Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
152 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials comprising: a. continuous wire supply means; b. take-up means for used wire; c. a plurality of wire guides defining a continuous wire path between said wire supply means and said take-up means and further defining a cutting area, at least some of said wire guides including pulleys each having at lease one wire receiving groove extending around an outer surface thereof; and d. at least some of said wire guides including a plurality of elongated axles mounted in parallel, transversely spaced apart relationship with each axle having pulley means mounted thereon with a plurality of grooves around the periphery thereof, each pulley means on each axle being canted so that grooves in pulley means on one axle and grooves in pulley means on another axle having portions of wire extending therebetween are approximately aligned along the longitudinal axis of the portion of wire extending therebetween.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
152 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials comprising: a. continuous wire supply means; b. take-up means for used wire; c. a plurality of wire guides defining a continuous wire path between said wire supply means and said take-up means and further defining a cutting area, at least some of said wire guides including pulleys each having at lease one wire receiving groove extending around an outer surface thereof; and d. at least some of said wire guides including a plurality of elongated axles mounted in parallel, transversely spaced apart relationship with each axle having pulley means mounted thereon with a plurality of grooves around the periphery thereof, each pulley means on each axle being canted so that grooves in pulley means on one axle and grooves in pulley means on another axle having portions of wire extending therebetween are approximately aligned along the longitudinal axis of the portion of wire extending therebetween.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
82 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wire supply means includes a first motor coupled to a spool for applying a torque to said spool and the take-up means includes a second motor coupled to a spool for rotation thereof and having in addition means sensing the tension in the wire and coupled to the first motor for varying the torque of the first motor and maintaining the tension in the wire approximately constant.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials as set forth in claim 2 including in addition means sensing the feed rate of the wire coupled to said second motor for controlling the speed of rotation thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
142 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials comprising: a. continuous wire supply means including a first motor coupled to a first spool for applying a torque to said first spool; b. take-up means including a second motor coupled to a second spool for rotating said second spool and pulling wire from said first spool; c. a plurality of wire guides defining a continuous wire path between said wire supply means and said take-up means and further defining a cutting area; d. tension means for sensing the tension in the wire and coupled to the first motor for varying the torque of the first motor and maintaining the tension in the wire approximately constant; and e. feed rate means for sensing the feed rate of the wire and coupled to said second motor for controlling the speed of rotation of said second motor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
142 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials comprising: a. continuous wire supply means including a first motor coupled to a first spool for applying a torque to said first spool; b. take-up means including a second motor coupled to a second spool for rotating said second spool and pulling wire from said first spool; c. a plurality of wire guides defining a continuous wire path between said wire supply means and said take-up means and further defining a cutting area; d. tension means for sensing the tension in the wire and coupled to the first motor for varying the torque of the first motor and maintaining the tension in the wire approximately constant; and e. feed rate means for sensing the feed rate of the wire and coupled to said second motor for controlling the speed of rotation of said second motor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials as set forth in claim 4 wherein the first motor is energized for rotation in a direction the reverse of the actual rotation of the first spool.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
85 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials as set forth in claim 4 wherein the tension means for sensing the tension in the wire include means for converting changes in tension into a representative voltage, variable means for generating a variable, predetermined reference voltage representative of a desired tension, and means for comparing the voltage representative of actual tension in the wire to the voltage representative of desired tension in the wire and controlling the torque of the first motor in response to differences therebetween.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
84 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials as set forth in claim 4 wherein the feed rate means for sensing the feed rate of the wire include means converting changes in feed rate into a representative frequency, variable means for generating pulses having a variable, predetermined period of time therebetween, and means for comparing periods of time between cycles of the representative frequency to the period of time between generated pulses and controlling the speed of the second motor in response to differences therebetween.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials as set forth in claim 7 wherein the means converting changes in feed rate into a representative frequency include an optical tachometer connected to an idler pulley engaged with the wire in the continuous path.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials as set forth in claim 8 including in addition damping means attached to the optical tachometer for reducing the effect of variations of feed rate having a relatively short duration.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
94 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials as set forth in claim 4 wherein the continuous wire path is electrically insulated from the machine and including in addition means for applying a substantially constant current through wire extending along the continuous wire path between the supply means and the take-up means and voltage sensitive means connected to respond to voltage between the supply means and the take-up means and further connected to deactivate the machine upon one of breakage of the wire and reduction of the diameter of the wire below a predetermined size.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
47 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the pulley means includes a separate spool, each spool is mounted in spaced relationship from adjacent spools on the same axle, and each spool is canted separately relative to the mounting axle.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
136 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials comprising: a. continuous wire supply means; b. take-up means for used wire; and c. a plurality of wire guides defining a continuous wire path between said wire supply means and said take-up means and further defining a cutting area, at least some of said wire guides including a plurality of elongated axles mounted in parallel, transversely spaced apart relationship with each axle having a plurality of pulleys mounted thereon for independent rotation, each of said pulleys having a wire receiving groove extending around the periphery thereof, and each pulley on each axle being canted so that grooves in pulleys on one axle and grooves in pulleys on another axle having portions of wire extending therebetween are approximately aligned along the longitudinal axis of the portion of wire extending therebetween.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
136 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials comprising: a. continuous wire supply means; b. take-up means for used wire; and c. a plurality of wire guides defining a continuous wire path between said wire supply means and said take-up means and further defining a cutting area, at least some of said wire guides including a plurality of elongated axles mounted in parallel, transversely spaced apart relationship with each axle having a plurality of pulleys mounted thereon for independent rotation, each of said pulleys having a wire receiving groove extending around the periphery thereof, and each pulley on each axle being canted so that grooves in pulleys on one axle and grooves in pulleys on another axle having portions of wire extending therebetween are approximately aligned along the longitudinal axis of the portion of wire extending therebetween.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
123 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials comprising: a. continuous wire supplY means; b. take-up means for used wire; c. a plurality of wire guide defining a continuous wire path between said wire supply means and said take-up means and further defining a cutting area, at least some of said wire guides including pulleys each having at least one wire receiving groove extending around an outer surface thereof and each mounted for rotation on parallel axes; and d. each of said pulleys being canted, relative to the rotary axis thereof, so that wire entering the groove forms an angle with a plane in which the groove is contained approximately equal to an angle formed by the plane and the wire leaving the groove.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
123 words
An improved machine for cutting brittle materials comprising: a. continuous wire supplY means; b. take-up means for used wire; c. a plurality of wire guide defining a continuous wire path between said wire supply means and said take-up means and further defining a cutting area, at least some of said wire guides including pulleys each having at least one wire receiving groove extending around an outer surface thereof and each mounted for rotation on parallel axes; and d. each of said pulleys being canted, relative to the rotary axis thereof, so that wire entering the groove forms an angle with a plane in which the groove is contained approximately equal to an angle formed by the plane and the wire leaving the groove.