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US 5,261,996 AGranted
Guiding system for a vacuum wheel applicator
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorSteven J. Rossini
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorSteven J. Rossini
Estimating the term…
An applicator wheel and guide system are provided in order to accurately align and position web material, either as discrete lengths or as a continuous strip, to articles or a continuous web. Specifically, the guide system includes a lateral edge guide disc rotatable with the applicator wheel which exhibits an edge guide surface at a first point along the periphery of the wheel applicator to precisely laterally align the web material and which moves radially inward from the surface of the applicator wheel at an application point so as not to obstruct the application of the web material to the articles or continuous web moved at a constant rate thereby. Moreover, the guide system includes the provision of an air bar for forming a loop in the supplied strip of web material prior to handling by the wheel applicator. The air bar eliminates roller inertia and guarantees consistent lengths of discrete lengths of web material to be applied to articles or a web when used on a wobbler arm. The edge guide and the air bar increase the accuracy with which web material can be successfully applied to articles or a web with regard to lateral and length alignment, respectively.
A wheel applicator and guide assembly for transferring and applying web material to an article that is moved continuously adjacent to the periphery of said applicator wheel, said wheel applicator including means for holding the web material against a circumferential surface of said wheel applicator and for carrying the web material from a first point at the periphery of said wheel applicator to an angularly spaced point of application and a means for driving said wheel applicator at a predetermined speed, said guide assembly comprising an edge guide means rotatable with said applicator wheel that is provided adjacent to said applicator wheel so as to extend radially outward beyond said circumferential surface of said applicator wheel at said first point for guiding an edge of the web material at said first point and which moves relative to said applicator wheel;
A wheel applicator and guide assembly for transferring and applying a discrete length of web material to an article that is moved continuously adjacent to the periphery of said applicator wheel, said wheel applicator including means for holding the web material against a circumferential surface of said wheel applicator and for carrying the discrete lengths of web material from a first point at the periphery of said wheel applicator to an angularly spaced point of application and a means for driving said wheel applicator at a predetermined speed, said guide assembly comprising a means for forming a loop in a supplied strip of web material to be handled by said applicator wheel and for cyclically increasing and decreasing the size of the formed loop to change the feed rate of the strip of web material to said applicator wheel, wherein said means for forming a loop in a supplied strip of web material comprises an air bar reciprocably movably disposed relative to said applicator wheel by a means for cyclically reciprocably moving said air bar for increasing and decreasing the size of the formed loop and a pressurized air source means for supplying air to said air bar.
For use in an applicator machine including a source of a strip of web material, a means for driving the strip of web material at a substantially constant feed rate, and a rotatably driven cutting wheel having at least one knife at the periphery thereof, an applicator wheel and guide assembly for transferring and applying discrete lengths of the web material to articles that are moved continuously adjacent to the periphery of said applicator wheel, said wheel applicator including at least one anvil against which the knife of the cutting wheel engages during rotation of said applicator wheel and the cutting wheel in order to cyclically cut the strip of web material into discrete lengths, means for holding the web material against a circumferential surface of said wheel applicator and for carrying the discrete lengths of web material from a cutting point at the periphery of said of said wheel applicator to an angularly spaced point of application, and a means for driving said wheel applicator at a predetermined speed which is faster than the substantially constant feed rate of the strip of web material, said guide assembly comprising an edge guide means rotatable with said applicator wheel that is provided adjacent to said applicator wheel so as to extend radially outward beyond said circumferential surface of said applicator wheel at said cutting point for guiding an edge of the web material at said cutting point and which moves relative to said applicator wheel to a position radially inward of said circumferential surface of said applicator wheel at said point of application.
For use in an applicator machine including a source of a strip of web material, a means for driving the strip of web material at a substantially constant feed rate, and a rotatably driven cutting wheel having at least one knife at the periphery thereof, an applicator wheel and guide assembly for transferring and applying discrete lengths of the web material to articles that are moved continuously adjacent to the periphery of said applicator wheel, said wheel applicator including at least one anvil against which the knife of the cutting wheel engages during rotation of said applicator wheel and the cutting wheel in order to cyclically cut the strip of web material into discrete lengths, means for holding the web material against a circumferential surface of said wheel applicator and for carrying the discrete lengths of web material from a cutting point at the periphery of said wheel applicator to an angularly spaced point of application, and a means for driving said wheel applicator at a predetermined speed which is faster than the substantially constant feed rate of the strip of web material, said guide assembly comprising a means for forming a loop in the supplied strip of web material before being handled by said applicator wheel and for cyclically increasing and decreasing the size of the formed loop to thereby change the feed rate of the strip of web material to said applicator wheel, wherein said means for forming a loop in a supplied strip of web material comprises an air bar reciprocably movably disposed relative to said applicator wheel by a means for cyclically reciprocably moving said air bar for increasing and decreasing the size of the formed loop and a pressurized air source means for supplying air to said air bar.
An applicator machine including a source of a strip of web material, a means for driving the strip of web material at a substantially constant feed rate, a means for forming a loop in the supplied strip of web material and for cyclically increasing and decreasing the size of the formed loop to thereby change the feed rate of the strip of web material, a rotatably driven cutting wheel having at least one knife at the periphery thereof, and a wheel applicator and guide assembly for transferring and applying discrete lengths of the web material to articles that are moved continuously adjacent to the periphery of said wheel applicator, said wheel applicator including at least one anvil against which said knife of said cutting wheel engages during rotation of said wheel applicator and said cutting wheel in order to cyclically cut the strip of web material into the discrete lengths, means for holding the web material against a circumferential surface of said wheel applicator and for carrying the discrete lengths of web material from a cutting point at the periphery of said of said wheel applicator to an angularly spaced point of application, and a means for driving said wheel applicator at a predetermined speed which is faster than the substantially constant feed rate of the strip of web material, said guide assembly comprising an edge guide means rotatable with said wheel applicator that is provided adjacent to said wheel applicator so as to extend radially outward beyond said circumferential surface of said wheel applicator at said cutting point for guiding an edge of the web material at said cutting point and which moves relative to said wheel applicator to a position radially inward of said circumferential surface of said wheel applicator at said point of application.
An applicator machine including a source of a strip of web material, a means for driving the strip of web material at a substantially constant feed rate, a means for forming a loop in the supplied strip of web material and for cyclically increasing and decreasing the size of the formed loop to thereby change the feed rate of the strip of web material, a rotatably driven cutting wheel having at least one knife at the periphery thereof, and a wheel applicator for transferring and applying discrete lengths of the web material to articles that are moved continuously adjacent to the periphery of said wheel applicator, said wheel applicator including at least one anvil against which said knife of said cutting wheel engages during rotation of said wheel applicator and said cutting wheel in order to cyclically cut the strip of web material into the discrete lengths, means for holding the web material against a circumferential surface of said wheel applicator and for carrying the discrete lengths of web material from a cutting point at the periphery of said wheel applicator to an angularly spaced point of application, and a means for driving said wheel applicator at a predetermined speed which is faster than the substantially constant feed rate of the strip of web material, said means for forming a loop in the supplied strip of web material comprises an air bar reciprocably movably disposed relative to said wheel applicator by a means for cyclically reciprocably moving said air bar for increasing and decreasing the size of the formed loop and a pressurized air source means for supplying air to said air bar.
A wheel applicator and guide assembly for transferring and applying web material to an article that is moved continuously adjacent to the periphery of said applicator wheel, said wheel applicator including means for holding the web material against a circumferential surface of said wheel applicator and for carrying the web material from a first point at the periphery of said wheel applicator to an angularly spaced point of application and a means for driving said wheel applicator at a predetermined speed, said guide assembly comprising a means for forming a loop in a supplied strip of web material to be handled by said applicator wheel, wherein said means for forming a loop in a supplied strip of web material comprises an air bar including a bearing surface with an orifice for directing air against the web material to urge the web material away from said bearing surface, said air bar being supported in position to said applicator wheel and operatively connected to a pressurized hot air source means for supplying hot air to said air bar at a temperature sufficient to activate a heat activated sealant provided on the strip of web material to be applied by said applicator wheel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.