EP4036035A1

EP4036035A1 - Support element for a reel

Info

Publication number: EP4036035A1
Application number: EP22152985.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sandro Fiorucci
Original assignee: Lucy Plast SpA
Current assignee: Lucy Plast SpA
Priority date: 2021-01-25
Filing date: 2022-01-24
Publication date: 2022-08-03
Also published as: IT202100000305U1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device (1) for supporting reels of film, in particular to be attached to each end of a reel, comprising a flat body (10) substantially quadrangular in shape with a lower side (11) destined to act as supporting base and at least one support means (21) adapted to engage a spindle of the reel of film, wherein said body comprises a first inner plate (13), to be placed against one end of the reel, and a second outer plate (14), parallel to and facing the first plate, said body (10) further comprising a plurality of inner ribs (15) that join the first plate (13) and the second plate (14), said ribs (15) being rectilinear and extending along a direction perpendicular to the lower side body (11) and forming a plurality of inner passages (16).

Description

The present invention relates to a support element for a reel of a continuous flexible material. The support element according to the invention can be used in a device for the packaging, transport and storage of reels of said continuous flexible material.
Continuous flexible materials such as film, paper, fabric or the like are generally wound around a spindle to be handled, transported and supplied during use or during processing. In this way, reels of flexible and continuous material, hereinafter indicated as reels of film for reasons of clarity and simplification, are formed. To avoid damaging or contaminating the flexible material or the film during handling or storage of the reels, support elements, in jargon called "flanges", are attached to each end of the spindle. Said flanges have a larger dimension with respect to the diameter of the reel so as to maintain it raised when they are resting on the ground or on a supporting base, such as a pallet.
For this purpose, in general, these flanges have a quadrangular planform so that at least one of the sides is a stable supporting base and optionally a further side is a loadbearing surface to receive resting thereon another superimposed flange that supports another reel.
Most of the flanges present on the market are made of polymer materials and in general obtained by a molding procedure, such as those described in EP 2927157 A1 , US 5344013 A or US 5620093 A .
These flanges have a front side, which in use faces one end of the reel, and a rear side, which in use faces outward. In general, the front side is provided with a plate that remains substantially in contact with the spindle and/or with one side of the continuous film wound thereon. In general, this plate has a substantially smooth supporting face to avoid damaging the film.
The flange is further provided with a pin element, projecting from the supporting face, adapted to engage the cavity of the spindle to support and constrain the reel. Said pin element can be produced in one piece with the flange or can be movably housed in a hole passing through the thickness of the flange.
To make the flange sufficiently stiff, the structure is generally provided with a plurality of ribs that extend perpendicularly from the rear surface of the plate toward the rear side.
However, the prior art flanges thus produced are subject to improvements.
A first drawback of the prior art flanges is their relatively high cost, especially if compared to equivalent products made of wood.
Moreover, in order to ensure that these prior art support devices are sufficiently strong, they have dimensions that make them heavy and bulky, in particular with regard to the thickness dimension.
Furthermore, often they have structures that occupy considerable space even when stacked one on top another to be stored or transported.
Therefore, these features have an indirect negative effect also on the costs of their transport and storage both for the manufacturer and for end user customers.
In this context, the object of the present invention is to propose a support device for reels of film, to be used in a device for the transport and storage of said reels, which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.
In particular, an object of the present invention is to propose a support device that is less bulky and lighter in weight with respect to prior art devices with the same strength and permissible load capacity.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a support device that is less costly with respect to prior art devices.
Yet another object of the present invention is to produce a support device that minimizes the footprint also when stacked with other devices for transport and storage.
The objects set forth above are achieved by a device for supporting reels of film, in particular to be attached to each end of a reel, which comprises a flattened body substantially quadrangular in shape with a lower side destined to act as a supporting base and at least one support means to engage a spindle of a reel of film.
According to the invention, said body comprises a first inner plate, which in use is placed substantially against one end of the reel, and a second outer plate, parallel to and facing the first. The body further comprises a plurality of ribs that join the first and the second plate, said ribs being rectilinear and extending along a direction perpendicular to the lower side body, i.e., along a vertical direction when the support device is in use.
With this configuration it is possible to obtain a stiff and strong body, but with a thickness, i.e. distance between the two first and second plates, which is reduced with respect to prior art devices having the same capacity.
As a result of the sandwich configuration of the body it is also possible to limit the thicknesses of both the plates and the ribs, while ensuring the necessary mechanical characteristics of strength and stiffness.
Due to the smaller amount of material used, the device according to the invention is both lighter and less costly to produce. In fact, the decrease in the time required to fill the mold leads to a considerable reduction in energy consumption and increase in plant productivity.
Moreover, the substantially flat shape allows these devices to be stacked one on top of another, bringing the faces of the respective plates into contact, forming a stable stack with a minimum footprint.
Said smaller footprint (thickness) of the single device and said smaller footprint of a stack of devices has a positive impact on the costs of transport and on the costs of warehouse storage.
Finally, the arrangement of the inner ribs creates, between the two plates, a series of passages or channels that extend between the lower side and the upper side of the body, i.e., arranged vertically in the position of use of the device. The arrangement of these passages facilitates the outflow of any water in the case in which the device is exposed to rain or when it is washed.
Therefore, as a result of the present invention a support device for reels that is strong, light in weight, with a small footprint and having a smaller economic impact on the manufacturer and on the user is obtained.
According to the invention, the support means of the reel comprises a hollow pin that can be housed in an opening passing through the thickness of the body. This hollow pin is movably mounted on the body so as to be removed when the device requires to be stacked with others.
According to an aspect of the invention, at least one respective centering element is produced on the outer faces of the first and of the second plate. These centering elements allow two support devices to be constrained when they are stacked one on top of another when not in use. More precisely, a centering element placed on the outer face of the first plate of a first support device is adapted to coact with a centering element placed on the outer face of the second plate of another support device superimposed on the first.
According to a preferred embodiment, said centering elements comprise an element projecting from the outer face of the second plate (male element) adapted to engage a corresponding projecting element (female element) produced on the outer face of the first plate.
According to the invention, the device comprises at least two centering elements on each first and second plate, preferably at least three or four of said elements.
According to another aspect of the invention, the support device can be equipped with a movable base, attachable to the lower side of the body.
Said base has the function of increasing the friction between the support device and a supporting surface, such as a pallet or similar, but also between two support elements of two reels positioned one above the other.
According to a preferred embodiment, said base comprises a small flat plate having a planform substantially equivalent to the plan section of the support device. The upper side of the small plate is provided with projecting abutments adapted to couple, for example through interlocking, with the inner walls of the vertical passages formed from the ribs of the two first and second plates. On the lower side, said small plate further comprises a plurality of projecting tips, or studs, adapted to ensure a better grip on the supporting surface.
However, said tips also act as abutment elements to constrain the movement of two superimposed support devices from sliding. Said tips, which project downward, also coact with the inner walls of the vertical passages of a support device underneath to limit the movements between two superimposed or stacked support elements.
To ensure better fixing on the body of the support element, the base can be equipped with tabs or the like, adapted to engage with the outer faces of the first and of the second plate.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the description of a possible example of embodiment of a support device for reels, as illustrated in the accompanying figures, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the support device according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the support device of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a front plan view of the support device of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a sectional view along a vertical plane A-A of the support device of Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view along a vertical plane B-B of the support device of Fig. 1;
Figs. 6a and 6b are a plan view and a side view, respectively, of the removable base;
Fig. 6c is a sectional view along a vertical plane C-C of the base of Fig. 6b;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a device for transporting and storing reels of film that uses support devices according to the invention.

With reference to the accompanying figures, the number 1 indicates the support device according to the present invention. The device 1 comprises a flat body 10 quadrangular in shape, more precisely rectangular.
The body 10 has a lower side 11, which in use acts as area for supporting the device, and an upper side 12, opposite said lower side. The body 10 is formed by a first plate 13, also defined inner plate, and by a second plate 14, also defined outer plate. The first plate 13 and the second plate 14 are parallel to and facing each other. The first and the second plate are joined by a plurality of inner ribs 15 that extend between the lower side 11 and the upper side 12, perpendicular thereto. Said ribs 15 are also perpendicular to the inner faces 13b, 14b of the first plate and of the second plate, respectively, so as to form a plurality of inner passages 16 arranged vertically, when the device is in the position of use.
A circular opening 20 that passes through the thickness of the body 10 is produced approximately in the center of said body 10. Said opening 20 is adapted to house a pin element 21, which is mounted projecting from the first inner plate to engage the spindle of a reel of film.
The geometric center Ca of the opening 20 is preferably positioned at a height Ha slightly greater with respect to half of the total height H of the body 10.
Fig. 4 shows the ribs 15 in a sectional view and the inner passages 16; in the example of the figures, the body 10 further comprises a horizontal rib 17 positioned at the height of the opening 20. Holes 18 are produced in said horizontal rib 17 to allow the outflow of water inside the passages 16.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, respective centering elements 19a, 19b are produced on the outer face 13a of the first plate 13 and on the outer face 14a of the second plate 14, in the example in the figures four in number for each plate. Said centering elements 19a, 19b comprise an annular rim 19a', 19b' that projects from the outer surface of the plate. To allow mutual engagement, the annular rims 19a' produced on the first plate 13 have an inner diameter more or less the same as the outer diameter of the annular rims 19b' produced on the second plate 14. In practice, the centering device 19a can house the annular rim of the other centering device 19b in the hollow space inside its annular edge.
When several support devices 1 are stacked for transport or storage, i.e., one above the other with the plates mutually facing, said centering elements 19a, 19b are engaged with each other to prevent the various support devices 1 from slipping, thereby forming a geometrically regular stack.
In Figs. 1 and 2 the support device 1 is shown equipped with a removable base 25 attached to the lower side 11. Said removable base is illustrated in detail in Figs. 6a - 6c.
The base 25 comprises a small plate 26 having a length equal to the extension of the lower side 11 of the body 10 and a width equal to the thickness of said body.
Rectangular shaped projecting abutments 27, suitable to be inserted into the first length of the inner passages 16 when the base 25 is placed against the lower side 11 of the body 10 are produced in the upper side of the small plate 26. Two pairs of tabs 28, adapted to remain in contact with the outer faces 13a, 14a of the first plate 13 and of the second plate 14, also extend from the upper side of the small plate 26.
Projecting tips 29 a few millimeters high, generally 3-5 mm, are instead present on lower side of the small plate 26.
The body 10 of the device is made of polymer material, preferably a material at least partly obtained from recycling and certified "Second Life Plastic" and obtained by a molding process. Preferable polymer materials are, for example, polypropylene, polystyrene, high density polyethylene.
Due to the structure of the body 10, the support device according to the invention is thinner, i.e., has a smaller thickness, and lighter in weight with respect to equivalent support devices.
By way of example, a support device made of polyolefin material with plan dimensions of 800 mm by 840 mm, with a thickness of 40 mm and with a weight of 6 kg, has an optimized load bearing capacity to perform the function of transport and storage of reels of film of plastic materials.
This reduction in the weight of the support device is obtained through optimization of the structure of the body that makes it possible to use a thickness of the plates and of the ribs that is reduced, for example to just 3 mm, for the example of device described above.
Fig. 7 shows an example of a device 100 for the transport and storage of reels of film. The device 100 comprises a pallet 101 on which two support devices 1 according to the present invention are supported. Each of the two support devices 1 supports one end of a reel of film 102 keeping it raised from the surface of the pallet.
The invention has been described purely for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, according to some preferred embodiments. The person skilled in the art can find numerous embodiments, all falling within the scope of protection of the appended claims.

Claims

A support device (1) for reels of film, in particular to attach to each end of a reel, comprising a flat body (10) substantially quadrangular in shape with a lower side (11) destined to act as supporting base and at least one support means (21) adapted to engage a spindle of the reel of film, wherein said body comprises a first inner plate (13), to be placed against one end of the reel, and a second outer plate (14), parallel to and facing the first plate, said body (10) further comprising a plurality of inner ribs (15) that join the first plate (13) and the second plate (14), said ribs (15) being rectilinear and extending along a direction perpendicular to the lower side body (11) and forming a plurality of inner passages (16).
The support device (1) according to claim 1, wherein said ribs are perpendicular to the inner faces (13b, 14b) of the first and second plates (13, 14).
The support device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one respective centering element (19a, 19b) is produced on the outer faces (13a, 14a) of the first and second plates (13, 14).
The support device (1) according to claim 3, wherein said centering elements comprise an element (19b') projecting from the outer face (14a) of the second plate (14) adapted to engage a corresponding projecting element (19a') produced on the outer face (13a) of the first plate (13).
The support device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a movable base (25), attachable to the lower side (11) of the body (10), said base comprising a small flat plate (26) the upper side of which is provided with projecting abutments (27) adapted to couple with the inner walls of the inner passages (16) and the lower side of which is provided with a plurality of tips (28).
The support device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one further rib (17) arranged parallel to the lower side (11) of the body and which intersects the perpendicular ribs (15), a plurality of holes (18) that allow the outflow of water in the inner channels (16) being produced on said rib (17).