US2461171A - Centering support - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 8, 1949. 1 P. MOREY CENTERING SUPPORT Filed Feb. 14, 1946- Y m ER .A www mwa/. N w O E mw L j@ m W m n n y Patented Feb. 8, 1.949

CENTERING SUPPORT Leon P. Morey, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of cw J erseyv Application February 14, 1946, Serial No. 647,587

l This invention relates to centering support, and particularly to a convenient arrangement of parts designed for readily and easily placing either a loaded or empty core on, or removing such a core from, a web unwinding or winding spindle, and automatically Vcausing an interengagement or disengagement between the driving head of said spindle and the core, without the necessity of careful and accurate placement of the latter.

In the manufacture of paper, photographic 3 claims. (o1. 24a-46.6)

lm, fabrics and other continuous strip material, Y Y

necessitates handling-and lifting the roll from a wind-up or onto a reel-olf mechanism by means of power, such as an electric or pneumatic hoist.

Obviously, extremely close control of such a hoistV in order to align exactly the core with a driving member or on dead centers is impractical.

Guiding the ends of such a roll onto supporting and driving centers is quite diiiicult. Not only is there an ever present danger that an operators nger-s may be injured, but the ends of the tubular cores are frequently distorted and centering supports damaged. Therefore, some self-guiding means, capable of overcoming such misalignment, is desirable. If such means are also resilient as well as having an automatic directing function, the roll may be placed on supports with minimum loss of time. The present invention contemplates the provision of a structure fulfilling not only the above conditions, but also providing a driving engagement for a core.

In the drawings, in which like reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts in the several views,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of one end of a tubular roll core as it appears when in place and in engagement with the resilient centering supports aforementioned;

Fig. 2 is an end view as the parts would appear in a -section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, the core and the resilient parts being out of engagement;

Fig. 4 is a similar section showing the core supported in operative position; and

Fig. 5 i-s a fragmentary plan of a detail.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 4, I0 represents a generally cylindrical head which may be removably attached to a shaft i! by a stud l2, and centered thereon by having a circular recess I3 tting closely a tapered boss I4. The shaft II may be supported in suitable bearings I5, one rf which, not shown, with a stub shaft, is adapted for 'longitudinal movement to serve as a dead end or tailstock at the other end of the core while the onev shown may be considered as a driven head.

The part is in the present showing has a deep annularrecess l between the main central portion and a marginal flange Il. A shoulder I8 provide-s a stop and locating element for a ring i9. This ringV and a -second ring 29 are centered on a reduced hub portion I' of the head Il). Between the rings I9 and 2E! a series of substantially U-shaped Vsprings 2l and 22 are supported on pins or rivets 23 which are forced into closetting holes in the ring 2t. The springs 22 serve as Teenforcing member-s for the springs 2l and take up part of the load when the springs 2I are slightly flexed. Both sets of springs are fabricated in such manner that when they are pressed within the annular flangeV I1 theywill be under stress and therefore pre-loaded to the extent of several pounds each. l

As shown in Fig. 2, these pairs of springs are located radially with their outer portionsY in substantially edgetoedge contact all around the rings I9 and 2B. A third ring 24 is provided to shield the inwardly-turned free ends 25 of the springs, which, between these ends and their outer straight portions, include curved portions 2&5.y It is the latter which provide the points of support for the core C, a part of one end of which is shown in Fig. 3 as it appears when being moved into operative relation with the head I0. The plate 24 is held in place to serve as a retainer for the spring-and-ring assembly I9, 20, 2|, 22, by studs 21 that pass through the hub portion of the head, and are placed and set up before the head is attached to shaft II by the center stud I2. Spacer-s or lugs I1 projecting inwardly from the flange I 1 lie between adjacent springs, the latter being narrowed to accommodate the lugs, as indicated in Fig. 5. The whole assembly is driven from shaft II by a pin P whichY engages the head I' at a suitable distance from the center thereof, as shown in Fig. 4.

The core C shown in the drawings is of comparativelythin tubing. At one end is an inwardly depressed forming 28 that is slightly less in widthY in a circumferential direction than Y one of the springs 2 I, 22, at their outer portions 26. When the core is pushed toward the flange 3 indicated by the arrow, the forming 28 will depress whichever spring it happens to be aligned.r with. As the core moves further, its entire inner periphery or edge 29 engages all the other springs, and even if it is not concentric with the head Il), it will quickly become so because all the springs are of equal. strength and immediately ,tend to center the coi-je, the entire set actingE a's-a ffconicis guide to align the core C with the flange ll.Y

The forming 28 may actually depressv twoV springs to the position B in Fig. 4. However, as soon as the head i0 is rotated, the form-lng, slip past one spring and willA be` c raughtbetween-` two as shown in Fig. 2, thus .serving asa key for the core, and transmitting to the latter the rotary motion of the driven head r lluand shaft il, This automatic engagement obviats the necessity of an operator placing his handat the end of the roll to guide a core into place.

As the web of iilm or othermaterial builds.

` load, and as it passes beyond the top center, its

load decreases. The springs within approximately 45 either way from top center are always carrying the load and the others` serve merely as centering guides, remaining in the position of Fig. 3.l 5 Y The tailstock, not shown, may have the same construction as has just been described, except that its shaft will not be driven,andthespring carrying head may be moved axially to enter the other end `of the core to serve as a deadend Center.

The preferred form of the invention, as above` described, has been found extremely*practicalV and useful, for time saving, safe operation, andfruggedness. However, the precise structure shown may be modified in design as required, -within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A core support for tubular cores ofthe type Y having one or more protuberances, said support comprising a plurality of springs loetween any two alternate units of which said protuberahces may be inserted to serve as means for driving 4 said core, a rotatable head, a ring member mounted on said head and carrying said springs with the latter disposed radially and with their free ends 'recurved toward the axis of said head, whereby portions of the faces of said springs constitute a concentric resilient seat for said core and Y parts ofthe edgesnof said `vsprirrlgs constitute driv- 15.TLA

.have one or more lugs projecting inwardly from the shell of said core, comprising, in combination,

. a-pluraity of substantially U-shaped spring memlhers mounted onva central disc and having their 'lend inw idly; an annular driven head i v A thLs'p Vng spacers and partly surrounding said 'sp ll'gs; a second central disc con- -JnectemWith sa-idhead and extending over the free ends ci the springs, said springs thereby constituting resilient core support wherein any one of said springs is yieldable to permit the core lugsto enter between alterna-te 'Spr-ings" 'to provi'de combined driving 'andr supporting inea-ns for theere.

*3, centering si'ippbrt adapted to receive and toV drivey tburcores which have inwardly proj'ec'ting' lugs, orthlike, constituting driving keys therefor, comprising, combination, a series of substantiailyz-wshaped springs mounted on a tending over the recurved inwardly directed free endsfoff the springs'g'. a driving head connected with one of 'the'dises a'iidhaving an extended periphery partially enclosing said springs and searr'anged that whena tulUl'ar-core approaches Said head, the springs ohsttlit both a yielding centering lsupport a driving .member there- 'l any f! Said' SDih bingvllclently resilient to yield aidhthe'rebyto permita core lug to enter between springs so that the core may be driven thereby. y

' f LEON P; MOREY.

,REFERENCES GITED The .following references are of record in the Number' Name Date Vesisto Murdock Aug, 27, 1907 999,059- Roney et al.Y July 25, 1911 .1,321,186 rvivragrath i sept. 1,- 1931 1,895,810 -Mgrath Y e Jan. 3l, 1933

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