Method and apparatus for continuously gathering fiber

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FORMING A GLASS FIBER STRAND, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A GLASS MELTING RECEPTACLE HAVING A PLURALITY OF ORIFICES THROUGH WHICH GLASS IS EXUDED TO FORM EXUDATIONS; MEANS FOR APPLYING A FORCE TO SAID EXUDATIONS FOR ATTENUATION INTO FILAMENTS, SAID RECEPTACLE AND SAID MEANS BEING DISPOSED TO CAUSE SAID FILAMENTS TO FOLLOW A LONGITUDINAL PATH; A PAIR OF ROTATABLE ELEMENTS, EACH HAVING A PERIPHERAL SURFACE CURVED IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID PATH, ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS BEING POSITIONED TO OVERLAP A PORTION OF THE OTHER OF SAID ELEMENTS, WHEN VIEWED IN PLAN, EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS ALSO BEING ARRANGED TO HAVE ITS PERIPHERAL SURFACE IN TANGENTIAL CONTACT WITH SAID FILAMENTS AND TO DEFINE A FILAMENT GATHERING ZONE WITH THE OTHER OF SAID ELEMENTS; AND MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ELEMENTS IN COUNTER-ROTATING RELATION TO DETER TWISTING OF SAID FILAMENTS.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF FORMING A GLASS FIBER STRAND WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION: PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF CONTINUOUS GLASS FIBERS; ADVANCING SAID FIBERS IN SPACED RELATION AND IN A GENERALLY LONGITUDINAL PATH; ENGAGING SAID FIBERS WITH AT LEAST TWO SEPARATE AND MOVING CURVED SURFACES SPACED APART IN A DIRECTION ALONG SAID PATH BUT IN FIBER GATHERING RELATIONSHIP TO FORM A STRAND; AND COLLECTING SAID STRAND.