Disc trimming machines

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR SEQUENTIALLY CUTTING OFF PORTIONS OF A CIRCULAR DISC ALONG CHORDS OF EQUAL LENGTH WITH RESPECT TO THE CIRCLE DEFINING THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE OF THE DISC WHEREIN THE DISC HAS A HOLE IN THE CENTER THEREOF, COMPRISING A SHEARS POSITIONED IN A VERTICAL PLANE, A HORIZONTAL PLATE ADJACENT TO AND LYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLANE OF THE TOP EDGE OF ONE LEG OF THE SHEARS, THE PLATE HAVING A SLOT THEREIN SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID ONE LEG, A SUPPORT FOR SAID PLATE RIGID WITH THE PLATE, THE PLATE AND THE SUPPORT TOGETHER CONSTITUTING A RIGID FRAME, MEANS RIGIDLY SECURING SAID FRAME TO SAID ONE LEG, A SPINDLE SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID SLOT, POSITIONING MEANS FOR ADVANCING OR RETARDING THE SPINDLE ALONG SAID SLOT, THE DISC BEING ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON SAID PLATE WITH SAID SPINDLE REGISTERING IN SAID HOLE AND BEING ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED BY SAID POSITIONING MEANS WITH A PORTION OF THE DISC EXTENDING BETWEEN BOTH LEGS OF THE SHEARS TO HAVE A FIRST CHORDAL CUT MADE THERETHROUGH BY THE SHEARS, THE DISC BEING ADAPTED TO BE ROTATED IN ONE DIRECTION AFTER SAID FIRST CHORDAL CUT HAS BEEN MADE TO BRING THE DISC INTO POSITION FOR THE NEXT SEQUENTIAL CUT, AND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY RELEASABLY LOCKING THE DISC IN SAID POSITION FOR THE NEXT CHORDAL CUT BY THE SHEARS WHEN THE DISC HAS BEEN ROTATED INTO SAID LAST-NAMED POSITION AND FOR SIMILARLY AUTOMATICALLY RELEASABLY LOCKING THE DISC IN EACH SUBSEQUENT SEQUENTIAL POSITION FOR ADDITIONAL CHORDAL CUTS UPON ROTATION OF THE DISC IN SAID DIRECTION, SAID LAST-NAMED MEANS INCLUDING A VERTICAL GUIDE PLATE POSITIONED AT AN ANGLE TO SAID ONE LEG AND SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FIRST-NAMED PLATE, MEANS CONSTRAINING THE GUIDE PLATE TO MOVEMENT IN A STRAIGHT LINE TOWARD OR AWAY FROM THE DISC, RESILIENT MEANS NORMALLY URGING THE GUIDE PLATE INTO CONTACT WITH THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE OF THE DISC, THE AUTOMATIC RELEASABLE LOCKING OF THE DISC IN THE POSITION FOR THE NEXT CHORDAL CUT BEING ACHIEVED BY CONTACTING OF THE GUIDE PLATE WITH THE EDGE OF THE PRECEDING CHORDAL CUT.