# US 5,065,469 A · Apparatus for removing debris from a cutting bed > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,065,469 A - Document ID: US5065469A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 07/420,171 - Filed: 1989-10-12 - Granted: 1991-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 1989-10-12 - Assignees: BPS Systems, Inc. - Inventors: Paul E. Takken; Robert G. Scheckel; Steven D. Peo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5065469A ## CPC - D06H 7/00: Apparatus or processes for cutting, or otherwise severing, specially adapted for the cutting, or otherwise severing, of textile materials {(web delivery apparatus incorporating cutting devices B65H35/0006)} - B08B 7/02: by distortion, beating, or vibration of the surface to be cleaned {(B08B7/0007 takes precedence)} - B26D 7/088: {by cleaning or lubricating (sterilizing B26D1/00)} - B26D 7/1863: {by suction} - B26D 7/20: Cutting beds {(B26D7/018 takes precedence; supporting beds for severing by means of a fluid jet B26F3/008)} - B26D 2007/208: {having a cleaning device} - D06H: MARKING, INSPECTING, SEAMING OR SEVERING TEXTILE MATERIALS (seaming by sewing D05B) - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL - 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) ## Abstract A method and apparatus for cleaning debris, such as lint-like residue, from the bristle blocks of an automatic fabric cutting machine cutting bed, utilizing a linear motion device connected to a head by motion-amplifying linkages in order to amplify the acceleration produced by the motion device and thereby accelerate a slat of bristle blocks toward a grate. When the slat contacts the grate it is abruptly decelerated, which causes the debris to travel out from between the bristles. The grate is indexed between cycles of the head so that different portions of the slat strike the grate each cycle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for removing debris from a substrate comprising: a head; support means for supporting said substrate by said head; mover means for accelerating said head in a given direction, said mover means including means for producing linear movement and linkage means connecting said mover means with said head in a manner that said head is moved a greater amount than said mover means for amplifying said linear movement when applied to said head; and means for decelerating said head after said mover means has accelerated said head; wherein said linkage means includes an elongated member having first and second opposite ends, said linear movement being applied to one of said opposite ends, the other one of said opposite ends being connected to said head, said linkage means further including means for pivotally mounting said elongated member at a pivot point between said first and second opposite ends, wherein the distance between said pivot point and said one of said opposite ends being less than the distance between said pivot point and said other one of said opposite ends. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus in claim 1 wherein said means for producing linear movement is a fluid-operated extendable cylinder. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus in claim 1 wherein said distance between said pivot point and said first end is approximately one-half of the distance between said pivot point and said second end. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus in claim 3 wherein said means for producing linear movement is a fluid-operated extendable cylinder. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus in claim 1 wherein said means for decelerating said head includes a grate having a plurality of lattice members, said grate being positioned with respect to said head such that a substrate will contact said grate when said head has been accelerated by said mover means. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus in claim 5 further including shifting means for laterally shifting said grate such that the location of the substrate that is contacted by each of said lattice members can be altered. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus in claim 6 in which said shifting means shifts said grate whenever said head is moved by said mover means away from said grate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus in claim 1 in which said support means includes suction means for drawing a vacuum between said head and a substrate in order to adhere said substrate to said head. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus in claim 8 wherein said suction means includes a venturi nozzle for producing a suction force when actuated with compressed air and suction cup means attached to said head and pneumatically connected with said venturi nozzle. ### Claim 10 An apparatus for removing debris from a substrate comprising: a frame; a head assembly vertically reciprocal with respect to said frame, said head assembly including means for mounting a substrate thereto; an extendable force producing device connected with said frame; linkage means connected with said force producing device and said head assembly for transmitting force from said force producing device to said head assembly to reciprocally move said head assembly along a path, said linkage means including an elongated member pivotally mounted at a pivot point to said frame, first connecting means for connecting a first portion of said elongated member to said force producing device and second connecting means for connecting a second portion of said elongated member to said head, the distance between said pivot and said first connecting means being less than the distance between said pivot and said second connecting means; and an abutment positioned in said path for contacting said substrate and thereby dislodge debris therefrom. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus in claim 10 in which said linkage means further includes a second elongated member pivotally mounted at a second pivot point to said frame, third connecting means for connecting a first portion of said second elongated member to said force producing device and fourth connecting means for connecting a second portion of said second elongated member to said head, the distance between said second pivot and said third connecting means being less than the distance between said second pivot and said fourth connecting means. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus in claim 11 in which said pivot is located between said first and second connecting means and said second pivot is located between said third and fourth connecting means. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The apparatus in claim 10 in which said pivot is located between said first and second connecting means. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The apparatus in claim 10 wherein said extendable force producing device is a fluid actuated cylinder. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The apparatus in claim 10 wherein said abutment includes a horizontal grate having a plurality of lattice members defining a horizontal surface, said surface being positioned vertically below said head in said path. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus in claim 15 further including grate indexing means for laterally indexing said grate, said indexing means being synchronized with reciprocable movement of said head. ### Claim 17 An apparatus for removing debris from a substrate comprising: mover means for inducing reciprocal movement in a substrate toward and away from a given location; a grate having a plurality of lattice members, said grate being positioned at said given location such that a substrate will contact said lattice members when reciprocated toward said given location; and indexing means for laterally indexing the positional relationship between said grate and said mover means such that different portions of a substrate will contact said lattice members. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus in claim 17 wherein said indexing means is synchronized with said reciprocal movement induced by said mover means. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The apparatus in claim 18 in which said indexing means is actuated in response to said mover means inducing movement in a substrate away from said given location. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The apparatus in claim 19 in which said indexing means is actuated less often than every cycle of said mover means. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The apparatus in claim 17 wherein said apparatus includes a frame and said mover means induces vertical reciprocal movement of a substrate with respect to said frame and further wherein said indexing means includes means for adjusting the lateral position of said grate with respect to said frame. ### Claim 22 An apparatus for removing debris from a bristle member comprising: a head extending in a plane; support means for fixedly supporting a bristle member to said head in said plane whereby any motion imparted to said head is imparted to said bristle member; mover means for reciprocally moving said head perpendicular to said plane from a first position to a second position during a first portion of a cycle and from said second position to said first position during a second portion of said cycle; and said mover means selectably controlling the velocity of said head at all times during both said first and second cycle portion in a manner that said head achieves a substantially greater velocity during said first portion than during said second portion such that debris dislodged during said first portion will not be relodged during said second portion and cycle speed can be maximized to enhance debris dislodging; and a generally planar grate positioned at said second position oriented generally parallel said plane in order to interrupt the movement of said head to abruptly decelerate said head at said second position. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The apparatus in claim 22 wherein said moving means reciprocates said head at a rate of 1.5 to 2 cycles per second. ### Claim 24 An apparatus for removing debris from a bristle member comprising: a head extending in a plane; support means for fixedly supporting a bristle member to said head in said plane whereby any motion imparted to said head is imparted to said bristle member; mover means for reciprocally moving said head perpendicular to said plane from a first position to a second position during a first portion of a cycle and from said second position to said first position during a second portion of said cycle; said mover means controlling the velocity of said head at all times during both said first and second cycle portion such that said head achieves a substantially greater velocity during said first portion than during said second portion such that debris dislodged during said first portion will not be relodged during said second portion; a generally planar grate positioned at said second position oriented generally parallel said plane in order to interrupt the movement of said head to abruply decelerate said head at said second position; and shifting means for shifting said grate along an axis that is generally parallel said plane. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The apparatus in claim 24 wherein said shifting means shifts said grate when said head is in said second position. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The apparatus in claim 24 wherein said shifting means shifts said grate every other cycle of said moving means. ### Claim 27 An apparatus for removing debris from a substrate comprising: mover means for inducing reciprocal movement in a substrate toward and away from a given location; a grate having a plurality of lattice members, said grate being positioned at said given location such that a substrate will contact said lattice members when reciprocated toward said given location; and indexing means for indexing the positional relationship between said grate and said mover means such that different portions of a substrate will contact said lattice members. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The apparatus in claim 27 wherein said indexing means is synchronized with said reciprocal movement induced by said mover means. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The apparatus in claim 28 in which said indexing means is actuated in response to said mover means including movement in a substrate away from said given location.