Method and apparatus for producing unwoven fabric

Claim 1

THE METHOD FOR PRODUCING A NONWOVEN REINFORCING FABRIC COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) INTERMITTENTLY AND ALTERNATELY ADVANCING AND STOPPING A BAND CONSISTING OF A SINGLE LAYER OF A PLUARLITY OF FIBROUS WARP STRANDS WHILE CONTINUALLY IN SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TENSION, SAID STRANDS ARRANGED AND MAINTAINED IN GENERALLY PARALLEL, SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP, SAID STRANDS HAVING A THERMOSETTING RESIN ON THE SURFACE THEREOF. (B) DISPOSING INDIVIDUALLY ACROSS THE TOPS OF SAID WARP STRANDS SINGLE, SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT WEFT PARALLEL STRANDS DERIVED FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS SOURCE THEREOF, SAID WEFT STRANDS DISPOSED IN TRANSVERSE RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO EACH AND EVERY SAID WARP STRAND TRAVERSED, (C) BRINGING SAID WEFT STRANDS, AS DISPOSED IN STEP (B), IN SUBSTANTIAL CONTACT WITH EACH SAID WARP STRAND AT THE POINTS, OF JUNCTURE OF SAID WEFT STRANDS WITH SAID WARP, SAID WEFT STRANDS IN STEP (B) REPEATEDLY AND SEQUENTIALLY RECEIVING EACH OF SAID WEFT STRANDS, RESPECTIVELY, EACH TIME SAID WARP IS STOPPED, AND (D) WHILE MAINTAINING EACH SAID WEFT STRAND RESPECTIVELY IN A STATE OF STATIONARY TENSION DURING AND AT THE POINT IN SPACE OF THE INITIAL CONTACTING THEREOF WITH SAID WARP STRANDS IN STEP (C), AND WHILE SAID WARP STRANDS ARE STATIONARY, FIXING SAID WEFT STRANDS TO EACH OF SID WARP STRANDS IN A SUBSTANTIALLY PERMANENT UNION AT THEIR RESPECTIVE JUNCTURES, BY APPLYING HEAT TO SAID JUNCTURES, (E) EACH SAID WEFT STRAND, RESPECTIVELY, MAINTAINED AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DEGREE OF TENSION DURING FIXING THEREOF TO SAID WARP STRANDS, (F) SEVERING SAID FIXED WEFT STRAND AT A POINT BETWEEN SAID WARP STRANDS AND SAID SOURCE OF WEFT WHILE SAID WEFT IS IN ITS POSITION IN SPACE AS SET FORTH IN STEP (D), FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF STEP (F) ABOVE, ADVANCING SAID WARP STRANDS A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, AND REPEATING THE CYCLE INITIATED IN STEP (B) ABOVE, TO PROVIDE A NONWOVEN FABRIC HAVING A SINGLE LAYER OF WARP AND A SINGLE LAYER OF WEFT, WHEREIN THE TENSION IN EACH OF SAID WARP STRANDS IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL, AND THE TENSION IN EACH OF SAID WEFT STRANDS IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL, WHEN SAID WARP STRANDS ARE POSITIONED IN PARALLEL, SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP AT THE MAXIMUM SEPARATION PERMITTED BY ANY OF SAID WEFT STRANDS.

Claim 2

THE METHOD FOR PRODUCING A NONWOVEN REINFORCING FABRIC COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) INTERMITTENTLY AND ALTERNATELY ADVANCING AND STOPPING A BAND CONSISTING OF A SINGLE LAYER OF A PLUARLITY OF FIBROUS WARP STRANDS WHILE CONTINUALLY IN SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TENSION, SAID STRANDS ARRANGED AND MAINTAINED IN GENERALLY PARALLEL, SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP, SAID STRANDS HAVING A THERMOSETTING RESIN ON THE SURFACE THEREOF. (B) DISPOSING INDIVIDUALLY ACROSS THE TOPS OF SAID WARP STRANDS SINGLE, SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT WEFT PARALLEL STRANDS DERIVED FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS SOURCE THEREOF, SAID WEFT STRANDS DISPOSED IN TRANSVERSE RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO EACH AND EVERY SAID WARP STRAND TRAVERSED, (C) BRINGING SAID WEFT STRANDS, AS DISPOSED IN STEP (B), IN SUBSTANTIAL CONTACT WITH EACH SAID WARP STRAND AT THE POINTS, OF JUNCTURE OF SAID WEFT STRANDS WITH SAID WARP, SAID WEFT STRANDS IN STEP (B) REPEATEDLY AND SEQUENTIALLY RECEIVING EACH OF SAID WEFT STRANDS, RESPECTIVELY, EACH TIME SAID WARP IS STOPPED, AND (D) WHILE MAINTAINING EACH SAID WEFT STRAND RESPECTIVELY IN A STATE OF STATIONARY TENSION DURING AND AT THE POINT IN SPACE OF THE INITIAL CONTACTING THEREOF WITH SAID WARP STRANDS IN STEP (C), AND WHILE SAID WARP STRANDS ARE STATIONARY, FIXING SAID WEFT STRANDS TO EACH OF SID WARP STRANDS IN A SUBSTANTIALLY PERMANENT UNION AT THEIR RESPECTIVE JUNCTURES, BY APPLYING HEAT TO SAID JUNCTURES, (E) EACH SAID WEFT STRAND, RESPECTIVELY, MAINTAINED AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DEGREE OF TENSION DURING FIXING THEREOF TO SAID WARP STRANDS, (F) SEVERING SAID FIXED WEFT STRAND AT A POINT BETWEEN SAID WARP STRANDS AND SAID SOURCE OF WEFT WHILE SAID WEFT IS IN ITS POSITION IN SPACE AS SET FORTH IN STEP (D), FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF STEP (F) ABOVE, ADVANCING SAID WARP STRANDS A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, AND REPEATING THE CYCLE INITIATED IN STEP (B) ABOVE, TO PROVIDE A NONWOVEN FABRIC HAVING A SINGLE LAYER OF WARP AND A SINGLE LAYER OF WEFT, WHEREIN THE TENSION IN EACH OF SAID WARP STRANDS IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL, AND THE TENSION IN EACH OF SAID WEFT STRANDS IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL, WHEN SAID WARP STRANDS ARE POSITIONED IN PARALLEL, SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP AT THE MAXIMUM SEPARATION PERMITTED BY ANY OF SAID WEFT STRANDS.