Apparatus for cutting elongated articles to accurate length

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING ELONGATED ARTICLES TO ACCURATE LENGTH COMPRISING A CONVEYOR FOR MOVING SAID ARTICLE LONGITUDINALLY, CUTTING MEANS ADJACENT SAID CONVEYOR INTERMEDIATE THE LENGTH THEREOF, A FIRST CARRIAGE ON THE ENTRY SIDE OF SAID CUTTING MEANS MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT PARALLEL TO SAID CONVEYOR, A SECOND CARRIAGE ON THE EXIT SIDE OF SAID CUTTING MEANS MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT PARALLEL TO SAID CONVEYOR, HEATING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FIRST CARRIAGE FOR HEATING A RELATIVELY SMALL LONGITUDINAL PORTION OF SAID ARTICLE ACROSS ITS WIDTH WHILE MAINTAINING THE REMAINDER OF THE ARTICLE RELATIVELY COLD, A STOP MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND CARRIAGE FOR MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF ARTICLES ON SAID CONVEYOR, ARTICLE CLAMPING MEANS ADJACENT SAID CUTTING MEANS, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CARRIAGES PREDETERMINED AND SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL DISTANCES FROM SAID CUTTING MEANS, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING HEAT TO SAID HEATING MEANS WHEN THE FIRST CARRIAGE IS STOPPED AT SAID LAST NAMED POSITION, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID ARTICLE WHEN LOCALLY HEATED ALONG SAID CONVEYOR UNTIL IT REACHES SAID STOP, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CLAMPING MEANS TO OPERATIVE POSITION TO CLAMP SAID ARTICLE IN SAID LAST NAMED POSITION, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CUTTING MEANS TRANSVERSELY ENTIRELY THROUGH THE HEATED PORTION OF SAID CLAMPED ARTICLE.