US 2001/0022928 A1Published application

Unwrapping apparatus

AssigneePhoto Film Co., Ltd.

InventorsFumio Sugaya, Yoichi Endo, Akihiro Komatsu, Tomoyuki Takiue

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Abstract

An unwrapping apparatus unwraps a slide pack wrapped with a wrapping sheet to obtain a slide contained therein. As paired rollers forward the slide pack, a squeezing member squeezes the slide backward within an unsealed space in the slide pack to form a wide cut allowance at the front edge of the slide pack. After the slide reaches the rear end of the unsealed space, nip pressure applied to the slide pack by the paired rollers is reduced to further forward the slide pack to a predetermined position. At the predetermined position, a cutter partially cuts the cut allowance to form a slit thereon. Then, the slide pack is transferred back by the paired rollers under a raised nip pressure which is sufficient to squeeze the slide out from the slit. Accordingly, the slide will be gradually separated from the wrapping sheet.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An unwrapping apparatus for unwrapping a package containing a solid object tightly wrapped with a wrapping sheet, said package including an unsealed space where the solid object is contained and a sealed portion surrounding the unsealed space, comprising

paired rollers rotatable so that the package caught between the paired rollers is transferred along a predetermined transferring path,
a cutter located behind the paired rollers along the transferring path for making a slit on the unsealed space at a position near the front edge of the package, and
controlling means for controlling operations of the paired rollers and the cutter by setting nip pressure applied to the package by the paired rollers at a pressure suitable both for transferring the package containing the solid object and for transferring the wrapping sheet without the solid object, rotating the paired rollers in respective predetermined directions so that the package is forwarded along the predetermined transferring path, terminating rotation of the paired rollers when the rear edge of the package comes between the paired rollers, making a slit on the package, and rotating the paired rollers in the directions opposite to said predetermined directions so that only the wrapping sheet separated from the solid object is transferred back by the paired rollers.

paired rollers rotatable so that the package caught between the paired rollers is transferred along a predetermined transferring path,
nip pressure altering means for altering nip pressure applied to the package by the paired rollers,
a cutter located behind the paired rollers along the transferring path for making a slit on the unsealed space at a position near the front edge of the package, and
controlling means for controlling operations of the paired rollers, the nip pressure altering means and the cutter by setting the nip pressure applied by the paired rollers at a first nip pressure, rotating the paired rollers in respective predetermined directions so that the package is forwarded along the predetermined transferring path, terminating rotation of the paired rollers when the rear edge of the package comes between the paired rollers, making a slit on the package, setting the nip pressure applied by the paired roller at a second nip pressure which is larger than the first nip pressure, and rotating the paired roller in the directions opposite to said predetermined directions so that only the wrapping sheet separated from the solid object is transferred back by the paired rollers.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.