Method for making fibrous bodies

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF MAKING A DIMENSIONALLY STABLE ARTICLE FROM A BODY OF THERMOPLASTIC FILAMENTS, THE STEPS OF: (A) CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID FILAMENTS AT A PREDETERMINATED FIRST AVERAGE LINEAR SPEED INTO A FIRST CONFINED AREA HAVING AT LEAST A PORTION THEREOF EXPANDING IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID BODY; (B) CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING GAS UNDER PRESSURE INTO SAID FIRST CONFINED AREA TO SEPARATE SAID FILAMENTS; (C) CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID FILAMENTS INTO A SECOND CONFINED AREA CONTIGUOUS WITH SAID FIRST CONFINED AREA; (D) HETEROGENEOUSLY DEPOSITING SAID FILAMENTS IN SAID SECOND CONFINED AREA IN ADJACENT AND OVERLAPPING RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER IN GENERALLY SUCCESSIVE LAYERS EXTENDING TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID FILAMENTS; (E) CONTINUOUSLY PERMITTING SAID GAS UNDER PRESSURE TO ESCAPE FROM SAID SECOND CONFINED AREA; (F) CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID GENERALLY SUCCESSIVE LAYERS INTO A THIRD CONFINED AREA CONTIGUOUS TO SAID SECOND CONFINED AREA, AND INJECTING HOT VAPORIZED LIQUID THEREIN ONTO SAID LAYERS WHEREBY SAID VAPORIZED LIQUID PASSES THROUGH SAID LAYERS AND TO BOND SAID FILAMENTS AND LAYERS TOGETHER AS A STABLE ARTICLE; AND, (G) CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING SAID LAYERS FROM SAID THIRD CONFINED AREA AT A SECOND AVERAGE LINEAR SPEED LESS THAN SAID FIRST PREDETERMINED AVERAGE LINEAR SPEED.