Apparatus for applying tape material in continuously advancing sheet material

Claim 2

Apparatus comprising: means for supplying a sheet material, means for continuously advancing said sheet material at a constant speed in a predetermined direction, means for supplying a double sided pressure sensitive adhesive material having one side uncovered and the other side covered by a removable strip of material, means for holding said adhesive material in a stationary position with the longitudinal axis of said adhesive material extending in a direction normal to the direction of movement of said sheet material, said one side facing said sheet material, a transversely extending resilient pad spaced opposite said holding means, said pad being mounted for relatively rapid movements defined by a first movement towards the stationarily held adhesive material to make pressure-transmitting slidable contact with a surface of said sheet material and a second movement away from said adhesive material to disengage from said sheet material surface, and a transversely extending bar mounted to move with said resilient pad such that during said second movement said bar slidably engages a surface of said sheet material to move said sheet material away from said holding means.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for advancing said adhesive material from said adhesive material supplying means, means disposed across the path of said adhesive material for transversely severing said adhesive material into predetermined lengths, and control means responsive to the presence of said adhesive material upon said holding means for the periodic advancing, holding stationary and severing of said adhesive material.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 2 including cutting means for severing a composite of materials comprised of said sheet material and said adhesive material by making transverse cuts along a line through the middle of the adhered adhesive material and along a line midway between a first adhered adhesive material and a successively adhered adhesive material.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 3 including means for sorting and collecting cut sections of said composite of materials.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said cutting means is interconnected with said pad and said sheet material advancing means.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said adhesive material advancing means comprises a conveying surface having suction force effective along a major potion of said surface.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said conveying surface comprises a foraminous conveyor belt mounted upon two spaced apart pulleys, one of said pulleys being driven, a suction housing located between said pulleys and the top and bottom runs of said conveyor belt, said suction housing having rigid walls that define a chamber which communicates by way of a duct with a suction generator, said housing having foraminous top and bottom walls.

Claim 9

Apparatus for adhering to sections of a first sheet material a length of a second sheet material, said apparatus comprising: means for constantly advancing a continuous length of first sheet material in a first direction, means for periodically advancing a continuous length of a second sheet material transverse to said first direction and proximate to said first sheet material, said second sheet material having a first and second adhesive surface, said first adhesive surface being exposed and said second adhesive surface being covered by a removable strip of material, means for severing said second sheet material into strips having a length slightly less than the width of said first sheet material by periodically cutting across the path of advance of said second sheet material, means for periodically and in succession, advancing, positioning and holding stationary a strip of second sheet material transverse to said first direction with the exposed adhesive surface of said strip positioned opposite a surface of said constantly advancing first sheet material, means for in rapid succession, compressing together said positioned strip and said first sheet material in order to form a composite of materials which is temporarily held due to the continuing hold on said strip, releasing the compression and discontinuing the temperary hold upon said composite of materials, and means for severing said composite of materials through the middle of said strip and midway between a first adhered strip and a succeeding one.

Claim 10

Apparatus for adhering to sections of a first sheet material a length of a second sheet material, said apparatus comprising: means for constantly advancing a continuous length of first sheet material in a first direction, means for periodically advancing a continuous length of a second sheet material transverse to said first direction and proximate to said first sheet material, said second sheet material having a first and second adhesive surface, said first adhesive surface being exposed and said second adhesive surface being covered by a removable strip of material, means for severing said second sheet material into strips having a length slightly less than the width of said first sheet material by periodically cutting across the path of advance of said second sheet material, means for periodically and in succession, advancing, positioning and holding stationary a strip of second sheet material transverse to said first direction with the exposed adhesive surface of said strip positioned opposite a surface of said constantly advancing first sheet material, means for in rapid succession, compressing together said positioned strip and said first sheet material in order to form a composite of materials which is temporarily held due to the continuing hold on said strip, releasing the compression and discontinuing the temperary hold upon said composite of materials, and means for severing said composite of materials through the middle of said strip and midway between a first adhered strip and a succeeding one.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said composite of materials severing means is interconnected with said compressing, releasing and discontinuing means.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said constantly advancing means comprises a pair of constant speed pull rolls.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the speed of said pull rolls is maintained by gearing means.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said gearing means is coupled to said composite of materials severing means so that said gearing means maintains the speed of said pull rolls at a constant relationship to the speed of said composite of materials severing means.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said compressing, releasing and discontinuing means comprises a transversely extending resilient pad spaced opposite said advancing, positioning and holding means, said resilient pad being pivotally mounted for a first periodic rapid movement towards the stationarily held strip of second sheet material to make pressure-transmitting slidable contact with a surface of the constantly advancing first sheet material and then a second disengaging movement away from said strip of second sheet material, and a transversely extending bar mounted to move with said resilient pad such that during movement of said resilient pad away from said first sheet material said bar slidably engages a surface of said first sheet material so as to move said first sheet material away from said advancing, positioning and holding means.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said advancing, positioning and holding means comprises a conveying surface having suction force effective along a major portion of its surface.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said conveying surface comprises a continuous foraminous conveyor belt mounted upon two spaced apart pulleys, one of said pulleys being driven, and a suction housing located between said pulleys and the top and bottom runs of said conveyor belt.

Claim 18

Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said suction housing comprises a chamber, said chamber having a perforated top and bottom wall and being provided with a duct which communicates with a suction generator.

Claim 19

Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said compressing, releasing and discontinuing means is synchronized with said constantly advancing means and with said composite of materials severing means.

Claim 20

Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said resilient pad and said bar are supported at end portions of spring steel arms, said arms having intermediate portions that are secured to a pivotally mounted shaft and having opposite end portions that are resiliently mounted so as to bias said resilient pad and said bar away from said strip of second sheet material, said shaft carrying a cam follower that cooperates with a rotatably mounted driven cam to generate the periodic movement of said resilient pad and said bar.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said second sheet material severing means is controlled by a pair of photoeyes.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said advancing, positioning and holding means is controlled by two pairs of photoeyes.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plane of said first sheet material is kept out of contact with the plane of the leading edge of said second sheet material, during the time when said strip of second sheet material is being compressed to said first sheet material, by spacers which project vertically above said conveyor surface.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising means for sorting the severed composite of materials into batches having like-facing strips of second sheet material.