Band supporting means

Claim 1

IN A CASTING MACHINE; A CASTING WHEEL HAVING AN ANNULAR CASTING GROOVE FORMED THEREIN; A BAND HAVING AN ARCUATE PORTION ENGAGING SAID CASTING WHEEL AND CLOSING A LENGTH OF SAID CASTING GROOVE TO FORM A MOLD HAVING AN ENTRY END FOR RECEIVING A MOLTEN METAL, SAID BAND HAVING A SECOND PORTION CONTINUOUS WITH SAID ARCUATE PORTION AND TANGENTIAL TO SAID CASTING WHEEL SUBSTANTIALLY AT SAID ENTRY END OF SAID MOLD; AND BAND SUPPORTING MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID ENTRY END OF SAID MOLD FOR SUPPORTING SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID BAND WITH A BAND WHEEL OVER WHICH SAID BAND PASSES BETWEEN SAID CASTING WHEEL AND A MEANS INDEPENDENT OF SAID BAND SUPPORTING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT TENSION IN SAID BAND, SAID BAND SUPPORTING MEANS INCLUDING POWER MEANS FOR MOVING SAID BAND WHEEL INTO A PLURALITY OF STATIONARY POSITIONS RELATIVE TO SAID CASTING WHEEL ALONG A LINE OF MOTION WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO A CHORD OF SAID CASTING WHEEL AND SAID BAND SUPPORTING MEANS INCLUDING RESILIENT MEANS FOR ALLOWING YIELDABLE MOVEMENT OF SAID BAND WHEEL FROM EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF STATIONARY POSITIONS ALONG SAID LINE OF MOTION; THE ARRANGEMENT OF SAID BAND SUPPORTING MEANS BEING SUCH THAT EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF STATIONARY POSITIONS OF SAID BAND WHEEL ALONG SAID LINE OF MOTION PROVIDES A PARTICULAR POSITION OF SAID ENTRY END OF SAID MOLD AND BEING SUCH THAT SAID YIELDABLE MOVEMENT OF SAID BAND WHEEL ALLOWS THE SEPARATION OF SAID CASTING WHEEL AND SAID BAND WHEEL FOR THE RELATIVELY UPOBSTRUCTED PASSAGE OF AN OBJECT BETWEEN SAID CASTING WHEEL AND SAID BAND WHEEL.