Patent Application
20220204197
The present disclosure relates generally to a wrapping apparatus and, more specifically, to an attachment for a wrapping apparatus.
Stretch film or wrap is generally known in the industry as a material that can be used to securely wrap a collection of objects together using the stretch wrap's resiliency and dinginess. Stretch wrap is typically understood to be a polyethylene film that is generally dispensed from a roll for use in a variety of applications. For instance, a user may hold stretch wrap against a collection of objects and then dispense and stretch the film around the collection of objects and over itself one or more times to cover and hold the objects together. In the shipping industry, for example, a collection of objects may be placed on a pallet to hold such articles together during the shipping process. A collection of individual boxes or objects placed on a pallet can be shipped as a single cohesive unit when bound together through wrapping with stretch wrap and/or other packaging materials. Other applications of stretch wrap are also known such as wrapping agricultural products or simply binding together a collection of loose items, such as firewood. Additional wrapping materials, such as bubble wrap or tape, are also frequently used to wrap objects either on their own or in conjunction with each other and/or stretch wrap.
Although such usages for stretch wrap and other wrapping materials are known, the application of such wrapping materials is generally a time consuming, multi-step process. Even when using a wrapping device, instead of wrapping by hand, conventional wrapping devices are typically designed to wrap with a single type of material at a time. In addition, some conventional wrapping devices are hand-held devices in which the user must physically walk around the object or rotate the object and wrapper relative to each other manually by hand.
To expedite the wrapping process, various wrapping apparatuses (colloquially referred to as “ring wrappers”) are known for automating the process of wrapping objects with stretch wrap and/or other wrapping materials. Such wrapping apparatuses typically include a main body and include a wheel- or ring-shaped frame that is rotatably coupled thereto. The ring-shaped frame may have one or more mounts configured to receive packaging material, such as stretch wrap, about its circumference. An object may be placed or supported near a center of the frame and the frame may be rotated such that the packaging material on the mounts may be rotated with the frame, dispensed, and wrapped around the object in a semi-automated manner.
The stretch wrap or other wrapping material dispensed in such wrapping apparatuses, however, is typically dispensed as a flat sheet having a larger surface area and a corresponding low tensile strength. Such flat sheets with low tensile strength may be problematic when the stretch film is being used to gather a collection of heavier objects or loose materials (e.g., a plurality of rods or pipes, etc.) or a collection of objects that may have irregular shapes (e.g., firewood) because the objects may strain, tear, and/or otherwise rip the stretch film causing it to fall apart. To combat this issue, a user may use a large amount of additional stretch wrap, however, this vastly increases the expense. Additionally, a user may manually wrap twine around the collection of objects after the collection of objects have been wrapped, but this is generally a time-consuming process, the twine can fall off, and this may require additional tools.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of the various embodiments. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required.
In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a wrapping apparatus is provided including a main body and an annular frame rotatably coupled thereto that is configured to rotate about an axis of rotation for wrapping one or more objects with packaging material, such as stretch wrap. The wrapping apparatus includes a plurality of packaging material mounts coupled to the frame and spaced radially outward from the axis of rotation that are configured to dispense packaging material. A gathering attachment including an aperture may be positioned proximate at least one of the packaging material mounts. The aperture of the gathering attachment is configured to receive a portion of dispensed packaging material and gather the material together as it is advanced through the aperture into a string-like form. The free ends of the packaging material, including the string formed via the gathering attachment, may be secured at or near an object or collection of objects positioned in an opening of the frame. In response to a user input, the annular frame may then be rotated about the axis of rotation to cause packaging material to unwind from the plurality of packaging material mounts and wrap around a periphery of the object or collection of objects. So configured, the wrapping apparatus may be used to simultaneously wrap objects with both packaging material such as stretch wrap from one of the packaging material mounts and string gathered via the gathering attachment from another packaging material mount to improve load stabilization by wrapping the objects with packaging materials having varying tensile strength properties.
In some forms, the aperture of the gathering attachment may be configured to receive a selected one of a plurality of guide nozzles each having a bore of a different diameter. The packaging material dispensed from the packaging material mount may be configured to be advanced into the bore and gathered within the bore for forming the string. Depending on the diameter of the bore of the selected guide nozzle, the packaging material may be gathered into strings or ropes having a variety of different diameters or gauges to impart different material properties, such as tensile strength, for various desired applications. If a user desires a string having a different diameter, the guide nozzle may be detached from the gathering attachment and another guide nozzle may be selected and removably coupled to the gathering attachment for subsequent wrapping operations.
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly
The first packaging material mount 110 is configured to support a first packaging material 114, and the second packaging material mount 112 is configured to support a second packaging material 116. The packaging materials 114, 116 may be coupled to a material dispenser 118 (e.g., a cardboard or polymer tube) such that the material dispenser 118 may be placed on each mount 110, 112 and the packaging materials 114, 116 may be unwound from the dispenser 118. The packaging materials 114, 116 may be the same as one another, or different, and may be a variety of materials including, but not limited to, stretch wrap, adhesive tape, bubble wrap, paper, metal foil, string, twine, rope, and packing foam. In the embodiment shown, and as described below with respect to
The motor 106 is configured to drive rotation of the frame 104 relative to the body 102 to cause the frame 104 to rotate about the axis of rotation A. Such driving may be accomplished using a known belt driving mechanism having a belt extending about an outer circumference of the frame 104 (not shown; inside the main body 102) that is configured to be driven by the motor 106. In the illustrated form, the motor 106 is in an external housing 120 on one end of the main body 102, but in other forms the motor 106 may be inside the housing 103 of the main body 102. In alternative embodiments, the belt driving mechanism may be replaced with a gear drive, wherein a portion of the frame 104 includes teeth that engage a gear which in turn is rotated by the motor 106.
Operation of the motor 106 may be controlled directly by user inputs via a user interface 122 such as a graphical user interface or a button on the main body 102 or may include a controller (not shown) to control the wrapping operations. In an embodiment including a controller, the controller may be configured to receive an input from a simple, binary switch (e.g., switch 124) to turn the motor 106 on and off. For example, a user may place one or more objects at or near the axis of rotation A of the frame 104, secure free ends of the packaging materials 114, 116 to the objects, and actuate the switch 124 communicatively coupled to the controller to an “ON” position to cause the motor 106 to begin rotating the frame 104. Once the wrapping operation has been completed, the user may actuate the switch 124 to an “OFF” position to cease rotation of the frame 104.
In another approach, the controller may further include a processor or microprocessor configured to run a preset program, for example, a program that may be set to control the wrapping apparatus 100 in a particular way for a certain combination of packaging materials and/or certain objects to be wrapped. A given preset program may include a preprogrammed speed of rotation and number of rotations of the frame 104. When a user input is received indicating a specific combination of packaging materials and/or a certain object, the controller may be configured to cause the processor to run a corresponding program and activate the motor 106 to rotate the frame 104 for the predetermined number of rotations at the predetermined speed.
During a wrapping operation, the one or more objects to be wrapped may be supported by the support structure 108. In the illustrated form, the support structure 108 includes a base portion 127 and rollers 126 that extend adjacent, or at least partially in, the frame 104 of the wrapping apparatus 100. The support structure 108 is preferably positioned at a height and clearance such that rotation of the frame 104 does not cause the packaging material mounts 110, 112, or any gathering attachments 113 coupled thereto, to inadvertently contact the support structure 108 during a wrapping operation. In addition, the rollers 126 of the support structure 108 are preferably positioned such that no roller 126 is coplanar with the rotatable frame 104 on a plane normal to the axis of rotation A, which in turn permits the packaging materials 114, 116 to be wrapped around the entire periphery of one or more objects via the path of rotation of the frame 104.
In operation, one or more objects may be placed on the support structure 108 (e.g., as shown in
Although the support structure 108 is illustrated as a generally flat surface including the plurality of rollers 126, in other embodiments, the support structure 108 may include a plurality of mirrored pairs of rollers oriented at about a 45 degree angle relative to the horizontal plane to form a “V”-shaped channel of rollers the that are configured to guide one or more objects through the wrapping apparatus 100. In still other forms, the support structure may be formed as a conveyor system such as a belt conveyor or a chain conveyor. In further alternatives, the conveyor system may be replaced with a smooth surface along which objects can be slid.
Referring now to
As illustrated, the gathering attachment 113 includes a generally “V”-shaped body 128 having a crown portion 130 with an aperture 132 configured to receive the packaging material therethrough, and first and second arm portions 135, 136 extending from the crown portion 130 that are configured to be coupled to either the frame 104 or the first packaging material mount 110. In some embodiments, the aperture 132 of the crown portion 130 may be configured to receive a guide nozzle 134 for gathering the packaging material into string having different diameters as described in further detail below. The first arm portion 135 and the second arm portion 136 each include a proximal section 138 and a distal section 140, and the distal sections 140 of the first and second arm portions 135, 136 are shown parallel one another.
The gathering attachment 113 may be configured to be removably attached to any selected one of the packaging material mounts of the wrapping apparatus 100. As shown in
If a user desires to use the wrapping apparatus 100 to wrap one or more objects with a string 115 having a higher tensile strength, the user may couple the gathering attachment 113 to a packaging material mount 110, 112 by advancing the openings 142 of the distal sections 140 over the protruding shank of the bolt 144. In one aspect, the gathering attachment 113 may be formed of a resilient material, such as a flexible metal or plastic, such that the arm portions 135, 136 including the distal sections 140 may first be flexed outward from one another, the openings 142 may be aligned with the shank of the bolt 144, and the arm portions 135, 136 may then rebound to an initial configuration to cause the openings 142 to advance over the shank of the bolt 144 and selectively retain the gathering attachment 113 thereover. Alternatively, the bolt 144 may be a separate component, or other fastener, that may be advanced through both the openings 142 of the distal sections 140 and a bore of a packaging material mount to retain the gathering attachment 113 thereon.
In some forms, the gathering attachment 113 is pivotally mounted over the bolt 144 such that the gathering attachment 113 may freely rotate relative to the packaging material mount to which it is proximate, about an axis defined by the bolt 144, as the frame 104 rotates during a wrapping operation. So configured, the continuous pivoting of the gathering apparatus 113 may reduce friction applied to the packaging material by the guide nozzle 134 as it is pulled therethrough while being unwound from a packaging material mount and may also facilitate a more direct flow of packaging material to cause a more consistent tension of string 115 and/or other packaging material on the object or collection of objects being wrapped. In alternative forms, once the openings 142 of the distal sections 140 have been received over the protruding shank of the bolt 144, the user may use a wingnut 148 or other securing component such as a pin to secure the gathering attachment 113 rigidly in place. In the event that the user subsequently desires to wrap an object where such string material 115 is not required, the user may elect to remove the gathering attachment 113 by detaching the first and second arm portions 135, 136 via the reverse of the example steps described above (e.g., removing the wingnut 147 and sliding the openings 142 over the edges of the bolt 144 to remote the gathering attachment 113).
Once the gathering attachment 113 has been coupled to the first packaging material mount 110, the distal sections 140 of the arm portions 135, 136 are configured to extend generally transverse to a tangent of the annular frame 104 towards the axis of rotation A at a sufficient length to accommodate a material dispenser 118 having a roll of packaging material thereon. The angled, proximal sections 138 of the arm portions 135, 136 extend from the distal sections 140 and converge towards the crown portion 130 having the aperture 132, which is generally located radially inward of the dispenser 118 relative to the axis of rotation A. In the illustrated form, the gathering attachment 113 is made of a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel, but may alternatively be formed of a rigid plastic or polymer material. Additionally, the gathering attachment 113 may be formed of as a single monolithic piece or may be alternatively be formed of multiple, discrete components.
Although the embodiments of the gathering attachment 113 described herein include both first and second arm portions 135, 136, it is also contemplated that a gathering attachment 113 with a single arm portion may be utilized and attached to only one side of the packaging material mounts. In still further forms, the gathering attachment 113 may be generally “U”-shaped, or may be of other configurations, provided that the aperture 132 thereof configured to receive and gather the packaging material is generally positioned radially inward of the packaging material mount to which it is attached. In embodiments where multiple dispensers of material may be positioned on the same packaging material mount, a modified gathering attachment may include multiple apertures in the crown portion 130, with each aperture configured to gather packaging material unwound from one of the multiple dispensers.
In some forms, the aperture 132 of the crown portion 130 of the gathering attachment 113 may be configured to selectively receive a guide insert or nozzle, such as guide nozzle 134. As shown in
In alternative forms, the guide nozzle 134 may be formed in a funnel-like shape and the diameter of the bore 156 may gradually decrease between the distal and proximal openings in a tapered manner for gathering the packaging material. So configured, packaging material may be received into a larger diameter distal opening of the bore 156, gathered together as it is threaded through the bore 156 having a gradually tapered diameter, and exit a reduced diameter proximal opening of the bore 156 as a compact string-like length of stretch wrap 115.
The body 150 of the guide nozzle 134 is configured and sized to be received in the aperture 132 of the crown portion 130 of the gathering attachment 113 from an inner surface 162 (
Different sized bores 156 of the guide nozzle 134 may be used to impact properties of the string 115 formed using the gathering attachment 113. For example, as shown in
By one approach, it may be desirable to use a guide nozzle 134′ having a bore 156′ of a smaller diameter that may gather and pack stretch wrap or other packaging material into a very thin string having a higher tensile strength for grouping together heavier objects such as a collection of metal bars or rods. So configured, such heavier objects may be wrapped simultaneously with both the string having a higher tensile strength, and the stretch wrap with lower tensile strength but greater surface area coverage, to improve the securing of the objects. In other examples, it may be beneficial to select a guide nozzle such as guide nozzle 134 having a bore 156 of a larger diameter such that the stretch wrap is not gathered as tightly and may cover a larger surface area at the cost of tensile strength. Depending on the selected use, a user may easily replace or swap the guide nozzle 134 attached to the gathering attachment 113 with another guide nozzle.
Although the bore 156 in the example guide nozzle 134 is shown as being cylindrical, it should be understood that the bore 156 can also be formed having an ovular cross-section, a rectangular cross-section, or other shapes, that may be configured to funnel and gather the packaging material into unique shapes for wrapping around one or more objects.
Referring now to
The free ends 164, 166 of the string 115 formed of packaging material 114 and packaging material 116 respectively can be secured to the collection of objects 200 by adhering them to the one or more objects of the collection of objects 200, either by an adhesive on the packaging materials 114, 116 themselves (such as the adhesive tape) or by a separate adhesive or strip of adhesive tape. Additionally or alternatively, the free ends 164, 166 of the packaging materials 114, 116 may be held against the objects 200 by the user or by a portion of the wrapping apparatus 100. For example, the free ends 164, 166 may be placed between the support structure 108 and the objects 200 such that the weight of the objects 200 creates sufficient friction between the packaging materials 114, 116 and the objects 200 and/or support structure 108 to secure them in place. In still further embodiments, the packaging materials 114, 116 may simply be made of a material that naturally sticks or clings to the objects, such as cling wrap to a plastic object, and pressing the packaging material 114, 116 against the objects 200 may be sufficient to secure it.
The motor 106 is then activated to induce rotation of the frame 104 relative to the body 102. The packaging materials 114, 116, or packaging material dispenser 118 rotatably coupled to the first and second packaging material mounts 110, 112, are rotatable relative to the rest of the frame 104 such that the packaging materials 114, 116 are permitted to be continuously unwound and dispensed as the frame 104 continues to rotate. For example, as the frame 104 rotates and the packaging materials 114, 116 are dispensed, the first packaging material 114 on the first packaging material mount 110 continues to be pulled through the bore 156 of the guide nozzle 134 so as to be formed as the string 115 that is wrapped around the objects 200 during the wrapping operation. So configured, the wrapping apparatus 100 having a gathering attachment 113 may be configured to use the same material on each packaging material mount, e.g., stretch wrap, to wrap a collection of objects with both the gathered string having a higher tensile strength and ordinary stretch wrap having a lower tensile strength but a higher surface area coverage for a more secure wrapping. Once sufficient packaging material is wrapped around the collection of objects 200, the user may halt the rotation of the frame 104 and cut the packaging material 114, 116 using a knife or other cutting tool.
By one approach, the gathering attachment 113 may be provided to a customer as a kit 300 as shown in
While there have been illustrated and described particular embodiments, it will be appreciated that numerous changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended for the present disclosure to cover all those changes and modifications which fall within the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 63/132,602 filed Dec. 31, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63132602 | Dec 2020 | US |
