Apparatus for forming nonwoven open-mesh netting and for incorporating the netting in a laminate

Claim 1

a parallel pair of endless chains associated with each of said parallel driving rods,

Claim 16

An apparatus for forming a nonwoven open-mesh netting, comprising in combination a. a frame structure; b. a pair of parallel endless belts defining between them a spacing of predetermined width essentially equivalent to the width of the netting to be formed, said belts being mounted within said frame structure to define parallel movable endless loops having upper net-forming sections and lower sections; c. belt supporting means associated with said frame structure and adapted to maintain the upper net-forming sections of said belts in a fixed horizontal plane; d. a plurality of strand-anchoring pins inclined slightly outwardly from said spacing and affixed at intervals to each of said belts, said pins being in alignment across said spacing and remaining during net formation in a fixed horizontal plane; e. belt shaft and sprocket means adapted to drive said belts in a forward direction at a predetermined speed; f. a main drive shaft mechanically linked to said belt shaft and sprocket means; g. driving means directly linked to said main drive shaft means; h. shuttle means operable within a fixed horizontal plane parallel to said plane of said pins, said shuttle means comprising parallel track members extending across said spacing and beyond said belt means and a strand guide bar holding a plurality of strand guides spaced at intervals corresponding to said intervals between said pins and affixed to bar support means slidably movable along said track members; said shuttle being adapted to traverse at least one section of said parallel belts across said spacing, the bottom discharge end of said strand guides terminating below the tops of said pins and the motion of said shuttle means being such that each of said strand guides passes through an interval between two adjacent pins, around the outside of at least one pin and through an interval between two advanced adjacent pins; and i. shuttle-moving means mechanically linked to said main drive shaft and adapted to cause said strand bar support means to traverse said spacing in said plane, said shuttle moving means comprising in combination

Claim 17

An apparatus for forming a nonwoven open-mesh netting, comprising in combination a. a frame structure; b. a first pair of parallel endless belts defining between them a spacing of predetermined width essentially equivalent to the width of the netting to be formed, said belts being mounted in said frame structure to define parallel movable endless loops having upper net-forming sections and lower sections; c. first belt-supporting means associated with said frame structure and adapted to maintain the upper net-forming sections of said first pair of belts in a fixed horizontal plane; d. a plurality of first strand-anchoring pins affixed at intervals to each of said first pair of belts, said first pins being in alignment across said spacing and remaining during net formation in a fixed horizontal plane; e. a second pair of parallel endless belts defining between them a spacing substantially equal to said spacing defined between said first pair of belts, said belts being mounted in said frame structure to define parallel movable endless loops having net-forming sections; f. second belt-supporting means adapted to maintain the net-forming sections of said second pair of parallel belts in a fixed horizontal plane above said fixed horizontal plane in which said upper net forming sections of said first pair of belts are maintained; g. a plurality of second strand-anchoring pins affixed at intervals to each of said second pair of belts, said second pins being in alignment across said spacing and remaining during net formation in a fixed horizontal plane above that of said first pins; h. belt shaft and sprocket means adapted to drive said first and second parallel pairs of belts in a forward direction at a predetermined speed; i. a main drive shaft mechanically linked to said belt shaft and sprocket means; j. driving means directly linked to said main drive shaft means; k. separate shuttle means associated with each pair of belts, each of said shuttle means being operable within a fixed horizontal plane parallel to said plane of the pins of the associated belts, said shuttle means comprising parallel track members extending across said spacing and beyond said belt means and a strand guide bar holding a plurality of strand guides spaced at intervals corresponding to said intervals between said pins and affixed to bar support means slidably movable along said track members; said shuttle means being adapted to traverse at least one section of said associated parallel belts across said spacing, the bottom discharge end of said strand guides terminating below the tops of said associated pins and the motion of said shuttle means being such that the each of said strand guides passes through an interval between two adjacent pins, around the outside of at least one pin and through an interval between two advanced adjacent pins; and

Claim 23

An apparatus for forming a laminate in the form of a nonwoven open-mesh netting interposed between two flexible materials, comprising in combination a. parallel endless belt means defining between them a spacing of predetermined width essentially equivalent to the width of the netting and greater than the width of the laminate to be formed; b. a plurality of strand-anchoring pins inclined slightly outwardly from said spacing and affixed at intervals to said belt means, said pins being in alignment across said spacing and remaining during net formation in a fixed horizontal plane; c. shuttle means operable within a fixed horizontal plane parallel to said plane of said pins, said shuttle means comprising parallel track members extending across said spacing and beyond said belt means and a strand guide bar holding a plurality of strand guides spaced at intervals corresponding to said intervals between said pins and affixed to bar support means slidably movable along said track members; said shuttle being adapted to traverse at least one section of said belt means across said spacing, the bottom discharge end of said strand guides terminating below the tops of said pins and the motion of said shuttle means being such that each of said strand guides passes through an interval between two adjacent pins, around the outside of at least one pin and through an interval between two advanced adjacent pins; d. main drive shaft means; e. means to rotate said main drive shaft means; f. belt-moving means mechanically linked to said main drive shaft means and adapted to advance said pins in a forward direction at a predetermined speed; g. shuttle-moving means mechanically linked to said main drive shaft means and adapted to cause said strand bar support means to traverse said spacing in said plane, said shuttle means comprising in combination

Claim 26

An apparatus for forming a laminate in the form of a nonwoven open-mesh netting interposed between two flexible materials, comprising in combination a. a frame structure; b. a pair of parallel endless belts defining between them a spacing of predetermined width essentially equivalent to the width of the netting to be formed, said belts being mounted within said frame structure to define parallel movable endless loops having upper net-forming sections and lower sections; c. belt-supporting means associated with said frame structure and adapted to maintain the upper net-forming sections of said belts in a fixed horizontal plane; d. a plurality of strand-anchoring pins inclined slightly outwardly from said spacing and affixed at intervals to each of said belts, said pins being in alignment across said spacing and remaining during net formation in a fixed horizontal plane; e. belt-driving means adapted to drive said belts in a forward direction at a predetermined speed; f. a main drive shaft mechanically linked to said belt-driving means; g. primary driving means directly linked to said main drive shaft means; h. shuttle means operable within a fixed horizontal plane parallel to said plane of said pins, said shuttle means comprising parallel track members extending across said spacing and beyond said belt means and a strand guide bar holding a plurality of strand guides spaced at intervals corresponding to said intervals between said pins and affixed to bar support means slidably movable along said track members; said shuttle being adapted to traverse at least one section of said parallel belts across said spacing, the bottom discharge end of said strand guides terminating below the tops of said pins and the motion of said shuttle means being such that each of said strand guides passes through an interval between two adjacent pins, around the outside of at least one pin and through an interval between two advanced adjacent pins; i. shuttle-moving means mechanically linked to said main drive shaft and adapted to cause said strand bar support means to traverse said spacing in said plane, said shuttle-moving means comprising in combination

Claim 28

An apparatus for forming a laminate containing a nonwoven open-mesh netting, comprising in combination a. a frame structure; b. a first pair of parallel endless belts defining between them a spacing of predetermined width essentially equivalent to the width of the netting to be formed, said belts being mounted in said frame structure to define parallel movable endless loops having upper net-forming sections and lower sections; c. first belt supporting means associated with said frame structure and adapted to maintain the upper net-forming sections of said first pair of belts in a fixed horizontal plane; d. a plurality of first strand-anchoring pins affixed at intervals to each of said first pair of belts, said first pins being in alignment across said spacing and remaining during net formation in a fixed horizontal plane; e. a second pair of parallel endless belts defining between them a spacing substantially equal to said spacing defined between said first pair of belts, said belts being mounted in said frame structure to define parallel movable endless loops having net-forming sections; f. second belt-supporting means adapted to maintain the net-forming sections of said second pair of parallel belts in a fixed horizontal plane above said fixed horizontal plane in which said upper net-forming sections of said first pair of belts are maintained; g. a plurality of second strand-anchoring pins affixed at intervals to each of said second pair of belts, said second pins being in alignment across said spacing and remaining during net formation in a fixed horizontal plane above that of said first pins; h. belt shaft and sprocket means adapted to drive said first and second parallel pairs of belts in a forward direction at a predetermined speed; i. a main drive shaft mechanically linked to said belt shaft and sprocket means; j. driving means directly linked to said main drive shaft means; k. separate shuttle means associated with each pair of belts, each of said shuttle means being operable within a fixed horizontal plane parallel to said plane of the pins of the associated belts, said shuttle means being adapted to traverse at least one section of said associated parallel belts across said spacing and having a plurality of strand guides spaced at intervals corresponding to said intervals between said pins, the bottom discharge end of said strand guides terminating below the tops of said associated pins and the motion of said shuttle means being such that each of said strand guides passes through an interval between two adjacent pins, around the outside of at least one pin and through an interval between two advanced adjacent pins; l. shuttle moving meanS for each of said shuttle means mechanically linked to said main drive shaft and adapted to traverse said strand guides back and forth in their plane, each of said shuttle moving means being so timed and coordinated with the rotation of said belt shaft and sprocket means that at the end of a complete cycle of shuttle means motion the forwardmost strand guide is in a position to loop a strand around the pin adjacent to the last pin which formed the forward anchoring pin for the last strand in the immediately preceding cycle; m. laminating roller means positioned to receive the nonwoven open-mesh netting while still anchored to said pins; n. means to supply first and second flexible material directly to said laminating roller means; o. means to apply adhesive to that surface of said second flexible material which contacts said netting; p. means for freeing the strands from said anchoring pins to permit the laminate formed to be withdrawn from said apparatus; and q. means to withdraw said laminate from said apparatus.