Patent Document

RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/893,447, filed May 14, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/657,756, filed Jan. 27, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,444,079. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to machinery and methods for rolling large mats, carpets, rugs and the like. 
     Background 
     Bed roller machines are typically used in the field of commercial rug cleaning Large rugs of the sort typically found in the lobbies, foyers and hallways of commercial, retail and industrial enterprises are sometimes removed for cleaning off-site. Once cleaned, these rugs are rolled on a bed roller machine to quickly shape the rug into a cylinder for ease of delivery. 
     A typical prior art bed roller machine is shown in  FIG. 4 . This machine has a first set of horizontal belts  1  interleaved with a second set of vertical belts  2 . The first set of belts  1  moves the rug towards the second set of belts  2 , which then moves the rug upward. An elbow  3  guides the front edge of the rug upwards towards a set of fingers  4 , which fingers curve the front edge of the rug back over to begin forming the rug into the cylinder. Once the initial cylinder shape is formed, the action of the belts  1  and  2  continue to roll the rug into a cylindrical shape. A central elbow guides the control panel is centrally located, below the first set of belts  1 , and there are emergency stop buttons located on the hood above the fingers. This machine can roll a rug such that the hollow interior of the roll is about 5 inches in diameter. 
     There is an ongoing need for a new and improved bed roller machine to roll rugs in an easier, safer manner and which produce rugs that are more tightly rolled. 
     SUMMARY 
     An adjustable bed roller machine according to a first embodiment of the invention may include a main belt that feeds the rug towards a first and second set of interleaved belts, which are placed away from the operator under a safety hood. The adjustable bed roller includes a first set of fingers and a second set of fingers. The first set of fingers have a tighter curve and are initially deployed when a rug is first fed into the machine to form a tight initial cylinder. After a time, the first set of fingers rotate up and a second set of fingers, which have a looser curve, rotate down to guide the rug as the rolled cylinder grows larger. An elbow may then be used to kick the rolled rug out of the machine. This machine can roll a rug so that the hollow interior of the rug is about 2 inches in diameter. 
     The adjustable bed roller may also include an adjustment mechanism to raise and lower the height of the main body of the machine. The main body of the machine may be mounted on the frame by a pivot toward the rear of the machine and by an air cylinder or other suitable mechanism near the front. The air cylinder may be adjusted to raise or lower the front of main body relative to the rear. A light curtain at the front of the hood to detect an intrusion into the space under the hood and shut the machine down in response thereto may also be included. The control box may be mounted to one side of the machine where it is not covered by a rug during the operation of the machine. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric drawing of an adjustable bed roller machine  10 ; 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric drawing of the adjustable bed roller machine  10  with certain components removed; 
         FIG. 3  is a side cross-sectional view of the adjustable bed roller machine  10 . 
         FIG. 4  is a photograph of a prior art bed roller machine; 
         FIG. 5  is a photograph of an adjustable bed roller machine  10 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is photographs of a portion of an adjustable bed roller machine  10 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For the following defined terms, these definitions shall be applied, unless a different definition is given in the claims or elsewhere in this specification. 
     All numeric values are herein assumed to be modified by the term “about”, whether or not explicitly indicated. The term “about” generally refers to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited value (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances, the terms “about” may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure. 
     The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers within that range (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, and 5). 
     As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. 
     The following description should be read with reference to the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict illustrative embodiments of the claimed invention. 
     An embodiment of an adjustable bed roller machine  10  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1-3 and 5-6 .  FIG. 1  is an isometric view showing certain of the externally visible components of adjustable bed roller machine  10 . These include control panel  12 , main belt  14 , frame  16 , pivot hinge  18  and hood  20 . In  FIGS. 2 and 3 , one can also see a height adjustment cylinder  40 . The main body of the adjustable bed roller machine  10  is connected to the frame  16  through pivot hinge  18  and height adjustment cylinder  40 . One can operate the cylinder  40  through control panel  12  to raise or lower the front edge of the adjustable bed roller machine  10  to customize its height for a particular operator. 
     Main belt  14  is a wide single belt that feeds the rug to secondary belts  36  and then to tertiary belts  38 , seen in  FIG. 3 . Main belt  14  is operated by rollers  22 . Secondary belts  36  and tertiary belts  38  are interleaved, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Secondary belts  36  are operated on rollers  24  and  26 . Tertiary belts  38  share roller  26  with the secondary belts  36  and are operated on rollers  26  and  28 . These belts provide the motive power that brings a rug into the machine to roll it up. When the belts are operating to bring the rug into the machine, they are moved, as viewed in  FIG. 3 , in a counter-clockwise direction. Belts  14 ,  36  and  38  are made from a textured, gripping material such as a woven rubber or other suitable material. 
     The adjustable belt roller machine  10  also includes a first set of fingers  32  and a second set of fingers  30 . The first set of fingers  32  has a tighter curve, and the second set of fingers  30  has a wider curve, as can be best seen in  FIG. 3 . Each set of fingers may be independently pivoted down or up. The first set of fingers  32  may be attached to a first rod, which can pivot to operate the first set of fingers, and the second set of fingers may be attached to a second rod, which can pivot to operate the second set of fingers. An elbow  34  is centrally located, with approximately half of each set of fingers on each side of elbow  34 . Elbow  34  includes a central concave portion that is positioned where belts  36  and  38  meet and helps to guide the rug as the front edge of the rug changes direction between belts  36  and  38 . Elbow  34  and fingers  30  and  32  are made to have a relatively smooth surface and made be made from metal, plastic or another suitable material that does not create undue friction or heat as the rug is moved past the elbow and fingers. 
     The adjustable belt roller machine  10  may also include a set of pushers  46 ,  48 , which may be used to push a rolled rug out from the hood cavity at the end of the operation. The pushers,  46 ,  48  may be operated by a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder  50 . Preferably, when pushers  46 ,  48  are activated, a safety plate  44  may be raised to prevent the rolled rug from falling off the end of the main belt  14 . The safety plate  44  may be actuated by a hydraulic cylinder or other suitable mechanism. In some embodiments, the safety plate retracts automatically after a pre-determined period of time. For example, the safety plate may retract after a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 second period. 
     A sensor may be provided at the end of the main belt  14  to sense when the leading edge of a rug has moved past the end of the main belt. The sensor may be a photodetector, an opto-electronic sensor or other suitable sensor. In some embodiments, the sensor may include a light transmitter (not shown) and receiver or reflector. Such a reflector may be disposed, for example, on pushers  46 . When a rug passes over these reflectors on pushers  46 , it interrupts the reflection of a beam of light from a light transmitter, which indicates that the leading edge of the rug has moved past the end of the main belt. This sensor may be incorporated into the control system as described below. 
     The hood  20  may include a light curtain or similar safety device. A light curtain may be provided at or towards the front of hood  20  and may sense any incursion into the top portion of the interior of the hood. For example, the light curtain may be configured to sense an incursion into the top 90%, 80%, 70%, or 60% of the hood. When an incursion is sensed, the controls automatically shut down the adjustable bed roller. 
     A foot pedal  42 , seen in  FIG. 5 , is also provided as part of the controls, together with control panel  12 . The foot pedal  42  may be located at a convenient spot under or near the front of the adjustable bed roller and may be used to start the rolling process, leaving the operator&#39;s hands free for the rug. In some embodiments, the foot pedal is depressed throughout the operation of the machine such that removing a foot from the foot pedal signals to the controls that the rolling operation is complete. 
     In use, a front edge of a rug may be positioned on the main roller  14 , and the adjustable bed roller machine  10  may be started by depressing the foot pedal. This starts the rolling operation by starting to feed the rug into the machine. When the rug reaches the juncture between belts  36  and  38 , an optical or other sensor (not shown) triggers the first set of fingers. The first set of fingers  32  rotates down and the rug moves up the tertiary belts  38 , guided upwards by elbow  34 , and is formed by the first set of fingers  32  into a tight initial roll. The leading edge of the rug is tightly curved around to rest on a following portion of the rug. Because the rug is being moved into the machine, the leading edge follows the following portion to form the coil of the roll. After a preset period of time, a number of coils have been formed by the first set of fingers  32 , and the second set of fingers  30  rotates down and the first set of fingers rotates up. With each successive coil, the outer diameter of the coiled portion of the rug increases until the first set of fingers may not be suitable for coiling the rug into a roll. The second set of fingers  30  have a looser curve and are suitable for completing the rug rolling operation. When the operation is complete, the operator may remove his foot from the pedal, which activates pushers  46  and  48 . Pushers  36  and  38  push the rolled rug onto main belt  14 , where it can roll to the operator who then removes the rolled rug from the machine. A safety plate  44  may raise to prevent the rug from falling off the front end of the device. The safety plate retracts after a preset period and the operator can remove the rolled rug from the machine. Once the pushers have pushed the rug out, they preferably automatically resets back into position ready for the next rug. 
     It should be understood that this disclosure is, in many respects, only illustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of steps without exceeding the scope of the invention. The invention&#39;s scope is, of course, defined in the language in which the appended claims are expressed.

Technology Category: b