Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Tension control or brake – Supply controlled
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-05
2001-12-11
Nguyen, John Q. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Tension control or brake
Supply controlled
C242S563000, C242S563200, C242S564500, C242S566000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328245
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing individually predetermined lengths of a web material, such as textile materials, wallpaper and the like from a roll of wound web material.
2. Description of Background Art
When dispensing lengths of such web material in retail vending operations it is quite time-consuming to manually release the required length of web material from the roll, manually measure the length required and manually sever the length from the roll. Furthermore, the accuracy of the manual measuring and severing depends on the particular person performing these operations. Apart from the quite large variations in accuracy because of individually varying degrees of care, skill and concentration, the manual process itself is quite inaccurate, particularly when the lengths involved require a plurality of repeated measuring operations, and even more so when the roll is unwieldy. Because of these inaccuracies, and the requirement inherent in the use of such web materials that the length should not be shorter than requested by the customer, it is necessary to systematically dispense lengths longer than requested. This factor, together with unavoidable mistakes in manual severing and measuring causing wastage represent a considerable loss, particularly when the web materials involved are costly.
Commonly, the web materials in question are stocked wound into rolls with a central core, such as bolts of cloth, fabric and the like. Such rolls, particularly bolts of cloth or fabric, may depart substantially from a circular cylindrical shape, for instance having a rectangular cross-section with rounded corners. To achieve the automatic release of web material from such uncircular cylindrical rolls special unwinding means must be employed.
An apparatus of the type mentioned above is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,748 which discloses unwinding conveying means comprising an unwinding cradle for a bolt of fabric having an oblong cross-section, said cradle being constituted by a loop of an endless driven belt supported by and depending from two guides that are relatively movable towards and away from each other as the bolt rotates, the guides moving relatively away from each other as the bolt rotates to a horizontal position and toward each other as the bolt rotates away from the horizontal position. The frequency of the cyclical widening and narrowing of the unwinding cradle in relation to the conveying speed of the endless belt sets limits for the variation of the cross-sectional dimensions of the bolts to be unwound which does not allow all common bolt sizes to be dealt with. Furthermore, when the web material is to be unwound from the bolt, the leading end and a considerable adjacent length of web material must be unrolled and placed correctly over the downstream guide to ensure correct unwinding. This is difficult, particularly for inexperienced customers in a retail operation, and the weight of some bolts will practically render this operation impossible for persons with slight physical strength.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the invention is to reduce the incidence of manual operations and replace them by simple, accurate and automatically operating mechanical means capable of accommodating all common rolls of web material such as textile, cloth, wallpaper or the like. This is obtained according to the invention by said apparatus comprising unwinding means (e.g.
5
-
7
) for unwinding a length of web material from the roll, the unwinding means comprising unwinding conveying means (e.g.
5
-
7
) and an unwinding surface adapted to support the roll arranged transversely to the conveying direction of the unwinding conveying means, conveying means (e.g.
31
-
36
,
42
-
44
,
62
,
63
) for conveying the unwound lengths of web material to separating means for separating the predetermined lengths of web material from the roll and measuring means for measuring the length of web material conveyed to the separating means.
To facilitate the unwinding of the web material from the roll, restraining means (e.g.
10
-
12
,
56
-
60
) for restraining movement of the roll are preferably provided adjacent to the unwinding surface, and the unwinding surface is preferably inclined upwards in the conveying direction of the unwinding conveying means.
Advantageously, the unwinding surface comprises conveying means for conveying the unwound web material and the roll. Preferably, the unwinding surface constitutes at least a part of the unwinding conveying means.
In a simple embodiment of the invention, the restraining means may comprise inhibiting means (e.g.
10
,
56
) inhibiting movement of the roll in the conveying direction of the unwinding conveying means. To deal effectively with rolls having cross-sections departing substantially from the circular form, the restraining means preferably comprise influencing means (e.g.
10
,
58
) influencing the roll in a direction generally opposite the conveying direction of the unwinding conveying means. To overcome the resistance against rolling inherent in the non-circular cross-section of some rolls, the influence on the roll by the influencing means preferably has a vertical component.
The restraining means may be arranged to influence the rolls substantially continuously. However, the restraining means are advantageously arranged to interact intermittently with the roll, and they preferably comprise one or more influencing elements arranged to intermittently intersect the path of the roll conveyed by the unwinding conveying means.
The elements may be arranged to move in different manners to achieve this end, for example moving to and fro along a linear or arcuate path, and the elements may be of a variety of shapes and sizes such as, for example, rounded projections on a bar or paddle shaped members. However, in an embodiment the one or more influencing elements are arranged for movement in a closed trajectory positioned such that the movement of the one or more influencing elements at a point of the trajectory intersecting the path of a roll conveyed by the unwinding means is substantially opposite the conveying direction of the unwinding conveying means and has a vertical component. Preferably, the influencing elements are one or more rods longer than the maximum possible width of the web material.
So as to ensure an efficient automatic unwinding and conveying of different types of web material the surface of the unwinding conveying means and/or the conveying means of the unwinding surface engaging the web material and the roll have a configuration adapted for frictionally engaging the web material.
The conveying means of the unwinding surface for assisting in the release of the web material from rolls and conveying the web material away from the rolls may comprise driven rollers or an endless belt looping around driven rollers. However, in an embodiment the conveying means of the unwinding surface comprise a plurality of spaced, flexible endless strips having their upper portion extending along and defining the unwinding surface and extending around and engagingly cooperating with two spaced rollers respectively defining the upstream and downstream edges of the unwinding surface, the surface of the flexible strips facing the web material having a configuration adapted for frictionally engaging the web material.
When conveying rollers are employed to convey web material, and particularly when the conveying direction is changed at the roller, the web material stiffness, the inertia of the moving web material, the influence of static electricity and other factors may cause the web material to stray from the shortest possible path in an unpredictable and varying manner both when moving onto the roller and when leaving it, thus giving rise to inaccuracies in the subsequent measuring process and, in some cases, for example when dealing with thin fabrics, causing unpredictable trajectories for the conveyed web material. Therefore, it is advantageous that means are pro
Kastfelt Svend-Ove
Nielsen Bent
Sterup Jan
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Jens Reumert
Nguyen John Q.
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