Apparatus for aligning strip in strip joining equipment

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH APPARATUS FOR JOINING STRIP IN GENERAL END-TO-END RELATION AND HAVING AN ENTRY CLAMP AND AN EXIT CLAMP FOR HOLDING STRIP LENGTHS TO BE JOINED DURING THE JOINING CYCLE AND SAID ENTRY CLAMP BEING SO MOUNTED AND HAVING MEANS WHEREBY IT MAY BE MOVED TRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL LINE OF STRIP WITH RESPECT TO THE EXIT CLAMP, A THIRD STRIP CLAMP ADJACENT THE ENTRY END OF SAID ENTRY CLAMP AND BEING ALSO SO MOUNTED AND HAVING MEANS WHEREBY IT MAY BE MOVED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID LONGITUDINAL LINE WITH RESPECT TO SAID EXIT CLAMP, STRIP EDGE POSITION SENSORS AT THE ENTRY END OF SAID ENTRY CLAMP AND AT THE EXIT END OF SAID EXIT CLAMP TO GENERATE SIGNALS DETERMINATIVE OF THE LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT OF A STRIP LENGTH PASSING THROUGH ALL OF SAID CLAMPS, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SIGNALS GENERATED BY SAID SENSORS TO ACTUATE SAID MEANS TO MOVE SAID THIRD CLAMP WHEREBY UPON CLOSING OF SAID THIRD CLAMP AND WITH SAID ENTRY AND EXIT CLAMPS OPENED THE HEAD PORTION OF THE SUCCEEDING STRIP LENGTH MAY BE MOVED TRANSVERSELY SO THAT ITS CENTER-