AU611110B2 - core member - Google Patents

Description

-I 1 -I 1

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 61"11 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged:

SI

Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: S Priority o Related Art: Name(s) of Applicant(s): Address(es) of Applicant(s): Actual Inventor(s): APPLICANT'S REF.: CAP of PH 9396 ACI AUSTRALIA LIMITED 32nd Level, 200 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia M. CORRIGAN J. HEALY Address for Service is: PHILLIPS, ORMONDE AND FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne, Australia, 3000 Complete Specification for the invention entitled: CORE MEMBER The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): LL P19/3/84 i i This invention relates to an improved core member for use in forming rolls of sheet material.

Many elongate products of sheet or blanket form are supplied by manufacturers in the form of a roll; an example being fibreglass insulation. Typically, such rolls are wound onto a stiff, cylindrical core of cardboard or the like.

However, the cores entail a significant packaging cost, while their disposal by purchasers of the rolls presents a problem.

Also, the rigidity of cardboard cores results in damage to the initial few metres of product wound thereon where, as with fibreglass insulation, the product is readily compressible.

0 The present invention is directed to providing an o o improved core member. The core member according to the 0. 0 011-° invention comprises an elongate, tubular body of flexible material, the body being closed at each end and having a valve S member by which it can be inflated from a collapsed condition 0 to an expanded condition.

The present invention is also directed to a method of preparing a roll of an elongate sheet material, said method 0 o 20. comprising inflating a core member according to the invention 0 0 0 0 0 and subsequently winding an elongate sheet product around said 00 0 core member.

0 00 0 The core member of the invention has a number of 000ooooo00 S practical advantages. In its expanded condition, it has 0 sufficient stiffness to enable a length of elongate product of sheet or blanket form to be wound thereon into a roll. However, while relatively stiff, the core member is found still to have sufficient resilience to enable a relatively compressible product to be wound thereon substantially without excessive compression of an initial portion of the product. Thus, where the product is, for example, fibreglass insulation, it is found that the extent of compression of initial turns of the product wound on the core member does not exceed a level below which sufficient product recovery of thickness occurs on unwinding.

The valve member is one enabling inflation of the Sbody preferably by connection to a source of pressurized gas.

However, the valve member preferably is a two-way valve enabling easy inflation and subsequent deflation of the body. With such 39 preferred form of valve, the core member has a significant GD -2i u; I in tuinissioner oi raen~s P 18/7/78 IN784PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK IRN 7730 Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys EEE: JC367 Collins Street Melbourne, Australia further advantage in that, once a roll of product has been formed thereon, the core member can be deflated and removed from the roll and re-used. Thus, a respective core member no longer need be supplied with each roll of product, providing a substantial saving in packaging costs.

Once a roll of product is formed on a core member according to the invention, and the core member then is removed, it is found that the integrity of the roll is not lost.

Where the product of the roll is readily compressible, such removal of the core member overcomes the tendency for the material to compress with time beyond that occurring on rolling.

0 If it is found desirable with some products to suppsly o othese rolls having a core, the core member of the invention still has application and enables a saving in packaging costs.

o. 0 Thus, the core member of the invention can be inflated within a 0 .0 cylindrical core to support the latter while a product is wound 00 thereon, with the member of the invention then being deflated and removed. With this arrangement, it is possible to use a ligh-weight cylindrical core which has insufficient strength to enable product to be wound thereon if used unsupported, but which 0 0 0cylindrical core reduces packaging costs below the level of 0 0 heavier conventional cores, while it is readily collapsible for :0disposal.

The body of the core member according to the invention can be formed in a number of ways. In one arrangement, it is formed from a length of flexible plastics tubing with the ends ofthe latter being closed by welding or heat-sealing.

Alternatively, the body can be formed from plastics sheet material, by superimposed lengths of such material being welded or heat-sealed around their periphery. In that alternative, four such lengths preferably are used to provide a body having a double-thickness wall.

The body member may be of any desirable dimensions.

In practice the dimensions of the body member will depend, on the width of the elongate sheet material to be rolled and the desired diameter of the roll of sheet material.

39 In a preferred embodiment the length of the body member GD -3ranges from 1 m to 2 m. In a particularly preferred embodiment the length of the body member is approximately 1.8 m.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the diameter of the body member ranges from 50 mm to 200 mm. In a particularly preferred embodiment the diameter of the body member is approximately 100 mm.

The valve member may take a variety of forms.

However, it preferably is formed of plastics material, or has a connector portion of such material, by which it is bonded or welded to the body over a port formed in the latter. Most conveniently, the valve member is provided at or adjacent one 0ooo end of the body.

oo0 0 The present invention will now be more fully described 00 0 with reference to the accompanying drawing. It should be 0 0° understood, however, that the following description is illustrative only and should not be taken in any way as a S restriction on the generality of the invention as described above.

o0o In the drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an .o embo-iment of a core member according to the present invention.

In more detail Fig. 1 illustrates a core member 1 Sincluding an elongate tubular body 2, of indefinite length and 00000 constant cross-section. The body is closed at ends 3 and 4. In end 3 there is provided a valve member 5 which can be used to 0°o inflate the body from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition.

Finally, it is to be understood that various alterations, modifications and/or additions be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention.

Claims (9)

1. A core member comprising an elongate, tubular body of flexible material, the body being closed at each end and having a valve member by which it can be inflated from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition.

2. A core member according to claim 1 wherein the valve member is a two-way valve member.

3. A core member according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the core member is formed from a length of flexible plastics tubing.

4. A core member according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein 0-oo the core member is formed from plastics sheet material. o '0

5. A core member substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the examples. 0 0 o O

6. A method of preparing a roll of an elongate sheet product, said method comprising inflating a core member as o0oo defined by any one of claims 1 to 5 and subsequently winding an elongate sheet product around said core member. 0o

7. A method according to claim 6 which further comprises 00 0 deflating and removing said core member. 0

8. A method according to claim 6 or claim 7 wherein said 0.,o 0 elongate sheet product is a sheet of fibreglass insulation.

9. A roll of an elongate sheet material which has been prepared by the method of any one of claims 6 to 8. o0 DATED: 7th December, 1987 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: ACI AUSTRALIA LIMITED, GD