Process and apparatus for producing a non-woven fabric

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING A NON-WOVEN FABRIC, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF EXTRUDING A MASS OF FILAMENT FORMING MATERIAL IN LIQUID PHASE DOWNWARDLY TOWARD A MOVABLE, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL TAKE-UP SURFACE THROUGH A PLURALITY OF ORIFICES TO FORM A STREAM OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL CONTINUOUS FILAMENTS, DIRECTING A STEAM OF AIR UNDER PRESSURE AT THE STILL PLATIC FILAMENTS AT APOINT ABOVE SAID TAKE-UP SURFACE THEREBY TO AGITATE SAID STREAM OF FILAMENTS AND CAUSE THE LATTER TO BE WHIPPED ABOUT AND ENTANGLED INTO CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER AT RANDOMLY SPACED POINTS PRIOR TO THEIR ARRIVAL AT SAID AKE-UP SURFACE, TRAVERSING THE STREAM OF FILAMENTS AT SAID TAKE-UP SURFACE, TRAVERSING SAID STREAM OF FILAMENTS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH SAID STREAM OF AIR BACK AND FORTH ACROSS SAID TAKE-UP SURFACE WHILE THE LATTER IS STANTIONARY, AND ADVANCING SAID TAKE-UP SURFACE IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVERSE OF SAID FILAMENTS ONLY WHEN THE LATTER REACH THE REVERSAL POINTS OF THEIR TRANSVERSE MOVEMENTS, TO ENABLE SAID FILAMENTS TO BE DEPOSITED IN THEIR ENTANGLED STATE ON SAID TAKE-UP SURFACE IN THE FORM OF AN ELONGATED MATTED WEB COMPOSED OF A PLURALIY OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL, LATERALLY CONTIGOUS LAYERS AND HAVING A COHERENT STRUCTURE IN ALL DIRECTIONS RESULTING FROM COALESCENCE OF SAID FILAMENTS AT SAID POINT OF CONTACT.