Paper trimmer with adjustable stop

Abstract

A trimmer to cut a backing on which an overlay (e.g., a photograph) is mounted. The trimmer includes cutting blades by which to accurately trim the backing so that neat, uniform borders are formed all around the overlay. A removable fence has a stop that runs longitudinally across a work surface of the trimmer. The fence is carried by a pair of risers that are capable of moving between at-rest and elevated positions relative to the work surface. A rotatable lever arm is coupled to the risers by a linking cam rod. The stop of the fence normally lies flush against the work surface to block the backing and the overlay mounted thereon from moving past the fence to the cutting blades. When the lever arm and linking cam rod are rotated in a first direction, the risers are caused to move by the linking cam rod upwardly from the work surface to the elevated position and the stop of the fence is lifted upwardly and off the work surface to create a gap therebetween. The gap is sized to permit the backing to move past the fence to the cutting blades to be trimmed. When the lever arm and linking cam rod rotate in an opposite direction, the risers move downwardly toward the work surface to the at-rest position, and the stop carried by the fence is lowered against the backing to prevent the overlay from moving to the cutting blades, so that only the backing will be trimmed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.