The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 01, 1977
Filed:
May. 02, 1975
Thomas A Insolio, Bristol, CT (US);
The Fletcher-Terry Company, Farmington, CT (US);
Abstract
Plastic sheet material is scored and broken by a three-step process, either in an automated version or by means of a manual approach. The automated version includes a carriage with a first station having a heated scoring tool, and a backup, or anvil roller, against which the tool can act as a carriage traverses the sheet. A second station in the carriage includes two laterally spaced bending rollers, and another anvil roller which cooperates with these bending rollers to deflect the sheet through a critical bend angle (approximately 4.degree., but less than 6.degree.) to develop a fissure at the score line. A third station in the carriage includes an anvil roller and two more bending rollers for actually breaking the sheet. The manual version utilizes a longitudinally extending bead beneath the score line and a cross slide mounted on guide rails and adapted for movement above the bead, the cross slide carries a scoring tool which includes a handle portion also useable as a sheet cracking device. In the manual approach the cross slide and scoring tool is used first to score the sheet. The cross slide is then used with the handle of the scoring tool inverted to apply symmetrical cracking forces to bend the sheet to a critical bend angle (approximately 4.degree., but less than 6.degree.) and thereby develop a fissure at the score line. The third step is accomplished manually by sliding the scored sheet, with the associated fissure, toward a free edge of the table to permit breaking the sheet in a conventional step used presently with glass.