Butt splicer for wire fabric

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR BUTT SPLICING SHEET MATERIAL COMPRISING A LOWER PLATEN ASSEMBLY FOR SUSTAINING VERTICAL FORCE AND FOR SUPPORTING TWO END PORTIONS OF SHEET MATERIAL WITH THEIR END EDGES PARALLED AND CLOSELY SPACED FOR SPLICING ALONG A TRANSVERSE SPLICE LINE, SAID LOWER PLATEN ASSEBMLY HAVING TWO LOWER JAWS, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF SAID TRANSVERSE LINE AND MOUNTED FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT ONE TOWARD OR AWAY FROM THE OTHER, AN UPPER PLATEN ASSEMBLY LOCATED ABOVE SAID LOWER PLATEN ASSEMBLY AND MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT, SAID UPPER PLATEN ASSEMBLY HAVING TWO UPPER JAWS FACING THE LOWER PLATEN ASSEMBLY TO PROVIDE WITH SAID LOWER JAWS TWO PAIRS OF JAWS FOR GRIPPING THE PIECES OF SHEET MATERIAL ADJACENT THEIR CLOSELY SPACED ENDS, A DEPRESSIBLE SPRING-LOADED BLADE ASSEMBLY FOR POSITIONING TWO END PORTIONS OF SHEET MATERIAL FOR SPLICING, SID ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A RELATIVELY THIN BLADE VERTICALLY POSITIONED ALONG SAID SPLICE LINE, SAID BLADE PROTRUCING ABOVE AND PERPENDICULAR TO THE SURFACE OF SAID LOWER PLATEN ASSEMBLY WHEN IN ITS RAISED POSITION, MEANS BIASING SAID BLADE TO ITS RAISED POSITION, MEANS LOCATED IN SAID UPPER PLATEN ASSEMBLY FOR CONTACTING SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY WHEN SAID UPPER PLATEN ASSEMBLY IS LOWERED AND FOR PUSHING SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY DOWN TO A DEPRESSED POSITION BELOW THE SURFACE OF SAID LOWER PLATEN, AND A RELEASABLE LOCKING ASSEMBLY TO HOLD SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY IN ITS DEPRESSED POISTION WHEN SAID UPPER PLATEN ASSEMBLY IS RAISED, MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID UPPER PLATEN ASSEMBLY AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE GRIPPING PAIRS OF PAWS ONE TOWARD THE OTHER WHILE IN GRIPPING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SHEET MATERIAL TO PRESS THE END EDGES OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL TOBETHER TO SPLICE THEM.