Subdivision of a block of material into units of selected shapes and sizes

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR SUBDIVIDING A BLOCK OF SOLID MATERIAL INTO UNITS OF SELECTED SHAPES AND SIZES WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A BASE HAVING AT EACH SIDE THEREOF AN UPSTANDING POST, (B) A PAIR OF LINKS PIVOTED TO SAID POST AT DIFFERENT HEIGHTS THEREON, (C) A PLATE PIVOTED TO AND CONNECTING THE FREE ENDS OF SAID PAIR OF LINKS, WITH THE POST, LINKS AND PLATE FORMING A PARALLELOGRAM LINKAGE, (D) A SUPPORT ON SAID BASE FOR HOLDING A BLOCK TO BE SUBDIVIDED FIRMLY THEREON, (E) A PLATFORM DISPOSED ABOVE SAID BLOCK AND HORIZONTALLY OVER-RUNNING SAID PARALLELOGRAM LINKAGE, (F) A MEMBER AT EACH SIDE OF SAID PLATFORM PIVOTED AT ONE END TO A SIDE OF SAID PLATFORM, DEPENDING THEREFROM, AND AT ITS OTHER END PIVOTED TO THE ADJACENT PLATE REMOTELY FROM THE CONNECTION OF THE PLATE TO THE SAID PAIR OF LINKS, (G) A DRUM DISPOSED BETWEEN AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID PLATES, WITH ITS AXIS COINCIDENT WITH THE PIVOT CONNECTION OF SAID PLATES TO CORRESPONDING ONES OF SAID LINKS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BASE, AND ROTATABLE ON ITS SAID AXIS, (H) AN ARM PIVOTED TO EACH SIDE OF SAID PLATFORM TO DEPEND THEREFROM AND AT ITS LOWER END FIXED TO AN END OF SAID DRUM, (I) A FURTHER LINK AT EACH SIDE OF SAID PLATFORM PIVOTED AT ONE END TO SAID DEPENDING ARM INTERMEDIATE OF THE ENDS OF THAT ARM, EXTENDING THEREFROM GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID PAIR OF LINKS AND ABOVE THEM, (J) STILL ANOTHER LINK PIVOTED TO THE FREE END OF SAID FURTHER LINK AND TO ONE OF SAID PAIR OF LINKS, (K) A PLURALITY OF WIRES STRETCHED TAUT BETWEEN OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PLATFORM IN PARALLEL RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER AND SPACED APART ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE PLATFORM, (L) MEANS FOR PASSING AN ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH EACH SAID WIRE TO HEAT IT TO A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH IT CAN CUT ITS WAY THROUGH A BLOCK OF SAID MATERIAL WHEN PRESSED SIDEWISE OF ITSELF AGAINST ANY BLOCK OF SAID MATERIAL TO BE SUBDIVIDED, (M) A PATTERN HAVING A GUIDING SURFACE MOUNTED ON SAID BASE AT ONE SIDE THEREOF, AND (N) AN ARM FIXED TO SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID PLATFORM AND HAVING A FOLLOWER AT ITS FREE END ENGAGEABLE WITH AND GUIDED BY SAID GUIDING SURFACE FOR CAUSING SAID PLATFORM TO MOVE IN A DIRECTION FORWARDLY AND REARWARDLY AND UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY AND CARRY SAID HOT WIRES SIDEWISE IN SIMILAR DIRECTIONS AGAINST AND THROUGH ANY BLOCK OF SAID MATERIAL THAT IS MOUNTED ON SAID BASE.