EP1748001B1 - Package for felting needles - Google Patents

Abstract

The packing, for felt needles (8), is in the form of a wedge-shaped container (9), the wedge shape being such that the felt needles can lie against each other side by side in the container, They are held roughly parallel to each other and hold each other mutually, without their points coming against the bottom of the container.

Description

The invention relates to a needle package, especially for felting needles and more particularly for felting needles from a fineness 38 gauge and finer and for wreath needles from a fineness gauge 36 and finer. Furthermore, the needle package according to the invention is suitable for fork needles, especially with the finenesses 36 gauge to 43 gg.

Felting needles have been used in textile technology for a long time to solidify nonwoven webs by the needles are stitched in rapid succession periodically through the corresponding random fiber fleece. The needles wear out, so that from time to time replacement is required. Because every needle change requires a larger number of felting needles, these are packed in groups. For example, they are packed in plastic needle boxes. In order to take advantage of their cuboid interior, the boxes are preferably filled in such a way that one half of the needles in one direction and the other half in a different direction. Between the needles and the lid a foam insert is usually provided. This type of packaging can lead to needle damage especially with very fine felt needles. Even under the effect of its own weight, the pressure on individual needles, e.g. also be so high by acting on the package impact or shock that the needles plastically deform, in particular in the region of its working part, e.g. bend. When the needle box is moved axially, i. is moved in the longitudinal direction of the needles contained therein, the needles may strike with their feet and tips, which may lead to tip damage in the form of flat tips, pushed forks or the like. It can also happen that the foot of one needle damages the tip of another needle in opposite directions.

Another disadvantage is the handling of such needle packages. In order to be able to remove the needles from the needle box, one must grasp directly into the needles. The goal is to grab the needles on their work pieces. Due to the opposing arrangement of the needles, the operator can always work on sharp-edged working parts of needles, especially the needle tip or notches. Because of the adhering to the needles oil or other rust preventive such injuries are sometimes not only annoying but also dangerous.

From the EP-A-0,751,076 A1 is known a frustoconical receptacle for small parts. The receptacle is pivotally mounted in a box and provided with a lid, is given by the access to the small parts stored in the interior.

On this basis, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved needle package.

This object is achieved with the needle package according to claim 1:

The needle package includes a wedge-shaped container which has a narrow side and a wide side and which is open at its broad side. The needles are basically inserted in the same direction in this container, the felt needles protrude partially with her shaft and her foot from the container. The working parts are without exception arranged in the container. Thus, damage of Nadelarbeitsteilen is excluded by needle feet.

The handling is improved. An operator can hold the wedge-shaped container with one hand and take hold of the holding or foot parts of the felting needles with the other hand and remove them in the desired number from the container. The operator does not come in with the working parts of the felting needles Contact. The danger of injuring yourself at the notches, the forks or tips is thus significantly reduced.

In addition, the needles in the needle package according to the invention are better protected than previously. They are oriented side by side in the same direction, which ensures that the working parts do not bend. The container is preferably designed so that the felting needles are on the narrow side of the container without abutting on this. The container may in principle be open on the narrow side. However, it is preferred that the narrow side be formed closed to protect the tips and working parts of the felting needles.

With this type of needle packing, the operator can grasp the container closed on the narrow side with one hand, whereby it does not come into contact with oil or rust inhibitors, nor with the needles and their working parts, and thus would be directly exposed to the rust protection oil. As a result, skin irritation and skin irritation can be reduced or avoided. Only in the area of the foot must the needle be grasped. Because the needles in this area are regularly much less oiled, this minimizes the risk of skin irritation and allergies. In addition, you can work with less rust protection oil. The needles are in the container close to each other. The risk of rust-drop oil dripping off and corroding individual needles is significantly reduced.

The cross section of the container and the number of felting needles is coordinated so that the felting needles are tightly packed without play in the container. In this case, they preferably have no play, in particular in the region of the container opening, ie in the region of their upper shank, so that they wed each other in the container. The container preferably has a rectangular cross-section, but the cross-section may also be deviating. It increases continuously from the narrow side of the container to the broad side, so that the container has a truncated pyramid shape. The area ratio of narrow to wide side preferably corresponds to the cross-sectional area ratio of the felting needles between the working part and the shaft part. This also ensures that the felting needles in the truncated pyramid-shaped container are close to each other, side by side, without rattling. The dimensions of the container and the number of needles is coordinated so that the tips of the needles are in the container at some distance from the narrow end face of the container. This avoids transport damage to needles even with rough handling and delicate needle structures.

The container is preferably made of plastic. It may be provided at its upper edge with one or more tabs which may serve to seal the container e.g. from a transport packaging, e.g. a box to take out. The tabs may also serve as attachment means, for example, for temporarily suspending the container on a suitable rack.

The box for receiving the container is preferably a plastic box. In a further preferred embodiment, in this at least one preferably two buffers are arranged, the narrow and the broad side associated with the container and between which the container is arranged together with felting needles. Thereby, the felt needles held in the container can be held in the box without play.

Further details of advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the drawing, the description or claims.

Figur 1

die erfindungsgemäße Nadelverpackung in ge- öffnetem Zustand in perspektivischer Dar- stellung,

Figur 2

eine Filznadel bzw. Gabelnadel in perspekti- vischer Prinzipdarstellung,

Figur 3

eine Spitze des Arbeitsteils der Filznadel nach Figur 2 in einem anderen Maßstab,

Figur 4

eine abgewandelte Ausführungsform eines Be- hälters für eine Verpackung gemäß Figur 1 und

Figur 5

eine Spitze des Arbeitsteils einer Ga- belnadel nach Figur 2 in perspektivischer Prinzipdarstellung.

In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are illustrated. Show it:

FIG. 1

the needle package according to the invention in an opened state in a perspective view,

FIG. 2

a felting needle or fork needle in perspectival schematic representation,

FIG. 3

a tip of the working part of the felting needle behind FIG. 2 on a different scale,

FIG. 4

a modified embodiment of a container for a container according to FIG. 1 and

FIG. 5

a tip of the working part of a forked needle FIG. 2 in perspective schematic representation.

In FIG. 1 a needle package 1 is illustrated in the open state. To the needle package 1 includes a preferably made of plastic, eg rectangular box 2, the lid in FIG. 1 removed and not further illustrated. In the box 2, an oil paper 3 is inserted, the ends 4, 5 protrude on the narrow sides of the box 2 from the box 2. It preferably occupies the entire width of the interior of the box 2. At both end faces of the box 2 are preferably made of foam rubber or other suitable material existing buffer 6, 7 arranged in the form of cuboid blocks. Between the buffers 6, 7 there is a free space which is provided for receiving a number of felting needles 8. In the present embodiment, for example, 250 felting needles are housed together in a container 9. The container 9 is preferably a plastic container, for example of PE or other suitable material. He has the basic shape of a truncated pyramid, ie ultimately a wedge shape. Its four side surfaces are trapezoidal, wherein the respective mutually opposite side surfaces are congruent with each other. According to its wedge shape it extends from a narrow side 10 to a wide side 11, wherein the container 9 is closed at the narrow side 10, preferably by an end wall 12. On its wide side 11, it has an opening 13 which occupies the entire cross-section of the container 9. The opening 13 is surrounded by an edge 14 to which one or more tabs 15 may be attached. The edge 14 describes a rectangle. Preferably, the tabs 15 extend approximately centrally away from the long edges of the edge 14. They are further preferably in a common plane with the respective side surface of the container 9 to which they connect.

The arranged in the container 9 felting needles 8 or fork needles are preferably identical to each other. FIG. 2 It shows a shaft 16 with, for example, a cylindrical cross-section, which can be angled at its upper end. The angled section forms a foot 17. On the opposite side, the shaft 16 tapers in a transition region 18 and then merges into a working part 19. This runs out in a tip 20 and is provided with one or more notches 21. The details of a felting needle are separately in FIG. 3 details of a forked needle in FIG. 5 illustrated.

FIG. 3 shows the working part 19 of a felting needle 8. The notches 21 are attached to the flanks of the working part 19. The working part 19 terminates in a tapered tip 20. Depending on the field of application of a felting needle, a working part 19 is provided with at least one or more flanks and has at least one or more notches 21, which can be arranged in the same or different directions.

FIG. 5 shows the working part 19 of a fork or structuring needle. Their tip 20 has a fork-shaped opening 23, by means of which structural changes to textile surfaces can be performed.

The felting needles or fork needles 8 (FIG. FIG. 2 ) are thus tapered roughly from their foot 17 to their top 20 out. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the felting needle 8 in the vicinity of its tip 20, for example on the line AA, is substantially smaller than the cross-sectional area of the shaft 16 of the felting needle 8, approximately in the region of the edge 14 of the container 9, in FIG FIG. 2 indicated by the line BB. The area ratio of these two cross-sectional areas corresponds to the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the container 9, cut parallel to its end wall 12, approximately at the same positions defined by the lines AA and BB.

For packaging the felting needles or patterning needle 8, these are in such a number close to each other next to each other, as in FIG. 1 illustrated inserted into the container 9 that they sit without play in this. In the exemplary embodiment, the tips 20 do not touch the end wall 12. Rather, between the tips 20 and the end wall 12 remains a distance of a few millimeters, to avoid abutment of the tips 20 and a deformation thereof. The side by side felting needles 8 also can not bend each other. At the felting needles 8 adherent rust protection oil is held by capillary action between the felting needles 8. In the box 2, the container 9 abuts against the buffer 6 with its end wall 12. By contrast, the feet 17 of the felting needles 8 rest on the buffer 7. The felting needles 8 are thus kept free of play. They survive in this way even careless coarse transport without risk to the working parts 19 of the felting needles 8. The container 9 may be somewhat elastic, whereby the clamped needles are held securely.

If the package 2 arrived at the destination, the box 2 is opened and the ends 4, 5 of the oil paper 3 are beaten apart. The truncated pyramidal container 9 can now be gripped and lifted by its tab 15 by gripping the tab with the fingertip and holding it with two fingers. The entire needle package can now be easily lifted out of the box 2. Thus, a needle package with eg 250 needles can be removed in a few steps. The handling of the needles is thus simplified and accelerated and, moreover, is much faster and more pleasant than before. When the truncated-pyramidal container 9 is removed from the box 2, the operator can hold it with one hand between two fingers. With the other hand, one or more needles, depending on the assembly technique, pulled out and sunk into the needle board of a felting machine.

The truncated pyramid-shaped container prevents the felting needles 8 must be taken directly on their respective working part 19 or even can. As a result, the risk of injuring yourself at notches, the fork or the tip 20, significantly reduced. The felting needles or fork needles 8 are only taken at their feet 17.

By the truncated pyramid-like shape is ensured that the felt needles 8 are fixed substantially parallel to each other in the container 9. This ensures that the working parts 19 do not bend. They do not abut with their front tips 20. It can also result in no damage to the working parts 19 by scrubbing tips on tips or feet on tips, as was possible with previous packaging and also occurred frequently.

The felting needles 8 are in compressed form in the container 9. The wetting of the felting needles 8 requires less rust inhibitor than is the case with a loose arrangement of felting needles in a box. The risk that the rust preventive dripping from the felting needles 8 on the box bottom and there remains more or less ineffective, is drastically reduced. Each truncated pyramidal container 9 is a five-sided container which provides a space for wetted needles and thus helps to keep the rust inhibitor where needed. The open side 11 of the container 9 is closed by the juxtaposed shafts 16.

The container 9 is particularly suitable for all felting needles from the fineness 38 gauge and finer. Furthermore, all wreath needles can be packaged in the container 9 from fineness 36 gauge and finer. In addition, fork needles of the finenesses 36 to 43 gg can be packaged in the container 9. Generally, the container 9 is suitable for all needle lengths 2½ to 3½ inches.

While in FIG. 1 only one single container 9 is illustrated with felting needles 8, it is pointed out that it is possible to arrange two or more containers 9 in the inner space enclosed by the box 2. These can now in turn be arranged in opposite directions to each other to take advantage of the interior in the box 2 well. For each of the then located in the interior of the container, however, the above statements apply accordingly. Despite the opposing arrangement, the felting needles 8 in each of the containers 9 are so securely protected that damage to the felting needles 8 are largely excluded. Furthermore, the handling, as described above, simple and safe.

FIG. 4 illustrates a slightly modified form of the container 9. The modification consists in a mounted on the tab 15 fastener 22 in the form of a projection, for example in the form of a molded pin with mushroom head. This embodiment of the container 9 is suitable to be suspended after removal from the box 2 on a suitable support, for example having a hole. The felting needles can then be easily removed from the suspended container. It is also possible to form the fastening means 22 in the form of a hole 22 in the tab or by other means by means of which the container 9 can be suspended.

For the packaging of felting needles 8, a container 9 is provided, which has a wedge shape. The wedge shape is designed so that the felting needles in the container abut each other laterally, that are held approximately parallel to each other and clamp each other without their tips abut the container bottom. On the one hand, this offers special protection for the felting needles 8 during transport and, on the other hand, easy handling with minimum risk of injury.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

needle packing

2

box

3

oiled paper

4, 5

end up

6, 7

buffer

8th

Felting needles, fork needles, needles

9

container

10, 11

page

12

bulkhead

13

opening

14

edge

15

tabs

16

shaft

17

foot

18

Transition area

19

working part

20

top

21

notch

22

fastener

23

opening

Claims (11)

1. Needle pack (1) with felting needles or fork needles (8),
   with a wedge-shaped container (9), which has a narrow side (10) and a wide side (11) and which is open at its wide side (11),
   characterised in that
   the cross-section of the container (9) and the number of needles (8) are matched to one another in such a manner that when they are arranged in the container (9) in the prescribed number, the needles (8) are held with their points (20) at a distance from the closed side of the container (10),
   that the container (9) has a cross-section, which is oriented parallel to the opening (13) forming the open side (11) and continuously increases in both its length and its width from the narrow side (10) towards the wide side (11), and
   that the container (9) has the shape of a truncated pyramid.
2. Needle pack according to claim 1, characterised in that the container (9) is closed on its narrow side (10).
3. Needle pack according to claim 1, characterised in that the container (9) has a rectangular cross-section.
4. Needle pack according to claim 1, characterised in that the ratio between the respective cross-sectional area of the felting needle (8) on its blade (16) and on its working part (19) is the same as the ratio between the cross-sectional area of the container (9) on the wide side (11) and the cross-sectional area of the container (9) on the narrow side (10).
5. Needle pack according to claim 1, characterised in that the container (9) is made from a plastic.
6. Needle pack according to claim 1, characterised in that the container (9) is made from a flexible, preferably at least slightly elastic, plastic.
7. Needle pack according to claim 1, characterised in that the container (9) is arranged in a box (2).
8. Needle pack according to claim 7, characterised in that the box (2) is made from a plastic.
9. Needle pack according to claim 7, characterised in that at least one buffer means (6, 7) is respectively arranged in the box (2) on the narrow side (10) of the container (9) and on the wide side (11) of the container (9).
10. Needle pack according to claim 7, characterised in that an oiled paper (3) enveloping the container (2) is arranged in the box.
11. Needle pack according to claim 1, characterised in that felting needles (8) are arranged exclusively in the same orientation in the container (9).

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