Fabric treating method and apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR TREATING AN ELONGATED STRIP OF FABRIC HAVING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING WARP THREADS AND TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING FILL THREADS TO PRODUCE A CALENDERED FABRIC STRIP HAVING FILL THREADS EXTENDING ANGULARLY TO SAID WARP THREADS, WHICH COMPRISES MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FABRIC LONGITUDINALLY ALONG A PATH A FIRST PORTION OF WHICH IS LONGER FOR ONE EDGE OF SAID FABRIC THAN THE OPPOSITE EDGE THEREOF WITH SUCH PORTION OF THE PATH FOR PARTS OF SAID FABRIC INTERMEDIATE SAID EDGES BEING SHORTER IN PROPORTION TO THE DISTANCE FROM SAID EDGE WHICH IS PASSED ALONG SAID LONGER PATH PORTION, SAID LATTER EDGE THEREBY BEING A TIGHT EDGE AND THE OPPOSITE EDGE THEREBY BEING A LOOSE EDGE; MEANS FOR MOVING SAID TIGHT EDGE AND THE LATERALLY ADJACENT PART OF SAID FABRIC, AT A PLURALITY OF POINTS ALONG ITS PATH, ALONG A SECOND PATH PORTION WHICH IS LONGER FOR SAID TIGHT EDGE AND SHORTER FOR THE REMAINDER OF SAID PART IN PROPORTION OT THE DISTANCE FROM SAID TIGHT EDGE; MEANS FOR APPLYING A LAYER OF RUBBER TO ONE SIDE OF SAID FABRIC FOLLOWING SAID FIRST PATH PORTION AND AT LEAST ONE SAID SECOND PATH PORTION; MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FABRIC ALONG A THIRD PATH PORTION WHEREIN SAID LOOSE EDGE AND THE LATERALLY ADJACENT PART OF SAID STRIP FOLLOW A SHORTER PATH THAN THE REMAINDER LATERALLY OF SAID STRIP WITH SAID LOOSE EDGE FOLLOWING THE SHORTEST PATH AND THE REMAINDER OF SAID PART FOLLOWING SUCCESSIVELY LONGER PATH PORTIONS AS THE LATERAL DISTANCE FROM SAID LOOSE EDGE INCREASES; MEANS FOR MAINTAINING TENSION ON SAID FABRIC AND STRIP DURING MOVEMENT ALONG SAID PATHS; AND MEANS FOR APPLYING A LAYER OF RUBBER TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID STRIP.