Sheet splicer

Claim 1

A sheet splicer comprising: a frame, a table mounted on said frame, clamping means pivotably mounted about a clamp axis on said frame to secure overlapping plies of the sheets to be joined against movement on said table, said table being pivotably mounted on a first side thereof said frame about an axis which is parallel to and spaced from the axis about which said clamping means is pivoted such that said sheets to be spliced may be laid on said table between a portion of the clamping means and said table, said table being spring biased at the second free end side thereof remote from the pivoted axis for said table and adjacent the axis about which said clamping means pivots, said clamping means having free end which is attached to be clamped to said frame adjacent the first side of the table adjacent the axis about which the table pivots, such that there is an equidistant interference clamping fit along the width of the table along the splice line of sheets to be joined by a butt splice in said splicer, a cutter mounted on guide rail means running parallel to said splice line and mounted above said clamping means having a blade mounted therein attached to be drawn through overlapping plies of sheets to be spliced along the splice line to sever the sheet plies and to define a butt edge end of the upper and lower plies of said sheets which are to be spliced, the opposite side of the defined cut of each ply being considered a selvage edge, splicing tape applicator means being mounted on guide rails beneath said tape, which guide rails are parallel to said splice line and mounted on said frame, said table applicator means being adapted to carry a splicing tape for joining the butt ends of the sheet together, having selvage edge removal means and spring means for pressing splicing tape drawn along said splice line to the butt edges of the sheets to be joined, the cutter and the applicator means being interconnected by a flexible position synchronization interlock extending from the cutter means around the pivot clamp axis of said clamping means down under said table about a second point and across under the table and around a third point and back across under the table to interconnect to said applicator means such that the clamping means may be unclamped and lifted from the table while pivoting about said clamp axis without disconnection of the flexible interlock.