US3716964A

US3716964A - Wrapping sheet dispenser for roll wrapping machine

Info

Publication number: US3716964A
Application number: US00101945A
Authority: US
Inventors: G Reynolds; D Mattison; F Gedemer
Original assignee: Allis Chalmers Corp
Current assignee: Allis Chalmers Corp
Priority date: 1970-12-28
Filing date: 1970-12-28
Publication date: 1973-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 1990-02-20
Also published as: CA956226A

Abstract

A ROLLER WRAPPING MACHINE IS PROVIDED WITH STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING A ROLL OF WRAPPER PAPER ABOVE A WRAPPING STATION. A VACUMN BOX HAVING A FLAT DOWNWARDLY INCLINED WRAPPING PAPER GUIDING SURFACE IS ARRANGED BETWEEN THE WRAPPING STATION AND THE WRAPPER ROLL. A LOWER END OF THE BOX IS ARRANGED ADJACENT THE LOWER PORTION OF A ROLL TO BE WRAPPED AT THE WRAPPING STATION AND AN UPPER END OF THE BOX IS BOTH ABOVE AND REARWARD OF THE LOWER END. A ROLLER IS MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS CENTRAL AXIS IN PARALLEL SPACED ALIGNMENT WITH THE UPPER END OF THE BOX AND ANOTHER ROLLER IS MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS CENTRAL AXIS IN PARALLEL SPACED ALIGNMENT WITH THE LOWER END OF THE BOX. THE WRAPPING PAPER GUIDING SURFACE IS PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED SLOTS EXTENDING ALONG THE SURFACE PERPENDICULAR TO THE ROLLERS. A PLURALITY OF ENDLESS AIR PERVIOUS BELTS ENCIRCLE THE ROLLERS WITH EACH BELT LAPPING ONE OF THE SLOTS. AN AIR EVACUATING PUMP IS CONNECTED TO THE BOX FOR EVACUATING AIR FROM THE BOX AND DRAWING AIR INTO THE BOX THROUGH THE BELTS AND SLOTS HOLD A PORTION OF THE WRAPPING PAPER FLAT THEREON. A DRIVE MOTOR IS CONNECTED TO ONE OF THE ROLLERS TO MOVE THE BELTS, AND WRAPPING PAPER HELD FLAT THEREON, DOWNWARDLY ALONG THE GUIDING SURFACE TO DISPENSE THE WRAPPING PAPER FROM THE LOWER END OF THE BOX ALONG A PATH CONVERGING TOWARD THE WRAPPING STATION. THE UPPER END OF THE BOX IS SUPPORTED FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS PARALLEL TO THE GUIDING SURFACE. A POWER OPERATED ACTUATING LINKAGE IS OPERATIVE TO PIVOT THE BOX ABOUT THE HORIZONTAL AXIS AND SWING THE LOWER END OF THE BOX TOWARD THE WRAPPING STATION TO PLACE THE LEADING EDGE OF WRAPPING PAPER HELD ON THE GUIDING SURFACE, IN FLAT CONTACT WITH A LOWER PORTION OF A ROLL TO BE WRAPPED. THE BOX IS SUPPORTED BY TRACKS FOR UPWARD MOVEMENT TO AN ELEVATED POSITION IN WHICH THE LOWER END OF THE BOX CLEARS A SPACE THROUGH WHICH A WRAPPED ROLL MAY BE DISCHARGED.

D R A W I N G

Description

Fgb. 20, 1973 G. E. REYNOLDS ETAL 15,

WRAPPING SHEET DISPENSER FOR ROLL WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28. 1970 United States Patent 3,716,964 WRAPPING SHEET DISPENSER FOR ROLL WRAPPING MACHINE George E. Reynolds, Donald J. Mattison, and Fred J.

Gedemer, Appleton, Wis., assignors to Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

Filed Dec. 28, 1970, Ser. No. 101,945 Int. Cl. B65b 41/06 US. Cl. 53-389 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A roll wrapping machine is provided with structure for supporting a roll of wrapper paper above a wrapping station. A vacuum box having a flat downwardly inclined wrapping paper guiding surface is arranged between the wrapping station and the wrapper roll. A lower end of the box is arranged adjacent the lower portion of a roll to be wrapped at the wrapping station and an upper end of the box is both above and rearward of the lower end. A roller is mounted for rotation about its central axis in parallel spaced alignment with the upper end of the box and another roller is mounted for rotation about its central axis in parallel spaced alignment with the lower end of the box. The wrapping paper guiding surface is provided with a plurality of elongated slots extending along the surface perpendicular to the rollers. A plurality of endless air pervious belts encircle the rollers with each belt lapping one of the slots. An air evacuating pump is connected to the box for evacuating air from the box and drawing air into the box through the belts and slots to hold a portion of the wrapping paper flat thereon. A drive motor is connected to one of the rollers to move the belts, and wrapping paper held flat thereon, downwardly along the guiding surface to dispense the wrapping paper from the lower end of the box along a path converging toward the wrapping station. The upper end of the box is supported for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis parallel to the guiding surface. A power operated actuating linkage is operative to pivot the box about the horizontal axis and swing the lower end of the box toward the wrapping station to place the leading edge of wrapping paper held on the guiding surface, in flat contact with a lower portion of a roll to be wrapped. The box is supported by tracks for upward movement to an elevated position in which the lower end of the box clears a space through which a wrapped roll may be discharged.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to machines for Wrapping cylindrically shaped articles such as rolls of paper and in particular to an apparatus for dispensing paper used to wrap such rolls.

Description of the prior art US. Pat. No. 2,564,594 of 1951 discloses a roll wrapping machine in which several supply rolls of wrapping paper are arranged above and to the rear of a wrapping station, and a web of wrapping paper is led to the wrapping station from only one of the supply rolls at a time. A problem is presented by such a machine because the wrapping paper is tightly wound into a supply roll and the leading edge of wrapping paper drawn from any of the supply rolls has a tendency to curl. With a machine such as disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,564,594 it would be necessary for an operator to be present and guide the curled leading edge of the wrapping paper into engagement with the roll to be wrapped.

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US. Pat. No. 2,880,560 of 1959 discloses one solution to the foregoing problem, by guiding the wrapping paper between a downwardly moving apron and a downwardly moving horizontally transverse guide rod, to the underside of the roll to be wrapped. With such an arrangement, however, the leading edge of the Wrapper cannot be laid entirely flat against the roll to be wrapped because the guide rod is between the wrapper and the roll to be wrapped.

US. Pat. No. 2,938,319 of 1960 discloses another solution to the problem, by dispensing the wrapper to the top of the roll to be wrapped but this requires an additional mechanism for pressing the wrapper down onto the roll to be wrapped.

As will appear as the description of this invention proceeds, the present invention is directed to solving the aforementioned problem in a more acceptable manner.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a roll wrapping machine with a new and improved wrapper dispensing mechanism which will hold flat a wrapper sheet and its leading edge, and press the leading edge of the wrapper sheet flat against an underside portion of a roll to be wrapped.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention a roll wrapping machine is provided with structure for supporting a roll of wrapper paper above a wrapping station. A vacuum box having a fiat downwardly inclined wrapping paper guiding surface is arranged between the wrapping station and the wrapper roll. A lower end of the box is arranged adjacent the lower portion of a roll to be wrapped at the wrapping station and an upper end of the box is both above and rearward of the lower end. A roller is mounted for rotation about its central axis in parallel spaced alignment with the upper end of the box and another roller is mounted for rotation about its central axis in parallel spaced alignment with the lower end of the box. The wrapping paper guiding surface is provided with a plurality of elongated slots extending along the surface perpendicular to the rollers. A plurality of endless air pervious belts encircle the rollers with each belt lapping one of the slots. An air evacuating pump is connected to the box for evacuating air from the box and drawing air into the box through the belts and slots to hold a portion of the wrapping paper flat thereon. A drive motor is connected to one of the rollers to move the belts, and wrapping paper held fiat thereon, downwardly along the guiding surface to dispense the wrapping paper from the lower end of the box along a path converging toward the wrapping station.

It is another feature of the invention that the upper end of the box is supported for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis parallel to the guiding surface. A power operated actuating linkage is operative to pivot the box about the horizontal axis and swing the lower end of the box toward the wrapping station to place the leading edge of wrapping paper held on the guiding surface, in flat contact with a lower portion of a roll to be wrapped.

It is still another feature of the invention that the box is supported by tracks for upward movement to an elevated position in which the lower end of the box clears a space through which a wrapped roll may be discharged.

Other features and objects of the invention that have been attained will appear from the more detailed description to follow with reference to an embodiment of the present invention shown in the accompany drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawing shows diagrammatically a side elevation of a roll wrapping machine according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the Wrapping material dispenser and shows in broken lines how it may be pivoted about a horizontal aixs; and

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2 and viewing the structure in the direction indicated by arrows.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, in a roll wrapping machine according to the present invention, a wrapping station 1 comprises a pair of turning rolls 2, 3 for supportinga roll 4 which is to be Wrapped. The turning roll 2 is provided with a support 5 operative to lower turning roll 2 and permits the roll 4 to be rolled along a floor surface 6 to a discharge station 7. Supporting structures 8, 9 are provided for supporting several rolls 10 of wrapper material W, which may be paper, plastic or the like, and of different widths. Wrapper material W from each of the rolls 10, is directed to a pair of feed rolls 11, 12 operative to feed a measured length of wrapper W downwardly through a guide chute 13 to a dispenser 14 between fioor surface 6 and the level of the support structure 9.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the dispenser 14 comprises a vacuum box 15 having a flat wrapper guiding surface 16, a rear wall 17 and upper and lower ends 18-, 19. A cylindrical roller 21 is attached by brackets 22 to the end 18 of box 15, to rotate about a central axis XX through roll 21 and in parallel spaced alignment with the end 18 of box 15. A second cylindrical roller 25 is attached by brackets 26 to the end 19 of box 15, to rotate about a central axis Y-Y' through roller 25 and in parallel spaced alignment with the end 19 of box 15. Selected portions of the surface 16 are ported, preferably as shown, with a plurality of elongated slots 30 extending along the surface 16 perpendicular to the

rollers

21, 25. A plurality of air pervious belts 31 encircle the

rollers

21, 25 with each belt 31 lapping one of the slots 30. An air evacuating pump 32 driven by a motor 33 is mounted on the rear wall 17, between a pair of adjacent belts 31 as shown in FIG. 3. The pump 32 as shown in FIG. 2, has an inlet 34 communicating with box 15 for evacuating air from the box 15 and drawing air into the box 15 through the belts 31 and slots 30 to hold a portion of the wrapper W flat thereon as shown in FIG. 1. A drive motor 35 (FIG. 3) is mounted on box 15 and connected to the roller 21 (through a worm gear, not shown) to move the belts 31 and wrapper W held fiat thereon, downwardly along the guiding surface 16 to dispense the wrapper from the lower end 19 of the box 15.

The manner in which the box 15 is supported to dispense a wrapper W to wrap roll 4, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. A pair of laterally spaced track supports 40, 41 project upwardly from the floor 6 and are joined with the support structures 8, 9. Carriage wheels 42 are journaled in mounts 43 at each of the four corners of box 15 (see FIG. 3) and the carriage wheels 42 ride on tracks 40, 41. A cable 45 (see FIG. 1) is connected on one end to box 15 and on the other to a drum 46, which may be power driven by a motor (not shown). Winding cable 45 onto drum 46 raises the entire dispenser to an elevated position indicated by the fragmentary showing of box 15' by dotted lines. In the position indicated at 15', the dispenser 14 clears a space over floor 6 for the roll 4 to move from the wrapping station 1 to the discharge station 7. With dispenser 14 in its lowered position as shown in FIG. 1, a roll such as roll 4, of the maximum diameter for which the machine is designed, will have the wrapper W pressed flat against a lower side of roll 4. A power operated actuating linkage 50 is provided to position the dispenser 14 to engage rolls 4' of smaller diameter, in a manner that will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2. and 3, the linkage 50 is connected on one end 51 to the track support 40 and a second end 52 bears against a push plate 53 mounted on box 15. The end 52 of the linkage 50, pivots about an axis piece 54 mounted in a fixed position on support 40. The linkage 50 also includes a piston 55 and cylinder 56 operable to lengthen or shorten the combined length thereof. With reference to FIG. 3, the cylinder 56 is operable to shorten the combined length of piston 55 and cylinder 56 and pivot the end 52 to the position shown as 52' in broken lines. The linkage end 52 thereby pushes box 15 to pivot box 15 about the axis X-X' and the carriage wheels 42 that turn about axis Y-Y' are lifted 01f the tracks 40, 41. The box 15 is thereby pivotable to bring wrapper W into engagement with a roll 4', (see FIG. 1) which is of smaller diameter than the roll 4.

Any machine such as has been described, is likely to include a number of additional devices and assemblies Well known in this art and not part of the present invention. For example, an assembly '60 may be provided for crimping portions of a wrapper overhanging ends of roll W and such an assembly may be constructed as disclosed in US. Pat. 3,063,214. Further a knife 61 may be provided to cut the wrapper W into sheets of desired length. Such a knife 61 may be a rotary disk turned by a motor 62 and carried by a carrier 63 supported by structure 64 for movement across the width of Wrapper W. Still another included assembly would include one or more, movable or stationary, glue nozzles 65 for spraying glue onto wrapper W.

In the operation of a wrapping machine such as has been described a roll 4 or 4' is positioned on turning rolls 2, 3 (as shown in FIG. 1) and a wrapper W of a desired material and width, selected from one of the rolls 10, is drawn from a roll 10 by a pair of the feed rolls 11, 12 and fed downwardly into chute 13. When the leading edge of Wrapper W is lowered to the level of glue nozzle 65, the rolls 11, 12 may be stopped and glue is sprayed onto the leading edge of wrapper W while the vacuum drawn by pump 32 holds the leading edge of wrapper W flat on belts 31. Then as rolls 11, 12 once again feed wrapper W downwardly, the motor 35 turns roller 21 to move the belts 31 downwardly until the leading edge of wrapper W reaches the lower end 19 of the vacuum box 15. When wrapping a roll such as identified as 4', rolls 11, 12 and motor 35 are then stopped while the actuating linkage 50 pivots the box 15 about the axis X-X' until the leading edge of wrapper W is placed against a lower portion of roll 4' as shown in FIG. 1. The roll 4' is then turned on turning rolls 2, 3 in the direction indicated by the arrows and the wrapper W is drawn around the roll 4' until the desired length of wrapper W has passed downwardly past the knife 61. Rolls 2, 3, motor 35 and rolls 11, 12, are then again stopped while knife 61 cuts wrapper W. Then, while rolls 11, 12 remain stopped, rolls 2, 3 and motor 35 are restarted and the wrapping of the roll 4' is completed. After the wrapping of roll 4 is com pleted and overhanging wrapper portions are crimped by the assembly 60, drum 46 is rotated to wind up cable 45 and raise the vacuum box 15 to the position 15 and clear a space beneath box 15 for the roll 4' to pass from the wrapping station 1 to the discharge station 7. Drum 46 then unwinds cable 45 and lowers box 15 to the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 1 and the machine is then ready to wrap another roll.

From the foregoing detailed description of the present invention it has been shown how the object of the present invention has been attained in a preferred manner. However modification and equivalents of the disclosed concepts such as readily occur to those skilled in the art are intended to be included in the scope of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention is intended to be limited only by the scope of the claims such as are or may here after be, appended hereto.

The embodiments of theinvention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a roll wrapping machine having a wrapping station, means for supporting a supply roll of wrapper material above the wrapping station, and a dispenser for guiding the wrapping material from the supply roll to the wrapping station, the dispenser comprising:

(a) a vacuum box having a flat wrapping material guiding surface inclined downwardly from an upper wrapping material receiving end toward a lower end and toward the wrapping station, and with at least a portion of the surface extending between the upper and lower ends being ported;

(b) an endless air pervious carrier belt encircling the upper and lower ends of the box and lapping the ported portion of the paper guiding surface;

() an air evacuating pump connected to the box for evacuating air from the box and drawing air into the box through the carrier belt and ported portion of the wrapping material guiding surface to hold a portion of the wrapping material flat thereon;

(d) a rotary drive motor connected to the belt and operative to move the belt and wrapping material held thereon downwardly along the ported surface to dispense wrapping material from the lower end of the box along a path converging toward the wrapping station;

(e) support structure having a portion at a level intermediate the wrapping station and the means for sup porting a supply roll of wrapping material, and adapted for supporting the upper end of the box for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis parallel to the guiding surface; and

(f) a power operated actuating linkage connected on one end to the support struncture and on another end to the box and operable to pivot the box about the horizontal axis and swing the lower end of the guiding surface toward the wrapping station to place Wrapping maten'al held on the guiding surface in flat contact with a lower portion of a roll positioned for wrapping at the wrapping station.

2. In a wrapping machine according to claim 1 the support structure comprising track means extending upwardly of the horizontal axis and the box being supported thereby for movement upwardly along the track from a first position in which the lower end of the box is adjacent the lower portion of a roll to be wrapped at the wrapping station, to a second and elevated position in which the lower end of the box clears a space through which a wrapped roll may be discharged.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,380,223 4/1968 Jasper et al. 53-389 X 3,407,565 10/1968 Bender et a1. 53-380 X 3,385,026 5/1968 SChmermund S3389 X 3,367,221 2/1968 Schmermund 53-389 X THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner E. F. DESMOND, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 53-21 1