Patent ID: 6871571

Claim:
Apparatus for processing segments of a continuous flexible web comprising: a processing station including web processing components for carrying out an operation upon a segment of the web after the segment is initially fed to the processing station; a web feeder assembly for successively feeding a stretch of the web while under tension to said processing station for initial placement of said at least one segment of the web at the station, said mechanism being operable to intermittently release tension on the stretch of the web while said at least one segment thereof is at the processing station; a holder at the processing station for holding each successive segment of the web after the segment is positioned in said initial placement thereof at the processing station and during at least a part of the time tension is released on the stretch of the web, said holder being movable relative to said web feeder assembly while said holder continues to hold said at least one segment of the web at the processing station to cause the held segment to move relative to and while remaining a part of adjacent portions of the web during release of tension on said stretch of the web; and a mechanism operably coupled to said holder for selectively shifting the holder along an X axis direction of feed of the stretch of the web to the processing station, in a Y direction transverse of the X direction of feed of said stretch of the web, and about a θ axis of rotation perpendicular to said X and Y axis directions while said at least one segment of the web is held by the holder at said processing station, said mechanism including adjustment control structure operably connected to the holder for shifting the holder in motion directions along said X axis, along said Y axis, and for rotation about said θ axis, wherein the adjustment control structure is operable to move the holder in any one of the motion directions, or simultaneous combinations thereof as required to obtain accurate alignment of the segment of the web with the processing components of said processing station while tension on the stretch of the web is released.