US2901310A

US2901310A - Mechanism for stripping an elastic band from an end portion of a band-receiving tube

Info

Publication number: US2901310A
Application number: US461589A
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl W Mott
Original assignee: Kendall Co
Current assignee: Kendall Co
Priority date: 1948-11-20
Filing date: 1954-10-11
Publication date: 1959-08-25
Anticipated expiration: 1976-08-25

Description

Aug. 25, 1959 c. w. MOTT 2,901,310 MECHANISM FOR STRIPPING AN ELASTIC BAND FROM AN END PORTION OF A BAND-RECEIVING TUBE Original Filed Nov. 20, 1948 BY (lg-, I

MECHANISM FOR STRIPPING AN ELASTIC BAND FROM AN END PORTION OF A BAND-RECEIV- ING TUBE Carl w. Mott, Lake Ozark, Mo., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Kendall Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Original application November 20, 1948, Serial No.

61,224, now Patent No. 2,709,836, dated June 7, 1955.

Divided and this application October 11, 1954, Serial 2 (Ilaims. (Cl. 29-235) This invention relates to mechanism for stripping an elastic band endwise from an end portion of a tube or the like onto which the elastic band has been disposed in distended gripping relation, and more particularly relates now Patent No. 2,709,836 issued June 7, 1955. The

complete machine disclosed in said parent application is operable to produce surgical sponges comprising a body of absorbent filling material within a globular-shaped sack-like jacket formed of a gauze swatch. A central portion of the swatch is bulged to form the globular contour of the jacket while the edge portions of the swatch are gathered together at an end of the jacket and inverted thereinto through an elastic band coaxial therewith and within the sack at the entrance neck thereof. The elastic band is of small diameter so that subsequent to the inverting of the gathered edge portions of the swatch into the sack-like jacket this elastic band is operable to contract firmly thereon for closing the neck of the sack and holding the sponge components in assembly.

Said surgical sponge making machine includes a sponge assembling section to which swatches, wads of filling material and elastic bands are successively delivered for interfabrication into respective surgical sponges. This assembly section of the machine comprises axially spaced coaxial tubes. An elastic band is disposed upon one of these tubes and a center portion of a swatch is disposed coaxially with and between the tubes. As a step in the assembly processes, the band carrying tube is telescoped onto the other tube to hood the swatch thereonto while carrying the rubber band about such other tube and the swatch. While in this telescoped position of the tubes a stripper tube is moved endwise telescopically upon the band carrying tube and toward the end thereof to strip the band from this tube and allow it to contract onto the swatch hood. Other steps, unrelated to the present invention, in forming the surgical sponge then insue following retraction of the tube from which the band has been stripped and the stripper tube out of telescopic relation with respect to the tube hooded by the swatch.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a stripper tube having an end portion capable of engaging the rubber band and stripping it from the band carrying tube without pinching portions of the rubber band between the stripper tube and the band carrying tube. Experience has shown that when the stripper tube is in the form of a plain tube, the tendency for the band of rubber or other elastomeric material to cling to the tube upon which it is mounted causes exceedingly small portions of the rubber band to be forced between the Unite tates Patent tube upon which it is mounted and the stripper tube. This occurs even though the inner diameter of the stripper tube slides snugly against the outer diameter of the band carrying tube. When this occurs, the tubes handling the rubber band become jammed and cause misoperation of the machine.

A more specific object of this invention is the provision of a stripper tube having axial slots in the portion thereof at the end for engaging the elastic band, these slots forming axially extending stripping fingers spaced circumferentially of the tube, together witth an elastic ring structure in circumscribing gripping relation about this end portion of the stripper tube for forcing the stripping fingers tightly into engagement with the cylindrical outer periphery of the band carrying tube. This arrangement causes the ends of the stripping fingers to fit sufficiently tightly upon the band carrying tube that no portion of the elastic band can become wedged between the fingers and the tube from which the elastic band is to be stripped.

The above and other desirable objects inherent in and encompassed by the invention are further elucidated in the insuing description, the appended claims and the annexed drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view of tubes utilizable for assembling the components of a surgical sponge of the character described above, certain of the parts being shown in section, and there being included a lower end portion of a band stripping tube constituting a preferred form of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of certain of the tubes shown in Fig. l and a longitudinal sectional view of other of such tubes, and illustrating a stage in the manipulation of the tubes for hooding a gauze swatch over one of the lower tubes.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating a further stage in the hooding of the gauze swatch.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and 3 but showing a still later stage in the manipulation of the tubes subsequent to stripping of the rubber band onto the hooded swatch and retraction of the stripper tube and the band carrying tube axially out of telescopic relation with the hooded tube.

With continued reference to the drawings, a tampon assembling machine section 55 is formed by three upper concentric and relatively

telescopic tubes

63, 64 and 65, and two lower concentric and relatively

telescopic tubes

56 and 62. All of these tubes are coaxial. The upper innermost tube 63 is for the guiding and downward delivery therethrough of a wad of absorbent filling material (not shown) to be assembled into the surgical sponge product. The upper center tube 64 has had an elastic band 39 disposed in contracting relation about the cylindrical outer periphery thereof adjacent its lower end. Elastic band stripper tube 65 has a plurality of notches or slots 70 extending axially in the lower end portion thereof to form a circular series of axially extending stripping fingers 71 in the lower end portion of said stripping tube. These fingers 71 are held in firm gripping though sliding relation with the cylindrical outer periphery of the band carrying tube 64 by means of an elastic ring structure 72 comprised of a plurality of elastic band loops 73 which may be made of natural rubber or a synthesized elastic product.

While the various tubes are in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, a piece of gauze 391 in the form of a flat swatch is carried across the upper end of the tube 56 to place a central portion of the swatch in registry with the axial center of the tube 56. Thereupon the elastic band carrying tube 64 and the band stripper tube 65 are caused to descend into telescopic relation with the tube 56 to hood the swatch 391 over the upper end of the tube 56 in the manner illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, Fig. 3 being a later stage at which the elastic band 39 has been moved onto the hooded swatch the desired distance. Next, the elastic band stripping tube 65 is lowered sufficiently far relativelyto the tube 64 for the lower endsof'the stripping fingers 71 to push the elastic band 39 off of the lower end of the tube 64 for depositing this band onto the hood 391 in the position illustrated in Fig. 4. Immediately following the'sfrippin'g of the elastic band 39 from the tube 64, the

tubes

64 and 65 are elevated out of telescopic relation with the then hooded tube 56, the lower end of the stripping "tube embodying the stripping fingers 71 being elevated above the lower end of the tube'64 so the lower end 'portion'of the tube 64 is then in readiness for re- 'ception of a succeeding rubber band. At a later stage in the operation of the tubes, the tube 62 is elevated relatively to the tube for pushing the edge portion or the hooded swatch 391upwardly and about the elastic band '39 and then sliding the hood and band upwardly on the tube 56 until the band 39 is adjacent the upper end of the tube 56. At this time the hooded upper portion ofthe swatch 391 willextend above the upper end of the tube 56 but it is sucked downwardly into the tube together with the edge portions of'the swatch that had been folded upwardly about the elastic band 39. At this "time the tube 63 is lowered into proximity with the upper end of the tube 56 and a wad of the filling material rammed downwardly through the tube 63 into the sacklike portion of the swatch disposed'within-the upper portionof the tube 56. The downward force applied to the Ward within the sack then formed by the swatch 391 and against the gathered edge portions of the swatch also disposed within the tube 56 pull these edge portions together with the rubber band upwardly and over theupper end of the tube 56 whereupon the band 39 can contract 'for gripping the edge portions ofthe swatch and holding these edge portions and the filling material within the sack formed by the central portion of the swatch. The

thus formed sponge unit is delivered as a finished product downwardly through the tube 56.

Having thus described a single preferred embodiment of the invention with the view of clearly and concisely illustrating the same, I claim:

1. In a mechanism for stripping an elastomeric band from an end portion of a band receiving tube onto which such band is g'rippingly mounted in an expandedattenuated and highly stressed condition causing such band to cling to such tube portionin the respect of resisting sliding movement thereon, a band stripper tube telescopically disposed upon the band receiving tube, said stripping tube having a stripping end portion disposed retractively from the band receiving end portion of the receiving'tube when such stripping tube is in an axially retracted position, said stripping end portion containing a plurality of circumferentially spaced axially extending notches to cause the existence of axially extending stripping fingers therebetween with end portions engageable with the band to force it endwise from the receiving tube attendant to axial advancement of the stripper tube, and means exerting radially inward force on said fingers and pressing their end portions firmly against the receiving tube to maintain a zero clearance between said tube and fingers to there'- by obviate wedging of the band between such tube and the fingers when the stripper tube is advanced.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein 'said means exerting radially inward force on said fingers comprises an elastic ring structure circumscr'ibing saidst-ripping end portion of the stripping tube and contracted onto said fingers. 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,184,687 Freud Dec. 26, 1939 2,328,771 Barnes et a1. Sept. 7, {1943 2,422,549 Hogin "June 17, 1947 2,510,206 Barkan et al. June 6, 1950