Automatic dressing apparatus

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION, AN AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR DRESSING NON-UNIFORM AND IRREGULARLY CONTOURED OBJECTS, SAID MACHINE BEING OF THE TYPE HAVING CONVEYOR MEANS FOR CONVEYING OBJECTS TO BE DRESSED PAST A DRESSING STATION HAVING THERE MOVABLY SUPPORTED AT LEAST ONE POWER-DRIVEN DRESSING TOOL POSITIONED TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID ADVANCING OBJECTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF REMOVING A LAYER OF PREDETERMINED DEPTH; THAT IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES FEELER MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID DRESSING TOOL AND HAVING A SURFACE POSITIONED TO CONTACT AN ADVANCING OBJECT CLOSELY ADJACENT THE AREA UNDERGOING DRESSING BY SAID TOOL, POWER MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE POSITION OF SAID TOOL WITH RESPECT TO SAID CONVEYOR AND WITH RESPECT TO AN OBJECT SUPPORTED THEREON WHILE PASSING BENEATH SAID TOOL, AND MECHANICALLY OPERATED VALVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO AND CONTROLLED BY THE POSITION OF SAID FEELER MEANS RELATIVE TO THE SURFACE UNDERGOING DRESSING BY SAID TOOL TO CONTROL SAID TOOL-POSITIONING POWER MEANS TO MAINTAIN SAID TOOL IN A PREDETERMINED OPERATING POSITION RELATIVE TO THE JUXTAPOSED SURFACE OF THE OBJECT NOTWITHSTANDING THE CHANGING SURFACE CONTOUR THEREOF TO REMOVE A SURFACE LAYER OF PREDETERMINED DEPTH.