Strip material feeding and cutting-off apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OFF A SUCCESSION OF TROUSER-FLY CLOSURE UNITS LENGTHS OF ZIPPER CHAIN AND FLY-STRIPS ASSEMBLED THERETO FROM AN INDETERMINATE LENGTH OF AN ASSEMBLY OF CONTINUOUS GAPPED ZIPPER CHAIN AND CONTINUOUS FLY-STRIP TAPES SEWN THERETO COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: AN UPRIGHT STAND INCLUDING A TOP PLATE; ZIPPER-CHAIN GUIDE AND HOLDDOWN MEANS FOR GUIDING SAID GAPPED ZIPPER CHAIN AND FLYSTRIP TAPE ASSEMBLY IN A STRAIGHT-LINE PATH OF MOTION WHICH EXTENDS GENERALLY ACROSS THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID TOP PLATE; A CUTTING-OFF MEANS MOUNTED TO SAID TOP PLATE AND BEING DISPOSED ASTRIDE SAID PATH OF MOTION AND IN POSITION AS TO SEVER INDIVIDUAL CLOSURE-UNIT LENGTHS OF ZIPPER CHAIN AND FLY STRIPS SEWN THERETO FROM THE ADVANCING END PORTION OF SAID ASSEMBLY TRAVELING THEREUNDER; MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY FEEDING SAID GAPPED ZIPPER CHAIN AND FLY-STRIP ASSEMBLY ALONG SAID PATH OF MOTION IN INCREMENTS OF LENGTH CORRESPONDING TO THE LENGTH OF THE TROUSER-FLY CLOSURE UNITS BEING PRODUCED AT ANY GIVEN TIME, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A RECIPROCATORY FEED FINGER MOUNTED ABOVE SAID PATH OF MOTION AND BEING BIASED FOR MOVEMENT INTO THE GAPS OF THE CONTINUOUS ZIPPER CHAIN OF THE ASSEMBLY AS SAID GAPS ARE SUCCESSIVELY DISPOSED THEREUNDER RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID ASSEMBLY ALONG SAID PATH OF MOTION AND BEING OPERATIVE ON EACH FORWARD STROKE TO ABUT THE REARWARD CLOSED END OF EACH NEXT FORWARDLY DISPOSED CLOSURE-UNIT LENGTH OF ZIPPER CHAIN AND THEREUPON TO PUSH THE SAME AND THEREBY SAID CHAIN AND FLY-STRIP TAPE ASSEMBLY FORWARDLY A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE LENGTH OF SAID STROKE, AND MEANS FOR IMPARTING RECIPROCATORY MOTION TO SAID FINGER INCLUDING A POWERED ENDLESS CHAIN AND MEANS FOR TRANSLATING CHAIN TRAVEL IN UNIFORM DIRECTION INTO FORWARD AND RETURN MOTION OF SAID FINGER; AND MEANS FOR TRANSLATING CHAIN TRAVEL AS AFORESAID INTO PROPERLY TIMED OPERATION OF SAID CUTTING-OFF MEANS.