Method of manufacturing webs

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING NONWOVEN WEBS FROM LONG, STRAIGHT FIBERS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: FORMING SLIVERS OF CRIMPLESS, LONG, STAPLE FIBERS HAVING AN APPROXIMATE AVERAGE LENGTH OF AT LEAST ABOUT 120 MILLIMETERS WITH THE FIBERS OF SAID SLIVERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF ENTANGLEMENTS WITH EACH OTHER; FEEDING SAID SLIVERS IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION BETWEEN A PAIR OF ROTATING NIP ROLLERS WITH THE FIBERS IN EACH SLIVER EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE SLIVERS THROUGH THE NIP ROLLERS; FORWARDING SAID SLIVERS AWAY FROM THE NIP POINT OF THE NIP ROLLERS AT A PREDETERMINED UNIFORM RELATIVELY LOW SPEED TO A SEPARATING AND DISPERSING STATION SPACED FROM THE NIP POINT; ENGAGING SAID FIBERS AT SAID STATION BY A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL, STRAIGHT, RADIALLY EXTENDING NEEDLES WHICH ARE MOVING THROUGH A CLOSED CIRCULAR PATH AROUND A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS, THE NEEDLES MOVING AT A RELATIVELY HIGH SPEED SUBSTANTIALLY FASTER THAN THE SPEED AT WHICH THE SLIVERS ARE FED TO SAID NEEDLES AND THE NEEDLES COMBING, LOOSENING AND THEN SEPARATING THE FIBERS OF SAID SLIVERS FROM EACH OTHER AFTER THE TRAILING ENDS OF SAID FIBERS HAVE PASSED SAID NIP POINT AND PROJECTING THE FIBERS AWAY FROM THE NEEDLES; SIMULTANEOUSLY CAUSING AN AIR STREAM TO FLOW OUTWARDLY BETWEEN THE NEEDLES TO PREVENT THE FIBERS FROM WRAPPING AROUND THE NEEDLES, THE AIR STREAM BEING CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLIED THROUGHOUT THE ZONE BETWEEN SAID SEPARATING AND DISPERSING STATION AND THE POSITION AT WHICH THE FIBERS ARE PROJECTED AWAY FROM THE NEEDLES TO ALSO ASSIST IN SEPARATING AND PROJECTING THE FIBERS AWAY FROM THE NEEDLES; SIMULTANEOUSLY SUBJECTING THE FIBERS AS THEY ARE PROJECTED AWAY FROM THE NEEDLES TO A CURRENT OF MOVING GAS WHEREBY SAID FIBERS ARE INDIVIDUALLY SUPPORTED AND CARRIED TO A GATHERING STATION; AND ACCUMULATING SAID SEPARATED AND DISPERSED FIBERS IN A SHEET AT SAID GATHERING STATION ON THE FACE OF A TRAVELLING WEB.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING NONWOVEN WEBS FROM LONG, STRAIGHT FIBERS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: FORMING SLIVERS OF CRIMPLESS, LONG, STAPLE FIBERS HAVING AN APPROXIMATE AVERAGE LENGTH OF AT LEAST ABOUT 120 MILLIMETERS WITH THE FIBERS OF SAID SLIVERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF ENTANGLEMENTS WITH EACH OTHER; FEEDING SAID SLIVERS IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION BETWEEN A PAIR OF ROTATING NIP ROLLERS WITH THE FIBERS IN EACH SLIVER EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE SLIVERS THROUGH THE NIP ROLLERS; FORWARDING SAID SLIVERS AWAY FROM THE NIP POINT OF THE NIP ROLLERS AT A PREDETERMINED UNIFORM RELATIVELY LOW SPEED TO A SEPARATING AND DISPERSING STATION SPACED FROM THE NIP POINT; ENGAGING SAID FIBERS AT SAID STATION BY A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL, STRAIGHT, RADIALLY EXTENDING NEEDLES WHICH ARE MOVING THROUGH A CLOSED CIRCULAR PATH AROUND A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS, THE NEEDLES MOVING AT A RELATIVELY HIGH SPEED SUBSTANTIALLY FASTER THAN THE SPEED AT WHICH THE SLIVERS ARE FED TO SAID NEEDLES AND THE NEEDLES COMBING, LOOSENING AND THEN SEPARATING THE FIBERS OF SAID SLIVERS FROM EACH OTHER AFTER THE TRAILING ENDS OF SAID FIBERS HAVE PASSED SAID NIP POINT AND PROJECTING THE FIBERS AWAY FROM THE NEEDLES; SIMULTANEOUSLY CAUSING AN AIR STREAM TO FLOW OUTWARDLY BETWEEN THE NEEDLES TO PREVENT THE FIBERS FROM WRAPPING AROUND THE NEEDLES, THE AIR STREAM BEING CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLIED THROUGHOUT THE ZONE BETWEEN SAID SEPARATING AND DISPERSING STATION AND THE POSITION AT WHICH THE FIBERS ARE PROJECTED AWAY FROM THE NEEDLES TO ALSO ASSIST IN SEPARATING AND PROJECTING THE FIBERS AWAY FROM THE NEEDLES; SIMULTANEOUSLY SUBJECTING THE FIBERS AS THEY ARE PROJECTED AWAY FROM THE NEEDLES TO A CURRENT OF MOVING GAS WHEREBY SAID FIBERS ARE INDIVIDUALLY SUPPORTED AND CARRIED TO A GATHERING STATION; AND ACCUMULATING SAID SEPARATED AND DISPERSED FIBERS IN A SHEET AT SAID GATHERING STATION ON THE FACE OF A TRAVELLING WEB.