US3848327A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for working on sheet material
Assignee: Gerber Technology LLC
•
Filing: 1973-06-21
•
Granted: 1974-11-19
•
Expires: 1993-06-21
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus is disclosed for working on sheet material, such as woven and non-woven fabrics, plastic or paper with a tool which translates over the sheet material to perform a cutting, plotting or other material processing operation. The apparatus holds the sheet material down during the operation and includes a table, such as a vacuum table, which supports the material, either a single sheet or a layup of the material, and a fluid compartment which is positioned over and exposes the material to pressurized air to force the material onto the supporting surface of the table. While maintaining a region of increased air pressure in the immediate vicinity of the tool, the compartment may be translated along one or two orthogonal directions in conjunction with the movements of the tool. The compartment is open or perforated at the side confronting the material to expose the material to the air under pressure within the compartment. When appropriate, a sheet of impervious material may be overlaid on a layup of the material to increase the effective pressure on each ply of the layup.
Inventors
- 👤 H Gerber
- 👤 D Pearl
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 23:31
CPC Classifications
B; B26; B26D; B26D7/00; B26D7/01; B26D7/018; A; A41; A41H; A41H43/00; A41H43/02; A41H43/0285; A41H43/0292; B25; B25B; B25B11/00; B25B11/005; B26D1/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S83/00; Y10S83/929; Y10S83/936; Y10S83/939; Y10S83/94; Y10S83/941; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49998; Y10T83/00; Y10T83/04; Y10T83/0405; Y10T83/0443; Y10T83/263; Y10T83/566
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
144 words
Apparatus for holding sheet material comprising: a support table having a bed defining a supporting surface on which the sheet material can be spread; vacuum means for producing subatmospheric pressure in at least one region of the supporting surface; and pressurizing means cooperating with the vacuum means and positioned above the supporting surface of the table for producing a region of increased pressure above atmospheric pressure over sheet material on the supporting surface, the pressurizing means including a fluid compartment positioned over the region of sub-atmospheric pressure at the supporting surface and defining a chamber receiving pressurized fluid and having at least one opening confronting the supporting surface of the table and overlying said one region in which the subatmospheric pressure is produced whereby the sheet material between the region of sub-atmospheric pressure and the fluid compartment is forced tightly against the supporting surface.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
144 words
Apparatus for holding sheet material comprising: a support table having a bed defining a supporting surface on which the sheet material can be spread; vacuum means for producing subatmospheric pressure in at least one region of the supporting surface; and pressurizing means cooperating with the vacuum means and positioned above the supporting surface of the table for producing a region of increased pressure above atmospheric pressure over sheet material on the supporting surface, the pressurizing means including a fluid compartment positioned over the region of sub-atmospheric pressure at the supporting surface and defining a chamber receiving pressurized fluid and having at least one opening confronting the supporting surface of the table and overlying said one region in which the subatmospheric pressure is produced whereby the sheet material between the region of sub-atmospheric pressure and the fluid compartment is forced tightly against the supporting surface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
Apparatus for holding as defined in claim 1 wherein the support table is a vacuum table having a porous bed at the supporting surface and the vacuum means for producing the region of sub-atmospheric pressure includes the table and a vacuum pump connected to the porous bed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
Apparatus for holding as defined in claim 2 wherein the vacuum table has a porous bed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
55 words
Apparatus for holding sheet material according to claim 1 further including a carriage translatable over the support table parallel to the supporting surface and relative to sheet material on the bed; and wherein the fluid compartment is suspended from the carriage for moving the region of increased pressure over the sheet material on the bed.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
71 words
Apparatus for holding as defined in claim 4 wherein the support table is a vacuum table having a bed divided into separate vacuum zones; and the vacuum means for producing a region of sub-atmospheric pressure includes the table, a vacuum pump and at least one valve between the pump and each zone in the bed to produce the sub-atmospheric pressure at the supporting surface in each individual zone of the bed.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
131 words
A method of holding sheet material comprising: providing a supporting surface on which the sheet material may rest in a spread condition; spreading the sheet material on the supporting surface; producing a region of increased ambient pressure over a portion of the spread sheet material on the supporting surface; producing a region of decreased ambient pressure below said portion of the sheet material on the supporting surface during the step of producing the region of increased ambient pressure; and jointly moving the regions of increased and decreased ambient pressures over and below the sheet material cooperatively relative to the sheet material to another portion of the material on the support surface whereby selected portions of the material are consecutively exposed to holding forces generated by the cooperative increased and decreased pressures.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
131 words
A method of holding sheet material comprising: providing a supporting surface on which the sheet material may rest in a spread condition; spreading the sheet material on the supporting surface; producing a region of increased ambient pressure over a portion of the spread sheet material on the supporting surface; producing a region of decreased ambient pressure below said portion of the sheet material on the supporting surface during the step of producing the region of increased ambient pressure; and jointly moving the regions of increased and decreased ambient pressures over and below the sheet material cooperatively relative to the sheet material to another portion of the material on the support surface whereby selected portions of the material are consecutively exposed to holding forces generated by the cooperative increased and decreased pressures.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method of holding sheet material as defined in claim 6 wherein the step of producing a region of increased ambient pressure comprises placing a fluid compartment over said portion of the sheet material, pressurizing the interior of the compartment with a pressurized fluid and exposing said region of the sheet material to the pressurized fluid in the compartment.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method of holding sheet material as defined in claim 6 wherein the step of producing a region of decreased ambient pressure comprises evacuating ambient air from between said portion of the sheet material and the supporting surface with a vacuum pump.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method of holding as defined in claim 6 wherein the step of providing a supporting surface comprises providing a porous support bed defining the supporting surface; and the step of producing a region of decreased ambient pressure comprises drawing air from between said portion of sheet material and the supporting surface through the porous bed.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus for holding sheet material as defined in claim 1 wherein: sealing means circumscribing the opening of the fluid compartment are interposed between the sheet material on the supporting surface and the opening to impede the leakage of pressurized fluid from the chamber.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-11-18 | 1978-05-20 | 1978-11-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-11-18 | 1982-05-20 | 1982-11-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-11-18 | 1986-05-20 | 1986-11-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |