EP1037843B1 - Method for cutting out streamers and implementing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for cutting out streamers in strips, consisting in moving forward a streamer (2) step by step in a plane along a direction (F), cutting (5) out the streamer in parallel strips, transversely to the forward motion direction, unwinding an adhesive tape, and winding the cut out streamer strips, on one face of which the tape is glued. Said method further consists, after cutting out each strip, in transferring the latter in (7) at some distance from the streamer forward motion plane, and gluing the adhesive tape to the cut out strip, for said winding, said streamer forward motion by a step for cutting the next strip being carried out during said transfer, and optionally during said gluing.

Description

• un avancement pas à pas d'une affiche dans un plan suivant une direction,
• un découpage de l'affiche en bandes parallèles, transversalement à la direction d'avancement,
• un déroulement d'un ruban adhérent, et
• un enroulement des bandes d'affiche découpées, sur une face desquelles adhère ledit ruban, ainsi qu'à un dispositif pour la mise en oeuvre d'un tel procédé.

The present invention relates to a method of cutting posters into strips, comprising

• step by step advancement of a poster in a plane following a direction,
• cutting the poster into parallel strips, transverse to the direction of travel,
• unwinding of an adhesive tape, and
• a winding of cut poster strips, on one side of which adheres said ribbon, as well as to a device for implementing such a method.

We know a device implementing a device genre (see patent FR-B-2631577).

This device is designed to cut strips of posters for advertising panels with prisms rotating around axes vertical, which allow the support of 3 posters on the same panel. This device comprises means for advancing step by step from the poster to the edge of which adhesive tape is adhered. The poster edge is then cut out. After cutting, the cut strip, laminated of a ribbon, can then be transferred laterally and wound on a coil.

A similar device is also described in WO-A-91/13424.

Such a device is a first attempt at preparation poster strips to stick on the prisms of billboards. he has the disadvantage of being relatively slow, however. Must wait that a cut strip, provided with its adhesive tape, is completely ready to move it aside and take the poster one step further.

In addition, the adhesive tape must be applied to the poster, be spread between two distant rollers of more than one width poster, that is to say ± 3 m. This causes problems by the fact that as a result of temperature, humidity or problems static electricity, the adhesive tape tends to bend in section cross. Despite a heating of the adhesive tape, it does not remain stable.

The present invention aims to improve the device and the process as described at the beginning, in particular by increasing their rate and therefore their performance, making operations simultaneous.

• après chaque découpage d'une bande, un transfert de celle-ci à distance du plan d'avancement de l'affiche, et
• une adhésion entre le ruban adhérent et la bande découpée, en vue dudit enroulement,
• ledit avancement de l'affiche d'un pas pour découper une bande suivante ayant lieu pendant le transfert susdit de la bande qui vient d'être découpée, et éventuellement pendant l'adhésion susdite.

To solve this problem, provision is made, according to the invention, for a method of cutting posters as indicated at the beginning, further comprising

• after each cutting of a strip, a transfer of the latter at a distance from the progress plan of the poster, and
• adhesion between the adhesive tape and the cut strip, for said winding,
• said advancement of the poster by one step to cut a next strip taking place during the aforementioned transfer of the strip which has just been cut, and possibly during the abovementioned adhesion.

This process thus allows advancement of the poster to cut while the cut strip is not yet fully exit from the mechanism in which the posters are brought and cut.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the transfer includes a lowering of the strip cut in a parallel plane to the progress plan of the poster, and a displacement of the strip as well lowered transversely to the direction of advancement of the poster. The cut strip is lowered a certain distance below the poster's progress plan, freeing up the space needed to the advance of a new strip to be cut.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, adhesion between the unrolled adhesive tape and the cut strip takes place during the movement transverse to the direction of advancement of poster. Here, the adhesion is done laterally, next to the frame which supports the means of advancement of the poster, and the transfer of the tape cutting therefore takes place particularly quickly.

Other embodiments of the following method the invention are indicated in the appended claims.

There is also provided according to the invention, a device for cutting posters, for the implementation of the method according to the invention, comprising
means for advancing step by step a poster in a plane, in a direction,
means for cutting the poster into parallel strips, transverse to the direction of advance,
means for unwinding an adhesive tape,
means for winding up cut poster strips, on one face of which said ribbon adheres,
means for transferring each cut strip at a distance from the poster progress plan, and
adhesion means for adhering the adhesive tape and the cut strip, transferred, for said winding,
the poster advance means advancing the latter by one step to cut a strip while the transfer means transfer a previously cut strip, and possibly while the adhesion means adhere the adhesive tape and this previously cut strip.

Other embodiments of the following device the invention are indicated in the appended claims.

Other details and features of the invention will emerge of the description of nonlimiting exemplary embodiments of the invention, given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1 and 2 show a side view of a device according to the invention in two successive positions.

Figure 3 shows a sectional view along line III-III of Figure 1, in an intermediate position.

FIG. 4 represents a view of the means of adhesion and winding of an alternative embodiment of the following device the invention.

In the different figures the identical elements or analogues are indicated by the same references.

The installation shown in Figures 1 to 3 includes step-by-step advance of a poster in a plane, in the sense of arrow F. In the illustrated embodiment, these means include lower conveyor belts 1 on the upper strands from which the poster sections 2 are placed, the image upwards, and are connected in a known manner by an operator. We can advantageously consider upper conveyor belts 3 which slide the poster section 2 to a support table 4 cut. The support table 4 is itself supported so fixed on a frame 8. At the front edge of the support table, the section poster is at a knife 5, which in the example illustrated is represented schematically by a simple vertical line. This knife 5 can be any knife shape suitable for cut sheets of paper, for example a blade or roller cut moved horizontally across the poster or a guillotine system passed vertically through the poster.

In a plane lower than the plane of the support table 4 is arranged a receiving table 6 whose upper wall 7 is parallel on display. As shown in Figure 3, this table is a housing having an internal cavity 10 which is in communication by a conduit 9 with a source of vacuum not shown which preference works continuously. The wall 7 is perforated, at least in part of its surface, and it therefore allows aspiration of objects placed on this part with perforations.

A supply reel 11 of adhesive tape 12 is arranged on one side of the cutting device so as to unwind the ribbon transverse to the direction F of advancement of the poster. This tape can be formed from an adhesive support made of a material any suitable, for example paper, synthetic material, such as polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, etc ... and an adhesive material applied to this support, beforehand or when the ribbon passes through the device according to the invention. This tape is preferably a double-sided adhesive tape, one side of which is protected by a detachable covering strip. Ribbon 12 is unwound from the reel 11 towards the upper wall 7 of the table reception 6 via a set of tension rollers 13, 13 ' so that its face provided with a covering strip is arranged down. The tape is perfectly applied flat against the wall 7 by the permanent aspiration created by the arrangement of the table reception 6, and it presents upwards its adhesive side, not provided a covering strip.

Above the reception table 6, we can observe, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, an element of guide 14. This guide element 14 is supported on an angle 15 connected to a piston rod 16 of a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 17. The jack 17 is supported on the frame 8 by support blocks 18 and 19 between which is also arranged a sliding rod 20. The free end of the piston rod 16 is fitted with a ring eccentric 21 capable of sliding axially on the sliding rod 20, by preventing rotation of the piston rod 16 around its axis, and therefore keeping the horizontal wing of the angle iron 15 in its plane. On the side opposite the knife, the guide element 14 is slightly bevelled to receive the cutting strip 22, which comes from leave the support table 4 and which is therefore overhanging. As and as the strip to be cut advances, this is straightened in a substantially horizontal plane.

The strip to be cut is then below a vacuum housing 23 having a cavity 24 in communication, by the conduit 25, with a source of vacuum not shown. Wall lower 26 of this housing is perforated. When a depression is created inside the cavity 24, the cut strip 22 can be vacuumed against the wall 26.

The housing 23 is supported on a fixed support 27 shown schematically through, for example, a lever 28 represented by a dashed line. By an appropriate command, no shown, the lever 28 can be raised or lowered and drive rotation of the vacuum housing between a high position shown on the FIG. 1 and a low position shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the housing 23 is in the intermediate position.

The cutting device, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, operates as follows.

Poster sections 2 are interconnected on the conveyor belts 1 so as to form a complete poster. This is advanced in the direction of arrow F with a front edge corresponding to the height side of the poster. A poster height can for example be about 3 m, but this dimension is not critical for the invention. A drive motor not shown does not drive step by step conveyor belts 1 and 3, in a synchronized manner. The poster formed 2 also advances step by step, supported first on the strip 1 and then on the support table 4. Each step has a value equivalent to the width of the fins forming the prisms of the support poster intended for the poster to be cut. The step can for example be about 130 mm.

When the poster is advanced one step, while its edge front is at the front edge of the support table 4, the strip to cut 22 is no longer supported and is cantilevered, having tendency to hang slightly. As the step progresses, the front edge of the cutting strip 22 meets the bevel of the guide element 14 which is in the advanced position by the jack 17. The front edge is thus straightened so that the cutting strip 22 is at proximity to the perforated bottom wall 26 of the vacuum housing 23 which extends over the entire length of the strip 22. The latter is thus sucked at the same time as it is cut by the knife 5. The the cut strip remains suspended by suction from the housing 23.

The jack 17 then actuates a withdrawal of the piston rod 16 and therefore of the guide element 14, which allows lowering without obstacle of the vacuum housing 23, under the action of control means not shown acting on lever 28. At the end of the lowering of the housing 23, the various elements of the device are in the position shown in Figure 2. In this position, the bottom wall 26 of the vacuum housing 23 is applied to the receiving table 6, and the strip has was thus transferred remotely from the poster progress plan.

As shown in Figure 3, the adhesive tape double-sided, is unrolled transversely on the reception table 6 with an adhesive side up and an adhesive side protected by a coating strip down. The tape is applied flat on the face 7 of the table 6, by the permanent suction created through the perforations of this face.

When the vacuum housing 23 is in the low position, it therefore apply uniformly, on a completely flat adhesive tape, the poster strip already cut out.

Control means not shown interrupt then the operation of the vacuum source which is in communication with the cavity of the vacuum case 23. Then the vacuum case is raised in its upper position, without the poster strip cut out which remained adhered to the adhesive tape. Simultaneously the element of guide 14 is advanced by jack 17.

As soon as these elements have returned to their original position, shown in Figure 1, the poster can be advanced a new step. Meanwhile, the adhesive tape provided with the cut strip 31 is laterally transferred from a distance at least greater than the length of the cut strip, to be wound into a reel 29, passing for example by means of a set of tension rollers 30, 30 '.

In this exemplary embodiment, the poster can therefore already be advanced one next step, while the lateral displacement of the previously cut strip is not yet completed. We obtain thus an increase in the cadence of the device compared to the prior art.

Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment improved cutting device according to the invention, in a view similar to Figure 3. The means of advance of the poster, cutting it into strips and lowering strips cut are identical to those shown in Figures 1 to 3 and therefore they have not been represented again in this figure 4, for reasons of ease of reading.

Here the reception table 32 can be a suction table analogous to the reception table 6, the upper face 33 of which is parallel to the poster's progress plan. On this upper face can slide the upper strand of a perforated endless conveyor belt 34 which revolves around the two deflection rollers 35 and 36. One of these rollers is rotated by a motor not shown. grace to the perforations of the carpet 34 and to the evacuation of the table 32, the cut poster strip moves perfectly and at the same time than the carpet.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 4, the means of unwinding the adhesive tape 37 are formed from a reel feed 38 and a set of deflection rollers 39 to 41 which bring the tape on the periphery of an adhesion roller 42.

The adhesion means include this roller of adhesion 42 and a pressure roller 43 applied to the roller 42. Between these two rolls each strip of cut paper 47 and the adhesive tape 37 are brought and glued to each other.

The winding means comprise a reel of reception 44 on which the adhesive tape with strips is wound of cut posters, successive 48 as well as a set of rolls of reference 45 and 46.

This device illustrated in Figure 4 works the same so that the device illustrated in Figure 3 with this difference important that there is no adhesion between the tape and the tape cut at the end of the lowering of the latter on the table plan reception 32.

As soon as the vacuum housing 23 begins its ascent to its high position, the endless belt transfers transversely, into the direction of arrow f, the strip cut out. It is only during this lateral transfer that the cut strip is caused to adhere to the ribbon adhesive.

It follows that the cutting of the poster strip next can already take place during the band adhesion step previous and that the movement of the vacuum housing 23 can be expected much faster, since this element no longer has the function apply and stick the cut strip on adhesive tape. A risk of bending the adhesive tape in cross section on the weak distance between the idler roller 41 and the adhesion roller 42 is almost excluded.

It should be understood that the present invention is not in in no way limited to the embodiments and embodiments indicated above and that many modifications can be made without depart from the scope of the appended claims.

You should for example hear adhesive tape in its direction the widest, adhesion being able to be made not only by a binder, but also by attachment means, for example of the Velcro type.

The control and drive means and the engines have not been represented because they are part of knowledge of the skilled person. One can easily imagine a synchronization different movements by a central computer.

We can also imagine on the device illustrated in Figure 4 that only the right part in the drawing of table 32 has a aspiration. The endless conveyor belt 34 could be removed and the tape from coil 38 could be fed in the center or on the left side of table 32. This would allow membership partial of the cut strip, a drive thereof according to the direction f by the adhesive tape and the application of this over the entire band during this training.

Claims (14)

1. Method of cutting posters into strips, comprising

   a step by step forward movement of a poster in one plane in one direction,

   a cutting of the poster into parallel strips, transversely to the direction of forward movement,

   an unwinding of an adhesive ribbon, and

   a coiling of the cut strips of poster, to one face of which the said ribbon adheres,

   characterised in that it also comprises

   after each cutting of a strip, a transfer thereof at a distance from the poster forward-movement plane, and

   adhesion between the adhesive ribbon and the cut strip, with a view to the said coiling,

   the said forward movement of the poster by one step in order to cut a following strip taking place during the above mentioned transfer, and possibly during the above mentioned adhesion.
2. Method according to Claim 1, characterised in that the transfer comprises a lowering of the cut strip in a plane parallel to the poster forward-movement plane, and a movement of the strip thus lowered, transversely to the direction of forward movement of the poster.
3. Method according to Claim 2, characterised in that the adhesion between the unwound adhesive ribbon and the cut strip takes place during the movement transverse to the direction of forward movement of the poster.
4. Method according to Claim 2, characterised in that the adhesion between the unwound adhesive ribbon and the cut strip takes place in the said parallel plane in which the cut strip is lowered, before the said transverse movement.
5. Method according to Claim 4, characterised in that the adhesion comprises an application of the cut strip during lowering to the adhesive ribbon fed flat in the above mentioned parallel plane.
6. Method according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that it comprises a holding of the strip to be cut in the poster forward-movement plane before and during the cutting.
7. Poster cutting device for implementing the method according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, comprising
   means of forward movement step by step (1, 3) of a poster (2) in one plane, in one direction (F),
   means (5) of cutting the poster into parallel strips, transversely to the direction of forward movement,
   means (11, ,38) of unwinding an adhesive ribbon (12, 37),
   means (29, 44) of coiling cut poster strips (31, 48) to one face of which the said ribbon adheres, a device characterised by:
   means (23, 27, 28; 11, 29; 38, 42-44) of transferring each cut strip at a distance from the poster forward-movement plane,
   adhesion means (6, 23; 42, 43) for making the adhesive ribbon and the transferred cut strip adhere with a view to the said coiling,
   the poster forward-movement means (1, 3) making the latter move forward by one step in order to cut a strip whilst the transfer means (11, 29; 38, 42-44) transfer a previously cut strip, and possibly whilst the adhesion means (42, 43) make the adhesive ribbon and this previously cut strip adhere.
8. Cutting device according to Claim 7, characterised in that the transfer means comprise means (23, 27, 28) of lowering the cut strip in a plane (7, 33) parallel to the plane of forward movement of the poster (2) and movement means (11, 29; 38, 42-44) capable of moving the lowered strip transversely to the direction of forward movement (F) of the poster.
9. Device according to Claim 8, characterised in that the lowering means comprise a vacuum box (23) capable of moving between a high position and a low position and having a flat wall (26) situated above the strip to be cut (22), in the high position of the box and substantially in the said parallel plane, in the low position, as well as control means (25, 27, 28) which drive the vacuum box in its movement and which control a vacuum in a cavity (24) in the box where perforations provided in the flat wall (26) open out, in its high position and during its movement downwards, and interrupt this vacuum in the low position of the box, and in that the means (1, 3) of moving the poster forward move the latter forward by one step, as soon as the box (23) is in the high position.
10. Device according to one or other of Claims 8 and 9, characterised in that the said transverse movement means comprise at least one conveyer belt (47) with a top length arranged in the said parallel plane (33), and means of driving the said at least one conveyer belt which start up the latter as soon as the vacuum box (23) has left its low position and which stop it when the cut strip has been moved by a distance at least greater than its length.
11. Device according to any one of Claims 7 to 10, characterised in that the above mentioned adhesion means comprise two rotary rollers (42, 43) applied against each other, one of which receives on its periphery the adhesive ribbon (37) unwound by the unwinding means (38), and between which each cut strip (47), guided by the transfer means, is applied against the adhesive ribbon (37).
12. Device according to any one of Claims 8 to 10, characterised in that the adhesion means comprise means (6, 13', 30') of placing the unwound adhesive ribbon (12) in the said plane parallel to the poster forward-movement plane and in that the lowering means (23) apply the cut strip against the adhesive ribbon thus placed.
13. Device according to Claim 12, characterised in that the above mentioned placement means comprise a reception table (6) in the form of a vacuum box which is continuously under negative pressure and which has a perforated top wall (7) in the said parallel plane, on which the adhesive ribbon coming from the unwinding means (11) is sucked flat.
14. Device according to any one of Claims 9 to 13, characterised in that the poster forward-movement means comprise at least one conveyer belt (1) which supports the poster to be cut (2) in the said forward-movement plane and the step by step advance towards the cutting means (5), the strip to be cut (22) no longer being supported by the conveyer belt during the forward-movement step, and in that the device comprises a guide element (14) which guides the strip to be cut, during its forward-movement step, under the perforated wall (26) of the vacuum box (23) and which is retractable at the end of the forward-movement step to allow the movement of the vacuum box (23) between its high position and its low position and vice versa.

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