Self-adjusting mill-roll supporting mandrel

Claim 1

A MANDREL FOR SUPPORTING A ROLL OF WEB MATERIAL WOUND UPON A TUBULAR CORE, SAID MANDREL COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A REVOLUBLE MAIN SHAFT ADAPTED TO HAVE A CONTROL TORQUE APPLIED THERETO FOR REGULATING THE TENSION IN SAID WEB DURING THE UNWINDING OF SAID WEB FROM SAID ROLL; A PLURALITY OF FLAP MEMBERS CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, EACH OF SAID FLAP MEMBERS BEING PIVOTED FOR MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE ROTATIONAL AXIS OF SAID SHAFT; SPRING MEANS YIELDINGLY URGING ALL OF SAID FLAP MEMBERS SIMULTANEOUSLY TO ASSUME RADIALLY OUTWARDLY DIRECTED POSITIONS, EACH OF SAID FLAP MEMBERS COMPRISING A FREE EDGE GRIPPING PORTION ENGAGEABLE WITH THE INTERNAL SURFACE OF SAID CORE, A CYLINDER CIRCUMSCRIBING SAID EDGE PORTIONS WITH SAID FLAP MEMBERS RADIALLY OUTWARDLY DIRECTED BEING OF A DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID CORE, A FIRST COLLAR MEMBER ON SAID SHAFT SLIDINGLY FITTABLE WITHIN SAID CORE, SAID FIRST COLLAR MEMBER COMPRISING A FLANGE PORTION ENGAGEABLE WITH ONE END OF SAID CORE TO PREVENT MOVEMENT THEREOF BEYOND SAID FIRST COLLAR MEMBER, A SECOND COLLAR MEMBER ON SAID SHAFT SLIDINGLY FITTABLE IN SAID CORE, SAID FIRST AND SECOND COLLAR MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT SAID CORE INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID FLAP MEMBERS, A LOCKING MEMBER IN SAID SECOND COLLAR MEMBER, SAID LOCKING MEMBER BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN AN EXTENDED POSITION WHEREIN MOVEMENT OF SAID CORE OVER SAID SECOND COLLAR MEMBER IS PREVENTED AND A RETRACTED POSITION WHEREIN SAID LOCKING MEMBER IS SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH WITH THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID SECOND COLLAR MEMBER, AND MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY RETAINING SAID LOCKING MEMBER IN EITHER ITS EXTENDED POSITION OR ITS RETRACTED POSITION.