Continuous processing apparatus and method for textile fabrics

Claim 1

An apparatus for processing a continuous web of textile fabric, comprising: a. drum oscillatable about an essentially horizontal axis and having an entrance end and an exit end; b. the drum further including a pair of confronting grid structures extending between said ends forming a tumbler chamber having axially extending angularly related walls forming a zone having a depth less than the web of textile fabric and a width greater than the web, the grids being movable on oscillation of the drum between essentially vertically and horizontally related positions; c. a housing surrounding the drum and having entrance and exit walls covering the entrance and exit ends of the drum and forming entrance and exit openings; d. means defining an entrance chamber including the housing entrance wall and communicating through the entrance opening with the interior of the drum; e. means defining an exit chamber including the housing exit wall and communicating through the exit opening with the interior of the drum; f. an entrance drive means positioned to feed a continuous web of textile fabric through the entrance chamber into the drum; g. an exit drive means positioned to withdraw the web from the drum through the exit chamber; h. and means for sychronizing the entrance movement and exit movement of the web to maintain within the drum a length of web in excess of the length of the drum; i. said drum, upon oscillation, causing limited twisting and lateral displacement of the web in opposite directions as the web moves between the entrance and exit ends of the drum.

Claim 2

An apparatus for processing a continuous web of textile fabric, comprising: a. drum oscillatable about an essentially horizontal axis and having an entrance end and an exit end; b. the drum further including a pair of confronting grid structures extending between said ends forming a tumbler chamber having axially extending angularly related walls forming a zone having a depth less than the web of textile fabric and a width greater than the web, the grids being movable on oscillation of the drum between essentially vertically and horizontally related positions; c. a housing surrounding the drum and having entrance and exit walls covering the entrance and exit ends of the drum and forming entrance and exit openings; d. means defining an entrance chamber including the housing entrance wall and communicating through the entrance opening with the interior of the drum; e. means defining an exit chamber including the housing exit wall and communicating through the exit opening with the interior of the drum; f. an entrance drive means positioned to feed a continuous web of textile fabric through the entrance chamber into the drum; g. an exit drive means positioned to withdraw the web from the drum through the exit chamber; h. and means for sychronizing the entrance movement and exit movement of the web to maintain within the drum a length of web in excess of the length of the drum; i. said drum, upon oscillation, causing limited twisting and lateral displacement of the web in opposite directions as the web moves between the entrance and exit ends of the drum.

Claim 9

An apparatus for processing a continuous web of textile fabric, comprising: a. an essentially horizontally disposed drum having an entrance end and an exit end; b. a housing surrounding the drum and enclosing the ends thereof; c. means including the housing forming an entrance chamber having an essentially horizontal inlet opening into the drum; d. means including the housing forming an exit chamber having an essentially horizontal exit opening from the drum; e. synchronized means for moving a web of textile fabric through the entrance chamber, drum, and exit chamber and maintaining a length of web in the drum exceeding the length of the drum to cause the web to fold transversely; f. means for directing air into the entrance and exit chambers at opposite sides of the web and into the extremities of the drum to maintain the web portions at the extremities of the drum in an essentially horizontal position; g. and means for oscillating the drum to cause limited twisting of the web intermediate the end portions of the drum alternately in opposite directions from the horizontal position of the web.

Claim 10

An apparatus for processing a continuous web of textile fabric, comprising: a. an essentially horizontally disposed drum having an entrance end and an exit end; b. a housing surrounding the drum and enclosing the ends thereof; c. means including the housing forming an entrance chamber having an essentially horizontal inlet opening into the drum; d. means including the housing forming an exit chamber having an essentially horizontal exit opening from the drum; e. synchronized means for moving a web of textile fabric through the entrance chamber, drum, and exit chamber and maintaining a length of web in the drum exceeding the length of the drum to cause the web to fold transversely; f. means for directing air into the entrance and exit chambers at opposite sides of the web and into the extremities of the drum to maintain the web portions at the extremities of the drum in an essentially horizontal position; g. and means for oscillating the drum to cause limited twisting of the web intermediate the end portions of the drum alternately in opposite directions from the horizontal position of the web.

Claim 12

A method of processing a continuous web of textile fabric, characterized by: a. continuously feeding a web of textile fabric into an entrance end of a drum, through the drum, and an exit end of the drum; b. maintaining a length of web in the drum exceeding the length of the drum to cause the web to fold transversely; c. oscillating the drum to cause limited twisting of the web in opposite directions while passing through the drum; d. and subjecting the web, at least at one end region of the drum, to laterally distributed fluid impact at opposite sides thereof, thereby tending to maintain the web in said region in an untwisted state.

Claim 13

A method of processing a continuous web of textile fabric, characterized by: a. continuously feeding a web of textile fabric into an entrance end of a drum, through the drum, and an exit end of the drum; b. maintaining a length of web in the drum exceeding the length of the drum to cause the web to fold transversely; c. oscillating the drum to cause limited twisting of the web in opposite directions while passing through the drum; d. and subjecting the web, at least at one end region of the drum, to laterally distributed fluid impact at opposite sides thereof, thereby tending to maintain the web in said region in an untwisted state.

Claim 16

A method of processing a continuous web of textile fabric, characterized by: a. synchronously feeding a web of textile fabric into one end and out the other end of an essentially horizontal treatment chamber; b. maintaining a length of web in the chamber exceeding the length of the chamber thereby to cause the web to fold transversely as the web passes through the chamber; c. maintaining the entering and exiting portions of the web essentially horizontal in a transverse direction; d. causing limited twisting of the web in opposite directions from its transversely horizontal position as the web passes between the ends of the chamber; e. and applying, at the entrance end of the chamber, a fluid distributed across opposite sides of the web to effect suspension of the web and tending to maintain the web in its transversely horizontal position during entry into the chamber.

Claim 17

A method of processing a continuous web of textile fabric, characterized by: a. synchronously feeding a web of textile fabric into one end and out the other end of an essentially horizontal treatment chamber; b. maintaining a length of web in the chamber exceeding the length of the chamber thereby to cause the web to fold transversely as the web passes through the chamber; c. maintaining the entering and exiting portions of the web essentially horizontal in a transverse direction; d. causing limited twisting of the web in opposite directions from its transversely horizontal position as the web passes between the ends of the chamber; e. and applying, at the entrance end of the chamber, a fluid distributed across opposite sides of the web to effect suspension of the web and tending to maintain the web in its transversely horizontal position during entry into the chamber.