1. A multiple rotary knife for longitudinal splitting of webs, comprising:
a generally cylindrical annular body bearing a plurality of circumferential blades spaced apart, wherein said circumferential blades are formed by continuous hard-metal rings mechanically fixed axially to said annular body;
wherein each hard-metal ring has at least one cutting flank, said at least one cutting flank having an oblique portion inclined by an angle comprising between 1\xb0 and 10\xb0 relative to a longitudinal axis of the knife;
an outermost radial surface of said ring being parallel to the longitudinal axis of the knife, said oblique portion being oblique relative to said outermost surface;
said at least one cutting flank having an initial stretch orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the knife and said initial stretch having a longitudinal dimension shorter than said oblique portion of said at least one cutting flank, said initial stretch being immediately adjacent to said outermost radial surface of said hard-metal ring opposite said annular body;
said initial stretch perpendicular to said outermost surface;
said oblique portion extending from said initial stretch obliquely relative to said initial stretch.
2. The multiple knife according to claim 1, wherein said body comprises a hub having at one end an annular flange and at the opposite end and an external thread, and said hard-metal rings are axially packed on said hub between said end flange an internally threaded clamping ring screwed on said external thread; there being axially set between each hard-metal ring and the contiguous hard-metal ring an annular spacer, the outer diameter of which is smaller than the outer diameter of the hard-metal rings.
3. The multiple knife according to claim 2, wherein each hard-metal ring has at least one oblique cutting flank.
4. The multiple knife according to claim 2, wherein the hard-metal rings are uninterrupted.
5. The multiple knife according to claim 2, wherein said clamping ring has a ring of axial threaded through holes, screwed into which are axial-thrust threaded members that press said hard-metal rings and said annular spacers towards said end flange.
6. The multiple knife according to claim 5, wherein each hard-metal ring has at least one oblique cutting flank.
7. The multiple knife according to claim 5, wherein the hard-metal rings are uninterrupted.
8. The multiple knife according to claim 1, wherein said annular body comprises a pair of end rings and by a plurality of intermediate annular spacers, said end rings and said annular spacers having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the hard-metal rings; said hard-metal rings being set between said end rings and said intermediate annular spacers and being axially packed therewith via a ring of axial screws inserted through corresponding axial through holes of said end rings, of said intermediate annular spacers (15), and of said hard-metal rings.
9. The multiple knife according to claim 8, wherein each hard-metal ring has at least one oblique cutting flank.
10. The multiple knife according to claim 8, wherein the hard-metal rings are uninterrupted.
11. The multiple knife according claim 1, wherein the hard-metal rings are uninterrupted.
12. The Knife of claim 1 wherein at least one oblique portion is bounded on an end opposite said initial stretch by a returning portion connecting said cutting flank to a second portion of said ring parallel to said initial stretch.
13. The Knife of claim 1 wherein said at least one cutting flank comprises a second oblique portion on an opposite side of said ring, said oblique portion and said second oblique portion tapering said ring toward each other.
14. The Knife of claim 1 wherein said initial stretch has a longitudinal dimension in a range between 0.1 to 0.3 mm.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus for accessing a rule memory for use with a pattern matching search engine, comprising:
a plurality of physical rule banks operative to store pattern context rules therein;
a plurality of logical transition rule banks operative to store transition rules therein;
a plurality of logical default rule banks operative to store default rules therein;
wherein said plurality of logical transition rule banks and said plurality of logical default rule banks are mapped to said plurality of physical rule banks; and
a rule memory bank access circuit coupled to said plurality of physical rule banks and operative to allow independent access between said pattern matching search engine and the contents of said plurality of logical transition rule banks and said plurality of logical default rule banks.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rule memory bank access circuit is operative to swap which rule memory bank stores default and transition rules in accordance with particular pattern contexts.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said rule memory bank swapping enables balancing capacity between individual physical rule banks within said plurality of physical rule banks.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of logical transition rules and said plurality of logical default rules written to said physical rule banks by an upload manager.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of physical rule banks comprises a transition rule bank and a default rule bank.
6. An apparatus for accessing a rule memory bank for use with a pattern matching search engine, comprising:
a first rule memory bank operative to store either default rules or transition rules;
a second rule memory bank operative to store either default rules or transition rules;
a rule memory bank access circuit coupled to said first rule memory bank and said second rule memory bank, said rule memory bank access circuit operative allow independent access between said pattern matching search engine and the contents of said first rule memory bank and said second rule memory bank;
a rule bank swapping circuit operative to:
configure said first rule memory bank to store default rules and said second rule memory bank to store transition rules in accordance with a first pattern context; and
configure said first rule memory bank to store transition rules and said second rule memory bank to store default rules in accordance with a second pattern context.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said rule bank swapping circuit is operative to enable balancing capacity between said first rule memory bank and said second rule memory bank.
8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, in accordance with each pattern context, said rule bank swapping circuit is operative to assign said first rule memory bank to hold either default or transition rules while said second rule memory bank is assigned to hold either transition or default rules, respectively.
9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said rule bank swapping circuit is operative to assign one of said rule memory banks to hold default rules and the other rule memory bank to hold transition rules in accordance with the rules assignment contained in a pattern context header (PCH) associated with each pattern context.
10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said transition rules and said default rules are written into said first rules memory bank and said second rules memory bank by an upload manager circuit.
11. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each of said first rule memory bank and said second rule memory bank comprise a rules cache.
12. A method of accessing a rule memory bank for use with a pattern matching search engine, said method comprising:
providing a plurality of physical rule banks operative to store pattern context rules;
providing a plurality of logical transition rule banks operative to store transition rules;
providing a plurality of logical default rule banks operative to store default rules;
mapping said plurality of logical transition rule banks and said plurality of logical default rule banks in said plurality of physical rule banks;
enabling independent access between said pattern matching search engine and the contents of said plurality of physical rule banks; and
determining which rule bank holds transition rules and which rule bank holds default rules in accordance with a pattern context.
13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising swapping whether said physical rule bank holds transition rules or default rules on a per pattern context basis.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein transition rules and default rules are written to said physical rules banks by an upload manager.
15. The method according to claim 12, wherein each physical rule bank comprises a rules cache.
16. The method according to claim 12, further comprising determining which physical rule banks holds default rules and which physical rule bank holds transition rules in accordance with a rules assignment contained in a pattern context header (PCH) associated with each pattern context.
17. A method of accessing a rule memory bank for use with a pattern matching search engine, said method comprising:
providing a first rule memory bank operative to store either default rules or transition rules;
providing a second rule memory bank operative to store either default rules or transition rules;
enabling independent access between said pattern matching search engine and the contents of said first rule memory bank and said second rule memory bank; and
swapping which rule bank is assigned to store default rules and which rule bank is assigned to store transition rules in accordance with different pattern contexts.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said step of swapping comprises configuring said first rule memory bank to store default rules and said second rule memory bank to store transition rules in accordance with a first pattern context.
19. The method according to claim 17, wherein said step of swapping comprises configuring said first rule memory bank to store transition rules and said second rule memory bank to store default rules in accordance with a first pattern context.
20. The method according to claim 17, wherein swapping which rule bank is assigned to store default rules and which rule bank is assigned to store transition rules in accordance with the rules assignment contained in a pattern context header (PCH) associated per pattern context.
21. The method according to claim 17, wherein transition rules and default rules are written to said first rules memory bank and said second rules memory bank by an upload manager circuit.
22. The method according to claim 17, wherein each of said first rule memory bank and said second rule memory bank comprise a rules cache.