March-25, 1947. T. J. FINE:

UNWINDER CONTROL MECHANISM Filed May, 24, 1945 l'nvenior.

. Patented Mar. 25, i947? i- CONTROL MIEC 1:?

Thomas J. Finn, West Roxbury, Mass. Application May 24, 1945, Serial No. 595,629

8 Claims. (01. eta-1) may be subjected to some treatment or operation or otherwise be utilized. if the material being withdrawn from the supply becomes pinched between adjacent convolutions or for some other reason is held against free tension in the material between the supply and the feeding means frequently becomes sumcient to interfere with the predetermined proper feed of the material and may cause the material to stretch deleteriously or to break at a loeation of abnormal tension. The invention provides means for freeing withdrawing material which may have become pinched or otherwise restrained against free withdrawal, thereby to correct an abnorguided material, for reding resistance to withdrawal of material from the supply.

Yet another object is to provide an unwinder control mechanism comprising a rotatable support for a woundor coiled supply of material and co-acting material-engaging and guiding means responsive to increase of tension in material bering withdrawn from the supply for relieving withdrawal, built-up "the like and including tension-increasing resistance to withdrawal, said means being adjustable to respond to various degrees of increase of tension.

An additional object is to provide unwinder control mechanism for reducing resistance to withdrawal of material from a supply spool or between the supply and material-withdrawing and feeding means, which is resiliently yieldable in response to increase of tension in the guided material, thereby to minimize the eflect of said increased tension at the material-withdrawing and feeding means.

It is. moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve the structure and operation of unwinder control mechanisms.

mal condition at the supply before a disturbing amount of increased tension can be built up in the material suificient to impair the material or to interfere with its predetermined feed.

Hence it is amongthe objects of my invention to combine with the wound or coiled'supply of material on a rotatable spool or'the like, means responsive to increase of tension in material being withdrawn from the supply for spreading the portion of material which is leaving the supply outward from the axis of the supply, thereby to reduce frictional resistance to its withdrawal which may have caused the said increase of tension.

Another object is to provide means, in caacting association with material on a supply spool or the like, and constituting a, guide for material withdrawing from the supply, for freeing theportion of the material which is leaving the supply from any pinched condition in the iupply, said means being responsive to increased aension in the material which may be the result )f a said pinched condition atthe supply.

Still another object is to provide an unwinder :ontrol mechanism including a rotatable spool r the like support for a supply of materialand iaving pivoted material-engaging and guiding neans responsive to increase of tension in the In the accompanying, drawing:

Figure 1 is a face view of a supply spool having material-withdrawing and feeding means as sociated therewith andhaving means, embodying features of the invention, mounted for coaction with material being withdrawn from the spool; l

Figure 2 is an elevation looking from the right at the device of Figure 1, but omitting the material-withdrawing and feeding means; and

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is k shown embodied in an unwinder mechanism which comprises a spool it for holding a wound or coiledsupply of wire l2 which delivers to a pair of feed rolls M, iii. I'he rolls may be intermittently operated to intermittently advance a predetermined length of'wire to-staple-forming mechanism of a stapling machine, for example. However, it will be understood that the inventionis applicable to unwinder mechanisms gen era ly regardless of the kind or character of the material held on and withdrawn from the spool and regardless of whether the withdrawal is continuous or intermittent. representative of supports in general on which a wound or coiled supply of material may be rotated in response to withdrawal'pull applied to e the delivering material.

In the embodiment herein illustrated, the spool material guiding means,

Also the spool ill is but 3 I is rotatably mounted on the forwardly projecting horizontal part i 8 of a supporting member 20 which maybe rigidly mounted in any.

convenient manner on a fixed support such as on a part of a machine to which the wire or other material is being delivered. The spool may have a removable front retaining flange plate 22' so that a supply 01. the wound or coiled material such as the wire l2 may he slipped on the spool and be retained in place by the flange plate 22.

According to the invention, a strip 24 of resiliently flexible material is pivotally mounted at 26 on the forward'y projecting horizontal part 28 of a fixed support 30 which conveniently may be a rigid 'bent rod secured at 32 to the spoolsupporting member 20. The strip 24 has extent on both sides of pivot 26 so that a part 34 extends above and over the coil l2 and a longer part 36 extends below and under the coil in general direction towards the feed rolls i4, IS. The upwardly extending part 34 of strip 24 has secured to its end. above the coil l2, a wire-guiding finger 38 which has generally trough shape for guiding a wire enga ed thereover to the outer side of.

the resilient strip 24 whence the wire extends along the outer side of the strip to and beyond its lowermost extremity and into engagement between the feed rolls, the strip being provided with spaced eyelets 40 or the l ke for maintaining the wire in proper guided and resiliently supported relation to the strip.

The trough shaped wire-guiding finger '38 abovethe coil is of a nature to be gravity-actuated toward the periphery of the coil l2, and preferably it is provided w th an adjustable weight; 44 which may be manually adjusted along the rod .46 for supply is corrected before the effect of the abnormality can become suillcient either to stretch or break the withdrawing material or to disturb the predetermined proper feed of the material.

My improved unwinder control mechanism has proven itself to be extremely eflicient and eflective.

I and it overcomes a serious and annoying problem which all prior proposals of which I am aware have failed to solve satisfactorily. In operation,

- the guiding finger 38 of my mechanism gently vibrates up and down with slight movement while varying the effect of gravity on the thus weighted 'finger 38.

Normally, gravity maintains the finger 38 with its down-turned tip 38 riding on the periphery of the coil l2 whether the coil is a fresh one of maximum diameter or is a partly or nearly com-'- pletely used coil of correspond n ly reduced diameter. As seen in Fig. 1. the tip 39 of the finger is shown in full'lines riding on the coil 12 with the wire which is withdrawing from the coil passing over the finger 38 and along its trough to the outer side of the strip 24. However, if the portion .of wire which is about to leave the coil has become pinched between adjacent convolutions or is otherwise held against free withdrawal, the run of the wire between the coil and the feed rolls l4, I6 is subjected to increased tension which causes the strip to yield resiliently toward t e coil at its lower reg on of extent and to be bodily swung counter-clockwise about its pivot at 2B. The counter-clockwise swinging of the strip causes e evation of finger 38 away from the coil,

carrying the wire engaged thereover upward and outward to the dotted position of the wire in Fig.

1. Also, in Fig. 1, the strip and finger are shown by dotted lines in their positions following movement in response to a substantial increase of tension in the withdrawing wire.

The resiliently flexible nature of the pivoted strip 24 permits its lower portion to flex in response to increase of tension in the wire extending therealong, and the strip simultaneously swings on its pivot 26 to actuate the finger 38. Hence a pinched condition of the wire which is about to leave the coil i2 is corrected by theupswing of finger 38 which thrusts the pinched wire outward to free it, and the major portion of the effect of the incident increased tension in the wire is absorbed by flexure oi the lower extentot the wire or other material is withdrawing freely from the coil. However, any abnormal resistance to withdrawal of the material quickly causes substantial lifting of the finger to force the withdrawing wire outward from the coil thereby to free it from any pinched or restrained condition at the coil.

I claim as my invention:

1. Unwinder control mechanism comprising means for rotatably supporting a wound supply of material, guiding means pivotally mounted adjacent to the supply of material and arranged to be engaged by material withdrawing from the supply, and to be moved about its pivot in response to a predetermined tension in material withdrawn from the supply, and means responsive to a said movement of the guiding means about its pivot for spreading the portion of material whichnext is to leave the supply outward from the supply. thereby to'reduce resistance to its withdrawal.

2. Unwinder control mechanism comprising means for rotatably supporting a wound supply of material, guiding means pivotally mounted for movement about an axis parallel with the axis of said supply and located adjacent to the periphery of said wound supply a material-engaging member carried by said guiding means and swingable in direction outward from said supply in response to movement of the guiding means about its pivot, said material-engaging member being gravityurged toward. said supply and being engaged under the portion of material withdrawing from the supply, whereby a said outward swinging thereof spreads said engaged portion of the material outward thereby to free the portion of material which next is to leave the supply from adjacent portions of the supply.

3. In an unwinder mechanism, the combination with means ro'tatably supporting a wound supply of material from which material is drawn with incident rotation of the supply, of means for disengaging the portion of material next to leave the supply from adjacent material of the supply, said disengaging means comprising a finger mounted adjacent to the supply and swingable toward and from the supply, there being means constantly urging the finger toward the supply, said finger engaging back of the material which is withdrawing from the supply thereby to spread said engaged material away from the supply when the finger moves in direction away from the supply, and means associated with said finger-and over which said withdrawing material engages for actuating said finger away from the supply in response to increase of tension in the withdrawing material.

' 4. Unwinder control mechanism comprising a rotatably supported spool for holding a wound supply of material to be drawn from the supply with incidental rotation of the supply and spool, guide means pivotally mounted adjacent to the spool and biased in one direction about its pivot,

the material withdrawing from the supply extending over said guide means with the withdrawing v tension therein tending to move said guide means in the other direction about its pivot in opposition to the said bias, and means carried by said lieving that portion of material next to leave the guide means for engaging that portion of the material which is leaving the supply and adapted to move said portion outward from the supply when said guide means moves aboutits pivot in opposition to said bias in response to increase of tension in the withdrawing material.

5. Unwinder control mechanism comprising a rotatably supported. spool for holding a wound supply of material to be drawn from the supply strip in the opposite direction about its pivot by theaction of gravity thereon, said means engaging under the portion of the material leaving the supply and adapted to move said portion of material outward from the supply when said strip is rotated in response to increase of tension in the withdrawing material.

6. In unwinder control mechanism having a support for rotatably holding a wound supply of material to be withdrawn with incidental rotation of the supply of material on a horizontal axis, the combination therewith of means for relieving that portion of material next to leave the supply from frictional resistance to its withdrawal, comprising a strip of resiliently flexible material pivotally mounted adjacent to the supply of material and extending in spaced relation to the periphery of the supply both above and below the axis of the wound supply, means on the upper portion of, said strip above the pivot of the strip and above the supply of material and urged by gravity into contact with the periphery of the supply, the withdrawing material engag ing over the latter said means and extending in guided relation along said strip, whereby said strip resiliently yields under increase of tension in the withdrawingmaterial and, upon occurrence ofa predetermined increase in tension in the material, rotates 'on its pivot to move the portion of material leaving the supply outward from the supply.

7. In unwinderf control mechanism having a support for rotatably holding a wound supply of material to be withdrawn with incidental rotation of the supply of material on a horizontal axis, the combination therewith of means for resupply from frictional resistance to its withdrawal, comprising a strip of resiliently flexible material pivotally mounted adjacent to the supply of material and extending in spaced relation to the periphery of the supply both above and below the axis of the wound supply, means on the upper portion of said strip above the pivot of the strip and above the supply of material and urged by gravity into contact with the periphery of the supply, the withdrawing material engaging over thelatter said means and extending in guided relation along said strip, whereby said strip resiliently yields under increase of tension intthe withdrawing materialand, upon occurrence of a predetermined increase in tension in the material, rotates on its pivot to move the portion of material leaving the supply outward from'the ,mounted adjacent to the supply and having extent-above its pivot to a location over the supply and having extent below its pivot in general direction toward said drawing means, said material extending in guided relation along said guide member means at the upper end of the guide member for resting by gravity on the supply of material and engaging under the portion of the material leaving the supply, means for adjusting the effect of gravity on said resting means, the portion of said guide member below ,its pivot being resiliently flexible for yielding in response to increase of tension in the withdrawing material, and said guide member being rotatable about its pivot in response to a predetermined increasein tension in the withdrawing material thereby to move the portion of material leaving the supply outward from the supply;

THOMAS J. FINN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name -Date 2,053,022 Corswandt et al.,,..... Sept. 1, 1936 2,342,153

- Lodge Feb. 22, 1944