Abstract: An end cutter includes a pair of rollers (64,73) operatively arranged to frictionally engage cloth passing through the nip thereof. One of the rollers is mounted for unidirectional rotation such that the cloth may be pulled forwardly from a roll, but cannot retract when such pulling force is released. The logic includes a pressure comparator and pneumatically-operated safety dump valve (92,94) for sensing whether the cutter (31) has encountered a motion-impeding obstruction on its forward cutting stroke, and automatically releases the force urging the cutter to move forwardly in such event. The cutter is mounted on a rodless cylinder (48).

Abstract: A yarn piecing device and process for an open-end spinning machine wherein opened fiber is fed to a fiber collection surface in a pneumatic stream. The stream of fibers is shifted from the fiber collection surface when a broken or missing yarn is detected and the fiber feed to an opening device is interrupted. After the yarn is back-fed to the collection surface, the fiber feed to the opening device is restarted and the pneumatic stream of fibers is shifted back to the fiber collection surface before the fiber density in the pneumatic stream attains its production strength density.

Abstract: A sheet conveyor for conveying a sheet by engaging an engaging member with openings formed in a sheet and conveying the sheet by displacement of the engaging member. The conveyor includes a holding device for holding the engaging member so as to be movable between an operative position and a retracted position retracted from the operative position, a device deformable to move the engaging member provided on the holding device between the operative position and the retracted position, and a drive device for driving the holding device to displace the engaging member.

Abstract: An expander roller for running webs of paper, textile material or the like has a straight metallic or plastic core and an outer layer consisting of two helically convoluted strips of rubber or other elastomeric material. The two convoluted webs are mirror images of each other with reference to a plane which extends between them and is normal to the axis of the core. The external surface of the outer layer is profiled in that it is provided with grooves cut into or otherwise formed in the strips and forming helices as a result of convolution of the respective strips onto the core. Each helical groove is adjacent a deformable lip which defines a portion of the external surface of the outer layer and can yield in response to engagement with a running web. The strips are permanently or detachably bonded to the peripheral surface of the core.

Abstract: An advancing system is provided for selectively advancing generally flat material, such as tape, in a first direction (towards a moistening device) or in a second direction (away from a moistening device). The advancing system includes a conveyer that has a moving surface that advances the tape, which is in contact with the surface, to the conveyer's exit. The system also includes a motor with a shaft. The motor rotates the shaft in opposite directions. A mechanism couples the motor shaft to the moving surface so as to drive the surface in a common direction regardless of the direction in which the motor shaft rotates, causing the conveyor to advance the tape in that common direction to the conveyer's exit. The advancing system further includes a diverter at the conveyer's exit. The diverter selectively directs the tape in the first or second direction. The diverter includes two exit rollers which receive the tape between them.

Abstract: A press feed is provided having a simple, low-friction, low-inertia linkage mechanism to positively drive feed rolls or grippers of the press feed with substantially uniform pressure. The linkage mechanism includes a three-link assembly having first and second substantially parallel links and a third cross link pivotally connected to the first and second links. The first and second links are pivotally mounted to a housing of the press feed substantially equidistant from the connections to the third cross link. The third cross link has a groove extending substantially at right angles to the transverse axis of the third cross link extending between the connections of the third cross link to the first and second links.

Abstract: Thin, elongated material, such as ribbons, tapes, and the like, are passed through a treatment zone or chamber substantially in a frictionless manner to avoid distorting the elongated material. This purpose is achieved in that a plurality of direction changing stations in a treatment chamber simultaneously function as transport stations. The transport is accomplished by a flowing transport fluid which is applied to the elongated material through at least one, preferably several jet nozzles in the direction reversing stations. The fluid is applied in a direction substantially corresponding to the transport direction and passes around a guide surface where it forms a travelling cushion between the guide surface and the elongated material. The flow speed of the fluid corresponds at least to the transport speed or the inlet speed into the chamber.

Abstract: An animal waste plastic bag dispenser stores a cylindrical roll of bags in a rotatable manner. A central core receives the roll rotatably, and is fixed between top and bottom plates. A cutting blade is disposed between the top and bottom plates to facilitate the separation of bags from the roll seriatim. A device compresses the end of the roll of plastic bags thereagainst, to prevent or limit free rotation of the roll of plastic bags when the device is transported. After a bag is separated from its roll for use in retrieving and confining refuse, such as animal waste, the bag can be attached to the dispenser thereby establishing the user to transport a used bag to a place of disposal. In addition, the dispenser includes a device for restraining an animal during a cleanup operation so as to prevent the animal from interfering with the operation.

Abstract: A paper feed apparatus including a pair of side frames connected together so as to face one another with a predetermined gap therebetween, an endless feed belt mounted between the pair of side frames, a driving sprocket engaged with the endless feed belt and mounted between the pair of side frames at a first end thereof, and a belt receiver mounted between the pair of side frames at a second end thereof and supporting the endless feed belt. The driving sprocket and belt receiver have the endless feed belt trained thereabout with a predetermined amount of slack, such that the upper and lower runs of the belt are substantially linear. A feed belt supporter is mounted to the pair of side frames so as to contact an outer surface of and support the lower run of the endless feed belt so as to prevent the predetermined slack from gathering at the lower run of the endless feed belt.

Abstract: A clamp is used for clamping a paper feed tractor to a support shaft at a predetermined distance from another paper feed tractor. The clamp comprises a semi-cylindrical elongated clamp guide member which is cantilevered from a frame of the paper feed tractor, and a cylindrical clamp member rotatably mounted about the clamp guide member. The clamp guide member has a clamping inner peripheral surface adapted to complementarily engage the support shaft, a first outer peripheral surface, a second outer peripheral surface having a radius of curvature larger than the first outer peripheral surface and a sloped outer peripheral portion joining the first and second outer peripheral surfaces.

Abstract: Pivot arms which carry the pressing bar are hingedly mounted to the rocker. At their opposite ends these pivot arms are hingedly mounted such to the frame that in one position the axis of rotation of the lower feeding roller coincides with the pivotal axis of the pivotal point at which the pivot arms are hingedly mounted to the frame. The pressing bar is thereby hingedly mounted via a link connection to a pivot point at the frame that a parallelogram of movements is provided, based on which the pressing bar is moved exactly perpendicularly against the workpiece to be arrestingly pressed.

Abstract: A document feed tractor in which pins which drive the paper upon entry into perforations in margins of the paper along the edges thereof are connected to a belt on beams cantilever mounted thereto. A guide and support bar holds the beams and the pins down so that they travel along a linear path entering and leaving the perforations at opposite ends of the path. In order to drive the paper precisely, especially at high speeds where the belt and pins start and stop, without denting or ticking the paper and to maintain alignment of multi-part documents (without shingling), an adjustable shelf is located on the inside of the tractor so that the paper overlies the shelf. The elevation of the shelf with respect to the pins is selectively set in accordance with the thickness of the paper. The tractor can then be set so that the web is maintained at the center line or pitch line of the belt, thereby insuring precision feeding of the form even at high speeds with rapid accelerations and decelerations.

Abstract: A storage bin (3) in which at least a part of the tape is stored as a package of tape loops (2a) has main walls (4), an entrance wall (5) and an exit wall (9), the walls (5, 9) being formed with an entrance slot (6) and an exit slot (10) respectively, and outlet openings of first and second pneumatic elements (15, 20) being provided near both slots to assist in the feed-in and feed-out of the tape. The main walls (4) of the bin (3) are disposed vertically or substantially vertically, the entrance slot (6) being situated near the upper side and the exit slot (9) near the lower side of the bin. At least one of the main walls (4) of the bin comprises a discharge element (16) allowing fluid to escape from the bin, which discharge element (16) is spaced from the entrance wall (5) and from the exit wall (9).

Abstract: A turning bar for shifting the path of travel of a web of tape. The bar includes: a first guide having a cylindrical shaped guiding surface, wherein the axis of the cylindrically shaped guiding surface is perpendicular to the path of travel; and a second guide downstream and below the first guide, the second guide having an upper, flat surface angled to the axis and a lower, arcuate surface extending from the upper, flat surface.

Abstract: Apparatus for controlling the lateral position of a web moving along a path of travel across a scroll roll or other roll capable of imparting lateral movement to the web. The apparatus includes sensors to detect lateral position of the web and elements, preferably conical brushes, which are movable into and out of contact with the web to cause the roll when in contact to move the web in a corrective lateral direction. A mechanism is employed for imparting movement to the web contacting elements which will achieve impact of the elements against the web at a velocity approaching zero. Further, the web contacting element is adapted for pivotal movement away from the web upon contact with the web, thus permitting webs of differing thickness across a normal thickness range to be controlled without additional adjustment to the apparatus.

Abstract: Apparatus for guiding a strip traveling along a selected path, which apparatus comprises a primary strip position correcting mechanism, such as a payout reel or steering roll that engages a strip at a first location for changing the position of the strip as the strip moves along from the first position to a remote control point. The strip correcting mechanism includes a primary control loop with an actuator for changing the strip position and a feedback control loop that compares the actual strip position with an adjustable reference value to control the position of the moving strip. An edge sensor at the remote control point on the strip path creates an output error signal generally proportional to the deviation of the strip edge at the remote control point from a preselected edge position. This error signal is used for periodically changing the reference value of the position correcting mechanism in the primary loop in accordance with the output error.

Abstract: A magnetic tape winding apparatus in which the tape can be neatly wound with the use of a magnetic assembly of minimum size. The magnetic assembly is composed of a plurality of mutually concentric magnets having alternating magnetic poles disposed adjacent the side edge of the tape being wound. The magnetic assembly may be disposed around the winding shaft used to drive the tape winding body on which the tape is being wound, or it may be placed on the opposite side of the tape winding body from the winding shaft.

Abstract: A paper feed for a printer includes a frame, a platen rotatably mounted on the frame, a friction roller support juxtaposed to the platen, a spring mounted on the frame and having a first operable condition biasing the friction roller support toward the platen with a first biasing force and having a second operable condition biasing the friction roller support toward the platen with a second biasing force less than the first biasing force, and a cam rotatably mounted on the frame and operable between first and second operable positions to effect disposition of the spring in said first and second operating conditions.

Abstract: The cable tensioner has a pair of elongated platforms mounted side-by-side on a base with each having drive and driven geared pulleys with geared idler pulleys therebetween arranged along the edge of the platform confronting the other platform. A geared endless belt encircles the pulleys on each platform and has a grooved exterior machined to match the cable being handled. The drive and driven pulleys are adjusted to tension the associated belts and the idler pulleys are pressed towards the idlers on the adjacent platform. The base is mounted to permit sideways motion plus pivoting, tilting and rising and falling as a unit.

Abstract: An apparatus for preventing tape from being rolled on a capstan or pinch roller including a pinch roller having a ratchet wheel rotated integrally with the pinch roller, a tape contacting plate having a pawl capable of engaging the ratchet wheel, and a resilient plate for providing a biasing force in response to tape tension is provided. The pinch roller is usable to rotate when the tape becomes lose and is able to rotate when the tape becomes taut.