Apparatus for moving, handling and mounting attachments onto a length of flexible material

An apparatus to be used in conjunction with mass production machinery for moving and handling flexible tubing comprising:

• a. a stationary two part sandwich structure comprising a first section and a second section;
• b. said first section containing an internal groove beginning at a first opening and ending at a second opening, with both the first and second openings located on the same face of the first section and spaced apart from each other;
• c. one extremity of said internal groove protruding through the surface of said first section which is adjacent and comes in contact with a surface of said second section when the two sections of the two part sandwich structure are placed together to form the sandwich, such that the adjoining surface of said second section forms one wall of said internal groove;
• d. the cross-sectional size of said internal groove in said two part sandwich structure being only slightly larger than the cross-sectional size of the flexible tubing to be moved and handled;
• e. a multiplicity of gripping members located on the mass production machine, each of which contains a pair of moving jaws disposed adjacent opposite sides of each gripping member to form first and second moving jaws;
• f. each moving jaw and the adjacent portion of a gripping member forming the opening of an internal groove which extends through the entire thickness of said gripping member to thereby form a first groove and a second groove in each gripping member;
• g. the distance between the first and the second internal grooves in each gripping member being equal to the distance between said first opening and said second opening in said two part sandwich structure such that a respective groove in the gripping member and a respective opening of the groove in the two part sandwich structure are aligned when a gripping member is brought into alignment with the two part sandwich structure;
• and
• h. each of said gripping members being movable on said mass production machine such that a respective one of said gripping members can be brought into alignment with said stationary sandwich structure at any given time;
• i. whereby a tube feeding apparatus can be caused to push flexible tubing through the first groove in said gripping member, into the first opening of said two part sandwich structure, through the internal groove in said two part sandwich structure, out the second opening in said two part sandwich structure and through the second groove in said gripping member, and to cut the flexible tubing just ahead of the first groove in the gripping member, to thereby permit the flexible tubing to be moved and handled in the mass production machine.

An apparatus to be used in conjunction with mass production machinery for moving and handling flexible tubing comprising:

• a. a stationary two part sandwich structure comprising a first section and a second section;
• b. said first section containing an internal groove beginning at a first opening and ending at a second opening, with both the first and second openings located on the same face of the first section and spaced apart from each other;
• c. one extremity of said internal groove protruding through the surface of said first section which is adjacent and comes in contact with a surface of said second section when the two sections of the two part sandwich structure are placed together to form the sandwich, such that the adjoining surface of said second section forms one wall of said internal groove;
• d. the cross-sectional size of said internal groove in said two part sandwich structure being only slightly larger than the cross-sectional size of the flexible tubing to be moved and handled;
• e. a multiplicity of gripping members located on the mass production machine, each of which contains a pair of moving jaws disposed adjacent opposite sides of each gripping member to form first and second moving jaws;
• f. each moving jaw and the adjacent portion of a gripping member forming the opening of an internal groove which extends through the entire thickness of said gripping member to thereby form a first groove and a second groove in each gripping member;
• g. said pair of moving jaws on each gripping member forming a first moving jaw which serves to open and close the opening to the first groove in said gripping member and a second moving jaw which serves to open and close the opening to the second groove in said gripping member;
• h. the distance between the first and the second internal grooves in each gripping member being equal to the distance between said first opening and said second opening in said two part sandwich structure such that a respective groove in the gripping member and a respective opening of the groove in the two part sandwich structure are aligned when a gripping member is brought into alignment with the two part sandwich structure;
• i. each of said gripping members being movable on said mass production machine such that a respective one of said gripping members can be brought into alignment with said stationary sandwich structure at any given time;
• j. a multiplicity of tube receiving members located on the mass production machine, each of which is in alignment with a respective one of said gripping members and spaced apart from the gripping member to permit the stationary sandwich structure to come between a gripping member and a tube receiving means when they are brought into alignment with said two part sandwich structure;
• k. mechanical actuating means to permit said first section to be separated from said second section;
• l. a jaw opening means located on the mass production machine;
• m. said jaw opening means containing three settings which can cause said first moving jaw and said second moving jaw to be set in one of three positions, closed, cracked-open and open;
• and
• n. a tube sensing means which is in alignment with said internal groove in said two part sandwich structure and is adjacent said second opening in said two part sandwich structure;
• o. whereby when said jaw opening means causes said first and second jaws to be in the cracked-open position, a tube feeding apparatus can be caused to push flexible tubing through the first groove in said gripping member, into the first opening of said two part sandwich structure, through the internal groove in said two part sandwich structure, out the second opening in said two part sandwich structure and through the second groove in said gripping member and when said tube sensing means detects said flexible tubing, said second movable jaw is caused to move to the closed position to grip the leading end of the flexible tubing while said first jaw remains in the cracked open position and said mechanical actuating means causes said first section of said two part sandwich to be separated from the second section of the two part sandwich to thereby permit additional lengths of flexible tubing to be fed and to slide between the separate sandwich sections and slide into the tube receiving means until a predetermined amount of flexible tubing has been fed.

An apparatus to be used in conjunction with mass production machinery for moving and handling flexible material comprising:

• a. a two part sandwich structure comprising an upper section and a lower section;
• b. said upper section containing an internal groove beginning at a first opening and ending at a second opening, with both the first and second openings located on the front face of the upper section and spaced apart from each other;
• c. the lower extremity of said groove protruding through the lower surface of said upper section such that the upper surface of said lower section forms the wall of the lowermost portion of said groove;
• and
• d. the cross-sectional size of said groove being only slightly larger than the cross-sectional size of the flexible material to be placed into the groove;
• e. whereby said flexible material can be pushed through said groove thereby permitting said flexible material to be also pushed through components to be attached onto the flexible material and also permitting said flexible material to be pushed through gripping members which can hold the flexible material and permit objects to be placed on the ends of the flexible material.

An apparatus to be used in conjunction with mass production machinery for moving and handling flexible material comprising:

• a. a stationary two part sandwich structure comprising a first section and a second section;
• b. said first section containing an internal groove beginning at a first opening and ending at a second opening, with both the first and second openings located on the same face of the first section and spaced apart from each other;
• c. one extremity of said internal groove protruding through the surface of said first section which is adjacent and comes in contact with a surface of said second section when the two sections of the two part sandwich structure are placed together to form the sandwich, such that the adjoining surface of said second section forms one wall of said internal groove;
• d. the cross-sectional size of said internal groove in said two part sandwich structure being only slightly larger than the cross-sectional size of the flexible material to be moved and handled;
• e. a multiplicity of gripping members located on the mass production machine, each of which contains a pair of moving jaws disposed adjacent opposite sides of each gripping member to form first and second moving jaws;
• f. each moving jaw and the adjacent portion of a gripping member forming the opening of an internal groove which extends through the entire thickness of said gripping member to thereby form a first groove and a second groove in each gripping member;
• g. the distance between the first and the second internal grooves in each gripping member being equal to the distance between said first opening and said second opening in said two part sandwich structure such that a respective groove in the gripping member and a respective opening of the groove in the two part sandwich structure are aligned when a gripping member is brought into alignment with the two part sandwich structure;
• and
• h. each of said gripping members being movable on said mass production machine such that a respective one of said gripping members can be brought into alignment with said stationary sandwich structure at any given time;
• i. whereby a flexible material feeding apparatus can be caused to push flexible material tubing through the first groove in said gripping member, into the first opening of said two part sandwich structure, through the internal groove in said two part sandwich structure, out the second opening in said two part sandwich structure and through the second groove in said gripping member, and to cut the flexible material just ahead of the first groove in the gripping member, to thereby permit the flexible material to be moved and handled in the mass production machine.

An apparatus to be used in conjunction with mass production machinery for moving and handling flexible material comprising:

• a. a stationary two part sandwich structure comprising a first section and a second section;
• b. said first section containing an internal groove beginning at a first opening and ending at a second opening, with both the first and second openings located on the same face of the first section and spaced apart from each other;
• c. one extremity of said internal groove protruding through the surface of said first section which is adjacent and comes in contact with a surface of said second section when the two sections of the two part sandwich structure are placed together to form the sandwich, such that the adjoining surface of said second section forms one wall of said internal groove;
• d. the cross-sectional size of said internal groove in said two part sandwich structure being only slightly larger than the cross-sectional size of the flexible material to be moved and handled;
• e. a multiplicity of gripping members located on the mass production machine, each of which contains a pair of moving jaws disposed adjacent opposite sides of each gripping member to form first and second moving jaws;
• f. each moving jaw and the adjacent portion of a gripping member forming the opening of an internal groove which extends through the entire thickness of said gripping member to thereby form a first groove and a second groove in each gripping member;
• g. said pair of moving jaws on each gripping member forming a first moving jaw which serves to open and close the opening to the first groove in said gripping member and a second moving jaw which serves to open and close the opening to the second groove in said gripping member;
• h. the distance between the first and the second internal grooves in each gripping member being equal to the distance between said first opening and said second opening in said two part sandwich structure such that a respective groove in the gripping member and a respective opening of the groove in the two part sandwich structure are aligned when a gripping member is brought into alignment with the two part sandwich structure;
• i. each of said gripping members being movable on said mass production machine such that a respective one of said gripping members can be brought into alignment with said stationary sandwich structure at any given time;
• j. a multiplicity of flexible material receiving members located on the mass production machine, each of which is in alignment with a respective one of said gripping members and spaced apart from the gripping member to permit the stationary sandwich structure come between a gripping member and a flexible material receiving means when they are brought into alignment with said two part sandwich structure;
• k. mechanical actuating means to permit said first section to be separated from said second section;
• l. a jaw opening means located on the mass production machine;
• m. said jaw opening means containing three settings which can cause said first moving jaw and said second moving jaw to be set in one of three positions, closed, cracked-open and open;
• and
• n. a flexible material sensing means which is in alignment with said internal groove in said two part sandwich structure and is adjacent said second opening in said two part sandwich structure;
• o. whereby when said jaw opening means causes said first and second jaws to be in the cracked-open position, a flexible material feeding apparatus can be caused to push flexible material through the first groove in said gripping member, into the first opening of said two part sandwich structure, through the internal groove in said two part sandwich structure, out the second opening in said two part sandwich structure and through the second groove in said gripping member and when said flexible material sensing means detects said flexible material, said second movable jaw is caused to move to the closed position to grip the leading end of the flexible material while said first jaw remains in the cracked open position and said mechanical actuating means causes said first section of said two part sandwich to be separated from the second section of the two part sandwich to thereby permit additional lengths of flexible material to be fed and to slide between the separate sandwich sections and slide into the flexible material receiving means until a predetermined amount of flexible material has been fed.