Garland forming apparatus and method

Claim 1

GARLAND FORMING APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) A MANDREL ADAPTED TO BE WOUND SPIRALLY WITH FILAMENTS OF MATERIAL AND, WHEN WOUND, TO BE TRANSVERSED LONGITUDINALLY WITH CUTTING MEANS FOR CUTTING THE FILAMENTS, FORMING A MULTIPLICITY OF STRANDS OF THE MATERIAL LYING SIDE BY SIDE, TRANSVERSELY OF THE MANDREL; (B) BEARING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED BEARING STRIPS POSITIONED ADJACENT THE MANDREL, PARALLEL THERETO; (C) GRIP MEANS AT ONE END OF THE BEARING MEANS FOR GRIPPING THE ENDS OF A PAIR OF STIFFY FLEXIBLE MEMBERS EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF THE BEARING MEANS, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE STRANDS; (D) TWISTING MEANS AT THE OTHER END OF THE BEARING MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE OTHER ENDS OF THE STIFFY FLEXIBLE MEMBERS AND INTERTWISTING THE SAME; (E) BEARING MEANS MOUNTING MEANS; (F) AND SHIFTING MEANS CONNECTED TO THE MOUNTING MEANS AND OPERATIVE TO SHIFT THE SAME BETWEEN A LOADING POSITION WHEREIN THE BEARING MEANS IS MAINTAINED SPACED FROM THE MANDREL FOR RECEIVING THE STIFFY FLEXIBLE MEMBERS, A FILAMENT-CUTTING POSITION WHEREIN THE BEARING MEANS BEARS AGAINST THE FILAMENTS SECURING THEM AGAINST DISPLACEMENT AS THEY ARE CUT INTO STRANDS, AND A TWISTING POSITION WHEREIN THE BEARING MEANS IS REMOVED FROM THE STRANDS TO PERMIT INTERTWISTING THE STIFFY FLEXIBLE MEMBERS WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL DISARRANGEMENT OF THE STRANDS.