Web feed apparatus for a case forming machine for books

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A PAIR OF ACCURATELY LATERALLY SPACED AND LONGITUDINALLY REGISTERED RIBBONS FROM A WEB ROLL OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL, COMPRISING: MECHANISM FOR INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCING THE DISTAL END OF THE MATERIAL AND THEREBY WITHDRAWING THE WEB FROM THE ROLL; SLITTING MEANS AT A FIRST POSITION INTERMEDIATE SAID MECHANISM AND THE ROLL FOR SLITTING THE WEB INTO A PAIR OF RIBBONS; GUIDE MEANS AT A SECOND POSITION INTERMEDIATE SAID FIRST POSITION AND SAID MECHANISM FOR SPACING THE RIBBONS LATERALLY APART AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR ACCURATELY ADJUSTING THE LENGTH OF THE PATH OF AT LEAST ONE RIBBON RELATIVE TO THE OTHER; MOTION CONVERTING MEANS AT A THIRD POSITION INTERMEDIATE SAID SECOND POSITION AND SAID MECHANISM AND OPERATED IN SYNCHRONISM WITH SAID MECHANISM FOR CONVERTING THE INTERMITTENT ADVANCE OF THE DISTAL END OF THE RIBBONS INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT ADVANCE OF THE RIBBONS AND WEB FROM THE ROLL UP TO SAID CONVERTING MEANS; AND TENSION MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE TENSION IN THE WEB AT THE GUIDE MEANS AT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM PRESELECTED VALUE, SAID GUIDE MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO UNIFORM TENSION IN THE RIBBONS THEREAT TO ACCURATELY MAINTAIN A PRESELECTED LONGITUDINAL REGISTER OF AND SPACING BETWEEN THE RIBBONS.