Binding machine

Claim 1

A BINDING MACHINE FOR (A) TIGHTENING AN END PORTION OF A FLEXIBLE BINDING ELEMENT ABOUT AN OBJECT TO BE BOUND, (B) SECURING THE END OF SAID PORTION TO A RETURN PART OF THE ELEMENT AND, (C) CUTTING OFF THE PORTION TO SEPARATE IT FROM THE REMAINDER OF SUCH ELEMENT, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING A FRAME FOR POSITIONING NEAR THE END OF SAID PORTION AND NEXT TO SAID OBJECT, A SINGLE OPERATING HANDLE MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A SINGLE FIXED AXIS, SAID HANDLE HAVING MEANS FOR GRIPPING SAID ELEMENT IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID HANDLE TO ENABLE TENSIONING OF THE BINDING ELEMENT WHEN SAID HANDLE IS MOVED IN ONE DIRECTION, A MECHANISM FOR EFFECTING THE SECUREMENT OF SAID END OF SAID PORTION TO SAID RETURN PART, A CUT-OFF MECHANISM, SAID SECUREMENT MECHANISM BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, SAID CUT-OFF MECHANISM BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID SECUREMENT MECHANISM, A LINKAGE BETWEEN SAID HANDLE AND SAID CUT-OFF MECHANISM TO PIVOT THE CUT-OFF MECHANISM TO ITS OPERATIVE POSITION DURING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID HANDLE, AND MEANS WHEREBY THE PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID CUT-OFF MECHANISM CAUSES OPERATION OF SAID SECUREMENT MECHANISM IN ADVANCE OF THE COMPLETE OPERATION OF SAID CUT-OFF MECHANISM.