Patent ID: 7421832

Claim:
A method of supplying strip material comprising: providing first and second strip portions of fibrous non-woven material; the strip portions containing a proportion of thermally bondable material; and connecting an end of the first strip portion to an end of the second strip portion to form a continuous length of the strip material; forming a connected portion between the ends of the first and second strip portions by ultrasonically heating the ends of the strip portions while in contact to effect a heat seal between the ends of the strip portions formed by the thermally bondable material; continuously feeding the first strip portion from a packaged supply of the strip material to an end use machine in which the strip material is used to manufacture a composite product including the strip material; and, when the first strip portion is exhausted and the end thereof is reached, the connected portion between the ends causing to the second strip portion to be fed to the end use machine.