Patent ID: 7946327

Claim:
A knife blade guard locking mechanism, comprising: a knife blade, movably mounted between a first inoperative, non-cutting position, and a second operative cutting position for performing a cutting procedure during a cyclical operation; a knife blade guard movable between a first position at which said knife blade guard covers said knife blade such that said knife blade cannot be used to perform the cutting procedure during a first portion of the cyclical operation, and a second position at which said knife blade guard uncovers said knife blade so as to permit said knife blade to be used to perform the cutting procedure during a second portion of the cyclical operation; a locking device, engageable with said knife blade guard during the first portion of the cyclical operation, for preventing said knife blade guard from moving from said first position at which said knife blade guard covers said knife blade so as to prevent said knife blade from performing the cutting procedure, and disengageable from said knife blade guard during the second portion of the cyclical operation, for permitting said knife blade guard to move from said first position at which said knife blade guard covers said knife blade so as to prevent said knife blade from performing the cutting procedure during the first portion of the cyclical operation, to said second position at which said knife blade guard uncovers said knife blade so as to permit said knife blade to perform the cutting procedure during the second portion of the cyclical operation; said knife blade guard comprises a bracket member having an aperture defined therein; and said locking device comprises a lug member which is adapted to be engaged within said aperture, defined within said bracket member of said knife blade guard, during the first portion of the cyclical operation so as to prevent said knife blade guard from moving from said first position at which said knife blade guard covers said knife blade so as to prevent said knife blade from performing the cutting procedure, and which is adapted to be disengaged from aperture, defined within said bracket member of said knife blade guard, during the second portion of the cyclical operation so as to permit said knife blade guard to move from said first position, at which said knife blade guard covers said knife blade so as to prevent said knife blade from performing the cutting procedure during the first portion of the cyclical operation, to said second position at which said knife blade guard uncovers said knife blade so as to permit said knife blade to perform the cutting procedure during the second portion of the cyclical operation.