Tape handling machine

Claim 1

IN A TAPE HANDLING APPARATUS, TAPE SUPPLY MEANS, A WORK STATION, A TAPERED VACUUM BOX HAVING A MOUTH AND A NECK, SAID VACUUM BOX HAVING A VARYING CROSS-DIMENSION BETWEEN SAID MOUTH AND NECK, A LENGTH OF TAPE EXTENDING IN A LOOP FROM SAID SUPPLY MEANS INTO THE MOUTH OF SAID TAPERED BOX TOWARD SAID NECK AND THENCE OUT OF SAID MOUTH TO SAID WORK STATION, SAID LOOP BEING CONTIGUOUS WITH THE INTERIOR WALLS OF SAID BOX ADJACENT BOTH THE ENTRANT AND EXIT PORTIONS OF SAID LOOP FROM SAID BOX WHEREBY THE CROSS-DIMENSIONAL SIZE OF SAID LOOP VARIES WITH VARAITIONS IN THE POSITION OF SAID LOOP IN SAID BOX, RESILIENT MEANS FOR APPLYING A TENSILE FORCE TO SAID TAPE, MEANS COUPLED TO THE NECK OF SAID TAPERED BOX FOR REDUCING THE PRESSURE IN SAID BOX SO THAT SAID TAPE LOOP HAS A DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE ON OPPOSED SIDES THEREOF THE MAGNITUDE OF WHICH VARIES WITH VARIATIONS IN THE CROSSDIMENSIONAL SIZE OF SAID LOOP WHEREBY SAID LOOP ASSUMES AN EQUILIBRIUM POSITION IN SAID BOX DEPENDENT UPON PRESSURE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID LOOP AND UPON OPPOSING TENSILE FORCES APPLIED BY SAID RESILIENT MEANS TO SAID TAPE, AND CONTROL MEANS RESPECTIVE TO CHANGES IN POSITION AND RESULTING CHANGES IN CROSS-DIMENSIONAL SIZE OF SAID TAPE LOOP WITHIN SAID BOX FOR ACTUATING SAID SUPPLY MEANS WHEREBY THE POSITION AND CROSS-DIMENSIONED SIZE OF SAID LOOP IN SAID BOX IS ALTERED TO RESTORE SAID EQUILIBRIUM CONDITION.