Patent ID: 8141809

Claim:
In combination with a flexible plastic web continuously moving in a longitudinal travel direction, an apparatus for winding the web as rolls onto sleeves, the apparatus comprising: a winding station holding a sleeve and rotating it about an axis for winding the web onto the sleeve; a changeover station upstream of the winding station in the direction holding a fresh sleeve adjacent the continuously moving web; a shell juxtaposed with the fresh sleeve in the changeover station and forming therewith a gap arcuately surrounding the fresh sleeve through an arc of at least 60°; a blade on the shell; means for pivoting the blade, shell, and fresh sleeve against the web and thereby pressing the web against the blade and thereby cross-cutting the web adjacent an end of the gap and forming on the web a trailing end and a leading end, whereby the trailing end travels to the winding station for winding on the sleeve therein; a slot nozzle at and directed into the end of the gap and extending transversely across at least the largest part of a width of the material web; means connected to the nozzle for expelling air therefrom and for thereby drawing air into the end of the gap and aspirating the leading end into the gap; and means at an opposite end of the gap from the slot nozzle for electrostatically charging the leading end or the fresh sleeve and thereby electrostatically adhering the leading end to the fresh sleeve in the changeover station.