Apparatus and method for the arrangement and packaging of rolls

#The present invention concerns a method for the arrangement of rolls, in particular of paper rolls, into a package suitable for delivery. According to this method, the rolls are identified, end-labelled, and their length, weight and diameter are measured, whereupon a package is formed of a suitable number of rolls at the wrapping station.

#At present, various roll packaging lines are commonly used for paper rolls coming from apparatus for paper finishing. As an example of these lines reference may be made to the packaging line described in the GB Pat. specification No. 2,044,713, in which paper rolls of different sizes are transferred axially, i.e., in the longitudinal direction, along a transfer track from one treatment station to the other. At the treatment stations the rolls are identified, measured and weighed, end-labelled, wrapped, as well as provided with inner and outer headers. Said packaging line is well suitable for the transfer and handling of individual rolls, which are often very heavy. This is the case in particular because, by means of the axial mode of transfer, it is possible to avoid the drawbacks resulting from rolling of the roll around the longitudinal axis.

#When it has been desirable to form a so-called multi-roll package out of two or more rolls, so far the rolls have been grouped in package groups right at the winder. Thus is has been necessary to perform the end-labelling of two rolls using two separate labelling devices, one for each roll. If there have been at least three rolls, the end-labelling of the middle rolls has, on the whole, not been possible.

#The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

#The FIGURE is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention.

#As shown in the FIGURE, the rolls A, B, C, D are transferred by means of a conveyor 1 axially from an apparatus for paper finishing, e.g. a winder, to a transfer track 2. On the transfer track 2, each roll in its turn (in the figure the roll A) moves first to the positioning station 3. This comprises an oblong transfer track, which consists of, e.g., transversally mounted, freely revolving auxiliary rolls, which are positioned obliquely relative the horizontal plane and which are inclined towards each other so that they form a sort of a transfer trough. The positioning station 3 further includes positioning devices 4 and 5 placed at both ends of the transfer track, whereat the rolls can be shifted from one end of the transfer track to the other end by means of the movement of said positioning devices. When roll A arrives at the station 3, the positioning devices 4 and 5 position it for wrapping. At the positioning station 3, identification of the roll A, end-labelling of the end I of roll A, and measurement of the width, the diameter and the weight of the roll A are performed. If it is ascertained at the identification stage, for example on basis of the delivery address of the roll, that the roll must be packed alone, it is transferred to a wrapping station. On the other hand, if the roll is identified as a roll that is to be packed in a multi-roll package, the positioning device 5 moves to its home position, i.e. to its rear position, and the positioning device 4 pushes the roll A to the waiting position 3', which is illustrated with broken lines in the drawing.

#The next roll B is transferred to the positioning station. The positioning devices 4 and 5 position the rolls A and B for wrapping, whereupon the roll B is identified, end-labelled, and its diameter, weight, as well as the total width of the rolls A and B is measured. If it is possible to ascertain, on basis of the identification data of the rolls A and B or by means of the width or weight measurement A+B, that the package group will include only rolls A and B, the rolls are transferred as a pair to wrapping. If a further roll C or further rolls C and D must be included in the package, the positioning device 5 is shifted to its home position, and the positioning device 4 pushes the group of rolls A+B to the waiting position 3'.

#By means of the arrangement described above, the rolls to be included in a group of rolls can be end-labelled (on end I) as soon as they arrive at the positioning station 3 for positioning. The rolls are collected in the waiting position at the positioning station until there are a number of rolls suitable for a multiroll package with the aid of the specification data of a suitable multi-roll package, contained, e.g., in a computer-based system, as well as the data received from the positioning station and related to each roll (i.e. identification and measurement data of the rolls present in the positioning station) and the data of identification and overall width and weight of the group of rolls.