Supply Coil Brake Control Patents (Class 242/421)
  • Publication number: 20150135652
    Abstract: A sheet interleaver is provided for a slicing machine that includes a slicing plane for slicing an elongated food product and a sheet of web material beneath the elongated product. The interleaver includes a supply of web material, a drawing station, and a feed station. A tensioning station is disposed between the supply of web material and the drawing station to maintain the tension of the web material at a pre-determined tension. A web accumulation station is between the drawing station and the feed station to provide a slackened length of web material within an acceptable range of slack between the drawing station and the feed station. The supply of web material is disposed on a spool which rotates about a cylindrical shaft. The cylindrical shaft has a braking mechanism which protrudes from the shaft to generate a frictional force against the spool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventors: Glen F. Pryor, Wayne H. Webster
  • Publication number: 20140246115
    Abstract: A reinforcing bar binding machine is provided with a feed means for feeding a wire from a wire reel rotatably mounted on a binding machine body, a braking means for braking a rotation of the wire reel, and a control means that starts a braking to the rotation of the wire reel by the braking means after the wire is fed to a predetermined amount by the feed means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: MAX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Osamu ITAGAKI
  • Publication number: 20140097285
    Abstract: A climbing assisting equipment includes a rope transmitting device and a slow-descending device. The rope transmitting device includes a rope member and a rope reeling member. The slow-descending device has a transmission member connected between the rope reel member and a generator. When the rope member is pulled down, the generator is driven by the rope reel member via the transmission means to generate electrical power to a generator load, and to thus reduce a descending speed of the rope member by a resistant moment to the generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Inventor: JUI-LON CHANG
  • Publication number: 20140008481
    Abstract: A self-compensating tension control device for regulating the withdrawal of filamentary material from a spool includes a fixed support that maintains an inverted cam surface and a spindle assembly rotatably carrying the spool. A tension force applied to the filamentary material, in opposition to a biasing force, moves the spindle assembly linearly in relation to the fixed support. A braking mechanism includes a brake drum rotatable with the spindle assembly, a friction band adapted to engage the brake drum and a rocker arm that engages the cam surface. When the tension force applied to the filamentary material is reduced and unable to overcome the biasing force, the cam roller engages the cam surface and causes the friction band to generate a braking force on the brake drum. Withdrawal of the filamentary material at a regular rate occurs when the biasing force is balanced with the tension force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2011
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Applicant: RJS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Raymond J. Slezak
  • Publication number: 20130270382
    Abstract: A self-compensating tension control device for regulating the withdrawal of filamentary material from a spool includes a fixed support that maintains a cam surface and a spindle assembly rotatably carrying the spool. A tension force applied to the filamentary material, in opposition to a biasing force, moves the spindle assembly linearly in relation to the fixed support. A braking mechanism includes a brake drum rotatable with the spindle assembly, a brake shoe adapted to engage the brake drum and a rocker arm that engages the cam surface. When the tension force applied to the filamentary material is reduced and unable to overcome the biasing force, the cam roller engages the cam surface and causes the brake shoe to generate a braking force on the brake drum. Withdrawal of the filamentary material at a regular rate occurs when the biasing force is balanced with the tension force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2011
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Applicant: RJS Corporation
    Inventor: Raymond J. Slezak
  • Publication number: 20130206892
    Abstract: A wire handling facilitator in the form of a backpack. An apparatus that is useful for handling small rolls of wire that is to be welded into channels of metal surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: ALCOTEC WIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: AlcoTec Wire Corporation
  • Patent number: 8500056
    Abstract: A self-compensating tension control device for regulating the payout of filamentary material from a spool includes a fixed support and a spindle assembly rotatably carrying the spool. A tension force applied to the filamentary material, in opposition to a biasing force, moves the spindle assembly linearly in relation to the fixed support. An eddy current braking system includes a conductive member rotatable with the spindle assembly and a magnetic member carried by the fixed support. The spindle assembly and the conductive member move linearly toward a side-by-side relationship with the magnetic member when the tension force applied to the filamentary material is reduced and unable to overcome the biasing force. Linear movement of the spindle assembly and the associated conductive member can be obtained by either a straight line mechanism or a linear ball bushing mechanism. A supplemental brake may also be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: RJS Corporation
    Inventor: Raymond J. Slezak
  • Publication number: 20130186994
    Abstract: A self-compensating tension control device for regulating the payout of filamentary material from a spool includes a fixed support and a spindle assembly rotatably carrying the spool. A tension force applied to the filamentary material, in opposition to a biasing force, moves the spindle assembly linearly in relation to the fixed support. An eddy current braking system includes a conductive member rotatable with the spindle assembly and a magnetic member carried by the fixed support. The spindle assembly and the conductive member move linearly toward a side-by-side relationship with the magnetic member when the tension force applied to the filamentary material is reduced and unable to overcome the biasing force. Linear movement of the spindle assembly and the associated conductive member can be obtained by either a straight line mechanism or a linear ball bushing mechanism. A supplemental brake may also be used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Inventor: Raymond J. Slezak
  • Patent number: 8466648
    Abstract: A motor control device for a stepping motor including at least two phase coils and a rotor is provided. The motor control device includes a control unit which applies a pulse voltage subjected to pulse width modulation, to each of the at least two phase coils, a back electromotive voltage measuring unit which provides a halt period to temporarily halt the application of the pulse voltage to one of the phase coils when a direction of the coil current flowing in the one phase coil is switched, and which measures a back electromotive voltage induced in the one phase coil during the halt period, an out-of-step detecting unit which detects an out-of-step of the stepping motor if the measured back electromotive voltage satisfies a predetermined criterion, and a voltage control unit which sets a voltage for all phase coils other than the one phase coil to a constant voltage during the halt period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Takada, Takayuki Matsui
  • Publication number: 20130037648
    Abstract: A dispensing system for dispensing cutting wire to be used in a glazing panel cut out procedure has a mounting device with a docking station for docking a wire store device. The wire store device mounts on the docking station in order to dispense the wire. The mounting device can have a rotary means operable to pay out cutting wire from the system. The rotary means is controllable to adjust the applied torque required to operate the rotary means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2011
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Inventor: William Finck
  • Publication number: 20130026278
    Abstract: In a method and a device for winding an acentric coil former, the coil former is set into a rotary motion with a winder drive, wherein the rotary motion of the coil former causes a wire attached to the coil former to be wound onto the coil former and unwound from a drum operatively connected to a brake drive, and the winder drive or the brake drive, or both, are controlled based on a rotation position of the coil former. The wire is unwound from the drum with a non-constant speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: David Bitterolf, Elmar Schäfers, Stephan Schäufele
  • Patent number: 8302896
    Abstract: In a printer that uses a roll paper being a printing medium, when a 2-inch roll paper is used, as a flange member coaxially fixed to each central portion of both ends of a paper tube of the roll paper in its axial direction, a flange member with a smaller outer diameter than that of the flange member used for a 3-inch roll paper is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takeshi Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 8162308
    Abstract: The present invention avoids a problem in that wound-up banknotes are located unevenly on substantially the same position on a winding drum. The paper sheet processing device is configured to process paper sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Glory Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kobayashi, Tsuguo Mizoro
  • Patent number: 8011611
    Abstract: In a recording medium transporting mechanism, a flange member is attached on either side of a roll paper and the flange member has a diameter smaller than a maximum outer diameter of a roll paper. Support rollers support a corresponding one of the flange members in a rotatable manner. The support rollers are moveable along the axis of rotation of the roll paper. The sum of an outer diameter of corresponding one of the flange members and the support rollers is greater than a maximum outer diameter of the roll paper. A rewinding roller of at least a length equivalent to a distance between both sets of support rollers when the sets of support rollers are farthest apart is engaged with a support roller within the set of support rollers and can rotate the flange member in a rewinding direction over a desired amount of continuous time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Akito Yoshimaru, Yuichiro Maeyama, Yoshio Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20110049286
    Abstract: When current collecting wires are laid in parallel with each other on a solar cell on which a photosensitive film is formed, a wire tension adjusting mechanism is provided which includes a bobbin holder shaft pivotally held on the side of a frame in a bobbin cassette in a wiring apparatus and a wire bobbin is detachably fixed on the bobbin holder shaft. The wire tension adjusting mechanism further includes a pre-load means for adjusting the torque of the bobbin holder shaft and the tension of each current collecting wire to be drawn out from the wire bobbin held by the bobbin shaft is adjusted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2007
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Tohoku Seiki Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Keitaro Harada, Masayoshi Yokoo, Koichi Yoshida, Akio Murakami
  • Publication number: 20090283172
    Abstract: A reinforcing bar binding machine is provided with a feed means for feeding a wire from a wire reel rotatably mounted on a binding machine body, a braking means for braking a rotation of the wire reel, and a control means that starts a braking to the rotation of the wire reel by the braking means after the wire is fed to a predetermined amount by the feed means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2009
    Publication date: November 19, 2009
    Applicant: MAX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Osamu Itagaki
  • Publication number: 20090266926
    Abstract: In a recording medium transporting mechanism, a flange member is attached on either side of a roll paper and the flange member has a diameter smaller than a maximum outer diameter of a roll paper. Support rollers support a corresponding one of the flange members in a rotatable manner. The support rollers are moveable along the axis of rotation of the roll paper. The sum of an outer diameter of corresponding one of the flange members and the support rollers is greater than a maximum outer diameter of the roll paper. A rewinding roller of at least a length equivalent to a distance between both sets of support rollers when the sets of support rollers are farthest apart is engaged with a support roller within the set of support rollers and can rotate the flange member in a rewinding direction over a desired amount of continuous time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2009
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Inventors: Akito YOSHIMARU, Yuichiro MAEYAMA, Yoshio MIYAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20090242332
    Abstract: A spring motor and drag brake for use in coverings for architectural openings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Richard N. Anderson, Robert E. Fisher, II, Donald E. Fraser, Stephen R. Haarer
  • Publication number: 20090206191
    Abstract: A device for laying a thin metal wire taken from a coil of wire stock onto a surface, in particular onto the surface of a sheet, using a presser. The device includes a mechanism exerting mechanical tension in a region of the wire that lies between the rotary coil of wire stock and the presser, and a wire-guiding device provided in the region. The wire-guiding device includes a tensioning device that acts directly on the wire taken off the coil of wire stock. That makes it possible effectively and appreciably to compensate for changes in relative speeds at which the wire and the sheet progress.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2007
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Applicant: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Benno Dunkmann, Michael Labrot
  • Patent number: 7540447
    Abstract: In a feeding device comprising turret arms having spindle shafts for supporting a web roll, an air brake for applying a braking force in a rotating direction to the spindle shafts, and an accelerating motor for applying a drive force in the rotating direction to the spindle shafts and a braking force in the rotating direction to the spindle shafts, a braking force control device has a tension control device which exercises control such that if a braking force required for the spindle shafts is lower than a constant value, only the braking force from the accelerating motor is supplied to the spindle shafts, and that if the braking force required for the spindle shafts is higher than the constant value, the braking force from the accelerating motor is supplied to the spindle shafts, and the braking force of the air brake is supplied to the spindle shafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihide Shiraishi, Hiromitsu Ebihara
  • Publication number: 20040000608
    Abstract: A mechanism (C) for tensioning a web extending from a rotating roll (R) includes three fluid relays (200-202) and two amplifiers (204, 205). A variable pressure pilot signal (P) drives a piston (66) of a rotational control apparatus (A) to create a pilot torque to the rotating roll (R). In the event that the variable pressure pilot signal (P) exceeds the bias pressures (B1-B3) of the fluid relays (200-202), the pistons (64, 68, 70, 72 and 74) are driven by fluid relays (200-202) to create relay torques to the rotating roll (R) in addition to the pilot torque in direct proportion to differences between the variable pressure pilot signal (P) and the bias pressures (B1-B3). The relay torques created by the second and third relays (201, 202) are amplified by the amplifiers (204, 205). Thus, the rotational control apparatus (A) can be fully utilized for its full torque range while still providing enough resolution to control tension of the web (W) precisely.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2002
    Publication date: January 1, 2004
    Inventor: John Andrew Metza
  • Patent number: 6565657
    Abstract: A hand device for transferring a film, of, for example, adhesive, covering, or colored material, from a backing strip to a substrate. A supply spool and a take-up spool for the backing strip are rotatably mounted in a housing. An applicator tip is arranged on the housing and includes an application edge around which the backing strip runs. Furthermore, a brake mechanism, active during the functional operation of the hand device is provided. The brake mechanism has a locking device which interacts with one of the spools. To guarantee a compact design and economical fabrication, the locking device is arranged to be integral with the applicator tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: BIC Deutschland GmbH & Co.
    Inventor: Winfried Huthmacher
  • Patent number: 6539982
    Abstract: A loom with an insertion brake disposed between a yarn feeder and the shed of the loom, which insertion includes a movable brake element, which is capable of movement between two fixedly disposed yarn guides from a position of rest on one side of the yarn to an operative position on the other side of the yarn. The movable brake element is connected to a driving motor, the excitation of which is controlled by an electronic system, in which at least one program for the time and the position of the movable brake element is incorporated. The electronic system includes a position detection sensor for sensing the instantaneous position of the brake element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Te Strake Textile B.V.
    Inventor: Gijsbertus De Swart
  • Patent number: 6478489
    Abstract: A rollfeed braking system for maintaining substantially constant tension in rollfeed media includes a rotary brake drum on a rollfeed mounting spindle assembly and a pivotally mounted spring biased brake arm having a braking area urged toward the brake drum. A friction ring is mounted on the exterior surface of the brake drum so that frictional braking force is applied to the drum by the friction ring rather than by brake shoes as is conventional. Substantially constant tensioning of the media results since roll replacement does not require the operator to contact the exterior surface of the brake drum which leaves contamination thereon in the form of fingerprint oil, grease or other contaminants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: Lluis Hierro
  • Publication number: 20020113159
    Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for the production of man-made flies for use in fly fishing is disclosed. The preferred embodiment includes a spring for the storage of energy as thread is unwound from an industry standard spool. Means for easily changing the spool as well as rewinding any slack thread back onto the spool is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2001
    Publication date: August 22, 2002
    Inventor: Faruk Ekich
  • Patent number: 6408757
    Abstract: A paper roll braking device for rotary presses, in which a web is paid off from a paper roll supported between frames, caused to travel, and printed in a printing unit, comprising rotors provided on supporting members for supporting the paper roll, braking sections provided at a plurality of locations along the rotors and having friction discs that can engage with, or disengage from, the rotors at their respective locations, engage/disengage changeover sections for controlling the engage/disengage operation of the friction discs with respect to the rotors, and a tension sensing mechanism for sensing changes in the running tension of the web; a contact pressure adjusting section for adjusting the contact pressure of the friction discs to the rotors via the engage/disengage changeover section in accordance with the changes in running tension detected by the tension sensing mechanism, an outside diameter detecting section for detecting the outside diameter of the paper roll, and an operation control section for
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Ogawa, Nobuaki Hashimoto, Takanobu Sakakura, Atushi Satoh
  • Patent number: 6405098
    Abstract: A control arrangement for controlling web unwinding equipment used for feeding webs to a web-fed rotary printing machine stabilizes a swing roll used to tension the web at a central position via an integrator in a manner independent of the coefficient of friction. A proportional and differential element is connected in parallel with the integrator. The inputs of the integrator and the proportional and differential element are connected directly or indirectly to a swing-roll transmitter whose output is dependent on a position of the swing roll. The outputs of the integrator and the proportional and differential element act on an adder element. The output of the adder element acts directly or indirectly on a brake for braking the rotation of the wound roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Bernd Mehlis, Josef Hammer
  • Patent number: 6098910
    Abstract: A tension control device (10) for regulating the payout of filamentary material (24) from a spool (22) includes a fixed support (12, 14), a swing frame assembly (16) pivotably mounted on the fixed support and predisposed to a holding position, and a spindle assembly (20) carried by the swing frame assembly. The spindle assembly (20) carries the spool (22) and rotates with the spool as the filament is pulled off the spool. A braking assembly (18) is pivotably mounted on the fixed support (14) and is movable with the swing frame assembly (16). A cam (30) is fixably mounted on the fixed support and bears against the braking assembly (18) and forces the braking assembly to control the rotation of the spindle assembly. A pull-off force applied by filamentary material causes the swing frame assembly to move away from the holding position and allows rotation of the spindle assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Wayne-Dalton Corp.
    Inventor: Raymond J. Slezak
  • Patent number: 5794464
    Abstract: A security device which includes a locking member, a ratchet member, and a plurality of cables. The cables extend through both a fastener and a base of the locking member and are wrapped around all six sides of a book or box-like structure. The fastener is releasably snap-fitted into the base and secured therein by a pair of metal tines. The ratchet member includes a housing containing a gear and bearing member which are latched together in a spaced relationship to form a reel and a pawl. A bottom plate encloses the contents of the housing. The gear includes a multi-sided key hole, a plurality of openings to secure enlarged ends of the cables therein, and a plurality of teeth. The gear and bearing member each include an annular nub which sits in and rotates around a corresponding bearing surface of the bottom plate and housing, respectively. The pawl has a catch and a resilient spring and communicates with the gear to allow the ratchet member to be turned only in one direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Alpha Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence R. Yeager, James T. Weisburn, Christopher G. Gallagher, Ronald M Marsilio, William G. Alford
  • Patent number: 5722266
    Abstract: A security device which includes a locking member, a ratchet member, and a plurality of cables. The cables extend through both a fastener and a base of the locking member and are wrapped around all six sides of a book or box-like structure. The fastener is releasably snap-fitted into the base and secured therein by a pair of metal tines. The ratchet member includes a housing containing a gear and bearing member which are latched together in a spaced relationship to form a reel and a pawl. A bottom plate encloses the contents of the housing. The gear includes a multi-sided key hole, a plurality of openings to secure enlarged ends of the cables therein, and a plurality of teeth. The gear and bearing member each include an annular nub which sits in and rotates around a corresponding bearing surface of the bottom plate and housing, respectively. The pawl has a catch and a resilient spring and communicates with the gear to allow the ratchet member to be turned only in one direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Alpha Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence R. Yeager, James T. Weisburn, Christopher G. Gallagher, Ronald M. Marsilio, William G. Alford
  • Patent number: 5711495
    Abstract: A deployment control for an inflatable escape slide for use in a structure such as an aircraft is disclosed wherein the escape slide has an inboard end and an toe end. The inboard end of the slide is suitably attached to an egress on the structure for deployment and extension of the slide by inflation means whereby the slide extends from an elevated egress to a ground support. The slide has inflatable tubes with a slide surface. The inflation means is operative upon actuation to provide pressurized fluids to the tubes which will inflate and distend the tubes into a longitudinally extending escape slide under the control of a restraining control device (or devices). Such device is operative upon pressurization of the tubes to deploy an outboard portion of the slide to which one end of the device is connected to move relative to the inboard end of the slide to which the other end of the device is connected at a controlled rate for a predetermined length of the slide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Assignee: The B.F.Goodrich Company
    Inventor: Leibert K. Danielson
  • Patent number: 5490638
    Abstract: A pair of ribbon spools are independently operated by respective motors to rotate in one direction until the ribbon end and then in the opposite direction, and so forth. Spools alternately function as feed and take-up spools and motors as a drive and drag motors, respectively To eliminate excess drag motor cogging, a ribbon tension control system uses dynamic braking of the drag motor, and includes drag circuitry with rectifier bridge circuitry and a constant current sink settable for drawing predefined selectable levels of current from the windings of the drag motor. The motors are polyphase, permanent magnet, stepper motors which, when turned by the ribbon, generate alternating back emf signals in their windings. A full-wave rectifier bridge is connected to each winding of the drag motor with bridge outputs connected to a common sink which is an emitter follower circuit whose current level is set and maintained by an operational amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1996
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James F. Driftmyer, Robert F. Jessen, George Melnyk
  • Patent number: 5465917
    Abstract: A welding wire dispenser for use on a spool of welding wire comprising a base which is removably secured to the top plate of the spool. A let-off arm is rotatably mounted on the base and has a guide tube mounted thereon through which the welding wire extends. A brake is provided on the base and is associated with a coil spring to tension or compress the same as the welder or wire feeder pulls the wire from the spool of wire. When the welder or wire feeder discontinues its pulling action on the wire, the tension in the spring exerts sufficient force on the wire extending from the spool to prevent the wire from shingleing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 14, 1995
    Inventor: Delmar D. Kosch
  • Patent number: 5409177
    Abstract: A stretch film wrapping device includes a frame supporting at least one flexible hollow handgrip. An end of a core of a roll of stretch film is inserted into the hand grip, so that braking force on the film may be regulated by squeezing the hand grip as film is applied to an array of articles. The device also supports at least one reel of auxiliary narrow band material on an axis different from that of the stretch film roll, so that the band material and the stretch film may be simultaneously applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 25, 1995
    Assignee: J. C. Parry & Sons Co., Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Parry, David J. Parry, Daniel J. Parry
  • Patent number: 5388387
    Abstract: An assembly and method provide a continuous supply of packaging film to a form, fill and seal packaging machine with two spindles alternately operating as the active spindle to feed the film from one roll at a time. Opposed pneumatic manifolds are operative to splice the tail-end of the film from the active roll to the head-end of the film from the standby roll. The opposed manifolds pivot in opposite directions away from the machine to provide easy access for loading. A programmable controller controls the splicing operation. Valves operated by the controller connect a vacuum source to one of the manifolds to hold the head-end at a splicing station and to the other to maintain tension on the active film after the tail-end leaves the spindle. An end-of-roll detector near the spindle triggers the tensioning function. The width of the manifold is adjustable to accommodate different width film. A photocell detector and encoder in the circuit allow tracking of the tail-end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: Kliklok Corporation
    Inventor: Howell T. McElvy