Patent ID: 7418767

Claim:
A method of processing a fiber sample taken from a supply of fibers, the steps comprising: providing an assembly of elongated fibers disposed side-by-side and arranged with the lengths of the individual fibers extending in a direction that is generally parallel to each other; disposing said fiber assembly atop an array of aligned fiber combs including at least a first fiber comb disposed parallel to and in front of a second fiber comb; moving the open jaws of a gripper comb toward said fiber assembly until said gripper comb is disposed at a first distance from said first fiber comb and at least some of the fibers of said fiber assembly project into said jaws of said gripper comb; closing said jaws of said gripper comb to hold said fibers projecting into said jaws of said gripper comb; moving said closed jaws of said gripper comb away from said fiber assembly; opening said jaws of said gripper comb to release said fibers projecting into said jaws of said gripper comb; suctioning away said released fibers from said jaws of said gripper comb; determining whether the fibers remaining atop said array of fiber combs has attained the end-aligned condition; upon determining the absence of the end-aligned condition, moving the open jaws of the gripper comb toward said fiber assembly until said gripper comb is disposed at a second distance from said first fiber comb that is less than said first distance and at least some of the remaining fibers of said fiber assembly project into said jaws of said gripper comb; closing said jaws of said gripper comb to hold said fibers projecting into said jaws of said gripper comb; moving said closed jaws of said gripper comb away from said fiber assembly; opening said jaws of said gripper comb to release said fibers projecting into said jaws of said gripper comb; suctioning away said released fibers from said jaws of said gripper comb; determining whether the end-aligned condition of the fibers remaining atop said array of fiber combs has been attained; upon determining that the end-aligned condition in the fibers remaining atop said array of fiber combs has been attained, removing said first fiber comb from said array of fiber combs; moving the open jaws of the gripper comb toward said fiber assembly until said gripper comb is disposed at a third distance from said second fiber comb that permits the ends of the remaining fibers carried by said second fiber comb to project into said jaws of said gripper comb; and closing said jaws of said gripper comb to hold said fibers projecting into said jaws of said gripper comb, said fibers projecting into said jaws of said gripper comb composing said sample of end-aligned fibers.