REFINED DEVICE FOR CUTTING TAPES

Abstract

An improved device for cutting tapes and, in particular, to a device for multiple cutting of adhesive reinforced tapes to be used in the rehabilitation field. Furthermore, the device is advantageously practical and versatile to satisfy any requirement that may arise when using the adhesive tape.

Claims

1. Device for cutting tapes comprising a first half-shell and a second half-shell adapted to surround an inner cavity, which cavity is provided with a first and a second apertures opposite each other on a rectilinear axis of extension of the device so as to allow the sliding and cutting of a tape, the first half-shell comprising commands for activating one or more cutting blades housed within the cavity and the second half-shell instead comprising a plurality of protrusions for supporting the tape and for guiding the cutting blades when the blades are activated by the commands, wherein further comprising a support fixable as a sandwich between the two half-shells and provided with lanes for housing a plurality of flexible arms each having a head provided with a blade.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the support is a longitudinal plate provided with a first face generally plane and a second face opposite to the first and provided with the plurality of lanes extending longitudinally and parallel to the axis so as to house the arms and allowing their flection orthogonal to the axis.

3. Device according to claim 2, wherein a shoulder of the support transversally divides the second face into two generally equal portions, each portion being crossed by the plurality of lanes starting from the shoulder towards the respective transversal edges of the support, close to the transversal edge the lanes have a through opening to allow the passage of the blades, close to the shoulders instead the lanes comprises a seat for engaging the arm, and between the seats and the openings the lanes comprise a plane inclined towards the same openings.

4. Device according to claim 1, wherein the arm comprises the head orthogonally movable with respect to the axis, a tail sandwiched between the first and second half-shells, and a rectilinear portion extending along a longitudinal axis parallel to the axis to join the head with the tail and to flex orthogonally to the axis.

5. Device according to claim 4, wherein the head of the arm has two side faces opposite and plane, at least one of which comprises a pin for engaging the blade.

6. Device according to claim 5, wherein the pin is internally empty and its base is opened on a window of the side face, the border of the base of the pin is also provided with two teeth which are flexible, opposite and towards the window in order to retain reversibly the blade.

7. Device according to claim 1, wherein the head the arm comprises a protrusion adapted to abut against a transversal edge of the support as stop for its flection.

8. Device according to claim 1, wherein the first half shell comprises commands to activate one or more blades, the commands in turn comprise portions elastically bendable towards the inner of the cavity so as to selectively activate one or more blades by means of corresponding fingers.

9. Device according to claim 1, wherein the inner face of the first half-shell comprises two transversal and parallel shoulders astride the transversal axis dividing into two equal portions the half-shell, the shoulders maintaining the arms in the operative position.

10. Device according to claim 1, wherein the second half-shell has a bottom comprising a plurality of drilled protrusions, parallel elongated each other along the axis, to support the tape at the cutting point, and whose hole receives the tip of the blade during the cutting.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0016] Further characteristics and advantages of the device for cutting strips of the invention will become more evident from the following description of an embodiment given purely by way of non-limiting example with reference to the following figures, in which:

[0017] FIG. 1 is a partial exploded perspective view of the device of the invention;

[0018] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the assembled device of FIG. 1;

[0019] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the exterior of a first shell of the device of FIG. 1;

[0020] FIG. 4 represents a perspective view of the internal face of the first shell of FIG. 3;

[0021] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the interior of a second shell of the device of FIG. 1;

[0022] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a support for blade-holding arms of the device of FIG. 1;

[0023] FIG. 7 is a perspective view from below of a blade-holding arm of the device of FIG. 1 with a respective blade released;

[0024] FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of an enlargement of the arm of FIG. 7 with a blade released;

[0025] FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of the arm of FIG. 7 with the blade mounted;

[0026] FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of the device of FIG. 2 in a first operating condition;

[0027] FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of the device of FIG. 2 in a second operating condition;

[0028] FIG. 12 is a partial sectional side view of the device of FIG. 1 in a rest condition of the arm of FIG. 9;

[0029] FIG. 13 is a partial sectional side view of the device of FIG. 1 with an arm activated by a first command;

[0030] FIG. 14 is a partial sectional side view of the device of FIG. 1 with an arm of activated by a second command.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] The idea behind the present invention is being able to obtain, with simple and rapid gestures, a plurality of strips of the same width, and preferably length, starting from a single tape in a very precise and automatic way. On the basis of this idea, a device was designed in a way that a reinforced tape could slide herein and in which a plurality of independent blades were housed, easily controlled and easy to replace in case of wear, to create said plurality of strips.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the reference number 1 indicates a device for cutting strips as a whole. The device 1 comprises a first half-shell 2 and a second half-shell 3 designed to delimit an internal cavity 4, the cavity being equipped with a first opening 5 and a second opening 6 opposite on a rectilinear axis X-X (FIG. 2) of extension of the device, so as to allow the sliding and cutting of a tape. Furthermore, it comprises a support 7 for a plurality of arms 8 carrying blades 9.

[0033] In particular, the first half-shell 2 comprises commands 10 (FIGS. 2 and 3) for activating one or more blades 9 for cutting a tape. Preferably, said commands 10 in turn comprise portions 11, 12, 13, 14 of the first half-shell 2 elastically flexing towards the inside of the cavity 4 so as to selectively operate one or more cutting blades 9. These portions 11, 12, 13, 14 can be obtained by partially cutting the first half-shell 2 so as to create a plurality of elastically flexing tabs. The tabs or portions are therefore lying on a single plane which defines the external surface of the first half-shell 2, when not activated (FIG. 3).

[0034] Preferably, the portions or tabs differ in a first 11, second 12, third 13 and fourth 14 portion (FIG. 3). The first portion 11 is obtained near the first opening 5 of the cavity 4 by means of a first C-shaped cut 15 of the first half-shell 2, with the C open towards the second opening 6. The second portion 12 is defined by a second C-shaped cut which it is aligned with the first C cut 15 and positioned so as to lie partly within the space defined by said first cut, always with the C open towards said second opening 6. The third portion 13 is obtained in proximity to the second opening 6 of the cavity 4 by means of a third C cut 17 of the first half-shell 2, with the C open towards the first opening 5. The fourth portion 14 is defined by a fourth C-shaped cut 18 which is aligned with the third cut 17 and positioned so as to lying partly inside the space defined by said third cut, always with the C open towards said first opening.

[0035] Preferably, two fifth portions 19 are each obtained inside the respective second 12 and fourth 14 C shaped portion and are defined by corresponding fifth C-shaped cuts 20. The opening of the respective C then faces, thus defining a central portion 21 of the first shell 2 which portion extends uninterruptedly transversely to the straight axis X-X.

[0036] In this way, it is clear that the first 11 and second 12 portions flex towards the first opening 5, while the third 13 and fourth 14 portions flex towards the second opening 6. Preferably, all the aforementioned cuts of the shell that delimit the portions, they are in the shape of a square C.

[0037] Furthermore, the commands 10 can be identified by a slightly depressed area and/or comprising a numerical indicator (FIG. 10) to indicate the number of strips obtainable.

[0038] The first half-shell 2 can then comprise interlocking elements (not shown) arranged along its perimeter edge so as to collaborate with corresponding interlocking elements obtained on the perimeter edge of the second half shell 3. These elements are entirely conventional and will not be detailed here. Alternatively, the inner face of the first half-shell can comprise seats 27 (FIG. 4) for receiving conventional screws 22 (FIG. 1) for fixing said first and second half-shells.

[0039] Preferably, the perimeter edge of the first half-shell 2 has two lateral, longitudinal and arcuate sides 23, and two straight transverse sides 24 (FIG. 4), one in correspondence with each of said first 5 and second 6 openings.

[0040] With reference to FIG. 4, the internal face of the first half-shell 2 shows two transverse and parallel ribs 25 obtained astride the transverse axis A-A which divides said face into two equal portions. These ribs extend substantially over the entire width of the first half-shell. These ribs advantageously constrain the arms 8 in the operative position, as explained below.

[0041] At each external control 10 of the half-shell 2, fingers 26 for actuating the blades 9 protrude from the internal face, as explained below. In particular, the number of fingers 26 per command corresponds to the number imprinted on the command itself decreased by one unit. In practice, if the number 2 is indicated on the command, its corresponding internal face comprises a single finger 26 for operating a single blade 9 to cut a tape into two portions. Preferably, there will be a command for a one-finger portion, a command for a two-finger portion, a command for a three-finger portion and a command for a four-finger portion. In accordance with the embodiment shown in the figures, the fourth portion 14 of the half-shell 2 comprises a single finger 26, the second portion 12 includes two fingers 26, the first portion 11 includes three fingers 26 and the third portion 13 includes four fingers 26.

[0042] The second half-shell 3, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, has a bottom 30 delimited by two rectilinear lateral sides 31 which are connected with corresponding transverse arched sides 32. Preferably, each of the transverse sides 32 comprises a window which constitutes the first 5 and the second 6 openings of the device 1.

[0043] As can be seen, the bottom 30 comprises a plurality of perforated projections 33, elongated parallel to each other in the direction of the X-X axis of the device 1. Preferably, the projections are positioned in proximity to each of the two transverse sides 32. In particular, these protrusions constitute a support plane for the tape in the area in which it is subjected to cut. Advantageously, the holes of the protrusions are such as to receive the edge of the blade 9 to size; this was made to have the width of the hole transversal to the X-X axis smaller than the thickness of the tape. Consequently, when the blades are pressed on the tape to cut it, the tape itself does not tend to bend in said holes. If this were the case, the cut would not be clean but with stretching and fraying of the material that makes up the tape, especially in the case of canvas, elasticized and glued tapes. In addition, the holes partly also act as a kind of guide for the blades 9.

[0044] It should be noted that the bottom 30 preferably comprises a plurality of longitudinal 34 ribs and/or 35 transverse ribs suitable for cooperating with the aforementioned protrusions 33 in forming a sort of plane on which the tape slides in the cavity 4 defined by the two first 2 and second 3 half-shells. In addition, the ribs also act as reinforcements of the bottom without weighing down the structure. The bottom can also be provided with engagement seats 36 for corresponding screws 22 for fixing the two half-shells, as explained above. Alternatively or in combination, the sides of the second half-shell 3 can be equipped with interlocking elements which cooperate with the aforesaid interlocking elements of the first shell 2.

[0045] Advantageously, the bottom 30 can have through holes (not shown) in correspondence with said protrusions 33 to allow the release of any residual material of the tape when cut so as not to cause clogging and, therefore, not to affect the functionality of the device.

[0046] Close to the perimeter edge 37 of the second shell 3 there is a shaped channel 38 adapted to receive a shaped perimeter edge protruding from the first face of the support 7. In this way, the support 7 rests on the second shell in a correct manner.

[0047] The support 7, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, is in the form of a longitudinal plate equipped with a first face 70 generally flat and a second face 71 opposite the first and provided with a plurality of lanes 73 longitudinal and parallel to said axis X-X so as to accommodate said arms 8 to allow flexing orthogonally with respect to said axis X-X. In particular, a rib 72, preferably arched (better visible in FIG. 1), transversely divides the second face into two generally equal portions, each crossed by said plurality of longitudinal lanes 73 which extend from said rib 72 in the direction of respective transverse edges 74 of the support. Preferably, in proximity of said transverse edges 74, the lanes 73 have a through opening 75 to allow the passage of the heads of the arms 8, as explained below. In correspondence with the ribs 72, on the other hand, the lanes comprise a seat 76 for engaging the tails of the blade holder arms 8. Between the seats 76 and the openings 75 the lanes comprise an inclined plane 79 towards the openings themselves (shown in the sections of FIGS. 12-14).

[0048] The perimeter edge 77 is preferably shaped so as to create an orientation. Furthermore, it protrudes from the first face 70 (not shown) so as to engage the aforementioned corresponding channel 38 obtained on the second shell 3. Preferably, the perimeter edge 77 of the support 7 also comprises a plurality of recesses 78 suitable for at least partially receiving the seats 36 for the fixing screws 22 obtained on the bottom 30 of the second half-shell 3. In this way, a sort of centering of the support is achieved in the second half-shell 3.

[0049] With reference to FIG. 7, the blade 9 holder arm 8 comprises a head 80 movable orthogonally with respect to said axis X-X and joined to a tail 81 by means of a rectilinear portion 82, which portion is flexible so as to extend along a longitudinal axis Y-Y. In particular, the head 80 has two flat opposite side faces 83, at least one of which comprises a pin 84 for engagement with said blade. Preferably, said pin is internally hollow and its base is open on a window 89 of the lateral face 83. The edge of the base of the pin is then provided with two opposite flexible teeth 85 facing towards said window for the reversible retention of said blade, such as explained later. Preferably, the pin has an elongated and rectilinear shape slightly inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis Y-Y of the arm towards the free end of the head 80. This free end is then provided with a projection 86 able to abut on the transverse edge 74 of the support 7 as a safety limit switch, as explained below.

[0050] The tail 81 of the arm is connected to the flexible straight section 82 by means of a step 87 (FIG. 9) so as to create a thickening which engages the aforementioned seat 76 of the support 7.

[0051] In proximity to said step 87, the rectilinear portion 82 preferably comprises a groove 88 which constitutes a weakening to facilitate the bending of the portion itself.

[0052] The blade 9 (FIG. 7) is a sheet of general rectangular shape with a straight longer side 90 and worked flush to operate the cut and with an elongated slot 91 having a shape complementary to the pin 84 of the head 80 of the arm 8.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 9, the blade 9 is mounted on the head 80 of the arm 8 by engaging the edge of the slot 91 of the blade with the two teeth 85 of the pin 84. This engagement is achieved with a click when said edge of the slot passes teeth 85. In this way, the blade is firmly fixed on the head with an inclination such that a part of the edge 90 of the blade 9 protrudes with respect to the profile of the head.

[0054] The device 1 of the invention, as described in its individual components, can be easily assembled. The arms 8, carrying the blades 9 mounted as explained above, are inserted into the respective lanes 73 so that the tail 81 of each engages a seat 76 of the support 7 and the head 80 is in correspondence with the opening 75. The support 7 thus prepared is placed on the second half-shell 3 so that its first face 70 rests on the grid structure formed by the longitudinal 34 and transverse 35 ribs of the bottom 30 of said second half-shell 30. Correct positioning is guaranteed by the correspondence of the blades 9 with the respective grooves 33 on the bottom 30 of the second shell 3 and between the seats 36 for the fixing screws 22 of the second shell and the recesses 78 of the perimeter edge 77 of the support 7. Everything is facilitated by the centering made between the channel 38 of the second half-shell 2 and edge 77.

[0055] At this point, the first half-shell 2 can be positioned to cover the support 7 by overlapping the first 11, second 12, third 13 and fourth 14 portions with the respective commands 10 and fingers 26 with the heads 80 of the arms 8.

[0056] The tightening of the two shells is ensured by the aforementioned interlocking elements on the respective contact edges (not shown) and/or by the aforementioned screws 22, which simultaneously engage the seats 36 and 27, respectively of the second 3 and first 2 half-shells. This tightening involves the contact between the aforementioned two ribs 27 of the internal face of the first half-shell 2 with the tails 81 of the arms 8 which are housed in their seats 76 of the support 7. Therefore, the arms are firmly constrained in their operating position.

[0057] It is noted that thus assembled the device 1 has the blades 9 inside it distributed parallel to each other along one or more lines orthogonal to the axis X-X of the device itself.

[0058] Now, a tape T can be inserted into the first 5 or second 6 opening depending on the desired number of strips. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the ribbon is inserted into the second opening 6 (not shown) and made to slide until it comes out of the first opening 5. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the command indicated with the reference number 4 is pressed and with the fingers of one hand take the end of the T1 tape that comes out of the first opening, pulling the tape outwards. In this case, four perfectly regular and cut strips of tape will be produced without any burrs or imperfections.

[0059] In particular, as shown in FIG. 12, before making the cut, the arms 8 carrying the blades 9 are housed in a respective lane 73 of the support 7. The tail 81 of the arm is inserted in the seat 76 of the lane 73, the section straight 82 is located above and detached from the inclined plane 79 at least for a good part, and the head 80 above the opening 75.

[0060] If you want to activate the command identified for example with the reference number 4 in FIG. 11, the corresponding first portion 11 of the first half-shell 2, as shown in FIG. 13, is lowered inside the device and the corresponding finger 26 acts on a point of the head 80 of the arm flexing it in the opening 75 thanks to the bending of the straight section 82 of the arm 8. The movement continues until said straight section 82 abuts against the inclined plane 79 of the lane 73 and, at the same time, the projection 86 of the head 80 of the arm does not abut against the transverse edge 74 of the support 7. In this position a portion of the blade 9 protrudes with its edge 90 from said opening 75 and, at the same time, also engages the groove 33 of the second half-shell 3, moving thus cutting the tape T. It can be seen that this bending of the head 80 and of the straight section 82 is possible in absolute safety and efficacy even thanks to the sandwich bond created by a rib 25 of the first half-shell and by the seat 76 of the support 7 with the tail 81 of the arm in there between. Furthermore, the lanes 73 form precise guides, which do not allow lateral displacements with respect to the axis X-X.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 14, if it is desired to obtain three strips from the tape T, by pressing the command 10 on the second portion 12 of the shell 2, the corresponding fingers 26 (only one is shown in FIG. 14) act on a different point of the head 80 of arms 8 different from those activated by the first portion, as described with reference to FIG. 13. This is made possible thanks to the different alignment of the arms and fingers in the two halves of the device. In other words, the blades 9 near each of the first 5 and second 6 openings are aligned transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis X-X of the device, while those near the first opening 5 are longitudinally misaligned with respect to those near the second opening 6. The corresponding fingers 26 for activating the blades 9 are, on the other hand, transversely aligned in each portion, first 11, second, 12, third 13 and fourth 14, but are transversely and longitudinally misaligned from portion to portion.

[0062] As regards the tapes that can be cut, there is no limit to the type, therefore any type of tape can be used with the device of the invention.

[0063] In particular, the present device is particularly advantageous for adhesive tapes which enclose a wide range of tapes resistant to mechanical stress. The various types can be distinguished according to the structure with reference to the support. For example, depending on the specific use, the reinforced tapes can have a support of paper, non-woven fabric, plastic or metal material. The plastic support is the most used thanks to its remarkable versatility for many different sectors. The most common plastic materials are polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polypropylene/polyethylene copolymer, polyvinyl chloride, polyimide, polyamide (Nylon), polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylalcohol, polyurethane, polyvinylfluoride, rubber such as neoprene or elastomers.

[0064] The supports are then preferably strengthened with a fabric preferably incorporated into the support. The fabric is made up of fibers of different natural or synthetic origin, such as cotton, jute, wood fibers, cellulose, acrylic fibers, polyester, polyethylene, nylon, microfibers and their combinations. The weft of the fibers can be random like the non-woven fabric obtained by hydro entangling of synthetic fibers or ordered weft with arrangement of the fibers longitudinally and/or orthogonally in one or more layers.

[0065] The glues that are used depend on the substrate on which the tapes are applied. Therefore, they can be rubbery resins, acrylic-based, silicone-based, preferably biocompatible glues if the tapes are of the elastic type for rehabilitation or physiotherapy.

[0066] From what has been described above it is now evident that the drawbacks of the known art previously mentioned have been solved.

[0067] In particular, it is no longer necessary to cut individual strips from time to time with scissors to adapt the standard-sized tapes to the required measurements. At the same time, large storage and relative packaging of tapes having different widths are avoided.

[0068] The need for an accurate cut is also completely avoided since with the device of the invention the cut takes place automatically, guided and therefore perfectly controlled.

[0069] The risk of accidental injuries due to the handling of scissors or cutters is eliminated because the blades are contained in an internal cavity of the device accessible only through openings designed to slide the tape itself.

[0070] The device is constructively simple and easy to operate. It follows that it requires practically no maintenance. Furthermore, thanks to the particular arrangement of the blades, their wear involves only a portion. Therefore, it is possible to mount them in the opposite direction in order to expose the non-worn part to have a sharp blade. This operation is incredibly facilitated by the fixing of the blades on the heads of the arms with a simple reversible snap joint. It is therefore evident that the costs of replacing the blades are drastically lowered thanks to the possibility of using only a portion of the blade edge and then turning it over, without, among other things, affecting the functionality of the cut. In fact, the cut takes place on a corner part of the blade, thus making the action very efficient.

[0071] The actuation mechanism is then simple and safe because it is based on the bending of arms received in corresponding and single dedicated lanes. Therefore, the wear is practically only of the blades, while the arms are prevented from breaking as there are the aforementioned limit switches for bending which avoid excessive effort.

[0072] Furthermore, the second half-shell 3 is perforated in correspondence with the grooves 33 where the blades 9 are received during the cutting action. Therefore, in addition to the guide function for the blades, the grooves allow any waste material or scraps of the cut tape to be discharged without causing clogging that could affect the operation of the device in the long run.

[0073] Further variants and modifications to the device of the invention can be adopted by those skilled in the art, however without departing from the scope of protection as defined by the attached claims.

[0074] For example, the shape of the device can vary according to particular needs or preferences, so as to assume ergonomic and/or pocket-sized shapes in order to optimize its practicality and speed of use, especially if required, for example, during the competition activity.

[0075] The device 1 of the invention can advantageously comprise a support (not shown) for a roll of tape (not shown), such as that described in the aforementioned patent EP3454799.

[0076] In accordance with a variant embodiment not shown, advantageously, the first half-shell 2 can comprise a first portion of a lateral seat adapted to cooperate with a corresponding second portion of the second half-shell 3 for receiving a knife, as described in the patent EP3454799.

[0077] The materials with which the various pieces are made are generally plastic, except for the blades. In fact, the blades are conventionally made of metallic materials, such as steel and relative alloys, suitable for guaranteeing durability of use and an excellent cutting edge.

[0078] The number and arrangement of the blade commands can vary according to specific needs or preferences, also in order to vary the possibility of cutting size. In particular, the arms 8 can guarantee ease of replacement and storage, avoiding expensive constructions which force the total replacement of the blade support 9.

[0079] It should be kept in mind that the tape can be made to slide from one opening to the other as identified in the present description or vice versa, taking into account the need to activate one or more blades simultaneously according to the desired number of cuts.