Embossing, sheeting and winding machine and process

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR EMBOSSING AND SHEETING CONTINUOUS LENGTHS OF EXPANDED THEREMOPLASTIC SHEET MATERIAL COMPRISING A HEATING ZONE, FIRST MOVING MEANS GRIPPING SAID SHEET MATERIAL ALONG ITS LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND MOVING SAME IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID EDGES THROUGH SAID HEATING ZONE AND FOR A DISTNCE BEYOND SAID HEATING ZONE; AND A PAIR OF MATING EMBOSSING ROLLS, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL AND BEARING ON SAID SHEET MATERIAL TO IMPRESS A PATTERN THEREON, SAID EMBOSSING ROLLS BEING OF A PREDETERMINED WIDTH LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL AND LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID FIRST MOVING MEANS GRIPPING EACH SIDE EDGE OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL, SAID EMBOSSING MEEANS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID HEATING ZONE AND SAID FIRST MOVING MEANS EXTENDING FOR A DISTANCE BEYOND SAID EMBOSSING ROLLS TO DEFINE A COOLING ZONE FOR SAID SHEET MATEIAL; A SECOND MOVING MEANS ALIGNED WITH SAID FIRST MOVING MENS BUT SPACED THEREFROM FOR GRIPPING THE SIDE EDGES OF AND MOVING SAID SHEET MATERIAL DELIVERED BY SAID FIRST MOVING MEANS; SLACK TAKE-UP MEANS BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND MOVING MEANS FOR OPERATING ON SAID SHEET MATERIAL TO TAKE UP SLACK OCCURRING THEREIN; PLATEN MEANS DISPOSED IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH THE PLANE OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL