EP1785382A1

EP1785382A1 - Distributing device for tape

Info

Publication number: EP1785382A1
Application number: EP06023232A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Aurelio Polverari
Original assignee: Seripol Srl
Current assignee: Seripol Srl
Priority date: 2005-11-09
Filing date: 2006-11-08
Publication date: 2007-05-16
Also published as: ITBO20050685A1

Abstract

A distributing device for a spool (3) of tape (2), suitable to be connected to a respective base mean (4) and, in an operating condition (O), comprising at least:
- a support mean (5) to support the spool (3) orienting the geometric axis thereof in an almost vertical direction;
- connection means (6) for the interconnection to the base mean (4) of the support mean (5) allowing it to rotate around an almost vertical axis,
- friction means (20) of the connection means (6) to brake the rotation of the support mean (5) in respect to the base mean (4).

Description

The present invention relates to the devices for packaging and preparing the packs and it refers to a tape distributing device, for example for packaging, in particular for a spool of tape so-called strap type fit to close packs and items by means of closure ring thereon carried out by means of clip, staples, seals or thermo-welding of the tape.
There are known supports having a horizontal axis for the tape or strap spool and provided with screw means to close the spool between lateral flanges.
When the screw means is slightly too tight adjusted, it is difficult to take the tape or the strap and it can cause the overturn of the support, vice versa when the screw means is slightly too loose adjusted, it can provoke undesired discharge of tape or disassemble of the spool in respect to the axis causing possible irregularity and stops in the unwinding of the spool. Thus, a drawback of said known supports consists in that they are difficult and critical to be adjusted causing irregularity and stops, excessive tape discharge and risks of overturning.
Other drawback consists in that, due to the consumption of tape, the diameter and the weight of the spools progressively change obliging the frequent adjustments of the screw means.
Further drawback of the said known devices consists in that they require completely new adjustment for each new type of tape or strap spool.
An object of the present invention is to propose a stable device which is able to distribute strap or tape in a regular and continuous manner.
Other object is to propose a device able to distribute in homogenous manner strap and tape from spools having various dimensions and/or partially used.
The characteristics of the invention are underlined in the following with particular reference to the attached drawings in which:

figure 1 illustrates an axonometric view of the tape distributing device object of the present invention in an operating condition in which it is connected to a trolley and contains a strap spool;
figure 2 illustrates an axonometric and exploded view of the device and of the spool of figure 1;
figure 3 illustrates a view of the device, of the spool and of the trolley of figure 1 sectioned by a middle longitudinal plane;
figure 4 illustrates a sectioned and enlarged view of a particular of figure 3.

With reference to the figures 1 - 4, the numeral 1 indicates the distributing device for tape 2, or for strap, winded to form a spool 3 having cylindrical or ring shaped thick wall. The device 1 is fit, in one operating condition O, to be fixed above to a base mean 4 consisting, for example, in a bench, in a table or, as shown, in a trolley fit also to house various packing means and tools.
Device 1 comprises a support mean 5 having horizontal discoidal shape and made of wood or its derivatives, metal or plastic, fit to support the strap or tape 2 spool 3.
The support mean 5 is provided with adjustable centring means 26 for the spool 3 comprising three pins 27 fixable by thread means to three corresponding radial slots 28 of the support mean 5. In the operating condition O, the three pins 27 match the inner cylindrical face of the spool 3 blocking it in the central position in respect to the support mean 5 and with the geometric axis, corresponding to the axis of its cylindrical walls, in almost vertical direction.
The device 1 comprises connection means 6 provided with members, first 7 and second 8, fixed respectively to the support mean 5 and to the base mean 4.
Said members 7, 8 are mutually engaged in freely rotating manner and they carry out a rotating interconnection, around an almost vertical axis, of the support mean 5 in respect to the base mean 4.
In order to avoid the spool to turn excessively due to the inertia after the taking of the tape 2, there are friction means 20 of the connection means 6 fit to brake the rotation of the support mean 5 in respect to the base mean 4.
The first member 7 has a respective tubular body 9, rotating and sliding in a bigger tubular body 10 of the second member 8. The tubular body 9 inside the first member 7 is fixed to the support mean 5 by means of a respective plate fixing mean 11 fixed by screws or the like to the lower face of the support mean 5.
In a similar way the tubular body 10, that is external in respect to the second member 8, is fixed to the base mean 4 by means of a respective plate fixing mean 12 fixed by screws or the like to an upper element, for example a shelf of base mean 4.
In alternative, the invention provides that the connection means 6 can be carried out by means of bearings, bushings or other similar means such as a circular cage of idle rollers sliding in grooves obtained in the support mean 5 and/or in the base mean 4 associated with friction means, for example, with sliding block or drums.
In the preferred embodiment, the friction means 20 comprise two face-to-face surfaces 13, 14 of the first 7 and second 8 members, fit to prevent the downward sliding of the tubular body 9 of the first member 7 and fit to generate the friction.
One of the two face-to-face surfaces 13 is carried out at the lower end of the tubular body 9 of the first member 7, another surface 14 is made in a portion of the plate fixing mean 12 of the second member 8, inside the external tubular body 10. In alternative, the invention provides that the positioning of the face-to-face surfaces on the members is inverted.
The two face-to-face surfaces 13, 14 have circular crown shape or, in alternative, they have truncate-conic wall shape. The two face-to-face surfaces can be mutually contacted directly or between them it can be interposed a ring of opportune friction material.
In any case the friction between the faces depends on the pressure between them generated by the weight loading on the tubular body 9 of the first member 7.
In order to increase the friction, and then the braking torque to the rotation of the spool in adjustable manner, the device 1 comprises adjustable clamping means 15 fit to operate on the friction means 20 changing the pressure between the face-to-face surfaces.
Said adjustable clamping means 15 comprise a shaft mean 16 having a match mean 17 consisting of an abutment of said shaft mean 16 in order to match with the upper face of the first member 7 and comprise also a lower threaded end 18 having a knob shaped screw mean 19 acting on the lower face of the second member 8 by means of an elastic mean 21 consisting of a metallic helicoidal spring.
The lower portion of the shaft mean 16 is partially housed inside the tubular bodies 9, 10 of the members 7, 8 while the upper portion passes through a central hole of the support mean 5, it passes through the spool and stops itself on the upper part of the spool with a removable lock 24, for example of screw type, to fix a cover mean 22 to the spool 3. Said cover mean 22 is cylindrical wall shaped with upper end closed by a discoidal portion and it is laterally provided with an opening 23, of vertical slot shape, for the tape 2. The removable lock 24 is engaged to a central hole of the upper closed end of the cover mean whose lower edge is folded to avoid sharp edges.
The shaft mean 16 has a sufficient length to slightly space apart the lower edge of the cover mean 22 from the support mean 5.
The device 1 comprises also gravity body mean 25, of discoidal shape with central hole and carried out by wood, metal or other material, fit to be overlapped to the spool 3.
The gravity body mean 25 is interchangeable with others with various weights and fit to modify the rotation friction increasing it rising the weight in order to adapt the device to spools of various characteristics.
The central hole of the gravity body mean 25 is passed through, without interference, by the shaft mean 16.
The operation of the device, in the operating condition, provides that an operator takes the strap by pulling it out from the cover mean 22 through the opening 23.
The adjustable clamping means 15 do not require a precise adjustment because an important ratio of the friction is due to the weight force. Furthermore, the friction decreases advantageously after the consumption of the strap or of the tape. The installation on the vertical axis of the spool prevents that the tape can be taken from an excessive high position in respect to the barycentre of the base means increasing advantageously their stability when taking the tape.
The centring means advantageously provides a fluid and regular rotation of the spool.
An advantage of the present invention is to provide a device which is stable and able to distribute the strap or the tape in regular and continuous manner.
Other advantage is to provide a device which is able to distribute in homogenous manner strap and tape from spools having various consumption and/or various dimensions.

Claims

Distributing device for a spool (3) of tape (2), fit to be connected to a respective base mean (4) and being characterized in that it comprises, in an operating condition (O), at least:
- a support mean (5) fit to support the spool (3) orienting the geometric axis thereof in an almost vertical direction; .

- connection means (6) for the interconnection to the base mean (4) of the support mean (5) allowing it to rotate around an almost vertical axis,

- friction means (20) of the connection means (6) fit to brake the rotation of the support mean (5) in respect to the base mean (4).
Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the connection means (6) are provided with first (7) and second (8) members fixed respectively to the support mean (5) and to the base mean (4) and mutually engaged for their rotating interconnection.
Device according to claim 2 characterized in that the first (7) and second (8) members have respective tubular bodies (9, 10), the one being sliding and rotating movable in the other one and they, fixed to the support mean (5) and to the base mean (4) by means of respective plate fixing means (11, 12).
Device according to claim 3 characterized in that the friction means (20) comprise two face-to-face surfaces (13, 14) carried out in the first (7) and second members (8), fit to prevent the tubular body (9) of the first member (7) sliding downwards and to generate the friction.
Device according to claim 4 characterized in that the two face-to-face surfaces (13, 14) are carried out on the ends of the tubular body (9, 10) of one of the members (7, 8) and in the plate fixing mean (12, 11) of the another member (8, 7).
Device according to claim 5 characterized in that the two face-to-face surfaces (13, 14) have circular crown shape or they have truncate-conic wall shape.
Device according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises adjustable clamping means (15) fit to act on the friction means (20) to increase the friction in adjustable manner.
Device according to claims 2 and 7 characterized in that the adjustable clamping means (15) comprise a shaft mean (16) having a match mean (17) for one of the members (7, 8) and a threaded end (18) having a screw mean (19) acting on the another member (8, 7) by means of an elastic mean (21).
Device according to claims 3 and 8 characterized in that the shaft mean (16) is partially housed inside the tubular bodies (9, 10) of the members (7, 8).
Device according to claim 8 characterized in that it comprises a cover mean (22) for the spool (3), provided with an opening (23) for the tape (2) and centrally fixed to the upper end of the shaft mean (16) by means of a removable lock (24).
Device according to claim 10 characterized in that the shaft mean (16) has a sufficient length to space apart a little bit the cover mean (22) from the support mean (5).
Device according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises gravity body mean (25) fit to be overlapped to the spool (3).
Device according to claims 8 and 12 characterized in that the gravity body mean (25) has a central hole for the shaft mean (16).
Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the support mean (5) is provided with adjustable centring means (26) for the spool (3).
Device according to claim 14 characterized in that the centring means (26) comprise a kit of pins (27) fixable by means of thread means to corresponding radial slots (28) of the support mean (5).
Device according to the preceding claims characterized in that the support mean (5) and the gravity body means (25) have discoidal shape, the spool (3) is cylindrical, thick wall shaped and the cover mean (22) has cylindrical wall shape with an end closed by a discoidal portion.
Device according to anyone of the preceding claims characterized in that the base mean (4) consists of a trolley.