Patent ID: 7854105

Claim:
A film wrapping machine for wrapping articles within wrapping film, comprising: an upstanding framework; a wrapping station, defined within said upstanding framework, at which an article to be wrapped is adapted to be disposed during an article wrapping operation; a vertically movable frame member mounted upon said upstanding framework; a first motor drive for moving said vertically movable frame member in a vertically reciprocal manner; a rotary ring member mounted upon said vertically movable frame member; a second motor drive for causing said rotary ring member to undergo rotary movement around said wrapping station at which the article to be wrapped is disposed; and a pair of oppositely disposed film roll mounting and dispensing carriage assemblies mounted upon said rotary ring member for individually and sequentially dispensing wrapping film, during a film wrapping operation, such that the article, disposed at said wrapping station in order to be wrapped, can be wrapped within wrapping film; structure for sensing a lack of tension within a first supply of wrapping film, which is indicative of one of breakage and depletion of the first supply of wrapping film being dispensed from a first one of said pair of oppositely disposed film roll mounting and dispensing carriage assemblies, and for issuing a signal in response to said lack of tension indicating one of breakage and depletion of said first supply of wrapping film being dispensed from a first one of said pair of oppositely disposed film roll mounting and dispensing carriage assemblies; a control device for activating a second one of said pair of oppositely disposed film roll mounting and dispensing carriage assemblies, in response to said signal of said tension sensing structure in response to said one of breakage and depletion of said first supply of wrapping film being dispensed from said first one of said pair of oppositely disposed film roll mounting and dispensing carriage assemblies, such that if the wrapping film, disposed upon said first one of said pair of oppositely disposed film roll mounting and dispensing carriage assemblies, experiences a condition comprising one of depletion and breakage, said second one of said pair of oppositely disposed film roll mounting and dispensing carriage assemblies can dispense its wrapping film such that said film wrapping operation can be continued; and a pair of auxiliary film clamping mechanisms respectively mounted upon said pair of beam members for removing leading end portions of the wrapping films from said pair of film roll mounting and dispensing assemblies in order to prepare for the commencement of film wrapping operations utilizing new rolls of wrapping film.