FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention pertains to trimmers for cutting sheet material, and more specifically to multidimensional trimmers for cutting sheet material disposed thereon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Typically trimmers for cutting sheet material consist of a base and a cutting apparatus. The cutting apparatus is sometimes situated on a rail for translational movement along the rail in a direction parallel to a single axis. Some trimmers are additionally capable of cutting in a second direction parallel to a different axis. Such trimmers typically provide for movement of the rail itself in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rail, allowing the user to cut in a direction perpendicular to the rail.

[0003] The size and complexity of the rail and the cutting structure of current multidimensional trimmers often results in difficulties in positioning relatively large pieces of sheet material on the base for cutting. Thus, it becomes challenging and even impossible in many instances to cut sheets of material as the size of the sheet material approaches the size of the cutting surface of the base. This generally results in the use of trimmers that are much larger than the size of the sheet material being cut.

[0004] Current dual-axis trimmers additionally often exhibit difficulties in operation. More particularly the rail can easily become askew, or rack, as the cutting apparatus is being moved. Such racking affects how smoothly the cutting apparatus is able to move relative to the base, and, ultimately, the quality of the cut.

[0005] Additionally, the rail and cutting apparatus of current trimmers typically obstruct the point at which the cut is made, rendering it difficult for the user to easily see the position of the blade relative to the sheet material before cutting and as the sheet material is being cut. This shortcoming also typically results in the user "eye-balling" the approximate location of the blade. It can be difficult for a user not only to accurately cut along a desired line, but to cut a desired distance from some reference point on the sheet material, for example, to provide a desired border around a photograph.

[0006] Finally, current trimmers only permit a user to make straight cuts along two perpendicular axes. Therefore, cuts along other desired axes cannot be accomplished without moving the orientation of the paper, and complicated cuts exhibiting curvature are impossible.

[0007] Accordingly, it is desirable to provide one or more trimmers that address one or more of these problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The invention provides a trimmer for cutting a sheet material (such as paper). The trimmer comprises a base, a blade carriage support structure, and a blade carriage. The base comprises an upper surface for supporting the sheet material in a plane, the plane comprising a plurality of cutting axes, at least two of said cutting axes being disposed at an angle to one another, said angle being other than a right angle. The blade carriage support structure is coupled to the base. The blade carriage comprises a blade and a blade support structure, said blade support structure being coupled to the blade carriage support structure such that the blade may be oriented to cut along said plurality of cutting axes, the blade support structure disposed such that the blade may selectively contact the sheet material supported on the upper surface to cut the sheet material.

[0009] The invention also provides a trimmer for cutting a sheet material comprising a base, a frame, a blade carriage support structure, and a blade carriage. The base comprises an upper surface for supporting the sheet material in a plane. The frame is movably coupled to the base to allow the sheet material to be disposed above the upper surface of the base without interfering with the frame. The blade carriage support structure is coupled to the frame. The blade carriage comprising a blade and a blade support structure, said blade support structure being coupled to the blade carriage support structure such that the blade may be oriented to cut along at least two axes that are not colinear, and the blade carriage disposed such that the blade may selectively contact the sheet material supported on the upper surface to cut the sheet material. The sheet material is cut if the blade carriage is moved when the blade is in contact with the sheet material.

[0010] The invention further provides a trimmer for cutting a sheet material having first and second axes disposed in a plane. The trimmer comprises a base, an elongate crossbar, at least one gear, and a blade carriage. The base comprises an upper surface for supporting the sheet material in the plane and a rack disposed parallel to the second axis. The elongate crossbar is substantially disposed above the upper surface of the base parallel to the first axis, and the crossbar is movable substantially parallel to the second axis. The at least one gear is coupled to the crossbar and disposed to engage the rack such that the crossbar remains substantially parallel to the first axis as the crossbar is moved parallel to the second axis. The blade carriage comprises a blade and a blade support structure. The blade support structure is coupled to the crossbar such that the blade may be oriented to cut parallel to at least one of the first axis and the second axis, and the blade support structure is disposed such that the

blade may selectively contact the sheet material supported on the upper surface to cut the sheet material. The sheet material is cut if the blade carriage is moved parallel to the first axis or the second axis when the blade is in contact with the sheet material.

[0011] According to another feature of the invention, the trimmer may provide a more precise visual guidance than afforded by the prior art structures as to the placement of the blade relative to the sheet material. More specifically, the blade carriage may comprise a first pair of gauges disposed to provide a visual guide when cutting in the first direction, and a second pair of gauges disposed to provide a visual guide when cutting in the second direction. The visual guides preferably indicate the location of the blade itself and preferably delineate standard distances from the blade to allow the user to cut a given distance from a reference line.

[0012] According to another feature of the invention, the trimmer may include further features to provide a more precise visual guidance than afforded by the prior art structures as to the placement of the blade relative to the sheet material. More specifically, the blade carriage may comprise a light emitting device, such as a laser, that may project a line of light on the top surface of a sheet material to provide a visual guide when positioning the cutting blade or cutting a sheet material.

[0013] These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following summary and detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of an embodiment of a trimmer in accordance with the teachings of the invention.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the trimmer of FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 3 is an elevational side view of the trimmer of FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a perspective view from above of the trimmer of FIGS. 1-3 with the frame pivoted above the base.

[0018] FIG. 5 is an elevational side view of the trimmer of FIGS. 1-4 with the frame pivoted above the base.

[0019] FIG. 6 is a perspective view from below of the trimmer of FIGS. 1-5 with the frame pivoted above the base.

[0020] FIG. 7 is an elevational side view of a crossbar for the trimmer of FIGS. 1-6.

[0021] FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the crossbar of FIG. 7.

[0022] FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a blade carriage for the trimmer of FIGS. 1-6.

[0023] FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the crossbar of FIGS. 7-8 and the blade carriage of FIG. 9.

[0024] FIG. 11 is a perspective view from above of a handle for the trimmer of FIGS. 1- 6.

[0025] FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the handle of FIG. 11.

[0026] FIG. 13 is an elevational front view of a blade post, sleeve, and blade for the trimmer of FIGS. 1-6.

[0027] FIG. 14 is an elevational side view of the blade post, sleeve, and blade of FIG. 13.

[0028] FIG. 15 is a perspective view from above of a parallel gauge unit for the trimmer of FIGS. 1-6.

[0029] FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the parallel gauge unit of FIG. 15.

[0030] FIG. 17 is an exploded view of a blade post and blade for the trimmer of FIGS. 1 - 6.

[0031] FIG. 18 is a perspective view from above of a blade locking unit for the trimmer of FIGS. 1-6.

[0032] FIG. 19 is a top plan view of the blade locking unit of FIG. 18.

[0033] FIG. 20 is a perspective view from below of the blade locking unit of FIGS. 18- 19.

[0034] FIG. 21 is a fragmentary top plan view of a blade carriage and crossbar for the trimmer of FIGS. 1-6.

[0035] FIG. 22 is a fragmentary top plan view of the blade carriage and crossbar of FIG. 21 with the handle rotated 45° clockwise.

[0036] FIG. 23 is a perspective view from above of an alternate embodiment of a trimmer in accordance with the teachings of the invention.

[0037] FIG. 24 is a side elevational view of a handle with stops for the trimmer of FIGS. 1-6.

[0038] FIG. 25 is another side elevational view of the handle of FIG. 24.

[0039] FIG. 26 is a perspective view from above of another embodiment of a trimmer in accordance with the teachings of the invention.

[0040] FIG. 27 is a side elevational view of a handle for the trimmer of FIG. 26.

[0041] FIG. 28 is an exploded view of another embodiment of a blade carriage constructed in accordance with teachings of the invention.

[0042] FIG. 29 is the exploded view of the blade carriage of FIG. 28 further illustrating a cutting template constructed in accordance with teachings of the invention.

[0043] FIG. 30 is a perspective view from above of an embodiment of a trimmer incorporating the blade carriage of FIG. 28 and illustrating an alternate embodiment of a cutting template constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention.

[0044] FIG. 31 is a fragmentary exploded view of another embodiment of a blade carriage constructed in accordance with teachings of the invention.

[0045] FIG. 32 is a fragmentary perspective view of the blade carriage of FIG. 31 with a sliding lock engaged.

[0046] FIG. 33 is a fragmentary plan view of a cut having curvature and showing a representative sample of axes that are transitioned to make an exemplary curved cut.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] Turning now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1, a multidimensional trimmer 10 capable of cutting sheet material in a first direction parallel to a first axis X and a second direction parallel to a second axis Y, the axes lying in a plane. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the axes described herein and depicted on the figures are used to facilitate the description of the embodiments of the invention and the relative position of some of the elements of these embodiments with respect to one another, and therefore should not be used to limit the embodiments of the invention to a specific plane or set of axes.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the trimmer 10 comprises a base 12, a frame 14, a crossbar 16, and a blade carriage 18. As may perhaps be best seen in FIG. 9, the blade carriage 18 carries a cutting blade 20 that may be utilized to cut sheet material. Turning back to FIGS. 1-3, the base 12 comprises an upper surface 22 that is substantially flat to allow a piece of sheet material to be disposed thereon. In addition to supporting a sheet material, the base 12 also serves as a background for cutting, which protects the surface upon which the base 12 is placed from being damaged by the cutting blade 20. The base 12 may optionally include a replaceable cutting surface (not shown) placed on the upper surface 22 that serves as a background for cutting and protects the upper surface 22 of the base 12 from the blade 20. It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that, when utilized, such a replaceable cutting surface would serve as an upper surface for purposes of this disclosure. By way of example and not limitation, the replaceable cutting surface may be a soft rubber that receives the blade 20 during cutting to reduce damage and dulling of the blade 20.

[0049] In order to accommodate the placement of a sheet material on the base 12 without interfering with the other elements of the invention, such as the crossbar 16, in some embodiments of the invention, the frame 14 may be movable relative to the base 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the frame 14 is pivotably coupled to the base 12, although it may be removable in its entirety. In the closed position, the frame 14 rests relatively parallel to the upper surface 22 of the base 12. The frame 14 may be pivoted upward into the open position as shown in FIGS. 4-6. Although for illustration purposes, this figure shows the open position at an angle of approximately 45° relative to the base 12, the frame 14 is capable of opening to a plurality of other angles relative to the base 12. Therefore, pieces of sheet material that are almost as large or larger than the base 12 in one or more dimensions can be easily placed on the upper surface 22 of the base 12 for cutting.

[0050] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the frame 14 is generally U-shaped. The legs 24 of the U-shaped frame are disposed parallel with respect to one another and pivotably connected at their distal ends 26 on opposing sides of the base 12. In order to maintain the frame 14 adjacent to the base 12, a latch mechanism 30 may be provided for selectively coupling the frame 14 to the base 12. As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the middle portion 28 of the U- shaped frame 14 includes a latch mechanism 30 that may be received by the base 12 to secure the frame 14 into the closed position with respect to the base 12 such that the frame 14 will not accidentally open during cutting or when transporting the trimmer 10. The latch mechanism 30 may be released to open the frame 14 by pressing on the latch release portion 32 on the frame 14. It would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the frame 14 could be any suitable shape and could be connected via any suitable manner and position on the base 12 such that the frame 14 is able to pivot or be removed entirely from a position

substantially parallel with the upper surface 22 of the base 12 to a plurality of positions above the upper surface 22 of the base 12 to accommodate the placement of a sheet material below the frame 14 and crossbar 16. Moreover, the latch mechanism 30 may have any appropriate structure. By way of example only, the base 12 may include a latch that is received by the frame 14, or a removable frame may include protrusions that are received in openings in the base.

[0051] Turning back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the crossbar 16 comprises an elongated body 34 having a length and a width, the length being disposed substantially parallel to the X axis. To provide for slidable engagement of the blade carriage 18 to the crossbar 16, the elongated body 34 includes a receiving portion 36 to which the blade carriage 18 is coupled. In the illustrated embodiment, the receiving portion 36 is an elongated channel disposed parallel to the X axis. One of ordinary skill in the art, however, would recognize that the receiving portion 36 may be any suitable shape or size to permit a blade carriage 18 to be at least partially contained therein and slide along the receiving portion 36. By way of example only, the elongated body 34 may include one or more flanges such that the blade carriage 18 slidably engages the flanges.

[0052] In order to facilitate cutting of sheet material in a second direction, /. e. , parallel to the Y axis, the crossbar 16 is laterally movable in the direction of its width. In embodiments comprising a frame 14, the crossbar 16 is movably coupled on the frame 14, while in embodiments without the frame 14, as shown in FIG. 23, the crossbar 16 is movably coupled to the base 12. The crossbar 16 may be coupled to the frame 14 or base 12 by any appropriate structure that provides for such relative movement. As shown in FIG. 7, some embodiments of the crossbar 16 have two C-shaped ends 38 that are adapted to attach and retain the crossbar to the base 12 or the frame 14. The C-shaped ends 38 may have one or more rollers (not shown) in some embodiments to enhance translational movement of the crossbar 16.

[0053] As depicted in both FIGS. 7 and 8, the crossbar 16 may comprise one or more rollers 40 used to hold down a sheet material as it is being cut. Hold-down rollers 40 help the trimmer 10 make accurate cuts once the sheet material has been placed in the desired position by preventing movement of the sheet material and keeping the sheet material substantially flush with the upper surface 22 of the base 12 (or a cutting surface disposed on the upper surface 22).

[0054] In order to further enhance translational movement of the crossbar 16 and facilitate accurate and smooth cutting, the trimmer 10 may include an anti -racking arrangement that couples the blade carriage 18 to the to the base 12. In a currently preferred

embodiment, the anti-racking arrangement is in the form of a rack and pinion structure disposed near at least one end of the crossbar 16. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of racks 42 are disposed near opposing edges of the frame 14, or in embodiments without a frame 14, as shown in FIG. 23, the racks 42 may be located directly on the base 12 itself. The racks 42 are disposed parallel to the Y axis. Each rack 42 comprises a series of ridges or grooves 44 for receiving a gear 46. As shown in FIGS 7, 8, and 10, the crossbar 16 comprises a gearing system comprising a shaft 48 and two gears 46. The gears 46 are connected to the shaft 48, with each gear 46 located near opposite ends of the shaft 48. Each gear 46 engages a respective rack 42 when the crossbar 16 is on the frame 14 or the base 12. In operation, when the crossbar 16 is moved in a direction parallel to the Y axis, the rack and pinion gearing system maintains the length of the crossbar 16 substantially parallel with the X axis. In this way, the anti-racking arrangement inhibits the crossbar 16 from becoming askew when cutting in a direction parallel to the Y axis, facilitating smooth movement of the crossbar 16 on the frame 14 or the base 12.

[0055] Turning now to the structure and operation of the blade carriage 18, shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The blade carriage 18 is disposed at least partially within the receiving portion 36 of the crossbar 16. The blade carriage 18 comprises a handle 50 that is coupled to a blade 20 via a blade post 52. The handle 50 is rotatable to orient the blade 20 parallel to a desired axis for cutting a sheet material. To assist the user in use of the blade 20 to cut a supported sheet material, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the handle 50 has two sight guides 54 disposed on opposing sides of the handle 50 to indicate with which axis the blade 20 is aligned and to provide a visual guide when lining up the blade 20 with the sheet material before and during cutting.

[0056] To further facilitate proper placement of the blade 20 prior to cutting the supported sheet material, the blade 20 is preferably biased away from the sheet material such that it may be selectively engaged with the sheet for cutting. Turning back to FIGS. 9 and 10, the blade carriage 18 may have a spring 56 that exerts a force on the blade carriage 18 to maintain the blade 20 a certain distance above the upper surface 22 of the base 12 such that when a sheet material is placed above the upper surface 22 of the base 12, the blade 20 is not in contact with the sheet material. When a user is ready to cut the sheet material, the user exerts a force on the handle 50 that is greater than the force exerted by the spring 56 to move the blade 20 into contact with the sheet material. The user maintains this force as the blade carriage 18 is moved to cut the sheet material. A handle cover portion (not shown) may be provided on top of the handle 50 to provide a comfortable and attractive surface on which a user can exert such force.

[0057] In order to prevent inadvertent drift of the blade carriage 18 parallel to the X axis when cutting parallel to the Y axis, the trimmer 10 may include structure that causes the blade carriage 18 to resist movement in the X direction when the blade 20 is disposed and/or cutting in the Y direction. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, in some embodiments, a sleeve 58 may be placed on the blade post 52. The sleeve 58 has an oval collar 60 that is disposed within the receiving portion 36 of the crossbar 16. The oval collar 60 has a major axis across the wider portion of the oval and a minor axis across the narrower portion of the oval. The major axis of the oval collar 60 is parallel with the blade 20 and rotates with the blade post 52 when the blade 20 is rotated. It will be appreciated that when the blade 20 is oriented to cut in a direction parallel to the X axis, the collar 60 moves freely within the receiving portion 36. When the blade 20 is oriented to cut in a direction parallel with the Y axis, the length of the major axis of the collar 60 slightly exceeds the width of the receiving portion 36, such that the collar 60 deforms slightly to fit within the receiving portion 36 in this orientation. The tight fit in the second orientation creates a friction fit that helps to prevent movement of the blade carriage 18 in a direction parallel to the X axis when cutting in a direction parallel to the Y axis. Since the collar 60 is deformable in some embodiments, the collar 60 in these embodiments is preferably made of a material capable of both deformation and returnable to its original form, such as a rubber or soft plastic type material, for example. Alternately, the crossbar 16 alone or both the crossbar 16 and the collar 60 may be slightly deformable to create this friction fit. As shown, the sleeve 58 is a separate piece from the blade post 52, which is slidable on the blade post 52.

[0058] An alternate structure for preventing inadvertent drift of the blade carriage 18 parallel to the X axis when cutting parallel to the Y axis, is the use of one or more stops 82. As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the stops 82 are disposed below the underside of the handle 50. The stops 82 are disposed such that when the blade 20 is oriented to cut parallel to the X axis and the blade carriage 18 is lowered for cutting, the stops 82 fit within the receiving portion 36 of the crossbar 16 and do not obstruct the movement of the blade carriage 18. When the blade carriage is oriented to cut parallel to the Y axis and the blade carriage 18 is lowered for cutting, the stops 82 come into contact with the crossbar 16. The friction force between the stops 82 and the crossbar 16 helps to resist movement of the blade carriage 18 in a direction parallel to the X axis when cutting in a direction parallel to the Y axis. The stops 82 are preferably made of a rubber, relatively soft plastic, or other suitable material capable of resisting sliding movement of the stops 82 when in contact with the crossbar 16. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that although the stops 82 are depicted as quadrilateral shaped, the stops 82 may be other suitable shapes and/or sizes.

[0059] In some embodiments, the blade carriage further comprises a parallel gauge unit 62 to assist the user in placement of the blade 20 and any desired spacing of the cut from a reference position on the sheet to be cut. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, there are four gauges 64. Two of the gauges 64 are parallel with the X axis and two of the gauges 64 are parallel with the Y axis. Each gauge 64 has one or more lines 66 to provide a visual indication of blade 20 relative to the sheet material. By way of example and not limitation, each gauge 64 may have a center line that indicates the center of the blade 20 and a plurality of uniformly spaced gradations so that a user can accurately cut relative to some reference location on the sheet material. For example, a user cutting a photograph having an image and a border may decide to trim the border some distance from the edge of the image. To accomplish this, the user may line up the edge of the image with one of the gauge lines 66 to trim the border to the desired thickness. Although the parallel gauges 64 have been shown as having five lines 66, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the number of lines could be one or more and the size of each gauge 64 could be increased or decreased to accommodate the number of lines 66. One of ordinary skill in the art would also recognize that the gauges 64 could have markings indicating the distance between each line and/or the distance from the center line.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 17, the blade 20 is coupled to the blade carriage 18 via a blade post 52. The blade 20 is depicted as circular such that it may roll as the blade carriage 18 is moved to cut the sheet material. One or ordinary skill in the art, however, would appreciate that other suitable blade shapes could be used, such as an angled blade (as shown, for example, in FIG. 28). As shown, the blade has a polygonal-shaped interior rim 74 for receiving a nut 76. The nut 76 my rotate on a blade post extension member 78. The nut 76 and blade 20 are retained on the blade post 52 by the blade retaining member 80. The blade retaining member 80 may be attached to the blade post 52 through the use of an adhesive or a weld, for example. After making numerous cuts, the blade 20 may begin to dull or become damaged. Therefore, some embodiments of the invention may allow the blade 20 to be removed and replaced and/or allow the entire blade post 52 including the blade 20 to be removed and replaced.

[0061] In some embodiments, it may be desirable to only allow the blade 20 to engage the sheet material when the blade 20 is positioned for cutting parallel to the X axis or the Y axis. That is, when the handle 50 is rotated to intermediate positions between the X axis and the Y axis, the blade 20 is prevented from lowering into contact with the sheet material. There is shown in FIGS. 18-20, a blade locking unit 68 that is part of the blade carriage 18 and is used in combination with the handle 50 to prevent the blade 20 from lowering at intermediate positions between the X axis and Y axis. The blade locking unit 68 comprises

two quadrilateral extension blocks 69 that are received within the receiving portion 36 of the crossbar 16. The blade locking unit 68 further comprises one or more prongs 70 that are slidably received by respective holes 72 in the handle 50, the holes 72 being shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. As shown in FIG. 21, when the handle 50 is located such that the blade 20 is parallel to the X axis or the Y axis, the prongs 70 are lined up with the holes 72 in the handle 50 to allow the blade carriage 18 to be lowered to cut the sheet material. Turning to FIG. 22, when the handle 50 is rotated to some intermediate position such that the blade 20 is not parallel to either the X axis or the Y axis, the prongs are no longer aligned with the holes 72. When the prongs 70 are unable to slide through the holes 72 and a force is exerted on the handle 50, the prongs 70 make contact with the underside of the handle 50, thus preventing the downward movement of the blade carriage 18.

[0062] In order to assist the user in accurate placement of the cutting blade 20 and cutting of supported sheet material, the trimmer 10 may include further features to provide a visual indication of the placement of a sheet material relative to the blade 20, as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27. For example, one or more light emitting devices 90 may be disposed to emit a line of light 92 which indicates the placement of the cutting blade 20 relative to the upper surface 22. The device(s) 90 may be placed at any appropriate location, such as on the blade carriage 18, or inside the blade carriage handle 50 such that the light emitting device 90 projects a line of light 92 on the upper surface 22 of the base 12. This line of light 92 provides a visual indication of where the blade 20 will cut a sheet material when the blade carriage 18 and crossbar 16 are moved relative to the sheet material. Further, the light emitting device 90 may be adapted to project a line of light 92 in an alternate direction or an additional light emitting device 90 may be provided. For example, when the blade carriage handle 50 is rotated 90°, the light emitting device 90 may be disposed to emit a line of light approximately normal to the line of light 92 shown in FIG. 26, i.e., parallel to the cutting path when the blade carriage 18 is moved along the crossbar 16. Alternately, light emitting device 90 may be provided and disposed other than within the blade carriage handle 50 to indicate the cutting path of the blade 20 when the blade carriage 18 is moved along the crossbar 16, and/or any suitable mechanism may be provided whereby the line of light 92 may be directed to a position approximately normal to the position illustrated in FIG. 26.

[0063] Although the light emitting device 90 is shown as being disposed within the blade carriage handle 50, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the light emitting device 90 may be disposed on or within any suitable portion of the blade carriage 18 or at any other suitable portion of the trimmer 10 such that it projects a line of light 92 onto the upper surface 22 of the base 12. It will further be appreciated that the trimmer 10 may include more than one such light emitting device 90 that alternately emits a line of light 92 or emits more

than one line of light 92. For example, the trimmer may include a plurality of such light emitting devices 90 that emit parallel lines of light that may be utilized to space the cutting blade a desired distance from an image or edge. Alternately or additionally, the trimmer 10 may include mechanisms by which a line of light 92 emitted from a light emitting device 90 may be moved a desired distance.

[0064] The light emitting device 90 is preferably a laser or other light source capable of projecting a relatively narrow line of light 92 onto a sheet material. If the light emitting device 90 is a laser, a class I, II, or III laser, for example, may be suitable. The light emitting device 90 may be activated and deactivated, for example, by a switch, sensor, or other suitable device or method known in the art.

[0065] While the light emitting device 90 may be fixed relative the blade carriage 18, the light emitting device 90 may alternately be adjustably mounted such that the user can adjust the line of projection of light from the device 90 in order to correct any misadjustment that may result from shipping, handling, or the like, or merely to accommodate user preferences. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that adjustment of the light emitting device 90 may take place by any appropriate arrangement. For example, the light emitting device 90 may be raised or lowered relative to the upper surface 22 of the base 12.

[0066] If the light emitting device 90 is a laser, it may be provided with adjustment mechanisms that may be utilized to calibrate the device to ensure accurate alignment of the line of light 92 relative to the cutting blade 20 despite minor changes that may occur due to, for example, jostling during transport of the trimmer 10. An example of such an arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/646,030 filed January 21, 2005, and U.S. Application No. 11/122,141 filed May 4, 2005 based upon the provisional, both of which are incorporated herein by reference for all that they disclose. By way of example and not limitation, adjustment mechanisms may be provided that pivot the light emitting device 90 around respective axes to adjust the location of the projection of the line of light 92. For example, a first adjustment mechanism may pivot the light emitting device 90 around the X- axis or Y-axis depending on the orientation of the blade carriage handle 50 to adjust the angular alignment of the line of light 92, i.e., the angle of the line of light 92 relative to the cutting direction. A second adjustment mechanism may pivot the light emitting device 90 around the Z-axis to move the line of light 92 in a lateral direction, i.e., in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the cutting direction. In utilizing the term "move" when describing the use of the adjustment mechanisms, it will be appreciated that the "moving" the line of light 92 is being used to describe an alteration of the direction and/or manner in which the light is directed.

[0067] Adjustment mechanisms can be utilized to calibrate the line of light 92 relative to the cutting direction generally as follows: A first adjustment may be utilized to move the line of light 92 in a lateral direction to such a location wherein the end of the line of light 92 proximal to the light emitting device 90 is disposed substantially at the desired cut path. A second adjustment mechanism is then utilized to adjust the angle of the line of light 92 to a position wherein it is disposed coincident with or parallel to the position of the desired cut path. If necessary, the first adjustment mechanism may then be utilized to further adjust the line of light 92 in a lateral direction until such time as it is coincident with the desired cut path to correct any remaining deviation. If a cover is provided over the light emitting device 90, the adjustment mechanisms may be accessible through openings in the cover.

[0068] Each of the forms of light emitting device adjustments described above, if provided, may be performed by a user to position and calibrate the light emitting device 90 as desired. Allowing the user to make adjustments to the light emitting device 90 enables a user to direct a line of light 92 emitted from the light emitting device 90 to a desired location. It also enables a user to correct any undesired movement of the light emitting device 90 during transportation or storage that may cause the line of light 92 from the light emitting device 90 to project askew from a desired path. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that adjustment of the light emitting device 90 may be performed by any suitable method known in the art.

[0069] The following example further illustrates the invention but, of course, should not be construed as in any way limiting its scope. In the operation of some embodiments, a sheet of material is placed on the upper surface 22 of the base 12. If the trimmer 10 comprises a frame 14, then the frame 14 is pivoted upward to allow the sheet material to be placed below the pivoted frame 14 and on the upper surface 22 of the base 12. The frame 14 is then lowered such that it is substantially parallel to the upper surface 22 of the base 12. The handle 50 is rotated to orientate the blade 20 for cutting in a direction parallel to the X axis or the Y axis. The crossbar 16 and/or the blade carriage 18 are then moved to a starting position for making a cut. The parallel gauge unit 62 or the light emitting device 90 may be used to help find the starting point. Alternately or additionally, the light emitting device 90 may be used to ensure that the sheet material being cut is properly lined up with the path of the cutting blade 20. Thus, the user knows exactly where the cut will be made along the entire piece of the sheet material before actually lowering the blade 20 to begin cutting.

[0070] When the desired starting point is reached, a user may exert a force on the handle 50, which forces a portion of the blade carriage 18 downward such that the blade 20 makes contact with the sheet material. The user maintains this force as the blade carriage 18 is

moved along receiving portion 36 of the crossbar 16 in a first direction to cut parallel to the X axis. To make sure that the cut was made completely, the user can move the blade carriage 18 in a reverse direction, which is also parallel with the X axis, without needing to rotate the handle 50. Alternately, the user can maintain the force on the handle 50 as both the blade carriage 18 and the crossbar 16 are moved in a second direction to cut parallel to the Y axis. When moving in this direction parallel with the Y axis, the blade carriage 18 moves with the crossbar 16, but does not move with respect to the crossbar 16. The blade carriage 18 and crossbar 16 can be moved in a direction opposite the second direction, which is also parallel with the Y axis, without the need for rotating the handle 50. Once the cut is made, the user can release the force on the handle 50 to separate the blade 20 from the sheet material. Additionally, a user may reposition the blade carriage 18 and/or crossbar 16 to make additional cuts without the need to move the sheet material. Similarly, the handle 50 may be rotated, for example, to cut the sheet material in a direction perpendicular with the direction of the first cut without the need to reposition the sheet material.

[0071] In certain embodiments, it may be desirable for the blade 20 to be capable of orientation such that it may cut along any of a plurality of cutting axes in a plane, having at least two cutting axes disposed at other than a right angle to one another, and have the ability to transition between axes when cutting such that any variety of cuts having curvature may be created. Therefore, the multidimensional trimmer 10 need not be restricted to movement parallel to the X axis or Y axis. In accordance with teachings of the invention, the multidimensional trimmer may permit engagement of the blade 20 with a sheet material such that the blade 20 may make cuts along the X axis, Y axis, or any other suitable cutting axis. Furthermore, the multidimensional trimmer 10 may have a structure that enables the blade 20 to be oriented such that the blade 20 may transition between multiple cutting axes to create a cut having a curvature. For example, FIG. 33 shows a cut 100 having curvature and a partial representative set of axes 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, between which the blade transitions to make this particular cut. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the axes shown are exemplary and that a smooth, sharp curve would include an infinite number of transitioning axes.

[0072] Turning to FIG. 28, an embodiment of a blade carriage that facilitates such curved cuts, as well as cuts along cutting axes at various angles is illustrated. To facilitate such curved and cuts, the blade locking unit 68 on the blade carriage 18 (as illustrated in FIG. 9) is omitted from this embodiment. More specifically, the blade carriage may comprise an intermediate body 168 constructed without prongs 70 and the handle 50 includes no locking holes 72 (see FIG. 9), such that the blade 20 may be oriented to cut along axes including, but not limited to, the X axis or Y axis. Furthermore, the collar 60 may be shaped such that it

does not substantially restrict the orientation of the blade 20, i.e., the collar 60 may be cylindrically shaped and may be smaller in diameter or approximately the same size in diameter as the width of the crossbar receiving portion 36 such that there is either no friction fit or a substantially uniform friction fit regardless of the orientation of the blade 20.

[0073] It will be noted that the blade 20 may be of any desirable configuration may be utilized in any embodiment disclosed herein. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 28, a straight-edged blade rather than a circular blade is provided inasmuch as a straight edged blade may make cleaner cuts as the blade 20 is transitioned between cutting axes.

[0074] Although the blade 20 may be orientated freely to make any suitable cut, it may be desirable to make a cut precisely in a predetermined pattern. For example, a user may want to make a cut in a particular shape, such as a circle, oval, S-shape, etc. A user may make this cut by eyeballing the direction of the blade 20 or by drawing a pattern on the sheet material to follow. Alternately, in accordance with teachings of the invention, a template 200 may be provided to guide the blade carriage 18 and create a precise cut along a given pattern. The template 200 may be of any suitable and desired configuration.

[0075] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 29, the template 200 comprises a guiding structure 202 comprising an inner surface 204 and one or more supports 206. In operation, as shown, the template 200 may be disposed above the sheet material such that the inner surface 204 may contact a suitable location on the blade carriage 18. For example, the blade carriage 18 may have a flange 208 extending from the blade post 52 that can be guided along the inner surface 204 of the template 200 to make a cut in a desired pattern. In the particular embodiment presented in FIG. 29, embodiments of the trimmer 10 utilizing a crossbar 16 with rollers 40 may require a crossbar 16 with a different roller arrangement or a crossbar 16 without a roller 40 to accommodate the template 200 below the crossbar 16.

[0076] In other embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 30, the template 200 may be disposed such that it guides the blade carriage 18 at an alternate position. For example, in this embodiment, the inner surface 204 of the template 200 guides the cylindrical portion 67 of the intermediate body 168 of the blade carriage 18 (see FIG. 29) to make a cut of a desired shape. As shown, the template 200 forming surface may be disposed above the crossbar 16 and may have one or more supports, which may rest within a groove 44 on the rack to resist movement of the template 200 when cutting, for example. The template 200 may, however, be mounted on the trimmer 10 in any suitable fashion including, but not limited to, resting on the base 12 and/or sheet material, resting on the frame 14, resting on a surface disposed adjacent to or below the trimmer 10, or otherwise being coupled in any suitable manner to any suitable portion of the trimmer 10.

[0077] It will be appreciated that the template 200 may be disposed at any suitable location and may be disposed to guide the blade carriage 18 at any suitable position on the blade carriage 18 such that a cut of a desired shape may be created. It will also be appreciated that a template 200 having any suitable design for making a cut of any suitable shape may be used.

[0078] Despite having the ability to cut along any suitable cutting axis, including the ability to transition between axes to make cuts having curvature, it may be desirable to have a feature that locks the blade 20 in an orientation to cut along a single cutting axis. For example, a coupling structure or locking mechanism 300 may be provided that resists and/or prevents orientation of the blade 20 along another axis such that the blade 20 makes a straight cut along a desired cutting axis. As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the handle 50 may comprise sliding lock receiving structures 302 and a slide lock 304 for disposal within the receiving structures 302. As shown, the sliding lock receiving structures 302 are substantially L- shaped and may have one or more ridges (not visible in the embodiment illustrated) disposed on the inner surface 303 of the structure 302. The sliding lock 304 may comprise an elongated locking portion 306, a slider grip 308, and one or more detent structures, here, notches 310. The intermediate body portion 168 of the blade carriage 18 may have a lock receiving portion 312.

[0079] In operation, the ridge(s) of the sliding lock receiving structures 302 may releasably engage the notch(es) 310 on the sliding lock 304 to retain the sliding lock 304 in a disengaged orientation. To engage the sliding lock 304, a user may press the handle 50 to resist the force of the spring 56 and lower the handle 50 to engage the blade 20 with the sheet material. The user may then apply a sufficient force downward on the grip 308 to free the notch(es) 310 on the sliding lock 304 from the ridge(s) on the sliding lock receiving structures 302. The sliding lock 304 may then slide downward such that the elongated locking portion 306 is received by the lock receiving portion 312 on the intermediate body 168 of the blade carriage 18. When engaged, the sliding lock 304 prevents rotational movement of the handle 50, and thus, prevents rotational movement of the blade 20 such that the blade 20 is orientated to make a straight cut along a desired axis. The sliding lock 304 is disengaged from the lock receiving portion 312 by lifting the sliding lock 304 via the grip 308, and the sliding lock 304 may be retained in the raised position by engaging the ridge(s) with the notch(es) 310. A similar structure or releasable coupling structure may be disposed at any other suitable location to lock the blade 20 for cutting along a desired axis. For example, a sliding lock 304 or other similarly appropriate structure may additionally or alternately be disposed near location 51 on the handle 50.

[0080] Although the embodiments herein are generally described as suitable for manual operation, it will be appreciated that any of the movements of the blade carriage may be motorized and may be power operated via any suitable control and power source.

[0081] All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

[0082] The use of the terms "a" and "an" and "the" and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising," "having," "including," and "containing" are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,") unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.