GB2069457A - Dispensing stretchable wrapping material from a roll - Google Patents

Abstract

A hand dispenser for wrapping a load with a web 28 of stretchable wrapping material comprises a frame 1 having a rectangular base 2, two uprights 3 and 4, and a hinged cross bar 5. Core supports 17 for engaging opposite ends of the core 27 of a roll 26 of the web are rockably mounted on the base and cross bar, respectively. The cross bar 5 is hinged to the upright 3 at one end and is adjustably securable to the other upright 4 at its opposite end by a screw fastening device 10 and slot arrangement. It can be hinged to an open position to permit the roll to be loaded into the frame and can be shut and secured in its shut position by the fastening device 10 which is adjustable to regulate the clamping and, hence, braking force exerted on the core 27 by the core supports. Disc member 25 of upper core support 17 is made from friction material while lower disc member 25 and two bosses 24 which engage within the core 27 are of plastics material. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or related to devices for wrapping loads with stretchabie wrapping material The present invention relates to a device for wrapping a load with a web of stretchable wrapping material and, more particularly, to a hand-held device for this purpose. Such a device may be used for circularly or spirally wrapping even or uneven loads, such as a single article or a stack of goods on a pallet, with a web of stretchable plastics film, paper or other wrapping material in order to secure the load in place, protect the load during transportation and storage, and/or guard against pilferage.

A known hand device for dispensing and wrapping a web of stretchable wrapping material about a load comprises a lower handle part supporting an upright mandrel over which is fitted the core of a roll of the wrapping material. The roll is held in place by an upper handle screwed into the upper end of the mandrel. The core is fitted at opposite end with plastics bungs which rotatably support the core on the mandrel and the lower bung seats on a plate in the lower handle part whilst the upper handle bears against the upper bung. In use, the force necessary to pull the web from the roll and, hence, the degree of stretch of the web can be regulated by turning the upper handle to adjust the clamping or braking force exerted on the core, via the bungs, and resisting rotation of the roll.

The known device has not been found to be entirely satisfactory because it is necessary to apply a considerably clamping force to the core in order to achieve the maximum degree of stretch, which for some materials is of the order of 50% to breakage. It has proved difficult to apply the required clamping force with the upper screw handle and the application of large clamping forces tends to strip the screw thread connection between the upper handle and the mandrel.

Moreover, the upper handle is completely separable from the lower part of the device so that it can easily become mislaid.

It is an object of the present invention to alleviate these problems experienced with the known device and, to this end, the invention consists in a hand device or dispenser for wrapping a load with a web of stretchable wrapping material, comprising a frame having core supports for engaging opposite ends of the core of a roll of the web, one of the core supports being mounted on a cross frame member which is hinged at one end and is securable at its opposite end by an adjustable fastening device, such as a screw fastening device, whereby the cross member can be hinged to an open position to permit the roll to be loaded into the frame and can be shut and secured in its shut position by the fastening device which is adjustable to regulate the clamping force exerted on the core by the core supports.The tensile force required to rotate the roll relative to the core supports and pull the web from the roll during a wrapping operation, and hence the degree of stretch applied to the web, can be regulated by adjusting the fastening device.

During a wrapping operation, the dispenser may be manoeuvred about the load by an operator simply gripping the frame which is, preferably, a rectangular frame, when viewed in elevation, having the core supports disposed adjacent its upper and lower ends. The frame may be provided with a base which permits the frame to stand in an upright position when not held by an operator and facilitates loading and unloading of the dispenser.

it may be made of different lengths so as to accept roll cores of different predetermined lengths for dispensing different widths of web material.

Conveniently, each core support comprises a backing member having core engaging means rotatably mounted on the backing member. The core engaging means of at least one of the core supports may include friction means engageable with the associated backing member for resisting turning movement of the roll of web material. The core supports may be rockably mounted on their associated frame members so as to enable the supports correctly to align or register with the adjacent ends of the core.

This invention enables the dispenser to be constructed without loose or separable parts which can be mislaid when released or undone.

The dispenser is capable of handling web thickness in the range from 12 to 50 microns.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partially in section, of a hand device or dispenser constructed according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the dispenser, and Fig. 3 is a section of the line Ill-Ill of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the dispenser comprises a frame 1 which is of rectangular configuration in elevation and comprises a base 2, two mutually parallel uprights 3, 4, and a hinged cross frame member 5. The base 2, which may be formed as a plastics moulding, is an open framework structure of generally rectangular shape in plan on which the frame 1 can be stood in an upright position when not in use. Centrally of its opposite end portions, the base is moulded with upwardly projecting inserts 6 for securing the uprights 3, 4 to the base. The uprights are hollow square section members, which may be formed from aluminium alloy and have their bottom ends secured over the inserts 6. The cross frame member 5 is in the form of a bar which is hinged to the upper end of the upright 3 by a clevis 7. The bar and the clevis may be formed as plastics mouldings.The clevis is secured in the upper hollow end of the upright 3 and the bar 5 has a portion 8 of reduced thickness projecting between the two arms of the clevis and hinged thereto by a pin 9. At its opposite end, the bar 5 is releasably secured to the upper end of the upright 4 by a screw fastening device 1 0. The latter comprises a threaded rod 11 pivoted at 12 to a block 13, such as a plastics block, secured in the upper end of the upright 4, and a threaded knob 14 screwed on to the rod. The rod is engageable in an open-ended slot 1 5 in the adjacent end of the cross bar 5 and can be swung outwardly about its pivot 12, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, in order to disengage the cross bar. The position of engagement of the knob 14 with the upper surface of the bar 5 is defined by a recess 1 6.This recess prevents the knob from inadvertently slipping off the bar, when tightened.

Hinged to the centres of the base 2 and bar 5 at opposite ends of the frame are two core supports 1 7. Each support comprises a circular backing member or plate 1 8 having a channel-shaped portion 1 9 pivoted to the bar or base. The channel-shaped portion of the upper support is pivoted to the bar 5 by a pivot pin, 20 extending through the arms of the channel and the bar, whilst the channel-shaped portion of the lower support is similarly pivoted to a boss portion 21, which projects upwardly from the base, by a pivot pin 22. Rotatably mounted on the front face of each backing plate 1 8 by means of a central screw 23 is a circular boss or bung 24 for engaging within the adjacent end of a core, and a disc member 25 of larger diameter than the boss 24 for engaging the adjacent annular end face of the core.The disc member 25 of the upper core support is made from friction material whilst the other disc member and the two bosses 24 are formed from plastics material.

In order to load a roll 26 of stretchable wrapping material into the dispenser, which may conveniently be effected with the dispenser standing on its base 2, the fastening device 10 is released by disengaging the rod 11 from the slot 1 5 in the cross bar 5 and the bar is swung into its open position. The roll 26 is then located in an upright position in the frame with the bottom end of its core 27 engaged with the bottom core support 1 7. The bar is then shut to engage the upper core support with the upper end of the core and the rod 11 is engaged with the slot 1 5 in the cross bar, whereupon the knob is screwed down on to the bar in order to lock the bar in its shut position.In this position, there is a gap 29 between the underside of the bar and the top of the upright 4 which permits the knob 14 to be further tightened and increase the clamping force exerted on the core by the core supports and, hence, the braking force exerted by the disc member 25 of the upper core support. This braking force resists rotation of the roll in the core supports and determines the tensile force required to pull the web 28 from the roll and, hence, the degree of stretch applied to the web.

When the dispenser is to be used to wrap a load, such as a stack of goods on a pallet, the operator may fix the leading edge of the web 28 to the top or bottom of the load and then gripping the dispenser by the uprights 3, 4 walk around the load allowing the web to be drawn from the roll 26 under tension and producing a spiral wrap of overlapping turns about the load. The clamping force applied with the screw knob 14 may be adjusted before or during the wrapping operation in order to achieve the required amount of stretch of the web. At the top of the ioad, the web may overlap the top and, upon completion of the wrapping operation, the web may be cut and, in the case of a plastics film, may simply be sealed to the underneath layers of the wrapping material by manually pressing the end of the web against the underneath layers.

Claims (7)

1. A hand dispenser for wrapping a load with a web of stretchable wrapping material, comprising a frame having core supports for engaging opposite ends of the core of a roll of the web, one of the core supports being mounted on a cross frame member which is hinged at one end and is securable at its opposite end by an adjustable fastening device, whereby the cross member can be hinged to an open position to permit the roll to be loaded into the frame and can be shut and secured in its shut position by the fastening device which is adjustable to regulate the clamping force exerted on the core by the core supports.

2. A hand dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame is a rectangular frame having the core supports disposed adjacent opposite ends of the frame.

3. A hand dispenser as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the frame has a base which permits the frame to stand in an upright position, and wherein the cross frame member is disposed opposite the base which has the other core support mounted thereon.

4. A hand dispenser as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the adjustable fastening device comprises a screw fastening device engageable with a slot in said opposite end of the cross frame member, said device being pivoted to the adjacent part of the frame so as to be swingable into and out of engagement with the slot.

5. A hand dispenser as claimed in claim 1.2, 3 or 4, wherein each core support is rockably mounted so as to enable it to align with the adjacent end of the core.

6. A hand dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each core support comprises a backing member and a rotatable core engaging means, at least one core engaging means including friction means engageable with the associated backing member for resisting turning movement of the roll.

7. A hand dispenser constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.