Appeal No. 97-3214
Application No. 08/280,369
slitting of rolls of coiled material in a manner which minimizes
the disruption to the material pass line. As explained in the
opening pages of the specification, modern slitting lines include
a slitter having multiple arbors. These are preceded in the line
by a thread sled, which receives the sheet material from an
uncoiler and passes it in proper alignment to the slitter. It is
necessary periodically to remove the arbors for servicing, and
for this reason the arbors are pivotally mounted so they can be
swung into and out of the active position in the material pass
line in a horizontal arc. The thread sled, when in its active
position, interferes with the pivotal movement of the arbors, and
in the prior art the thread sled is moved upstream along the
material pass line to get it out of the way of the arbors. This
prior art system is disclosed in the Matsunaga patent, which the
examiner has cited as the primary reference. In the appellant’s
invention, the thread sled is moved transversely out of the way
of the pivotal path of the arbors. This offers the advantage of
shortening the length of the material pass line.
As manifested in claim 1, the appellant’s invention
comprises, inter alia,
mounting means for mounting said sled for movement
relative to said slitting arbors and said uncoiler,
said mounting means including guide means for guiding
3
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Last modified: November 3, 2007