Method of and apparatus for handling material

Claim 2

A material handling method including, in sequence, the steps of: moving a material having a thickened bead along each of its lateral edges along a first path by first moving means; slitting said material as it is moved along said first path to separate said beads from said material and to form a web; moving the web in a second path by second moving means; increasing the amount of web left attached to the beads and severing the web to reform the material; and, moving the material along the first path by the first moving means.

Claim 3

A material handling method including, in sequence, the steps of: moving a material having a thickened bead along each of its lateral edges along a first path by first moving means; slitting the material as it moves by material slitting means to separate the beads therefrom and thereby form a web; movinG the beads and the web in the first path by the first moving means; engaging the web by second moving means; moving the web along a second path by the second moving means; moving web severing means into operative association with the material; moving the material slitting means out of operative association with the material; moving the web severing means inwardly of the outer edges of the material to sever the web as it moves in the second path thereby to disconnect the web from the second moving means; moving the beads and the part of the web connected to each bead in the first path by the first moving means as and after the web is severed; moving the web severing means out of operative relationship with the material; and moving the material along the first path by the first moving means.

Claim 4

A material handling method including, in sequence, the steps of: moving a material having a thickened bead along each of its lateral edges along a first path by first moving means; slitting the material as it moves by material slitting means to separate the beads therefrom and thereby form a web; movinG the beads and the web in the first path by the first moving means; engaging the web by second moving means; moving the web along a second path by the second moving means; moving web severing means into operative association with the material; moving the material slitting means out of operative association with the material; moving the web severing means inwardly of the outer edges of the material to sever the web as it moves in the second path thereby to disconnect the web from the second moving means; moving the beads and the part of the web connected to each bead in the first path by the first moving means as and after the web is severed; moving the web severing means out of operative relationship with the material; and moving the material along the first path by the first moving means.

Claim 5

The material handling method of claim 2 wherein the web severing means operatively engages each bead between its inner and outer edges prior to moving inwardly to sever the web.

Claim 6

The method of claim 2 including the step of detecting a defect in the material by material defect detecting means as it moves and before it reaches the web severing means.

Claim 7

The method of claim 4 wherein the web severing means are moved inwardly prior to the material defect reaching such web severing means.

Claim 8

The method of claim 4 wherein the web severing means completely severs the web prior to the material defect reaching such web severing means.

Claim 9

In a method of handling a material having a thickened bead along each of its lateral edges, which beads are slit from the material to form a web and are moved in a first path to a scrap recovery area while the web is moved in a second path to a second work area, wherein the web is diverted from the second path upon occurrence of a discontinuity in the material before it arrives at a location for slitting the beads from the material to form such web, the steps comprising: engaging the material with material slitting and severing knives and slitting the beads from the edges of the material to form the web; moving the beads in the first path to a scrap recovery; moving the web in the second path to the second work station; sensing a discontinuity in the material as it approaches the material slitting location and providing a signal indicative of the presence of such discontinuity; the signal actuating a control to cause the material slitting and severing knives to traverse inwardly from each edge of the material toward the center, widening the beads and thereby diverting a progressively larger portion of the material to the scrap recovery area; and as the material slitting and severing knives reach a location substantially in the center of the material, retracting the knives from engagement with the material and moving the full, unslit material to the scrap recovery.

Claim 10

In a method of handling a material having a thickened bead along each of its lateral edges, which beads are slit from the material to form a web and are moved in a first path to a scrap recovery area while the web is moved in a second path to a second work area, wherein the web is diverted from the second path upon occurrence of a discontinuity in the material before it arrives at a location for slitting the beads from the material to form such web, the steps comprising: engaging the material with material slitting and severing knives and slitting the beads from the edges of the material to form the web; moving the beads in the first path to a scrap recovery; moving the web in the second path to the second work station; sensing a discontinuity in the material as it approaches the material slitting location and providing a signal indicative of the presence of such discontinuity; the signal actuating a control to cause the material slitting and severing knives to traverse inwardly from each edge of the material toward the center, widening the beads and thereby diverting a progressively larger portion of the material to the scrap recovery area; and as the material slitting and severing knives reach a location substantially in the center of the material, retracting the knives from engagement with the material and moving the full, unslit material to the scrap recovery.

Claim 11

A material handling method including, in sequence, the steps of: moving the material having a thickened bead along each of its lateral edges along a first path by first moving means; slitting the material as it moves by material slitting and web severing means to separate the beads therefrom and thereby form a web; moving the beads and the web in the first path by the first moving means and into a shredder; engaging the web by second moving means; moving the web along a second path by the second moving means; detecting a defect in the web by web defect detecting means as it moves in the second path and before it reaches the material slitting and web severing means; moving the material slitting and web severing means inwardly of the outer edges of the material to sever the web as it moves in a second path thereby to disconnect the web from the second moving means; moving the beads and the part of the web connected to each bead in the first path as and after the web is severed by the first moving means; moving the material slitting and web severing means out of operative rElationship with the material; and moving the material along the first path by the first moving means.

Claim 12

A material handling method including, in sequence, the steps of: moving the material having a thickened bead along each of its lateral edges along a first path by first moving means; slitting the material as it moves by material slitting and web severing means to separate the beads therefrom and thereby form a web; moving the beads and the web in the first path by the first moving means and into a shredder; engaging the web by second moving means; moving the web along a second path by the second moving means; detecting a defect in the web by web defect detecting means as it moves in the second path and before it reaches the material slitting and web severing means; moving the material slitting and web severing means inwardly of the outer edges of the material to sever the web as it moves in a second path thereby to disconnect the web from the second moving means; moving the beads and the part of the web connected to each bead in the first path as and after the web is severed by the first moving means; moving the material slitting and web severing means out of operative rElationship with the material; and moving the material along the first path by the first moving means.

Claim 13

Apparatus for handling material including: first moving means for moving material having a thickened bead along each of its lateral edges from a supply source along a first path to a first work station; means for separating the beads from the material thereby to form a web in the material as it moves; second moving means for moving the web in a second path to a second work station with the beads moving in the first path to the first work station; means for increasing the amount of web left attached to the beads and means for severing the web as it moves thereby to form the material again; and the first moving means moving the formed material along the first path and to the first work station again.

Claim 14

Apparatus for handling material including: first moving means for moving material having a thickened bead along each of its lateral edges from a supply source along a first path to a first work station; means for separating the beads from the material thereby to form a web in the material as it moves; second moving means for moving the web in a second path to a second work station with the beads moving in the first path to the first work station; means for increasing the amount of web left attached to the beads and means for severing the web as it moves thereby to form the material again; and the first moving means moving the formed material along the first path and to the first work station again.