CA1082665A - Strap dispensing apparatus and system - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for dispensing steel strapping material from a heavy coil thereof supported on a pallet having laterally spaced-apart elongated feet and a positioning hub for preventing horizontal movement of the coil thereon. A horizontal turntable is rotatably driven about a vertical axis by an air motor and it includes a pair of laterally spaced-apart elongated roller conveyor tracks for respectively receiving the pallet feet for rolling the pallet to a dispensing position on the turntable coaxial therewith. The track assemblies engage the sides of the pallet feet and cooperate with positioning bars spanning the ends of the track assemblies for limiting horizontal movement of the pallet, while a hold-down assembly cooperates with the turntable to prevent vertical movement of the pallet. Control means controls the actuation of the air motor in accordance with the demand of associated strap-utilizing equipment. An entry conveyor comprising track assemblies like those on the turntable may be utilized for storing a spare pallet and coil and facilitating rolling thereof onto the turntable. Handling of the coils themselves is eliminated as the coils need not be removed from their pallets.

Description

The present invention relates to a system and appara-tus for dispensing a continuous strip of strapping material from a coil thereof.
Steel strapping material is shipped from the manu-~acturer in tightly wound coils. The strapping material is typically used with a strapping machine for wrapping the strap-ping around objects to be strapped. For this purpose, the coil is rotatably mounted on a suitable dispenser or coil unreeler for facilitating withdrawing o~ the strapping material ~rom the coil. Such coil unreelers are disclosed, ~or example, ln United States Patent Nos. 3,717,313, 3,688,999, 3,162,394. In each of these prior art unreelers, the coil is mounted on a hub ~truc~ure for ~otation by suitable drive means or by the with-drawing ~orce exerted on the withdrawn portion of the strapping material by the strapping machine or other strap-utilizing ap-paratus.
These dispensers and coil unreelers are quite suit-able ~or use with coils weighing up to a ~ew hundred pounds.
But in recent years steel strapping material is being prov~ded by the manu~acturers wound in much larger coils, w~iæh~ng up to one thousand pounds and more, and it may be expected that still larger coils will be ~orthcoming in the future. The handling o~ these extremely heavy coils is quite di~ficult and in some cases virtually impossible~ since it has been found that even forkli~t trucks have great dif~iculty ~ handling one-thousand-pound coils. Thus, the prior art coil dispensers and unreelers are unsuitablè ~or use with toda~'s heavier coils because all o~ these prior dispensers require considerable handling of the coil in order to place it on the unreeler, particularly with vertical-type unreelers of the a~orementioned U.S. Patent Nos~ 3,717,313 and 3,688,ggg.

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The object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus and system for dispensing steel strapping material from very heavy coils.
Accordingly, the present invention provides apparatus for dispensing a continuous strip of strapping material from a heavy coil thereof, comprising a pallet supporting said coil thereon with the axis of said coil disposed substantially verti-cally, coil positioning means carried by said pallet for engage-ment with said coil to prevent horizontal movement thereof with respect to said palle~, a substantially horizontal turntable mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis and adapted for receiving said pallet thereon in a dispensing position with said coil disposed substantially coaxially with `
said turntable, pallet positioning means on said turntable for holding said pallet in the dispensing position thereof, and drive means for effecting rotation of said turntable in a coil-unreeling direction, whereby strapping material may be dispensed directly from said pallet by rotation of said turntable without handling of said coil or removal thereof from said pallet.
One advantage of the invention is that strapping material may be disposed from very heavy coils thereof by unreel-ing the coils on their sides with the rotational axes thereof disposed vextically, so that the coils do not have to be tipped ;`
up on end. The strap coils are preferably permanently mounted on special pallets, the entire pallet being mounted on the dis-pensin~ apparatus, thereby eliminating handling of the coil it-self. The pallet is disposed and accurately held in position on a ~urntable for unreeling of the coil. The turntable is pref-erably provided with roller-type track assemblies for facilitat-ing movement of the pallet onto the turntable. Control means may be provided for controlling the rotation of the turntable ~ ; ` :.' ::: .
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1~8;~ i5 and consequent unreeling of the strapping material from the coil in accordance with the demands of associated strap utiliza-tion equipment. Entry conveyor means may be provided for facil--2a-;:

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itating movement of a pallet onto the turntable to minimize changeover time. An entry conveyor assembly may be utilized with the turntable assembly in a plurality of con*igurations for adaptation of the system to varying space requirements.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a *ragmentary front perspective view of a portion of the dispensing system constructed in accordance with and embodying the features of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the coil pallet of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the coil pallet of Figure 2, with the position of the coil thereon illustrated in ph~ntom; ` .
Figure 4 is a top plan ~iew of the dispensing system of the present invention~ including the entry conveyor and ~1-lustrating an associated accumulator tower, with the positions of the strap coil in the system illustrated in phantom;
Figure 5 ls a fragmentary side elevatlonal view o*
the dispensing system of Figure 4, with the entry conveyor shown uncoupled from the turntable and with the turntable shown in exploded view;
Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in horîz~ntal section taken along the line 6-6 in Figure 5 and showing the turntable drlve mechanism;
Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to Figure 4, with portions of the turntable bro~en away to show the lubricating mechanism therefor;
Figure 8 is an enlarged *ragmentary top plan view of the turntable of the dispensing system of Figure 4, illustrat-ing the movement of the movable retaining bar;
Figure 9 is a fragmentary side elevational vlew o*
: -3-~ ~ 8 ~ ~ ~ 5 the accumulator tower shown in Figure 4, as viewed from the le~thand side thereo~, with a portion thereo~ broken away more clearly to illustrate the control switches~
Flgure 10 is a schematic diagram o~ the pneumatic control circuit o~ the present invention;
Figure 11 is a schematic d~agram of the electrical control circuit of the present invention;
Figure 12 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the dis-penæing system of the present invention, with the entry con-veyor arranged at the rear of the turntable or at the sidethereof away ~rom the accumulator tower; and Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 10, illustrat-ing an alternative arrangement wherein the air motor is dis-posed on the side of the turntable away ~rom the accumulator tower.
Referring now to Figures 1 through 4 o~ the drawingsJ
there is illustrated a strap dispensi~g system, generally desig~
nated by the numeral 30~ ~or dispensing a continuous strip of steel strapping material from a coil 31 thereo~, to associated strap-utilizing equipment such as a strapping machine 36 or the like (see Figures 12 and 13). Typically, the steel strapping material is wound in twelve-inch-~ace coils weighing approxl-mately one thousand pounds each. The strap dispensing system 30 includes a special pallet, generally designated by the numer-al 40, for supporting the coil 31 thereon, a turntable assembly~
generally deslgnated by the numeral 50 for unreeling the coil 31, and an accumulator tower, generally designated by the nu-meral 150, for feeding the withdrawn portion 35 of the steel strapping material from the coil 31 to the strapping machine :
36, and controlling the operatlon o~ the turntable assembly 50.
The pallet 40 is preferabl~ ~ormed o~ wo~d and in-. - . .
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8 ~ ~ ~ 5 cludes a pair o~ laterally spaced-apart) elongated, parallel feet 41 and ~2, interconnected at the upper surfaces thereof by a pluralit~ of longitudinally spaced-apart, parallel cross planks 43, the upper surfaces o~ which are substantially co-planar and de~ine a plat~orm for supporting the coil 31 there-on. Secured to the upper sur~aces o~ central ones of the cross planks 43,~nd disposed centrally of the pallet 40~ are two laterally spaced-apart hub bars 44 and 45, dimensioned and arranged so that the outer side and ends thereo~ lie along a common circumscribing square. The outer corners o~ the hub bars 44 and 45 disposed ad,~acent to the corners of the circum-scribing square are mitered as at ~6, so that the diagonal dls-tance ~rom one of the mitered corners 46 to the opposite one is substantially equal to the inner diamet~r o~ the c~il 31.
The coil 31 is placed on the cross planks 43 with the axis of rotation of the coil 31 disposed substantially ver-tically and with the hub bars 44 and 45 received within the coil 31 so that the mitered corners 46 snugly engage the inner cylindrical surface 33 o~ the coil 31~ thereby to position the coil 31 centrally of the pallet 40 and prevent horizontal move-ment o~ the coil 31 with respect to the pallet 40. Preferably, the coil 31 is placed on the pallet 40 at the coil manu~acturer's plant and is shipped on the pallet 40 to the location at which the strapping material is to be used. During such shipment, it will be appxeciated that the coil 31 itself need not be hand led, the entire pallet 40 with the coil 31 thereon forming a strapping material assembly which is moved b~ the use of ~ork-lift trucks in standard fashion.
The turntable assembly 50 is located at the place where the strapping material is to be used, and is mounted on a ~rame, generally designated by the numeral 51. Re~erring also -5~

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s to Figures 5 ~hrough 7 of the drawings9 the frame 51 includes a pair of laterally spaced-apart elongated side rails 52 and 53 interconnected at the opposite ends thereo~ by end rails 54 and 55, and interconnected intermediate the ends thereo~ by a cross rail 56, thereby to ~orm a rigid rectangular framework.
At the corners de~ined by the intersections o~ the side rails 52 and 53 with the end rail 55 and cross rail 56~ there are se-cured to the upper sur~aces thereo~ ~our triangular gusset plates 5~, each supporting a guide roller 58 mounted for rota-tion with respect to a vertically disposed shaft 59. Respec-tively ~ixedly secured to the end rail 55 and the cross rail 56 midway between the ends thereo~, and to side rails 52 and 53 midway between the end rail 55 and cross rail 56, are ~our sup-port rollers 60. Each o~ the support rollers 60 is mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal sha~t 61 held in place by a washer 62 and a nut 63, and being provided with a grease ~itting 64 coupled to a lubrication line 65. The ~our lubrication lines 65 are bundled together in a plastic tubing 66 and channeled through the cross rail 56 and along the side rail 53 to a grease ~itting 67 ~ixedly secured to the side rail 53 ad~acent to the end rail 54. The support rollers 60 all ex-tend slightly above the upper edges of the end rails 55 and 56 and side rails 52 and 53 ~d are all tangent to a co~mon imaginar~ horizontal support plane. Pre~erably~ the ~rame 51 is anchored to the underl~ing ~loor or support surface b~ means bolts or the like passed through suitable anchor brackets 68.
Interconnecting the side rails 52 and 53 along the up-per edges thereof adjacent to the end rail 54 are two spaced-apart support rails 69. Supported by the support rails 69 aretwo upstanding laterall~ spaced-apart support plates 70 . . , . ~ - . ~ . ,.
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posed substantially parallel to the side rails 52 and 53, and each provided at the inner end thereof with an upstanding pro jection 71. Spanning the support plates 70 rearwardly of the pro~ections 71 is a rectangular mounting plate 72 having an aperture therein ~or receiving therethrough the shaft 74 of an air motor 75, which is pxovided with a mounting ~lange 73 which overlies the mounting plate 72 and is ~ixedly secured thereto by suitable ~astening means. Fixedly secured to the lower end o~ the motor shaft 74 beneath the mounting plate 72 is a sprock-et 76 which engag~s one end of a continuous loop drive chain 77.Fixedly secured to the ~ront ends o~ the support plates 70 and extending t,herebetween is a chain guard 78 in the ~orm of an angle iron.
The drive chain 77 is disposed in a substantially horizontal plane beneath the chain guard 78 and above the upper edges of the side rails 52 and 53. The other end of the drive chain 77 is disposed in engagement with a large sprocket 80 which is sandwiched between a circular guide plate 81 and a circular spacer plate 82, the plates 81 and 82 and sprocket 80 all being ~ixedly secured together by threaded fasteners 83 in apertures 84. The guide plate 81 is dimensioned to rest upon the support roliers 60 with the peripheral cylindrical sur~ace of the guide plate 81 disposed in rolling engagement with the guide rollers 58, so that the guide plate 81 is ~reely rotat-able and is centered in position by the guide rollers 58. A
lockpin 85 is also received in complementary aperture~ in the center o~ the plates 81 and 82 and sprocket 80.
Overlying the spacer plate 82 coaxially therewith is a circular turntable 90 having a radius only slightly less than the distance between the chain guard 78 and the center o~ the spacer plate 82. The turntable 90 is fixedly secured to the ~-.; - . . . ~ :

spacer plate 82, sprocket 80 and guide plate 81 by means o~ a plurality of bolts or screws 92 which cooperate with lock wash-ers 91. Disposed centrally o~ the turntable 90 and projecting upwardly therefrom coaxially therewith is a hollow rectangu-lar hub 93, having right-angle slots 9~ formed in opposite side walls thereo~. Formed in the turntable 90 ad~acent to the per-iphery thereof is a pin aperture 95, ~or a purpose to be de-scribed more flully below.
Referring now also to Figure 8 o~ the drawings, a pair of elongated, laterally spaced-apart track assemblies, each generally designated by the numeral 100~ is mounte~ on the turn-table 90, the track assemblies 100 being arranged substantially parallel to each other and equidistantly spaced from the center o~ the turntable 90. Each track assembly 100 includes a bottom outer rail 101 in the form of an angle iron having an attach-ment flange 10~ fixedly secured to the upper surface o~ the turntable 90, and an upstanding inner bearing ~lange 103, the rail 101 being arranged substantially as a chord o~ the circu-lar turntable 90. An outer top rail 104, also in the ~orm of :.20 an angle iron~ has a vertically disposed attachment flange 105 arranged in parallel overlapping relationship with the bearing flange 103 o~ the outer bottom rail 101 and fixedly secured thereto as by welding, and also having a horizontally disposed and ~wardly extending retaining flange 106, provided at one end thereof with a tapered entr~ portion 107. Spaced radially in- :
~ardly ~rom the outer bottom rail 101 and dispcsed parallel thereto is an elongated inner rail 108 which is ~ixedly secured : -to the turntable 90 and is provided with an upstanding bearing ~lange 109.
Disposed between the outer bottom rail 101 and the -:
inner rail 108 is a plurality of laterally extending and longi-- - ~ . - ., . ~ .:
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tudinally spaced-apart cylindrical rollers llo, each being mounted for rotation about a substantially hori~ ntal shaft 111, the opposite ends of which are respectively received in complementary openings in the bearing ~langes 103 and 109 o~
the rails 101 and 108. The rollers 110 are so arranged that the upper sur~aces thereo~ are all disposed tangent to a com-mon support plane which is substantially parallel to the upper surface o~ the turntable 90 and is disposed a predetermined distance below the upper edges o~ the bearing ~lange 103 and the retaining ~lange 106. The width of each o~ the track as-semblies 100, and the spacing therebetween is such that the elongated ~eet 41 and 42 of a pallet 40 may be respectively received in rolling engagement with the rollers 110 o~ the two track assemblies 100 for free rolling transport therealong.
Extending between the retaining ~langes 106 o~ the track assemblies 100 ad~acent to the rear ends thereo~ is a fixed positioning bar 113 in the ~orm o~ an angle iron, one ~lange of which is disposed horizontally and has the opposite ends thereof respectively fixedly secured to the retaining flanges 106 by suitable ~astening members 112, with the up-standing ~lange o~ the angle iron being disposed inwardly o~
the track assemblies 100. Respectively fixedly secured to the attachment flanges 105 o~ the outer top rails 104 adjacent to .. :
the entry ends thereo~ are pivot blocks 114 and 117 which are :~
respectively provided with vertically disposed apertures there-through ~or respectively receiving therein release pivot pins 116 and 118, which ara preferably tied to the outer bottom rails 101 by sash chains 119 to prevent loss or m~splacement.
A movable positioning bar 115 in the form of an angle iron is .~. :
adapted to be disposed across the entry ends o~ the track as-semblies 110, with the upstanding flange 115a disposed inwardly _g~

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o~ the trark assemblies 100 in facing parallel relationship with the upstanding ~lange 113a o~ the fixed positioning bar 113. The movable positioning bar 115 is provided at the oppo-site ends thereo~ with complementary apertures respectively disposed for alignment with the apertures in the pivot blocks 114 and 117 ~or receiving the pins 116 and 118 therethrough, thereby to releasably secure the movable positioning bar 115 to the track assemblies 100. It will be appreciated that when either one of the release pivot pins 116 or 118 is removed~
the movable positioning bar 115 may be pivoted about the other release pivot pin, as indicated in broken line in Figure 8, ~rom a holding condition across the entry ends o~ the track assemblles 100 to a retracted condition out o~ the way o~ the entry ends o~ the track assemblies 100 to ~acilltate the mo~e-ment of a pallet 40 onto the track assemblies 100.
Extending through a complementary opening in the up-standing flange 115a of the movable positioning bar 115 adja-cent to one end thereo~ is a substantially horizontally dis-posed positioning plunger 120 pro~ided with a head 121 at the lnner end thereo~ and surrounded b~ a helical compression spring 122 which is trapped between the head 121 and the ~lange 115a, the plunger 120 being secured in place by a washer 123 and ad~ustment nut 124 threadedly engaged w.ith the plunger...l20 along the outer side of the ~lange 115a. The coil compressiRn spring 120 urges the head 121 o~ the plunger 120 inwardly to a point determined by the adjustment of the nut 124.
In operation, the movable positioning bar 115 is pivot ed outwardly about one of the release pivot pins 116 or 118 un-til it is substantially parallel to the track assemblies 100, for loading o~ a coil 31 onto the turntable 90. The entire pallet 40, with the coil 31 positioned thereon is loaded onto ~: ' ~ 8'~ ~ ~ 5 the turntable 90, with the ~eet 41 and 42 o~ the pallet l~o being respectively received onto the rollers 110 of the track assemblies 100 in rolling engagement therewith, with the taper-ed entry ends 107 of the retaining flanges 106 serving to help guide the pallet ~eet 41 and 42 onto the rollers 110. The movement o~ the pallet 40 onto the track assemblies 100 may be accomplished by a ~orklift truck, or the like ln a well-known manner~ It is not necessary to either remove the coil 31 ~rom the pallet 40, or to move the coil 31 ~rom its horizon-tal resting position with the axis o~ rotation thereo~ dis-posed vertically.
The pallet 40 is rolled aiong the track assemblies 100 until it abuts the upstanding ~lange 113a o* the fixed po-sitioning bar 113. Then the movable positioning bar 115 is ~ `
pivoted back into the solid line holding position illustrated in Figure 8 and the release pivot pin 118 is replaced ln the aligned apertures in the movable positioning bar 115 and pivot block 117 ~or cooperation with the fixed positioning bar 113 to prevent the pallet 40 ~rom rolling back o~ the track as-semblies 100. It will be noted that the pallet 40 has a length somewhat less than the lengths o~ the track assemblies 100, whereby the head 121 of the plunger 120 eng~es the ad~acent end o~ the pallet 40 and resiliently urges it into engagement with the upstanding ~lange 113a of the fixed positioning bar 113. The ad~ustability o~ the plunger 120 permits the accom-modation on the track assemblies 100 of slightly di~erent sized pallets 40, which pallets are normally not constructed to precise dimensions. Furthermore, it will be noted that the portions o~ the inner rails 108 and outer top rails 104 o~ the track assemblies 100 which extend upwardly above the support plane of the rollers 110 cooperate ~or engagement with the .

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adjacent side surfaces of the pallet feet 41 and 42 to prevent lateral movement o~ the pallet 40 o~ the track assemblies 100.
Thus, it can be seen that thepallet 40 is limited in both lon-gitudinal and lateral horizontal movement and is held in a po~
sition centered on the turntable 90 substantially coaxially therewith during rotation thereo~.
In order further to secure the pallet 40 and coil 31 on the turntable 90 and prevent relative vertical m~vement thereo~, there is provided a hold-down assembly, generally des-ignated by the numeral 130, which includes an elongated vertic-ally-extending sha~t 131 provided at the upper end thereo~ with a handle 132 and having a roll pin 133 extending diametrically therethrough ad~acent to the lower end thereof and extending radially outwardly there~rom a predetermined distance on either side thereof. Surrounding the sha~t 131 adjacent ~o the upper end thereof is a helical compression spring 134~ beneath which is dis30sed a hold-down bracket, generally designated by the numeral 135, which includes a cylindrical hub 136 freel~ slid-able axially o~ the sha~t 131 and a plurallt~ o~ equiangularly spaced-apart arms 137 fixedly secured to the hub 136 and ex-tending radially outwardly therefrom a distance at least as great as the maximum outer radius o~ the coil 31. In use, when the pallet 40 with the coil 31 thereon is secured ~n position on the track assemblies 100, the sha~t 131 is extended downwardly through the coil 31 axially thereo~ and ~nto the hub 93 o~ the turntable 90~ and the roll pin 133 is twisted into locking en gagement in the right-angle slots 94 in the hub 93. The arms 137 of the hold-down brac~et 135 rest upon the upper side sur-face 34 of the coil 31 and are resiliently urged thereagainst by the compression spring 134.
When the pallet 40 and coil 31 have thus been secured ~ ~ 8 Z ~ 5 in place on the track assemblies 100, the coil 31 is ready fordispensing of the steel strapping material therefrom by rota-tion of the turntable 90 through the action o~ the air motor 75, the sprockets 76 and 80 and the drive chain 77, the turn-table 90 being adapted ~or clockwise rotation, as viewed in the drawings, ~or unreeling a withdrawn portion 35 of the steel str~pping material ~rom the coil 31. Pre~erably, the withdrawn portlon 35 of the steel strapping material is ~ed to the asso-ciated strapping machine 36 through the accumulator tower 150, which is of essentially standard construction and function to take up the sl~k in the ~ithdrawn portion 35 o~ the steel strapping material, and provide a constant drag on the strapping material between the strapping machine 36 and the accumulator .
tower 150.
Re~erring in particular to Figures 1, and 9 of the drawings, the accumulator tower 150 includes a pair of elon-gated, spaced-apart, parallel base rails 151 which are inter-connected at one end thereof by a connecting plate 152 which is in turn fixedl~ secured to the side rail 52 of the turntable assembly 50 by suitable ~astening means. The base rails 151 are also interconnected at the other end thereof and intermedi-ate the ends thereof, respectivel~ by a pair of cross rails 153. Respectively fixedly secured to the opposite ends of the intermediate cross rail 153 along the inner side thereoi are two elongated upstanding support posts 154, and respectively ~ixedly secured to the opposlte ends o~ the end cross rail 153 along the inner side thereof are two elongated upstanding sup-port posts 155. A pair of brace bars 156 respectively inter-connect the posts 154 and the posts 155 intermediate the upper and lower ends thereo~. Respectively connecting the upper ends o~ the support posts 154 to the upper ends o~ the corresponding .

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~ 5 support posts 155 are two top rails 157 which are disposed substantially parallel to the base rails 151 inboard thereof.
Respectively extending vertically upwardly from the top rails 157 substantially midway between the ends thereof are two top posts 158.
Disposed between the top posts 158 is a fixed upper sheave assembly, genera~1~ designated by the ~umeral 160, which includes ~our sheaves 161 coaxially mounted for rotation on a shaft 159, the opposite ends of which are respectively re-ceived in complementary openings in the top posts 158. Alsomounted on the top posts 158 and extending across the top of the ~ixed upper sheave assembly 160 is a guide bar 162 having guide fingers (not shown) which respectively extend into the sheaves 161 for cooperation therewith to facilitate maintenance of the strip of strapping material in place on the sheaves 161.
Carried by one of the support posts 154 just below the associ-ated brace bar 156 is an entry sheave 163 mounted ~or rotation about a substantially horizontal axis. In like manner, there may be mounted on one oi the support posts 155, just below the corresponding brace bar 156, an exit sheave 164, which is also mounted ~or rotation about a substantially horizontal axis.
Disposed beneath the fixed upper sheave assembly 160 is a mov-able lower sheave assembly, generall~ designated by the numeral :~
165, which includes three sheaves 167 coaxially mounted for ro-tation about a sha~t 166, the axis of which is disposed at an acute angle to the axis o~ the shaft 159 o~ the ~ixed upper sheave assembly 160. The opposite ends of the shaft 166 are respectively secured to verticall~-extending guide shoes 168 which are in tu m respectively disposed for vertical sliding movement in upstanding guide track.~assemblies 169.
In operation, the withdrawn portion 35 of the steel . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . .

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strapping material is fed from the coil 31 into and beneath theentry sheave 163, then upwardly in front of, over and around the right-hand one of the upper sheaves 161, as viewed in Fig-ure 4, then downwardly behind and beneath the corresponding one o~ the lower sheaves 167, then back up in front of and over the next sheave 161, and so on, and finally beneath the exit sheave 164, it being understood that the use o~ the e~it sheave 164 is optional. Thus, a length of steel strapping material is stored between the fixed and movable sheave assemblies 160 and 165, it being understood that the maximum length o~ strapping material which may be so stored is variable with the height of the ac-cumulator tower 150 and the number o~ sheaves in the sheave as-semblies 160 and 165. As the strapping machine 36 demands strapping material ~rom the accumulator tower 150, the movable sheave assembl~ 165 is pulled upwardly and the amount of strap-ping material stored in the accumulator tower 1~0 is reduced.
In like manner, as strapping material is fed to the accumula-tor tower 150 from the turntable assembly 50 b~ rotation there-of, the weight of the movable sheave assembly 165 permits it tb drop to take the slack of the newly dispensed strapping materi-al, thereby lncreasing the amount o~ strapping material stored in the accumulator tower 150.
Thus, the withdrawn portion 35 of the strapping ma-terial ~rom the coil 31 is always kept under a slight tension and the buildup o~ slack is prevented. This is important be-cause if the w~thdrawn portion 35 of the strapping material goes slack, the loops on the coil 31 will be permitted to slip down over each other, thus producing a jam condition. Fur~her-more, the strapping material is o~ten quite resilient and is ~`
usually wound in coils havlng a radius of curvature substan-tially less than that of the so-called "coil-setll or "bundle . . . ~ . .

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curve" (residual curvature), i~ any, of the strapping. As aresult, untensioned or slack lengths o~ such metal strapping outside the con~ines o~ the coil tend quickly to get out o~
control, and buckling and tangles o~ten result.
Referring now also to Figures 10 and 11 of the draw-ings, in order to coordinate the operation of the turntable as-~embly 50 with the demands o~ the strapping machine 36~ there is provided a control s~stem which include~ a pneumatic control circuit, generally designated by the numeral170, and an elec-trical control circuit, generally designated b~ the numeral190. The pneumatic control circuit 170 includes a suitable source 171 o~ compressed air which is coupled through a manu-ally-operated input valve 172, a filter 173, a regulator 174 and a lubricator 175 to the input port o~ a control valve 176, the opening and closing o~ which is controlled by a solenoid 177. The input valve 172 is in the nature of a master valve which is normally open but which may be manually closed in the e.vent of emergency, or the like, to shut down the entire sys-tem. The output port of the control valve 176 is coupled by an input conduit 1~ to the ~nput port of the air motor 75, the output port o~ which is coupled by an output conduit 179 to a ~low control unit 180, which is in turn coupled to the input port o~ a brake valve 181, which is provided with a pilot 182 coupled by a pilot conduit 183 to the input conduit 178 of the `
air motor 75. The output port o~ the brake valve 181 is coupled to a muffler 184, through which the air is exhausted~
The lubricator 175 is ~or the purpose of lubricating the air motor 75.
It will be understood that when the control valve 176 3 is open, compressed air is supplied to the air motor 75 ~or " ~`~
ef~ecting rotation thereof and driving the turntable 90, the . . .
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air being supplied to the pilot 182 o~ the brake valve 181 ~or maint&ining that valve open. When the control val~e 176 is closed, the air motor 75 is de-energized. The cuto~f of the air supply to the pilot 182 ef~ects closing of the brake valve 181, thereby shutting o~ the exhaust from the air motor 75, thus serving to retard rotation o~ the air motor shaft to pro-duce a braking e~ect on the turntable 90 and limit its tendency to coast by reason of the considerable inertia developed by the heavy coil 31.
The solenoid 177 of the control valve 176 is control-led by the electrical control circuit 190, which is connected across the conductors ~1 and L2 ~ a standard 115-volt, single-phase, 60 ~z. electrical power source. More particularly, the `
conductor Ll is connected through a fuse 191 and a normal~-open manually-operated master switch 192 to one terminal of a normally-closed "stop" limit switch 193, the other terminal o~
which is connected to one terminal o~ a normallg-open "start"
limit switch 194. The other terminal o~ the "start" limit switch 194 is connected to one terminal of the relay coil 195a o~ a relay 195, the other terminal of which coil is connected to the conductor L2. The relay 195 has normally-open contacts 195b which are connected in parallel with the "start" limlt switch 194. Connected in parallel with the relay coil 195a i9 the series combination of normally-closed time-delay relay contacts 195c and the solenoid 177 o~ the control valve 176.
Also connected in parallel with the relay coil 195a is the series combination of normally-open time-delay relay contacts 195d and an indicator lamp 196. The limit switch contacts 193 and 194 are phgsically located on one of the guide track as-semblies 169 o~ the accumulator tower 150, for actuation bythe ~orresponding one of the guide shoes 168. More particu-- . . . . .

s larly, re~erring to Figure 99 the "stop" limit switch 193 is disposed adjacent to the lower end of the guide track assembly 169, and the "start" limit switch 194 is located a predetermined distance above the i'stop" limit switch 193.
In operation, when the master switch 192 is closed, and i~ the guide shoe 168 is disposed below the "start" limit switch 194, the relay co~l 195a and solenoid 177 and lamp 196 will all remain de-energized by reason o~ the normally-open "start" limit switch 194 and relay contacts 195b. As strapping material is used ~rom the accumulator tower 150 in response to the demand o~ the associated strapping machine 36, the movable sheave assembly 165 will move upwardly until, when the supply o~ ~t~apping material in the accumulator tower 150 has been re-duced to a predetermined quantity, the gulde shoe 168 will en-gage and close the "start" limit switch 194, thereby energ~zing the relay coil 195a and the control valve solenoid 177 ~or starting the air motor 75 to rotate the turntable 90 and dis-pense strapping material to the accumulator tower 150.
Upon energization of the relay coil 195a~ the con-tacts 195b thereof are closed to provide a holding circuitaround the "start" limit switch 194 ~or maintaining the relay coil 195a energized, but the time-delay relay contacts 195c and 195d will remain in their normally closed and open condi-tions, respectively~ until and unless the timer therefor times out, normall~ a~ter several seconds. Preferably, the system is set up so that when both the strapping machine 36 and the turn-table 90 are operating, the quantity o~ strapping material stored in the accumulator tower 150 will be maintained more or less in equilibrium. When the strapping machine 36 stop~ or slows down, however, the quantity o~ strapping material in the accumulator tower 150 will be built up and the movable sheave -~ . . ;,. ~ . , -~: , , . , , , . : .

assembly 165 will move downwardly out of contact with the"start" limit switch 194, which will re-open. But the control valve solenoid 177 and relay coil 195a will remain energized through the closed relay contacts 195b.
When the gu~de shoe 168 drops to the point where a predetexmined desired maximum amount of strapping material ls stored in the accumulator tower 150, it will engage and open the "stop" limit switch 193~ thereby de-energizing the relay coil 195a and the control valve solenoid 177, whereupon the air motor 75 is deactuated and the relay contacts 195b are reopen-ed. The "stop" limit switch 193 is set high enough so that when the turntable 90 is shut off, the coast o~ the turntable 90 is not suf~lcient to allow the movable sheave assembly 165 to bottom out.
The time delay on the relay contacts 195c and 195d is set long enough so that in normal operation it will note time out. However, in the event o~ malfunction, such as jamming of the movable sheave assembly 165, or malfunction o~ the "stop"
limit switch 193~ the delay timer will time out and the relay contacts 195c will open to de-energize the control valve sole-noid 177 and shut down the turntable 90, and the relay contacts 195d will close to energize the lamp 196 and give an indication that the timer has timed out. In this event, the system may be reset b~ opening the master switch 192, which will de-energize the relay coil 195a and drop the relay contacts 195c and 195d back to their original positions. It will be appreciated that the positions o~ the limit switches 193 and 194 may be varied as desir~d to meet the varying demands o~ speci~ic applica-tions.
In order to facilitate loadlng o~ the pallet 40 onto the turntable track assemblies 100, there may be provided an -19~

.

~ 6~ 5 entry conveyor assembly~ generally designated by the numeral 200, for use with the turntable assembly 50. Referxing to Figures 4, 5 and 7 o~ the drawings, the entry conveyor assembly 200 includes a pair o~ elongated laterally spaced-apart parallel base rails 201 and 202 each provided at one thereof with an abutment plate 203. The base rails are interconnected adjacent to the abutment plates 203 by a crossbar (not shown). Respec-tively extending upwardly from the base rails 201 and 202 a slight distance ~orwardly o~ the crossbar 204 are two stub posts 205, one of which is provided at the upper end thereof with a ~lat rectangular pin plate 206 having an aperture there- : :
in d~mens~oned ~or receiving either of the release pivot pins 1~6 or 118 o~ the turntable track assemblies 100. Fixedly se-cured to the base rails 201 and 202 and extending vertically upwardly therefrom are four support posts 207, ~0! of the posts `
207 being disposed adjacent to the front ends o~ the base rails 201 and 202 and being interconnected at the upper ends thereof .
by a horizontal ~ront support bar 208, the other two ~f the support posts 207 being disposed intermediate the ends o~ the `~
base rails 201 and 202 and being interconnected at the upper ends thereo~ by a horizontal rear support bar 209.
Supported upon the support bars 208 and 209 are two elongated track assemblies, each being generally designated by the numeral 210, and respectively overlying the base rails 201 and 202 substantially parallel thereto. The trac~ assemblies 210 are substantially identical to the track assemblies 100 o~
the turntable assembly 50. More particularl~, each track as-sembly 210 includes a bottom outer rail 211 in the form o~ an angle iron having an attachment ~lange 212 ~ixedly secured to ~0 the upper sur~aces of the support bars 208 and 209, and an up- : :
standing inner bearing flange 213. ~n outer top rail 21~, also .

~ 5 in the form o~ an angle iron, has a vertically disposed attach-ment flange 215 arranged in parallel overlapping relationship with the bearing flange 213 of the outer bottom rail 211 and fixedly secured thereto as by welding, and also having a hor-izontally disposed and inwardly extending retaining ~lange 2~6, provided at the ~ront end thereo~ with a tapered entry portion 217. Spaced radially inwardly from the outer bottom rail 211 and disposed parallel thereto is an elongated inner rail 218 which is ~ixedly secured to the support bars 208 and 209 and is provided with an upstanding bearing flange 219.
Disposed between the o~ter bottom rail 211 and the inner rail 218 is a plurality o~ laterally extending and lon~
gitudinally spaced-apart cylindrical rollers 220, each being mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal shaft 221, the opposite ends of which are respectively received ln complementary openings in the bearing ~langes 213 and 219 o~
~he rails 211 and 218. The rollers 220 are so arranged that the upper surfaces thereof are all disposed tangent to a com-mon support plane which, in use, is substantially coplanar with the support plane defined by the rollers 110 of the track as-semblies 100, and is disposed a predetermined distance below the upper edges of the bearing flange 213 and the retaining flange 216. The width o~ each of the track assemblies 210, and the spacing therebetween is such that the elongated feet 41 and 42 of a pallet 40 may be respectively received in rolling engagement with the rollers 220 of the two track assemblies 210 for free rolling transport therealong.
Respectively extending between the retaining flanges 216 of the track assemblies 210 adjacent to the opposite ends : :
thereof are two removable stop bars (not shown) having the op-posite ends thereof respectively securable to the retaining . .
.. . . .. .. - ... . . .. . .

flanges 216 by suitable pins 224 engageable in complementary aligned openings in the stop bars and the retaining flanges 216. Pre~erably, the stop bars are disposed substantially parallel to each other and are spaced apart a distance slight-ly greater than the normal length of a pallet 40.
In operation, the entry conveyor assembly 200 is dis-posed adjacent to the ~ront end o~ the turntable assembly 50, - with the base rails 2Ql and 202 disposed parallel to the turntable ~rame side rails 52 and 53~ and with the abutment plates 203 disposed in abutting parallel relationship with the end rail 55 o~ the turntable assembly 50, and fixedly secured thereto by suitable *astening means passing through complement~
ary openings in the abutment plates 203 and the end rail 55.
When thus secured in this position (see Figure 4) the pin plate 206 will be disposed immediately beneath the peripheral edge o~
the turntable 90. The turntable 90 ls rotated until the p~n aperture 95 thereof is disposed in alignment with the corre-sponding pin aperture in the pin plate 206, and one o~ the re-lease pivot pins 116 or 118 is removed *rom the movable posi-tion~ng bar 115 and placed through the aligned pin apertures ~nthe turntable 90 and p~plate 206 for locking the turntable 90 against rotation with respect to the entry con~eyor assembly : 200. When thus locked ln po~ition~ the track assemblies 100 o* the turntable assembly 50 will respectively be disposed in allgnment with the track assemblies 210 o~ the entry conveyor assembly 200, and will respectively be spaced lon~itudinally -there*rom a slight distance only a ~raction of the length of a pallet 40.
Pre~erably, the entry conveyor assembly 200 is util-ized for storing a spare pallet 40 and coil 31 for ready avail-ability ~or immediate use when the coil 31 on the turntable 90 -22~

~82~ 5 is exhausted. The pallet 40 may be loaded onto the track as-semblies 210 o~ the entry conveyor assembly 200 in the same manner as was described above with respect to the turntable as-sembly 50, by the use of a ~orkli~t truck or the like. For this purpose the ~ront stop bar is pivoted about one o~ the pins to a position substantiall~ parallel with the track assem-blies 210, and the pallet 40 is rolled onto the track assemblies 210 ~rom the ~ront end thereo~, the tapered ends 217 o~ the re-taining M anges 216 ~acilitating the guiding o~ the pallet ~eet 41 and 42 onto the track assembly rollers 220. The front stop bar is then secured in place back across the ~ront end of the entry conveyor assembly 200 and cooperates with the rear stop bar to limit longitudinal movement o~ the pallet 40. The portions of the inner rails 218 and the outer top rails 214 o~
the track assemblies 210 which extend upwardly above the sup-port plane o~ the rollers 220 cooperate ~or engagement with the ad~acent side surfaces o~ the pallet ~eet ~1 and 42 to prevent lateral movement of the pallet 40 of~ the track assemblies 210.
When the coil 31 on the turntable 90 has become ex-hausted, the hold-down assembly 130 is removed and the empty pallet 40 is lifted of~ the turntable 90. The movable posi-tioning bar 115 is then moved ~rom the holding condition there-of to the retracted condition thereo~ by removal o~ one o~ the release pivot pins 116 or 118, and the turntable 90 is rotated to the position illustrated in Figure 4 with the track assem-blies 100 thereof aligned with the track assemblies 210 o~ the entry conveyor 200, and is locked in this position by the use o~ one of the release pivot pins 116 or 118, as descrl~ed above.
The rear stop bar is then removed ~rom~the entry conveyor track ~0 assemblies 210 and the new pallet 40 ma~ simply be rolled by hand from the entry conveyor track assemblies 210 onto the ~ ~ ~ 2 ~ S

turntable track assemblies 100, a~ter which the removable po-sitioning ba~ 115 is again locked in the holding condition thereo~ and the hold-down assembly 130 is reapplied to the new coil 31. In this manner, the pallet on the turntable assembly 50 may be replaced by hand literally in a matter o~ seconds or, at most minutes, without having ~o wait for a new pallet and coil to be brought from the storage area by forklift truck.
Thus, the downtime of the strapping machine 36 is minimized.
Referring now also to Figures 12 and 13 o~ the draw-ings, there are illustrated several configurations in whichthe dispensing system 30 may be arranged. As illustrated in Figure 12, the entry conveyor assembly 200 may be arranged as ~llustrated in Figure 4, with the base rails 201 and 202 re-spectively disposed parallel to the turntable assembly frame side rails 52 and 53, for loading the turntable 90 from ~he side thereof away from the air motor 75. Alternatively, the entry conveyor assembly may be positioned at the rear of the turntable assembly 50, as indicated by the designation 200A.
In this latter arrangement~ the side rail 53 o~ the turntable assembly 50 is provided with suitable openings for receiving therethrough the fastening members ~or securing the abutment plates 203 to the side rail 53.
In Figure 13 is illustrated an alternative arrange-ment wherein the air motor end of the turntable assembly 50 is di~posed at the side thereo~ away from the accumulator tower 150. In this arrangement the accumulator tow~r 150 may be in-de~endently secured to the floor or underlying support sur~ace by means of suitable hold-down brackets 151a rather than by the base rails 151. In this arrangement of the turntable as-sembly 50 the entry conveyor assembly may be positioned at theside thereof away from the air motor 75~ as has been described -. . . , ~, s above. Alternatively, the entry conveyor may be positioned at the rear o~ t~e turntable assembly 50, on the opposite side thereof from the accumulator tower 150, as indicated by the numeral 200A. In this latter arrangement, the turntable as-sembly frame side rail 52 is provided with suitable apertures ~or receiving the fastening means for ~ecuring thereto the abutment plates 203 o~ the entry conveyor assembly 200.
Pre~erably, the structural members o~ the strap dis-pensing system 30 are all formed o~ steel, and the structural members 52-56, 68, 78, 101, 104, 108, 103, 105, 1375 151, 151a, 153-157, 201, 202, 211, 214 and 218 are all pre~erably ~ormed as angle irons. Pre~erably, the structural members o~
each o~ the turntable assembly 50, the accumulator tower 150 and the entry conveyor assembly 200 are secured together by welding, but it will be understood that any other suitable ~astening means may be utilized.

Claims (14)

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

1. Apparatus for dispensing a continuous strip of strapping material from a heavy coil thereof, comprising a pallet supporting said coil thereon with the axis of said coil disposed substantially vertically, coil positioning means carried by said pallet for engagement with said coil to prevent horizontal move-ment thereof with respect to said pallet, a substantially hori-zontal turntable mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis and adapted for receiving said pallet thereon in a dispensing position with said coil disposed substantially coaxially with said turntable, pallet positioning means on said turntable for holding said pallet in the dispensing position thereof, and drive means for effecting rotation of said turn-table in a coil-unreeling direction, whereby strapping material may be dispensed directly from said pallet by rotation of said turntable without handling of said coil or removal thereof from said pallet.

2. Apparatus for dispensing a continuous strip of strapping material from a heavy coil thereof supported on and held against horizontal movement with respect to a pallet having a pair of spaced-apart feet depending therefrom with the axis of the coil disposed substantially vertically, said apparatus com-prising a substantially horizontal turntable mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis and having a pair of elonga-ted laterally spaced-apart track assemblies thereon, said turn-table being adapted for receiving the pallet thereon in a dispens-ing position with the pallet feet respectively received in said track assemblies and with the coil disposed substantially coax-ially with said turntable, said track assemblies being respective-ly engageable with the pallet feet for preventing horizontal movement of the pallet from the dispensing position thereof laterally of said track assemblies, two pallet positioning members respectively carried by said turntable adjacent to the opposite ends of said track assemblies and engageable with the pallet for preventing horizontal move-ment thereof from the dispensing position thereof longitudinal-ly of said track assemblies, and drive means for effecting ro-tation of said turntable in a coil-unreeling direction, whereby strapping material may be dispensed directly from the pallet by rotation of said turntable without handling of the coil or re-moval thereof from the pallet.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said track assemblies includes a pair of parallel laterally spaced-apart bearing rails fixedly secured to said turntable and projecting upwardly therefrom, and a plurality of longitu-dinally spaced-apart rollers extending laterally between said bearing rails and rotatable supported thereby and all tangent to a common substantially horizontal support plane disposed a predetermined distance below the upper edges of said bearing rails, the pallet feet being engageable with the portions of said bearing rails extending above said support plane for limiting horizontal movement of the pallet laterally of said track assemblies.

4. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said pallet positioning members extends laterally across both of said track assemblies and is secured thereto.

5. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein one of said pallet positioning members is movable between a re-tracted condition accommodating horizontal movement of the pal-let to and from the dispensing position thereof along said track assemblies and a holding condition for preventing hori-zontal movement of the pallet from the dispensing position thereof longitudinally of said track assemblies.

6. Apparatus for dispensing a continuous strip of strapping material from a heavy coil thereof supported on a pallet and held against horizontal movement with respect there-to with the axis of the coil disposed substantially vertically, said apparatus comprising a substantially horizontal turntable mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis and having elongated low-friction track means thereon, said track means being adapted for receiving the pallet thereon and facil-itating horizontal movement of the pallet therealong to a dis-pensing position with the coil disposed substantially coaxially with said turntable, elongated entry conveyor means disposed adjacent to said turntable for receiving a pallet thereon, coupling means for interconnecting and locking said turntable and said entry conveyor means in a loading configuration with said track means and said entry conveyor disposed in longitu-dinal alignment for facilitating horizontal movement of the pal-let from said entry conveyor means onto said track means, pal-let positioning means on said turntable for holding the pallet in the dispensing position thereof, and drive means for effect-ing rotation of said turntable in a strap-unreeling direction, whereby strapping material may be dispensed directly from the pallet by rotation of said turntable without handling of the coil or removal thereof from the pallet.

7. The apparatus set forth in claim 6, wherein said coupling means includes a coupling plate on said entry conveyor means disposable in parallel overlapping relationship with said turntable, and a coupling pin receivable through complementary openings in said turntable and said coupling plate.

8. The apparatus set forth in claim 6, wherein said pallet positioning means includes an elongated bar extending laterally across said track means and pivotally mounted adjacent to one end thereof for movement between a retracted condition for permitting movement of the pallet to and from the dispensing position thereof and a holding condition for holding the pallet in the dispensing position thereof, a latch pin removably re-ceivable through complementary openings in said bar and said track means for latching said bar in the holding condition thereof, said coupling means including a coupling plate on said entry conveyor means disposable in parallel overlapping rela-tionship with said turntable, said coupling plate and said turn-table having openings therein disposed in alignment when said turntable and said entry conveyor are in the loading configura-tion thereof for receiving said latch pin therethrough to latch said turntable and said entry conveyor in the loading configur-ation.

9. The apparatus set forth in claim 6, wherein said coupling means includes a first abutment plate on said turn-table, a second abutment plate on said entry conveyor means re-spectively disposed for abutting engagement with said first abutment plate when said turntable and said entry conveyor means are in the loading configuration thereof, a coupling plate on said entry conveyor means disposed in parallel over-lapping relationship with said turntable in the loading config-uration thereof, and a latch pin receivable through complement-ary openings in said coupling plate and said turntable for co-operation with said abutment plates for holding said turntable and said entry conveyor means in the loading configuration thereof.

10. Apparatus for dispensing a continuous strip of strapping material from a heavy coil thereof supported on and held against horizontal movement with respect to a pallet hav-ing a pair of spaced-apart feet depending therefrom with the axis of the coil disposed substantially vertically, said ap-paratus comprising a substantially horizontal turntable mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis and having a pair of elongated laterally spaced-apart low-friction turn-table track assemblies thereon, said turntable track assemblies being adapted for receiving the pallet thereon with the pallet feet respectively received therein and facilitating horizontal movement of the pallet therealong to a dispensing position with the coil disposed substantially coaxially with said turntable, said turntable track assemblies being respectively engageable with the pallet feet for preventing horizontal movement of the pallet from the dispensing position thereof laterally of said turntable track assemblies, an entry conveyor disposed adjacent to said turntable and having a pair of elongated laterally spaced-apart low-friction conveyor track assemblies for receiv-ing a pallet thereon with the pallet feet respectively received therein, coupling means for interconnecting and locking said turntable and said entry conveyor in a loading configuration with said turntable track assemblies respectively disposed in longitudinal alignment with said conveyor track assemblies for facilitating horizontal movement of the pallet from said con-veyor track assemblies onto said turntable track assemblies, two pallet positioning members respectively carried by said turntable adjacent to the opposite ends of said turntable track assemblies and engageable with the pallet for preventing hor-izontal movement thereof from the dispensing position thereof longitudinally of said turntable track assemblies, and drive means for effecting rotation of said turntable in a coil-un-reeling direction, whereby strap may be dispensed directly from the pallet by rotation of said turntable without handling of the coil or removal thereof from the pallet.

11. The apparatus set forth in claim 10, wherein each of said turntable track assemblies and conveyor track as-semblies includes a pair of parallel laterally spaced-apart bearing rails, a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart rollers extending laterally between said bearing rails of each pair of rails and rotatably supported thereby and all tangent to a common substantially horizontal support plane disposed a pre-determined distance below the upper edges of said bearing rails, the pallet feet being engageable with the portions of said bearing rails extending above said support plane for limit-ing horizontal movement of the pallet laterally of said track assemblies.

12. Apparatus for dispensing a continuous strip of strapping material from a heavy coil thereof to associated strap-utilizing equipment wherein the coil is supported on a pallet and held against horizontal movement with respect there-to with the axis of the coil disposed substantially vertically, said apparatus comprising a substantially horizontal turntable mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis and adapted for receiving the pallet thereon in a dispensing posi-tion with the coil disposed substantially coaxially with said turntable, pallet positioning means on said turntable for hold-ing the pallet in the dispensing position thereof, drive means for effecting rotation of said turntable in a coil-unreeling direction, accumulating means disposed between said turntable and the associated strap-utilizing equipment for storing un-reeled strapping material dispensed from the coil and feeding it to the associated strap-utilizing equipment, said accumulat-ing means including a storage member engageable with the stored strap and movable among a plurality of positions for varying the capacity of the accumulating means, and control means coupled to said drive means and responsive to the position of said storage member for sensing the quantity of strapping material accumulated in said accumulating means, said control means de-actuating said drive means when the amount of accumulated strapping material is at least a predetermined quantity and for actuating said drive means when the amount of accumulated strapping material is less than said predetermined quantity, whereby strapping material may be dispensed directly from the pallet by rotation of said turntable without handling of the coil or removal thereof from the pallet.

13. A strapping material assembly comprising a pal-let having a substantially flat horizontal support surface, positioning means carried by said pallet and projecting upward-ly from said support surface, and an elongated continuous strip of strapping material arranged in a coil on said pallet sup-port surface with the axis of said coil disposed substantially vertically, said coil being disposed in engagement with said positioning means for preventing horizontal movement of said coil, with respect to said pallet, whereby said coil may be unwound to dispense strapping material therefrom by rotation of said pallet about the axis of said coil without removal of said coil from said pallet.

14. The assembly set forth in claim 13, wherein said positioning means comprises hub structure disposed for snug engagement with the inner surface of said coil.