Strip accumulator means

Claim 1

AN ACCUMULATOR APPARATUS COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND ARRAYS OF ROLLS, MEANS ALLOWING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID ARRAYS TO VARY BETWEEN A MINIMUM SPACING AND A MAXIMUM SPACING, MEANS URGING SAID ARRAYS TOWARD SAID MAXIMUM SPACING, A STRIP, FIRST FEED MEANS SUPPLYING SAID STRIP TO SAID ROLLS AT CONTROLLED RATES, SECOND FEED MEANS REMOVING SAID STRIP FROM SAID ROLLS AT CONTROLLED RATES, SAID FEED MEANS PERMITTING MOVEMENT OF SAID STRIP THROUGH SAID APPARATUS IN ONLY ONE DIRECTION, SAID MOVEMENT OF SAID STRIP BEING THROUGH AN IMAGINARY TRANSVERSE PLANE WHICH EXTENDS THROUGH BOTH OF SAID ARRAYS, SAID STRIP PASSING BACK AND FORTH ALONG A SUCCESSION OF REACHES BETWEEN SAID ARRAYS AND ALONG REVERSALS BETWEEN IMMEDIATELY SUCCESSIVE REACHES, SAID STRIP BEING TENSIONED TO URGE SAID ARRAYS TOWARD SAID MINIMUM SPACING, SAID STRIP MAKING CROSSOVERS THROUGH SAID PLANE AT MORE THAN HALF OIF SAID REVERSALS, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FEED MEANS PRODUCING FEEDING RATE VARIATIONS WHEREBY THE TOTAL LENGTH OF SAID STRIP ON SAID ARRAY TEMPORARILY CHANGES, SAID FEED MEANS COOPERATING TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF TEMPORARY CHANGE OF LENGTH OF SAID STRIP ON SAID ARRAYS TO LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID MINIMUM SPACING AND SAID MAXIMUM SPACING TIMES THE NUMBER OF REACHES, SAID STRIP AND APPARATUS BEING FREE OF OBSTRUCTIONS PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF ANY PORTION OF SAID STRIP THROUGH SAID APPARATUS.