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US 4,170,347 AGranted
Web pleater
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorRobert B. Lewis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A material transporting device is disclosed wherein a web material is pneumatically moved between mating, irregular louvered surfaces and pleated to exit from the device in a narrowed pattern. Use of the device is particularly directed to rapid handling of scrap web material.
Claims13
A pleating device comprising
- a first air feed plenum having an inlet end and an outlet end
- a transversely irregular surface on the first plenum, flat at the inlet end and progressing over the length of the surface to at least one peak at the outlet end
- a multitude of louvers in the surface on the first plenum, said louvers being from 2 to 15 centimeters long which is less than one-fourth the width of the surface on the first plenum, spaced more than one-fourth and less than three louver lengths apart, and directed toward the outlet end
- a second air feed plenum having an inlet end and an outlet end
- a transversely irregular surface on the second plenum mating with the surface of the first plenum and juxtaposed in a spaced-apart relation thereto;
- a multitude of louvers in the surface on the second plenum, said louvers being from 2 to 15 centimeters long which is less than one-fourth the width of the surface on the second plenum, spaced more than one-fourth and less than three louver lengths apart, and directed toward the outlet end.
3 more elements
A pleating device comprising
- a first air feed plenum having an inlet end and an outlet end
- a fan pleated surface on the first plenum, flat at the inlet end and progressing over the length of the surface to at least one peak at the outlet end
- a multitude of louvers in the surface on the first plenum, said louvers being from 2 to 15 centimeters long which is less than one-fourth the width of the surface on the first plenum, spaced more than one-fourth and less than three louver lengths apart, and directed toward the outlet end
- a second air feed plenum having an inlet end and an outlet end
- a fan pleated surface on the second plenum mating with the surface of the first plenum and juxtaposed in spaced-apart relation thereto
- a multitude of louvers in the surface on the second plenum, said louvers being from 2 to 15 centimeters long which is less than one-fourth the width of the surface on the second plenum, spaced more than one-fourth and less than three louver lengths apart, and directed toward the outlet end.
3 more elements
A web material waste handling apparatus comprising
- a wide web delivery means;
- a web pleating device operatively engaged with the wide web delivery means to receive and collapse wide web material comprising
- a first air feed plenum having an inlet end and an outlet end
- a transversely irregular surface on the first plenum, flat at the inlet end and progressing over the length of the surface to at least one peak at the outlet end
- a multitude of louvers in the surface on the first plenum, said louvers being from 2 to 15 centimeters long which is less than one-fourth the width of the surface on the first plenum, spaced more than one-fourth and less than three louver lengths apart, and directed toward the outlet end
- a second air feed plenum having an inlet end and an outlet end
- a transversely irregular surface on the second plenum mating with the surface of the first plenum and juxtaposed in a spaced-apart relation thereto;
- a multitude of louvers in the surface on the second plenum, said louvers being from 2 to 15 centimeters long which is less than one-fourth the width of the surface on the second plenum, spaced more than one-fourth and less than three louver lengths apart, and directed toward the outlet end.
5 more elements
A process for pleating a moving web of flexible material comprising:
- applying balanced longitudinal pneumatic forces to a wide web of the material over a predetermined length of the web to hold the web under tension while simultaneously
- applying transverse pleating forces to the web under tension over the predetermined length of the web to collapse the wide web into a pleated structure;
- and
- moving the web in the direction of the tension to continually apply balanced longitudinal and transverse forces to the moving web;
- whereby the wide web is continually collapsed to a pleated structure.
2 more elements
A process for pleating a moving web of flexible material comprising
- delivering a web to be pleated to a pleating device having:
- a first air feed plenum with an inlet end, an outlet end, and a transversely irregular surface on the first plenum, flat at the inlet end and progressing over the length of the surface to at least one peak at the outlet end;
- a second air feed plenum with an inlet end, an outlet end, and a transversely irregular surface on the second plenum mating with the surface of the first plenum and juxtaposed in a spaced-apart relation thereto;
- and a multitude of slots with louvered openings in each irregular surface said louvered openings directed toward the outlet ends
- providing gas pressure to the air feed plenums adequate to maintain flow of gas through the slots at a velocity greater than the velocity of the web to exert balanced longitudinal pneumatic forces to the web to hold the web under tension
- applying transverse pleating forces to the web under tension over a predetermined length of the web to collapse the web into a pleated structure
- moving the web through the pleating device in the direction of the tension to continually apply longitudinal and transverse forces to the moving web
- whereby the web is continually collapsed to a pleated structure.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.