Spring finger assembly for engaging a spool

A spring finger assembly for a mechanism having a shaft for transporting or tensioning a thin membrane material disposed about a spool, the spring finger assembly adapted to be disposed about the shaft and to engage the spool of thin membrane material, the spring finger assembly comprising a plurality of spring fingers, each spring finger including a leading portion that extends free for engaging the spool, wherein the spring finger assembly is adapted to be mounted on a roller of the mechanism, and wherein the spring fingers are interlocking and together define a channel adapted to receive the roller.

A spring finger assembly for a mechanism having a shaft for transporting or tensioning a thin membrane material disposed about a spool, the spring finger assembly adapted to be disposed about the shaft and to engage the spool of thin membrane material, the spring finger assembly comprising a plurality of spring fingers, each spring finger including a leading portion that extends free for engaging the spool, wherein each spring finger includes a proximal portion, the proximal portion and the leading portion each being generally arcuate, and wherein the degree of curvature of the leading portion is less of the degree of curvature than the proximal portion.

A spring finger assembly for a mechanism having a shaft and a roller associated with the shaft for transporting or tensioning a thin membrane material disposed about a spool, the spring finger assembly adapted to be mounted on the roller and to engage the spool of thin membrane material, the spring finger assembly comprising a plurality of interlocking spring fingers defining a channel for receiving the roller and at least one aperture, each spring finger having at least one hook and a leading portion that extends free for engaging the spool, the hook of each spring finger adapted to be received by the aperture of one of the other spring fingers.

A device for a mechanism having a shaft for transporting or tensioning thin membrane material disposed about a spool, the device adapted to engage the spool of thin membrane material and be mounted to the shaft of the mechanism, the device comprising:

• (a) a roller adapted to be disposed about the shaft, each roller having a pair of spaced shoulders and each shoulder having a plurality of engaging nubs;
• and
• (b) a spring finger assembly mounted on the roller for engaging the spool of thin membrane material, the spring finger assembly comprising a plurality of interlocking spring fingers together defining a channel receiving the roller and at least one aperture, each spring finger having at least one hook associated with a proximal end of the spring finger, a leading portion opposite the proximal end that extends free and overlaps a portion of one of the other spring fingers, and a pair of opposed sides, each side defining a plurality of recesses receiving the engaging nubs to engage the roller, the hook of each spring finger adapted to be received by the aperture of one of the other spring fingers.

A spindle for a mechanism having a shaft for transporting or tensioning thin membrane material disposed about a spool, the spindle comprising a plurality of spring finger assemblies adapted to be disposed about the shaft in side-by-side relationship, each spring finger assembly comprising a plurality of spring fingers, each spring finger including a leading portion that extends free, the leading portion adapted to extend generally tangentially from the shaft for engaging the spool.

A spindle for a mechanism for transporting or tensioning thin membrane material disposed about a spool, a spindle adapted to engage the spool of thin membrane material, the spindle comprising a plurality of spring finger assemblies adapted to be disposed about the shaft in side-by-side relationship, each spring finger assembly comprising a plurality of spring fingers, each spring finger including a leading portion that extends free for engaging the spool, the spindle further comprising a plurality of rollers disposed about the shaft in a side-by-side relationship, each spring finger being mounted to a respective roller, wherein the spring fingers of each spring finger assembly are interlocking and together define a channel adapted to receive the respective roller.