WO2007051954A1 - Device for applying a wide flexible strip - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to the application of a wide flexible strip to a surface to be covered. The invention especially relates to a device comprising a housing (11) which contains a bobbin (13) of a flexible strip which can be handled with two hands, an applicator roll (30), and a cutting mechanism comprising a blade (37).

Description

 Device for applying a wide flexible band.

The invention relates to a device for applying a wide flexible band to a surface to be covered; it relates more particularly to a simple device for applying a weakly adhesive film on a surface to be protected, especially a flat surface.

By "wide" flexible band is meant a strip of more than 10 cm (typically between 15 and 60 cm, or even more, up to 100 cm) which, when packaged in a reel, is not susceptible to to be carried by a unpacker sufficiently compact and light to be used with one hand.

Furthermore, the patent application US 2005/0028941 discloses an apparatus for applying such a flexible band called "wide" packaged in a coil. The apparatus is more particularly designed to cover a floor, possibly the steps of a staircase. It comprises for this purpose a carriage carrying the reel and a system of rollers. The carriage is moved using an articulated handle.

The whole is complicated, cumbersome and expensive. It can only be used to cover a flat, essentially horizontal surface.

However, there are many cases where a light and handy device for unwinding and applying a wide flexible band such as a low adhesive protective film is desirable, not only to cover a horizontal surface but also walls or other surfaces not planes. We can cite the protection of paint booths, the protection of the walls and floors of a local during a welcoming event of the public (cocktail, reception, meeting ...) the protection of car bodies on an assembly line, the protection of a broken windshield before its replacement, the protection of structural elements during transport, the protection of particular elements before the painting of a room, the construction of dust traps (asbestos removal) on a construction site undergoing rehabilitation ...

The invention makes it possible to satisfy all these needs.

More specifically, the invention relates to a device for applying a wide flexible strip to a surface, said strip being conditioned in coil and wound on a mandrel, characterized in that it comprises in combination:

an elongated housing that can be handled by two hands and that houses said reel,

- Journaling means for defining an axis of rotation of said coil, carried by two end walls of said housing, for supporting said mandrel,

an applicator roll carried by said housing, parallel to said axis of rotation, and

- A cutting mechanism of said strip, carried by said housing, having a blade of length corresponding to the width of said flexible strip, integral with a movably mounted support in said housing in a direction perpendicular to said axis of rotation.

The term "elongated housing manipulable with two hands", a housing whose length corresponds to the width of the strip to unwind and which can be grasped at both ends by the user.

The journaling means advantageously consist of two journals carried respectively by the end walls.

The displacement of this blade brings its edge closer to the band still stretched and allows to cut it. It should be noted, however, that one can simplify the cutting means, the blade can be fixed. In this case, the cutting is obtained by a rotation of the housing bringing the cutting edge in contact with the stretched strip.

In the case of a movable blade cutting mechanism, said support may advantageously comprise two actuating elements projecting from the casing in the vicinity of the aforementioned end walls. Thus, the user who holds said housing by these two ends can actuate the movement of the blade with the thumbs.

According to another advantageous characteristic, the device comprises a flexible tongue integral with the housing and projecting outside thereof, in the vicinity of the applicator roll, parallel to the latter.

The cutting mechanism is between the applicator roll and the flexible tongue. The latter makes it possible to keep the film in contact with the surface during cutting. According to another advantageous characteristic, each pin has the shape of a shoulder bushing mounted in a hole made in a corresponding end wall of said housing. Said pin is engaged in an end of said mandrel which is cylindrical and tubular.

Preferably, each pin is frictionally engaged in said corresponding end wall and said tubular mandrel is mounted for free rotation between the two journals.

Finally, the device may comprise two aligned guide rollers, respectively mounted on the aforementioned end walls of said housing, parallel to said application roller. Typically, these guiding rollers, of short length, maintain the flexible band, after cutting and prevent it from sticking against the spool, facilitating the unfolding of a new lé.

These guide rollers may be of flexible material.

The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will emerge more clearly in the light of the following description of a presently preferred embodiment of a device for applying a wide flexible band according to its principle, given purely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the device according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is another schematic view along the arrow II of Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a detail view illustrating the maintenance of the coil inside the housing; and

- Figures 4 to 6 are schematic views illustrating the implementation of the device according to the invention.

The device shown comprises an elongated casing 11, slightly longer than that of a coil 13 of wide flexible band 14 that it is intended to receive. The coil 13 is wound on a cylindrical mandrel 15, typically made of cardboard. In the example, this mandrel is tubular. The casing 11 comprises an upper wall 17, a rear wall 18 and a bottom wall 19. These three walls can be obtained by a sheet folded twice at right angles. The housing is completed by two end walls 21, 22. It is open over its entire length between these walls, to allow unwinding of the flexible strip and its application on any surface, for example a vertical wall 25, as shown in Figure 2. The flexible strip may be a weakly adhesive film, known per se. To maintain the coil, the housing is equipped with two journals 27, 28 aligned to define an axis of rotation X of said coil. These two pins are respectively carried by the two end walls 21, 22, to support the mandrel 15.

The housing also carries an applicator roll 30, arranged parallel to the aforementioned axis of rotation X. This applicator roll is rotatably mounted between the two end walls 21, 22.

The housing also houses a cutting mechanism 34 of said strip.

In the example, this cutting mechanism 34 comprises a blade 37, possibly provided with teeth, the length of which corresponds to the width of the flexible strip to be cut. This blade is secured to a support 39 mounted movably in the housing, in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation X of the coil, defined by the two journals. More specifically, the support 39 is slidably mounted at its two ends in slides located in the vicinity of the two end walls 21, 22.

Advantageously, the support 39 carries two actuating elements 41 constituted here by two pushers protruding from the casing in the vicinity of said end walls 21, 22. For this purpose, the upper wall 17 has two slots 43 in which said displacers move. tappets. The support 39 is urged back inside the housing by elastic means 45 such as springs mounted in tension between the pushers and the end walls.

As shown, each pin 27, 28 is in the form of a shoulder socket mounted in a hole 47 in a corresponding end wall. The trunnion (more particularly the part of smaller diameter of the sleeve) is engaged in one end of the tubular mandrel 15. In the example shown, each trunnion is engaged with moderate friction in the corresponding end wall 21, 22 while the tubular mandrel 15 is mounted for free rotation between the two journals. The hole in the socket has a diameter sufficient to engage one or two fingers and a length small enough for the user to brake the chuck tubular 15, from the inside, during the unwinding of the flexible strip 14. The coil change is done in a simple manner by releasing the pins 27, 28.

The device further comprises a flexible tongue 49 (for example of elastomer) integral with the housing, more particularly fixed to the upper wall 17. The tongue 49 protrudes outside the housing over substantially the entire length thereof and at the neighborhood, that is to say above the applicator roller 30, parallel to the latter.

As shown, the cutting mechanism 34 is between the applicator roll 30 and the flexible tongue 49.

The applicator roll is lined with an elastically deformable material 50 of notable thickness, of the order of 5 mm or more. An elastomeric material known as a nitrile with a hardness of 30 shores has given satisfactory results.

The device is completed by two guide rollers 53, 54, relatively short and small diameter, aligned, respectively mounted on the end walls 21, 22 of the housing, parallel to the applicator roll 30 and below thereof. The two guide rollers project into the housing near the opening thereof, as can be seen in FIG. 1. These two guide rollers 53, 54 are advantageously made of flexible material. Each guide roller is freely rotatably mounted on a corresponding end wall. The unrolled web of the spool is in contact with the applicator roll 30 and passes over the guide rollers 53, 54. The short length of the guide rollers and their flexibility facilitates the positioning of the film in unwinding position. When the band is cut, the portion attached to the coil 13 falls and is held by the two guide rollers in a position facilitating the unwinding of a new lé.

The implementation of the device is very simple and obviously follows from the foregoing description. The strip 14 is here an adhesive film.

In Figure 4, there is shown the position of the device before the application of a le. The adhesive film 14 is placed in contact by its non-adhesive face with the applicator roll 30 and will be applied against the wall to be covered by means of this roll. The roll is advantageously treated to hold the film. For example, we can make the surface of the applicator roll 30 slightly adherent, for example by spraying thereon a product weakly but sufficiently adhesive to keep the film in contact with the applicator roll.

As previously mentioned, the flexible band (the adhesive film) passes between the applicator roll 30 and the guide rollers 53. It is in contact with said applicator roll. The blade 37 is retracted inside the housing. The user holds the housing 11 at both ends. By engaging his fingers in the two sleeves forming the pins 27, 28 maintaining the coil inside the housing, it can control the unfolding of the flexible band.

By slightly rotating the device towards the wall 25 to be covered (FIG. 5), the user can grind the flexible strip 14 on the surface to be covered as it unfolds, exerting a uniform pressure across the width thanks to the applicator roll 30.

To cut the flexible band (FIG. 6) the user rotates the applicator device to move the applicator roll 30 away from the wall while maintaining a certain tension on the flexible band by means of the flexible tongue 49 which remains applied against the wall . With its thumbs, it simultaneously presses the two actuating elements 41, which causes the movement of the blade towards the flexible band 14 and the sectioning thereof.

After cutting the flexible band, the end in contact with the application roller falls by gravity and is held by the two guide rollers 53; the user can then easily place this free end in contact with the flexible tongue, for the application of a new le.

Claims

1. Device for applying a wide flexible band on a surface, said strip being packaged in a coil and wound on a mandrel, characterized in that it comprises in combination: - an elongate housing (11) manipulable with two hands and housing said coil (13), - journaling means (27, 28) for defining an axis of rotation of said bobbin, carried by two end walls (21, 22) of said casing, for supporting said mandrel, an applicator roller (30) carried by said housing, parallel to said axis of rotation, and - A cutting mechanism (34) of said strip, carried by said housing, comprising a blade (37) of length corresponding to the width of said flexible strip, secured to a support (39) movably mounted in said housing in a direction perpendicular to said axis of rotation. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said journaling means are constituted by two journals (27, 28) aligned carried respectively by said end walls (21, 22). 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said support comprises two actuating elements (41) projecting from said housing in the vicinity of said end walls. 4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support is biased recessed within said housing by elastic means (45). 5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a flexible tongue (49) integral with said housing, projecting outside thereof and extending in the vicinity of said applicator roller (30). , parallel to the latter. 6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that said cutting mechanism (34) is between said applicator roll (30) and said flexible tongue (49). 7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said applicator roller (30) is lined with an elastically deformable material (50). 8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said applicator roller (30) is treated to have a level of adhesion sufficient to maintain said strip in contact with its surface, before application thereof. 9. Device according to one of claims 2 to 8, adapted to receive a cylindrical tubular mandrel coil, characterized in that each pin (27, 28) has the shape of a shoulder sleeve mounted in a hole made in a corresponding end wall of said housing, said journal being engaged in an end of said tubular mandrel. 10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that each pin (27, 28) is frictionally engaged in said corresponding end wall (21, 22) and in that said tubular mandrel is mounted to rotate freely between the two. trunnions. 11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises two aligned guide rollers (53, 54), respectively mounted on said end walls of said housing, parallel to said application roller. 12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that said guide rollers (53, 54) are of flexible materials. 13. Device according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that each guide roller is mounted for free rotation on a corresponding end wall above.