Holding and positioning apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PLACING AND HOLDING PAPER AND LIKE MATERIAL IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION THEREON IN SUCH MANNER AS TO PREVENT ANY MOVEMENT OF SAID MATERIAL FROM SUCH POSITION, COMPRISING: MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF A SHEET OF MATERIAL THAT MAY BE HELD ON SAID APPARATUS; A SHEET OF MATERIAL HAVING A PLURALITY OF MARKS THEREON SUBSTANTIALLY SPACED APART AT LEAST IN THE DIRECTION BETWEEN A PAIR OF OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF; MEANS FOR DEFINING A PREDETERMINED LOCATION ON SAID APPARATUS FOR EACH SAID MARK; SAID PREDETERMINED LOCATIONS ON SAID APPARATUS BEING SPACED FARTHER APART THAN SAID MARKS ON SAID SHEET IN THE DIRECTION BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF OPPOSITE ENDS; AND A GRIPPING AND POSITIONING MECHANISM ADJACENT EACH OF A PAIR OF OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SUPPORTING MEANS, EACH SAID GRIPPING AND POSITIONING MECHANISM COMPRISING MEANS FOR GRIPPING ONE OF SAID OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SHEET OF MATERIAL AND FOR ADJUSTABLY STRETCHING SAID SHEET AND POSITIONING SAID END IN SUCH MANNER AS TO PLACE SAID MARKS ON SAID SHEET OF MATERIAL IN THEIR RESPECTIVE PREDETERMINED LOCATIONS AS DEFINED BY SAID LOCATION DEFINING MEANS, AND INCLUDING A STATIONARY MEMBER FIXEDLY ATTACHED TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS; A FIRST CLAMP JAW SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID STATIONARY MEMBER; A PAIR OF SPACED-APART MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID FIRST CLAMP JAW; A SECOND CLAMP JAW SLIDABLY MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID FIRST CLAMP JAW; YIELDABLE MEANS NORMALLY PRESSING SAID CLAMP JAWS TIGHTLY TOGETHER TO HOLD SAID END OF SAID SHEET OF MATERIAL FIRMLY BETWEEN THE CLAMPING EDGES OF SAID CLAMP JAWS; AND MEANS FOR LIMITING ONE EXTREME POSITION OF SAID SECOND CLAMP JAW TO PERMIT MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST CLAMP JAW RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND CLAMP JAW TO PROVIDE AN OPENING BETWEEN THE CLAMPING EDGES OF SAID CLAMP JAWS.