Method of making rolling seal diaphragms

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A ROLLING SEAL DIAPHRAGM WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF FORMING A BLANK FROM FABRIC DEFINED BY A MULTIPLICITY OF THREADS IN INTERLOCKING RELATIONSHIP TO PERMIT LIMITED RELATIVE MOVEMENT THEREAMONG, SAID FABRIC BEING COMPRESSIBLE UPON ITSELF WITH REARRANGEMENT OF SAID THREADS IN DIRECTIONS TANGENTIAL TO IMAGINARY CIRCLES AROUND A CENTER THEREOF, SAID FABRIC BEING MORE READILY COMPRESSIBLE UPON ITSELF ALONG A FIRST OF SAID DIRECTIONS IN A FIRST ZONE THAN ALONG A SECOND OF SAID DIRECTIONS IN A SECOND ZONE, AND SAID FABRIC HAVING UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES GENERALLY DEFINED BY SAID THREADS AND SPACED APART BY AN AMOUNT CONSTITUTING THE INITIAL THICKNESS OF SAID FABRIC; PLACING AGAINST AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SURFACES A DEFORMABLE DIE TO COOPERATE WITH SAID BLANK IN FORMING A STACK INCLUDING SAID BLANK AND SAID DEFORMABLE DIE, SAID DEFORMABLE DIE INCLUDING A THIRD ZONE OVERLYING SAID FIRST ZONE AND A FOURTH ZONE OVERLYING SAID SECOND ZONE, SAID FOURTH ZONE BEING MORE READILY COMPRESSIBLE ALONG SAID SECOND OF SAID DIRECTIONS THAN IS SAID THIRD ZONE ALONG SAID FIRST OF SAID DIRECTIONS; DRAWING SAID STACK BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE DRAWING DIES TO REARRANGE SAID THREADS AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY COMPRESS SAID BLANK IN DIRECTIONS INCLUDING SAID FIRST OF SAID DIRECTIONS, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY CONFINING SAID STACK IN A THICKNESS DIRECTION WITHIN AND WITHOUT SAID DRAWING DIES TO MAINTAIN SAID FABRIC THROUGHOUT AT A FINAL THICKNESS LESS THAN THREE TIMES SAID INITIAL THICKNESS; SETTING SAID FABRIC IN THE DRAWN CONFIGURATION; AND REMOVING SAID DEFORMABLE DIE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A ROLLING SEAL DIAPHRAGM WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF FORMING A BLANK FROM FABRIC DEFINED BY A MULTIPLICITY OF THREADS IN INTERLOCKING RELATIONSHIP TO PERMIT LIMITED RELATIVE MOVEMENT THEREAMONG, SAID FABRIC BEING COMPRESSIBLE UPON ITSELF WITH REARRANGEMENT OF SAID THREADS IN DIRECTIONS TANGENTIAL TO IMAGINARY CIRCLES AROUND A CENTER THEREOF, SAID FABRIC BEING MORE READILY COMPRESSIBLE UPON ITSELF ALONG A FIRST OF SAID DIRECTIONS IN A FIRST ZONE THAN ALONG A SECOND OF SAID DIRECTIONS IN A SECOND ZONE, AND SAID FABRIC HAVING UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES GENERALLY DEFINED BY SAID THREADS AND SPACED APART BY AN AMOUNT CONSTITUTING THE INITIAL THICKNESS OF SAID FABRIC; PLACING AGAINST AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SURFACES A DEFORMABLE DIE TO COOPERATE WITH SAID BLANK IN FORMING A STACK INCLUDING SAID BLANK AND SAID DEFORMABLE DIE, SAID DEFORMABLE DIE INCLUDING A THIRD ZONE OVERLYING SAID FIRST ZONE AND A FOURTH ZONE OVERLYING SAID SECOND ZONE, SAID FOURTH ZONE BEING MORE READILY COMPRESSIBLE ALONG SAID SECOND OF SAID DIRECTIONS THAN IS SAID THIRD ZONE ALONG SAID FIRST OF SAID DIRECTIONS; DRAWING SAID STACK BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE DRAWING DIES TO REARRANGE SAID THREADS AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY COMPRESS SAID BLANK IN DIRECTIONS INCLUDING SAID FIRST OF SAID DIRECTIONS, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY CONFINING SAID STACK IN A THICKNESS DIRECTION WITHIN AND WITHOUT SAID DRAWING DIES TO MAINTAIN SAID FABRIC THROUGHOUT AT A FINAL THICKNESS LESS THAN THREE TIMES SAID INITIAL THICKNESS; SETTING SAID FABRIC IN THE DRAWN CONFIGURATION; AND REMOVING SAID DEFORMABLE DIE.