TAPE TAKE-UP ROLLER
The present invention relates in general to spool assemblies, and more specifically, to a tape take-up roller for collecting carrier strips, or tape, that attach a chain of bags for packaging food in a food production facility. A purpose of the invention is to provide an improved spool assembly that conveniently and safely allows an operator to collect and remove tape therefrom. In an exemplary embodiment, the spool assembly may comprise a series of cantilevered, elongated prongs having a closed first end secured to a base and an opposite open second end. The base may be rotatably coupled to a bearing housing that permits the base and series of prongs to rotate together around a longitudinal axis for collecting tape around the series of prongs. The spool assembly permits tape to be safely removed from the series of prongs by sliding the tape off the open second end without requiring the use of cutting tools.
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. Pat. Application No. 29/778,600 filed Apr. 14, 2021, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to packaged food products and, more particularly without limitation, to an improved spool assembly, also called a tape take-up roller, for collecting carrier strips that attach a chain of flexible bags for packaged food in an imbricated manner and providing convenient removal thereof for disposal or recycling purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFood products such as cuts of beef, poultry, and other categories of meat have been traditionally packaged in flexible plastic bags at food production facilities. Such flexible plastic bags are often dispensed at the food production facility in an imbricated manner where individual bags are attached together in a chain configuration using at least one carrier strip. The carrier strip is generally a single sided adhesive tape for adhering to the bags, wherein the tape may be made of materials comprising polypropylene, polyesters, or combinations thereof (hereinafter, “carrier strip” or “tape”). Carrier strips often utilized in the food production industry typically have a width of approximately 6.0 - 7.0 millimeters (“mm”), a thickness of approximately 0.1 - 0.3 mm, and a length ranging between .5 - 15 meters.
While packaging food at the food production facility, the chain of individual bags attached together by the at least one carrier strip are typically transitioned towards a loading station for introducing food into each bag. Before loading food into each bag, however, the carrier strip needs to be removed. While removing carrier strips from the chain of bags is simple enough, current techniques for collecting large amounts of sticky tape is anything but convenient or safe. For example, winding spools currently utilized in the food production industry often include support bearings protruding from each end of the spool. These support bearings are configured to allow the spool to rotate around a longitudinal axis to wind up carrier strips thereon. While useful in collecting carrier strips, however, such configurations prevent the carrier strips from being conveniently removed from, or slid off of, one end of the spool to be disposed or recycled. As a result, carrier strips collected on current winding spools have to be cut off of the spool using knives, scissors, or other cutting tools. Not only are such cutting techniques dangerous to the operator and others adjacent, but these techniques also create small pieces of tape that may be introduced into the finished, bagged food product. Foreign materials in food products are significant safety concerns to end customers, and enhance the liability risk to the food production facility.
Thus what is needed is an improved spool assembly that may be used to reliably collect carrier strips in an efficient manner during the food production process. What is further needed is an improved spool assembly that conveniently allows for an operator to remove collected carrier strips therefrom to be disposed or recycled. What is still further needed is an improved spool assembly for collecting carrier strips that protects the health and safety of workers while being operated and of end customers by preventing foreign material in food products.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure solves the aforementioned issues by providing an improved spool assembly, or tape take-up roller, that conveniently and safely allows an operator to collect and remove carrier strips therefrom without requiring the use of cutting tools. In essence, the spool assembly includes a series of cantilevered, elongated prongs having a closed first end secured to a base and an opposite, open second end. An axle may rotatably couple the base to a bearing housing, wherein an arm further secures the bearing housing to a frame designed to facilitate attachment of the spool assembly to existing mechanical equipment of a food processing facility for incorporation into a food processing process. The base and series of prongs may rotate together around a longitudinal axis to facilitate the collection of carrier strips around the series of prongs. For removal of the carrier strips from the spool assembly, the carrier strips may be simply slid off the open second end of the series of prongs for disposal or recycling without requiring the tape to be cut off.
In other instances, the present disclosure solves the aforementioned issues by providing a method of collecting and disposing of carrier strips using an improved spool assembly. In essence, the method may include providing the spool assembly of the present disclosure. The method may further include incorporating the spool assembly into a food processing process by attaching the frame to existing mechanical equipment of a food processing facility. Carrier strips may be provided that are used to attach individual, plastic bags together when packaging food at the food production facility. The carrier strips may be wound around the series of prongs of the spool assembly for collection. After collecting a desired amount of carrier strips, the carrier strips may be removed from the spool assembly by sliding the carrier strips off the open second end of the series of prongs to be disposed or recycled.
PRINCIPAL OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTIONTherefore, it is a principal object, feature, and/or advantage of the present disclosure to overcome the aforementioned deficiencies in the art and provide an improved spool assembly, or tape take-up roller, that may be used to reliably collect carrier strips in an efficient manner during the food production process.
Another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present disclosure is to provide an improved spool assembly that conveniently allows for an operator to remove collected carrier strips therefrom to be disposed or recycled.
Yet another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present disclosure is to provide an improved spool assembly for collecting carrier strips that protects the health and safety of workers by not requiring the carrier strips to be cut off from the assembly and of end customers by preventing foreign material in food products.
A further object, feature, and/or advantage of the present disclosure is to provide an improved spool assembly that may be used with all makes, manners and manufacturers of carrier strips.
A still further object, feature, and/or advantage of the present disclosure is to provide an improved spool assembly for collecting carrier strips that is inexpensive to manufacture, convenient to repair, comprised of lightweight and durable materials, and that may be easily incorporated into the food production process.
Other objects, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example and without limitation, certain aspects of this disclosure. The present disclosure is not to be limited to or by these objects, features, and advantages. No single aspect need provide each and every object, feature, or advantage. The scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover all such embodiments that may fall within the scope of the appended claims, either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.
Referring generally to
It must be noted that the singular terms “a,” “an,” and “the” as used herein may include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, in particular aspects, the terms “about” or “approximately” when preceding a numerical value indicates the value plus or minus a range of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 or 0.5 mm. In other aspects, the terms “about” or “approximately” when preceding a numerical value indicates the value plus or minus a range of 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 mm. In still further aspects, the terms “about” or “approximately” when preceding a numerical value indicates the value plus or minus a range of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 meters. In additional aspects, the terms “about” or “approximately” when preceding a numerical value indicates the value plus or minus a range of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 inch. Furthermore the transitional phrase “comprising” that is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” and “characterized by” as used herein is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements, steps or ingredients. Alternatively the transitional phrase “consisting of” as used herein is closed and excludes any element, step or ingredient not specified. The term “generally” as used herein is defined as being mostly but not necessarily wholly that which is specified. The term “larger” as used herein is defined as exceeding most other things of like kind especially in size. The term “smaller” as used herein is defined as having a comparatively little size or slight dimensions.
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Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of collecting and disposing of carrier strips 12 using the improved spool assembly 10 disclosed in
The improved spool assembly 10 and method of use of the present disclosure are universally applicable to carrier strips of all makes, manners and manufacturers and may be easily incorporated into the existing food production process of food production facilities. Although the disclosure has been described and illustrated with respect to preferred aspects thereof, it is not to be so limited since changes, modifications, and combinations thereof may be made which are within the full intended scope of the disclosure.
Claims
1. A spool assembly, comprising:
- a cantilevered series of prongs;
- the series of prongs having a closed first end secured to a base and an opposite open second end;
- the series of prongs arranged equidistant from one another around a longitudinal axis;
- each prong of the series of prongs sloping inwardly from the closed first end towards the open second end;
- a support column;
- the support column positioned internally to the series of prongs;
- the support column having a first end and an opposite second end;
- the first end of the support column secured to an internal side of the base;
- the second end of the support column secured to an interior side of each prong;
- an axle coupling the base to a bearing housing; and
- the spool assembly configured to take up tape thereon.
2. The spool assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
- the series of prongs designed to allow tape to slide off the open second ends to remove tape from the spool assembly;
- wherein the tape is removed from the spool assembly without cutting the tape.
3. The spool assembly of claim 1, wherein each prong is tapered from the closed first end towards the open second end.
4. The spool assembly of claim 11, further comprising:
- the axle rotatably coupling the base to the bearing housing;
- the bearing housing including: a) an internal bearing that permits the base and series of prongs to rotate together around a longitudinal axis via the axle; and b) the internal bearing is configured to assist with winding tape around the series of prongs for collection.
5. The spool assembly of claim 4, further comprising:
- the bearing housing including an internal ratchet; and
- the internal rachet configured to provide continuous rotary motion in only one direction around the longitudinal axis while preventing motion in the opposite direction.
6. The spool assembly of claim 14, further comprising:
- the second end of the support column including a bracket secured to an interior side of each prong;
- wherein the support column is designed to reinforce and maintain the series of prongs in a fixed position.
7. The spool assembly of claim 6, the bracket of the second end of the support column comprising a bearing to assist in the rotation of the series of prongs and base around the longitudinal axis.
8. The spool assembly of claim 1, wherein the series of prongs comprises at least three prongs secured to the base.
9. The spool assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
- an arm for securing the bearing housing to a frame; and
- wherein the frame is designed to facilitate attachment of the spool assembly to existing mechanical equipment of a food processing facility for incorporation into a food processing process.
10. The spool assembly of claim 1, wherein the open second end of each prong is not attached to any object.
11. A spool assembly, comprising:
- a cantilevered series of prongs;
- the series of prongs having a closed first end secured to a base and an opposite open second end;
- an axle coupling the base to a bearing housing; and
- the spool assembly configured to take up tape thereon.
12. The spool assembly of claim 11, further comprising:
- the series of prongs designed to allow tape to slide off the open second ends to remove tape from the spool assembly;
- wherein the tape is removed from the spool assembly without cutting the tape.
13. The spool assembly of claim 11, wherein each prong is tapered from the closed first end towards the open second end.
14. The spool assembly of claim 11, further comprising:
- the axle rotatably coupling the base to the bearing housing;
- the bearing housing including: c) an internal bearing that permits the base and series of prongs to rotate together around a longitudinal axis via the axle; and d) the internal bearing is configured to assist with winding tape around the series of prongs for collection.
15. The spool assembly of claim 14, further comprising:
- the bearing housing including an internal ratchet; and
- the internal rachet configured to provide continuous rotary motion in only one direction around the longitudinal axis while preventing motion in the opposite direction.
16. The spool assembly of claim 14, further comprising:
- a support column;
- the support column positioned internally to the series of prongs;
- the support column having a first end and an opposite second end;
- the first end of the support column secured to an internal side of the base; and
- the second end of the support column including a bracket secured to an interior side of each prong;
- wherein the support column is designed to reinforce and maintain the series of prongs in a fixed position.
17. The spool assembly of claim 16, the bracket of the second end of the support column comprising a bearing to assist in the rotation of the series of prongs and base around the longitudinal axis.
18. A method of collecting and disposing of tape, comprising:
- providing a spool assembly, comprising: a) a series of prongs positioned coaxially from one another; b) the series of prongs having a closed first end and an opposite open second end; c) each prong of the series of prongs sloping inwardly from the closed first end towards the open second end; d) the series of prongs cantilevered on one side wherein the closed first end is secured to a base; e) a support column; f) the support column positioned internally to the series of prongs; g) the support column having a first end and an opposite second end; h) the first end of the support column secured to an internal side of the base; i) the second end of the support column secured to an interior side of each prong; j) an axle coupling the base to a bearing housing; k) an arm for securing the bearing housing to a frame; and l) the spool assembly configured to take up tape thereon;
- incorporating the spool assembly into a food processing process by attaching the frame to existing mechanical equipment of a food processing facility;
- providing tape used to attach individual, plastic bags together when packaging food at the food production facility;
- winding the tape around the series of prongs of the spool assembly for collection;
- removing the tape from the spool assembly by sliding the tape off the open second ends of prongs; and
- disposing or recycling the tape that has been removed from the spool assembly.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein winding the tape around the series of prongs of the spool assembly for collection includes rotating the base and series of prongs together around a longitudinal axis.
20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:
- rotatably coupling the base to the bearing housing via the axle;
- providing the bearing housing with the following: a) an internal bearing that permits the base and series of prongs to rotate together around a longitudinal axis via the axle; b) the internal bearing configured to assist with winding tape around the series of prongs for collection; c) the bearing housing including an internal ratchet; and d) the internal rachet configured to provide continuous rotary motion in only one direction around the longitudinal axis while preventing motion in the opposite direction.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 25, 2023
Publication Date: Nov 16, 2023
Applicant: JBS USA FOOD COMPANY (Greeley, CO)
Inventors: Patrick Huebner (Windsor, CO), Brad Carl (Marshalltown, IA), Chad Riley (Ft. Collins, CO)
Application Number: 18/358,258