Apparatus for producing nonwoven fabric

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING A NONWOVEN FABRIC HAVING HOLES ARRANGED IN A PREDETERMINED PATTERN FROM A LAYER OF WET, IRREGULARLY ARRANGED FIBERS, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING A ROTATABLY MOUNTED CYLINDER, MEANS TO ROTATE SAID CYLINDER, A GROUP OF PRONGS MOUNTED ON THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID CYLINDER, SAID PRONGS BEING ARRANGED IN SAID PREDETERMINED PATTERN, MEANS FOR IMPALING SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF A LAYER OF WET, IRREGULARLY ARRANGED FIBRES UPON SAID PRONGS TO MOVE CERTAIN OF SAID FIBERS LATERALLY INTO NEW POSITIONS IN THE LAYER, A GROUP OF BRUSHES ROTATABLY MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID CYLINDER WITH THEIR LONGITUDINAL AXES PARALLEL WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CYLINDER AND HAVING SOFT-BRISTLES EXTENDING THEREFROM SOME OF WHOSE END PORTIONS, UPON ROTATION OF THE BRUSHES, ARE ADAPTED TO EXTEND BETWEEN SAID PRONGS AND BELOW THE FREE ENDS THEREOF, AND MEANS FOR ROTATING VARIOUS OF SAID BRUSHES IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS TO MAINTAIN SAID IMALYING AND MOVE INDIVIDUAL FIBERS IN THE DIRECTION OF THEIR RESPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL AXES, WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER FIBRES IN THE LAYER, SO AS TO PERMIT THE REARRANGED FIBER SEGMENTS TO REMAIN IN A CONDITION OF MECHANICAL EQUILIBRIUM IN THEIR NNEW POSITIONS IN THE AREAS BETWEEN THE PRONGS WHERE THEY DEFINNE SAID PREDETERMINED PATTERN OF HOLES.