391,202. Unwinding webs. JOHNSON, L. S. and VICKERY, F. W., 4, Lambeth Palace Road, London. Sept. 23, 1931, No. 26602. [Class 100 (i).] In a machine for supporting reels of paper during unwinding comprising a frame and a number of pairs of bearings for reel shafts carried by the frame, means are provided for interchanging an end pair of bearings with an intermediate pair while the latter carries a reel in the process of unwinding. In one arrangement, shown in Fig. 2, a frame 1 carries bearings for seven reels, with the central three on the same level and each end pair mounted on a slope. The webs from four reels are taken over a turning-roll and then pass to another turning-roll where the other three webs are assembled. From the latter roll the seven webs pass to measuring-rolls and a cutter of known form. The turning-rolls are arranged so that no web touches another until it arrives at the turning-roll, whatever the condition of exhaustion of the reels. Each bearing 5 of the end pair has a saddle 6 slidable on a track 7, which track is interrupted intermediate the reels by a similar track 8 at right-angles to the track 7, to allow bearings to be side-tracked. Beneath the track 7 a screw 9 is secured which is rotatable by a handle through bevel gears 10. Each bearing carries a half-nut 11 which can be engaged with or disengaged from the screw 9 by rocking a handle 12. When an end reel is exhausted its empty spindle is lifted out and its bearings 5 slid up to and along the side track 8, and the bearings of the adjacent reel are lowered by the screws 9 into the end position while the web is still unwinding. The original end bearings are then slid back on to the track 7 and along into the position vacated by the bearings of the present end reel, in which position their half-nuts 11 are engaged with the screws 9. A full reel is then lowered into the bearings and the leading end of the web can be guided into its path by the webs on each side. In a modification a central framework carrying the bearings of three reels is provided, and a rotatable end frame carrying three or more pairs of bearings is positioned at each end so that two pairs thereon are at each end of the set of stationary bearings. In the case where there are three pairs of bearings, each end frame comprises two separately pivoted threearmed spiders, each arm carrying a bearing and rotatable by chain gearing, through worm gearing, by means of a hand-wheel. Each end frame carries two reels. When the end reel is exhausted its spindle is removed and the spiders rotated through 120‹ while the remaining reel is still unwinding, whereupon a new reel can be lowered into the bearings thus brought to the intermediate position. In the case where a large number of reels are required to be unwound they may be mounted in two tiers as shown in Fig. 6. The end pair of reels 22 of the top tier are interchangeable in the manner described in relation to Fig. 2 and the end pair of reels 23 of the bottom tier may be similarly interchangeable. The reels of the lower tier may be replaced while the machine is running by making the end bearings fit loosely in end brackets which are pivoted on the frame to swing outwardly. When a reel is exhausted its bearings are withdrawn, the brackets swung out at right-angles, a new reel run into place upon a trolley which runs on guide rails, the brackets turned back into position, and the bearings placed over the spindle and pressed into the bearings. The new reel in each case may be initially rotated by establishing a frictional drive between it and one that is already running, or a small independent motor may drive it through a centrifugally-controlled clutch. Speed indicators operated by the assembled webs entering a cutting-machine and by the periphery of the new reel respectively may be used to show when the proper speed is attained.