U.S. patent number 3,622,095 [Application Number 04/882,901] was granted by the patent office on 1971-11-23 for combined shipping package and dispenser construction for roll supply of light-sensitive materials.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation. Invention is credited to Charles L. Turner.
United States Patent |
3,622,095 |
Turner |
November 23, 1971 |
COMBINED SHIPPING PACKAGE AND DISPENSER CONSTRUCTION FOR ROLL
SUPPLY OF LIGHT-SENSITIVE MATERIALS
Abstract
A dispenser for light-sensitive copy paper formed out of
inexpensive construction materials such as paperboard to handle
roll stock. The dispenser is constructed so as to rotatably mount
the roll in a support type of roll enclosure that is also used as a
protective package for the roll during shipment and storage. The
support body is equipped with a key that matches a keyway in the
copy machine housing so that it fits into the machine in only one
way to guarantee proper paper direction.
Inventors: |
Turner; Charles L. (Elgin,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Addressograph-Multigraph
Corporation (Mount Prospect, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
25381570 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/882,901 |
Filed: |
December 8, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
242/598.3;
242/615; 242/129.5; 355/29; 242/613.2; 242/615.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03G
15/6523 (20130101); G03B 17/26 (20130101); G03G
15/6594 (20130101); G03G 15/6597 (20130101); G03G
2215/00518 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G03G
15/00 (20060101); G03B 17/26 (20060101); B65h
075/02 (); B65h 019/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;242/55,197,55.2,55.3,55.53,67.3,68,71.1,76
;206/52R,52A,52F,56,R,59R,59E,59F,59H |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gilreath; Stanley N.
Assistant Examiner: Schroeder; Werner H.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A roll feed supply of light-sensitive material wound on a
cylindrical core support for utilization in a reproduction device
equipped with unwinding means, said supply being contained in a
package assembly comprising a support body having a bottom wall and
upstanding wall elements with a top edge, cutout portions in
opposing relationship on the top edge of at least two of said wall
elements, said two wall elements each being formed of two adjacent
and generally parallel wall members formed by a fold at said top
edge in which the cutout portion is formed to permit access to the
space between the wall members, a crosspiece member axially
received within said cylindrical core support and including
downwardly extending tabs fittingly engaging said cutout portions
and received between the wall members to support the roll in a
rotatable position transverse to its direction of rotation,
compartment means associated with said reproduction device equipped
with a keyway and keying means included on said support body for
locating the body relative to said compartment so that the free end
of the roll is received in a predetermined manner relative to the
unwinding mechanism.
2. The roll feed supply set forth in claim 1 in which the keyway on
the compartment and the keying means on the support body each
include intersecting planar walls, the walls on the support
including said bottom wall and an upstanding wall element other
than said two wall elements.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a combination dispensing and
packaging construction and more particularly to an article of
manufacture for packaging rolls of light-sensitive paper which also
serves as a dispenser in a high-speed copying apparatus.
In replenishing the roll supply of light-sensitive copy material
useful in photocopy machines heretofore known, it was necessary to
partially dismantle the roll supply mounting from which the supply
is unwound and fed into the machine to remove the used core and put
in its place the new roll. It is commonplace in such roll supply
constructions to have the roll supply mounted on a removable
mandrel which can be directly or indirectly connected to the main
drive. For the most part the rolls are mounted on a shaft which is
part of the construction of the machine necessitating the loosening
and removal of various fasteners to free up the core and remount a
new supply.
The packaging for the typical roll supply can take any different
forms and has been supplied in a variety of containers, but in all
cases, the removal of the packaging wrapper or container results in
a search by the operator for the proper positioning of the roll to
be sure that the working or sensitized surface of the paper faces
in the proper direction. This is of importance because the
light-sensitive rolls have a working surface and a nonworking
surface so that if the roll is put in improperly, copies cannot be
made. In most cases the expensive protective wrappings are
discarded and serve no further useful purpose other than to provide
protection during shipment and storage.
The construction in accordance with the present invention provides
a unique package for protectively shipping and handling roll
material which same package serves as the roll mounting for the
light-sensitive material, in the photocopy machine. The package
with the exception of a cover portion, is fittingly received into
the dispensing or unwind station of the machine so as to guarantee
proper insertion of the roll. The package construction itself
serves as the only mounting for the roll eliminating the need for
any interconnecting portions with the drive segments of the machine
beyond a pair of infeed rollers to receive the lead edge of the
web.
This combination of packaging and dispenser construction has the
extreme advantage of providing a simplified way of replenishing the
roll supply and at the same time provides a suitable container for
shipment. In other words, a single construction is effectively
utilized for two distinct applications.
An additional advantage is that the construction permits guidance
of the web from the supply into the machine in a predetermined
direction since the unit is equipped with a guide element that
mates with the dispensing station so as to guarantee the proper
feeding direction of the material.
As an additional feature, the construction of the dispensing unit
is quite inexpensive to fabricate and it is rendered more
economical because it also serves as the shipping container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved
combined package dispenser unit for roll stock which is inexpensive
and meets the rigorous requirements for a precise web alignment
during feeding.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved combined
package dispenser that assures proper insertion of the material to
be processed.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved
package dispenser that is simple and inexpensive to fabricate and
properly protects the roll supply during shipping and handling.
It is a specific object of this invention to provide an improved
combined package dispenser that is simple to load into the
processing equipment.
Other advantages and objects of the present invention will become
apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to
the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the dispensing station of the
photocopying machine in partial section showing the operation of
package dispenser combination of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective of the package dispenser unit shown without
the roll;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective showing how the roll supply is
fittingly received in the package dispenser and the web guide
control.
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the photocopy machine as
identified with the general reference character 10 being equipped
with an unwind station identified generally as 12. The unwind
station is essentially an elongated chamber having a floor 14,
front and backwall portions 16 and 18, respectively, and one
sidewall 20. The other side of the chamber is open in order to
provide a free access way for the package dispenser unit identified
generally as 22.
The backwall portion 18 is formed with a guide member 18A which
renders the cross section of the chamber unsymmetrical so as to be
able to fittingly receive the package dispenser unit 22 in only one
predetermined relationship.
The roll supply of material 24 is supported inside the chamber 13
by means of the package dispenser unit 22 so that the lead length
26 is fed between a pair of nipping rollers 28 and 30 which are
driven through a suitable connection to the main drive of the
copying machine causing it to be fed through the various stations
for processing. Immediately beyond the feed rollers 28 and 30 is
the cutting assembly 32 which cuts the web into sheets of
appropriate length. Beyond the cutting station 32 the sheet passes
in front of a guide element 34 which directs it into the charging
station equipped with a pair of infeed rollers 36 and 38 which
drive the sheet through the charging assembly 40 where the sheet is
applied a blanket electrostatic charge.
Upon emergence from the charging assembly 40 the sheet is directed
to the exposure station 42.
In FIG. 2 there is shown a preferred construction of the package
dispensing unit 22. The main body 43 of the unit 22 is comprised of
a base or floor 44 (FIG. 1), sidewalls 46 and 48 and front and
backwalls 50 and 52, respectively. The material of construction of
the body assembly 43 can be selected from a wide variety of
materials such as wood, paper, plastic, sheet metal or the like. It
will be appreciated that while the body is shown as formed of solid
wall construction, the equivalent type of support and body
structure might be achieved through the use of a simple but rigid
framework construction. The only requirement for the body portion
43 is that it be strong enough to effectively support a roll up to
20 pounds and that it be sufficiently rigid so that it can
withstand the forces introduced into the structure as a result of
the web being unwound by the rollers 28 and 30 at a rate ranging
from 15 to 60 feet per minute.
The construction of the body 43 is such that it is matingly
received into the chamber 13 so that the working surface of the
roll 24 faces in a predetermined direction to be sure that it is
properly oriented with respect to such instrumentalities as the
charging assembly 40 and the exposure station 42. In the instant
construction the working surface faces the outside of the roll. To
achieve this proper orientation, the backwall is slanted with
respect to the front wall 50 so that the degree of angularity of
the backwall 52 with respect to a vertical line corresponds to the
angularity of the guide portion 18A of the backwall 18. It will
readily be understood that any attempt to insert the unit 22 into
the chamber 13 in any other manner such as having the wall 52
received against the front wall 16 of the chamber 13 would
immediately alert the operator to the incorrectness of the
attempted insertion by virtue of the fact that it would not
fit.
The body portion 43 is equipped with a crossmember 60 which is
supported between the sidewalls 46 and 48. The crosspiece 60 serves
as a support for the roll supply on which it is rotatingly received
so that the web 26 can be freely unwound from the roll 24.
The crosspiece is formed of a corrugated paperboard which is the
same material out of which the body portion is formed. The
triangular configuration provides a proper support for the core 62
on which the paper 24 is wound. The advantage of the triangular
configuration is the reduction in the amount of friction generated
between the inside surface of the core 62 and the crosspiece 60.
While the construction of the crosspiece 60 is shown in a
triangular configuration, it will be understood that it can assume
a polygonal configuration or it can have a circular cross section
and still perform properly. Advantageously, it is made out of the
same material as the body portion but it can be of a dissimilar
material such as a wooden dowel which is properly supported between
the sidewalls 46 and 48.
The body portion 43 is formed of a single sheet of corrugated
paperboard precut to a pattern comprising a series of foldable
segments, in which the front and backwalls 50 and 52, respectively,
have foldable tab portions 50A, 50B and 52A, 52B, respectively. The
sidewall portions 46 and 48 each contain panels 46A, 46B and 48A,
48B, respectively, which are generally of the same size and
configuration as the primary wall portions 46 and 48. To form the
body portion 43 the wall portions 50 and 52 are folded upright from
the floor or base 44 and the tab portions 50A, 50B and 52A, 52B are
folded inwardly and at right angles to the front and backwalls,
respectively. The side panels 46B and 48B are folded upwardly along
fold lines 54 and 56 formed in the floor portion 44. Their
respective panel portions 46A and 48A are next folded along the
fold lines 58 and 59 capturing the tab portions 50A and 52A and 50B
and 52B between the panels 48A and 48B and 46A and 46B. Thus there
is formed a rigid upright body on which may be supported the roll
24. The walls 46 and 48 are shown with cutout portions 64 and 68
into which may be received the support elements of the crosspiece
60.
Referring to FIG. 3 there is shown in detail the manner in which
the roll 24 is mounted within the body 43. The sensitized paper 25
is wound on a cylindrical core 62. The core might be of any
suitable material such as paper, plastic, metal or wood. The
crosspiece 60 is a single piece of corrugated board or other
suitable rigid paper material which is folded into four rectangular
panels of equal dimension 80, 82, 84 and 86. The sheet is folded
into the triangular configuration shown in FIG. 3 with the panels
84 and 86 in superimposed relation. Integral with the panels 84 and
86 are tab portions 84A, 84B and 86A, 86B which when folded in the
downward position form the suitable supports which can be fittingly
received in the cutout portions 64 and 66. It will be understood
that the sidewalls of the support body 43 are of double thickness
as formed by the panels 46A, 46B and 48A, 48B and the tab portions
50A, 52A and 50B, 52B are received between the panels 48B and 48A
and 46B and 46A. With the tab portions 84A, 86A and 86B, 84B
inserted into the cutouts 64 and 66, the crosspieces are rigidly
retained between the sidewalls 46 and 48.
Optionally, the tabs 84A, 86A and 84B, 86B may be stapled or glued
or otherwise secured to the sidewall construction. This has not
been found necessary but may produce greater overall rigidity and
reinforcement when the unit is exposed to the forces imparted to
the structure when the paper 25 is unwound from the roll.
It is contemplated that in place of the triangular configuration of
the crosspiece 60, it might be a polygonal configuration. Further,
instead of a corrugated paperboard material, it might be made of a
wooden rod or a plastic or paper tube which is glued or secured in
the sidewalls 46 and 48 through circular openings in the
sidewalls.
With the crosspiece securely mounted in the sidewalls, the roll 24
is in position for unwinding being rigidly secured in the body
portion 43. For shipping purposes, the entire assembly including
the roll mounted in position on the body 43 is inserted into an
outer container (not shown) which may be of the ordinary box-type
construction that completely encloses and securely surrounds the
assembly. It will be appreciated that the roll 24 mounted on the
body portion 43 and then contained in a box is quite secure from
the usual hazards to which the material might be exposed during
shipping. In view of the locking arrangement of the crosspiece 60
in the sidewalls 46 and 48, the container may be shipped in any
position without fear of having the roll dislodged from the body
portion. Further, the outside container serves as a protective
covering for the portion of the roll that extends above the
sidewall and front walls of the body portion 43.
When the container arrives at its destination, the user merely
removes the outside carton and the unit 22 is then directly
inserted into the chamber 13 of the photocopying machine 10. If the
operator attempts to insert the roll so that the wall portion 52 is
received against the sidewall 16 of the chamber 13, it will not
fit. Thus, the operator will be alerted to reinserting the unit 22
so that the sidewall 52 is matingly engaged with the guide element
18A which is part of the chamber 13. With the unit 22 fully
received inside the chamber 13, the operator need only to manually
peel a lead length 26 from the roll and insert it into the nip
between rollers 28 and 30 in order to complete the replenishment of
the paper supply.
When a copy demand is placed on the machine, the rollers 28 and 30
will rotate gripping the lead length 26 and causing the roll 24 to
unwind on the crosspiece 60. Any lateral movement is absorbed in
the wall portions 16 and 18A of the chamber so that the roll
uniformly and evenly unwinds as copy demands are made on the
apparatus. Movement in a direction transverse to the unwind
direction of the paper is restricted by and controlled by the guide
assembly 90 which comprises a pair of swingably mounted arms 92
mounted on the frame of the machine 10. Affixed to free end of the
arms are a pair of guide wheels 94 (FIG. 1 and FIG. 3). The guide
wheels include hub and flange elements 96 and 98 arranged so the
hub rides on the surface of the roll and the flange portion engages
the edge of the roll. The guide wheels are slidably adjustable on a
laterally extending shaft 99 on which the wheels are rotatably
mounted. With the hub and flange elements engaging the edges of the
roll, the web is controlled and restrained from moving off its
designated course.
When the supply of paper is used up, the operator merely removes
the unit 22 after disengaging the assembly 90 and replaces it with
a new package.
It will be observed that the only connection between the dispensing
unit 22 and the machine proper is the peeling off of the lead
length of paper 26 which is fed into the nipping rollers 28 and 30.
No other connection or mounting is required and no tools whatsoever
are required. The simplicity and ease of providing a replenished
supply of material is particularly suitable for a high-speed
machine necessitating practically no downtime of the machine
whatsoever while changing rolls.
* * * * *