U.S. patent application number 15/335790 was filed with the patent office on 2017-02-23 for container for receiving a balancing weight roller.
The applicant listed for this patent is WEGMANN AUTOMOTIVE GMBH & CO. KG. Invention is credited to Markus Vogler.
Application Number | 20170050813 15/335790 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50639313 |
Filed Date | 2017-02-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170050813 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vogler; Markus |
February 23, 2017 |
CONTAINER FOR RECEIVING A BALANCING WEIGHT ROLLER
Abstract
A container configured to receive a belt of balancing weights
and to dispense the same is formed as a cartridge that is
substantially closed on all sides. The container has two spaced
apart sidewalls, dimensioned to receive the belt roll between them,
as well as a circumferential wall, which connects the sidewalls to
one another and is provided with a dispensing opening for the
passage of the belt. At the inner side of at least one of the
sidewalls there is at least one brake tab that is laterally
adjacent to the belt or the belt roll and spreading slanted against
a rearward movement of the belt or the belt roller.
Inventors: |
Vogler; Markus; (Wurzburg,
DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
WEGMANN AUTOMOTIVE GMBH & CO. KG |
Veitshochheim |
|
DE |
|
|
Family ID: |
50639313 |
Appl. No.: |
15/335790 |
Filed: |
October 27, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
PCT/EP2015/058978 |
Apr 24, 2015 |
|
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15335790 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 75/4471 20130101;
B65H 75/4418 20130101; B65H 16/005 20130101; B65D 83/0472 20130101;
F16F 15/328 20130101; B65D 85/672 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65H 16/00 20060101
B65H016/00; B65H 75/44 20060101 B65H075/44 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 2, 2014 |
EP |
14166904.4 |
Claims
1. A balancing weight dispenser configured to dispense a balancing
weight from a belt of balancing weights formed into a belt roll,
the container comprising: a cartridge substantially closed on all
sides, the cartridge having two spaced apart sidewalls dimensioned
to receive the belt roll between them, and a circumferential wall
connecting said two sidewalls to one another and having therein a
dispensing opening dimensioned to pass the belt therethrough, at
least one brake tab at an inner side of at least one of the two
sidewalls, said brake tab being laterally adjacent to the belt, and
spread slanted against a rearward movement of the belt o, and the
belt of balancing weights comprising a plurality of balancing
weights attached to an adhesive tape, the belt of balancing weights
disposed inside the cartridge.
2. A balancing weight dispenser according to claim 1, wherein two
brake tabs are provided at the same one of the two sidewalls of the
cartridge, said brake tabs lying substantially diametrically
opposite to each other with relation to an axis of the belt roll
and radially aligned to one another and being adjacent to a lateral
side of the belt roll.
3. A balancing weight dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the
cartridge includes a cardboard material, and wherein a brake tab is
a portion of said sidewall folded to project out of a plane of a
sidewall from the two sidewalls.
4. A balancing weight dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the
cartridge includes a single cardboard blank, comprising (i) a
substantially rectangular base plane configured to form a first one
of the two sidewalls, (ii) circumferential wall segments adjoining
respective outer edges of the base plane and configured to form the
circumferential wall, and (iii) surface elements adjoining outer
edges of said circumferential wall segments and together configured
to form a second of the two side walls.
5. A balancing weight dispenser according to claim 4, wherein a
circular cardboard cylinder is arranged centrally on an inner side
of the base plane, said cardboard cylinder configured as a hub for
the belt roll and having a height substantially corresponding to
the width of the belt.
6. A balancing weight dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the
base plane is slanted in the region of one of its corners, and that
the dispense opening is formed in a circumferential wall segment
associated with a surface segment for the circumferential wall.
7. A balancing weight dispenser according to claim 4, wherein a
first surface element adjoins an outer edge of a first
circumferential wall segment from said circumferential wall
segments, a second surface element adjoins an outer edge of a
second circumferential wall segment from said circumferential wall
segments, wherein said first and second circumferential wall
segments are mutually opposing one another, each of said first and
second circumferential wall segments carrying a corresponding brake
tab from the two brake tabs.
8. A balancing weight dispenser according to claim 7, wherein a
first surface element (38) is adjacent to a second circumferential
wall segment (14c) being orthogonally to one of the two first
circumferential wall segments (14a, 14d), which first surface
element covers the both second surface elements (28, 30) forming
the second side wall.
9. A balancing weight dispenser according to claim 1, wherein a
segment of said circumferential wall is inclined downwardly from
the dispensing opening in order to further reduce, in operation of
the dispenser, a sliding motion of the belt back into the
dispensing opening.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from pending European
Application No. 14166904.4 filed on May 2, 2014.
[0002] This application is a continuation of pending International
Application No. PCT/EP2015/058978 filed on Apr. 24, 2015, which
designates the United States and claims priority from European
Application No. 14166904.4 filed on May 2,2014. The disclosure of
each of the above-mentioned patent application is incorporated
herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The invention relates to a container for receiving a wound
tape or roll--hereinafter referred to as belt--being fitted with
balancing weights and for dispensing the same to a transport and
cutting-off mechanism, wherein the container is formed as a
cartridge substantially closed on all sides, with two spaced-apart
sidewalls receiving such roll (the belt roll) between them, as well
as a circumferential wall connecting these sidewalls to each other.
The cartridge is provided with a dispensing opening dimensioned for
the passage of the belt therethrough.
[0005] 2. Description of Relevant Art
[0006] Containers of the above described type serve on the one hand
as transport containers, but on the other hand also form
(particularly, for example, in automatic balancing systems for
large-scale manufacturing of automobiles) a magazine for holding
and dispensing the balancing weight belts to a transport and
cutting-off mechanism, in which mechanism a belt portion (provided
for balancing a wheel and fitted with the required number of
balancing weights) is pulled out and cut-off for further
processing. It has been found that, in particular with upright
standing cartridges with a dispensing opening arranged in the upper
region of said cartridge, when the belt end being outside of the
cartridge is not held, the tape roll tends to rotate back against
the advance rotational direction taking place when pulling-out a
tape section, and draw back the free belt end into the cartridge,
where it is generally not possible to bring the belt end to the
surface again without opening the cartridge, i.e. possibly destroy
it.
[0007] From EP 1 477 703 A2 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,409, containers
of the above-mentioned type with upright-standing cartridges are
known in which, however, the dispensing opening is formed in the
lower region of the cartridge, respectively, such that the
above-described adverse effect does not occur. However, these
containers have the disadvantage that the belt roll with its not
inconsiderable weight presses on the free belt end guided to the
dispense opening and presses said belt end against the lower
circumferential wall, such that, especially in case of a still full
tape roll, a considerable resistance against the conveying movement
of the belt arises.
[0008] In DE 201 04 923 U1, a container of the above-mentioned type
with a dispense opening in the upper region of the upright-standing
cartridge is shown. Here, the belt end remains permanently clamped
and held between two feed rollers during operation, i.e. also after
cutting-off, such that it cannot be pulled into the cartridge even
in case of an eventual reverse rotation of the belt roll, at least
during this phase of operation.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 7,981,227 B1 discloses a cardboard for
adhesive tapes. It has two gripping lugs which may be punched
out.
SUMMARY
[0010] The embodiments are based on the object of improving a
cartridge of the above-mentioned type such that, regardless of its
position and location in space, a sliding-back of the free belt end
is reliably prevented in a simple manner, i.e. also without the
belt end being held in a feed mechanism or the like.
[0011] In a preferred embodiment, a cartridge serves for receiving
a tape being fitted with balance weights--hereinafter referred to
as belt. The tape is preferably wound up to a belt roll, and may be
fed to a (not illustrated) transport and cutting-off mechanism, or
for manual sampling, in which a belt portion required for balancing
a wheel is cut off and attached to the wheel. The balance weights
preferably have an adhesive tape on the rear side, and more
preferably a protective film on the outside of the adhesive tape.
The cartridge preferably comprises two spaced sidewalls receiving
the belt roll between them. Furthermore, a circumferential wall
connecting the sidewalls to one another is provided which
preferably includes a plurality of circumferential wall portions,
due to the preferably cuboidal configuration of the cartridge.
[0012] Preferably at least one brake tab is provided at the inner
side of at least one of the sidewalls of the cartridge, the brake
tab being adjacent to the belt or the belt roll, respectively, and
spread slanted or sloped or inclined against a rearward movement of
the belt or rearward rotation of the belt roll.
[0013] Each of the brake tabs acts in a braking manner on the belt
roll or the free belt end, respectively, independent of the weight
distribution of the belt roll in the cartridge or of the location
of the cartridge in space, respectively, in particular independent
of whether the belt end is held by a downstream device, such that a
retraction or falling back of this belt end into the cartridge is
effectively avoided.
[0014] According to one embodiment it is provided that two brake
tabs are arranged at one of the sidewalls of the cartridge, such
brake tabs lying substantially diametrically opposite to each other
with relation to the axis of the belt roll and radially aligned to
one another and being adjacent to a lateral side of the belt roll.
In this way, substantially the entire diameter of the lateral side
of the belt roll is used for braking the same. As shown in an
exemplary embodiment, also the free belt end being partially
unwound of the belt roll and being guided to the dispense opening
may be held.
[0015] The cartridge is preferably made of a cardboard material,
wherein the respective brake tab is formed by punching and folding
out of the plane of the respective sidewall. Cardboard material is
easy to process, inexpensive and lightweight, such that it does not
significantly contribute to the total weight of the belt roll and
the associated container.
[0016] It is particularly preferred, if the cartridge is formed
from a single cardboard blank comprising a substantially, nearly
rectangular base plane forming a first one of the sidewalls,
surface segments adjacent to the outer edges of the base plane and
forming the circumferential wall, and surface elements being
adjacent to the outer edges of these surface segments and forming
the second sidewall. The cartridge is then formed by folding and
gluing the surface segments and surface elements in the known
manner, as is shown in detail by way of the example of
embodiment.
[0017] In order to keep the belt roll in the cartridge
substantially centrally, it is further preferably provided that a
circular cylinder, preferably a cardboard cylinder, having a
thickness (height) substantially corresponding to the width of the
belt is arranged centrally on the inside of the base plane. Such
cylinder serves as a hub for the belt roll. This hub causes the
belt roll to remain centered in the cartridge even with decreasing
diameter of the belt roll, and not to rest on the lower
circumferential wall, where it would cause significant friction
increasing the extraction force of the belt.
[0018] According to a further embodiment it is provided that the
base plane is slanted in the region of one of its corners, and that
the dispensing opening for passage of the belt is formed in the
associated surface segment for the circumferential wall. In this
way, the belt can be moved substantially horizontally out of the
cartridge without abutting on the circumferential wall, as shown in
the embodiment.
[0019] A particularly advantageous embodiment of the cardboard
blank provides that at each of the outer edges of two mutually
opposing first surface segments for the circumferential wall, a
surface element adjoins which complements with the respective other
surface element to the second side wall, and that a brake tab is
formed at each of these surface elements. A further surface element
adjoins to one of the surface segments being in a right angle
position to these first two surface segments, which further surface
element covers the both first surface elements forming the second
sidewall, and thus closes the openings generated when punching and
folding out the brake tabs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] In the following, the invention will be described by way of
example, without limitation of the general inventive concept, on
examples of embodiment and with reference to the drawings.
[0021] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a finished cartridge
fitted with a belt carrying balancing weights;
[0022] FIG. 2 shows a cardboard blank for the manufacturing of a
cartridge; and
[0023] FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F show folding instructions
for the production of a cartridge from a cardboard blank.
[0024] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications
and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by
way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in
detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and
detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the
invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary,
the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and
alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present
invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment. The cartridge 2 as shown in
FIG. 1 serves for receiving a tape fitted with balancing weights
4--hereinafter referred to as belt 8--which is wound up to a belt
roll 6 and preferably is fed to a transport and cutting-off
mechanism (not shown), or for manual sampling, in which a belt
portion required for balancing a wheel is cut off and attached to
the wheel. The cartridge 2 has two spaced sidewalls 10 and 12
receiving the belt roll 6 there-between, of which only the sidewall
10 facing to the viewer can be seen in FIG. 1, as well as a
circumferential wall interconnecting the sidewalls 10, 12, which as
a whole is referred to with 14, and which consists of a plurality
of circumferential wall portions 14a to 14e, due to the
approximately cuboidal configuration of the cartridge 2.
[0026] As can be seen FIG. 1, one of the corners of the cartridge 2
is cut obliquely, wherein in the circumferential wall segment 14b
forming this obliquely cut corner, a dispensing opening 16 is
formed through which the belt 8 exits.
[0027] The belt roll 6 is centrally and rotatably supported on a
hub 18 formed in the interior of the cartridge.
[0028] On the viewer-facing sidewall 10, two brake tabs 32, 34 are
formed, which tabs spread slanted against the sides of the belt
roll 6 opposite to a rotation direction of the belt roll 6 (the
rotation direction being indicated with arrow 44), thus avoiding
such rotation or sliding back of the belt 8 into the cartridge. The
brake tab 32 may reach that far radially outwards that even with a
full belt roll the outermost winding, i.e. the already lifted belt
end is held. Optionally, sliding back of the belt end is further
reduced by the circumferential wall segment 14b being inclined
downwards from the dispensing opening 16, since the weights
adjoining the circumferential wall segment 14b preferably pull down
here.
[0029] FIG. 2 shows a cardboard blank 20 with a base plane 22
forming a first one 12 of the sidewalls, at the outer edges 24a to
24e of which the circumferential wall segments 14a to 14e
adjoin.
[0030] A surface element 28 adjoins to the outer edge 26a of the
circumferential wall segment 14a, which surface element forms the
second side wall 10 together with surface element 30 being adjacent
to the outer edge 26d of the circumferential wall segment 14d. A
brake tab 32 or 34, respectively, is punched in each of the surface
elements 28 and 30, such that these tabs can be folded around an
associated folding edge, out of the plane of the associated surface
element.
[0031] A circumferential wall segment 14b adjoins to the oblique
outer edge 24b of the base plane 22, in which circumferential wall
segment 14b a dispensing opening 36 is punched out.
[0032] The hub 18 is arranged on the base plane 22, which hub is
formed, for example, of a circular cardboard cylinder with a
thickness substantially corresponding to the width of the belt
8.
[0033] A further surface element 38 adjoins to the outer edge 26c
of the circumferential wall segment 14c, whose function will be
explained with reference to FIG. 3.
[0034] The surface elements 40 or 42, respectively, which adjoin at
the outer edge 26b of the circumferential wall segment 14b on the
one hand and at the outer edge 26e of the circumferential wall
segment 14e on the other hand, are pure adhesive edges, as will
also be explained with reference to FIG. 3.
[0035] FIGS. 3A to 3F show an instruction how to fold a cardboard
blank 20 according to FIG. 2 to a cartridge 2 according to FIG. 1,
to glue it and to fit it with a belt roll 6.
[0036] In the first step (FIG. 3A) a belt roll 6 is mounted on the
hub 18, the oblique circumferential wall segment 14b is folded up
and the belt end withdrawn from the belt roll 6 is threaded through
the dispensing opening 36. The surface element 40 serving as the
adhesive edge is folded such that it lies parallel to the plane of
base plane 22.
[0037] In the next steps, the brake tabs 32, 34 formed in the
surface elements 28, 30 are folded inwardly, such that they spread
against a rearward rotation of the belt roll (according to arrow
44) after folding inwards the surface elements 28, 30; the surface
elements 28, 30 are folded inwards such that the brake tabs rest on
the belt roll 6 (FIGS. 3B to 3D).
[0038] In a further step, the covering strips arranged on the
surface elements 38, 40 and 42 are peeled off, so that the
subjacent adhesive layers are revealed, and thereafter the surface
element 42 and the surface element 38 are successively folded onto
the surface elements 28, 30 forming the second side wall, and are
glued together. The cartridge 2 is now ready for use in a transport
and cutting-off mechanism, wherein the belt roll 6 is prevented
from rearward rotation and the belt end protruding from the
dispense opening is prevented from sliding back into the cartridge
by the brake tabs 32, 34. In order to additionally secure the belt
end for a longer transport, it may be, for example, releasably
glued to the circumferential wall segment 14c.
[0039] It will be appreciated to those skilled in the art having
the benefit of this disclosure that this invention is believed to
provide a container for receiving a balancing weight roller.
Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various
aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the
art in view of this description. Accordingly, this description is
to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of
teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying
out the invention. It is to be understood that the forms of the
invention shown and described herein are to be taken as the
presently preferred embodiments. Elements and materials may be
substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts and
processes may be reversed, and certain features of the invention
may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to one
skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of
the invention. Changes may be made in the elements described herein
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as
described in the following claims.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0040] 2 cartridge [0041] 4 balancing weights [0042] 6 belt roll
[0043] 8 belt [0044] 10 first sidewall [0045] 12 second sidewall
[0046] 14 circumferential wall [0047] 14a-14e circumferential wall
segments [0048] 16 dispense opening [0049] 18 hub [0050] 20
cardboard blank [0051] 22 base plane [0052] 24a-24e outer edges
[0053] 26a-26e outer edges [0054] 28 surface element [0055] 30
surface element [0056] 32 brake tab [0057] 34 brake tab [0058] 36
dispensing opening [0059] 38 surface element [0060] 40 surface
element [0061] 42 surface element [0062] 44 arrow
* * * * *