Abstract: Disclosed herein is a handle cover assembly. The assembly is structured to dispense and recover handle cover material, such as a hygienic handle cover material in the form of a sheet, web, sleeve, or the like. The assembly includes a housing configured and/or structured to serve as a handle and which provides an interior in which handle cover assembly components and handle cover material are at least partially contained, from which handle cover material is dispensed, and to which handle cover material is recovered. In at least some embodiments, the handle cover material is dispensed from the interior of the assembly to at least partially cover at least a portion of the outer surface of the assembly housing. The assembly can be connected to a structure, such as cart (e.g., shopping cart, luggage cart), that includes a handle as a retrofit, or installed during manufacture.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a device for dispensing and collecting handle or armature cover material or covers for use, by way of example, with door handles, knobs, and the like. In one embodiment, the device is an automated handle cover dispenser that can include a dual use handle cover refill cartridge for both supplying and collecting handle cover material, or alternatively, a plurality of reels or cartridges (e.g., a supply reel and a take-up reel). The material, when supplied, at least partially covers a handle (e.g., door handle) during use by a consumer.

Abstract: A hand-held device for transferring a film of material from a backing tape onto a substrate that includes a housing having a first housing member and a second housing member, as well as an application member around which the tape is guided and which is designed to be pressed against a substrate in order to transfer the film. The first and second housing member are mounted telescopically with each other such that in an extended position one of the housing members cover the application member and in a pushed-back position the application member is exposed for usage.

Abstract: A cartridge and a method for handling thin film membranes using a cartridge are disclosed. The cartridge may be used to handle any thin-film material, but is particularly useful in handling the thin membrane materials used in fabricating Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEA) for fuel cells. In one aspect, the cartridge includes cavities positioned at opposite ends of a frame. The cavities and associated mounting arrangements are adapted to accept spools for dispensing membrane material and drawing it across the frame. The cartridge also includes a removable cover having an aperture through which the membrane material may be accessed and, for example, cut to a desired shape. Aspects also include methods and apparatus for advancing the membrane in the cartridge. Aspects of the present invention provide improved methods and devices that facilitate the handling and assembly of thin film membranes into membrane-containing devices, such as, fuel cells.

Abstract: The present invention provides a transfer tool comprising a refill which has a supply reel and a winding reel around which a transfer tape is wound and which hold the transfer tool, and a support plate which rotatably supports the supply reel and the winding reel, a stopping member is provided between the supply reel and the support plate such that the stopping member can be inserted and pulled out, and rotation of the supply reel or the winding reel is suppressed when the stopping member is disposed at a predetermined inserting position.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a device for dispensing and collecting handle or armature cover material or covers for use, by way of example, with door handles, knobs, and the like. In one embodiment, the device is an automated handle cover dispenser that can include a dual use handle cover refill cartridge for both supplying and collecting handle cover material, or alternatively, a plurality of reels or cartridges (e.g., a supply reel and a take-up reel). The material, when supplied, at least partially covers a handle (e.g., door handle) during use by a consumer. This maintains sanitary integrity of the handle, so as to protect a consumer or other individual from touching an otherwise dirty or unsanitary handle. The dispenser can include at least one cutter for cutting at least one side of the handle cover material so as to facilitate supply, and in particular, collection of the handle cover material.

Abstract: A wall mounted paper towel dispensing apparatus and an assembly for converting a cloth towel dispensing apparatus into a paper towel dispensing apparatus. A roll of toweling is carried in a towel bin from which the toweling is withdrawn and directed upwardly between a first drive roller and a pinch roller, about the pinch roller and downwardly, forming a depending loop from which the toweling is directed upwardly between a second drive roller and a take-up roller and is rolled about the take-up roller. As the user dries his hands on the loop of toweling and pulls downwardly on the toweling, a limited amount of clean paper toweling is pulled from the roll and an equal amount is wrapped about the take-up roller. The present invention provides both stronger and less expensive paper toweling for use in the dispensing apparatus and improved rollers, alignment and friction guides to direct the paper through the apparatus.

Abstract: A separable paper-stripping device includes a base formed with a first and a second wall plate. The first wall plate is assembled thereon with a paper-roll holder, an idle gear and a separable-paper holder, and the second wall plate is secured thereon with a cutting member. The paper-roll holder is provided with a first gear able to actuate the second gear of the separable-paper holder to rotate through the idle gear. After a separable-paper roll is fitted on the paper-roll holder and the end of separable paper stripped from the separable-paper roll is fixed in the separable-paper holder, the sticking paper and the separable paper can be continuously separated from each other by pulling forward the end of the stripped sticking paper, and simultaneously the stripped separable paper can be rolled up by the separable-paper holder.

Abstract: A dispenser for individual strip bandages from a rolled elongate bandage supply having the individual strip bandages releasably interconnected between a pair of cover strips defining chambers about each strip bandage. The dispenser provides a feed spindle carrying the bandage supply that is moved to a cover strip separator adjacent to a delivery slot in a casement. The cover strips are removed from a given strip bandage in the separator and pass along waste courses to motor powered take-up devices which move the bandage supply and disperse the given strip bandage through the delivery slot. At least one cover strip waste course has a tension sensor to sense tension in the associated cover strip to control the take-up device moving the associated cover strip to maintain synchronization of the motion of the pair of cover strips on the take-up devices moving them.

Abstract: A clutch mechanism having an easy-to-manufacture and inexpensive constitution, by making use of frictional engaging force in thrust direction, in a coat film transfer tool of automatic winding type. At least at the feed reel side, a clutch mechanism is provided between a driven member of a tape winding portion and a drive side rotary gear for rotating and driving it, and its power transmission makes use of the frictional engaging force in thrust direction between the driven member and drive side rotary gear. This frictional engaging force can be set by properly adjusting the dimensional relation in thrust direction between the mutual constituent members, and therefore the designing and manufacturing conditions of the constituent members are less strict, manufacture is easy, assembling is easy, and hence the manufacturing cost and device cost can be lowered.

Abstract: A reel arrangement (1) for a device for transferring a film present on one side of a film strip to a substrate, said reel arrangement comprising a supply reel (3) for the film strip, a take-up reel (2) coaxial with said supply reel (3) and provided for the film strip after transfer of the film, the supply and takeup reels (3, 2) being interengaged by means of a slipping clutch, and an elastic spring element (8), preferably a helical compression spring, acting in axial direction of the common axis of rotation of the supply and take-up reels (3, 2) being provided to realize the slipping clutch, and the supply reel (3) being non-rotationally connected to a clutch part (5) passing through an inner aperture of the take-up reel (2), which clutch part has a frictional face (15′) associated with the supply reel (3), which frictional face is resiliently pressed towards a frictional face (14) of the take-up reel (2) with the help of the elastic spring element (8).

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.

Abstract: A first supporting member is mounted detachably to one axial end of a supply reel around which an ink film is wound. The first supporting member has a rotating portion generating a braking force to rotation. A second supporting member is mounted detachably to the other axial end of the supply reel, and rotatably supports the other axial end of the supply reel. A winding reel winds up the ink film guided to it from the supply reel. A third supporting member is mounted detachably to one axial end of the winding reel and is rotated in a predetermined winding direction. A fourth supporting member is mounted detachably to the other axial end of the winding reel and rotatably supports the other axial end of the winding reel. The first and third supporting members are detachably supported by a first side plate, and the second and fourth supporting member and fastened to a second side plate.

Abstract: A clutch mechanism having an easy-to-manufacture and inexpensive constitution, by making use of frictional engaging force in thrust direction, in a coat film transfer tool of automatic winding type. At least at the feed reel side, a clutch mechanism is provided between a driven member of a tape winding portion and a drive side rotary gear for rotating and driving it, and its power transmission makes use of the frictional engaging force in thrust direction between the driven member and drive side rotary gear. This frictional engaging force can be set by properly adjusting the dimensional relation in thrust direction between the mutual constituent members, and therefore the designing and manufacturing conditions of the constituent members are less strict, manufacture is easy, assembling is easy, and hence the manufacturing cost and device cost can be lowered.

Abstract: A continuous palette assembly includes a frame, a windup roller, a feed roller, and paper. The frame has a palette surface and a feed chamber adapted to carry the feed roller, the feed chamber being open to the palette surface. The windup roller is mounted onto the frame so that the windup roller is free to move rotationally. The feed roller and windup roller are each adapted to have paper rolled around them, wherein paper unrolled from the feed roller passes across the palette surface and is rolled up around the windup roller.

Abstract: A continuous palette assembly includes a frame, a windup roller, a feed roller, and paper. The frame has a palette surface and a feed chamber adapted to carry the feed roller, the feed chamber being open to the palette surface. The windup roller is mounted onto the frame so that the windup roller is free to move rotationally. The feed roller and windup roller are each adapted to have paper rolled around them, wherein paper unrolled from the feed roller passes across the palette surface and is rolled up around the windup roller.

Abstract: A plate material tensioning and advancement mechanism is disposed in parallel relation to a cylinder, such as a plate cylinder of a printing press, so as to separate the plate material into distinct printable sections. The plate material tensioning and advancement mechanism assists in supplying tension to the plate material via a tensioning roll during printing operation and assists in winding fresh plate material about the cylinder during advancement operation by reducing the tension on the plate material and by optionally applying tangential force to the plate material via a winding roll.