Apparatus for joining together the opposite ends of a belt-shaped member

In an apparatus for joining together the two opposite ends of an elongated, belt-forming member during a belt-forming operation, each end of said belt-forming member comprising a center portion interposed between two side portions, the belt-forminq operation including

• the belt-forming member being wound on the peripheral cylindrical surface of a drum which is rotatable about an axis, and
• the center portions of the opposite ends of the belt-forming member being abutted against each other with a pair of opposite, substantially V-shaped side gaps being formed between the side portions of the opposite ends of the belt-forming member, the V-shaped side gaps each having a respective vertex adjacent to the abutting center portions of the two ends of the belt-forming member;
• the improvement comprising:
• a pair of movable rests positioned with respect to the drum and adapted so as to be movable along both a radial direction and an axial direction with respect to the drum,
• arms connected to said movable rests, said arms being positioned with respect to the drum and adapted so as to be swingable about respective arm axes radially extending with respect to the axis of the drum, the movable rests being positionable such that the arm axes pass through respective points located substantially between the side portions of the opposite ends of the belt-forming member,
• holding devices connected to said arms for holding the side portions of at least one end of said belt-forming member, and
• actuators connected to said arms which drive said arms arcuately about said respective arm axes to draw toward each other the side portions of the opposite ends of the belt-forming member.