Web pay-out assembly

This relates to a web pay-out assembly wherein a web in spool form is mounted on a hub for selective paying out of the web. The hub is of a hollow construction and includes an internal chamber. A plurality of radiating pins project into the chamber and are projectable radially outwardly beyond the hub for engaging a tubular core of the spool to lock the spool in place on the hub. The pins are resiliently urged inwardly and are cammed outwardly by a nut member threaded onto a positioning member. The hub has opposite flanges and one of the flanges has a tubular extension which is mounted on a control shaft of a control unit. The control unit supports the hub and is mounted on a combined partition and support wall of a machine. The control unit has a mounting flange which is mounted in sealed relation with respect to a tubular spacer and the control unit passes through an opening in the wall so as to be primarily disposed on the opposite side of the wall. Two of the hubs may be mounted in adjacent out-of-aligned relation by providing spacers of different lengths so as to space the hubs differently from the wall.

This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in web 
pay-out assemblies, and more specifically to a web pay-out assembly 
wherein a web carried by a spool may be quickly mounted on a hub and 
wherein the hub is carried by a control unit which is readily mounted on a 
combined partition and support wall. 
The hub has means for quickly anchoring and releasing a tubular core of a 
spool mounted thereon. The hub is hollow and has an internal chamber into 
which a plurality of spool retaining pins extend. Within the chamber is a 
cam assembly which, when adjusted, urges the pins outwardly so as to 
protrude into the core of the spool. 
The hub has at one end a flange which serves to mount the hub on a control 
shaft of a control unit. The hub is thus carried by the control shaft for 
controlled rotation. 
In accordance with this invention there is provided novel means for 
mounting the control unit which supports the hub so that the control unit 
may extend through an opening in the wall and at the same time may be 
sealed relative thereto.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the combined 
partition and mounting wall 54 supports the hub assembly. Further, the hub 
assembly is carried by a control unit which is generally identified by the 
numeral 460. The control unit 460 is in the form of an electric motor 
which is suitably controllable so as to suitably control the pay-out of a 
web carried by the hub assembly. 
The control unit, which is preferably of an electrical type, in of itself 
is not a part of the invention and it is therefore not specifically 
described. However, the control unit 460 includes a control shaft 462 
which projects from one end thereof. Further, the control unit 460 is 
carried by a mounting flange 464 to which it is secured by means of bolts 
466. The mounting flange 464 is of a stepped configuration and is 
partially seated in and partially seated on a spacer 468 which is secured 
to one face of the wall 54 by bolts 470. The mounting flange 464 is 
secured to the spacer 468 by bolts 472. The mounting flange 464 is sealed 
relative to the spacer 468 by a sealing ring 474 so as to seal the opening 
in the wall 54 through which the control unit 460 extends. Thus the right 
hand side of the wall 54 may define a machinery portion of the machine and 
the left hand side of the wall 54 may define a sanitary portion. The 
control device 460 is primarily positioned within the machinery portion. 
A hub assembly, generally identified by the numeral 476 is carried by the 
control shaft 462. The hub assembly 476 includes a hollow hub 478 having a 
chamber 480 formed therein. One end of the chamber 480 is closed by an 
integral flange 482 while the opposite end of the chamber 480 is closed by 
a separately formed flange 483 which is removably secured to one end of 
the hub 478 by bolts 484 so as to provide access to the interior of 
chamber 480. 
The hub 478 is provided with two sets of circumferentially spaced radiating 
bores 486, the sets of bores being axially spaced. The bores 486 extend 
entirely through the hub 478 and have mounted therein for radial outward 
projection spool retaining pins 488. The pins 488 project into the chamber 
480. 
In the chamber 480 there is a positioning member 490 which has reduced end 
portions 492 and 494 extending into the flanges 483 and 482, respectively, 
and journalled in bushings 496 and 498. The positioning member 490 has an 
enlarged, externally threaded central portion 500 which has the opposite 
ends thereof in abutment with the bushings 496, 498 to axially position 
the positioning member 490. 
The end portion 494 extends axially outwardly beyond the flange 482 and has 
mounted thereon a hand grip member 502 for rotating the positioning member 
490 for a purpose to be described hereinafter. 
A nut 504, which is internally threaded, is threaded on the central portion 
500 of the positioning member 490. The nut 504 has two tapered surfaces 
506, 508 which engage the inner ends of the two sets of pins 488 and 
function as cam surfaces. It will be seen that when the nut 504 is axially 
shifted to the left by rotating the positioning member 490, the cam 
surfaces 506, 508 will react on the pins 488 and urge the pins radially 
outwardly into wedged engagement with the core of a spool (not shown) 
mounted on the hub. In this manner the spool is locked on the hub in a way 
in which it may be quickly released. 
Referring now to FIG. 3 in particular, it will be seen that each of the 
pins 488 has an outer portion 510 of a reduced cross section thereby 
defining a radially outwardly facing shoulder 512. Further, the outer end 
of each of the bores 486 is closed by a removable stop member 514. A coil 
spring 516 surrounds the end portion 510 and abuts against the shoulder 
512 and the stop member 514 and resists the outward movement of the pins 
488. When the nut 504 is shifted to the right, the spring serves to force 
the pins radially inwardly to their inoperative positions. 
It is also to be noted that the hub 478 carries a backing plate 518 which 
is secured thereto by means of suitable fasteners 520. The spool is shoved 
against the backing plate and it is automatically aligned thereby. 
At this time it is to be noted that the flange 483 has a tubular extension 
521. The tubular extension 521 is telescoped over the control shaft 462 
and is locked thereto for rotation therewith by means of a key 522. 
Further, the hub extension 521 is axially fixed on the control shaft 462 
by means of suitable set screws 524. 
The mounting flange 464 carries a sealing ring 526 which engages the outer 
periphery of the hub extension 521 to form a seal therewith thereby 
excluding foreign matter passing from the machinery side of the wall 54 to 
the sanitary side thereof. 
It is also to be noted from FIG. 1 that there is a second hub assembly 476 
which is spaced closer to the wall 54 than the above described hub 
assembly. The second hub assembly 476 is identical to the first hub 
assembly with the exception to the fact that it is mounted on the wall 54 
by a spacer 526 of a different thickness or length than the spacer 468. 
The mounting of the second hub assembly is identical to that of the first 
except for this and the fact that it is in adjacent out-of-aligned 
relation to the first hub assembly. 
By providing the two different length spacers, it will be seen that the two 
hub assemblies may mount two web spools for paying out of the web in 
adjacent parallel relation. 
Although only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically 
illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that minor 
variations may be made in the web pay-out assembly without departing from 
the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.