Automatic contour die cut-off apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR SEVERING UNIFORM LENGTHS FROM A CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING PANEL STRIP HAVING IN CROSS-SECTION A GENERALLY L-SHAPED CONFIGURATION, THE SHORTER LEG OF WHICH EXTENDS VERTICALLY UPWARDLY FROM ONE SIDE OF THE LONGER LEG CONSTITUTING A HORIZONTAL PANEL PORTION, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A FRAME, A CARRIAGE SLIDABLY CONNECTED TO SAID FRAME FOR HORIZONTAL RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF FEED OF SAID STRIP, MEANS MOVING SAID CARRIAGE IN THE DIRECTION OF FEED OF THE STRIP AT THE SAME SPEED OF TRAVEL THEREOF, A STATIONARY CUTTER ARM SECURED TO SAID CARRIAGE TRANSVERSELY OF THE STRIP, SAID STATIONARY CUTTER ARM INCLUDING A LOWER SHEAR BLADE HAVING A HORIZONTAL UPPER EDGE BELOW THE HORIZONTAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP AND A VERTICAL EDGE ADJACENT AND PARALLEL TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE VERTICAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP, A TRANSVERSELY ARRANGED MOVABLE CUTTER ARM PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID STATIONARY CUTTER ARM BY A PIVOT WHICH LIES AT A HIGHER ELEVATION THAN THE UPPER EXTREMITY OF THE VERTICAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP, SAID MOVABLE CUTTER ARM INCLUDING AN UPPER SHEAR BLADE HAVING A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL LOWER EDGE ABOVE THE HORIZONTAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP AND A GENERALLY VERTICAL SLIGHTLY INCLINED EDGE ADJACENT THE INNER SURFACE OF THE VERTICAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP, THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SLIGHTLY INCLINED EDGE BEING CLOSER TO THE VERTICAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP THAN THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF WHEREBY PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE ARM IN THE CUTTING DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID STATIONARY ARM WILL PROGRESSIVELY DOWNWARDLY SEVER THE VERTICAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP AND PROGRESSIVELY TRANSVERSELY SEVER THE HORIZONTAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE PIVOT AXIS OF SAID MOVABLE ARM, STATIONARY CAM MEANS ARRANGED ADJACENT THE OTHER END OF THE MOVABLE CUTTER ARM REMOTE FROM THE PIVOT AXIS AND SECURED TO SAID FRAME PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE PANEL STRIP, AND CAM FOLLOWER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MOVABLE ARM FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID CAM MEANS TO EFFECT PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE CUTTER ARM IN THE CUTTING DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID STATIONARY CUTTER ARM AS SAID CARRIAGE MOVES IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID STRIP.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR SEVERING UNIFORM LENGTHS FROM A CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING PANEL STRIP HAVING IN CROSS-SECTION A GENERALLY L-SHAPED CONFIGURATION, THE SHORTER LEG OF WHICH EXTENDS VERTICALLY UPWARDLY FROM ONE SIDE OF THE LONGER LEG CONSTITUTING A HORIZONTAL PANEL PORTION, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A FRAME, A CARRIAGE SLIDABLY CONNECTED TO SAID FRAME FOR HORIZONTAL RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF FEED OF SAID STRIP, MEANS MOVING SAID CARRIAGE IN THE DIRECTION OF FEED OF THE STRIP AT THE SAME SPEED OF TRAVEL THEREOF, A STATIONARY CUTTER ARM SECURED TO SAID CARRIAGE TRANSVERSELY OF THE STRIP, SAID STATIONARY CUTTER ARM INCLUDING A LOWER SHEAR BLADE HAVING A HORIZONTAL UPPER EDGE BELOW THE HORIZONTAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP AND A VERTICAL EDGE ADJACENT AND PARALLEL TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE VERTICAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP, A TRANSVERSELY ARRANGED MOVABLE CUTTER ARM PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID STATIONARY CUTTER ARM BY A PIVOT WHICH LIES AT A HIGHER ELEVATION THAN THE UPPER EXTREMITY OF THE VERTICAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP, SAID MOVABLE CUTTER ARM INCLUDING AN UPPER SHEAR BLADE HAVING A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL LOWER EDGE ABOVE THE HORIZONTAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP AND A GENERALLY VERTICAL SLIGHTLY INCLINED EDGE ADJACENT THE INNER SURFACE OF THE VERTICAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP, THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SLIGHTLY INCLINED EDGE BEING CLOSER TO THE VERTICAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP THAN THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF WHEREBY PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE ARM IN THE CUTTING DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID STATIONARY ARM WILL PROGRESSIVELY DOWNWARDLY SEVER THE VERTICAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP AND PROGRESSIVELY TRANSVERSELY SEVER THE HORIZONTAL LEG PORTION OF THE PANEL STRIP IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE PIVOT AXIS OF SAID MOVABLE ARM, STATIONARY CAM MEANS ARRANGED ADJACENT THE OTHER END OF THE MOVABLE CUTTER ARM REMOTE FROM THE PIVOT AXIS AND SECURED TO SAID FRAME PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE PANEL STRIP, AND CAM FOLLOWER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MOVABLE ARM FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID CAM MEANS TO EFFECT PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE CUTTER ARM IN THE CUTTING DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID STATIONARY CUTTER ARM AS SAID CARRIAGE MOVES IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID STRIP.