle bed, the bristles are free to move in any direction when any force is applied thereon. Bristles stand up from the base portion and tend to have a natural shifting characteristic.

When the cutting blade of the sheet material cutting apparatus penetrates the prior art bristle bed, it imparts some force to the cloth as well as to the bristles disposed therebelow. The shifting characteristics of the bristles tend to cause the cloth to roll sideways during the cutting operation thereby causing an inaccurate cutting of the layup of cloth sheets or single sheet of cloth being cut.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION The primary object of this invention is to provide a penetrable bed including bristles fixedly attached to a base portion in which the shifting of the bristles is prevented during the cutting operation. It is another object of this invention to provide a bed including a plurality of bristles to be used in a sheet material cutting apparatus while preventing the movement of the sheet material along the supporting surface during the cutting operation.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved cloth cutting apparatus having a substantially continuous penetrable supporting surface for the cloth wherein the apparatus is particularly well adapted to operate automatically in response to control signals applied by associated numerically controlled controller, computer or the like, without the cloth having a tendency to shift position on the supporting surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A penetrable, bristle bed as presented herein comprises a base portion and a plurality of flexible bristles fixedly connected thereto. The bristles extend generally perpendicular to a substantially continuous penetrable surface for supporting sheet material such as cloth. A free area surrounds the bristles of the penetrable bed and a penetrable filler material is disposed in at least a portion of the free area. The filler material provides additional support to the flexible bristles and thereby overcomes the natural tendency for the bristles to shift when the cutting blade penetrates the bristle bed during the cutting operation. The penetrable filler material may be selected from the group consisting of a granular substance, a self-healing material and mixtures thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sheet material cutting apparatus made in accordance with this invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, shown partially in section,

FIG. 4 is generally similar to FIG. 3 but shows a further embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 5 is generally similar to FIG. 3 but shows a still further apparatus made in accordance with this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS More specifically, a sheet material or fabric cutting apparatus, generally designated 10, includes table 11 which provides support for a fabric layup 12 comprising a plurality of fabric sheets arranged in vertically stacked relation. The carriage, generally designated 13, is adapted to move across the surface of the table 11 in the coordinate directions indicated by the arrows X and Y. A cutting mechanism 15 having a cutting blade 16 is mounted on the carriage 13 so that the cutting mechanism 15 can be driven to and from any predetermined point relative to the table surface. The blade 16 extends downwardly from the main body of the cutting mechanism 15 and is reciprocated vertically by a motor in the cutter body. It may also be rotated 360 by another motor in the cutter body.

The main carriage 25 is movably mounted on the racks 14 thereby providing movement of the cutting mechanism along the longitudinal direction of table 11 or in the X co-ordinate direction. The cutter carriage 13 is movably mounted on a guide bar or tube 26 and a lead screw 34 of the main carriage 25 which extends transversely of the table 11. Movement of the carriage 13 along the guide bar 26, as driven with the lead screw 34, is in the Y co-ordinate direction.

The main carriage 25 includes a drive shaft (not shown) which extends transversely of table 11 and has pinions at its opposite end for engaging the travel support racks 14. Movement of the main carriage 25 is effected in response to operation of a drive motor (not shown) which is connected to the main carriage drive shaft. The cutting mechanism carriage 13 moves transversely of the table in response to the operation of another guide motor (not shown) which is operably connected to lead screw 34.

The movement of the carriages l3 and 25 may be effected in response to positioning signals supplied through the cable 24 by an associated input means such as, for example, a numerically controlled controller or a computer (not shown). The

carriages

13 and 25 are capable of moving the blade 16 in cutting engagement with the layup 12 along any line which may be straight or curved as required in cutting a garment component or the like. The blade 16 has a reciprocating cutting stroke and is adapted for rotation about its own axis in a direction indicated by the arrow 0 in response to signals from the input means. During at least a portion of its stroke, the blade 16 penetrates the upper supporting surface 20 of the table 11. The operation of the cutting apparatus 10 as described hereinabove is fully set forth in co-pending application, Ser. No. 821,723, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,697, filed May 5, 1969, which is incorporated herewith.

As suggested previously, the cutting table 11 may be constructed from various materials and may take a variety of forms. The invention of this particular application is directed specifically to the use of a penetrable, bristle bed, generally designated 17, on which the fabric layup 12 composed of sheets of cloth is disposed during the cutting operation. The bristle bed 17 is disposed in a frame having a bottom wall and side and end walls which extend upwardly from the bottom wall to form a shallow container. The bristle bed 17 may be formed from a plurality of generally rectangular blocks or as continuous strips extending across the entire width of the table 11.

The bed 17 includes a base portion 19 and a plurality of flexible bristles or fibers 18 fixedlyconnected thereto. The base portion 19 may be composed of a solid plastic or rubber material. The bristles 18 extend generally perpendicular to a supporting surface on which the layup 12 is disposed. A free area surrounds the bristles 18. In other words, the free area is that portion within the bed 17 which is not occupied by the bristles 18. A penetrable filler material 21 is disposed in at least a portion of the free area thereby providing additional support to the flexible bristles 18.

The filler material 21 is present in the free area around the bristles 18 at a depth sufficient to prevent shifting of the bristles 18 during the cutting operation. The degree of shifting will depend upon the resiliency of the material used to form the bristles, the length of the bristles, the type of filler material used in the free area and the cutting conditions including the texture of the sheet material being cut and the speed of the operation. The filler material must be penetrable because the tip of the blade 16 will be repeatedly buried in the material of the bed 17 at all times during the normal cutting operation. The tip of the blade 16 will extend slightly more than half way through the bed 17 at the lower extremity of the blade stroke during the cutting operation. This particular adjustment of the blade 16 is not, however, essential, and if desired, the blade 16 may be adjusted so that more or less of the tip remains buried at all times in the bed 17. Further, the blade 16 may penetrate through more or less than half the thickness of the bed 17. The adjustment of the blade stroke may in some cases be such that the tip of the blade 16 actually moves above the top surface thereof during a portion of its stroke.

It has been found that the flexible bristle bed is very desirous because it is substantially immune to damage from repeated blade penetration. However, the problem exists that the flexibility of the bristles or fibers 18 has a tendency to cause the fabric layup to move when engaged by the cutting blade 16 during the cutting operation.

The bristles 18 are arranged in close relation to each other so that in a plane passing transversely of the bristles 18 near their free end so that the area occupied by the bristles 18 is greater than the free area surrounding the same. It has been necessary to develop a means by which this problem may be overcome and still maintain the characteristics of the bristle bed which is immune to damage from the repeated blade penetration. The specific embodiment as shown in FIG. 3 includes the use of a self-healing or self-repairing material 21. The self-healing material 21 is a superviscous liquid which exhibits the properties of a solid material. A material of this type marketed under the trade name Silly Putty has been found particularly well suited for the present purpose. A substantially continuous penetrable and planar supporting surface 20 is provided by a sheet of material 28 which rests on the upper surface formed by the plurality of bristles 18. The sheet 28 is preferably paper or light material which may be readily discarded and replaced as necessary. However, sheet 28 may not be needed in some instances depending upon the character of the material being cut in the layup 12. In these instances, the sheet of material 28 may be eliminated with the surface of the bed 17 being formed by the ends of the bristles 18. In this instance, the material being cut directly engages the bristles 18 themselves.

There are some instances where the free area between the bristles 18 may be completely filled with the superviscous liquid 21. However, there are other instances where it may be desired to fill the free area to only a limited degree which is effective to overcome the shifting movement of the material being cut on the supporting surface 20. In some forms of the apparatus 10, it is desirous to have an air space located below the supporting surface 20 for the purpose of drawing a vacuum therealong thereby making the bristle bed 17 extremely versatile in its utility.

Other types of penetrable filler material may also be used. The embodiment as shown in FIG. 4 discloses a portion of the penetrable material to be of a granular substance 22 and another portion of the material being a superviscous liquid such as used in the embodiment of FIG. 3. The embodiment as shown in FIG. 5 discloses the use of a filler material that is composed completely of granular substance 22. The superviscous liquid and the granular substance are self-healing materials. Additionally, it is possible that other self-healing materials may be used in practicing the invention. Granular material which is contemplated for use in this invention may include such materials as sawdust, small balls of metal or plastic, and granules of foamed or unfoamed plastics.

While the penetrable bed used for cutting sheet material has been shown and described in detail, it is obvious that this invention is not to be considered as being limited to the exact form disclosed, and that changes in detail and construction may be made therein within the scope of the invention, without departing from the spirit thereof.

What we claim is:

1. In a sheet material cutting apparatus having a substantially continuous, penetrable supporting surface for sheet material, a bed of penetrable material adjacent said supporting surface, a cutter and means for moving said cutter and said bed of penetrable material with respect to each other, said penetrable bed comprising:

a. a base portion,

b. a plurality of flexible bristles fixedly connected to said base portion and extending generally perpendicular to said supporting surface,

c. a free area surrounding said bristles, and

d. a penetrable filler material disposed in at least a portion of said free area thereby providing additional support to the flexible bristles.

2. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the penetrable filler material comprises at least a granular substance.

3. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the penetrable filler material comprises a self-healing material.

4. In an apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the self-healing material is a superviscous liquid.

5. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the penetrable material comprises a first portion composed of a granular substance and a second portion composed of a superviscous liquid.

6. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said continuous penetrable, sheet material supporting surface is formed by the ends of the flexible bristles extending across the penetrable material bed.

7. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said continuous penetrable supporting surface comprises a piece of supporting sheet material overlying at least a portion of a surface of said penetrable material bed.

8. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the penetrable filler material is at a depth in the free area to prevent shifting of the bristles during the cutting operation.

9. A bed of penetrable material for use in a sheet material cutting apparatus, said bed comprising:

a. a base portion,

c. a free area surrounding said bristles, and

10. A bed as defined in claim 9 wherein the penetrable filler material comprises at least a granular substance.

1 1. A bed as defined in claim 9 wherein the penetrable filler material comprises a self-healing material.

12. A bed as defined in claim 9 wherein the self-healing material is a superviscous liquid.

13. A bed as defined in claim 9 wherein the penetrable material comprises a first portion composed of a granular substance and a second portion composed of a superviscous liquid.

9 21 51? UNIJTED s'm'ms PATENT OFFICE (IERTHUCATE OF CORREC'HQN Patent No. 3,677,123 Dgted July 18, 1972 Inventor( Heinz Joseph Gerbe rj David Raymond Pearl It is certified that error appears in th eebOVe-ddentified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

a C01. 1, line- 7 "No. 3,548, 647" should read Signed and sealed this 9th day of Jannary 1973.,

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARDMJFLETQH-ERJR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK ttesting Offlcer I Commissioner of Patents

Claims

1. In a sheet material cutting apparatus having a substantially continuous, penetrable supporting surface for sheet material, a bed of penetrable material adjacent said supporting surface, a cutter and means for moving said cutter and said bed of penetrable material with respect to each other, said penetrable bed comprising: a. a base portion, b. a plurality of flexible bristles fixedly connected to said base portion and extending generally perpendicular to said supporting surface, c. a free area surrounding said bristles, and d. a penetrable filler material disposed in at least a portion of said free area thereby providing additional support to the flexible bristles.

9. A bed of penetrable material for use in a sheet material cutting apparatus, said bed comprising: a. a base portion, b. a plurality of flexible bristles fixedly connected to said base portion and extending generally perpendicular to said supporting surface, c. a free area surrounding said bristles, and d. a penetrable filler material disposed in at lEast a portion of said free area thereby providing additional support to the flexible bristles.

11. A bed as defined in claim 9 wherein the penetrable filler material comprises a self-healing material.