US2178922A - Web feeding and conditioning device - Google Patents

Description

. Nov. 7, 1939; J.w. SMITH I WEB FEEDING AND CONDITIONING DEVICE I Filed Oct. 28. 1937 INVENTOR. BY V0171? I K /W/ffi 0 v VII g .N.. .Nrm.

ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WEB FEEDING AND CONDITIONING DEVICE John W. Smith, Battle Creek, Mich., assignor to Battle Creek Bread Wrapping Machine Company, Battle Creek, Mich;

Application October 28, 1937, Serial No. 171,537

12 Claims.

Second, to provide a device of the type described having feed rollers and a surface traversed by the web under the influence of the feed rollers, the said surface being cooled to a substantial extent whereby to condition theweb for feeding and wrapping.

Third, to provide a device of the type described having a surface traversed by a web or webs during feeding thereof and having means associated therewith for forming a thin coating of frost or ice thereon to condition the web or webs and reduce friction incident to drawing of the web across the surface.

Fourth, to provide a web feeding and conditioning device of the type described in combination with a wrapping machine for conditioning the web prior to being wrapped.

Fifth, to provide a web cooling and conditioning device adapted to be associated with a feeding and wrapping machine.

Sixth, to provide a web conditioning device adapted for use in combination with a web feeding and wrapping machine, the said device being cooled and shape to contact a web or webs passing thereover throughout a relatively large area whereby to efiectively cool and condition a wax coating on said web.

Further objects relating to details and economies of my invention will definitely appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined in the claims.

A structure embodying the features of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation partially broken away and in vertical section on line I-! of Fig. 2, illustrating details of my device and its association with means for feeding a web of waxed paper and for cutting, forwarding, and wrapping the web material around an articleto be wrapped.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in end elevation illustrating the'cooling or conditioning device of my invention'in association with the web and web feeding means.

This invention relates in general to wrapping machines and "more particularly to the usual web, cutting the same into sheets,- and forwarding them to the wrapping instrumentalities. It is generally known that in feeding wax paper from= a web roll, cutting the web into sheets, and feeding the sheets into wrapping position, numerous difiiculties are encountered. This is especially true when the temperature of the room in which the operations are performed is elevated or when the temperature adjacent the paper for any reason approximates the melting point of the wax. Under such a condition, the paperbe'comes limp or weak and often cannot be advanced by the rollers or belts usually employed, without buckling, or it sags and becomes displaced when delivered to position to receive the article to be wrapping mechanism, so that the paper will cling to the same instead of feeding correctly into the machine.

It is likewise a fact that under the conditions noted the cutting knives are apt to become fouled provision of cooling or conditioning means for a web'or webs of paper employed in a wrapping machine. It broadly resides in the idea of cooling the web or webs to a temperature lower than the normal room temperature before the same enter the feed rollers and, more specifically, in employing a cooling'element with which the paper contacts, the. temperature of which is reduced sufiiciently to causea thin coating of frost or ice to be formed thereon. Aside from thenovel' association of a frosted surface traversed by the web prior to entering the wrapping machine, my invention contemplates the formation of said surface in a novel and improved shape to facilitate passage of the web-thereacross, both the shape of the surface and the coating of frost or ice thereon facilitating the passage of the web, The

thin coating of frost or ice on the conditioningelement prevents the paper from sticking thereto; that is, itlubricates the element and decreases the friction of the paper sliding thereover.

Referring to the drawing, .the reference numeral I in general indicates a suitable wrapping machine having an elevating plunger 2 adapted to elevate an article such as a loaf of bread 3 through a chute 4 into contact with a sheet of wrapping material 5 and through the folding elements 6.

The reference numeral 1 indicates a bracket suitably supported on the machine frame 8 carrying at its outer end a core 9 on which is wound a web H] of waxed paper such as is employed in the wrapping of loaves of bread, boxes, containers, and the like. Web In is threaded between a pair of feed rolls ll, l2 of which the former is mounted on a shaft 13 driven by a suitable means (not shown) and the latter is rotatably mounted on spindle l4 and resiliently urged into contact with the web by means of suitablecoil springs I5.

Roller II is intermittently driven to advance the web a predetermined distance by timing and controlling means of well known type which it is not thought necessary to particularly describe.

A suitable length of the web being fed by rollers H, [2, a cutting knife I6 is actuated upwardly from beneath the web to sever the same against a stationary cooperating shear blade l1. Knife I6 is reciprocated by means of an arm i8 connected to the knife support l9 and pivoted to the machine framework at 20. At its opposite end, arm l8 has a follower 2| cooperative with suitably driven cam 22 to actuate the knife in the manner described so as to out sheets 5 of predetermined length from the web at timed intervals.

Upon leaving cutter IS, the sheets are forwarded by a suitably driven belt 23 into position for wrapping. The pivoted idler rolls 24 rest on the sheet during forwarding thereof by belt 23 and a gauge stop 25 positions the sheet 5 properly above chute 4 and below the wrapping elements 6.

, For the purpose of properly cooling and conditioning web in prior to entry of the same between feed rollers I I, I2, I mount a cooling unit generally indicated 26 between the web reel and the said rolls. a web contacting surface which is gradually curved and which extends parallel to the web travel at 28 so that web ID in passing thereover will engage the box over a substantial area and across the entire width thereof to insure effective cooling action. Box 2'! has arranged interiorly thereof a cooling coil or equivalent element 29 containing a refrigerant and extending outwardly of the box. The coil is connected with a suitable refrigerating device-(not shown) whereby the interior of box 21 is effectively cooled.

' The cooling is carried out to a degree suflicient to cause a thin coating of frost or ice to be formed on the exterior surface of box 21. This frosted or iced condition, as well as the formation of the box in the shape shown and described, is essentially important in my invention since I have found that the surface of frost or ice prevents the paper from sticking to the cooler and lubricates its passage thereover while the particular shape of the box likewise materially tends to facilitate the said passage. Obviously, the frosted surface is highly effective in solidifying the wax web coating,

It will be evident that if desired a refrigerating unit of different shape could be employed, such.

for instance, as a rotating refrigerated roll. However, a rotary element may be found impractical due to difficulty in maintaining such a member The unit is in the form of a box 21 havinga stationaryunit is more effective not only because of its simplicity but also because of the fact that the passing web is continually in contact with the same portion of the cooler. This results in the formation of an even coating of frost or ice. This uniformity of surface may be caused by the exclusion of atmospheric moisture from between the web and surface of the box traversed thereby, but in any event a stationary unit has advantages over a moving cooling surface. However, my invention consists generally in the location of a refrigerating unit having a frosted or iced surface in advance of the feeding and/or wrapping instrumentalities of the usual wrapping machine andI desire-to claim the same as broadly as the scope of the appended claims allows.

I am aware that it is old to utilize cooling instrumentalities for sealing wrappers after the same have been formed around an article and subjected to heat to unite overlapped portions thereof. Likewise, I am aware that it is known to-cool the surface of a web immediately after the same has been subjected to a hot waxing operation so as to solidify the waxed coating. However, I believe the provision of a cooling element in combination with a wrapping machine utilizing a reel of previously waxed web and the positioning of the element as shown and described and maintaining the temperature of the same at the de-' sired point to be novel with me. 'I'e aforesaid provisions eliminate the many difficulties of feeding a waxed sheet into the machine by stiffening the same so that it is not only readily advanced by the web feeding means, but is also conditioned to be most effectively folded by the wrapping instrumentalities to which it is fed, and does not foul the operating mechanisms. For this reason, I desire the cooling device of my invention to be regarded not only as a cooling device, or solely as an adjunct to feeding instrumentalities, but also as an exceedingly useful element of a wrapping machine cooperable with the other elements thereof as a. whole.

I have illustrated and described my improvements in an embodiment which is very practical. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe other embodiments or adaptations as it is believed this disclosure will enable those skilled inthe art to embody or adapt my improvements as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

. 1. In a wrappingmachine, including means for supporting a roll of waxed paper, rotary means for intermittently feeding a web from said roll, intermittently operable cutting means for severing lengths from said web disposed at the rear of the feeding means, means for folding said lengths around an article to be wrapped, and means for forwarding the lengths to said folding means; a conditioning device for cooling the wax on said web disposed in advance of and close to said feeding means, comprising a cooling box between said roll and said feeding means, said box contacting the web throughout the entire width of the latter and being shaped to contact the web over a substantial area during the feeding thereof, and a refrigerating coil in said box, said box being sufficiently cooled thereby to present an external coating of frost or ice at the surface con-' tacted by the web to facilitate feeding of the latter.

2. In a wrapping machine, including means for supporting a roll of waxed paper, means for intermittently feeding a web from said roll, in-

termittently operable cutting means for severing lengths from said web disposed at the rear of the feeding means, means for folding said lengths around an article to bewrapped, and means for forwarding the lengths to said folding means; a conditioning device for cooling the wax on said web disposed in advance of and close to said feeding means, comprising a cooling element between said roll and said feeding means, said element contacting the web throughout the entire width of the latter during the feeding thereof, and a refrigerating coil in said element, said element being sufiiciently cooled thereby to present an external coating of frost or ice atthe surface contacted by the web to facilitate feeding of the latter.

3. In a wrapping machine, including means for supporting a roll of waxed paper, means for feeding a web from said roll, cutting means for severing lengths from said web disposed at the rear of the feeding means, means for folding said lengths around an article to be wrapped, and means for forwarding the lengths to said folding means; a conditioning device for cooling the wax on said web disposed in advance of and close to said feeding means, comprising a cooling element, said element contacting the web throughout the entire width of the latter during the feeding thereof, and a refrigerating coil in said element, said element being sufflciently cooled thereby,- to present an external coating of frost or ice at the surface contacted by the web to facilitate feeding of the latter.

4. In a wrapping machine, including means for supporting a roll of waxed paper, means for feeding a web from said roll, cutting means for severing lengths from said web to which said feeding means delivers, means for folding said lengths around an article to be wrapped, and means for forwarding the lengths to said folding means; a conditioning device for cooling the wax on said web disposed in advance of the feeding means, comprising a refrigerated element between said roll and said feeding means and in contact with said web, said element being shaped to contact the web over a substantial area during the feeding thereof, said element presenting an external coating of frost or ice at the surface contacted by the web to facilitate feeding of the latter.

5. In a wrapping machine, the combination of means for supporting a web of waxed paper in roll form, means for feeding the web from the roll, and means for conditioning the web for the feeding operation to prevent melting of the wax thereon, comprising a fixed cooling element having a curved surface in contact with the web throughout a substantial area during feeding of the web and refrigerating means inthe element adapted to cool the latter, the surface of said element having a coating of frost or ice thereon to facilitate feeding of the web thereby.

6. In a wrapping machine, the combination of means for supporting a web of waxed paper in roll form, means for feeding the web from the roll, and means for conditioning the web for the feeding operation to prevent melting of the wax thereon, comprising a fixed cooling element having a curved surface in contact with the web during feeding of the web, the surface of said element having a coating of frost or ice thereon to facilitate feeding of the web thereby.

7. A cooling device of the type described for conditioning a moving web of waxed paper, comprising a fixed cooling box traversed by the web during feeding thereof,said box contacting the web throughout the entire width thereof and having a gradually curved surface whereby to engage the web substantially longitudinally, and a refrigerating coil in said box containing a refrigerant, said box having a coating of frost or ice thereon to facilitate feeding of the web.

,8. A oooling device of the type described for conditioning a moving web of waxed paper, comprising a fixed cooling box traversed by the web during feeding thereof, said box contacting the web throughout the entire width thereof and having a gradually curved surface whereby to engage the web substantially longitudinally, said box having a coating of frost or ice thereon to facilitate feeding of the web.

- or ice thereon to facilitate feedingof the web.

10. A cooling device of the type described for conditioning a web of waxed paper, comprising a fixed cooling element traversed by the web during feeding thereof, said element contacting the web throughout a substantial area, said element having a coating of frost or ice thereon to facilitatefeeding of the web. r

11. In combination, a reel supporting a roll of previously waxed paper, means for feeding said paper, and means in contact with the paper to cool and condition the same, comprising a fixed cooling element normally having a surface of frost or ice thereon, said surface being gradually curved to engage the paper throughout a substantial area during its passage.

12. In combination, means for feeding previously waxed paper, and means in contact with the paper during feeding thereof to cool and condition the same, comprising a fixed cooling element normally having a surface of frost or ice thereon, said surface engaging the paper throughout a substantial area.

JOHN W. SMITH.

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