Method of replacing rolls for introduction into a quilter and apparatus for practicing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11001952-B2
Application number	US-201916416912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2019
Priority date	May 20, 2019
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus for replacing a roll of material with a replacement roll of material comprises a loading station and multiple feed stations downstream of the loading station. Each station comprises two legs and a motorized drive assembly extending between the legs. The drive assembly rotates two sprockets and an endless chain surrounding the sprockets inside each of the legs at a station to raise or lower carriages. A roll support extends between the carriages at each station.

First claim

Having described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A method of replacing a roll of soft goods, said method comprising:
providing an apparatus comprising a base and a rail system spaced above the base with legs, the legs extending between the base and rail system, the apparatus further comprising a trolley movable along the rail system, the trolley having front support holders and rear support holders, the apparatus further comprising a loading station and a plurality of feed stations downstream of the loading station including a first feed station, each of the stations comprising a pair of legs and a drive assembly extending between the pair of legs, the drive assembly further comprising two sprockets, one of the sprockets being in each leg of the pair of legs for rotating an endless chain inside the leg of the pair of legs, a carriage being secured to each of the endless chains,
providing a replacement roll of material wrapped around a replacement support at the loading station, the replacement support of the replacement roll of material residing in carriages secured to the endless chains at the loading station;
providing a first support at the first feed station, the first support residing in carriages secured to the endless chains at the first feed station;
moving the trolley downstream;
lifting the replacement roll of material at the loading station;
inserting the replacement support of the replacement roll of material inside the front support holders of the trolley;
lifting the first support at the first feed station;
inserting the first support inside the rear support holders of the trolley;
moving the trolley downstream to a position such that the carriages at the first feed station lift the replacement support of the replacement roll of material out of the front support holders of the trolley;
further moving the trolley downstream;
lowering the replacement support of the replacement roll of material using two carriages at the first feed station to an operating position;
moving the trolley upstream; and
lowering the first support using two carriages at the loading station.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the trolley is moved via activation of a trolley motor on the trolley.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein lifting the replacement roll of material at the loading station comprises activating a lifting assembly at the loading station to rotate the endless chains and raise the carriages at the loading station.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein lifting the replacement roll of material at the loading station comprises lifting the replacement support above the rail system.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein raising the carriages at one of the stations comprising rotating the endless chains inside the legs at the station.

6. A method of replacing a roll of soft goods, said method comprising:
providing an apparatus comprising a base, a rail system spaced above the base with legs, a trolley movable along the rail system, the trolley having a first set of support holders and a second set of support holders;
providing a replacement roll of material wrapped around a replacement support at a loading station, the replacement support of the replacement roll of material residing in carriages at the loading station;
providing a first support at a feed station downstream of the loading station, the first support residing in carriages at the feed station;
moving the trolley downstream;
lifting the replacement roll of material at the loading station by raising the replacement support using the carriages at the loading station;
inserting the replacement support inside the first set of support holders of the trolley;
lifting the first support at the feed station;
lowering the first support into the second set of support holders of the trolley to create a fully loaded trolley;
moving the fully loaded trolley downstream to a position such that the carriages at the feed station lift the replacement support out of the first set of support holders of the trolley;
further moving the trolley downstream;
lowering the replacement support using the carriages at the feed station to an operating position;
moving the trolley upstream; and
lowering the first support using two carriages at the loading station to a lowered position in which the first support may be manually removed from the carriages at the loading station to be replaced.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein each of the stations comprises a pair of legs and a drive assembly extending between legs, the drive assembly including a sprocket within each of the legs for rotating an endless chain, the endless chain extending around sprockets inside each of the legs of a station, a carriage being secured to each of the chains.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein lifting the replacement roll of material at the loading station by raising the replacement support using carriages at the loading station comprises activating the drive assembly at the loading station.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the replacement support is raised above the support holders of the trolley and the trolley moved prior to inserting the replacement support inside the first set of support holders of the trolley.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the supports are tubes.

11. The method of claim 6 , further comprising moving the trolley after lifting the first support at the feed station and before inserting the first support inside the second set of support holders of the trolley to create the fully loaded trolley.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein the carriages at each of the feed stations move one of the supports in a vertical plane.

13. The method of claim 6 , wherein a motor rotates one of the sprockets of the drive assembly at each station.

14. A method of replacing a roll of soft goods, said method comprising:
inserting a replacement support supporting a replacement roll of material into carriages at a loading station at an upstream end of an apparatus comprising a base, a rail system spaced above the base with legs, and a trolley movable along the rail system, the trolley having front and rear support holders;
moving the trolley;
activating a motor at the loading station to raise the carriages at the loading station to lift the replacement support into a raised position above the rail system;
moving the trolley such that the front support holders of the trolley are below the replacement support;
lowering the replacement support into the front support holders of the trolley by lowering the carriages at the loading station;
further moving the trolley;
activating a motor at a feed station downstream of the loading station to raise carriages at the feed station to lift a first support into a raised position above the rail system;
lowering the first support into the rear support holders of the trolley by lowering the carriages at the feed station to create a fully loaded trolley;
moving the fully loaded trolley downstream to a first unloading position;
activating the motor at the feed station to raise the carriages at the feed station to lift the replacement support out of the front support holders of the trolley with the trolley in its first unloading position;
further moving the trolley;
lowering the replacement support using the carriages at the feed station;
moving the trolley upstream to a second unloading position;
activating the motor at the loading station to raise the carriages at the loading station to lift the first support out of the rear support holders of the trolley with the trolley in its second unloading position;
further moving the trolley; and
lowering t

Assignees

• L&P Property Man Co

Inventors

• Myers Terrance L
• Smallwood Matthew C
• Eagle Robert D

Classifications

• B65H19/126 Primary

  with both-ends supporting arrangements · CPC title

• B65H16/06

  both-ends type · CPC title

• D05B33/00 Primary

  Devices incorporated in sewing machines for supplying or removing the work · CPC title

• B65H2701/177

  Fibrous or compressible material · CPC title

• B65H2301/41342

  shaft transversing the roll · CPC title