Means for automatically indexing and replacing cutter inserts

Claim 1

MEANS FOR INDEXING AND REPLACING TOOLHOLDER CUTTER INSERTS RELEASABLY SECURED TO A TOOLHOLDER COMPRISING: INSERT RELEASE MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE RELEASE OF THE INSERT FROM THE TOOLHOLDER; A VERTICALLY MOVABLE SUPPORT HAVING AN INSERT GRIPPER MOUNTED THEREON AND NORMALLY DISPOSED A SHORT DISTANCE ABOVE THE TOOLHOLER MOUNTED CUTTER INSERT, SAID INSERT GRIPPER BEING MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, ALIGNED WITH THE CENTER OF THE INSERT, SAID GRIPPER HAVING MEANS FOR RELEASABLY GRIPPING AND HOLDING THE INSERT; POWER MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID GRIPPER FOR THEREBY LOWERING SAID GRIPPER INTO CONTACT WITH SAID INSERT AND RAISING SAID GRIPPER TO REMOVE THE INSERT FROM THE TOOLHOLDER; AND ROTATION MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID GRIPPER, WITH THE INSERT, A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF DEGREES TO THEREBY PLACE A NEW CUTTING EDGE OF THE INSERT INTO CUTTING POSITION; A CONTROL FO RSEQUENTIALLY ACTUATING SAID INSERT RELEASE MEANS TO INITIATE RELEASE OF THE CUTTER FROM THE TOOLHOLDER, THEN OPERATING SAID POWER MEANS FOR MOVING SAID GRIPPER DOWNWARDLY INTO CONTACT WITH SAID CUTTER INSERT AND FOR OPERATING SAID GRIPPER MEANS TO GRIP SAID CUTTER INSERT AND THEREAFTER OPERATING SAID POWER MEANS TO RAISE SAID GRIPPER AND OPERATE SAID ROTATION MEANS TO ROTATE SAID GRIPPER, AND AGAIN OPERATING SAID POWER MEANS TO LOWER SAID GRIPPER FOR REPLACING THE CUTTER INSERT IN THE TOOLHOLDER, THEN OPERATING SAID INSERT RELEASE MEANS TO INITIATE LOCKING OF THE INSERT TO THE TOOLHOLDER, AND FINALLY RAISING SAID GRIPPER TO ITS NORMAL POSITION.