# US 4,397,203 A · Towel cutting machine

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 4,397,203 A
- Document ID: US4397203A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/204,455
- Filed: 1980-11-06
- Granted: 1983-08-09
- Earliest claimed: 1980-11-06
- Inventors: Frank T. Brack; Frank B. Brack
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4397203A

## CPC

- D06H 7/025: {in line with an embossed or a raised pattern on the fabric; Cutting pile fabric along a loopless or napless zone, e.g. the plain woven portion of towel cloth}
- B26D 5/38: with means operable by the moving work to initiate the cutting action
- B26D 7/14: by tensioning the work
- B26F 3/02: Tearing
- Y10T 83/2196: Roller[s]
- Y10T 83/323: With means to stretch work temporarily
- Y10T 83/4465: With work-stopping abutment in sensing means
- Y10T 83/4594: Dwell caused by clamping or blocking work during continuous operation of feed means
- Y10T 83/4612: With slip between positioned work and feed means
- Y10T 83/543: Sensing means responsive to work indicium or irregularity
- D06H: MARKING, INSPECTING, SEAMING OR SEVERING TEXTILE MATERIALS (seaming by sewing D05B)
- B26D: CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING (for growing crops or plants A01D, A01G; for fodder or straw A01F; for bulk butter A01J; for dough A21C; slaughtering A22B; for tobacco, cigars or cigarettes A24; marking-out, perforating or making buttonholes A41H25/00; manufacturing footwear A43D; brushmaking A46D; surgery A61B; disintegrating, mincing or shredding in general B02C; cutting wire, making pins or nails B21F, B21G; of the kind used formetal B23; cutting by abrasive fluid jets B24C5/02; hand-held cutting tools B26B; perforating, cutting-out, stamping-out or punching, or severing by means other than cutting B26F; for wood B27; for stone B28D; working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29; making boxes, cartons, envelopes or bags, of paper or similarly worked materials, e.g. metal foil, B31B; article or web delivery apparatus incorporating cutting or line-perforating devices B65H35/00; for leather or upholstery B68, C14B; for glass C03B; making matches C06F; for peat C10F; for sugar C13B45/00; for textile materials D06H; civil engineering, building, mining, see Section E; for light guides G02B6/25; cutting processed photographic material G03D15/04)
- B26F: PERFORATING; PUNCHING; CUTTING-OUT; STAMPING-OUT; SEVERING BY MEANS OTHER THAN CUTTING (marking-out, perforating or making buttonholes A41H25/00; shoemaking A43D; surgery A61B; punching metal B21D; drilling metal B23B; cutting of metal by applying heat locally, e.g. flame cutting, B23K; cutting by abrasive fluid jets B24C5/02; details common to machines for severing B26D; drilling wood B27C; drilling stone B28D; working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29; making boxes, cartons, envelopes or bags, of paper or similarly worked materials, e.g. metal foil, B31B; of glass C03B; of leather C14B; of textile materials D06H; for light guides G02B6/25; of tickets G07B)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A towel cutting machine includes a drive feed device including rollers for feeding strip material from a towel supply roll to and between a cutter blade and braking-sensing mechanism and into a set of driver pull slip-clutch rollers to pull the strip of material through the towel cutting machine, to hold the strip material taut during cutting and to draw off the towel severed from the end of the strip material after being cut.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A towel cutting machine for cutting the entire transverse fringe portion connecting generally rectangular towel sections in a continuous strip of towel material, the fringe portion being generally linear and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the strip of towel material, said towel section having two opposed, parallel thickened edges generally perpendicular to the linear fringed portion comprising:
a frame means for housing a control means, a drive feed means, a pull slip-clutch means, a braking-sensing means, and a cutting blade means;
said control means for automatically controlling and repeating the cycle of operation of feeding, sensing, braking, and cutting of said machine connected to said frame;
said drive feed means connected to said frame and said control means for drive feeding the strip of towel material longitudinally downstream along a pathway through said machine with the fringe portions generally perpendicular to the direction of feeding;
said pull slip-clutch drive means for centering and pulling the strip of towel material through said machine connected to said control means, said pull slip-clutch drive means for retaining each rectangular towel section of the strip of towel material in a centered and tensioned position thereby permitting cutting of the entire linear fringe portion generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the strip of towel material;
said cutting blade means and braking-sensing means connected to said frame means and said control means between said drive feed means and said pull slip-clutch drive means, said cutting blade means located between said slip-clutch drive means and said braking-sensing means;
said braking-sensing means for locating the linear fringe portion between each towel section on the strip of towel material and for fixing the position of the fringe portion generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the strip of towel material on said machine between said braking-fringe sensing means and said pull slip-clutch drive means adjacent to said cutting blade means;
said control means for first operating said drive feed means into a towel strip material engaging position and moving the strip material through said machine and into said pull slip-clutch means with said cutting blade means and said braking-sensing means in open nonengaging position and for thereafter engaging said pull slip-clutch means;
said control means for then operating said drive feed means and said braking-sensing means into an engaging position and feeding the towel strip material until the braking-sensing means senses the fringe portion and engages the fringe portion;
said control means for thereafter activating said cutting blade means while said pull slip-clutch drive means in a slip condition maintaining non-slip tension on the towel strip material without rotating to cut the fringe portion of a towel section of the towel strip material; and
said control means for automatically returning said cutting blade means to the nonengaging position and for activating said drive feed means if desired another cycle of operation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pull slip-clutch means for tensioning and pulling includes:
an outer roller means for contracting and centering the strip of towel material, and an inner shaft with a biased slip-clutch for driving said outer roller means.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A machine as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pull slip-clutch means includes;
a spring and at least one nylon frictional-bearing member movable in said shaft.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

A machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein:
said outer roller means including a roller having a smaller diameter center portion with moving means for moving an edge of the strip material toward said center portion.