Dual-functioning mechanism for startup during winding of web material and for splicing during unwinding

• US 20050155714A1
• Filed: 01/15/2004
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonoco Development Inc (Sonoco Products Company)
• Original Assignee: Sonoco Development Inc (Sonoco Products Company)
• Inventors: Adams, Angela Hurst
• Granted Patent: US 7,078,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/443
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 19/10 in unwinding mechanisms or in connection with unwinding operations
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 19/28 Attaching the leading end of the web to the replacement web-roll core or spindle cores, formers, supports or holders, e.g. reels, with arrangements for securing ends of material B65H75/28
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/906 Roll or coil
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/14 Layer or component removable to expose adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1476 Release layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/149 Sectional layer removable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24777 Edge feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24793 Comprising discontinuous or differential impregnation or bond

Abstract

A tail end of a web is attached to a winding core via a two-component mechanism having a core component attached to the core and a web component attached to the web, the two components being attached to each other in releasable fashion. The mechanism assists startup of winding. Upon completion of unwinding, the web component detaches from the core component to expose a region of adhesive on a part of the web component that extends from the tail end of the web. The tail end thus can be spliced to a leading end of another web by attaching the leading end to the exposed adhesive on the web component.

Claims

1. A mechanism to aid in startup of winding a web onto a winding core to form a roll of the web and to aid in subsequent splicing of the web during unwinding of the roll, the mechanism comprising:

a core component structured and arranged to attach to the core; and

a web component having a tail portion structured and arranged to attach to a tail end of a web and having a leading portion with adhesive disposed thereon and being releasably adhered to the core component with sufficient adhesive bonding strength to remain attached to the core component when winding tension is exerted between the core and the tail end of the web during startup of winding of the web onto the core to form a roll, yet the adhesive bonding strength being sufficiently low to allow the leading portion of the web component to detach from the core component at completion of unwinding of the roll such that the adhesive on the leading portion is exposed for attachment to a leading end of another web being unwound from a new roll to splice the webs together.

2. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the core component comprises a core-attaching portion structured and arranged to attach to the core and a free end portion joined to the core-attaching portion, the free end portion extending out from the core when the core-attaching portion is attached to the core, at least one side of the free end portion forming a release surface to which the leading portion of the web component is releasably adhered.

3. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein the adhesive on the leading portion of the web component in one embodiment is substantially completely covered by the free end portion of the core component when the two components are attached to each other to initiate winding of the web.

4. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein at least one of the core and the core-attaching portion of the core component includes an adhesive layer for adhering the core-attaching portion to the core.

5. The mechanism of claim 4, wherein the tail portion of the web component includes an adhesive layer for adhering to the tail end of the web.

6. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the web component comprises a splicing tape having pressure-sensitive adhesive disposed on one side of the tape.

7. The mechanism of claim 6, wherein the web component further comprises a release liner attached to the adhesive on the tail portion, whereby removal of the release liner exposes the adhesive for attachment to the tail end of the web.

8. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein the core component comprises a substrate having an adhesive layer disposed on a first portion of a length of the substrate so as to form the core-attaching portion.

9. The mechanism of claim 8, wherein the adhesive layer on the core component is provided by a double-sided adhesive tape having one side adhered to the first portion of the length of the substrate and an opposite side facing away from the substrate for adhering to the core.

10. The mechanism of claim 9, wherein the core component further comprises a removable release liner covering the opposite side of the double-sided adhesive tape to facilitate handling of the core component prior to adhering to the core.

11. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein the core component comprises a substrate that has an upper surface and a lower surface, a layer of release material being disposed on the upper surface of the substrate, a portion of the substrate being folded over along a fold line such that the free end portion of the core component comprises two layers of the substrate and the core-attaching portion comprises one layer of the substrate, the layer of release material forming both opposite surfaces of the free end portion.

12. The mechanism of claim 11, wherein the web component is attached to the folded-over portion of the substrate.

13. The mechanism of claim 12, wherein the fold line of the substrate is generally perpendicular to a length direction of the substrate.

14. The mechanism of claim 13, wherein web component is attached to the core component such that a length direction of the web component is generally perpendicular to the fold line of the substrate.

15. The mechanism of claim 14, wherein the core component is structured and arranged such that the folded-over portion of the substrate is free to unfold when the web component is pulled in a direction away from the fold line at completion of unwinding, whereby the web component and folded-over portion of the substrate are placed in relative orientations favoring peeling apart thereof.

16. The mechanism of claim 11, wherein the core component further comprises a double-sided adhesive tape having one side adhered to the lower surface of the substrate, an opposite side of the double-sided adhesive tape being positioned to be attached to the core.

17. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the web component comprises a splicing tape having adhesive disposed on one side of the tape, the leading portion of the web component being folded beneath the tail portion so that the adhesive on the leading portion faces away from the tail portion, the leading portion being adhered to the core component.

18. The mechanism of claim 17, wherein the core component comprises a layer of release material disposed on the core so as to form a release surface to which the leading portion of the web component is releasably adhered.

19. The mechanism of claim 17, wherein the core component comprises a substrate having a core-attaching portion structured and arranged to attach to the core and a free end portion joined to the core-attaching portion, the free end portion extending out from the core when the core-attaching portion is attached to the core, the leading portion of the web component being releasably adhered to the free end portion.

20. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the web component includes a splice-detection element that is detectable by a sensor.

21. The mechanism of claim 20, wherein the splice-detection element comprises a metal for detection by a metal-detecting sensor.

22. A mechanism to aid in startup of winding a web onto a winding core to form a roll of the web and to aid in subsequent splicing of the web during unwinding of the roll, the mechanism comprising:

a core component comprising a core-attaching portion structured and arranged to attach to the core and having a free end portion joined to the core-attaching portion, the free end portion extending out from the core when the core-attaching portion is attached to the core, the core component comprising a substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface, a layer of release material being disposed on the upper surface of the substrate, a portion of the substrate being folded over along a fold line such that the free end portion of the core component comprises two layers of the substrate and the core-attaching portion comprises one layer of the substrate, the layer of release material forming both opposite surfaces of the free end portion; and

a web component comprising an adhesive splicing tape structured and arranged to attach to a tail end of a web with a leading portion of the splicing tape extending out from the tail end of the web, the leading portion being adhered to the free end portion of the core component with sufficient adhesive bonding strength to remain attached to the free end portion when winding tension is exerted between the core and the tail end of the web during startup of winding of the web onto the core to form a roll, yet the release material on the free end portion allowing the leading portion of the splicing tape to detach from the core component at completion of unwinding of the roll such that the leading portion extending from the tail end of the web is exposed for attachment to a leading end of another web being unwound from a new roll to splice the webs together.

23. The mechanism of claim 22, wherein the core component is structured and arranged such that the folded-over portion of the substrate is free to unfold when the splicing tape is pulled in a direction away from the fold line at completion of unwinding, whereby the splicing tape and folded-over portion of the substrate are placed in relative orientations favoring peeling apart thereof.

24. A method for unwinding and splicing a web, comprising the steps of:

providing a roll of the web wound about a winding core, a tail end of the web being attached to the winding core with a two-component mechanism having a core component attached to the core and a web component attached to the tail end, the web component being releasably attached to a leading portion of the web component that projects out from the tail end of the web, the leading portion of the web component having an adhesive thereon, the adhesive being attached to and covered by the web component;

unwinding the web from the roll until the tail end of the web is advanced away from the core to cause the web component to detach from the core component and thereby expose the adhesive on the leading portion of the web component; and

splicing the tail end of the web to a leading end of a second web by attaching the leading end to the adhesive on the leading portion of the web component.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the core component is provided in the form of a substrate affixed to the core and having a free end portion that remains unattached to the core, the free end portion having a release material disposed thereon for releasable attachment to the leading portion of the web component.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the free end portion of the core component is provided to have a folded-over portion of the substrate, the folded-over portion defining a core-facing surface on which the release material is disposed, the folded-over portion lying between the core and another portion of the substrate that is attached to the folded-over portion along a fold line, and wherein during the unwinding step the folded-over portion is pulled by the web component as the tail end of the web is advanced away from the core such that the folded-over portion unfolds about the fold line and thereby places the folded-over portion in a more-advantageous orientation relative to the web component for peeling apart the web component and folded-over portion.

27. A method for winding a web into a roll, comprising the steps of:

providing a winding core to which is attached a two-component mechanism having a web component releasably attached to a core component, the core component being affixed to the winding core and having a free end portion that is unaffixed to the winding core and is releasably attached to a first portion of the web component, the first portion of the web component having an adhesive attached to and covered by the free end portion of the core component;

attaching a second portion of the web component to a tail end of the web; and

rotating the winding core to wind the web into a roll about the core.

28. An assembly facilitating winding of a web into a roll and splicing of the web during unwinding, comprising:

a winding core having a cylindrical outer surface;

a core component attached to the outer surface of the winding core; and

a splicing tape having adhesive disposed on one side thereof, a portion of the splicing tape being adhered to the core component;

wherein the core component and the adhesive of the splicing tape are structured and arranged such that the splicing tape adheres to the core component in releasable fashion.

29. The assembly of claim 28, wherein the core component comprises a substrate having a core-attaching portion attached to the outer surface of the core and a free end portion unaffixed to the core, the splicing tape being releasably adhered to the free end portion of the substrate.

30. The assembly of claim 29, wherein an end region of the free end portion of the substrate is folded beneath the remainder of the free end portion and the splicing tape is releasably adhered to the end region.

31. The assembly of claim 28, wherein the core component comprises a layer of release material disposed on the outer surface of the winding core.