Apparatus and method for removing end packaging from web rolls

Abstract: A pair of drawing members, separated by a prescribed distance, are drawn toward each other to be brought into contact with an end packaging material (C 2 ) covering the ends of a web wrapped on a web roll (R). The drawing members (32) are brought toward each other to create a thrust section (CG) by gathering the end packaging and separating the end packaging from the web on the web roll. A cutting member (22,23) is thrust into the thrust section (CG). The web roll (R) is then rotated, whereby the end packaging is cut and removed from an end of a web roll without damaging the web wrapped thereon. Similar drawing members (32) and cutting members (22,23) are preferably located at each end of an end packaging removal device, thereby enabling the end packaging material (C 2 ) to be simultaneously removed from both ends of the web roll. The resulting end packaging removal device saves time and labor involved in removing end packaging from a web roll.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for removing end packaging from web rolls. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method capable of automatically removing end packaging material covering axial ends of a web roll. Description of the related Art Rolls having a hollow core wrapped with a single-piece web, e.g., long sheets of paper, film, or metal foil, or composite sheets such as laminated film, have been widely used in various fields of industry for different uses. For example, in offset rotary printing presses and letter presses, a roll (hereinafter referred to as a "web roll"), consisting of a rolled-up web to be printed upon, is mounted on a web feeding device, The web is drawn out from the feeding device into the printing press. In order to prevent the web roll from being damaged or dirtied as it is transported from a paper plant to a printing plant, a perimeter-surface packaging material (wrapper) is wrapped around an outer perimeter surface of the web roll. End packaging material covers both axial ends of the web roll. After a web roll has been shipped to the printing plant, both types of packaging material must be removed. Currently, a worker must manually remove the packaging material from the web roll, which is an obstacle to the implementation of labor-saving measures, Furthermore, in removing the end packaging material covering the axial ends of the web roll, the worker must slide a cutter or knife between the end packaging material and the perimeter surface packaging material to cut along the entire perimeter of the packaging material, This is a very complicated procedure. Also, the cutter or the knife can damage the web when cutting the end packaging material and the perimeter surface packaging material. As a further example, DE 31 37 899 relates to a device for removing coverings enclosing object, wherein the device comprises a plurality of cutting arrangements, while each cutting arrangement includes cutting rollers as well as associated blades to cut the circumferential perimeter surface of the covering. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for removing end packaging from webrolls. This object is fulfilled by an apparatus for removing an end packaging having the features disclosed in claim 1 and by a method for removing an end packaging having the features disclosed in claim 7. Preferred embodiments are subject of the dependent subclaims. Briefly stated, the present invention provides a pair of drawing members, separated by a prescribed distance, which are drawn toward each other so as to be in contact with an end packaging material covering the ends of a web wrapped on a web roll. The drawing members are brought toward each other to create a thrust section by gathering the end packaging and separating the end packaging from the web on the web roll. A cutting member is thrust into the thrust section. The web roll is then rotated, whereby the end packaging is cut and removed from an end of the web roll without damaging the web wrapped thereon. Similar drawing members and cutting members are preferably located at each end of an end packaging removal device, thereby simultaneously removing the end packaging material from both ends of the web roll. The resulting end packaging removal device saves time and labor involved in removing end packaging from a web roll. The object is achieved according to the present invention in one aspect thereof by providing an apparatus for removing an end packaging covering at least one axial end portion of a web roll from the web roll comprising at least pair of drawing members which can be reciprocally movable between a standby position where the drawing members are spaced apart from each other and a drawing position where the drawing members are close to each other, means for positioning said pair of drawing members so that they abut against an outer surface of the end packaging by moving said pair of drawing members toward the axial end portion of the web roll, means for actuating said pair of drawing members to form a thrust portion in the end packaging by moving said pair of drawing members from said standby position to said drawing position to draw the end packaging between said pair of drawing members, whereby the end packaging is separated from the axial end portion of the web roll, means for cutting and thus removing the end packaging, which means can be thrust into said thrust portion, and means for supporting the web roll in such a way that the web roll is rotatable about its axis, whereby the end packaging is progressively cut and thus removed from the thrust portion by rotating the web roll while at the same time said cutting means remains thrust into said thrust portion. The object is achieved according to the present invention in another aspect thereof by providing a method for removing an end packaging covering at least one axial end portion of a web roll from the web roll comprising the steps of providing at least pair of drawing members which is reciprocally movable between a standby position where said drawing members are spaced apart from each other and a drawing position where said drawing members are close to each other, abutting said pair of drawing members against an outer surface of the web roll by moving said pair of drawing members at said standby position toward the axial end portion of the web roll, separating a portion of the end packaging from the axial end portion of the web roll to form a thrust portion by moving said pair of drawing members from said standby position to said drawing position where the end packaging is drawn between said pair of drawing members, and cutting progressively and thus removing the end packaging from said thrust portion, wherein the cutting and removing step includes the step of rotating the web roll about its axis while a knife remains thrust into said thrust portion of the end packaging. The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when it is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a partial front-view of a device for removing end packaging material according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a close-up drawing of a right cutting unit of the device of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical partial cross-sectional front-view of the right cutting unit of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan-view cross-sectional drawing of a horizontal cross-section of the right cutting unit of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a side-view showing the position of the drawing rollers in the right cutting unit of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a side-view drawing of the right cutting unit of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 illustrates the process of forming a knife thrust section using a pair of drawing rollers. Fig. 8 illustrates how the knife cuts the end packaging material. Fig. 9 is a perspective drawing of a web roll covered by packaging material. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The terms "lateral" and "longitudinal" are used in the following detailed description with reference to directions as shown in Fig. 1. Referring to Fig.1, a device M for removing end packaging material from a web roll includes a cutting device 11 positioned between a pair of frames 10. Frames 10 are separated by a prescribed lateral distance. A support device 12, installed on a mounting floor surface below the cutting device 11 supports a web roll R. An outer perimeter surface of the web roll R is covered with a perimeter surface packaging material C 1 . Axial ends of the web roll R are covered with end packaging material C 2 . The support device 12 includes a pair of rollers 14 (only one is shown in the Figure), serving as rotating means. A base 13, mounted on the installation floor surface, supports the rollers 14. The rollers 14 are parallel to an axis of rotation (the lateral axis) and are longitudinally separated, i.e., separated along a direction perpendicular to an axis along which the frames 10 are separated (a lateral axis). The web roll R is mounted between the rollers 14 so that a lateral axis of the web roll R is parallel to an axis of rotation of the rollers 14. A rotation motor 15, serving as rotating means, is disposed on the base 13. The motor 15 rotates each of the rollers 14 in the same direction. When the end packaging material C 2 is being cut away and removed, the web roll R, supported by the support device 11, is rotated in a prescribed direction. The cutting device 11 then cuts along an entire perimeter of the end packaging material C 2 . A pair of longitudinally separated connecting beams 16 (only one is shown in the Figure) extend between frames 10. A longitudinal center beam 17 extends at the lateral center between the connecting beams 16. Longitudinal side beams 18 extend along the left and right of the longitudinal center beam 17. A hydraulic lifting cylinder 19 projects from the longitudinal center beam 17. A piston rod 19a, pointing downward from the cylinder 19 toward the web roll R, is connected to a central section of a support frame 20 of the cutting device 11. The support frame 20, having a prescribed lateral length, is positioned directly above the web roll R. Activation of the hydraulic lifting cylinder 19 raises and lowers the support frame 20 toward and away from the web roll R. Bottom ends of a pair of guide rods 21 are connected to left and right ends of the support frame 20. The longitudinal side beams 18 include means to permit the guide rods 21 to slide up and down, thus allowing the support frame 20 to be raised and lowered at a level orientation. Multiple positioning rollers (not shown) are rotatably disposed on a lower surface of the support frame 20. Lowering position detection sensors (not shown) detect when the positioning rollers come into contact with the web roll R. As the hydraulic lifting cylinder 19 lowers the support frame 20, the position detection sensors detect when the positioning rollers contact an upper portion of the web roll R. The actuation of the cylinder 19 is stopped when this contact is detected. When the support frame 20 is in an active position (where it is lowered and has stopped), a pair of drawing rollers 32 (see Fig. 3), positioned respectively on right and left cutting units 22 and 23, face an upper section of the ends of the web roll R. Axes of rotation of the positioning rollers are parallel to an axis of rotation of the web roll R. When the end packaging material C 2 is being cut and removed, the positioning rollers rotate upon the rotation of the web roll R. The cutting units 22 and 23, disposed on the support frame 20, cut and remove the end packaging material C 2 covering axial ends of the web roll R. Since the structures of the cutting units 22 and 23 are identical (symmetrical), the following description will describes the right cutting unit 22 only, which unit is toward the right side of the Figure. The elements of the left cutting unit 23 correspond to the elements of the right cutting unit and the numerals assigned to the elements of the left cutting unit are the same as those assigned to the corresponding elements in the right cutting unit. Referring to Figs. 2 and 6, the pair of longitudinally separated guide rails 24 extend laterally over a prescribed length at a lower surface of the support frame 20. A carrier 25 is slidably disposed on the guide rails 24. On a front surface of the support frame 20, a screw shaft 26 is rotatably disposed parallel to the guide rails 24. The screw shaft 26 screws into a nut member 27. The screw shaft 26, connected to a displacement motor 28, can be rotated in either direction. The displacement motor 28 is positioned at a laterally central region of the support frame 20. When the displacement motor 28 rotates the screw shaft 26, threaded engagement of the screw shaft 26 with the nut member 27 causes the carrier 25 to move laterally (along the axis of the web roll R) along the guide rails 24. The displacement motors 28 of the left and right cutting units 22 and 23 are activated in tandem so that the cutting units 22 and 23 can be moved toward each other and apart relative to the lateral center of the support frame 20. Referring to Figs. 3 through 5, a support plate 29 projects perpendicular to a lower surface of the carrier 25. An outer surface of the support plate 29, away from the left cutting unit 23, rotatably supports a pair of vertical active shafts 30. In each active shaft 30, one of the drawing rollers 32 is eccentrically disposed as a drawing member. Rubber rings 31, preferably having high friction coefficients, are fitted on an outer perimeter of each of the drawing roller is 32. The support plate 29 has an opening 29a corresponding to the position of the drawing rollers 32. The drawing rollers 32 are projected and retracted from the opening 29a. Each end of a pair of linking members 33 is connected to a lower end of each of the active shafts 30. A slot 33a is located near the other end of each of the linking members 33. A pin 34 is inserted through each of the slots 33a of both of the linking members 33. The pin 34 is positioned on a piston rod 37a of a hydraulic drawing cylinder 37. An attachment plate 36, connected via a plurality of connecting members 35 to an outer side of the support plate 29, supports the hydraulic drawing cylinder 37. When the hydraulic drawing cylinder 37 is operated, the linking members 33 are pivoted around the pin 34 in opposite directions within a prescribed angular range. The active shafts 30, which are pivoted integrally with each respective one of the linking members 33, move each of the drawing rollers 32 in an arcuate path between a standby position (indicated by the solid line in Fig.4), where they are moved away from each other and withdrawn inwardly (toward the attachment plate 36) from the opening 29a, and a drawing position (indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4), where they are drawn toward and thus close to each other and projected outward (toward the left cutting unit 23) from the opening 29a. As the drawing rollers 32 move from the standby position to the drawing position, the rollers 32 contact the end packaging material C 2 of the web roll R. Referring to Figs. 7a and 7b, a drawing operation by the rollers 32 causes end packaging material C 2 to be separated from the ends of the web roll R to form a thrust section CG. In one embodiment of the present invention, the active shafts 30, the linking members 33, the pin 34, and the hydraulic drawing cylinder 37, serve as means for activating the drawing rollers 32. Referring back to Fig.4, a hydraulic detection cylinder 38 is horizontally positioned on the attachment plate 36. An end detection bar 39 is connected to a piston rod 38a of the cylinder 38. The end detection bar 39 is laterally inserted through the support plate 29. The hydraulic detection cylinder 38 maintains a prescribed pressure on the end detection bar 39, causing the end detection bar 39 to extend inward (toward the web roll R) from the support plate 29. When the right cutting unit 22 is moved by the displacement motor 28, the detection bar 39 contacts the end of the web roll R. The hydraulic detection cylinder 38 permits the detection bar 39 to be withdrawn toward the attachment plate 36. A reed switch (not shown) detects when the end detection bar 39 is withdrawn to a prescribed position, thus stopping further movement of the cutting unit 22 by the displacement motor 28. The reed switch can be set up to detect the displacement position of the end detection bar 39, the displacement position of the piston rod 38a of the hydraulic detection cylinder 38, or the like. Referring to Fig. 5, a support roller 41 is rotatably disposed on a lower end of the support plate 29 with a vertical shaft 40. When the end detection bar 39 is withdrawn to a prescribed position when it contacts the end of the web roll R, the movement of the right cutting unit 22 is stopped. The support roller 41 contacts the end of the web roll R, to rotate in tandem with the rotation of the web roll R during cutting and removal of the end packaging material C 2 . Referring to Figs. 3 and 6, a support shaft 42 projects from an upper surface of the carrier 25. A vertically extending guide rail 43 is mounted on an inner vertical surface of the support shaft 42 facing the left cutting unit 23. A lifting member 44 slides on the guide rail 43. A hydraulic knife cylinder 45, serving as displacement means, is vertically positioned at an upper end of the support shaft 42. A piston rod 45a, pointing downward from the hydraulic knife cylinder 45, is connected to the lifting member 44. Activation of the cylinder 45 causes the lifting member 44 to be moved vertically along the guide rail 43. A knife 47 is removably disposed on the lifting member 44 via an attachment tool 46. The knife 47 projects downward by a prescribed length from an inner position above the support plate 29. The knife 47 is a double-edged knife with a pointed lower end and a continuous blade. When the knife 47 is lowered by the hydraulic knife cylinder 45, the knife 47 is thrust into the thrust section CG (see Fig.7b) of the end packaging material C 2. The carrier 25 has an opening 25a to allow vertical movement of the knife 47. The attachment tool 46 is moved laterally along guide rods 48 on the lifting member 44. An adjustment screw 50, rotatably disposed on the lifting member 44, engages with a nut member 49 disposed on the attachment tool 46. Rotation of the adjustment screw 50 laterally displaces the attachment tool 46 and the knife 47, thus allowing for the accurate thrust of the knife 47 into the thrust section CG of the end packaging material C 2 , without damaging the web of the web roll R. When the support frame 20 is positioned so that the positioning roller (not shown) can contact an upper section of the web roll R, the hydraulic knife cylinder 45 moves the knife 47 between an upper standby position, where the knife 47 does not obstruct the web roll R, and a lower projected position, where a prescribed portion of the knife 47 is thrust into the thrust section CG. Referring to Figs. 6 and 8, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hydraulic knife cylinder 45 is activated to reciprocate the knife 47 once it has been thrust into the thrust section CG. The reciprocal movement of the knife 47 is along a prescribed stroke between the projected position and a reciprocating position above the projected position where the knife 47 remains engaged with the thrust section CG. The vertical motion of the knife 47 allows the end packaging material C 2 to be reliably cut. A reed switch (not shown in the Figures) on the hydraulic knife cylinder 45 detects the position of the piston rod 45a when the piston rod 45a is in the standby position, the projected position, and the reciprocating position respectively. The following is a description of how the device M for removing end packaging material according to the above embodiment is used. Referring to Fig.1, the cutting units 22 and 23 are disposed at a standby position, so that they are separated by a prescribed distance greater than a radius of the web roll R. The knife 47 is positioned at the upper standby position. First, the web roll R is mounted on the rotating rollers 14 disposed on the base 13 of the support device 12. When the device M is activated, the hydraulic lifting cylinder 19 activates the piston rod 19a to lower the support frame 20 in a level orientation guided by the guide rods 21. Next, when the lowering position detection sensor (not shown) detects when the positioning rollers (not shown) disposed at a lower surface of the support frame 20 contact the upper section of the web roll R, the hydraulic lifting cylinder 19 is stopped. The support frame 20 is now positioned at the active position. In this situation, the cutting units 22 and 23 are positioned outward from axial ends of the web roll R so that the cutting units 22 and 23 do not obstruct the downward movement of the support frame 20. The displacement motors 28 of the cutting units 22 and 23 are rotated in an appropriate direction. The threaded engagement between the screw the shaft 26 and nut member 27 causes the cutting units 22 and 23 to approach each other. Since the cutting units 22 and 23 operate in the same manner, the description below describes only the operation of the right cutting unit 22. As the right cutting unit 22 approaches an end of the web roll R, the end detection bar 39 contacts the end of the web roll R, so that the back end of the detection bar 39 is pushed back. A reed switch then detects the withdrawing of the piston rod 38a of the hydraulic detection cylinder 38 to a predetermined position. The displacement motor 28 is then stopped. Referring to Fig. 3, the end of the web roll R contacts the support roller 41, leaving a small gap between the web roll R and the support plate 29. Next, the hydraulic drawing cylinder 37 is activated in a prescribed direction to displace the drawing roller 32 from the standby position to the drawing position via the linking members 33. Referring to Figs. 7a, 7b, and 8, the drawing rollers 32, starting from the standby position, move along an arcuate path to approach each other while approaching the end of the web roll R. During this process, the drawing rollers 32 contact the end packaging material C 2 covering the end of the web roll R, thus drawing end packaging material C 2 toward ant then between the drawing rollers 32. The end packaging material C 2 drawn between the drawing rollers 32 is separated outward from the web roll R, thus forming the roughly triangular knife thrust section CG. When the hydraulic drawing cylinder 37 is stopped, the hydraulic knife cylinder 45 is activated to lower the knife 47 from the standby position to the projected position. The knife 47 is thrust from above into the knife thrust section CG of the end packaging material C 2 formed as described above. Thus, the knife 47 is now thrust between the end of the web roll R and the end packaging material C 2 . As a result, a space in the knife thrust section CG is provided between the end of the web roll R and the end packaging material C 2 . This space is adequate enough to prevent the knife 47 from damaging the web on the web roll R. Once the thrust of the knife 47 is complete, the hydraulic drawing cylinder 37 is operated in a reverse direction, thus restoring the drawing rollers 32 from the drawing position to the standby position. When the reed switch detects that the knife 47 has been lowered to its projected position, the hydraulic knife cylinder 45 operates in a reverse direction, thus moving the knife 47 vertically between the projected position and the reciprocating position along a prescribed stroke. The rotation motor 15 of the support device 12 is then rotated, thus rotating the web roll R. The rotation of the web roll R while the knife 47 is reciprocated along a prescribed stroke, cuts the end packaging material C2 along the entire perimeter of the web roll R. The end packaging material C2 that has been cut away is ejected outside the device M through a chute (not shown in the Figures). The rotation motor 15 is stopped when the web roll R has made at least one rotation. Each of the different members are then brought back to their respective initial standby positions, thus completing the cutting and removing of the end packaging material C 2 . With the end packaging material removal device M according to this embodiment, the end packaging material C 2 covering the axial ends of the web roll R is automatically cut and removed, resulting in saved labor. When the knife 47 is thrust into the end packaging material C 2 , a space is provided between the end of the web roll R and end packaging material C 2 , which space is adequate enough to prevent the knife 47 from damaging the web on web roll R. Furthermore, since the end packaging material C 2 covering both ends of the web roll R is cut and removed simultaneously, the time required for completing the operation is reduced. The present invention is not restricted to the embodiment described above. Other structures may be adopted. For example, instead of the combination of a screw shaft and a nut member, the displacement mechanism for the carrier 25 can include a rack and pinion mechanism or a chain and sprocket mechanism. Also, in the embodiment described above, the end packaging material C 2 is cut by moving the knife 47 up and down while the web roll R is rotated. However, it is instead possible to have the end packaging material C 2 cut by simply rotating the web roll R while the knife 47 is kept at the projected position. In this case, the blade of the knife 47 is preferably linear. It is not required to have a double edge. In the embodiment described above, the cutting units 22 and 23 are moved close to and away from the web roll R supported by the support device 12. However, it is also possible to use an opposite arrangement. That is, a liftable table can be installed on the base of the support device so that the web roll R is lifted by a lifting device. The lifting device can be any conventional lifting means, such as a parallel linking mechanism. The web roll R is rotatably supported between a pair of rotating rollers disposed on the liftable table. Through the support device, the web roll R may be brought close to and away from the cutting device which is disposed at a fixed position. It is also possible to have the cutting device move close to and away from the web roll R, or to have the web roll R move laterally close to or away from the cutting device. In the embodiment described above, the drawing rollers 32 move along an arcuate path. However, it is also possible to have the drawing rollers 32 move along a linear path to approach each other while contacting the end packaging material C 2 . In this alternate embodiment, the drawing members can be of any suitable shape, such as rectangles, triangles, and the like. For the activating means of the drawing members, a combination of a screw shaft and a nut member or a rack and pinion mechanism can be used as appropriate. It is also possible to have each drawing member directly activated by a hydraulic cylinder. As described above, the device for removing end packaging material from web rolls according to the present invention allows end packaging material covering axial ends of a web roll to be automatically removed, thus saving labor. Furthermore, since the end packaging material is . removed simultaneously from both ends of the web roll, the time required for the operation is reduced while the amount of work required by the workers is decreased. Also, when the knife is thrust into the end packaging material, an adequate space is created between the end of the web roll and the end packaging material, which space is adequate enough to prevent the web from being damaged by the knife. Further since the web roll is rotated while the knife is moved in a reciprocating manner along an appropriate stroke, the end packaging material is cut reliably. Having described preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims: An apparatus for removing an end packaging (C 2 ) covering at least one axial end portion of a web roll (R) from the web roll (R) comprising: at least pair of drawing members (32) which can be reciprocally movable between a standby position where the drawing members (32) are spaced apart from each other and a drawing position where the drawing members (32) are close to each other; means for positioning said pair of drawing members (32) so that they abut against an outer surface of the end packaging (C 2 ) by moving said pair of drawing members (32) toward the axial end portion of the web roll (R); means for actuating said pair of drawing members (32) to form a thrust portion (CG) in the end packaging (C 2 ) by moving said pair of drawing members (32) from said standby position to said drawing position to draw the end packaging (C 2 ) between said pair of drawing members (32), whereby the end packaging (C 2 ) is separated from the axial end portion of the web roll (R); means for cutting (47) and thus removing the end packaging (C 2 ), which means can be thrust into said thrust portion (CG); and means for supporting the web roll (R) in such a way that the web roll (R) is rotatable about its axis, whereby the end packaging (C 2 ) is progressively cut and thus removed from the thrust portion (CG) by rotating the web roll (R) while at the same time said cutting means (47) remains thrust into said thrust portion (CG). An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further includes a pair of cutting units (22, 23) disposed along the axial direction of the web roll (R), said units (22, 23) being movable toward and away from each other; said pair of drawing members (32) are disposed at a position facing the end portion of the web roll (R) at each of said cutting units (22, 23). An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said pair of drawing members (32) comprises a pair of rollers (32) including at least one roller (32) which is rotated toward the other roller (32) with reference to the position where said one roller (32) abuts against the outer surface of the end packaging (C 2 ); said pair of rollers (32) are positioned in such a way that their rotational axes are parallel to the outer surface of the end packaging (C 2 ). An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each roller (32) of said pair of rollers (32) includes an eccentric rotational shaft eccentric from the center of the roller (32), whereby an arc is traced between said standby position and said drawing position. An apparatus according to one of the claims 1-4, wherein said cutting means (47) comprises a knife (47) which includes on its side a cutting blade extending longitudinally; the apparatus further includes means (45) for reciprocally moving said knife (47) along a direction crossing a direction in which the end packaging (C 2 ) is drawn, whereby the end packaging (C 2 ) is cut and thus removed by the cutting blade by moving reciprocally the cutting blade means remaining thrust into said thrust portion (CG) while at the same time the web roll (R) is rotated. An apparatus according to one of the claims 1-5, wherein said positioning means is controlled such that it positions said pair of drawing members (32) at an edge end portion of the web roll (R) so as to form said thrust portion (CG) at a peripheral edge portion of the end packagind (C 2 ). A method for removing an end packaging (C 2 ) covering at least one axial end portion of a web roll (R) from the web roll (R) comprising the steps of: providing at least pair of drawing members (32) which is reciprocally movable between a standby position where said drawing members (32) are spaced apart from each other and a drawing position where said drawing members (32) are close to each other; abutting said pair of drawing members (32) against an outer surface of the web roll (R) by moving said pair of drawing members (32) at said standby position toward the axial end portion of the web roll (R); separating a portion of the end packaging (C 2 ) from the axial end portion of the web roll (R) to form a thrust portion (CG) by moving said pair of drawing members (32) from said standby position to said drawing position where the end packaging (C 2 ) is drawn between said pair of drawing members (32), and cutting progressively and thus removing the end packaging (C 2 ) from said thrust portion (CG), wherein the cutting and removing step includes the step of rotating the web roll (R) about its axis while a knife (47) remains thrust into said thrust portion (CG) of the end packaging (C 2 ). A method according to claim 7 wherein the step by which at least the pair of drawing members (32) is provided includes a step of providing one of said pair of drawing members (32) at each position facing the corresponding axial end portion of the web roll (R); said cutting and removing step includes the step of substantially simultaneously cutting and thus removing both of the end portions (C 2 ) of the web roll (R).

Inventors: YAMAUCHI SATORU, YAMAUCHI, SATORU
Applicants: ISOWAHOOPERSWIFT KK, KABUSHIKI KAISHA ISOWAHOOPERSWIFT
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B65B69
IPC codes: B65B69