Method and apparatus for automatically cutting a web of foam material into sheets and for dispensing the cut sheets

Claim 3

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the resulting cut sheet is propelled downstream from the cutting station by continuously moving upper and lower conveyor belts which support in non-gripping "floating" relationship the portion of the web between them which has been fed downstream through the cutting station, these conveyor belts are continuously travelling at a faster rate of surface speed than the surface speed of the continuously rotating feed roll, these faster-travelling, non-gripping conveyor belts continuously slide past the downstream portion of the web between them while said downstream portion of the web is connected to the web upstream of the cutting station, and these faster-travelling, non-gripping conveyor belts immediately propel said downstream portion of the web in the downstream direction away from the cutting station upon separation of said downstrean portion from the web by cutting occurring at said cutting station.

Claim 4

The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the cut sheet is dispensed from between the downstream ends of the continuously moving upper and lower conveyor belts by the steps of: longitudinally corrugating the sheet while it is exiting from between the conveyor belts, and ejecting the longitudinally corrugated sheet for flying through the air to a desired position of utility.

Claim 5

The method as claimed in claim 2, in which: said upper and lower faster-travelling, non-gripping-conveyor belts are continuously travelling at a much faster speed than the surface speed of the continuously rotating feed roll.

Claim 6

The method as claimed in claim 2, in which: said upper and lower faster-travelling, non-gripping conveyor belts are travelling about three times as fast as the surface speed of the continuously rotating feed roll.

Claim 7

Apparatus for automatically cutting a foam material web into sheets of predetermined length and for automatically dispensing the cut sheets comprising: a table for receiving a foam material web which is to be cut in sheets, a cutter station having a movable cutter bar carrying a cutter, upper and lower feed rollers positioned downstream from said table for contacting said web positioned therebetween for feeding said web in a downstream direction to said cutter station after the web has been slid along said table by said feed rollers, said cutter station being downstream from said feed rollers, stroke drive means in said cutter station connected to said cutter bar for moving said cutter bar in a cutting stroke, web feed interrupting means moved by said stroke drive means during a first portion of said cutting stroke for actuating a displacement movement of one of said rollers away from said web for briefly interrupting the feed action while a clamping and cutting of said web takes place, clamp means positioned upstream positioned upstream of said feed rollers and being moved by said stroke drive means during a second portion of said cutting stroke for clamping said web for preventing movement of said web after said displacement movement of said roller, said stroke drive means moving said cutter through said web during a third portion of said cutting stroke for cutting sheets from said web while said clamp means having been moved by said stroke drive means clamps said web, said stroke drive means having a return stroke, said stroke drive meeans during a first portion of said return stroke moving said cutter away from said web, said stroke drive means during a second portion of said return stroke removing said clamp means from clamping said web, said stroke drive means during a third portion of said return stroke returning the displaced roller into gripping contact with said web for again feeding the web after a sheet has been cut, and take-away means positioned downstream from said cutter station for removing cut sheets from said cutter station after they have been cut from said web.

Claim 8

Apparatus for automatically cutting a foam material web into sheets of predetermined length and for automatically dispensing the cut sheets comprising: a table for receiving a foam material web which is to be cut in sheets, a cutter station having a movable cutter bar carrying a cutter, upper and lower feed rollers positioned downstream from said table for contacting said web positioned therebetween for feeding said web in a downstream direction to said cutter station after the web has been slid along said table by said feed rollers, said cutter station being downstream from said feed rollers, stroke drive means in said cutter station connected to said cutter bar for moving said cutter bar in a cutting stroke, web feed interrupting means moved by said stroke drive means during a first portion of said cutting stroke for actuating a displacement movement of one of said rollers away from said web for briefly interrupting the feed action while a clamping and cutting of said web takes place, clamp means positioned upstream positioned upstream of said feed rollers and being moved by said stroke drive means during a second portion of said cutting stroke for clamping said web for preventing movement of said web after said displacement movement of said roller, said stroke drive means moving said cutter through said web during a third portion of said cutting stroke for cutting sheets from said web while said clamp means having been moved by said stroke drive means clamps said web, said stroke drive means having a return stroke, said stroke drive meeans during a first portion of said return stroke moving said cutter away from said web, said stroke drive means during a second portion of said return stroke removing said clamp means from clamping said web, said stroke drive means during a third portion of said return stroke returning the displaced roller into gripping contact with said web for again feeding the web after a sheet has been cut, and take-away means positioned downstream from said cutter station for removing cut sheets from said cutter station after they have been cut from said web.

Claim 9

The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, having: a motor drive coupled to one of said feed rollers for continuously rotating at least one of said feed rollers at a predetermined surface speed for moving said web through said cutter station, said take away means having a drive roller coupled to said motor drive for providing continous movement of said take away means in non-gripping "floating" relationship with a portion of the foam web extending downstream from said cutter station, said take away means continously moving in a downstream direction away from said cutter station at a rate of speed faster than said predetermined surface speed of said feed roller for causing said take away means to slide past the portion of the web extending downstream from said cutter station, said portion of the web extending downstream from the cutter station becoming a cut sheet upon said cutter moving through the web, and said take away means propelling the resulting cut sheet downstream away from the cutter station at a faster rate of speed than said predetermined surface speed of said feed roller.

Claim 10

The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, having: a corrugating station positioned at the downstream end of said take away means, said corrugating station having staggered corrugating rollers for receiving the cut sheets therebetween and thereby longitudinally corrugating such sheets for imparting longitudinal stiffness to the cut sheets, said staggered corrugating rollers having peripheral surfaces moving at a faster rate of speed than said take away means for projecting such longitudinally corrugated cut sheets through the air toward a desired position.

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which: said corrugating rollers have peripheral surfaces moving faster than said take away means at a rate in the range from 6% to 40% faster.

Claim 14

The method as claimed in claim 10, including the steps of: connecting said movable element to the cutter through another spring which is stronger than the spring bias of the one feed roll, and arranging said other spring for overcoming the spring bias and for allowing the cutter to continue to move to completion of its predetermined cutter stroke after the movable element has moved the spring-biased roll away from its web-gripping feeding position.

Claim 15

Apparatus for automatically cutting a foam material web into sheets of predetermined length and for automatically dispensing the cut sheets comprising: a table for receiving a foam material web which is to be cut in sheets, a cutter station having a movable bar carrying a cutter, upper and lower feed rollers positioned downstream from said table for contacting said web positioned therebetween for feeding said web to said cutter station after the web has been slid along said table by said feed rollers, means on said cutter bar for actuating a displacement movement of one of said rollers away from said web for briefly interrupting the feed action while the clamping and cutting of said web takes place, a clamp bar coupled to said cutter bar for movement therewith, means for actuating said cutter bar for moving said cutter through said web, for cutting sheets from said web, while said clamp bar having moved with said cutter bar clamps said web on said table, means for returning the displaced roller into gripping contact with said web for again feeding the web after a sheet has been cut, and take-away means for removing cut sheets from said cutter station after they have been cut from said web, said means on said cutter bar for actuating movement of said lower roller comprising presser foot means mounted for movement with said cutter bar, said one roller being mounted on pivot arm means in a position to be swung by said presser foot means for displacing the roll away from web-gripping relationship, whereby during the stroke of the cutter bar, said presser foot means swings said pivot arm means for displacing said one roller away from web-gripping contact with said web, while immediately said web is clamped by said clamp bar, and immediately the clamped web is cut by the cutter.

Claim 16

Apparatus for automatically cutting a foam material web into sheets of predetermined length and for automatically dispensing the cut sheets comprising: a table for receiving a foam material web which is to be cut in sheets, a cutter station having a movable bar carrying a cutter, upper and lower feed rollers positioned downstream from said table for contacting said web positioned therebetween for feeding said web to said cutter station after the web has been slid along said table by said feed rollers, means on said cutter bar for actuating a displacement movement of one of said rollers away from said web for briefly interrupting the feed action while the clamping and cutting of said web takes place, a clamp bar coupled to said cutter bar for movement therewith, means for actuating said cutter bar for moving said cutter through said web, for cutting sheets from said web, while said clamp bar having moved with said cutter bar clamps said web on said table, means for returning the displaced roller into gripping contact with said web for again feeding the web after a sheet has been cut, and take-away means for removing cut sheets from said cutter station after they have been cut from said web, said means on said cutter bar for actuating movement of said lower roller comprising presser foot means mounted for movement with said cutter bar, said one roller being mounted on pivot arm means in a position to be swung by said presser foot means for displacing the roll away from web-gripping relationship, whereby during the stroke of the cutter bar, said presser foot means swings said pivot arm means for displacing said one roller away from web-gripping contact with said web, while immediately said web is clamped by said clamp bar, and immediately the clamped web is cut by the cutter.

Claim 17

The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein: said pivot arm means has stop means in alignment with said presser foot means for limiting the swinging movement of said pivot arm means and therefore limiting the displacement movement of said one roller.

Claim 18

The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein: said stop means includes arm-lift spring means for urging said pivot arm means toward web-gripping position in which the one roller has not been displaced, said presser foot means when actuated overcoming the force of said arm-lift spring means to thereby swing said pivot arm means into displaced position.