Patent ID: 7387057

Claim:
An apparatus for slitting a web moving along a path in a longitudinal transport direction, the apparatus comprising: a support transversely shiftable relative to the web adjacent the path; a drive shaft extending transversely of the direction adjacent the path and substantially nonmovable transversely of the path; a drive gear on the support; means including formations on the shaft for rotationally coupling the drive gear to the drive shaft adjacent the support while permitting the drive gear to shift along the shaft; a mount shiftable toward and away from the shaft on the support; at least one driven gear carried and rotatable on the mount; a driven blade fixed to and rotatable with the driven gear on the mount; another blade juxtaposed with the driven blade and flanking the path therewith; and means connected between the mount and the support for shifting the mount between a cutting position with the blades closely juxtaposed and the driven gear meshing with the drive gear and a retracted position with the blades separated and the driven gear out of mesh with the drive gear.