Machine with an extendable support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces

Abstract

The present invention relates to a machine with an extendable support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces, comprising: a base (3) with a support surface (31) for supporting the ceramic pieces; a scoring and separation head (4) that can move on longitudinal guide means (5); arms (1) that define an extendable support surface for the ceramic piece (P) to be scored; and supports (2) for the arms (1), arranged on the sides of the base (3). The arms (1), which can be separated from the base (3), comprise at least one complementary housing (11) and attachment (12) for coupling and uncoupling successive arms (1) to / from one another and possibly to / from the supports (2). Said supports (2) comprise a housing (22) or an attachment for coupling and decoupling to / from the complementary attachment (12) or housing (11) defined at one end of the arms (1).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] Machine with extendable support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces.

[0003] Technical sector.

[0004] The present invention relates to a machine for scoring and separating ceramic pieces used in construction for covering various surfaces; said machine being provided with an extendable support surface for placing the ceramic piece to be scored and separated by the previously scored break line.

[0005] Prior art.

[0006] Currently, machines for scoring and separating ceramic pieces are widely known in the market. These machines have a base provided at the top with a support surface for the ceramic piece to be scored and separated by means of a movable head on longitudinal guide rails.

[0007] Generally, ceramic pieces have a surface area substantially larger than the support surface defined on the base, so a significant part of the ceramic piece protrudes laterally from said support surface, remaining cantilevered, which prevents the ceramic piece from remaining stable on the support surface during the scratching and separation operation.

[0008] To date, various solutions have been proposed to resolve this problem.

[0009] One known solution involves incorporating arms on the sides of the base to facilitate the correct placement of the ceramic piece on the machine's base. However, these arms have the drawback of being mounted on supports fixed at specific points on the sides of the machine's base and having a limited length to allow them to be folded against the sides of the base, so they do not obstruct the machine when it is being transported. These arms do not guarantee good stability of the ceramic piece during scoring and separation, especially in the case of larger ceramic pieces, since most scoring and separation of ceramic pieces is performed in off-center positions, which means that a large part of the ceramic piece's surface cantilevers out of the support area defined by the arms.

[0010] Another known solution involves mounting each arm on a support that can be moved longitudinally along guides on the sides of the machine's base. This allows the arm and its support to be moved along the base and positioned for optimal stability when scoring and cutting the ceramic piece. While this solution allows the arms to be moved along the base, it also has limited arm length, preventing it from always providing stable support for the ceramic pieces being scored and separated.

[0011] In both solutions the arm can rotate a certain angle, generally between +90° and -90° with respect to a fixed vertical axis, to the corresponding lateral support of the machine.

[0012] The technical problem that arises is the development of a ceramic cutting machine that allows for stable support of the ceramic pieces to be cut, regardless of their size and especially when a significant part of the surface of the ceramic piece protrudes laterally from the support surface defined in the upper area of ​​the base.

[0013] Explanation of the invention.

[0014] The machine with an extendable support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces, the object of the invention, is of the type described in the preamble of claim 1, and comprises: a base provided at the top with a support surface for the ceramic piece to be scored and separated; a scoring and separating head for ceramic pieces, manually actuated and movable on longitudinal guide means fixed to said base; support arms for the ceramic pieces, and supports for the side arms, arranged on the sides of the base.An objective of the invention is to equip the machine with detachable arms and to provide the arms and the supports with coupling and uncoupling means, so that said arms can be mounted on the side supports of the base and form an extendable support surface for the ceramic pieces, and that said arms can be detached from the side supports of the base and coupled together in a variable number, to form by themselves a support surface for the ceramic pieces, independent of the machine and which can be arranged away from the base of the machine, as necessary to ensure the stability of the ceramic pieces during the scratching and separation operations of the same.

[0015] Another objective of the invention is that said means for coupling and uncoupling the arms and supports define, in the coupling position, axes of relative rotation of the arms with each other and, where applicable, with respect to the corresponding support.

[0016] Achieving these objectives allows attaching an arm, or a row of arms conveniently coupled together, to any of the supports to form a surface of variable extension and shape on one or both sides of the machine base for the stable support of the piece to be scored and separated in each case, and also allows the arms to be removed from the supports, to couple a variable number of arms together and form a support surface, separate from the machine.

[0017] To this end, and in accordance with the invention, the arms are separable from the base of the machine and comprise at two opposite ends at least one complementary housing and appendage, forming the two halves of a clip for coupling and decoupling successive arms to each other and optionally to the supports of the base; said arms defining an extendable support surface for the ceramic piece to be scored and separated; and the supports comprise a housing or appendage suitable for the possible coupling and decoupling of the appendage or complementary housing defined at one of the ends of the arms.

[0018] These features allow the arms to be distributed individually or in a variable-length alignment on one or both sides of the machine, defining a suitable surface for the stable support of the ceramic piece to be cut in each case, and to attach these arms to any of the machine's supports or detach them to form a support surface separate from the machine.

[0019] As indicated, the respective housings and complementary appendages of the supports and arms define, in the coupling position, vertical axes of relative rotation of the arms with each other and, where applicable, with respect to the support of the same.

[0020] The arms and supports comprise around the respective housings and appendages a complementary cylindrical projection and cylindrical recess, which engage with each other when the appendage or housing of one arm engages with the corresponding housing or appendage of an adjacent arm or support.

[0021] It should be mentioned that the supports can be fixed at certain points on the sides of the base, or mounted with the possibility of longitudinal displacement on longitudinal guides defined on the sides of said base.

[0022] The arms have lower support legs, and an upper surface which, in the position of use, is arranged coplanarly with the support surface defined above by the base of the machine, together forming the extendable surface for supporting the ceramic piece to be scratched and separated.

[0023] Advantageously, the defined attachment or housing on the supports is oriented towards the upper area, and the attachment or housing of the arm that connects to said support is oriented towards the lower area. This feature allows the arms to be detached vertically from the supports without having to move or lift the machine.

[0024] The features of the invention will be more easily understood in view of the embodiment examples shown in the accompanying figures.

[0025] Brief description of the content of the drawings.

[0026] To complement the description being made and in order to facilitate the understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is included with this descriptive report in which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

[0027] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an example embodiment of a machine with an extendable support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces according to the invention, with the support arms mounted on supports arranged on the sides of the machine base.

[0028] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of one of the support arms.

[0029] Figure 3 shows an elevation view of one of the support arms of the previous figures, sectioned vertically by a longitudinal mid-plane.

[0030] Figures 4 and 5 show front and rear perspective views of an example of the realization of one of the supports from the previous figures I

[0031] Figure 6 shows a profile view of the support in Figures 4 and 5, sectioned transversely by a vertical plane.

[0032] Figure 7 shows a detail of the coupling of the end of one of the arms with one of the supports, both sectioned by a vertical plane.

[0033] Figure 8 shows a detail of the coupling of two consecutive support arms, both sectioned by a vertical plane.

[0034] Figures 9a, 9b and 9c show schematic plan views of one of the sides of the machine base and of the support arms in different positions and coupled with the base supports, forming surfaces of different extensions for the support of the ceramic piece (P) to be scratched and separated.

[0035] Figures 10a and 10b show schematic plan views of one side of the machine base, with the support arms in different positions for use, with some of the arms detached from the base supports, coupled together and spaced laterally from the base, forming surfaces of different lengths for supporting the ceramic pieces (P) to be scratched and separated.

[0036] Detailed exposition of modes of embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, a machine (100) for scoring and separating ceramic pieces is represented which, according to the invention, comprises arms (1) provided with means for coupling and uncoupling with each other, and optionally with supports (2) mounted on the sides of the base (3) of the machine, said arms (1) forming an extendable support surface for the ceramic pieces to be scored and separated in said machine (100).

[0037] In the examples shown, the supports (2) are mounted with the possibility of displacement along longitudinal guides (32) defined on the sides of the base; however, as mentioned above, these supports (2) could be fixed and arranged at certain points on the sides of the base (3).

[0038] In the example shown, the machine (100) has a base (3) which is provided at the top with a support surface (31) for the ceramic piece to be scratched and separated, and comprises a scratching and separating head (4) for ceramic pieces (P), manually actuated by means of the handle (41) and movable on longitudinal guide means (5), represented in this case by two parallel guides fixed on the base (3).

[0039] As can be seen in figures 2 and 3, the arms (1) comprise at two opposite ends (1a, 1b) a complementary housing (11) and appendage (12), forming the two halves of a clip for coupling and uncoupling successive arms (1) from each other.

[0040] These arms (1) have legs (17) for support on the ground or other stable support surface of the machine (100), and an upper surface (18) which, in a position of use of the machine, is arranged coplanarly with the support surface (31) defined above by the base (3) of the machine.

[0041] As can be seen in the section of figure 3, the housing (11) of the arms (1) has a truncated conical configuration, open at the top and with a decreasing cross-section towards the lower area; and the appendage (12) comprises flexible pins (13), oriented towards the lower area, arranged in a circular arrangement and provided externally with a thickening (14) of substantially triangular cross-section, which allows the coupling and retention of the appendage (12) of an arm (1) in the housing (11) of an adjacent arm (1), with the possibility of relative rotation, and its subsequent decoupling.

[0042] The arms (1) have around the housing (11) a complementary cylindrical projection (15), and around the appendage (12) a complementary cylindrical recess (16), which fit together when the appendage (12) of one arm (1) fits into the housing (11) of an adjacent arm (1).

[0043] As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the supports (2) comprise in their rear area a longitudinal projection (21) for mounting with the possibility of displacement along the longitudinal guides (32) defined on the sides of the base (3) of the machine (100) and in their front area a housing (22) of truncated conical configuration, analogous to the housing (11) of the arms (1), for coupling and uncoupling the appendage (12) of any of the arms (1 ).

[0044] Said supports (2) comprise around the housing (22) a cylindrical projection (23), analogous to the cylindrical projection (15) defined around the appendage (12) of the arms (1) and attachable with the possibility of rotation in the cylindrical recess (16) of any of the arms (1).

[0045] As shown in Figure 7, in the coupling position of one of the arms (1) with a support (2), the appendage (12) of the arm (1) is arranged inside the housing (22) of the support (2) and is held in that position by the action of the thickenings (14) of the tabs (13) of said appendage (12) against the truncated conical surface of the housing (22) of the support (2).

[0046] In this coupling position, the appendage (12) and the housing (22) define a vertical axis of relative rotation of the arm (1) with respect to the support (2) and the cylindrical projection (23) of the support is arranged inside the cylindrical recess (16), reinforcing the alignment of the coupling on the aforementioned vertical axis of relative rotation.

[0047] In the embodiment shown, the appendage (12) of the arm (1) is oriented towards the lower area and the housing (22) of the support (2) is oriented towards the upper area, which allows successive couplings and uncouplings simply by vertically displacing the arm (1) downwards and upwards respectively; however, it should be mentioned that the appendage and the housing could be arranged in inverted positions, i.e., the appendage on the support and the housing on the arm, since this does not alter the essence or the operation of the invention.

[0048] As shown in Figure 8, the housing (11) and appendage (12) defined at opposite ends (1 a, 1 b) of the arms allow successive arms to be coupled and uncoupled.

[0049] (I) to form an extensible surface of different shapes and dimensions for supporting the ceramic pieces to be scratched and separated.

[0050] In this case the appendage (12) of one of the arms (1) is housed in the housing (11) of an adjacent arm (1) and is held in that position by the action of the dams (14) of the tabs (13) of the appendage (12) against the truncated conical surface of the housing

[0051] (II).

[0052] In this position of coupling of adjacent or consecutive arms (1), the appendage (12) and the housing (11) define a vertical axis of relative rotation of both arms (1) and the cylindrical projection (15) of one of the arms (1) is arranged inside the cylindrical recess (16) of the other arm, reinforcing the alignment of the coupling on the aforementioned vertical axis of relative rotation.

[0053] With the characteristics described, the support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces can have different shapes and extensions, attaching to any of the supports an arm or a row of arms coupled together, or detaching the arm or row of arms from the machine supports and distancing them laterally from the machine so that they form a larger surface for supporting the ceramic pieces.

[0054] For illustrative purposes, Figure 9a shows two arms (1) individually attached to supports (2); Figure 9b shows two arms (1) attached together and mounted on one of the supports (2); and Figure 9c shows three arms (1) attached together and mounted on one of the supports (2). The arms (1), together with the upper surface (31) of the base (1), form different support surfaces for ceramic pieces (P) to be scored and separated. As can be seen in Figures 10a and 10b, the arms (1) can be used detached from the supports to create a larger surface for supporting ceramic pieces (P).

[0055] Specifically, in Figure 10a, an arm (1) attached to one of the supports (2) is shown, and two other arms (1) detached from the machine, attached to each other and spaced away from the side of the base (3) of the machine.

[0056] In Figure 10b, four arms (2) detached from the machine have been shown, coupled together and spaced away from the side of the base of the machine, forming with the surface (31) of the base (3) a larger area for the support of ceramic pieces (P).

[0057] Finally, it should be mentioned that the possibility of relative rotation, with respect to both vertical axes, of the arms (1) with respect to each other and of the arms with respect to the supports (2) allows the definition of support surfaces for the ceramic pieces of different shapes and extensions, using a variable number of arms, forming different angles with each other and arranging said arms (1) attached to the supports (2) or separate from them.

[0058] Once the nature of the invention has been sufficiently described, as well as an example of a preferred embodiment, it is noted for the appropriate purposes that the materials, shape, size and arrangement of the elements described may be modified, provided that this does not imply an alteration of the essential characteristics of the invention claimed below.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 12 September 2025 (12.09.2025) 1. A machine with an extendable support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces; comprising: a base (3) provided at its upper end with a support surface (31) for the ceramic piece (P) to be scored and separated; a scoring and separating head (4) for said ceramic piece, manually actuatable and movable on longitudinal guide means (5); arms (1) for supporting the ceramic pieces (P), separable from the base (3) and provided with support legs (17), said arms (1) having an upper surface (18) which, in a position of use of the machine, is arranged coplanarly with the support surface (31) of the ceramic piece, and supports (2) for the arms, characterized in that: - the arms (1) are arranged on the sides of the base (3) and comprise at two opposite ends (1a, 1b) at least one complementary housing (11) and appendage (12), forming the two halves of a vertical coupling and decoupling clip of successive arms (1) from each other; - a variable number of arms (1) coupled together, aligned or at different angles, and attached to or separate from the supports (2), defines with said upper surface (18) on one or both sides of the machine an extendable support surface of variable shapes and extensions for ceramic pieces to be scratched and separated of different shapes and extensions, and - the supports (2) comprise a housing (22) or a coupling and uncoupling appendage with the complementary appendage (12) or housing (11) defined at one end of the arms (1), such that said arms (1) arranged on the sides of the base (3) ensure stable support of the ceramic pieces to be cut, especially when a significant part of the surface of the ceramic piece (P) protrudes laterally from the support surface (31).

2. Machine, according to claim 1, wherein the housings (11, 22) and the appendages (12) of the supports (2) and of the arms (1) define in the coupling position vertical axes of relative rotation of the arms (1) with each other and of the arms (1) with respect to the supports (2).

3. Machine, according to any preceding claim, wherein the housings (11, 22) have a truncated conical configuration of decreasing section and the appendages (12) comprise flexible pins (13), arranged in a circular arrangement, and provided externally with a thickening (14) for coupling and retaining the appendages (12) in the housings (11, 22).

4. Machine, according to any preceding claim, wherein the arms (1) and supports (2) comprise around the respective housings (11, 22) and appendages (12) a complementary cylindrical projection (15, 23) and cylindrical recess (16), which are coupled together when a housing (11) or appendage (12) of an arm is coupled with the corresponding appendage (12) or housing (11, 22) of an adjacent arm (1), or of a support (2).

5. Machine according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the supports (2) comprise in a rear area a longitudinal projection (21) for mounting with the possibility of displacement along longitudinal guides (32) defined on the sides of the base (3) of the machine.

6. Machine, according to any preceding claim, wherein the appendage or housing (22) defined in the support (2) is oriented towards the upper area and the complementary housing (11) or appendage (12) of the arm (1), intended to couple with said support (2), is oriented towards the lower area.

7. Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein all arms (1) are equal.

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