Apparatus for contacting a roller to a surface to be contacted

Claim 2

Apparatus for contacting a roller to a surface to be contacted comprising: a. a carriage comprising right and left spaced apart sideboards; b. a mount on the carriage, the mount comprising left and right spaced apart side plates within the carriage sideboards, the mount side plates being pivotally connected to the sideboards, wherein the mount pivots about an axis parallel to a surface to be contacted and perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the carriage and the mount; c. at least one roller rotatably mounted to the mount to permit the roller to pivot in a plane perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the roller, and about an axis parallel to the surface to be contacted; d. pivot stop means carried by the carriage sideboards to stop the downward pivot of the mount and the roller at a predetermined position when the roller is not over the surface to be contacted; e. drive means for advancing the carriage, the mount and the roller into contact with the surface to be contacted; f. force means carried by the carriage for applying a downward force over and above gravitational force to the mount and thereby to the roller when the surface of the roller is in contact with the surface to be contacted; and g. beveled ramps adjacent to, and in the direction of advancement of the roller, prior to the surface to be contacted to permit the roller to contact the beveled ramps to gradually raise the roller to the elevation of the top of the surface to be contacted to permit the roller to pass across the surface to be contacted, the beveled ramps at the same time gradually raising the mount off the pivot stop means.

Claim 3

Apparatus for contacting a roller to a surface to be contacted comprising: a. a carriage comprising right and left spaced apart sideboards; b. a mount on the carriage, the mount comprising left and right spaced apart side plates within the carriage sideboards and a crossbeam connecting the side plates, each end of the crossbeam being connected to a side plate by a dowel rigidly connected to the side plate and loosely coupled to the cross beam, the mount side plates being pivotally connected to the sideboards, wherein the mount pivots about an axis parallel to a surface to be contacted and perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the carriage and the mount; c. at least one roller rotatably mounted to the mount to permit the roller to pivot in a plane perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the roller and about an axis parallel to the surface to be contacted; d. drive means for advancing the carriage, the mount and the roller into contact with the surface to be contacted; and e. force means carried by said carriage and adapted to apply a downward force over and above gravitational force to the crossbeam and thereby to the mount and roller when the surface of the roller is in contact with the surface to be contacted.

Claim 4

Apparatus for contacting a roller to a surface to be contacted comprising: a. a carriage comprising right and left spaced apart sideboards; b. a mount on the carriage, the mount comprising left and right spaced apart side plates within the carriage sideboards and a crossbeam connecting the side plates, each end of the crossbeam being connected to a side plate by a dowel rigidly connected to the side plate and loosely coupled to the cross beam, the mount side plates being pivotally connected to the sideboards, wherein the mount pivots about an axis parallel to a surface to be contacted and perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the carriage and the mount; c. at least one roller rotatably mounted to the mount to permit the roller to pivot in a plane perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the roller and about an axis parallel to the surface to be contacted; d. drive means for advancing the carriage, the mount and the roller into contact with the surface to be contacted; and e. force means carried by said carriage and adapted to apply a downward force over and above gravitational force to the crossbeam and thereby to the mount and roller when the surface of the roller is in contact with the surface to be contacted.

Claim 5

Apparatus for contacting a roller to a surface to be contacted comprising: a. a carriage comprising right and left spaced apart sideboards, the carriage being mounted on guide rails for advancement over the surface to be contacted; b. a mount on the carriage, the mount comprising left and right spaced apart side plates within the carriage sideboards, the mount side plates being pivotally connected to the sideboards, wherein the mount pivots about an axis parallel to the surface to be contacted and perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the carriage and the mount; c. at least one roller rotatably mounted to the mount to permit the roller to pivot in a plane perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the roller and about an axis parallel to the surface to be contacted; d. drive means for advancing the carriage, the mount and the roller into contact with the surface to be contacted; e. force means carried by the carriage for applying a downward force over and above gravitational force to the mount and thereby to the roller when the surface of the roller is in contact with the surface to be contacted; and f. auxiliary drive means for rotating the roller when the roller passes over the surface to be contacted, independent of the rotation forces that may be imparted to the roller by surface contact of the roller to a surface to be contacted comprising a roughened track adjacent to and in the direction of advancement of the roller along the surface to be contacted, and a disc, the shaft of the roller passing through the center of the disc to secure it in non-slipping contact to the shaft, the surface of the disc being in frictional contact with the roughened track.

Claim 6

Apparatus for contacting a roller to a surface to be contacted comprising: a. a carriage comprising right and left spaced apart sideboards, the carriage being mounted on guide rails for advancement over the surface to be contacted; b. a mount on the carriage, the mount comprising left and right spaced apart side plates within the carriage sideboards, the mount side plates being pivotally connected to the sideboards, wherein the mount pivots about an axis parallel to the surface to be contacted and perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the carriage and the mount; c. at least one roller rotatably mounted to the mount to permit the roller to pivot in a plane perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the roller and about an axis parallel to the surface to be contacted; d. drive means for advancing the carriage, the mount and the roller into contact with the surface to be contacted; e. force means carried by the carriage for applying a downward force over and above gravitational force to the mount and thereby to the roller when the surface of the roller is in contact with the surface to be contacted; and f. auxiliary drive means for rotating the roller when the roller passes over the surface to be contacted, independent of the rotation forces that may be imparted to the roller by surface contact of the roller to a surface to be contacted comprising a roughened track adjacent to and in the direction of advancement of the roller along the surface to be contacted, and a disc, the shaft of the roller passing through the center of the disc to secure it in non-slipping contact to the shaft, the surface of the disc being in frictional contact with the roughened track.

Claim 7

Apparatus for contacting a roller to a surface to be contacted comprising: a. a carriage comprising left and right spaced apart sideboards; b. a mount on the carriage, the mount comprising left and right spaced apart side plates within the carriage sideboards and a crossbeam connecting the side plates, each end of the crossbeam being connected to a side plate by a dowel rigidly connected to the side plate and loosely coupled to the crossbeam, the mount side plates being pivotally connected to the sideboards, wherein the mount pivots about an axis parallel to the surface to be contacted and perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the carriage and the mount; c. at least one roller rotatably mounted to the mount to permit the roller to pivot in a plane perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the roller and about an axis parallel to the surface to be contacted; d. drive means for advancing the carriage, the mount and the roller into contact with the surface to be contacted; e. pivot stop means carried by the carriage sideboards to stop the downward pivot of the mount and the roller at a predetermined position when the roller is not over the surface to be contacted; f. force means carried by the carriage for applying a downward force, over and above, gravitational force to the crossbeam and thereby to the mount and the roller when the surface of the roller is in contact with the surface to be contacted; and g. beveled ramps adjacent to and, in the direction of advancement of the roller, prior to the surface to be contacted to permit the roller to contact the beveled ramps to gradually raise the roller to the elevation of the top of the surface to be contacted to permit the roller to pass across the surface to be contacted, the beveled ramps at the same time gradually raising the mount off the pivot stop means.

Claim 8

Apparatus for contacting a roller to a surface to be contacted comprising: a. a carriage comprising left and right spaced apart sideboards; b. a mount on the carriage, the mount comprising left and right spaced apart side plates within the carriage sideboards and a crossbeam connecting the side plates, each end of the crossbeam being connected to a side plate by a dowel rigidly connected to the side plate and loosely coupled to the crossbeam, the mount side plates being pivotally connected to the sideboards, wherein the mount pivots about an axis parallel to the surface to be contacted and perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the carriage and the mount; c. at least one roller rotatably mounted to the mount to permit the roller to pivot in a plane perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the roller and about an axis parallel to the surface to be contacted; d. drive means for advancing the carriage, the mount and the roller into contact with the surface to be contacted; e. pivot stop means carried by the carriage sideboards to stop the downward pivot of the mount and the roller at a predetermined position when the roller is not over the surface to be contacted; f. force means carried by the carriage for applying a downward force, over and above, gravitational force to the crossbeam and thereby to the mount and the roller when the surface of the roller is in contact with the surface to be contacted; and g. beveled ramps adjacent to and, in the direction of advancement of the roller, prior to the surface to be contacted to permit the roller to contact the beveled ramps to gradually raise the roller to the elevation of the top of the surface to be contacted to permit the roller to pass across the surface to be contacted, the beveled ramps at the same time gradually raising the mount off the pivot stop means.