The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 18, 2000
Filed:
Jul. 20, 1998
Tad T Butterworth, Ashland, WI (US);
C.G. Bretting Manufacturing Company, Inc., Ashland, WI (US);
Abstract
A flying web splice apparatus and method for splicing a moving web of material to another web of material without tape or adhesives being used at the splice. Two splicer assemblies are provided which each have a rotatable parent roll feeding web material into the splicer apparatus. Each splicer assembly has a series of substantially parallel vacuum belts and a series of vacuum boxes therein. The vacuum boxes for each splicer assembly are evacuated by a vacuum blower, which creates a vacuum causing a suction through holes within a portion of the vacuum belts in order to hold web material to the vacuum belts. The series of belts for each splicer assembly are preferably rotatable about a top pivot to bring a bottom portion of each series of belts together. Preferably, at the bottom portions of each series of belts is located a pressure bonding mechanism, such as a series of ply-bond wheels, which bond the webs of material together when the bottom portions of the series of belts are brought together (preferably via one or more actuators). A stationary web from a parent roll is first placed over holes in one of the vacuum belts, which is then driven by a motor to drag the vacuum belt and web along part of its belt path and toward the pressure bonding mechanism. By the time the initially-stationary web reaches the actuated pressure bonding mechanism, the initially-stationary web is at the speed of the initially-moving web and can be precisely spliced thereto.