Apparatus for laterally stretching lengths of thermoplastic synthetic material

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR LATERALLY STRETCHING THERMOPLASTIC SYNTHETIC CONTINUOUS FILMS, COMPRISING: AN ABLONG CASING HAVING TWO OPPOSED LATERAL WALLS AND AN INLET AND AN OUTLET FOR THE FILMS TO BE STRETCHED, TWO ENDLESS TENTER CLIP CHAINS, ONE EACH OF SAID CHAINS BEING DISPOSED ALONGSIDE A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID LATERAL WALLS, EACH OF SAID CHAINS HAVING A FORWARD RUN INSIDE SAID CASING AND A RETURN RUN OUTSIDE OF SAID CASING, ALL OF SAID RUNS BEING IN A COMMON HORIZONTAL PLANE, REVERSING MECHANISMS FOR SAID TENTER CLIP CHAINS AT THE INLET AND AT THE OUTLET OF SAID CASING, TRACK MEANS FOR GUIDING THE FORWARD AND RETURN RUNS OF SAID CHAINS, EACH OF SAID TRACK MEANS BEING SUBDIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINAL SECTIONS WHOSE ADJOINING ENDS ARE MOVABLY CONNECTED, SAID SECTIONS OF SAID TRACK MEANS FOR THE FORWARD AND RETURN RUNS OF EACH CHAIN BEING DISPOSED IN PAIRS HAVING ADJOINING ENDS, A PLURALITY OF SPINDLES PROJECTING THROUGH SAID CASING, CONNECTING MEANS OPERATIVELY INTERCONNECTING EACH OF SAID SPINDLES WITH FOUR OF SAID PAIRS OF SAID ADJOINING ENDS ON SAID FORWARD AND RETURN RUNS, A FIRST TWO OF SAID FOUR PAIRS BEING DISPOSED OUTWARDLY OF SAID CASING AND A FURTHER TWO OF SAID FOUR PAIRS BEING DISPOSED INTERNALLY OF SAID CASING, SAID CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FIRST TWO AND SAID FURTHER TWO OF SAID FOUR PAIRS OF SAID ADJOINING ENDS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FOR CHANGING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID FORWARD RUNS FOR LATERALLY STRETCHING FILMS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH,

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR LATERALLY STRETCHING THERMOPLASTIC SYNTHETIC CONTINUOUS FILMS, COMPRISING: AN ABLONG CASING HAVING TWO OPPOSED LATERAL WALLS AND AN INLET AND AN OUTLET FOR THE FILMS TO BE STRETCHED, TWO ENDLESS TENTER CLIP CHAINS, ONE EACH OF SAID CHAINS BEING DISPOSED ALONGSIDE A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID LATERAL WALLS, EACH OF SAID CHAINS HAVING A FORWARD RUN INSIDE SAID CASING AND A RETURN RUN OUTSIDE OF SAID CASING, ALL OF SAID RUNS BEING IN A COMMON HORIZONTAL PLANE, REVERSING MECHANISMS FOR SAID TENTER CLIP CHAINS AT THE INLET AND AT THE OUTLET OF SAID CASING, TRACK MEANS FOR GUIDING THE FORWARD AND RETURN RUNS OF SAID CHAINS, EACH OF SAID TRACK MEANS BEING SUBDIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINAL SECTIONS WHOSE ADJOINING ENDS ARE MOVABLY CONNECTED, SAID SECTIONS OF SAID TRACK MEANS FOR THE FORWARD AND RETURN RUNS OF EACH CHAIN BEING DISPOSED IN PAIRS HAVING ADJOINING ENDS, A PLURALITY OF SPINDLES PROJECTING THROUGH SAID CASING, CONNECTING MEANS OPERATIVELY INTERCONNECTING EACH OF SAID SPINDLES WITH FOUR OF SAID PAIRS OF SAID ADJOINING ENDS ON SAID FORWARD AND RETURN RUNS, A FIRST TWO OF SAID FOUR PAIRS BEING DISPOSED OUTWARDLY OF SAID CASING AND A FURTHER TWO OF SAID FOUR PAIRS BEING DISPOSED INTERNALLY OF SAID CASING, SAID CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FIRST TWO AND SAID FURTHER TWO OF SAID FOUR PAIRS OF SAID ADJOINING ENDS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FOR CHANGING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID FORWARD RUNS FOR LATERALLY STRETCHING FILMS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH,