US3656386A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Device for drawing parallel strips with uniform tension
Assignee: Sa Thimonnier & Cie
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Filing: 1970-07-17
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Granted: 1972-04-18
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Expires: 1990-07-17
Abstract
Abstract A wide web of heat-sealable plastic material, continuously unwound from a supply roll, is slitted longitudinally into a plurality of parallel strips which are entrained by a motordriven traction roller and are allowed to hang in slack loops about one or more horizontal bars carried on the free end of a sensing lever, being then fed past an intermittently operating clamp and a drawing mechanism to an output stage where they pass through a set of friction rollers or rods and are periodically pulled forth for shaping into envelopes sealed about materials discharged from respective dispensers. With the drawing mechanism intermittently picking up the slack of the loops, the length of the shortest loop controls the position of the sensing lever which, on swinging beyond an upper or a lower limit, coacts with one of two stops to accelerate or retard the drive motor, thereby maintaining a proper average feed rate.
Inventors
- 👤 Jean-Charles Roussel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 09:12
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65B; B65B41/00; B65B41/12; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T83/00; Y10T83/444; Y10T83/4529; Y10T83/4577; Y10T83/463; Y10T83/4632; Y10T83/525; Y10T83/536
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
148 words
A system for feeding a plurality of of parallel strips of flexible sheet material with equal tension to a load, comprising: supply means for delivering a wide web of said sheet material; traction means for continuously drawing said web from said supply means; cutter means adjacent said traction means for slitting said sheet into parallel strips; guide means for said strips allowing same to hang in slack loops beyond said traction means; feed means beyond said guide means for concurrently advancing said strips to the load; feeler means embraced by all said loops for positive engagement by the shortest loop to occupy different positions upon variations in the length of said shortest loop; and control means actuatable by said feeler means for varying the speed of said traction means to maintain an average delivery rate consistent with the rate of advance of the strips by said feed means.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
148 words
A system for feeding a plurality of of parallel strips of flexible sheet material with equal tension to a load, comprising: supply means for delivering a wide web of said sheet material; traction means for continuously drawing said web from said supply means; cutter means adjacent said traction means for slitting said sheet into parallel strips; guide means for said strips allowing same to hang in slack loops beyond said traction means; feed means beyond said guide means for concurrently advancing said strips to the load; feeler means embraced by all said loops for positive engagement by the shortest loop to occupy different positions upon variations in the length of said shortest loop; and control means actuatable by said feeler means for varying the speed of said traction means to maintain an average delivery rate consistent with the rate of advance of the strips by said feed means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said control means comprises a vertically movable sensing member carrying said feeler means and a pair of abutments respectively engageable by said member in an upper and a lower terminal position thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A system as defined in claim 2 wherein said control means further comprises a movable link carrying said abutments with constant relative spacing.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
52 words
A system as defined in claim 3 wherein said member is a lever, said feed means being intermittently operative to advance said strips whereby said lever oscillates in the rhythm of the strip movement, the spacing of said abutments being greater than the oscillating stroke of said lever due to said movement.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
A system as defined in claim 4 wherein said feed means comprises frictional retaining means for said strips ahead of the load and reciprocating drawing means ahead of said retaining means for pulling a length of each strip less than that stored in the respective loop.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
A system as defined in claim 5, further comprising intermittently operable clamping means for said strips synchronized with said feed means to release said strips during a pulling stroke of said drawing means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
60 words
A system as defined in claim 5 wherein said feed means further comprises gripper means beyond said retaining means intermittently engageable with said strips for pulling same through said retaining means, said gripper means and said drawing means being provided with a synchronizing linkage for the alternate tensioning and slackening of the strips upstream and downstream of said retaining means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said cutter means comprises a set of bladeS ahead of said traction means, further including monitoring means for maintaining a predetermined alignment between said blades and said web.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
52 words
A system as defined in claim 8 wherein said monitoring means comprises a pair of photoelectric devices disposed at opposite edges of said web for detecting deviations thereof from a predetermined path, and adjustment means responsive to said devices for redirecting the web onto said path in the presence of such deviations.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
A system as defined in claim 9 wherein said adjustment means comprises a guide roller for said web and mounting means for limitedly inclining said guide roller at different angles with reference to said path.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3103843A
Cited
US3461757A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-04-18 | 1975-10-18 | 1976-04-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-04-18 | 1979-10-18 | 1980-04-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-04-18 | 1983-10-18 | 1984-04-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |