Interior rider roll

A web rewind apparatus includes an interior rider roll unit moving with a turret and engaging the winding roll during winding and particularly during indexing to move a new core in place and remove the winding roll. The rider rill is pivotally mounted within the roll support, rotates with the rewinding roll and engages the roll during rewinding or during indexing only. In another form, the rider roll is mounted on the turret by a linear slide and a counterweight member. A coupling connects the rider roll unit and the counterweight member to create an essentially zero gravity force by the rider roll unit. A pistonless cylinder is coupled to the counterweight to apply a constant surface force on the rider roll and thereby on the winding roll. The rider roll is mounted on the slide unit in a suitable bearing unit with the axis of the rider roll parallel to the winding axis. Adjustable bearing units mounted to the slide and permit skewing of the rider roll relative to the winding axis.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to a web winding apparatus having a rider 
roll in surface engagement with a wound roll during the winding and 
particularly to a rider roll moving with an indexing of the rewound roll 
during the final winding. 
In winding of a thin web of film-like material, a length of indefinite 
length may be rewound into a plurality of successive rewound rolls. The 
web supply includes supply rolls having a mechanism to connect webs of 
successive supply rolls without interruption of the web flow to the rewind 
apparatus. The winding apparatus includes a turret having 
circumferentially spaced roll core support units. The turret is rotatably 
indexed to successively position the core support units between a rewind 
station and an unload station. As more fully disclosed in the copending 
application, Ser. No. 07/055,697, filed May 29, 1987, now U.S. Pat. No. 
4,798,350, entitled "Web Rewind Apparatus With Cutless Web Transfer" and 
assigned to a common assignee with this application, the winding station 
includes a cutoff and transfer mechanism to sever the web and transfer the 
free end of the web to a new core unit during the final winding of a 
rewound roll. 
The rider roll is conventionally mounted as a component of the station. As 
the rewound roll is rotated from the winding station, the web continues to 
be wound on the roll, without a rider roll. The final wraps may therefore 
not be optimumly wound. 
Further, in certain applications, the paper or web is sensitive to any 
external pressure applied to the outer web layer of the winding roll. For 
example, pressure responsive carbonless copy paper includes minute 
bubbles, which can be broken if other than a light pressure is applied to 
the winding roll, with a corresponding waste product resulting. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is particularly directed to an interior rider roll 
unit mounted to move with a winding roll support for engaging a winding 
roll of a film-like material during winding of the wound roll including 
movement of the roll support, and particularly to an interior rider roll 
unit establishing a constant surface force on the roll surface. An 
interior rider roll provides an improved wrapping of a roll and 
particularly the final wraps including the wraps following the separation 
of the web from the wound roll. The interior rider roll unit may be 
mounted to engage the rewound roll during the rewind of the roll at the 
rewind station or move into engagement with the rewound roll during the 
indexing of the rewound roll. In one embodiment, a rider roll is pivotally 
mounted within the roll support and rotates with the rewound roll to 
establish and maintain surface engagement with the outermost web layer. 
Although the interior rider roll improves the winding characteristic and 
an improved wound roll, a simply pivoted rider roll may create a varying 
surface force with the rotating of the roll support and the pivoting of 
the rider roll. Generally, in accordance with the present invention 
particularly for pressure sensitive paper or other web material, a rider 
roll assembly includes a movable rider roll unit coupled to a force and 
weight control unit having a counterweight member coupled to balance the 
weight of the roll unit and a force unit to establish and maintain a 
constant surface force on the outer layer of the roll unit. 
In a preferred and unique embodiment, the rider roll assembly includes a 
rider roll rotatably mounted on a linear slide unit which is in turn 
mounted to the winding roll support. A counterweight member is movably 
mounted on a control unit support structure which is also mounted to the 
winding roll support. A position transfer coupling unit connects the rider 
roll unit and the counterweight to establish opposite movements of the 
roll and counterweight and thereby establish an essentially zero gravity 
force by the rider roll unit. A constant force generator is mounted to the 
control unit support structure and coupled to the counterweight system to 
establish and apply the constant surface force on the rider roll. The 
rider roll thus maintains a constant surface force on the wound roll 
surface during the complete or final winding of the roll winding cycle. 
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the rider 
roll is mounted on the slide unit in suitable bearing units with the axis 
of the rider roll parallel to the winding axis. The bearing units are 
constructed and arranged to permit slight skewing of the rider roll axis 
relative to the winding axis. An adjustable position unit is coupled to 
the bearing units and to the slide support unit to set the rider roll 
axis. The setting of the rider roll skew eliminates defects such as 
wrinkles and folds within a layer of the roll. 
More particularly, in a preferred construction, a turret rotates about a 
horizontal axis and includes oppositely extended first and second support 
arms. Core support members are secured to the ends of the arms and 
releasably support a core unit having a rotational axis parallel to the 
turret axis. A motor drive indexes the turret to sequentially align the 
core support arms with the winding station for receiving the web and 
winding the web on the core unit. The interior rider roll unit is secured 
to the turret for each of said core support members. Each interior rider 
roll unit includes a carriage unit slidably secured to the turret for 
movement relative to the core support members. The rider roll is mounted 
on a pair of axially spaced bearing stands with the rider roll axis 
generally parallel to the axis of core support members. Each rider roll 
unit includes first and second control units connected to the opposite 
ends thereof. Each of said control units is identically formed and 
includes a roll position related mechanism connected to the carriage unit 
and having an output member positioned in accordance with the rider roll. 
The control unit includes a counterbalance weight unit movably mounted and 
a weight position mechanism having an output connected to the weight unit. 
A coupling mechanism connects the weight unit to counterbalance the weight 
of the rider roll. The coupling mechanism may establish a fixed reduction 
in the movement of the weight with respect to the movement of the rider 
roll to maintain the zero force where the counterweight is used throughout 
the winding process. A one-to-one relationship may be used where the rider 
roll only engages the roll during indexing and it thus has a short stroke. 
In the preferred construction, the weight positioning mechanism includes a 
weight chain unit mounted to a mounting plate and including a chain member 
fixed to the weight and supported by a plurality of spaced sprockets 
rotatably mounted to the mounting plate. The roll positioning mechanism 
includes a roll position chain unit mounted on the plate in laterally 
spaced relation to said weight chain unit. The roll position chain unit 
includes a plurality of spaced sprockets mounted to the plate with the 
chain movement in a plane parallel to the plane of the weight chain. The 
coupling mechanism includes a transfer chain unit having sprocket members 
secured to sprockets of the weight chain unit and of the transfer chain 
unit. The chain coupling may provide a one-to-one relationship when the 
rider roll only makes contact with the winding roll just prior to 
indexing, or may provide reduction in movement of the weight chain unit 
with the position chain unit when the rider roll engages the core and roll 
during the winding. A coupling plate is affixed to the rider roll unit for 
simultaneous positioning of the weight chain with the position of the 
linear moving rider roll, and thereby establishing an essentially 
weight-free force at the rider roll. A piston-less cylinder unit is 
connected to move with the weight and transmits a constant force through 
the chain units, and thereby establishes a constant holding force on the 
rider roll unit for engagement with the wound roll. 
In the preferred embodiment, a shaft is rotatably mounted to the bearing 
stands and projects laterally of the rider roll. First and second pinion 
gear and racks unit couple the shaft to the support arms. The one rack 
unit is longitudinally adjustable and includes an adjustable locking unit 
for adjusting the position of the rack and thereby adjust the angular 
orientation of the shaft in an offset angular orientation with respect to 
the axis of the core units. The angular orientation is transmitted to the 
rider roll and provide a skewed mounting of the rider roll. 
The present invention provides a reliable rider roll apparatus for 
significantly improving the wound roll in a web rewinding apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, a web rewinding 
apparatus 1 is diagrammatically illustrated for winding of a web 2 into a 
wound roll 3. The web 2 is a web of indefinite length which is to be 
rewound into a plurality of rewound rolls. A tensioned web supply 
apparatus 4 supplies the web 2 to rewind apparatus 1 which includes a 
rewind turret 5 for receiving of web 2 and forming of rewound rolls 3. The 
turret 5 includes a shaft rotatably mounted in suitable end bearings 6. A 
motor 7 is coupled to turret 5 for rotating the turret 5. A plurality of 
core support and drive units, shown as a pair of diametrically spaced 
units 8 and 9, are secured to the opposite ends of turret arms 10. The 
units 8 and 9 are each adapted to support a roll core 11 for receiving of 
the web 2. The core 11 is rotated in any suitable manner and web 2 is 
thereby wound on the core 11 to form roll 3. An exterior rider roll 12 is 
provided at the supply apparatus 4 and may be used to support the outer 
wrap during the winding of roll 3. The rider roll 12 is also used during 
the transfer of web 2 onto the core unit at the winding station. As 
disclosed in the copending application, the web 2 may be separated by 
forming a loop in web 2 adjacent the core unit at the winding station and 
forcibly pulling on the web with a snap action. 
In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, an interior rider roll unit 
13 is secured to each end of the turret and includes a rider roll 14 which 
rotates therewith. Each unit 13 is similarly constructed and the one unit 
is shown in detail and described. The unit 13 is provided as part of an 
interior mounted rider roll assembly 15 secured to the turret 5, with the 
rider roll 14 held in engagement with the roll 3 during the complete 
winding cycle or at the terminal portion of forming of the final roll 3, 
including the transfer of the web 2 from a completed roll 3 at the load 
station 16 to the core 11 at the winding station 17. The rider roll 
assembly 15 is constructed in accordance with the teaching of the present 
invention, and a preferred construction is shown in FIGS. 2-7. 
Generally, as shown in FIG. 1, a separate rider roll assembly 15 and 15' is 
provided for each core unit 8 and 9, and each is correspondingly 
constructed and mounted to the turret 5. The assembly 15 is shown and 
described in detail. The corresponding elements of assembly 15' are 
identified by corresponding primed numbers for simplicity and clarity of 
description. Further, the assemblies 15 and 15' each include 
counterweighted force control units 19 and 19', duplicated to the opposite 
end of the rider roll unit 13, and provide a balanced movement at both 
ends of each roll unit 13. The illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1-6 is thus 
adapted for application to the winding of the carbonless copy papers or 
other pressure sensitive web material and winding applications or the 
like. The one unit 19 is shown in detail and described. 
The counterweight and force control unit 19 are mounted to the turret and 
coupled to the ends of the roll unit 13. The unit 19 includes a 
counterweight unit 20 and 20' coupled to the roll unit 13 to balance the 
weight of roll 14 and the associated support structure and establish an 
essentially zero force on the engaged rewound roll 3 during the winding 
cycle. The unit 19 also includes a force generator unit 21 coupled to the 
roll unit 13 and establishing a constant force on the roll 14 and 
therefore on the surface of the rewound roll 3 during the complete winding 
cycle. 
More particularly as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rider roll 14 is mounted 
to move on a generally chordal path of the turret as the roll 3 enlarges. 
The movement of the rider roll 14 creates a varying gravity force on the 
support mechanism, as the result of the indexing turning which changes the 
lever of the arm weight and the location relative to the rewound roll 3. A 
suitable counterweight 20 and 20' is adjustably mounted within the control 
unit 19 and positioned in a direction opposite from that of the rider roll 
14 to maintain a constant zero gravity force on the rider roll 14 relative 
to the enlarging rewound roll 3 during the winding of the rewound roll. 
The force-establishing unit 21, shown as a constant force pneumatic 
cylinder, is secured to the control unit 19 and establishes an opposing 
force through the weight unit 20 and 20' and coupling structure to the 
rider roll 14. 
A preferred construction of a rider roll assembly 15 is shown in FIGS. 2-7 
in which the roll unit 13 is mounted for linear, or straight line, motion 
at the diameter of the rewound roll increases. 
Referring to the drawing and particularly to FIG. 4, the rider roll unit 13 
uncludes the smooth surfaced rider roll 14 extending across the width of 
the machine for surface engagement with the outer wrap of the web 2 on the 
rewound roll 3. The surface of the roll 14 is preferably a highly finished 
surface in accordance with conventional practice. The roll 14 functions to 
smooth out the web 2 and eliminate entrapment of air between the web 
layers. The rider roll 14 contributes significantly to forming a high 
quality rewound roll 3. In accordance with the present invention, the 
rider roll 14 is mounted for movement within the turret 5 as the roll 3 
enlarges, as follows. (FIG. 2) 
The opposite ends of the roll 14 are rotatably mounted within a generally 
U-shaped carriage assembly 33. The carriage assembly 33 includes a pair of 
side plates 22 and 23 mounted for linear movement on similar sliding 
bearing units 24 including support rods 25 secured to the opposite end 
frames 10 of the turret 5 by suitable mounting brackets 26. The rods 25 
are smooth finished bearing rods, and are formed of a sufficient length to 
support the rider roll for movement equal to the maximum diameter of the 
rewound roll 3. A low friction roller bearing unit 27 is slidably mounted 
on the rod 25 and includes a mounting plate 28 bolted to the carriage side 
plate 22. The bearing unit 24, for example, may be a pin roller bearing 
such as manufactured and sold by Thomson Industries Inc. of Manhasset, New 
York 11030. Any other desired low friction support including various 
commercially available low friction bearing units can of course be used. 
The rider roll 14 is mounted in surface engagement with the rewound roll 3, 
which moves the roll 14 outwardly essentially against unrestricted 
movement with change in the diameter of the rewound roll 3. 
The weight balance and force control unit 19 is coupled to the rider roll 
unit 13 to the opposite ends of the machine turret frame 10 and creates a 
constant load on the roll 14 for the controlled movement of the rider roll 
14 into and from engagement with the roll, as more fully described 
hereinafter. 
The rider roll 14 is mounted to a pair of supporting stands 30 and 30' 
secured to the base of the U-shaped carriage assembly 33. The stands 30 
and 30' are similar rigid box-like structures extending from the base 33 
in parallel and lateral spaced relation. Rider roll bearings 31 are 
similarly adjustably secured to the face of the stand 30 and 30'. The 
roller bearings 31 include mounting flanges 32 slidably mounted to the 
face of the stand. Locking bolts 34 are threaded through nuts 35 secured 
to the stand on opposite sides of flange 32. The bolts are adjusted to 
locate the rider roll 14 on the roll 3. 
A roll skew position control shaft 36 is secured to the roll stands 30 and 
30' and projects laterally from the stands past the ends of the roll. The 
outer ends of the shaft 36 are secured to suitable rack and pinion units 
37 and 38, with the shaft 36 freely rotatable in suitable bearings 39 on 
the stands. The sliding motion of the stands 30 and 30' moves the shaft. 
The one end of the shaft 36 is coupled to the adjustable rack and pinion 
unit 37 while the opposite end of the shaft is connected to the relatively 
fixed rack and pinion unit 38. The adjustable rack and pinion unit 37 
permits offsetting of the shaft 36 slightly to establish a slight twisting 
force on the carriage unit and rider roll 14. This results in a slight 
offsetting or skewing of the axis of the rider roll 14 relative to the 
axis of the rewound roll 3. If the web being wound on the wound roll has 
any form of a wrinkle as a result of some slight minor misalignment within 
the rewind apparatus, the skewing of the rider roll 14 may be set to 
completely remove any such defect. Actual tests have indicated that 
approximate adjusting the skew force on the rider roll creates a force 
such that a wrinkle along one edge of the web can be moved completely 
across and ironed out of the wound roll. This of course permits the 
operator to continuously monitor the roll and maintain maximum quality. 
As shown in FIG. 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the rack 40 of unit 38 
is secured to a plate 41, which is secured to the bearing support 26. This 
rigidly fixes the rack 40 to the turret 5 and forms a stationary or fixed 
support for the shaft 36. The pinion 42 on the end of the shaft 36 is 
maintained in engagement with the rack teeth. The location of pinion 42 on 
the rack 40 in relationship to the adjustable rack and pinion unit 37 on 
the opposite end of the rider roll unit 13 establishes the slight skew or 
offset relationship and force on the rider roll mechanism. 
The rack 43 of the unit 37 is secured to machine frame 10 with a slide unit 
44 permitting limited lineal positioning of the rack on the machine frame. 
With particular reference to FIG. 6, the slide unit 44 is shown including 
a fixed slide member 45 secured to the machine frame and a support slide 
45' moveable therewith. The support slide 45' is fixed to the rack 43. An 
adjustment control knob 46 is connected to the end of a shaft 47 which is 
rotatably threaded in a suitable support or block 48 secured to a mounting 
plate 49. The inner end of the shaft 47 is coupled to the end of the 
support slide 45'. The coupling includes a low friction bearing 50 on the 
end of the shaft 47 captured within a bearing portion 48 on the support 
slide. Rotation of the control knob 46 axially positions the shaft 47 and 
the interconnected rack 43 to provide slight linear movement of the rack 
43 relative to the turret arms 10 and the fixed position of the opposite 
rack 40 of unit 38. 
The rack and pinion unit 38 thus provides a fixed pivot point for the 
skewing forces applied to the rider roll 14 by adjustment of the 
adjustable rack and pinion unit 37. 
The roll unit 13 thus moves with the enlarging roll 3 with the rotating 
rider roll 14 in surface engagement with the outer wrap of the web 2 being 
wound on the roll 3. By establishing and maintaining proper forced 
engagement of rider roll 14, the web 2 is wound as a smooth and firm roll 
3. The counterweight and force unit 19 is coupled to the rider roll unit 
to establish a constant force on the outer wrap of web 2. 
As shown most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4, the balance and force control unit 
19 is generally constructed as a subassembly for securement to the turret 
support structure for securement to the turret end arms or members 10. The 
support structure generally includes a mounting plate 52 secured to the 
turret end frame 10. Spaced support frames 53 are secured to the mounting 
plate 52 to support the assembly. 
As previously described, the weight and force unit 19 includes 
counterweight unit 20 and force generator unit 21 coupled to each other 
and to the rider roll unit 13. The unit 20 balances the gravity force of 
the rider roll unit 13 within the assembly such that its structure creates 
essentially zero loading on the roll 3. The force unit 21 in turn creates 
a controlled force on the rider roll 14 and therefore a constant force 
between the rider roll 14 and the wound roll 3. 
The rider roll unit 13 moves in a straight but inclined path which varies 
with respect to the horizontal as the turret 5 indexes from the winding 
station 17. The gravity force of the rider roll 14 correspondingly varies. 
The counterweight unit 20 is oppositely positioned on a parallel path to 
maintan the zero gravity loading, as the result of a mechanical coupling 
to the rider roll unit 13. 
More particularly, the rider roll 13 is coupled to the force control unit 
19 as follows. 
As shown most clearly in FIG. 3, a movable bracket 55 is bolted or 
otherwise secured to the side of the adjacent roll stand 30' immediately 
beneath the fixed rack and pinion unit 38. The bracket 55 includes an 
outer plate 56 slidably disposed adjacent a frame plate 57 of the control 
unit frame structure. A chain drive unit 58 is secured to the bracket 
plate and is driven thereby. The chain unit 58 includes an open chain 59 
having the opposite end 60 and 60' secured to the plate. In the 
illustrated embodiment of the invention, each end of the chain 59 is 
similarly connected to the plate. Referring to end 60 of the chain, an 
adjustable threaded rod 66 is secured to the end of the chain and threaded 
into a rotating nut 61 secured to the plate. Rotation of the nut 61 draws 
the rod inwardly to the nut and tightens the chain onto a plurality of 
spaced sprockets 62. 
The chain 59 loops about the plurality of sprockets 62 which are driven by 
the movement of the chain. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, 
four sprockets are illustrated including 3 idler sprockets 62 and a roll 
position sprocket 63. The sprockets are paired and mounted to opposite 
ends of frame plate of the control unit 19 such that the chain moves in a 
rectangular path. The sprockets are appropriately secured on rotating 
shafts to the frame plate of the control unit frame structure. The 
position sprocket 63 is fixed to the mounting shaft 64 which rotates with 
the sprocket and chain, and provides a rotating output precisely related 
to the position of the rider roll 14. The position information is coupled 
to and transmitted through a coupling unit 65, shown as chain and sprocket 
unit, to the counter-balance weight 20 and continuously balances the 
changing gravity force of the rider roll 14 as the roll moves 14 outwardly 
with the enlarging rewound roll 3. 
The counterweight and force unit 19 generally includes a cylindrical weight 
20 slidably mounted on a support shaft or rod 68. A low friction bearing, 
not shown, is interposed between the weight and the rod to create a low 
friction support of the weight. The weight 20 is positively positioned 
through a chain unit 69 coupled to the rider roll unit 13 and is located 
for opposite movement in a common plane with the plane of movement of the 
rider roll 14 through the coupling chain unit 65 and the position chain 
unit 58. In the illustrated embodiment, chain unit 69 includes an open 
chain 70 having its ends connected to lugs on the opposite ends of the 
weight 20 as shown at 71 and 72 in FIGS. 3 and 4. The chain as shown, is a 
conventional link chain with the end releasably secured to lugs 71 and 72 
on the weight. The chain 70 extends about paired sprockets 73 and 74 
secured to the opposite ends of the support structure for the 
counterweight unit 19. The paired sprockets are mounted to the frame plate 
to the opposite ends of the weight unit and establish a rectangular chain 
path. The plane of the chain generally is parallel to the position chain 
59 of the rider roll unit 13. The one sprocket 73 is coupled to the roll 
driven position chain 59 via the coupling chain unit 65 and is 
correspondingly positioned. Unit 65 is a variable coupling chain drive and 
includes a large reduction sprocket 75 secured to a common shaft 76 with 
the sprocket 73. The opposite end of the coupling chain unit 65 is secured 
about a sprocket 77 secured to the shaft 64 of the roll driven chain 
sprocket 63. The sprockets coupled to the respective chains are selected 
to provide a proportionate movement of the weight 20 with the roll 14 to 
maintain an essentially zero force as a result of gravity forces of the 
rider roll unit 13. 
The total force created by the weight balance and pressure control unit 13 
therefore results from the force unit 21. 
The constant force unit 21 is shown as a pistonless cylinder unit which 
includes a sliding output member, not shown, coupled to the counterweight 
20 and establishing a predetermined constant load on the weight for all 
positions of the weight and rider roll unit 13. The force is transmitted 
to the rider roll unit 13 through the previously described chain coupling 
and establishes a predetermined constant force engagement between the 
rider roll 14 and the enlarging wound roll 3. This force is independent of 
the position of the rider roll 14 as a result of the counter balancing of 
the weight of the rider roll. Constant pressure pistonless cylinder units 
are commercially available. A satisfactory unit is a model 
1030-00105-15-1/2 manufactured and sold by Tol-O-Matic Inc. of 1028 South 
3rd. Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415. 
The interior rider roll 14 thereby establishes and maintains an accurate 
pressure loading on the rewound roll during the forming of the enlarging 
roll including the period of transfer from the rewind station to the 
unloading station. 
In summary, the rider roll unit 13 with the control units 19 is mounted to 
the turret 5 in accordance with the directional rotation of the turret 
between the winding station and load/unload stations. In addition, the 
rider roll unit and the interconnected control units 19 and 19' are 
mounted for engaging the core unit and roll at the time of web transfer at 
the winding station, or for engaging the roll at the time of indexing from 
the winding station and just prior to the cutoff and transfer of the web. 
In all mountings and roll engagement, the rider roll unit 13 is mounted 
with the rider roll 14 engaging the roll 3 and rotating with the indexing 
wound roll. As the roll indexes, the position is transmitted through the 
chain units, and to the weight to position the weight to counterbalance 
the gravity force of the rider roll 14. The engagement force of the 
cyliner unit is transmitted through the chain units to maintain the 
desired force on the outer web layer being wound onto the wound roll. 
In addition, if the operator detects a wrinkle in the web being wound on 
the roll, the skew adjustment mechanism or unit is adjusted to skew the 
axis the rider roll in its plane of movement and thereby wipes the wrinkle 
or fold from the web. 
The illustrated and described embodiment of the present invention discloses 
a commercial machine. 
In another embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 7, the turret unit 5 
is formed of a generally known construction with core units 8 and 9 
mounted to the opposite ends of a relatively rigid support arm and 
rotatably mounted to the rotating turret shaft 80. An interior or inside 
rider roll unit 81 is shown including a rider roll 82 for engaging the 
finished or completed roll 3 at least during the indexing and final 
winding of the web 2, including the tail portion. In the illustrated 
embodiment, the rider roll 82 is pivoted to the shaft 80 as at 83 and thus 
moves outwardly with the enlarging roll 3. A separate rider roll 84 of 
unit 81 is provided for the opposite core unit 8 and similarly functions 
during the forming of a roll thereon. The interior rider rolls 82 and 84 
also serves to iron out air which might be trapped between the web layers 
and also maintains control of the web during the indexing. 
Other embodiments of interior rider rolls will be readily provided based on 
the teaching herein, including the special balanced rider roll unit 
mounted as an integral part of the roll supporting and indexing support 
structure for position of the roll between a winding station and an unload 
station. Generally, the balanced rider roll embodiment includes a suitable 
unit or construction to establish and maintain a constant surface engaging 
force on the rider roll unit for optimum forming of the wound roll. 
Although not essential within the broadest respect of the invention, a 
suitable counterweight and force unit is of course preferably provided to 
provide unique wrapping control which is desirable and may be required to 
meet certain web specifications and the acceptable commercialization of 
the winding apparatus. 
The present invention thus provides a versatile interior rider roll unit 
for improved winding of a roll from an incoming web. 
Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being 
within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and 
distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.