Apparatus for splicing sheet materials

Claim 2

Apparatus for splicing sheet materials including walls defining a pair of elongated chambers, one wall of each of said chambers having at spaced intervals along the length thereof perforations which open into the respective chambers, means supporting said chambers in fixed, parallel, side-by-side relationship with the chambers spaced from each other to permit passage of a cutting blade therebetween and with the outer surfaces of said perforated walls disposed in a common plane, separate means for selectively evacuating each of said chambers for retaining by suction individual sheet materials in fixed positions against the perforated walls of the respective chambers, means positioned in opposing relationship with said perforated chamber walls for pressing against such perforated walls longitudinal edge portions of a sheet material extending between said chambers, a cutting blade, means for moving said cutting blade inbetween and progressively along said spaced chambers for severing a sheet material extending between and pressed against said chambers, and means for bonding to each other severed ends of sheet materials while they are retained against said chambers by suction.

Claim 3

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said bonding means includes a carrier for applying an adhesive-coated tape against one side of abutting severed ends of sheet materials retained against said pair of chambers, and further including walls defining an additional elongated chamber, means supporting said additional chamber in substantially parallel, spaced relationship with said pair of chambers, one wall of said additional chamber having at spaced intervals along the length thereof perforations which open into said additional chamber, a carrier for applying an adhesive-coated tape onto the perforated wall of said additional chamber with its adhesive-surface exposed means for selectively evacuating said additional chamber for retaining by suction on the perforated wall thereof the adhesive-coated tape applied thereto, and means for reciprocating said additional chamber to periodically position the perforated wall of said additional chamber in the common plane of said pair of chambers for receiving sheet materials after the severed ends thereof have been bonded along one side thereof and applying to such severed ends along the opposite side thereof the adhesive-coated tape which is retained on said additional chamber.

Claim 4

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including walls defining an additional elongated chamber, means supporting said additional chamber in substantially parallel, spaced relationship with said pair of chambers, one wall of said additional chamber having at spaced intervals along the length thereof perforations which open into said additional chamber, means for selectively evacuating said additional chamber for retaining by suction one sheet material against the perforated wall of said additional chamber and means operative when the adjacent of said pair of chambers is inoperative for reciprocating said additional chamber toward and away from said adjacent chamber to place the severed end of sheet material retained on said additional chamber in overlapping relationship with the severed end of the sheet material retained on the other of said pair of chambers.

Claim 5

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including means for closing off selected areas of the chamber perforated walls to accommodate sheet materials of different widths.