Cutting device including first lever and second lever for moving cutter blade and cutter cradle to perform cutting operation with respect to cut target

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11654701-B2
Application number	US-202117539053-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2021
Priority date	Dec 4, 2020
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

A cutting device includes: a cutter blade movable between a retracted position and a cutting position; a cutter cradle facing the cutter blade; and a first lever and a second lever those operated by a user. The cutter blade performs one of a half-cutting operation and a full-cutting operation with respect to a cut target when positioned at the cutting position. The cutter cradle is movable between: a full-cutting position where the full-cutting operation is performed by the cutter blade; and a half-cutting position where the half-cutting operation is performed by the cutter blade. When the first lever is operated, the cutter blade is moved to the cutting position while the cutter cradle remains at the half-cutting position. When the second lever is operated, the cutter blade is moved to the cutting position and the cutter cradle is moved between the full-cutting position and the half-cutting position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cutting device comprising:
a cutter blade configured to cut a cut target, the cutter blade being movable between:
a cutting position where the cutter blade is configured to perform one of a full-cutting operation and a half-cutting operation with respect to the cut target by making contact with the cut target; and
a retracted position where the cutter blade does not make contact with the cut target;

a cutter cradle facing the cutter blade, the cutter cradle being movable between:
a full-cutting position at which the cutter blade is configured to perform the full-cutting operation with respect to the cut target in cooperation with the cutter cradle; and
a half-cutting position at which the cutter blade is configured to perform the half-cutting operation with respect to the cut target in cooperation with the cutter cradle;

a first lever configured to be operated by a user, the first lever being configured to make contact with the cutter blade directly or indirectly,
the first lever being movable from a first non-operation position to a first operation completion position, the first lever being positioned at the first non-operation position when a user operation to the first lever is not performed, the first lever being positioned at the first operation completion position when the user operation to the first lever has been completed; and
a second lever configured to be operated by the user, the second lever being configured to make contact with both the cutter blade and the cutter cradle directly or indirectly,
the second lever being movable from a second non-operation position to a second operation completion position, the second lever being positioned at the second non-operation position when a user operation to the second lever is not performed, the second lever being positioned at the second operation completion position when the user operation to the second lever has been completed,
wherein a movement of the first lever from the first non-operation position to the first operation completion position causes a movement of the cutter blade from the retracted position to the cutting position, and
wherein a movement of the second lever from the second non-operation position to the second operation completion position causes both the movement of the cutter blade from the retracted position to the cutting position and a movement of the cutter cradle between the full-cutting position and the half-cutting position.

2. The cutting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a first moving amount indicative of an amount of the movement of the first lever from the first non-operation position to the first operation completion position is smaller than a second moving amount indicative of an amount of the movement of the second lever from the second non-operation position to the second operation completion position.

3. The cutting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in a case where the first lever and the second lever are operated under the same condition, a first time period indicative of a period of time required for the movement of the first lever from the first non-operation position to the first operation completion position is shorter than a second time period indicative of a period of time required for the movement of the second lever from the second non-operation position to the second operation completion position.

4. The cutting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a cutter cradle movement completion timing at which the movement of the cutter cradle between the half-cutting position and the full-cutting position caused by the movement of the second lever is completed is earlier than a cutter blade movement completion timing at which the movement of the cutter blade from the retracted position to the cutting position caused by the movement of the second lever is completed.

5. The cutting device according to claim 1 , further comprising an interlocking portion for moving the first lever and the second lever in interlocking relation to each other,
wherein, in a state where the first lever and the second lever are movable in interlocking relation to each other by the interlocking portion:
in a case where one of the first lever and the second lever is moved in a first moving direction, the first lever is moved from the first non-operation position to the first operation completion position; and
in a case where the one of the first lever and the second lever is moved in a second moving direction different from the first moving direction, the second lever is moved from the second non-operation position to the second operation completion position.

6. The cutting device according to claim 1 , further comprising a cutter holder holding the cutter blade and movable together with the cutter blade,
wherein the first lever causes the movement of the cutter blade by making contact with the cutter blade directly or indirectly through the cutter holder,
wherein the second lever causes the movement of the cutter blade by making contact with the cutter blade directly or indirectly through the cutter holder, and
wherein the second lever causes the movement of the cutter cradle by making contact with the cutter cradle indirectly through the cutter holder.

7. The cutting device according to claim 6 ,
wherein both the first lever and the second lever are configured to make contact with the cutter blade indirectly through the cutter holder, and
wherein the cutter holder comprises:
a first contact portion with which the first lever makes contact; and
a second contact portion with which the second lever makes contact.

8. The cutting device according to claim 6 ,
wherein a first distance between the first lever positioned at the first non-operation position and the cutter holder is greater than a second distance between the second lever positioned at the second non-operation position and the cutter holder.

9. The cutting device according to claim 1 , further comprising a cutter holder holding the cutter blade and movable together with the cutter blade,
wherein the first lever causes the movement of the cutter blade by making contact with the cutter blade directly or indirectly through the cutter holder,
wherein the second lever causes the movement of the cutter blade by making contact with the cutter blade directly or indirectly through the cutter holder, and
wherein the second lever causes the movement of the cutter cradle by making contact with the cutter cradle directly.

10. The cutting device according to claim 9 ,
wherein a first distance between the first lever positioned at the first non-operation position and the cutter blade is greater than a second distance between the second lever positioned at the second non-operation position and the cutter cradle.

11. The cutting device according to claim 1 , further comprising a holding member for moving the cutter cradle, the holding member extending in an extending direction including a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction,
wherein the cutter cradle is formed with an insertion portion into which the holding member is inserted, the holding member penetrating the insertion portion and extending in the second direction in a state where the holding member is inserted into the insertion portion,
wherein the cutter cradle comprises a wall portion, the wall portion facing the holding member in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the extending direction in the state where the holding member is inserted into the insertion portion, the orthogonal direction including a third direction and a fourth direction, the wall portion facing the holding member at a position further in the fourth

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Mizutani Hiromitsu

Classifications

• B41J2/315

  characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material (B41J2/385, B41J2/435 take precedence) · CPC title

• B41J11/68 Primary

  cutting parallel to the direction of paper feed · CPC title

• B41J11/666

  Cutting partly, e.g. cutting only the uppermost layer of a multiple-layer printing material · CPC title

• B41J11/703 Primary

  Cutting of tape · CPC title

• B41J11/70 Primary

  cutting perpendicular to the direction of paper feed · CPC title