Apparatus for making felt pads

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING ARTICLES HAVING ONE FLAT SIDE FROM A LENGTH OF FELT COMPRISING A TABLE HAVING A FLAT TOP, A PAIR OF SIDE GUIDES FOR SAID LENGTH OF FELT ON SAID TABLE TOP EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF, A FEMALE DIE ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID SIDE GUIDES, SAID FEMALE DIE HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN WITH A PERIPHERAL CONTOUR SIMILAR TO BUT LARGER THAN THE CONTOUR OF THE ARTICLE TO BE CUT, SAID OPENING HAVING SIDE WALLS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY, A VERTICALLY MOVABLE MALE DIE MOUNTED ABOVE SAID FEMALE DIE, SAID MALE DIE HAVING A PERIPHERAL CONTOUR SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE ARTICLE TO BE CUT AND A BOTTOM PORTION CONTOURED TO PROVIDE THE DESIRED CONFIGURATION IN THE ARTICLE, MEANS FOR FEEDING SAID FELT STEP BY STEP A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, A CUTTING BLADE MOUNTED BELOW THE TABLE TOP IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FEMALE DIE, SAID CUTTING BLADE HAVING A FLAT UPPER SURFACE, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID BLADE AT A HIGH SPEED, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID BLADE TRANSVERSELY FROM AN INITIAL POSITION AT ONE SIDE OF SAID FEMALE DIE TO A SECOND POSITION WHERE AT LEAST THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID BLADE IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID FEMALE DIE, MEANS AUTOMATICALLY OPERABLE BY SAID FELT FEEDING MEANS AT COMPLETION OF THE FELT FEED TO FEED SAID MALE DIE DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID FEMALE DIE TO FORCE THE FELT INTO SAID DIE OPENING WITH A PORTION THEREOF EXTENDING BELOW THE TOP OF SAID CUTTING BLADE, MEANS AUTOMATICALLY OPERABLE AT COMPLETION OF DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID MALE DIE TO INITIATE SAID CUTTING BLADE MOVING MEANS TO MOVE SAID CUTTING BLADE FROM ITS INITIAL POSITION TO ITS SECOND POSITION, MEANS OPERABLE BY COMPLETION OF THE CUTTING BLADE FEEDING STROKE TO RETURN THE CUTTING BLADE TO ITS INITIAL POSITION AND TO RAISE THE MALE DIE, AND MEANS OPERABLE BY RETURN OF THE CUTTING BLADE TO ITS INITIAL POSITION TO ACTUATE SAID FELT FEEDING MEANS TO FEED ADDITIONAL FELT.