Apparatus for processing blankets

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR USE IN PROCESSING BLANKETS CONSISTING OF A LAYER OF RESILIENT MATERIAL HAVING AN OUTER TRANSVERSE SURFACE AND A CLOTH BACKING, COMPRISING; A SUPPORT STRUCTURE, A BLANKET ROLL ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE, AN IDLER ROLL MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE SPACED FROM SAID BLANKET ROLL, SAID BLANKET ADAPTED TO BE MOVED IN AN ENDLESS PATH ABOUT SAID BLANKET ROLL AND SAID IDLER ROLL, A HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR NORMALLY URGING SAID IDLER ROLL IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID BLANKET ROLL THEREBY TO MAINTAIN THE BLANKET TAUT DURING MOVEMENT IN AN ENDLESS PATH ABOUT SAID BLANKET AND IDLER ROLLS AND PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY UNFORM TENSION ON THE BLANKET, A CYLINDER MOUNTED IN SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE HAVING ABRASIVE MEANS ON THE OUTER PERIPHERY THEREOF ADAPTED TO ROTATE ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID BLANKET ROLL AND ALIGNED RELATIVE TO SAID BLANKET ROLL TO ENGAGE THE BLANKET THEREBETWEEN, MEANS FOR EFFECTING OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT OF SAID ABRASIVE CYLINDER ALONG ITS ROTATIONAL AXIS, FIRST HYDRAULIC MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CYLINDER AT A PREDETERMINED RATE TOWARD SAID BLANKET ROLL IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BLANKET TO REMOVE A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF MATERIAL FROM THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF, SECOND HYDRAULIC MEANS OPERABLE TO MOVE SAID CYLINDER AT A RATE SLOWER THAN SAID PREDETERMINED RATE TO REMOVE ANOTHER PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF MATERIAL FROM THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF AND A CHECK UNIT OPERABLE TO SELECTIVELY EFFECT TRANSFER OF ACTUATION OF SAID CYLINDER FROM SAID FIRST HYDRAULIC MEANS TO SAID SECOND HYDRAULIC MEANS.