Patent ID: 8261648

Claim:
A mechanism for braiding, comprising: a disc defining a plane and a circumferential edge; a mandrel extending from a center of the disc and generally perpendicular to the plane of the disc; a plurality of filaments extending from the mandrel toward the circumferential edge of the disc, each filament contacting the circumferential edge at a point of engagement, each point of engagement being spaced apart a discrete distance from adjacent points of engagement; and a plurality of catch mechanisms positioned circumferentially around the edge of the disc, each catch mechanism extending toward the circumferential edge of the disc, wherein each catch mechanism is adapted to engage a filament and pull the filament away from the circumferential edge of the disc in a generally radial direction, wherein the points of engagements on the circumferential edge of the disc comprise a plurality of notches radially spaced apart around the circumferential edge.