Patent US3692292A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3692292A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cyclic metal cutting device
Assignee: Pennsylvania Engineering Corp
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Filing: 1971-01-04
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Granted: 1972-09-19
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Expires: 1991-01-04
Abstract
Abstract Cutting torches are actuated transversely to cut into discrete lengths a metal strand that is moving longitudinally. The torches are on a longitudinally movable main carriage. The leading end of an incoming continuous strand engages the carriage and advances it longitudinally at which time the torches are shifted transversely by a follower and cam arrangement so that the torches cut in a straight line across the strand. Feelers on transversely movable carriages engage the edges of the strand and correctly position the torches which are transversely movable between the edge feeler carriages. Cams influence the torches toward the center of the strand where their cutting paths overlap. When a cut is completed the feeler and torch carriages shift transversely and the main carriage is disengaged from the strand so that return of the main carriage restores the feeler and torch carriages to their initial position.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph Rokop
- 👤 Geoffrey W Hughes
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 23:32
CPC Classifications
B; B23; B23K; B23K7/00; B23K7/002; B23K7/003; B22; B22D; B22D11/00; B22D11/12; B22D11/126
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
349 words
Apparatus for cutting a discrete length from an elongated metal piece comprising: a. a first carriage means mounted for bidirectional movement along the longitudinal travel line of a metal piece that is to be cut; b. an edge feeler carriage means mounted for transverse movement on said first carriage means and carrying feeler means which are adapTed to contact the edge of a traveling metal piece; c. a torch carriage means mounted for transverse movement on said first carriage means adjacent said edge feeler carriage means and carrying a torch means which is adapted to cut a traveling metal piece; d. a cam follower connected to each individual edge feeler and torch carriage means; e. a first relatively stationary cam means cooperating with the cam follower of said feeler carriage means, said first cam means being shaped to allow its associated follower means to execute transverse and longitudinal components of motion, f. a second relatively stationary cam means of predetermined length cooperating with the cam follower of said torch carriage means, said second cam means being shaped to allow its associated follower means to execute transverse and longitudinal components of motion; g. stop means connected to said first carriage means and operable by a traveling metal piece to advance said first carriage means, whereupon said torch carriage means is urged transversely by its associated cam means to cause said torch means to move in the transverse cutting direction across the metal piece as the torch means advances longitudinally at the same speed as the metal piece; h. said edge feeler carriage means moving at first under the influence of its cam follower to cause contact between the edge feeler and metal piece to thereby position said adjacent torch carriage means so that the torch is at the edge of said metal piece; i. means releasing said stop means to permit return of said first carriage means from its longitudinally advanced position to its initial position in response to completion of cutting; and j. means returning said torch carriage transversely to its initial position in response to completion of cutting.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
349 words
Apparatus for cutting a discrete length from an elongated metal piece comprising: a. a first carriage means mounted for bidirectional movement along the longitudinal travel line of a metal piece that is to be cut; b. an edge feeler carriage means mounted for transverse movement on said first carriage means and carrying feeler means which are adapTed to contact the edge of a traveling metal piece; c. a torch carriage means mounted for transverse movement on said first carriage means adjacent said edge feeler carriage means and carrying a torch means which is adapted to cut a traveling metal piece; d. a cam follower connected to each individual edge feeler and torch carriage means; e. a first relatively stationary cam means cooperating with the cam follower of said feeler carriage means, said first cam means being shaped to allow its associated follower means to execute transverse and longitudinal components of motion, f. a second relatively stationary cam means of predetermined length cooperating with the cam follower of said torch carriage means, said second cam means being shaped to allow its associated follower means to execute transverse and longitudinal components of motion; g. stop means connected to said first carriage means and operable by a traveling metal piece to advance said first carriage means, whereupon said torch carriage means is urged transversely by its associated cam means to cause said torch means to move in the transverse cutting direction across the metal piece as the torch means advances longitudinally at the same speed as the metal piece; h. said edge feeler carriage means moving at first under the influence of its cam follower to cause contact between the edge feeler and metal piece to thereby position said adjacent torch carriage means so that the torch is at the edge of said metal piece; i. means releasing said stop means to permit return of said first carriage means from its longitudinally advanced position to its initial position in response to completion of cutting; and j. means returning said torch carriage transversely to its initial position in response to completion of cutting.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
90 words
The invention set forth in claim 1 including: a. means yieldably biasing said feeler carriage means and said torch carriage means toward each other, said second cam means causing said torch carriage means to separate transversely from said feeler carriage means as the first carriage moves longitudinally to thereby load said biasing means; b. said biasing means being operative to return said torch carriage means transversely toward said feeler carriage means when the follower associated with the torch carriage means has transversed the predetermined length of the second cam means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
168 words
The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein: a. said second stationary cam means is substantially triangular in shape and has a first side directed angularly across the travel line of said metal piece, a second side directed angularly away from said travel line and a third side in substantial parallelism with the travel line; b. means yieldably biasing said torch carriage means toward said feeler carriage means on said track means, said second cam means causing said torch carriage means to separate transversely from said feeler carriage means as said first carriage means is advanced longitudinally to thereby load said biasing means; c. said biasing means being operative to urge said torch carriage means along said second angular side away from the travel line after the torch carriage means follower has traversed the first angular side; d. said first carriage means return means urging said torch carriage means to return to its initial position with its follower guided by said third side of the triangular cam means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
61 words
The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein: a. said edge feeler carriage cam means is shaped with a first straight section converging toward the travel line of the metal piece and a second continuous straight section diverging away from said line, whereby the edge feeler may converge into contact with said metal piece and then diverge from said metal piece.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
81 words
The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein: a. said edge feeler carriage cam means has a first straight section directed at an angle across the longitudinal travEl line of the metal piece, and said torch carriage cam means has a straight section which is parallel to the last named straight section, whereby said adjacent feeler and torch carriage means will not separate during a preheating interval as said first carriage means is undergoing the initial portion of its longitudinal travel.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
331 words
Apparatus for cutting a moving metal piece into discrete lengths comprising: a. a first carriage means adapted to advance from an initial position along the longitudinal path traversed by the metal piece, b. means adapted to retract said first carriage to its initial position when the piece has been cut, c. a pair of edge feeler carriages mounted in spaced apart opposed relation on said first carriage and being adapted to move transversely thereon, said edge feeler carriages each having an edge feeler adapted to contact respective opposite edges of the metal piece and said edge feeler carriages also carrying a cam follower, d. a pair of torch carriages mounted in spaced apart relation on said first carriage between and respectively adjacent said feeler carriages and adapted to move transversely on the first carriage means, said torch carriages each carrying a torch that is directed toward an edge of the metal piece and said torch carriages also carrying a cam follower; e. means biasing each torch carriage toward its adjacent feeler carriage and also biasing the torch and feeler carriage pairs toward each other, f. a pair of stationary feeler carriage cams disposed adjacent the travel path of said first carriage means, the said followers on said feeler carriages cooperating with their respective cams and preventing the carriages from moving transversely toward each other due to the biasing means, g. a pair of stationary torch carriage cams disposed adjacent the travel path of the metal piece, the said followers on said torch carriages cooperating with their respective cams to maintain the torch carriage in initial abutment with said feeler carriage, the said torch carriage cams each having first straight sections that are at opposite converging angles with the longitudinal path of the metal piece for urging said torch carriage followers transversely, whereby said torches may cut said metal piece transversely without longitudinal movement of the torch means relative to the metal piece during the time that the first carriage is advancing.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
331 words
Apparatus for cutting a moving metal piece into discrete lengths comprising: a. a first carriage means adapted to advance from an initial position along the longitudinal path traversed by the metal piece, b. means adapted to retract said first carriage to its initial position when the piece has been cut, c. a pair of edge feeler carriages mounted in spaced apart opposed relation on said first carriage and being adapted to move transversely thereon, said edge feeler carriages each having an edge feeler adapted to contact respective opposite edges of the metal piece and said edge feeler carriages also carrying a cam follower, d. a pair of torch carriages mounted in spaced apart relation on said first carriage between and respectively adjacent said feeler carriages and adapted to move transversely on the first carriage means, said torch carriages each carrying a torch that is directed toward an edge of the metal piece and said torch carriages also carrying a cam follower; e. means biasing each torch carriage toward its adjacent feeler carriage and also biasing the torch and feeler carriage pairs toward each other, f. a pair of stationary feeler carriage cams disposed adjacent the travel path of said first carriage means, the said followers on said feeler carriages cooperating with their respective cams and preventing the carriages from moving transversely toward each other due to the biasing means, g. a pair of stationary torch carriage cams disposed adjacent the travel path of the metal piece, the said followers on said torch carriages cooperating with their respective cams to maintain the torch carriage in initial abutment with said feeler carriage, the said torch carriage cams each having first straight sections that are at opposite converging angles with the longitudinal path of the metal piece for urging said torch carriage followers transversely, whereby said torches may cut said metal piece transversely without longitudinal movement of the torch means relative to the metal piece during the time that the first carriage is advancing.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
65 words
The invention set forth in claim 6 wherein: a. said torch carriage cam means each have second sections which diverge oppositely in a direction away from the path of the metal piece, said second sections being engaged by said torch carriage follower means sequentially to engagement with said first section, whereby to guide said torch carriages transversely outward under the influence of said biasing means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
72 words
The invention set forth in claim 7 wherein: a. said torch carriage cam means each have third sections which extend generally along the longitudinal path of the first carriage means, the said third section being engaged by said torch carriage follower means sequentially to said first section whereby to guide said torch carriage means back toward their initial position in response to retraction of said first carriage means toward its initial position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
97 words
The invention set forth in claim 6 wherein: a. said feeler carriage cam means are juxtaposed to the torch carriage cam means, said feeler carriage cam means each having first sections at a converging angle with respect to the path of the metal piece and a second section at a diverging angle thereto whereby to guide said edge feelers into contact with the edges of the metal piece when the feeler carriage followers are on the first sections and to separate said edge feelers from the metal piece as the follower means progress to the second sections.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
90 words
The invention set forth in claim 6 wherein: a. said biasing means includes pulleys on each of said torch and feeler carriages, b. veRtically movable counterweights, c. a cable means having its opposite ends attached to respective counterweights and its intermediate portions running symmetrically around a pulley on each of the adjacent torch and edge feeler carriages, whereby said torch feeler carriages may separate from said edge feeler carriages under the influence of said torch carriage cams for transverse movement independently thereof in opposition to the force of said counterweights.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
68 words
The invention set forth in claim 6 wherein: a. said means to return said first carriage means to its initial position comprises pulley means, b. a vertically movable counterweight, c. cable means having one end attached to said first carriage means and another end attached to said counterweight, whereupon said counterweight will influence the return of said first carriage means from its advanced position to its initial position.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
109 words
The invention set forth in claim 6 including: a. a push rod means attached to said first carriage means and extending along the longitudinal travel path of said metal piece; b. a releasable stop means that is adjustably positionable on the push rod means and is engageable by the leading end of the advancing metal piece when said leading end is the desired length away from said torch means to thereby advance said first carriage means longitudinally, and c. means releasing said stop means in response to the push rod means being advanced a predetermined distance whereby to permit retraction of said first carriage means to its initial position.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-09-19 | 1976-03-20 | 1976-09-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-09-19 | 1980-03-20 | 1980-09-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-09-19 | 1984-03-20 | 1984-09-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |