Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding – With supply coil replenishment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-24
2001-06-19
Jillions, John M. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding
With supply coil replenishment
C254S038000, C254S0930HP, C414S911000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247665
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates generally to the corrugated board manufacturing industry, and, more specifically, to a device for nudging a roll of paper used for manufacturing corrugated board into alignment with a caliper used for loading the roll into a roll stand.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Corrugated board manufacturers often use a paper roll having a hollow core as a starting material. These rolls are usually placed on a loading plate that supports the paper roll as it rests on the ground. A caliper inserted into the hollow core of the paper roll then lifts the paper roll off the ground and places it into a roll stand. The paper is then fed into a machine for manufacturing corrugated board.
Before the caliper can be inserted into the hollow core of the paper roll, the core must be aligned with the caliper. However, the paper rolls used to manufacture the corrugated board may vary in thickness, so the core of the paper roll is not always aligned with the caliper. Hence, it is often necessary to slightly adjust the position of the paper roll in order to line up the core with the caliper. As a typical paper roll is large and may weigh several tons, it can be difficult to manually manipulate the position of the roll, even if only a few inches of adjustment are required.
To align the core of the paper roll with the caliper, a power-assisted device can be used to nudge the paper roll. A known device
100
for doing this is shown in FIG.
1
. The device
100
has a wedge-shaped base
270
with a rubber grip surface
140
on the bottom that is intended to securely maintain the device stationary with respect to the ground as it nudges the paper roll
295
. A nudging plate
240
, having a free end
210
and a pivoted end
220
, is pivotally attached to the base
270
by the pivoted end. The pivot
230
attaching the nudging plate
240
to the base
270
is positioned at the lower end of the base. A hydraulic or pneumatic actuator (not shown) is located inside the base
270
. The actuator exerts a force on the nudging plate
240
in order to cause the nudging plate to pivot. As the nudging plate
240
pivots, the nudging plate in turn exerts a force on the paper roll
295
that causes the paper roll to roll away from the device
100
.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the pivot
230
in the known device
100
is positioned in such a way that the free end
210
of the nudging plate
240
travels through an arc in a counterclockwise direction. It is important to recognize that this configuration also causes the paper roll
295
to rotate in the same counterclockwise direction as the free end
210
of the nudging plate
240
when the paper roll moves away from the device
100
due to the force exerted on it by the nudging plate.
This configuration of the known nudging device
100
has several negative consequences. One negative consequence is that the friction created by having the free end
210
of the nudging plate
240
travel through an arc in the same circular direction as the paper roll
295
rotates frequently causes the paper comprising the surface of the paper roll to be damaged. Another negative consequence of this configuration of the known device
100
is that it tends to shoot backward, away from the paper roll
295
, when the nudging plate
240
exerts force on the paper roll. This tendency to shoot backward occurs despite the rubber grip surface
140
on the bottom of the base
270
and reduces the ability of the device to effectively nudge the roll
295
.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved nudging device that would decrease damage to the paper comprising the surface of the paper roll while effectively nudging the roll without slipping backward.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an improved nudging device that can be used for aligning the core of a roll of paper with a caliper used for loading the roll into a roll stand. Through a unique configuration of its parts, and in particular the location of a pivot, the nudging device can nudge a roll of paper without damaging the paper. Furthermore, the location of the pivot and the use of a securing means prevents the nudging device from slipping backward as it nudges the roll.
The nudging device has a base and a nudging plate, which has a pivoted end and a free end. The pivoted end of the nudging plate is pivotally attached to the base by a pivot. The base can be securely maintained stationary with respect to a surface supporting a roll of paper to be nudged using a high-friction surface on the base or a bolt mount and bolt. The nudging device also has a means for pivoting the nudging plate from its resting position, and this means may be a pneumatic actuator (such as an air bladder), a hydraulic actuator, a ball screw actuator, a pawl and ratchet actuator, or another suitable type of actuator. The pivot is strategically placed on the base so that as the nudging plate is pivoted from its resting position, the free end of the nudging plate travels through an arc in a first circular direction (e.g., clockwise) while exerting a force on the roll that causes the roll to be nudged away from the nudging device as it moves in a second circular direction (e.g., counterclockwise) that is opposite from the first circular direction. The nudging device can also be used for nudging other objects besides rolls of paper, such as large pipes, railroad cars, and so forth.
The present invention also provides a method for nudging a roll of paper for manufacturing corrugated board into alignment with a caliper for loading the roll into a roll stand. The roll is first positioned adjacent to the caliper. Then, a nudging device as described above is positioned on a surface adjacent to the roll. While the nudging device is securely maintained stationary with respect to the surface, the means for pivoting the nudging plate is activated in order to cause the free end of the nudging plate to travel through an arc in a first circular direction. The free end of the nudging plate thereby nudges the roll in a second circular direction that is opposite to the first circular direction. This nudging is continued until the core of the roll is aligned with the caliper.
The various aspects of the present invention may be more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments and by reference to the appended drawings and claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 739017 (1903-09-01), Miller
patent: 830912 (1906-09-01), Muehr
patent: 1340523 (1920-05-01), Chapman
patent: 1530437 (1925-03-01), Sullivan
patent: 1591597 (1926-07-01), Williamson
patent: 1861070 (1932-05-01), Vermillion et al.
patent: 2283089 (1942-05-01), Pfauser
patent: 2677527 (1954-05-01), Miehe
patent: 3074512 (1963-01-01), Naur
patent: 3251313 (1966-05-01), Nansel
patent: 4475695 (1984-10-01), Franks
patent: 4838495 (1989-06-01), Murasaki
patent: 5802650 (1998-09-01), Massey et al.
“The Wedge-It,” Serial No. 941,032 delivered Jun. 7, 1994 to MacMillan Bathurst, Winnipeg, Canada; The Energy Corp., 1680 Michigan Ave., Suite 918, Miami Beach, FL 33139.
Corrugated Gear & Services
Gardner Groff Mehrman & Josephic P.C.
Jillions John M.
Mehrman Michael J.
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