Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Coil holder or support – Randomly oriented coil holder
Reexamination Certificate
2003-02-11
2004-03-16
Nguyen, John Q. (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Coil holder or support
Randomly oriented coil holder
Reexamination Certificate
active
06705564
ABSTRACT:
The invention is concerned with a dispenser containing a supply roll with a wire- or pipe shaped member. In the following, this member is referred to as “tube”.
A particular, although not exclusive, field of application of the invention is pressurised air tube with a typical working pressure from about 5 atm pressure head. This pressurised air tube is generally fabricated of synthetic material, such as polyamid (PA), polyurethane (PU), polyethylene (PE) or polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) and is relatively thick walled. Its outer diameter can vary in steps of 1 mm or 2 mm from 2 mm to 14 mm, such as 5, 6, 8, 10 or 12 mm, at a wall thickness between 0.5 and 1.5 mm, such as about 1 mm. Typically, immediately after extruding, this pressurised air tube is wound onto a supply roll. It is necessary to wind with a bending radius larger than 5 times the tube diameter to avoid local permanent deformations, such as buckles, of the tube. Commercially available supply rolls therefore have generally an inner diameter of 150 mm and an outer diameter of 300 mm. A virgin supply roll has typically a single tube with a length of tens of meters, such as 25, 50 or 100 m, depending on the tube diameter. The weight is substantially and is some kilos at the minimum, such as 5, 10, 15 kg or more.
A known dispenser consists of a relatively flat, square carton box of 300×300×100 mm containing a loose laying roll pressurised air tube, tightly fit and substantially immovable. The end of the tube projects through a large opening in the middle of one of the large faces of the box. By pulling said end, the desired length of the supply roll is pulled from the box. For that purpose, the box must lay on one of its large faces.
In view of the conditions provided by the character of the supply roll, such as substantial weight, avoidance of buckling or becoming messy of the tube, the object of the invention is an improved dispenser. This improvement can be at least one of the following aspects: improved ease of use; lower costs; multiple applicability; larger field of application; adapted for recycling; smaller space consumption; improvement of the safety or ergonomy at the working place; less of spoiling of tube.
Thus, a dispenser is proposed with a housing at least substantially containing a supply roll of tube, wherein means are present or appliances are provided, such that the supply roll must spin around its cross axis to obtain a length piece of the tube from the dispenser, after which the dispensed piece is separated from said supply roll.
The invention ensures, that the tube can reliably be dispensed by the dispenser. The housing provides, that the tube remains neatly packed on the supply roll while the dispenser each time dispenses a desired length of the tube. The supply roll is reliably and neatly packed within the dispenser, and cannot be lost therefrom, and the tube can be unrolled neatly and according to desire. The supply roll is easily replacable.
The dispenser can have one or more of the following characteristics, with which the desired spinning of the supply roll is easily ensured: a passage opening through which the tube extends in an at least substantially tangential direction from the supply roll, or a passage opening in an at least substantially parallel to the cross axis of the supply roll directed wall, through which the tube projects outside; a mandrel or core body around which the supply roll is present; flanges at one or both sides of the supply roll; wherein said mandrel and flanges can be united into a spool. The supply roll preferably does not project beyond the flange.
Preferably, the mandrel has a diameter of at least 50, more preferably at least 100 mm, such as about 150 mm. The supply roll can be wound thereabout loose or thight fitting. This mandrel is a means to maintain the inner diameter of the supply roll. The flange and/or mandrel is a means to avoid that the supply roll can jam within the dispenser, e.g. by tilting.
Preferably the mandrel and/or flanges are designed such that they spin with the supply roll. A flange spinning with the supply roll is a means to make sure that the supply roll can spin within the dispenser with low friction. For an as low as possible friction resistance, the contact surface between moving flange and adjacent stationary wall is preferably kept as low as possible, for which flange and/or wall can be provided with a profile such that at least a substantial mutual, preferably resilient pressing, line - or point contact is obtained. As an alternative or auxiliary, use can be made of at least one rotating bearing with which the supply roll or flange can be supported, preferably at its outer side. If the flange is not present or if the flange is stationary with respect to the supply roll, appliances are provided such that the supply roll bears with small contact surface against an adjacent wall or flange, which is therefore conveniently profiled.
In view of constructive simplicity and small friction resistance it is preferable, to support the supply roll in its upright position, i.e. with the plane in which it rotates during spinning dispensing of tube, at a location at its bottom side, preferably behind the spinning axis; front side (the side turned in the direction in which tube is dispensed) and preferably above the spinning axis; and one or both side faces, preferably above and/or below the spinning axis.
By way of alternative or auxiliary to the above, it is preferable for an as low as possible friction resistance, to provide a wall in the area against which the supply roll bears, at the side facing the supply roll, with at lease one window, indeed or not providing a through opening.
Experiments have shown that the supply roll must be able to spin with low friction resistance for a reliable action of the dispenser. By making use of an at least substantially tilting free spool supported within the dispenser and containing the supply roll, this desire can be met against relatively low costs. Accordingly it is preferable to provide the dispenser with tilting arresting means to ensure the action of the means to obtain spinning at low friction (e.g. spool, mandrel or flange). Such a tilting arresting means can be provided by a convenient projection. According to a preferred embodiment appliances are provided, such that the supply roll is at least in the direction of the spinning axis thightly fitting, and thus tilting free, housed within the dispenser.
Thus, in one aspect, the invention is based on the recognition, that an in many views surprisingly favourite dispensing of tube by the dispenser can be obtained by allowing the supply roll to spin, wherein preferably said spinning must take place at the least efforts, for which appliciances can be provided such as avoidence of tilting of the supply roll within the dispenser and/or making the friction resistance between supply roll and dispenser as low as possible, while the supply roll is excellent protected by a housing.
Preferably the dispenser has a means to avoid that the free end of the tube can automatically retract itself within the dispenser. An example of such a means is an arresting member to avoid that the supply roll can automatically spin in the direction opposite to the direction in which the tube is unwound. This arresting member can engage the mandrel, flange or spool. Preferably this arresting member is provided in that the end of the tube unwound from the supply roll is guided through a passage opening between opposite edges of preferably wear resistant material keeping the tube there between clamped and allowing slip, such that said tube and passage opening provide a so-called interference fit. This can be obtained by making said edges elastically resilient movable apart, to provide that the edges try to maintain a mutual distance that is smaller than the tube diameter. To ensure the desired brake action for different tube diameters, the passage opening can have an elongated shape, such as a slit of preferably at least 10 mm in elastically easily deformable material, such a
Bootsman Gerrit
Oosterwijk Alexander
Bootsman Holding B.V.
Nguyen John Q.
Young & Thompson
LandOfFree
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