Vacuum knife tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10710316-B2
Application number	US-201916512010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2019
Priority date	Feb 24, 2016
Publication date	Jul 14, 2020
Grant date	Jul 14, 2020

Abstract

Cutting of a material, such as a textile or film, can damage the material. A tool is provided that utilizes vacuum pressure near a knife edge to increase a result of the cut. The vacuum pressure passes through a base portion of the tool that has a recessed portion effective to distribute vacuum pressure to one or more apertures extending around an insert of a core portion. The one or more apertures align with a void between the knife edge and the insert allowing for the void to transmit the vacuum pressure through the tool to the knife edge. A machine horn may then cut the material at the knife edge and couple the material with another material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vacuum-assisted cutting tool, comprising:
a core portion having one or more core flange apertures extending through a core flange, the core portion also having an insert extending from the core flange to a top surface of the insert; and
a knife portion having a knife edge extending around and beyond the insert such that the knife edge is spaced apart from the insert to allow for fluid transmission between the knife portion and the core portion.

2. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 1 , wherein the one or more core flange apertures are positioned on a top surface of the core portion at an intersection with an insert aperture of the knife portion.

3. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 1 , wherein the insert has a height that is less than an insert aperture height, the height is between a top surface of the core flange and the top surface of the insert and the insert aperture height is between a bottom edge of a knife flange and the knife edge.

4. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 1 , wherein a first insert surface extending between a top surface of the core flange and the top surface of the insert is spaced apart from a first surface of an insert aperture of the knife portion as the insert extends in the insert aperture.

5. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 1 , wherein the top surface of the insert is a solid non-porous surface.

6. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 1 , wherein the core portion further comprises a core seal, the core seal extending around at least one or more core flange apertures on a top surface of the core flange.

7. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 6 , wherein the core seal extends around the insert.

8. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 7 , wherein the core seal is an O-ring.

9. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 1 , wherein the knife edge is formed from an intersection of a knife portion outer surface and a knife portion inner knife surface, the knife portion inner knife surface is angularly offset from an insert aperture surface.

10. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 9 , wherein the knife portion inner knife surface is angularly offset from a plane perpendicular to a top surface of a knife flange of the knife portion.

11. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 1 , wherein the top surface of the insert is recessed from the knife edge.

12. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 1 , wherein an insert aperture of the knife portion has a shape at the knife edge that corresponds with, but is greater than, the top surface of the insert.

13. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 1 further comprising a base portion, the base portion having a base top surface opposite a base bottom surface, the base top surface coupled with a bottom surface of the core flange.

14. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 13 , wherein the base portion is comprised of a vacuum port on the base top surface, the vacuum port extends through the base top surface at a recessed portion.

15. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool of claim 14 , wherein the one or more core flange apertures at the bottom surface of the core flange are positioned at the recessed portion.

16. A vacuum-assisted cutting tool and welding system comprising:
a vacuum-assisted cutting tool, comprising:
a core portion, the core portion comprising:
a core flange having a top surface and an opposite bottom surface;
one or more core flange apertures extending through the core flange from the top surface to the bottom surface; and
an insert, the insert extending from the core flange top surface to a top surface of the insert; and

a knife portion, the knife portion comprising:
a knife flange having a top surface and a bottom surface;
a knife edge, the knife edge forming a cutting perimeter of the knife portion; and
an insert aperture, the insert aperture extending through the knife portion from the knife flange bottom surface to the knife edge, wherein the insert aperture is configured to receive the insert and allow for fluid transmission of vacuum pressure from proximate the knife edge through the insert aperture and through the one or more core flange apertures;

a vacuum source, the vacuum source fluidly coupled with the vacuum-assisted cutting tool; and
a welding horn, wherein the welding horn is positioned and sized to be received within the knife portion at the top surface of the insert.

17. The vacuum-assisted cutting tool and welding system of claim 16 further comprising a light source, the light source positioned to emit light at the vacuum-assisted cutting tool from a plane equal to or below the knife edge.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Park Dae Young
• Park JiHoo
• Lee Jong Keun
• Park John J
• Myung Seung Jo

Classifications

• B29C65/7457

  comprising a perforating tool · CPC title

• B26F2210/06

  Trimming plastic mouldings · CPC title

• B26F1/44 Primary

  Cutters therefor; Dies therefor · CPC title

• B26D7/018

  Holding the work by suction · CPC title

• B29C66/8322

  Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis · CPC title