Claims
- 1. Apparatus for holding a coiling tube on to a mandrel, said mandrel having longitudinal flat surfaces, said apparatus comprising a plurality of arcuate tube insert segments, each of said segments having an inner arc, an outer arc, and two end sections defining the entire peripheral edge of the segment, each of said inner arcs and said outer arcs having a corresponding center point defining a circle upon which each of said inner and outer arcs lie respectively, wherein the centerpoint of said inner arc and the centerpoint of said outer arc are offset by a predetermined distance of from about 0.015 to about 0.35 inches, whereby when said arcuate segments are mated, the peripheral edges abut to form stops that limit the relative rotation of the mandrel and the apparatus.
- 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mandrel material is harder than the segment material.
- 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mandrel is made from a material selected from the group consisting of metal, wood, and hardened plastic.
- 4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mandrel is steel.
- 5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the segments are a resilient material.
- 6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the segments are made of a material selected from the group consisting of rubber, wood, and plastic.
- 7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the segments are mated and held in juxtaposition by connecting means.
- 8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the connecting means is at least one resilient connector encircling said mated segments.
- 9. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the connecting means comprises at least one pin on the end face of each segment, and a resilient connector placed around the pins.
- 10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the resilient connector is an O-ring.
- 11. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the connecting means comprises wire connectors loosely fixed to adjacent faces.
- 12. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the connecting means comprises a slot in each end face of each segment mating with an adjacent slot, and having an expanded recess therein, and a doubleheaded connector with a shank therebetween engaged within said expanded recess to hold the segments loosely together.
- 13. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an annular groove in the circumference of each of said segments, and a resilient fastener positioned in said groove to mate said segments.
- 14. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cross section of said mandrel is a regular polygon having from three to eight sides, and said tube-holding apparatus comprises the same number of segments as the sides of said regular polygon.
- 15. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the center of the circle defining the outer arc of a segment is off-set from the center of the circle defining the inner arc of the mandrelreceiving central cutout from 0.025 to 0.055 inches.
- 16. Apparatus for holding a coiling tube having a resilient surface onto a mandrel, said mandrel having opposed longitudinal planar surfaces, said apparatus comprising a pair of semi-circular tube insert segments, each of said segments having an inner arc, an outer arc, and two end sections defining the entire peripheral edge of the segment, each of said inner arcs and said outer arcs having a corresponding center point defining a circle upon which each of said inner and outer arcs lie respectively, wherein the centerpoint of said inner arc and the centerpoint of said outer arc are offset by a predetermined distance, whereby when said arcuate segments are mated and engage said mandrel, the segments have a first orientation in which the peripheral edges abut to form stops that limit the relative rotation of the mandrel and the apparatus, and a second orientation in which the peripheral edges abut to form a generally round outer periphery.
- 17. Apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising an annular groove in the circumference of each of said segments, and a resilient fastener positioned in said groove to mate a pair of segments.
- 18. Apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a second pair of mated segments, each pair being adapted for positioning near opposite ends of said coiling tube.
- 19. Apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising segment connectors fixed to opposed segments.
- 20. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said segment connectors are rods.
- 21. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the center of the circle defining the outer arc of a segment is off-set from the center of the circle defining the inner arc of the mandrelreceiving central cutout from about 0.015 to about 0.35 inches.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 115,484, filed Nov. 2, 1987.
The present invention relates to a device for winding reels of material onto a core. More particularly, the present invention relates to an core holder assembly for tightly gripping and holding a resilient core on a mandrel for the winding of defined lengths of webs onto such core. The invention is particularly useful in the manufacture of labels in the printing industry, and is readily adaptable to the textile and other industries which wind sheets of material onto a core while the core is situated on a mandrel, then remove the filled core and replace it with an empty core.
In the manufacturing of labels, after printing, it is necessary to rewind reels of label-carrying webs bearing large quantities of labels onto smaller rolls of accurate and defined quantities of labels. In actual manufacture, it requires about twice as much time and accompanying manpower to rewind the labels as to accomplish the original manufacture or printing of the labels.
The present invention provides means for holding cores onto a mandrel or spindle when transferring large reels of labels onto small rolls or cores with excellent holding power, yet having ready removability and with a reduction in the manpower required for the current core installation and removal process.
Although applicable to many industries, the present invention will be described in relation to the manufacture of labels. A label auto-transfer turret rewind apparatus is basically a rotatable base plate having a plurality of protruding mandrels or spindles, each spindle adapted to receive and rotate a take-up spool, which spindles are journaled for rotation in the base. Each spindle is powered by a drive mechanism, which may be individual or common to all spindles. A counter controls a cut-off mechanism for accurately placing the correct number of labels on each spool or core, upon which the spindle rotates to a specified indexed position, and the spool is removed.
Although a search was made, no segmented core holder similar to the invented core holder was located.
The following patents are believed to be exemplary of the prior art with regard to the subject invention:
Kupper U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,865, entitled Device for Unloading a Coil, shows mandrels and coils for textile threads, the coils being rotated by end contact to drive means.
Rohde U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,138, entitled Reeling Apparatus for a Web, shows presently used core tubes on a modern winding shaft, which has no provision for tightly holding the core tube to the shaft.
Most patents covering winders and rewwinders fail to show details of core holders. Such patents are exemplified by:
Marshal U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,126, entitled Take-Up Mechanism, which shows a winding takeup mechanism for controlling webs on tubes;
Cooper U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,426, entitled Web Treatment Apparatus, which shows four mandrels which index to various positions;
Clements U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,638, entitled Apparatus and Method for Joining Webs, which shows an expandable drivable support for reel core ends, which are only laterally expandable for reels of different widths;
Taitel U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,620, entitled Turret Rewinder, which teaches a core C on an apparently round spindle, and fails to suggest any means for causing both the spindle and the core to rotate at the same angular velocity;
Nichols U.S. Pat. No. 1,484,842, entitled Slitting and Rewinding Machine; and
Mulfarth U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,783, entitled Machine for Winding a Web of Paper on a Roll.
The invention is a core holder for a winding apparatus, including a core-receiving mandrel of specified geometric cross-section, journaled for rotation, a segmented friction core holder, expandable outwardly at selected points, by which the core is gripped when the mandrel is turning, and which readily releases its grip on the mandrel upon a simple manual maneuver by the operator. The mandrel is preferably connectable to drive means, but must also be capable of "idling", that is, being undriven at a specified instant.
It is the primary object of this invention to provide means of holding a core tightly on a mandrel for winding of a web onto the core.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a means of easy removal of a core from a mandrel.
It is also an object of this invention to provide apparatus for winding webs of material which is equally adaptable to the paper, printing, and textile industries.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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115484 |
Nov 1987 |
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Patent Grant
4893765
