Film splicer

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THERMOPLASTICALLY SPLICING TWO STRIPS OF THERMOPLASTIC FILM COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A BASE HAVING A TOP AND A SIDE WALL, A HEATER BLOCK AND A COOPERATING MOVABLE PRESSURE BLOCK ON THETOP OF SAID BASE, A PAIR OF SPACED ELONGATED STATIONARY TRACKS MOUNTED IN LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT ON SAID SIDE WALL, A SLIDER MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY IN SAID TRACKS, MEANS FOR STORING A ROLL OF FLAT THERMOPLASTIC RIBBON ADJACENT THE REAR END OF SAID TRACKS, MEANS FOR GUIDING THE END OF SAID RIBBON INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID TRACKS ADJACENT THE EREAR END THEREOF, A STATIONARY RIBBON CLAMP INCLUDING A PAIR OF COOPERATING RESILIENT JAWS MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID TRACKS ADJACENT THE REAR END THEREOF, THE JAWS OF SAID RIBBON CLAMP HAVING OUTWARDLY FLARED REAR ENDS AND FORWARD ENDS SHAPED TO RESILIENTLY GRIP SAID RIBBON, A SIMILAR BUT MOVABLE RIBBON CLAMP CARRIED BY SAID SLIDER AND POSITIONED TO BE MOVED THEREBY LONGITUDINALLY BETWEEN SAID TRACKS IN THE PLANE OCCUPIED BY SAID STATIONARY RIBBON CLAMP, SAID MOVABLE RIBBON CLAMP BEING SLIDABLE OVER THE JAWS OF SAID STATIONARY RIBBON CLAMP WHEN MOVED REARWARDLY THEREOF AND BEING SLIDABLE BETWEEN THE JAWS OF SAID STATIONARY RIBBON CLAMP TO GRIP SAID RIBBON FROM THE LATTER WHEN MOVED FORWARDLY, A SLIVER CARRIAGE HINGD ON THE TOP OF SAID BASE AND HAVING A RIGHT-ANGLED GLANGE POSITIONED TO LIE ADJACENT SAID HEATER BLOCK WHEN SAID CARRIAGE IS RAISED ON ITS HINGES AND TO REACH INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID TRACKS WHEN SAID CARRIAGE IS LOWERED ON ITS HINGES A SPRING ACTING ON SAID HINGED CARRIAGE TO SWING THE LATTER TO ITS RAISED POSITION, A PIVOTED LATCH ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CARRIAGE TO HOLD THE LATTER IN ITS LOWERED POSITION, AN ARM PIVOTED ON SAID CARRIAGE IN POSITION TO EXTEND LINEARLY OUTWARD OF THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID CARRIAGE FLANGE WHEN THE LATTER IS LOWERED BETWEEN SAID TRACKS, SAID PIVOTED ARM BEING ADAPTED TO SWING BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE TO A FOLDED SEMIUPRIGHT POSITON ON SAID CARRIAGE WHEN THE LATTER IS SWUMG UPWARDLY ON ITS HINGES, SLIVER CLAMPS MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE AND THE PIVOTED ARM OF SAID CARRIAGE IN POSITION TO LIE DIRECTLY IN THE LONGITUDIINAL PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID MOVABLE RIBBON CLAMP AND HAVING JAWS WITH OUTWARDLY FLARED REAR ENDS TO PERMIT THE PASSAGE THEREBETWEEN OF SAID MOVABLE RIBBON CLAMP AND FORWARD ENDS SHAPED TO RESILIENTLY GRIP THE RIBBON TOWED BY SAID MOVABLE RIBBON CLAMPS, MEANS ACTUATED BY SAID SLIDER ADJACENT THE FORWARD END OF SAID TRACKS FOR SEVERING SAID RIBBON AT A POINT IMMEDIATELY FORWARD OF SAID STATIONARY RIBBON CLAMP, MEANS ACTUATED BY SAID SLIDER ADJACENT THE FORWARD END OF SAID TRACKS FOR OPENING THE JAWS OF SAID MOVABLE RIBBON CLAMP TO RELEASE SAID RIBBON THEREFROM, MEANS ACTUATED BY SAID SLIDER ADJACENT THE FORWARD END OF SAID TRACKS TO ACTUATE SAID PIVOTED LATCH TO PERMIT SAID HINGED CARRIAGE TO SWING UPWARDLY TO ITS RAISED POSITION CARRYING THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE THERMOPLASTIC SLIVER SEVERED FROM SAID RIBBON ONTO SAID HEATER BLOCK AND THE REST OF SAID RIBBON PARTLY FOLDED OVER IN THE SEMI-UPRIGHT PIVOTED ARM OF SAID CARRIAGE, MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE TWO STRIPS OF FILM TO BE SPLICED END-TO-END ON THE PORTION OF SAID SLIVER ON SAID HEATED BLOCK, MEANS FOR FOLDING THE SEMIUPRIGHT PIVOTED ARM OF SAID CARRIAGE DOWNWARDLY TO FOLD THE REST OF SID SLIVER DOWN UPON THE ADJACENT END PORITONS OF SAID FILMS, AND MEANS FOR HEATING SAID HEATER BLOCK AND SIMULTANEOUSLY DEPRESSING SAID PRESSURE BLOCK TO BOND SAID FILMS AND SAID SLIVER TOGETHER.