GB2115783A

GB2115783A - Hand dispenser for stretchable wrapping material

Info

Publication number: GB2115783A
Application number: GB08304750A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan Redfearn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-02-19
Filing date: 1983-02-21
Publication date: 1983-09-14
Also published as: GB8304750D0

Abstract

A hand dispenser for use in spirally wrapping a pallet load with a web of stretchable plastics film dispensed from a roll of the film mounted in the dispenser, comprises a frame 1 of generally rectangular configuration and comprising a base 2, an upright frame member 3, a hinged upper frame member 4 and an upright tie rod 5. The tie rod projects through an opening 10 in the hinged frame member 4 and is releasably fastened to the latter by a screw handle 11. When the handle is unscrewed, the frame member 4 can be hinged to an open position to allow a roll 21 of web to be loaded onto the rod. Core supports 14, 15 are arranged to engage opposite ends of the core 22 of the roll, when the hinged frame member is fastened to the rod 5, the clamping force exerted by the core supports, and hence the degree of stretch applied to the web being dispensed from the roll, may be regulated by adjustment of the screw fastening handle 11. The core support 15 may be suitably mounted relative to the frame member 4, and may be made in one piece from metal, having a flange 17 and a boss 18. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Hand dispenser for stretchable wrapping material The present invention relates to a hand dispenser or device for use in wrapping a load with a web of stretchable wrapping material. Such a dispenser may be used for circularly or spirally wrapping even or uneven loads, for example a single article or a stack of goods on a pallet, with a web of stretchable plastics fiim, 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.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hand dispenser for stretchable wrapping material which is of simple and cheap construction and easy to operate. To this end, the invention consists in a hand dispenser for wrapping a load with a web of stretchable wrapping material, comprising a frame including a rod which is attached to the frame at one end and is releasably fastened to the frame at its opposite end, said rod and at least a part of the frame being relatively displaceable, when the fastening is released, to permit a roll of the web to be mounted on the rod, core supports for engaging opposite ends of the core of the roll mounted on the rod, when said opposite end of the rod is fastened to the frame, and adjustable means cooperating with the rod for urging the core supports towards one another 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, is regulated by the adjustable means. Because the clamping forces are all absorbed by the tie rod, the remainder of the frame of the dispenser may be made of low cost lightweight construction, for example, it may be constructed from lightweight plastics and/or aluminium frame members. It may include a first frame member disposed substantially parallel to the tie rod and two transverse frame members or arms projecting from opposite ends of the first member for supporting opposite ends of the tie rod.

At its end releasably fastened to the frame, the tie rod may project through an opening in the adjacent frame member and the adjustable means may comprise a screw fastening device screwed onto the projecting end of the rod and also serving to fasten the rod in-the opening and to the frame.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame includes a fixed frame member to which one end of the tie rod is secured and a hinged frame member having an opening through which projects the opposite end of the rod. One of the core supports is secured about the end of the rod attached to the fixed frame member whilst the other is rockably mounted on the hinged frame member about the opening therein. A screw fastening device, conveniently in the form of a handle cooperates with the end of the rod projecting through the opening for securing the rod to the hinged frame member and clamping the core roll between the core supports.Upon release of the screw fastening device from the rod, the hinged frame member can be hinged to an open position to permit a roll to be loaded into the frame and can be shut and secured in its shut position by the fastening device which is then adjusted to regulate the clamping force exerted on the core by the core supports.

The rockable core support on the hinged frame member permits the dispenser to accommodate minor differences in the nominal length of the cores, which it is designed to mount, and inaccuracies in the end faces of the cores, whilst achieving satisfactory alignment or register of the core supports with the core ends.

During a wrapping operation, the dispenser may be maneovered about the load to be wrapped by an operator simply gripping the frame, for example, the longitudinal frame member and the screw fastening handle, if provided. The fixed frame member may be formed as 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. The frame may be made of different lengths so as to accommodate different widths of web material.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a hand dispenser constructed according to the invention, Figure 2 is a front view of the dispenser, Figure 3 is an exploded fragmentary view illustrating the releasable fastening of tie rod to the hinged frame member or arm and, Figure 4 is a plan view of the dispenser.

Referring to the drawings, the dispenser comprises a frame 1 which is of generally rectangular configuration in elevation and comprises a bottom frame arm or base 2, an upright frame member 3, a hinged, upper frame arm 4, and an upright tie rod 5. The base 2, which may be formed as a plastics moulding, is of generally triangular shape in plan so that the frame can be stood in an upright position on the base when not in use. It comprises a base plate 6, a central hollow rib 7 reinforced by webs 8, and an upwardly projecting insert (not shown) for securing the upright 3 to the base. The upright 3 is a hollow square section member, which may be formed from an aluminium extrusion, and has its bottom end secured over the insert of the base.

The upper frame arm 4 is in the form of a bar and is hinged to the upper end of the upright 3 by a clevis 9. The bar and clevis may be formed as plastics mouldings. The clevis 9 is secured in the upper hollow end of the upright 3 and the bar 4 has a portion 9a of reduced thickness projecting between the two arms of the clevis and hinged thereto by a pin 9b. The tie rod 5 is bolted at its bottom end to the base 2 and its upper end projects through an opening or passageway 10 in the hinged frame arm 4 adjacent its end opposite the hinge. The rod 5 and hinged arm 4 are releasably fastened together by an internally threaded handle member 11 which screws onto a thread 1 2 formed on the projecting end of the tie rod 5.In the fastened position, the boss 1 3 at the base of the handle engages in the opening 10 and an annular flange 14 at its upper end bears on the upper surface of the hinged arm Fixed to the upper surface of the rib 7 of the base about the adjacent end of the tie rod is a bottom core support 14 and an upper core support 1 5 is rockably mounted on the hinged arm 4 and has a central opening 16 which aligns with the passageway 10 in the arm 4 so that the rod may project through the core support and arm and the core support is disposed about the rod.

Each core support 14, 1 5 is a one-piece metal member, for example, formed from steel, and comprises an annular flange 1 7 for engaging the adjacent end face of a hollow core and a boss 18 for projecting into the core. The upper core support 1 5 is rockably mounted on the arm by a channel-shaped member 1 9 having its arms pivoted to the frame arm 4 by pivot pins 20.

In order to load a roll 21 of stretchable wrapping material into the dispenser, which may conveniently be effected with the dispenser standing on its base 2, the handle member 11 is unscrewed from the projecting end of the tie rod and the hinged arm 4 is swung to its open position (see Figure 3). The roll is located in an upright position over the tie rod with the bottom end of its core 22 engaging the bottom core support 14. The hinged arm 4 is then shut to engage the upper-core support 1 5 with the upper end of the core and the handle member is screwed onto the projecting end of the tie rod and into engagement with the upper surface of the hinged arm in order to fasten the arm in its shut position and secure the roll in the dispenser frame.In this position, the handle member can be further tightened to increase the clamping or braking force exerted on the core by the core supports. This braking force resists rotation of the roll in the core supports and determines the tensile force required to pull the web from the roll and, hence, the degree of stretch applied to the web. Because the core supports are formed from metal, only a minimum amount of relative movement of the core supports and, hence, turning of the handle member, is required to adjust the tensile force applied to the web from zero to a maximum.

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 to the top or bottom of the load and then gripping the dispenser by the upright 3 and the handle 11 walks around the load allowing the web to be drawn from the roll 21 under tension and producing a spiral wrap of overlapping turns about the load. The clamping force applied with the handle member 11 may be adjusted before and during the wrapping operation in order to achieve the required amount of stretch of the web. At the top of the load, the web may overlap the top and, upon completion of the wrapping operation, the web may be cut and, in the case of the 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

1. Hand dispenser for use in wrapping a load with a web of stretchable wrapping material, comprising a frame including a rod which is attached to the frame at one end and is releasably fastened to the frame at its opposite end, said rod and at least part of the frame being relatively displaceable, when the fastening is released, to permit a roll of the web to be mounted on the rod, core supports for engaging opposite ends of the core of a roll mounted on the rod, when said opposite end of the rod is fastened to the frame, and adjustable means co-operating with the rod for urging the core supports relatively towards one another to regulate the clamping force exerted on the core by the core supports.

2. Hand dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame includes a first frame member which is disposed substantially parallel to the rod, when the latter is in its fastened position, and two transverse frame members projecting from opposite ends of the first member for supporting opposite ends of the rod.

3. Hand dispenser as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said opposite end of the rod projects through an opening in the adjacent frame member, and the adjustable means comprises a screw fastening device screwed onto the projecting end of the rod and also serving to fasten the rod in the opening.

4. Hand dispenser as claimed in claim 3, wherein the adjacent frame member is a hinged frame member which, upon release of the fastening device, can be hinged to an open position to permit a roll to be loaded onto the rod.

5. Hand dispenser as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein one of the core supports is fixed about said one end of the rod and the other support is mounted on said adjacent frame member about the opening therein.

6. Hand dispenser as claimed in claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the screw fastening device is in the form of a handle which also serves for use in maneouvering the dispenser.

7. Hand dispenser as claimed in claim 2 in combination with claim 3, 4, 5 or 6, wherein the frame is of generally rectangular configuration with one of the transverse frame members being said adjacent frame member and the other transverse member being a fixed frame member formed as a base which permits the frame to stand in an upright position.

8. Hand dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the core supports is rockably mounted relatively to the frame.

9. Hand dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each core support is a one piece metal support comprising a flange which engages the end of a hollow core and a boss which projects into the core.

10. Hand dispenser for use in wrapping a load with a web of stretchable wrapping material, constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.