Means to selectively wet web material

Claim 2

Apparatus for dispensing a web-material in either a wetted or dry condition comprising: a housing having a supply of said material therein and including a slotted aperture through which said material is dispensed, and a movable cover member; means to guide said material in a given path from said supply through said aperture; a supply of wetting agent disposed in said housing and comprising a continuous web-support and frangible pods spacedly carried along the longitudinal extent thereof and wetting agent contained in said pods; means to feed and guide said support and pods in a path at least in part longitudinally coextensive with and closely adjacent to said material; each said means to guide including a stripper element disposed to guide said material and said support into diverse paths after travel in said coextensive path; each said means to guide further comprising a back-up member for said material at said coextensive path; said means to feed including means to index said support whereby to locate a frangible pod in the plane of said back-up member and its area of fracture contiguous said material; a pressure plate disposed in the plane of said back-up member and on the side of said support remote from said pod; means biasing said pressure plate so as to compress said frangible pod between said plate and back-up member so as to effect fracture of said pod; and means to feed said material across said fractured pod whereby to effect wetting of the material.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said pod comprises a frangible cover membrane and the wetting agent is contained in an absorbent mass closed by said membrane.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said slotted aperture substantially conforms to the configuration of the wetted material whereby to maintain said housing substantially sealed.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein the cover member is hinged and includes a locking element.

Claim 6

In apparatus for selectively and sequentially wetting incremental sections of material, the improvement comprising: means for guiding such incremental sections of material along a given path; means for storing a plurality of pods, each containing a quantity of fluid sufficient to wet one such incremental section of material; means for selectively advancing such pods along a path convergent with respect to said given path to sequentially position such pods adjacent a lateral edge of a respective such incremental section of material; means for selectively opening each such pod and engaging such opened pod against the adjacent lateral edge of one such incremental section of material to effect contact between the body of fluid initially sealed therein and such lateral edge of such one incremental section of material; and means for distributing such fluid over the length of such one section including means for effecting relative motion between such open pod and such one incremental section of material in a direction generally parallel with the longitudinal axis of such one section to facilitate the wetting of the entire area of such one incremental section with such fluid.

Claim 7

In apparatus for selectively and sequentially wetting incremental sections of material, the improvement comprising: means for guiding such incremental sections of material along a given path; means for storing a plurality of pods, each containing a quantity of fluid sufficient to wet one such incremental section of material; means for selectively advancing such pods along a path convergent with respect to said given path to sequentially position such pods adjacent a lateral edge of a respective such incremental section of material; means for selectively opening each such pod and engaging such opened pod against the adjacent lateral edge of one such incremental section of material to effect contact between the body of fluid initially sealed therein and such lateral edge of such one incremental section of material; and means for distributing such fluid over the length of such one section including means for effecting relative motion between such open pod and such one incremental section of material in a direction generally parallel with the longitudinal axis of such one section to facilitate the wetting of the entire area of such one incremental section with such fluid.

Claim 8

The improvement of claim 5 wherein each such pod is adapted to be opened responsive to a predetermined compressive force being applied thereagainst and said opening and engaging means includes means for exerting such a predetermined compressive force against such one pod.

Claim 9

The improvemeNt of claim 5 wherein a plurality of such incremental sections of material are interleaved one to the other.

Claim 10

The improvement of claim 5 wherein each such pod includes a fluid impregnated applicator and a fluid impervious membrane adapted to be selectively removed therefrom to effect the opening of such pod and to expose such applicator whereby it may be pressed against at least one of such incremental sections of material.

Claim 11

The improvement of claim 5 wherein said relative motion effecting means comprises means for precluding movement of such opened pod while such one incremental section of material is advanced thereacross.

Claim 12

The improvement of claim 5 wherein said relative motion effecting means comprises means for precluding movement of such one incremental section of material while such opened pod is advanced thereacross.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 5 including means for storing each such pod following distribution of its liquid, and wherein said means for advancing such pods along said convergent path includes means for selectively advancing each such pod along a path divergent from said given path and to said storing means following distribution of its fluid.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said means for advancing such pods along said convergent and divergent paths includes means for advancing one such pod along said divergent path away from said material while advancing a next succeeding pod along said convergent path into engagement with said material.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said means for advancing such pods includes means for advancing each such pod along a path divergent from such material following distribution of its liquid over such incremental section while another such pod is advanced along said convergent path into position adjacent the next succeeding incremental section of such material.

Claim 16

Apparatus for selectively and sequentially wetting sections of an elongated strip of material, comprising: means for guiding such elongated strip of material along a given path; and means for sequentially fracturing pods of a wetting agent against such material, for retaining each such fractured pod against such strip of material while an incremental section of such strip of material is advanced longitudinally thereacross to effect its wetting with such agent, and means for removing each such fractured pod from contact with such material following advancement of such incremental section thereof including means for repetitively indexing a continuous web support on which a plurality of frangible pods are spacedly positioned longitudinally therealong, each such pod containing a quantity of such wetting agent sufficient to wet one such incremental section of such material, along a given path to sequentially position such pods against and subsequently remove such pods from contact with such material.

Claim 17

Apparatus for selectively and sequentially wetting sections of an elongated strip of material, comprising: means for guiding such elongated strip of material along a given path; and means for sequentially fracturing pods of a wetting agent against such material, for retaining each such fractured pod against such strip of material while an incremental section of such strip of material is advanced longitudinally thereacross to effect its wetting with such agent, and means for removing each such fractured pod from contact with such material following advancement of such incremental section thereof including means for repetitively indexing a continuous web support on which a plurality of frangible pods are spacedly positioned longitudinally therealong, each such pod containing a quantity of such wetting agent sufficient to wet one such incremental section of such material, along a given path to sequentially position such pods against and subsequently remove such pods from contact with such material.

Claim 18

Apparatus for dispensing a wetted material comprising: a housing having a slotted aperture provided therethrough; means within said housing for mounting a supply of such material in a substantially dry condition; means within said housing for mounting a supply of a continuous web support on which a plurality of frangible pods are spacedly positioned longitudinally therealong, each such pod containing a wetting agent suitable for wetting of such material following fracture of such pod; means within said housing for storing such fractured pod and its attached portions of such web support; means for guiding such material along a given path within said housing from its initial position therein through said aperture; and means for sequentially fracturing such pods against such material, for retaining each such fractured pod against such strip of material while an incremental section of such strip of material is longitudinally advanced thereacross to effect its wetting with such agent, and for subsequently storing such pods in said storage means including means for indexing said web support aLong a given path within said housing to sequentially position each of such pods against such material and subsequently advance each of such pods to said storage means.

Claim 19

Apparatus for dispensing a wetted material comprising: a housing having a slotted aperture provided therethrough; means within said housing for mounting a supply of such material in a substantially dry condition; means within said housing for mounting a supply of a continuous web support on which a plurality of frangible pods are spacedly positioned longitudinally therealong, each such pod containing a wetting agent suitable for wetting of such material following fracture of such pod; means within said housing for storing such fractured pod and its attached portions of such web support; means for guiding such material along a given path within said housing from its initial position therein through said aperture; and means for sequentially fracturing such pods against such material, for retaining each such fractured pod against such strip of material while an incremental section of such strip of material is longitudinally advanced thereacross to effect its wetting with such agent, and for subsequently storing such pods in said storage means including means for indexing said web support aLong a given path within said housing to sequentially position each of such pods against such material and subsequently advance each of such pods to said storage means.

Claim 20

In apparatus for selectively wetting sections of an elongated strip of material, the improvement comprising: means for guiding such elongated strip of material along a given path whereby incremental sections of such strip of material may be selectively sequentially advanced lengthwise across a given point; means for storing a plurality of pods, each containing a quantity of fluid sufficient to wet one such incremental section of such strip of material, such pods adapted to make such fluid available exteriorly thereof responsive to a compressive force being applied thereagainst; means for selectively advancing such pods along a path convergent with respect to said given path, to sequentially position such pods adjacent said given point so that when such a force is applied to the one such pod located in such position the body of such fluid initially sealed therein will come into contact with the leading edge of one such incremental section of such elongated strip of material, for at least temporarily retaining each such pod in position after such body of fluid stored therein has contacted such strip of material a sufficient period of time to permit one such incremental section of such strip of material to be longitudinally advanced thereacross to effect the wetting of its entire area with such fluid, and for subsequently advancing such pods along a path divergent from said given path; and means for exerting a compressive force against each such pod when disposed in said position.

Claim 21

In apparatus for selectively wetting sections of an elongated strip of material, the improvement comprising: means for guiding such elongated strip of material along a given path whereby incremental sections of such strip of material may be selectively sequentially advanced lengthwise across a given point; means for storing a plurality of pods, each containing a quantity of fluid sufficient to wet one such incremental section of such strip of material, such pods adapted to make such fluid available exteriorly thereof responsive to a compressive force being applied thereagainst; means for selectively advancing such pods along a path convergent with respect to said given path, to sequentially position such pods adjacent said given point so that when such a force is applied to the one such pod located in such position the body of such fluid initially sealed therein will come into contact with the leading edge of one such incremental section of such elongated strip of material, for at least temporarily retaining each such pod in position after such body of fluid stored therein has contacted such strip of material a sufficient period of time to permit one such incremental section of such strip of material to be longitudinally advanced thereacross to effect the wetting of its entire area with such fluid, and for subsequently advancing such pods along a path divergent from said given path; and means for exerting a compressive force against each such pod when disposed in said position.

Claim 22

In apparatus for selectively and sequentially wetting incremental sections of an elongated strip of material, the improvement comprising: a housing having a slotted aperture provided therethrough; means within said housing for mounting a supply of such material and a supply of a continuous web support on which a plurality of frangible pods are spacedly positioned therealong, each such pod containing a wetting agent in sufficient quantity to wet one such incremental section of such strip of material; means for guiding such material along a first given path within said housing from its initial position therein through said aperture; means for guiding such web support along a second given path within said housing, said support guide means serving to position a longitudinal section of such web support closely adjacent a longitudinal section of such material at a selected location within said housing as such web support is disposed along its said given path with the side of such web support on which such pods are mounted facing such material; and means for sequentially fracturing such pods against such material and for at least temporarily restraining movement of such web support along its said second path so as to retain each such fractured pod in position against said material a sufficient period of time to permit one such incremental section of such strip of material to be advanced longitudinally thereacross to effect the wetting of its entire area with such fluid including means for indexing such web support along its said given path within said housing to sequentially position such pods against selected longitudinal sections of such materials.

Claim 23

In apparatus for selectively and sequentially wetting incremental sections of an elongated strip of material, the improvement comprising: a housing having a slotted aperture provided therethrough; means within said housing for mounting a supply of such material and a supply of a continuous web support on which a plurality of frangible pods are spacedly positioned therealong, each such pod containing a wetting agent in sufficient quantity to wet one such incremental section of such strip of material; means for guiding such material along a first given path within said housing from its initial position therein through said aperture; means for guiding such web support along a second given path within said housing, said support guide means serving to position a longitudinal section of such web support closely adjacent a longitudinal section of such material at a selected location within said housing as such web support is disposed along its said given path with the side of such web support on which such pods are mounted facing such material; and means for sequentially fracturing such pods against such material and for at least temporarily restraining movement of such web support along its said second path so as to retain each such fractured pod in position against said material a sufficient period of time to permit one such incremental section of such strip of material to be advanced longitudinally thereacross to effect the wetting of its entire area with such fluid including means for indexing such web support along its said given path within said housing to sequentially position such pods against selected longitudinal sections of such materials.