Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02430838 2008-05-27
TITLE OF INVENTION
Tape Dispenser/Package
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improvement in an apparatus for dispensing a
tape, i.e.,
ribbon, web or string, generally referred to herein as "tape", when the tape
is being
unwound at a laminating machine such as a corrugating machine or press. One
aspect of
the present invention is the unwinding of a roll of tape without having to
individually
unpack each roll or manipulate each roll of tape individually.
Reinforcing or Tear tapes have been used for many years in modern packaging as
an aid
to maintain structural integrity or as an easy open feature in boxes, packages
and/or
containers. The commercially available tape dispensers used at corrugating or
laminating
machine have an important limitation. All spools or rolls are supplied in
individually
packaged boxes, where each roll has to be unpacked, lifted and installed on a
tape
dispenser machine located near the corrugating or laminating machine. Since
each roll
has to be manually lifted and manipulated by the operators of the laminating
or
corrugating machine, each roll cannot weight more than 35 pounds to limit the
dangers of
injuries to the operators. This fact brings another important drawback. With a
spool or
roll weight this small, only a very limited amount of linear footage of tape
can be wound
on these rolls. With the laminating or corrugating machines going faster over
the years,
an important need for splicing these rolls arose, since these processes cannot
be stopped
as they need to have a constant supply of tape. In this industry the footage
of these tape
rolls are usually between 10,000 and 30,000 feet. Since multiple tapes are
used in these
packaging making processes, we often see a splicing rate for tape roll of 1
roll every 5 to
8 minutes. This means that an operator has to unpack a roll, lift it, install
it on the
1
CA 02430838 2005-08-24
dispenser and prepare the splicing mechanism every 5 to 8 minutes. This
procedure can
be very time consuming.
The literature is abundant with such tape dispensers and splicing systems, and
they all
have in common the limitation to roll size and weight and the necessity for
the operator
to manually handle these rolls. In more details, we can see U.S. Patents #
4,917,327 and
# 5,029,768 where we clearly see the general parameters of the tape dispenser
and the
need for tension control and a splicing mechanism. In U.S. Patents # 5,775,629
and
#6,325,324 we also see different splicing techniques that can be used on tape
dispensers.
The use of a package that dispenses tape exists in other applications than the
corrugated
board reinforcement or easy open feature for containers. For example, in the
pressure
sensitive adhesive packaging tape we can see many patents on this subject:
U.S. Patents
# 4,372,472; # 4,453,634; # 4,676,446; # 4,998,655 and # 5,071,051 are all
patents on
this subject. But all these patents, even if they cover the concept of package
and
dispenser, are all related to handheld dispenser of small rolls of pressure
sensitive
packaging tape and none use the concept of packaging/dispenser for the purpose
of
reducing roll manipulations and thus the increasing of tape roll footage.
Transport and packaging assemblies have also been proposed in the past. U.S.
Patents #
5,228,821; # 5,692,625 for example, disclosed folding racks for the storing
and
dispensing of rolled material. However, these systems are not design for high
speed
dispensing and they do not include tensioning/braking device to generate
tension in the
unwound material. Also, these systems are limited to one or two rolls, a
feature which
may not be desirable when multiple rolls are needed simultaneously.
2
CA 02430838 2005-08-24
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
There is thus a need for a tape dispenser/package assembly that can hold
multiple larger
spools of tape.
An object of the present invention is to provide a tape dispenser/package that
can be used
both as a transport package for the rolls and as dispenser of the same rolls.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tape dispenser/package
that
requires less human manipulation.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a tape
dispenser/package that can
hold multiple spools of tape which can be unwound simultaneously.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a tape
dispenser/package that can
be easily displaced around warehouse, factory and the like.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a tape
dispenser/package that can
be mounted on standard wooden or plastic pallet.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tape dispenser/package
that is
cheap to manufacture.
Other objects of the present invention not described herein shall become
apparent to one
skilled in the art when using the tape dispenser/package assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an apparatus providing the integration of
the tape roll
3
CA 02430838 2005-08-24
and the tape dispenser in a packaging system that almost totally eliminates
the need for
operator manipulation and reduces the occurrences of splicing of tape rolls.
The tape is
supplied in a dispenser/package assembly where it can be directly dispensed.
With this
innovation, the operator does not have to manually lift individual roll to
install it on a
tape dispenser, and so the roll can be made much larger than what is currently
available.
For example, with this invention, a tape roll can be made to contain 3 to 5
times the linear
footage of the tape rolls currently available. By increasing the size of the
tape roll, we
naturally reduce the amount of splicing from one roll to the next that has to
be done at the
corrugating machine or press.
The tape dispenser/package assembly comprises a base, a roll support structure
and a
tensioning/braking system. The base is preferably made out of a standard
wooden pallet,
the kind which is extensively used in the transport industries. This standard
pallet base
allows the dispenser/package assembly to be easily transported and/or
displaced using a
fork lift or a pallet jack. Moreover, since the dispenser/package assembly
effectively acts
both as a tape dispenser and as a tape rolls package, the dispenser/package
assembly can
be unloaded from a transport truck and be directly placed inside the factory
in a single
operation. It is to be understood that other types of pallets could be used
without
departing from the scope of the invention.
The tape rolls in the dispenser/package as embly are supported by the roll
support
structure. This structure is preferably made f wood but other materials such
as metal
could be used. The structure comprises two qpposing parallel walls extending
upwardly
and perpendicularly from the base pallet. The two walls upper edges are linked
together
via reinforcing wooden or metal members. e walls are also preferably linked to
the
base pallet with angular reinforcing wooden hr metal members. Each wall
comprises a
series of shaft holes facing each other into which the metal shafts holding
the tape rolls
are inserted. Preferably, there are four shaft holes in each wall and they are
preferably
located such that they form the corners of a trapezoid. This trapezoid feature
allows for
the simultaneous dispensing of tape from both the upper rolls and the lower
rolls without
4
CA 02430838 2005-08-24
entanglement of the tapes. The shafts are inserted in these shaft holes and
are fixedly
secured via a locking means.
The rolls preferably used in the tape dispenser/package assembly comprise a
hollow
cardboard core unto which the tape is wound. A shaft holder, having two
portions, is
inserted at both ends of the core. The first portion has a diameter
corresponding to the
inner diameter of the cardboard core in order for the shaft holder to be
snugly inserted in
the core. The second portion has a diameter larger than the diameter of the
first portion.
This difference in diameter thus creates a shoulder preventing the shaft
holder to be
inserted too deeply in the core. The second portion also acts as a friction
surface for the
rolls tensioning/braking device. The shaft holder is preferably made of metal,
but any
other suitable material may be used.
Located on the walls are the rolls tensioning/braking device. The device
comprises two
metal strips, each having an end attached to the wall. Each strip is bent
around the shaft
holder, thus creating a"S' shape. On the inner side of the bent portions of
the strip is
fixedly attached friction material such as brake pad material. The other ends
of each strip
are connected together via a spring. The spring helps create a more even
friction force
between the shaft holder and the tensioning/braking device as the tape in
unwound from
the roll. In the case of an abrupt stop of the machine, the tensioning/braking
device helps
stopping the rolls.
Multiple tape rolls can be supplied in the same dispenser/package assembly, to
permit the
use of multiple tapes in the corrugating machine or press and to have extra
rolls available
for splicing. A frame rack is also used, such frame being supplied with
pulleys to
provide tape paths out of the dispenser/package assembly to the corrugating
machine or
press. The frame rack can provide tape paths for more than one
dispenser/package
assembly and also provide the ability to splice one tape roll to the next for
continuous
feeding of the tape or tapes to the corrugating machine or press where the
rolls to be
spliced can be in the same dispenser/package assembly or in different
dispenser/package
5
CA 02430838 2005-08-24
assemblies.
These and other novel features of the invention will be more fully described
herein
below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying
drawing
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front view of two dispenser/package assemblies with the frame rack
over
them providing the multiple tape paths.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the dispenser/package assembly shown in figure 1
showing
parts of the frame rack.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the dispenser/package assembly shown in figure 1
showing
the shaft holder and the tensioning system.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the dispenser/package assembly shown in figure
1 with
the frame rack.
DETAILLED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIlVIENTS
The present invention provides an improved apparatus for the dispensing of a
ribbon at
the corrugating machine or press. The dispenser/package assembly 10 includes a
frame
rack 12 supporting guide rollers 14, 15, 16 to provide multiple tape paths 20,
21, 22
coming off the dispenser/package assembly up towards the splicer unit 30 and
the
corrugating machine or press. The tape 40 is pulled out from the
dispenser/package
assembly 10 and feed to the guide rollers 14, 15, 16 and the splicer unit 30.
The tape roll
11 is inside the dispenser/package assembly 10 and the tape 40 can be unwound
directly
from the tape roll 11 without removing it from the dispenser/package assembly
10. To
6
CA 02430838 2005-08-24
provide adequate tensioning of the tape 40 from start to end of the tape roll
11, a
tensioning/braking device 31 is used to increase the friction against the
shaft holder 32
which is inserted inside the core 17 of the tape roll 11 and running on the
shaft 33.
Different splicing systems can be used in the splicer unit 30 of the frame
rack 12 to splice
on tape roll 11 to the next. Different tape paths 20, 21, 22 are provided to
permit the
splicing of any tape roll 11 with any other tape roll in the dispenser/package
10 or
another dispenser/package positioned next to it.
The dispenser/package assembly 10 comprises a base 34. The base 34 is
preferably a
standard ISO (International Organization for Standardization) wooden pallet
with
openings 35 to be used by fork lift or pallet jack. A rolls support structure
36 is fixedly
attached with screws, nails or the likes onto the base pallet 34. Support
structure 36
comprises two opposing parallel walls 37. Walls 37 extend upwardly and
perpendicularly from the base pallet. Walls 37 are linked together at their
upper edges by
reinforcing members 38. The reinforcing members 38 are parallel to the base
pallet and
are attached to the walls with screws, nails or the like. Angular reinforcing
members 39
link the sides of the walls to the base pallet. The angular reinforcing
members 39 are also
attached with screws, nails or the like. The support structure 36 thus creates
a box like
shape. Located of the walls 37 are shaft holes 50. It is to be noted that each
shaft hole 50
on a wall 37 has a correspondingly aligned shaft hole 50 in the opposing wall
37.
Misalignment of two corresponding holes 50 would results in a misalignment of
the shaft
33. Shaft holes 50 are located on the walls 37 as to form a trapezoid shape.
The support
structure 36 further comprises several parallel shafts 33 which are used to
hold the tape
rolls. The shafts 33 extend from one wall to the other and are slightly larger
than the
support structure 36. The protruding ends of the shafts 33 are used to lock
the shafts in
place using the locking means 51. There are thus two upper shafts 33 and two
lower
shafts 33.
To increase the friction between shaft holder 32 and the shaft 33, a
tensioning/braking
7
CA 02430838 2005-08-24
device 31 is provided. Each tensioning/braking device 31 comprises a pair of
metal strip
63 having each having an end 64. The ends 64 are fixedly attached to the wall
37. As
shown in Figure 2, each metal strip 63 is bent around the shaft holders, the
two bent
portions 60 thus creating an "S" shape metal strip. Friction material 61, such
as brake
padding, is attached in the inner side of the bent portions 60. It is this
friction material 61
that increases the friction between shaft holder 32 and shaft 33. A spring 62
attaches the
other end of each strip 63 together. The spring 62 is used to keep the
friction between
shaft holder 32 and shaft 33 relatively even as the tape 40 is unwound from
the roll 11.
Tensioning/braking device 31 acts like a brake when there is a sudden stop of
the
machine.
Having described the invention with reference to accompanying illustrations of
the
assembly of the present invention, it is contemplated that engineering changes
can be
made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth
in the
appended claims.
8
