Patent ID: 7077289

Claim:
An apparatus for dispersing a bandage supply having strip bandages carried between a first elongate cover strip and a second elongate cover strip, the apparatus comprising in combination: a casement; a bandage support device supported on the casement to disperse the bandage supply responsive to predetermined tensive force; a cover strip separator device at which the first cover strip and the second cover strip are separated from a given strip bandage; a first cover strip take-up device supported on the casement and configured to accumulate the first cover strip; a second cover strip take-up device supported on the casement and configured to accumulate the second cover strip; a first motor in power-transmitting engagement with the first cover strip takeup device; and a second motor in power-transmitting engagement with the second cover strip take-up device, wherein: a main bandage path is defined from the bandage support device to the cover strip separator device; a first waste path is defined from the cover strip separator device to the first cover strip take-up device; a second waste path is defined from the cover strip separator device to the second cover strip take-up device; and at least one waste path having an associated tension sensor carried by the casement to sense tension in the covering strip in the at least one waste path and responsively control the motor in power transmitting engagement with the take-up device carrying the cover strip in the at least one waste path to regulate tension in the said cover strip to a predetermined valve.