Patent ID: 7673392

Claim:
An apparatus for clipping a protrusion of material, the apparatus comprising: a shearing block having a shearing edge for engaging a first portion of the protrusion of material; a cutting blade having a cutting edge for clipping the protrusion of material as the cutting blade engages an opposing second portion of the protrusion of material; a mounting structure having a sole with an under-surface wherein the mounting structure confines the shearing block and the cutting blade and permits a range of relative movement between the shearing edge and the cutting edge for clipping the protrusion of material such that the relative movement between the shearing edge and the cutting edge is within a first substantially flat plane that is substantially co-planar with the under-surface of the sole; wherein the mounting structure comprises a mounting plate having an upper surface and wherein the relative movement between the sharing edge and the cutting edge is within the first substantially flat plane and wherein the mounting structure comprises a parallel guide having a top surface forming a second substantially flat plane that is offset from the first substantially flat plane and wherein the upper surface forms a third substantially flat plane that is offset from the second substantially flat plane and that is offset from the first substantially flat plane; an actuator configured to move the cutting edge toward the shearing edge by actuation of a momentary switch proximate to the apparatus and the actuator being further configured to move the cutting edge away from the shearing edge.