Ribbon feeding and cutting apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS OPERABLE THROUGH SUCCESSIVE CYCLES FOR FEEDING PREDETERMINED LENGTHS OF METALLIC RIBBON LATERALLY TO SPACED PAIRS OF NORMALLY CLOSED HOLDING JAWS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM A SUPPORT, MOVABLE WITH THE SUPPORT SUCCESSIVELY INTO A LOADING STATION AND WHILE IN THE LOADING STATION ACTUABLE INTO OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS, THE APPARATUS COMPRISING NORMALLY OPEN CUTTERS, MEANS TO SUPPORT THE CUTTERS AT A CUTTING POSITION, MEANS TO OPERATE THE CUTTERS CLOSED AND OPEN DURING PREDETERMINED PORTIONS OF THE OPERATING CYCLES TO CUT LEADING PORTIONS OF GIVEN LENGTHS FROM A LONGITUDINALLY ADVANCED RIBBON, ADVANCING JAWS MOVABLE BETWEEN CLOSED AND OPEN POSITIONS TO GRIP AND RELEASE THE RIBBON, A CARRIAGE FOR THE ADVANCING JAWS, MEANS TO CAUSE FEEDING MOVEMENTS OF THE CARRIAGE BETWEEN GIVEN LIMITS IN A PATH LATERALLY WITH RESPECT TO AND IN FRONT OF THE SPACED PAIRS OF HOLDING JAWS IN THE LOADING STATION, MEANS TO CLOSE THE ADVANCING JAWS ON AN END OF THE RIBBON ADJACENT THE CUTTING POSITION TO CAUSE ADVANCEMENT OF A LEADING PORTION OF THE RIBBON WITH MOVEMENT OF THE CARRIAGE, A TRAVERSING UNIT HAVING NORMALLY CLOSED FEEDING JAWS INITIALLY POSITIONED AT ONE SIDE OF THE PATH AND IN GENERAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE SPACE BETWEEN THE PAIRS OF HOLDING JAWS AT THE LOADING STATION, MEANS OPERATED TO OPEN THE HOLDING JAWS TO RECEIVE THE RIBBON PORTION AT OPPOSING ENDS THEREOF, MEANS TO OPERATE THE FEEDING JAWS AT PREDETERMINED INTERVALS, AND MEANS TO IMPART FEEDING MOTIONS TO THE UNIT TO HAVE ITS JAWS RECEIVE THE RIBBON PORTION PRIOR TO BEING CUT AND WHILE BEING HELD BY THE FEEDING JAWS AND FEED THE ENDS OF THE RIBBON PORTION TO THE HOLDING JAWS SUBSEQUENT TO THE OPERATION OF THE CUTTERS.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS OPERABLE THROUGH SUCCESSIVE CYCLES FOR FEEDING PREDETERMINED LENGTHS OF METALLIC RIBBON LATERALLY TO SPACED PAIRS OF NORMALLY CLOSED HOLDING JAWS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM A SUPPORT, MOVABLE WITH THE SUPPORT SUCCESSIVELY INTO A LOADING STATION AND WHILE IN THE LOADING STATION ACTUABLE INTO OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS, THE APPARATUS COMPRISING NORMALLY OPEN CUTTERS, MEANS TO SUPPORT THE CUTTERS AT A CUTTING POSITION, MEANS TO OPERATE THE CUTTERS CLOSED AND OPEN DURING PREDETERMINED PORTIONS OF THE OPERATING CYCLES TO CUT LEADING PORTIONS OF GIVEN LENGTHS FROM A LONGITUDINALLY ADVANCED RIBBON, ADVANCING JAWS MOVABLE BETWEEN CLOSED AND OPEN POSITIONS TO GRIP AND RELEASE THE RIBBON, A CARRIAGE FOR THE ADVANCING JAWS, MEANS TO CAUSE FEEDING MOVEMENTS OF THE CARRIAGE BETWEEN GIVEN LIMITS IN A PATH LATERALLY WITH RESPECT TO AND IN FRONT OF THE SPACED PAIRS OF HOLDING JAWS IN THE LOADING STATION, MEANS TO CLOSE THE ADVANCING JAWS ON AN END OF THE RIBBON ADJACENT THE CUTTING POSITION TO CAUSE ADVANCEMENT OF A LEADING PORTION OF THE RIBBON WITH MOVEMENT OF THE CARRIAGE, A TRAVERSING UNIT HAVING NORMALLY CLOSED FEEDING JAWS INITIALLY POSITIONED AT ONE SIDE OF THE PATH AND IN GENERAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE SPACE BETWEEN THE PAIRS OF HOLDING JAWS AT THE LOADING STATION, MEANS OPERATED TO OPEN THE HOLDING JAWS TO RECEIVE THE RIBBON PORTION AT OPPOSING ENDS THEREOF, MEANS TO OPERATE THE FEEDING JAWS AT PREDETERMINED INTERVALS, AND MEANS TO IMPART FEEDING MOTIONS TO THE UNIT TO HAVE ITS JAWS RECEIVE THE RIBBON PORTION PRIOR TO BEING CUT AND WHILE BEING HELD BY THE FEEDING JAWS AND FEED THE ENDS OF THE RIBBON PORTION TO THE HOLDING JAWS SUBSEQUENT TO THE OPERATION OF THE CUTTERS.