Rotary strip accumulator

Claim 1

An accumulator for weblike material having a first series of rollers arranged to form a circular inner roller basket and a second series of rollers arranged to form a circular outer roller basket, said two baskets being arranged relative to each other so that a number of convolutions of material can be wound into two distinct coils separated from each other by a reversible loop of material, a frame for supporting said first and second baskets in a manner that the coils are formed with their major axes in an horizontal plane, said frame includes a member arranged in a plane normal to the planes containing the axes of rotation of said rollers, said member having a number of guide slots located radially to the axes of the formed coils, means for rotatably supporting said rollers, said roller supporting means received in said guide slots, separate spider elements common to the rollers of a different one of said baskets for moving their respective baskets in said guide slots, said frame including a central supporting means for carrying said spider elements in tandem fashion and in a manner that the elements are free to move parallel to the axes of the formed coils, links for connecting said spider elements to their associated rollers so that on movement of the spider elements over said central supporting means their associated rollers will move radially in unison, a piston cylinder assembly for each spider element for moving their respective baskets, and said member of said frame arranged on one side of said frame for connecting said rollers of said first and second baskets to the frame in a manner that the rollers are cantileverly mounted relative to said frame and project away from said frame so that said rollers are open and unobstructed from said one side of said frame.