Apparatus for cutting sheets of soft semi-plastic material

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH AN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING A LAMINATED SHEET OF SOFT SEMI-PLASTIC MATERIAL INTO A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE BODIES INCLUDING A BSE, MOUNTIN MEANS PROVIDING A SUPPORTING SURFACE CARRIED BY SAID BASE AND CUTTING MEANS ADAPTED TO TRAVERSE ACROSS THE SUPPORTING SURFACE OF SAID MOUNTING MEANS, SAID CUTTING MEANS INCLUDING A THIN CUTTING BLADE MEMBER SUPPORTED AT ONE END, SAID MOUNTING MEANS AND CUTTING MEANS BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER; A SUPPORT PLATE REMOVABLY CARRIED BY SAID MOUNTING MEANS ON THE SUPPORTING SURFACE THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO SUPPOR SAID SHEET MATERIAL, SAID PLATE COMPRISING A BODY HAVING A FLAT UPPER SURFACE FOR SUPPORTING SAID SHEET MATERIAL, GROOVE MEANS FORMING PART OF SAID SURFACE AND EXTENDING ONLY PARTIALLY THROUGH SAID BODY FOR RECEIVING THE UNSUPPORTED END OF SAID BLADE MEMBER AS THE LATTEWR TRAVERSES SAID MOUNTING MEANS FOR CUTTING SAID SHEET MATERIAL, SAID GROOVE MEANS BEING OF SUCH A WIDTH AS TO RECEIVE PORTIONS OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL FOR RETAINING THE SHEET RELATIVE TO SAID SURFACE AND PERMIT THE FREE PASSAGE OF THE BLADE MEMBER THERETHROUGH AND PREVENT LAWTERAL DISPLACEMENT OF THE BLADE MEMBER, THE EDGES OF SAID GROIOVE MEANS FORMING SHEAR MEANS FOR REMOVING SAID PORTIONS OF SAID SOFT SEMI-PLASTIC MATERIAL IN SAID GROOVE MEANS WHEN SAID SHEET IS MOVED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID SURFACE, AND MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID PLATE IN A PREDETERMINED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID MOUNTING MEANS, WHEREBY RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID MOUNTING MEANS AND CUTTING MEANS EXPOSES A DIFFERENT PORTION OF SAID SHEET TO SAID BLADE MEMBER TO BE CUT THEREBY.