Patent ID: 7503247

Claim:
Apparatus for slitting a web moving along a path, said apparatus comprising: a mounting block adapted to be fixed at a location adjacent to said path; a guard assembly comprising a guard plate secured to rod members projecting from said mounting block; a blade guide mounted on and shiftable along said rod members; at least one blade carried by said blade guide; and actuating means for shifting said blade guide along said rod members between an extended position at which said blade projects in a slitting position beyond said guard plate and into said path, an intermediate position at which said blade remains extended beyond said guard plate yet is withdrawn from the path wherein both the blade guide and the guard plate move together with respect to the mounting block, and a retracted position at which said blade is withdrawn from said intermediate position and from said path and is shielded from exposure by said guard plate wherein the blade guide moves with respect to the guard plate.