Conical strip shaping apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FORMING A THIN SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS STRIP OF MATERIAL, INTO A CLOSED TUBULAR CONFIGURATION COMPRISING, TENSIONING MEANS EXTERIORLY ENGAGING SAID STRIP AFTER FORMING FOR CONTINUOUSLY TRANSPORTING SAID STRIP LONGITUDINALLY, GROUPS OF ROLLER MEMBERS SPACED APART FROM SAID TENSIONING MEANS IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT OF THE LONGITUDINAL MOTION IMPARTED TO THE STRIP BY SAID TENSIONING MEANS, MEANS FOR CONSTRAINING THE ROLLER MEMBERS OF SAID PLURAITY OF ROLLER MEMBER GROUPS FOR ROTATION, SAID CONSTRAINING MEANS FURTHER COMPRISING MEANS FOR POSITIONING THE INNERMOST PERIPHERAL SURFACE PORTIONS OF THE ROLLER MEMBER OF SAID PLURLAITY OF ROLLER MEMBER GROUPS TO DEFINE A CONICAL SURFACE OF TRANSVERSE RADIUS OF CURVATURE DECREASING IN RADIUS IN A DIRECTION TOWARDS SAID TENSIONING MEANS, AND DRIVE MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID ROLLR MEMBERS AT THE SAME PERIPHERAL SPEED AS THE EFFECT OF SAID TENSIONING MEANS ON THE STRIP, SAID DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF FLEXIBLE DRIVE SHAFTS EACH SUPPORTING ALL OF THE ROLLER MEMBERS OF AN ASSOCIATED ONE OF SAID ROLLER MEMBER GROUPS AND BEING DRIVINGLY CONNECTED THERETO.