Web threading apparatus, particularly for threading of a rotary printing machine, or similar paper handling system

Claim 1

For and in combination with a rotary printing machine having, a pulling means (1, 2; 29, 32) for pulling a web (3) through the machine, and applying, in operation, a pulling force on the web, a paper web threading apparatus having, a pulling connection (7; 21, 22, 34) for attachment to the pulling means, a tubular guide track (30) having a longitudinally extending slit (31), the pulling means (29) being located within the tubular guide track, the slit (31) and a longitudinal axis of the tubular guide track defining a pulling plane; and comprising a plurality of projecting connecting elements (32) coupled to the pulling means (29) and extending through said slit (31), the respective ones of said projecting elements being longitudinally staggered along said pulling means, the projecting connecting elements including connection ends (33) formed as slit rings; a pulling and holding connection element (21; 22-25) for coupling with the connection ends (33) of the projecting connecting elements (32), the pulling and holding element comprising a head portion (22) of flat, planar sheet material characterized by being essentially resistant to twist out of its major plane, an intermediate connection element (23) of flat planar sheet material characterized by being resistant to twist out of its major plane and resilient in the direction of pulling force being applied by the pulling means, and two magnetically responsive, magnetically jointly adhering flexible plate elements (28, 28'), shaped for positioning of the leading end portion of the web to be threaded between said plate elements, said plate elements retaining said leading end portion therebetween by frictional clamping force exerted by the magnetic adhesion of the flexible plate elements, and wherein the head portion includes a threading connecting edge defining a bead (25) for threading the planar head portion through the slit of the slit rings of the connection ends (33) of the projecting connecting elements, and the bead (25) fitting within said slit rings; and stop means (34) formed on said head portion and dimensioned to accept said pulling force transferred from the pulling means via the projecting connecting elements to the head portion.