Sheet cutting and marking

Claim 2

Apparatus for tracing sheet material along lines which are spaced apart in one direction along the material and which are at an angle to that direction, comprising in combination: support means for supporting sheet material on which lines are to be traced, a guide disposed relative to said support means to extend across, and parallel with, a face of the sheet material when it is so supported and defining an endless path having a reach which extends adjacent, and parallel to, such face and which is inclined to the one direction along the material when it is so supported; drive means for causing relative displacement between said guide and the supported sheet material in the one direction, such that the projection on the sheet material of said reach sweeps bodily along the material; at least one tool holder movable along said reach of the path defined by said guide for causing a tool to trace lines on the material face, said tool holder including a head supporting a tool; a drive mechanism for driving said holder continuously around the endless path defined by said guide; and means disposed for temporarily displacing at least said head of said tool holder during its movement along said endless path for shunting said head from its operational position.

Claim 3

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said support means is connected to said drive means for moving the sheet material relative to said guide during the tracing of such material.

Claim 4

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said guide is connected to said drive means and mounted to be moved for establishing the relative displacement between said guide and the sheet material.

Claim 5

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 further comprising control means connected for varying the speed of movement of said tool holder around the endless path.

Claim 6

An arrangement as defined in claim 4 wherein said control means are arranged to vary the speed of said tool holder along the endless path in dependence on variations in the velocity of the relative displacement between said guide and the sheet material.

Claim 7

An arrangement as defined in claim 5 wherein said support means is constituted by a work-supporting conveyor equipped with a driving system constituting said drive means and said drive mechanism.

Claim 8

An arrangement as defined in claim 5 wherein said support means is constituted by a work-supporting conveyor, and said drive mechanism comprises a motor and a sensing device connected to said motor and disposed to be influenced by variations in the speed of advance of the sheet material in the one direction and to produce control signals which cause any such variations to be accompanied by an appropriate change in the speed of said tool holder along said endless path to maintain such speeds in a predetermined ratio.

Claim 9

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said guide is mounted in relation to said support means so that sheet material can have lines traced thereon while the projection of the line of said reach on such material is at right angles to the direction in which such line sweeps bodily along such material due to the relative displacement between said guide and the material.

Claim 10

Apparatus for tracing sheet material along lines which are spaced apart in one direction along the material and which are at an angle to that direction, comprising in combination: support means for supporting sheet material on which lines are to be traced, a guide disposed relative to said support means to extend across, and parallel with, a face of the sheet material when it is so supported and defining an endless path having a reach which extends adjacent, and parallel to, such face and which is inclined to the one direction along the material when it is so supported; drive means for causing relative displacement between said guide and the supported sheet material in the one direction, such that the projection on the sheet material of said reach sweeps bodily along the material; at least one tool holder movable along said reach of the path defined by said guide for causing a tool to trace lines on the material face; a drive mechanism for driving said holder continuously around the endless path defined by said guide; orienting means connected to said guide for varying the orientation of said guide in relation to the direction in which the projection on the sheet material of said reach sweeps along such material; and means connected for varying such orientation automatically in dependence on variations in the velocity of the relative displacement between the sheet material and said guide.

Claim 11

Apparatus for tracing sheet material along lines which are spaced apart in one direction along the material and which are at an angle to that direction, comprising in combination: support means for supporting sheet material on which lines are to be traced, a guide disposed relative to said support means to extend across, and parallel with, a face of the sheet material when it is so supported and defining an endless path having a reach which extends adjacent, and parallel to, such face and which is inclined to the one direction along the material when it is so supported; drive means for causing relative displacement between said guide and the supported sheet material in the one direction, such that the projection on the sheet material of said reach sweeps bodily along the material; at least one tool holder movable along said reach of the path defined by said guide for causing a tool to trace lines on the material face; a drive mechanism for driving said holder continuously around the endless path defined by said guide; orienting means connected to said guide for varying the orientation of said guide in relation to the direction in which the projection on the sheet material of said reach sweeps along such material; and means connected for varying such orientation automatically in dependence on variations in the velocity of the relative displacement between the sheet material and said guide.

Claim 12

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 further comprising adjustment means connected for varying the velocity of the relative displacement between the supported sheet material and said guide during a working period in which successive lines are traced.

Claim 13

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein there is a plurality of tool holders mounted to be driven in spaced tandem relationship along said endless path.

Claim 14

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said holder drive mechanism comprises at least one rotatable endless propelling member for causing said tool holder to traverse said endless path.

Claim 15

An arrangement as defined in claim 12 wherein said tool holder is permanently attached to said endless propelling member.

Claim 16

An arrangement as defined in claim 13 wherein said tool holder comprises releasable coupling means by which it is selectively connectable to saId propelling member.

Claim 17

An arrangement as defined in claim 12 wherein there are two endless propelling members and two tool holders each associated with a respective one of said propelling members, and said apparatus further comprises means for driving said propelling members continuously in one direction and normally at the same speed, and means connected for temporarily varying the speeds of said propelling members so as to alter the tandem spacing between said tool holders propelled by said two propelling members.

Claim 18

An arrangemt as defined in claim 15 wherein one of said endless propelling members is provided with driving means for continuously and positively driving such member, and further comprising coupling means disposed for releasably coupling the other said propelling member to said one member.

Claim 19

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said drive mechanism constitutes means for driving said tool holder along said endless path by electromagnetic forces.

Claim 20

An arrangment as defined in claim 1 wherein said tool holder further comprises a body section movable relative to said head, and said displacing means comprises a displaceable cam track arranged to be displaced into a position in which it constrains said head to be shunted from its operational path.

Claim 21

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said tool holder holds a glass-cutting tool.